The Five Disciples He Took In After Transmigrating Into The Book Were All The Same Person - Chapter 2

“My dear Host, please accept reality and open your eyes.”

Zhen’ai repeated this over and over, trying to wake Ji Lan from his coma. It knew perfectly well that the host had woken up an hour ago but was stubbornly refusing to get out of bed.

[I won’t!] Ji Lan refused. [A-Zhen, can’t you change my persona? Why must I transmigrate into someone with the exact same name? This is too cliché!]

The Cherish System felt the name “A-Zhen” sounded strange, but perhaps it was a term of endearment from the host.

[Binding is successful and cannot be changed,] Zhen’ai replied helplessly. [Escaping reality is not a solution. Your disciple has been sitting by your bedside for half an hour.]

[Stop being so cute!] Ji Lan’s composure was crumbling. [It is precisely because he is there that I dare not wake up!]

Ji Lan had wanted to escape reality, but he had not figured out how to face the situation before the system informed him that the protagonist had appeared. The system kept reporting the distance: five meters, four meters, three meters, one meter, twenty centimeters! Being that close, was the protagonist trying to commit patricide?

“Master,” the grim-faced man who had watched him silently for half an hour finally spoke. “If you do not wake up, Junior Brother Wansong will kneel outside until he dies.”

Ji Lan could not hear what the protagonist was saying because, the moment the protagonist spoke, A-Zhen began screeching in his mind.

[Task activated! Task activated! Please prepare, Host! Hiss—hiss—hiss—]

The sound, resembling chalk screeching against a blackboard, made Ji Lan’s brain feel as if it were about to explode.

[Stop making noise!]

Ji Lan snapped his eyes open and sat up with a start, looking at the protagonist in terror. “Wh, what is it?”

Mo Chenxiao looked at Ji Lan’s panicked, rabbit-like expression, slightly surprised, and then the corners of his mouth tugged upward in a mocking smile. “Master, Junior Brother Wansong is still kneeling. Will you not go and see him?”

Ji Lan did not answer because he was completely stunned. This was Mo Chenxiao? How was he so big? In other stories, disciples are raised from cute little boys, and even if they turn evil, one can try to guide them back to being good.

However, Mo Chenxiao had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. His brow was slightly furrowed, looking bitter and resentful, as if he might stab Ji Lan at any moment. His lips were thin and tightly pursed, betraying a sense of ruthlessness. No wonder he had no love life!

The most terrifying part was his eyes. Ji Lan only dared to glance at them once before lowering his head. Killer gaze! He finally understood what that meant.

“Master?” Mo Chenxiao thought Ji Lan was still dazed and leaned in closer. “Are you alright?”

“I, I am fine.”

Ji Lan thought he could call this big man “Master” instead. What kind of plot was this? The disciple was already grown; how was he supposed to teach him?

“You may leave first,” Ji Lan said, waving his hand feebly. “Master needs to get dressed.”

“Then I will leave first,” Mo Chenxiao said, casting a deep look at Ji Lan. “I will have a maid come in to serve you.”

“Go.”

Ji Lan waved his hand again, feeling drained.

As soon as Mo Chenxiao turned around, a faint, imperceptible smile appeared on his face. Interesting. My Master seems to have changed.

He had spent half an hour wondering whether to kill Ji Lan, but now he was glad he had not acted.

“Ji Lan,” Mo Chenxiao muttered as he closed the door, his face darkening. “In this lifetime, how shall I play with you?”

After Mo Chenxiao left, Ji Lan finally let out a sigh of relief. He had thought Mo Chenxiao was just a character in a book, constructed of cold, hard text, and that he could not be that terrifying. But he was wrong! Now, however, he had another problem to solve.

[A-Zhen, who is Wansong?]

Zhen’ai replied coldly, enunciating every word. [He is Mo Chenxiao’s little follower who dislikes you very much. You framed him for theft, so he is kneeling outside as punishment.]

What does that have to do with me?

Ji Lan sighed. Fine, he had essentially targeted the disciple’s follower right out of the gate. However, thinking back to Mo Chenxiao’s expression and tone, it did not seem like he was pleading for his follower. It felt more like he was handing him over to be disposed of at will. There was a trap here, definitely a trap!

Before Ji Lan could figure it out, his maid entered. What was her name again? Ji Lan pondered.

“Zhen’er greets you, Master,” she said gloomily. “Allow Zhen’er to dress and comb your hair.”

Ji Lan looked at Zhen’er and felt as if he had been struck by lightning. Why did his maid look so strange? Her nose was a nose, her eyes were eyes, her mouth was a mouth… That was not the point! He knew it was rude to judge, but was this middle-aged woman really his maid? She looked to be in her fifties or sixties.

“You, how old are you this year?” Ji Lan tried to make his voice sound cold.

Zhen’er moved quickly but spoke slowly. “This servant is fifty-eight this year.”

Ji Lan: [A-Zhen, does the original owner have some strange fetish?]

The system refused to answer.

Ji Lan, getting no reply, felt peaceful and calm. Older is fine. Older women know how to care for people.

Once dressed, Ji Lan walked slowly toward the door, hoping the path would never end. How could he possibly bully the protagonist’s follower? But after only a few steps, he crossed the threshold, looked up, and caught sight of Mo Chenxiao kneeling around the corner.

What?!

Ji Lan stumbled and grabbed the door frame. There was a loud screech as his fingernails left a deep scratch in the wood. Ji Lan: “…” I really need to trim my nails.

“Master,” Mo Chenxiao looked up, his eyes filled with confusion. “What is the matter?”

Ji Lan was even more confused! Where was the protagonist’s follower who was supposed to be kneeling? Why had he turned into the protagonist himself?

“Where is Wansong?” Ji Lan asked, expressionless. “Does he know his mistake?”

“Master,” Mo Chenxiao knelt even straighter. “Junior Brother Wansong is frail and fainted earlier. I thought Master would not want anything bad to happen to him, so I am kneeling in his stead.”

Mo Chenxiao spoke with touching sincerity, but to Ji Lan’s ears, it sounded like a death sentence.

[A-Zhen, is the protagonist攻略-able?]

[The difficulty coefficient is high. I suggest you upgrade first, dear Host~]

Why do you have to be so cute?

Ji Lan tried to compromise. [Is Wansong possible?]

[The difficulty is lower, but I suggest you not waste your effort, dear. Wansong is just a cannon fodder who appears in one chapter.]

Ji Lan was angered by the system’s sarcastic tone. [I insist on winning over Wansong, so what!]

Zhen’ai: [Please begin your performance~]

Ji Lan was satisfied. He lifted his chin slightly at Mo Chenxiao. “Disciple, you need not kneel. Take me to see Wansong. Also, prepare some food; your junior brother is likely hungry.”

Mo Chenxiao looked perplexed. Ji Lan only had one disciple, so where did this junior brother come from?