Surviving the Ancient Angst Novel [Transmigration] - Chapter 2

We stood on the riverbank for nearly an hour before a magnificent pleasure boat finally rounded the bend of the river.

The midday sun glinted off the ship’s lacquered red hull, making it look like a fire phoenix skimming across the water. It moved with light, swift grace, carving shallow ripples into the dark green surface. Expensive glass lanterns hung around the boat, lit even in the broad daylight. As it drew near, a breeze carried the fluttering of silk tassels, the crisp tinkling of bells, and several faint notes of incense.

The boys around me began to grow restless. Their small faces flushed with excitement, and their eyes fixed longingly on the vessel as if it were a celestial ship sent from the heavens to rescue them from their misery. Even Qiao Kaiheng couldn’t help but take a few steps forward.

The boat finally docked, and several men dressed in vibrant, fine clothing disembarked leisurely. As the hull swayed slightly, bright ripples danced in the dark green water before settling back into stillness.

I noticed that the leader was a young man in his mid-twenties, wearing a silk brocade robe of cyan and emerald. A piece of exquisitely carved yellow jade hung from his waist, inscribed with the words “Eastern Desolate.” He was exceptionally handsome, with flowing, silky long hair, eyes as bright as flowers, skin like polished powder, and lips as red as cinnabar. He moved with a swift, airy gait.

Half a step behind him was a lean man with loose hair, held back only by a simple wooden hairpin in a slightly disheveled style. He also wore yellow jade at his waist. He appeared a bit older, with faint, almost imperceptible fine lines at the corners of his eyes, but this did nothing to diminish his beauty. This man wore a white robe with wide sleeves and walked with grand, sweeping strides, exuding the effortless elegance of a Wei-Jin scholar.

Following them were three or four youths, all with emerald-colored jade at their waists and uniformly exquisite features.

I recalled those few lines describing the Eastern Desolate Sect in the angst novels, Beauties as numerous as the stars only male disciples.

It seemed that was indeed the case.

I was curious about the appearance of my current body, and the System, sensing my thought, displayed it directly in my mind. The new shell was thin malnourished-thin with sallow hair and sunken cheeks. It looked like all its nutrients had been used to grow bones. When I wasn’t smiling, I looked cold and distant, giving off a “leave me alone” vibe.

But once I smiled, it was like snow melting and flowers blooming in spring. I finally understood the System’s initial lack of confidence; based on my looks, it probably thought I was a difficult person to deal with.

Perfect. With the Eastern Desolate Sect’s high standards, I was bound to be rejected.

As the men from the sect approached, the human traffickers swarmed them. They babbled about the boys they were selling with a fervor reminiscent of aggressive salesmen outside a foot massage parlor.

The man in green frowned slightly. His attendants immediately understood and forcibly pulled the traffickers to the side.

The man in green then walked toward us. With his hands behind his back, he first stopped in front of Qiao Kaiheng and asked for his name. Qiao Kaiheng straightened his back and announced it loudly. The man in green nodded with satisfaction and signaled for the boy to follow him.

The second boy he chose was a beautiful seven-year-old to my right; the man bypassed me entirely without even a glance. He lowered his head and asked the boy’s name in a soft voice. The child, clutching his sleeve, reported it with a mix of shyness and excitement.

By the time he finished his round, the man in green had selected three boys. The rest were rejected for various minor flaws: one had a tiny crescent scar on his forehead (which could easily be hidden by bangs), another stuttered out of nervousness, and another smelled of sweat (likely from not bathing for days). The man in green was nitpicky and refused them all.

Watching the group turn to head back to the boat, I was so happy I nearly laughed out loud. I wasn’t going to the Eastern Desolate Sect!

Everyone else including the traffickers was sighing and groaning. Suddenly, the man in the white robe turned and glanced at me. A few seconds later, he started walking back.

My heart skipped a beat. I immediately suppressed my grin and buried my head. A pair of black silk boots entered my field of vision. The hem of his white robe brushed against the shoes, stained with a few drops of ink.

“What is your name?” the man asked with great interest.

Knowing my current appearance, I felt there was nothing to hide. I lifted my head to meet those smiling black eyes. My lips moved. “Lu…” I wanted to say my name was Lu Tiezhu (Iron Pillar), but then I realized the trafficker knew my name, so changing it now would look suspicious. I stopped mid-word.

“Lu?” The man leaned in closer, his smile widening until the crow’s feet at his eyes deepened.

His smile made my heart feel bitter. Don’t do this, brother. We aren’t the same kind of people.

At that moment, a fresh little book popped up in my mind. The title was: Prequel to the Eastern Desolate Sect: The Legend of Mei Renteng.

Great. It seemed this one was also the protagonist of a tragedy. Mei Renteng a homophone for “No One to Love Him” (Mei Ren Teng). Even from the name, you could see the author’s malice. My gaze toward him involuntarily softened with a hint of sympathy.

“Oh?” He pulled his head back slightly, his smile unchanging.

It seemed this guy was intent on catching me. I gritted my teeth, my mind racing for a way to escape.

The man in green walked over, frowning at Mei Renteng. “Aren’t we leaving?” You could see a subtle hint of disdain in his eyes, but for some reason, he didn’t express it openly.

Mei Renteng pointed at me, laughing joyfully. “Bring him along too.”

The man in green looked at me, appraised me from head to toe, and gave a very reluctant nod.

I took a deep breath. It was now or never.

“My Lord, this lowly one is named Lu Yinchen~” I curled my fingers into a “delicate orchid” gesture, and wailed in a shrill, effeminate voice that was still cracking from puberty.

Instantly, the surroundings fell into a bizarre silence.

I saw the beautiful children including Qiao Kaiheng looking at me with expressions of sheer shock. I was laughing hysterically on the inside.

Seconds later, the man in green knit his brows into a tight knot and walked away without looking back. Mei Renteng tried to grab my hand, but several attendants stopped him, literally carrying him back to the boat by his arms and legs.

Once everyone was on board, the boat’s mast quickly raised a silk sail embroidered with gold thread. A breeze filled the sail, and the vessel glided away.

I let my hand drop, my heart finally settling back into my chest. I was just about to turn back to the carriage when I heard a sudden whistle of wind above me. My collar tightened, my feet left the ground, and I was hoisted into the air. The man holding me used a willow tree as a stepping stone, physically carrying me over several meters of water and landing onto the moving boat.

By the time I regained my senses, I was standing on the deck, and the shore was already seven or eight meters away.

I was stunned. So, this is Qinggong?!

Then a terrifying thought hit me: Damn it, I can’t swim!

Returning to shore was no longer an option. I turned and stared speechlessly at the man who had just let go of my collar. Brother, just how obsessed are you with me?!

Mei Renteng just looked at me innocently and laughed.

Keep laughing. I suspect you were a Maitreya Buddha in your past life.

The man in green walked over. He glanced at Mei Renteng and gave an emotionless order: “Blindfold him and take him inside.”

An attendant approached. The world fell into darkness. Pushed along by a pair of hands, I eventually sat down, and my arm accidentally brushed against someone’s thigh.

The person immediately asked nervously, “Who is it?”

It was Qiao Kaiheng’s voice. It seemed I wasn’t the only one blindfolded. Under the current circumstances, as long as I wasn’t being singled out for “special treatment,” it was fine. It proved I hadn’t completely messed up yet.

Waiting on the boat was boring, so I opened that new book, Prequel to the Eastern Desolate Sect: The Legend of Mei Renteng, and had a look.

As it turned out, Mei Renteng was the second son of a wealthy chain of pawnshops. He should have lived a life of luxury, but he wasn’t happy.

His older brother was a genius in both civil and military arts, deeply loved by their parents. His younger brother was as cute as a celestial child sweet-tongued and pampered as the baby of the family. Only he, the middle child, was honest, dull, and mediocre. Compared to his brothers, he was incompetent at everything except writing little “travel stories” that the older generation looked down upon. When relatives mentioned him, the only word they used was “unproductive.”

Mei Renteng felt he lived a pathetic life. So, he shut himself away and poured his heart into writing, projecting himself into his characters to feel the freedom he lacked. His stories were actually quite popular and sold well. In his own world, he finally found a reason to live.

Life should have continued peacefully, but someone crashed into his world and shattered that fragile beauty.

It was a sunny day, and Mei Renteng was delivering a new manuscript to the bookstore. Inside, he saw a youth with a straight back picking out books. The one the boy was reading happened to be Mei Renteng’s The Carefree Journey of the Sentimental Swordsman the store’s best-seller.

The boy saw him handing over the manuscript. When Mei Renteng left, the youth followed him. Sensing someone behind him, Mei Renteng stopped and turned. The boy had sharp “general’s” eyebrows, starry eyes, and thin lips; he was quite handsome.

He opened his mouth and said: “Brother Mei, don’t walk so fast~”

“How do you know my name?” Mei Renteng asked, confused.

The boy shamelessly rushed forward and grabbed his arm. “I asked the bookstore owner.”

Mei Renteng assumed he was just a fan and sent him away with kind words. To his surprise, the boy was waiting for him at the bookstore again the next day. This time, he learned the boy’s name: Zhao You.

Zhao You talked to him about many books all of which were written by Mei Renteng and shared his own insights. Mei Renteng was fascinated. After a few visits, they became close. Zhao You was sweet-tongued, calling him “Brother Mei” constantly, and was far more affectionate than his own younger brother.

Mei Renteng grew to love him like a real brother and even wrote a new story about a young swordsman based on him. Zhao You loved it.

One day, a blushing Zhao You confessed his feelings to Mei Renteng, saying he had liked him for a long time. Stunned, Mei Renteng immediately stopped him and tried to leave. When Zhao You wouldn’t let him go, Mei Renteng had to tell him that he only saw him as a brother. He even recalled several “warm moments” they had shared, trying to tell him that being brothers was better because they could stay together for a lifetime.

Suddenly, Zhao You’s sweetness vanished. He bitingly told Mei Renteng that he was “too dramatic” and that he hadn’t found those moments beautiful at all. The two parted on bad terms.

The next day, the shameless Zhao You was back at the bookstore. Being ten years older, Mei Renteng didn’t hold a grudge. They greeted each other and sat down to discuss books as if nothing had happened.

After a few peaceful days, Zhao You started acting up again, dropping hints that he liked him. Mei Renteng was deeply troubled. In his heart, he was quite insecure; half of him was flattered to be liked by a handsome youth, but the other half was terrified of the age gap. He felt it was against the social order and that people would talk. Despite his parents thinking he was useless, he didn’t want to be seen as a pervert who preyed on minors.

So, the entanglement began. At first, one pursued while the other fled. When Zhao You’s confessions were rejected, he would say cruel things to hurt Mei Renteng. Mei Renteng would be heartbroken and hide. Eventually, after enough emotional ups and downs, Mei Renteng mistakenly believed he had fallen for Zhao You. One day, he finally decided to break through social conventions and be brave.

But when the usually passive Mei Renteng finally went to Zhao You to confess his feelings, the once-passionate boy said coldly: “Don’t bother me.”

Mei Renteng’s heart shattered. He locked himself in his room and spent his days in tears, obsessed with wondering what Zhao You was thinking.

By then, Zhao You had already hooked up with another older person this time a woman. He took her to the places where he used to wait for Mei Renteng and even copied love poems for her, asking the bookstore owner to hang them on the wall.

When Mei Renteng finally pulled himself together to write again, he saw one of those poems: “I was not yet born when you were born; you are already old now that I am born. You regret I was born too late; I regret you were born too early.”

He collapsed again. He thought it was a secret signal from Zhao You that Zhao You loved him passionately but was suffering in silence. He blamed himself for being mopey while Zhao You was “suffering.”

He decided to be brave one more time. But he was afraid to talk to Zhao You directly, fearing the boy’s sharp tongue. So, he asked Zhao You’s friends for news.

The friends looked at him with pity and said: “Zhao You told us that you, Mei Renteng, are just an affection-seeking bitch.”

Those words were like a brutal slap to his face. It felt like his heart was being torn apart. Zhao You had said unkind things to his face before, but he had never said anything that cruel behind his back.

Mei Renteng’s spirit broke. He couldn’t sleep, and his mental health deteriorated. He would smile foolishly while hallucinating about their past memories, then suddenly start cursing Zhao You for being heartless. To everyone else, he looked insane.

After a year of recovery, he got better. At least he didn’t laugh and cry for no reason anymore. He continued his writing career but switched bookstores.

In this new bookstore, he met the next disaster of his life Chu Shu, one of the four Great Protectors of the Eastern Desolate Sect.

At that time, the sect had only been founded for six months and was in desperate need of funds. Mei Renteng’s stories were best-sellers and made the bookstore a fortune. Chu Shu, the secret owner, heard of him and summoned him.

Chu Shu was exceptionally handsome, with a calm, mature elegance that the flighty Zhao You couldn’t match. Mei Renteng blushed the moment they met; this time, he was the one who fell first.

Chu Shu, a man of the world, saw through him immediately. He smiled and invited Mei Renteng to join the Eastern Desolate Sect, even personally teaching him martial arts. Chu Shu’s gentleness and patience made Mei Renteng feel cherished for the first time. Chu Shu even gave him a piece of Red Jade to wear at his waist, ensuring he was respected by the sect members.

(The Eastern Desolate Sect uses jade pendants to strictly distinguish rank: White is the lowest, followed by Green → Yellow → Orange → Red → Blue → Purple. The Master and Leader are above the jade ranks.)

The occasional intimate encounters between them made Mei Renteng fall madly in love. He believed he was special to Chu Shu. Why else would the man be so good to him?

But he had misjudged the man’s nature. The truth hit him like a bucket of ice water. A high-ranking Blue Jade envoy under Chu Shu said he liked Mei Renteng and asked Chu Shu to give the man to him for a few days of fun.

Chu Shu agreed without blinking. He even personally fed Mei Renteng drugged wine before the Blue Jade envoy carried the unconscious man away.

After being brutally tormented for days and nights, Mei Renteng went completely mad. With his hair disheveled and feet bare, he ran to Chu Shu’s palace. He ripped the Red Jade from his waist and hurled it against the stone steps. Ignoring the shards that cut his face, he smashed his head against a pillar.

Unfortunately, he didn’t die. When he woke up, Chu Shu was sitting by his bed, gently stroking his wounds and promising that the medicine would prevent scarring.

Mei Renteng laughed hysterically and begged with tears: “Just give me a piece of Yellow Jade. I only want a quiet place to write.” He knew Chu Shu wouldn’t let him go. He stood up, bypassed Chu Shu, and began smashing his head against the wall over and over.

Chu Shu stopped him gently and agreed.

Mei Renteng spent over twenty years in the Eastern Desolate Sect in a state of madness. In all those years, he didn’t write a single book. He spent his days wandering the bamboo groves. Because the Blue Jade envoy who had “claimed” him protected him, he lived a relatively peaceful life. No one troubled him, though everyone secretly called him the “Shining Fool.”

That was the entirety of the prequel.

While Mei Renteng’s experience was indeed tragic, pulling me into this mess for no reason was just inhumane!

The tiny bit of sympathy I felt for him quickly vanished.

Sympathizing with the protagonist of a tragedy? It only brings misfortune.

I’d rather focus on sympathizing with myself the one who was just dragged onto the battlefield of an angst novel.