Surviving the Ancient Angst Novel [Transmigration] - Chapter 5

It goes without saying who the culprit behind all of this was.

System, come out.

【What is it, Yinchen? 】

I took a deep breath, pressed my fingers against my throbbing temple, and closed my eyes. ‘Can we set these godforsaken notification panels to Do-Not-Disturb mode?’

【Ah…】 The System paused, seemingly stunned by such a novel request. 【Do-Not-Disturb? What kind of mode does Yinchen desire?】

‘Don’t just jump out and mess with me without my permission.’

The System didn’t answer immediately. I darkened my expression and waited patiently for its response. After a series of pitter-patter sounds, the System finally spoke again:

【Found it! Let’s turn off the “Auto-Trigger” mode and enable Aura Sight mode instead?】

‘Aura Sight?’

【With Aura Sight active, your vision will become slightly dim. However, if you use it to observe those around you, you’ll discover that any book protagonist will emit a golden glow. Supporting characters will glow blue, while extras, background props, and cannon fodder will appear in grey tones without any light. Best of all, you control the switch; it will never turn on automatically. New books will also be filed silently onto your bookshelf without popping up. If Yinchen has time, you can read them whenever you want! How does that sound?】

It sounded perfect.

Satisfied, I found a large tree and sat down, but the moment my backside touched the soft earth, I felt something hard poking me.

“What is this?” I stood up, turned around, and began brushing the dirt aside.

It would have been better if I hadn’t looked. A half-rotted severed hand appeared in my vision. One half was nothing but white bone, while the other was stiff, dirty skin covered in cadaveric spots. Looking closely, I could even see dirt trapped beneath the fingernails that had never been cleaned.

Perhaps it was psychological, but I suddenly caught a faint scent of rotting flesh in the air—an elusive, lingering smell that was incredibly nauseating. I gritted my teeth, suppressed the urge to vomit, and quickly scooped the dirt back over the hand.

Once finished, I stood up and looked at the nearby patch of soil, which had clearly been turned over repeatedly. Just how many bodies are buried here to make the earth look like this?

The thought that I might be standing on thousands of corpses made my blood pressure spike. My head spun, my legs felt weak, and I nearly lost my balance. I had to lean against the tree trunk for a moment to recover.

Calm down, calm down. You’ve transmigrated into a tragedy novel; this is just a minor scene. I desperately comforted myself, swallowing hard to force down the bitter taste rising in my throat.

Once my heart rate settled, the air finally seemed a bit fresher. The Eastern Desolate Sect must have used some special treatment to suppress the scent of decay; otherwise, we would have smelled it during the day. As for that stench just now, it was likely a phantom smell triggered by the sight of the hand.

Regardless, now was not the time to dwell on such things. I knew that if I wasted any more time, my bones might be the next ones buried here.

While knowing your enemy is the key to victory, I couldn’t simply wander through the mist alone—that was too dangerous. I had two unlocked books from the “Original Series” which were enough for me to use my “God’s Eye” to understand the current situation.

I had a feeling that things were not as simple as they sounded on the surface. What kind of game was the Eastern Desolate Sect playing with these “newborn calves” who idolized them?

With intense curiosity, I opened Obsequious Servant.

[Excerpt from “Obsequious Servant”]

At the sight of the firelight ahead, Qiao Kaiheng suddenly forgot his hunger. His legs no longer ached, and his body was filled with an inexhaustible strength. He set Gao Mang down from his back and called out to his companions, “Take care of Brother Gao; I’ll scout the path ahead.” He couldn’t wait to sprint forward with his long legs.

As the distance closed, the mist thinned, and visibility increased. Qiao Kaiheng rejoiced, believing he had finally found the right way.

However, once he saw the scene illuminated by the torches, it was as if his feet had taken root in the earth; he couldn’t move an inch. The sound of laughter mixed with painful pleas for mercy pierced his ears.

People lay scattered across the ground in various states of agony. Some had wooden spikes driven into their heads, curling their bodies as they wailed incessantly. Others had their legs twisted at unnatural angles, their bones clearly snapped. Some lay face-down in the dirt, their limbs merely twitching occasionally, their life or death unknown. Still others knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly until their entire faces were covered in blood, seemingly possessed by madness.

Most revolting of all was a youth whose clothes had been torn to shreds. His fair skin was covered in bruises as several young men pinned him down, laughing lewdly while violating him.

Qiao Kaiheng opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He recognized that youth it was the boy who had stamped his feet in anger when they “stole” Cave Number Seven. He could vaguely recognize the others on the ground, too; they were part of that boys’ team.

Qiao Kaiheng had stopped so abruptly that Bai Mo and the others, running close behind him, couldn’t brake in time. One by one, they slammed into his back like a row of falling dominoes. Qiao Kaiheng fell stiffly to the ground under the impact and lay there motionless. His mind was a storm of questions.

What is happening? Who are these hideous people? Why would the Eastern Desolate Sect let them into the Wangfeng Woods? They.

Qiao Kaiheng suddenly lifted his head, his eyes fixing on the jade pendants at their waists. Some were Yellow Jade, some were Green Jade, and all were inscribed with the words “Eastern Desolate.” The identity of these people was clear!

Impossible!!

Qiao Kaiheng summoned his courage, scrambled up from the ground, and roared: “Stop! What are you doing?!”

The laughter ceased instantly. Rows of expressionless faces turned toward him. The youth being pinned down reached out a hand, his face a mess of tears and despair. He screamed at Qiao Kaiheng for help: “Help me!!! Save me!!!!! Please, wu-wu-wu-wu!”

A pale-faced Bai Mo grabbed Qiao Kaiheng, who was about to charge forward. “Are you a fool?!”

Li Yajin also grabbed Qiao Kaiheng’s other hand. Staring at the horrific state of the boys on the ground, he trembled with terror. “We… we have to run.” It was obvious he, too, recognized the fallen boys as part of their recruitment group.

Qiao Kaiheng’s eyes were bloodshot with fury, and his entire body shook whether from rage or fear, even he didn’t know.

Bai Mo and Li Yajin dragged him backward. Qiao Kaiheng stumbled along with them, but his face refused to turn away from the scene.

“Brother Qiao, now is not the time to play the hero,” whispered Gao Mang. Even he, who was on the verge of collapse from blood loss, couldn’t bear to watch and offered his counsel.

Qiao Kaiheng shook his head numbly, muttering over and over, “I can’t… I can’t leave them behind…” The more he spoke, the more pained he became, until tears flickered in his eyes. “How can this be? How can this be…”

Seeing that he wouldn’t move, Bai Mo signaled to Li Yajin. Both let go at once, grabbing the injured Gao Mang instead. Together with Nangong Hu and the children, they turned and bolted.

However, they hadn’t run far before they were blocked by a wall of people who seemed to appear out of nowhere. Those Green Jade youths were years older and grabbed them as easily as catching chicks. Within a few leaps, the entire group was hauled back to the “crime scene.”

At the sight of the boys with broken limbs and bloodied bodies, the two youngest children wet their pants, wailing for their parents and crying to go home.

Then, the man in the fox mask at the center of the crowd pulled out a handkerchief to cover his lips. He let out a soft cough and said, “So noisy.”

He looked to be about seventeen or eighteen somewhere between a youth and a man. He was dressed in opulent clothing, and at his waist hung a piece of Orange Jade. He was clearly the highest-ranking person present.

He was the notorious little maniac of the Eastern Desolate Sect Helian Mingcai!

Currently, Helian Mingcai was sitting leisurely on the back of a ferocious dog that lay submissively on the ground. The beast was covered in long fur, its fangs exposed, and it was currently chewing on something a terrifying sight. Against the ferocity of the beast, the man looked even more slender and frail, almost like a woman.

Yet this effeminate-looking fellow possessed a heart more poisonous than a viper.

“Gouge out their tongues.”