Surviving the Ancient Angst Novel [Transmigration] - Chapter 9

“Qiao Kaiheng.”

Biyun’s first call was for him, which was exactly as I had expected.

The boy in question moved slightly, shaking off the supporting hands of Bai Mo and Nangong Hu. He took one step at a time, trembling as he moved forward. He raised his head, his expression numb and hollow.

The scene was so silent you could hear a pin drop; every eye was fixed on Qiao Kaiheng. He walked incredibly slowly, as if each step required every ounce of his strength.

Biyun waited patiently. When Qiao Kaiheng finally reached him, Biyun let out an almost imperceptible sigh and selected a white jade tied with a green string from the third tray.

“Lower White.”

Qiao Kaiheng took it with shaking hands, clutching the jade tightly against his chest. He bowed his head, and large teardrops fell from his chin, soaking into his collar.

Biyun watched him quietly, his bright eyes reflecting the boy’s stubbornness and pain like a mirror.

“No matter. Even a Lower White will be taught martial arts,” the middle-aged man, who had been observing from the sidelines, suddenly spoke up to offer a rare word of comfort.

The corners of Biyun’s mouth twitched slightly as he looked toward the middle-aged man with a softened gaze and gave a subtle nod.

Qiao Kaiheng sniffled, and without a word, he hobbled to the side while clutching his jade.

Biyun withdrew his gaze and continued the roll call. He called out eight more names, handing out three Medium jades and five Lower jades. Out of all these people, Qiao Kaiheng was the only one to receive a personal consolation from the middle-aged man.

Truly, that is the treatment reserved for a protagonist.

Consequently, even though he held a Lower jade, he was immediately ostracized by the others of the same rank. The youths standing near him pointedly put distance between themselves and him, occasionally casting resentful glances his way. I figured they were thinking: We’re all heavily injured and holding Lower jades, so why does he get special attention from the two masters?

“Lu Yinchen.”

I was so absorbed in my observations that I was startled by the sound of my own name. I immediately snapped my attention back.

Biyun stared straight at me and tilted his chin up slightly. “Step forward.”

I cleared my throat and made a conscious effort to straighten my spine, walking toward him with my head held high. Once I was close, I fixed a burning gaze on the tray containing the only remaining red-stringed jade, my desire for it plain to see.

Since everyone was scrambling for the Superior jade, I had to “scramble” for it too so I wouldn’t look out of place.

Biyun looked me up and down, raising an eyebrow in slight surprise. I gave him a fawning, pleading smile.

Biyun’s brow smoothed over. He withdrew his gaze with an indifferent expression and pursed his lips. He reached for the red-stringed jade and began to say slowly, “Superior—”

Before the word “White” could leave his mouth, I suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.

Biyun’s hand froze in mid-air. He frowned slightly as he looked at me. I wore a look of panic, covering my mouth with my hands in a desperate attempt to hide it. “No, it’s nothing.” As soon as I finished speaking, more fresh blood seeped through the cracks of my fingers.

Biyun: “…”

He put the red-stringed jade back.

I acted panicked, quickly wiping the blood from my mouth and hiding my blood-stained right hand behind my back, struggling to make myself look “better.”

Biyun watched me silently, as if evaluating something. I looked back at him with trepidation, then at the red-stringed jade he had returned to the tray, playing the part of a useless person who wanted to reach for it but didn’t dare.

After about half a cup of tea’s time, Biyun raised his hand and spoke airily: “Lu Yinchen. Medium White.”

Having “missed out” on the Superior rank, my eyes filled with disappointment as I reached out to accept the jade. Behind me, I could hear the gloating whispers of the other youths.

Just then, a warm hand reached out and grabbed my wrist.

Startled, I looked up and met the half-smiling gaze of the middle-aged man.

Crap. Did I overact?

【No, Yinchen! Your acting was perfect! I almost want to give you an Oscar!】

“M-Master?” I carefully controlled a thin trickle of blood to leak from the corner of my mouth. I couldn’t spit too much, or I’d get a Lower jade. I couldn’t spit none at all, or it would look fake. It was the endgame; I had to stay steady.

The middle-aged man in the Orange Jade robe pondered for a moment before finally letting go of my hand.

Me: ‘…Was he just checking my pulse?’

System: 【Yes, Yinchen.】

Me: ‘Then am I exposed?’

The system sounded amused: 【Yes, Yinchen.】

‘Damn it!’ I felt like a lump of phlegm was stuck in my throat, unable to go up or down. I had been careless. No one who sits securely in a high position is anything less than a mastermind. I just wondered how he found out. Biyun had clearly believed me!

【Biyun is still too green,】 the system mused, then added: 【And you’re a bit green yourself, Yinchen.】

My face darkened. ‘Didn’t you just praise my acting?’

System: 【The acting was great, but this was a last-minute performance. If you had started spitting a little bit here and there from the moment you arrived at Guya Lake, you might have succeeded.】

I realized then that the middle-aged man had likely been waiting by the lake for a long time. He knew the condition of every person who arrived. The distribution of the jades had probably been decided long ago; letting Biyun and Jian’an call the names was just a formality.

Fine. I’ll take this as a lesson learned.

Biyun placed the blue-stringed jade back on the tray and looked toward the middle-aged man for instructions. “Master Wu Shu?”

Wu Shu gave a faint smile, maintaining that same approachable demeanor. “Superior White.”

Biyun gave me a look of complex emotion before picking up the red-stringed jade.

I coughed, swallowed the remaining blood in my mouth, and finished the act by accepting the jade with a look of wild ecstasy. “Thank you, Master!”

Wu Shu watched me with a chuckle. There was a look of satisfaction in his eyes, much like a friendly neighbor watching a child get a perfect score on an exam. I felt a cold sweat and turned to walk toward Nie Gaoming, feeling the weight of the situation.

Nie Gaoming leaned over and whispered, “I knew you could do it.”

I glanced at him and sighed. “Certain people are jealous enough to eat me alive right now.”

“Don’t panic, don’t panic. You’ve got me to share the burden,” Nie Gaoming laughed.

I gave him a playful punch. “Brother Nie, remember to cover for me when the time comes.”

“Easy, easy,” Nie Gaoming said, slinging a brotherly arm over my shoulder.

There was a significant gap between him and me. Nie Gaoming was a supporting character—and I’ve never seen a supporting character in these novels with a low starting point. (A protagonist can be average, but a supporting character never is.) He likely had some backing and wouldn’t be killed off so easily. I was just a powerless background extra; standing in the spotlight was just asking for a hard life.

Once the jades were distributed, the Guides led us to three carriages waiting by the lake.

Nie Gaoming and I shared a large carriage all to ourselves, while the others crowded into the remaining two. I saw Xin Jie being carried in, still coughing. It seemed he had only been given a small punishment rather than a lethal one. Wu Shu’s group was much more moderate than Helian Mingcai they used intimidation without being purely murderous.

The two groups felt like opposite extremes. The sense of dissonance within the Eastern Wasteland Sect grew stronger. What kind of place was this, really?

The system declined to explain: 【You will find out in time, Yinchen.】

The carriage ride was relatively smooth. Inside the quiet, comfortable cabin, Nie Gaoming and I sat in a wordless silence. He had dropped his usual flippancy and sat upright against the wall, staring out the window in deep thought.

I eventually fell asleep and was only woken up when the carriage stopped.

“Brother Lu, we’re here.” Nie Gaoming pointed outside, where a White Jade attendant was holding the curtain open. I took the hint, stood up, and hopped off the carriage.

This time, I looked closely at the attendant’s waist and noticed that the string on his white jade was white—not red, blue, or green. What does that mean? I scratched my head, utterly baffled.

The attendant waited for Nie Gaoming to dismount with downcast eyes, then wordlessly led the carriage away.

Nie Gaoming stood on the spot and stretched. “Finally, I can get some proper rest.”

The houses in this courtyard were much more refined than the ones we had stayed in initially. The roof was covered in thick, scale-like blue tiles. There was a well in the courtyard, along with several osmanthus trees that filled the air with fragrance. Under one tree sat a low table with a guqin set upon it. Nie Gaoming saw it too.

On a sudden whim, he walked over and sat on the ground. He struck a pose and began to pluck the strings. A seamless flow of music poured from his fingers, making one feel refreshed and at peace. I stood there listening for a while, but seeing him lost in the music, I didn’t disturb him and went inside.

Unlike the crowded dorms from before, this room had two beds one on the left and one on the right. Both were draped with plain white gauze curtains and held neatly folded bedding that felt very comfortable to the touch. Besides the main room, there was a side room containing a large bathing tub, three ink-wash painting screens, and a wooden wardrobe. Inside the wardrobe were clean white inner garments and gray-white outer robes with cloud patterns. There were two sets, identical in color and style.

I fetched several buckets of cool water from the well, closed the door, and stripped off my dirty, torn clothes. I gave myself a quick wipe-down with a cloth; it would have to count as a bath. I couldn’t help but miss the modern world and my reliable water heater.

After putting on clean inner clothes, I returned to the main room and picked a bed. To the lulling sound of the music outside, I quickly drifted into a dreamless sleep.

I slept until late at night and woke up feeling thoroughly refreshed.

The curtains were drawn on Nie Gaoming’s bed, and I could see the vague silhouette of someone lying on their side. Fearing I would wake him, I stepped out of bed quietly. Walking into the main hall, I discovered steaming hot food on the table it must have been delivered recently.

The scent of the food made my stomach growl instantly. I rushed to the well to wash up quickly, then sprinted back to devour a bowl of rice. Halfway through, I remembered Nie Gaoming.

I called out toward the inner room: “Brother Nie, come out and eat!”

There was no movement for a long time. Is he that deep of a sleeper? I figured he might just be exhausted from playing the guqin. I didn’t worry about it and finished my meal.

With my stomach finally satisfied, I wiped my mouth and walked into the inner room, pulling back the gauze curtain.

“???”

Once I saw what was inside, I was completely stunned.