TL: Hua
Ji Xuan was dead.
Dozens of heavenly lightning bolts had crashed down, turning everything they touched into scorched earth. Both he and his sword were blasted into pieces. According to all reason, even his divine soul should have been utterly eradicated.
But he was alive again.
When he opened his eyes once more, the faint, lingering roar of the exploding heavenly thunder echoed in his ears, and the terror brought by the pressure of the Heavenly Dao remained.
However, that shred of fear was quickly dispelled by the sight before him—
The ceiling was supported by a massive, polished silver skeleton, with exposed pipes faintly visible beneath translucent glass panels. He saw no lamps, yet countless points of light floated in midair. Nearby, a mechanical arm split a beam of light into several irregular, sharp shapes. From a silver cup held by the mechanical arm, a stream of liquid was tossed, landing steadily into a nearby glass. The ice cubes inside collided with a crisp clink.
Melodious music drifted from an unknown source, the lyrics sung in a language Ji Xuan had never heard.
It looks like a banquet, Ji Xuan judged.
The sensation beneath him was soft and comfortable, even more pleasant than his quarters in the Demon Palace.
The parts of his body struck by the lightning still throbbed with a faint ache. He instinctively reached out to touch them, but his fingers met only intact, dry skin.
Ji Xuan did not recall ever committing the act of soul-possession.
The moment this thought surfaced, a strange voice immediately appeared in his head: [It isn’t soul-possession.]
[You have transmigrated as cannon fodder in a novel.]
…Cannon fodder?
[It means… well… the world revolves around the protagonist, and cannon fodder] the voice in his head sounded a bit guilty, [is the stepping stone responsible for making the protagonist’s path look brighter and grander… um, that’s basically what it means.]
Before Ji Xuan could question further, this self-proclaimed “System,” seemingly worried it couldn’t explain clearly, hurriedly began a new round of explanations. A flood of images and information flowed into Ji Xuan’s mind like a trickling stream, accompanied by the voice.
He “saw” the story of a youth also named “Ji Xuan.”
The boy was originally the noble young master of the Ji family in the First Galaxy, but he encountered an accident in his childhood and ended up stranded on a garbage planet.
At twenty, after enduring untold hardships and relying on a jade pendant his mother had left him, he found Shen Que, the man he was betrothed to since childhood, and eventually returned to the Ji family. Only then did he discover that for all these years, someone else had been taking his place, enjoying the Ji family’s privileged life.
That person was the protagonist of this world, Ji Yan.
[Even though the real young master returned, the Ji family couldn’t bear to let go of the fake one, so they decided to raise both,] the System added in a whisper. [Ji Xuan craved a home so badly that he foolishly agreed.]
But things did not proceed according to his beautiful imagination.
The clever and well-behaved fake young master was more well-liked than he was. “Ji Xuan” tried desperately to please his family, but things always went against his wishes.
He stayed in the military academy’s training room until midnight, trying hard to earn his older brother’s recognition, only to hear him in the study telling their father that Ji Xuan was dull-witted and inferior to Ji Yan.
He feigned a cheerful personality to get closer to his fiancé, clumsily preparing gifts, only to watch the other man discard them immediately.
He finally met a friend he thought he could confide in, only to realize the man merely viewed him as a dispensable plaything, watching “Ji Xuan” struggle helplessly before pushing him into an even more pathetic state.
The harder he tried to fit in, the more out of place he seemed. He tried to mimic Ji Yan’s speech and mannerisms but only earned the mockery of being a “foolish imitator.”
Ultimately, because his grades at the military academy were consistently at the bottom, he was heartlessly assigned to the most remote galaxy to perform the most dangerous pioneering missions. While “Ji Xuan” was being attacked by Zerg during a mission, his life hanging by a thread, the fake young master was enjoying the adoration of his brother, his fiancé, and that friend at the Military Academy League, all while passionately pursuing his own white moonlight. Even so, the three men were willing to follow behind him, never leaving his side.
[…And Ji Xuan could only feel his life slipping away, alone in a hospital on a border planet.]
Is it over? Ji Xuan asked.
[Not… not entirely over… The story doesn’t have an ending; maybe it was dropped. It only progressed to this point.] The voice paused, seemingly feeling a bit embarrassed, its tone growing weaker. [So, as long as the Host completes the rest of the plot, the mission is considered finished.]
Ji Xuan’s voice betrayed no emotion: So, you brought me here to wait for death?
[You can’t really put it that way…]
What if I don’t want to?
The lounge area where Ji Xuan sat was located in a secluded corner of the banquet hall, right next to a floor-to-ceiling window reflecting silvery light.
The window reflected his profile as he sat casually on the sofa, long legs crossed, his back resting lazily and relaxed against the soft cushions. Both his posture and demeanor were exactly the same as when he used to sit on the Black Gold Throne in the Fuguang Palace.
Ji Xuan glanced at the blurred shadow on the window with the corner of his eye and realized almost immediately. Either this “real young master” shared his exact appearance, or the body before him was his original one, which should have been torn apart by the heavenly lightning.
[Your body was indeed reduced to ashes under the Heavenly Tribulation. This body is newly created,] the system explained timely. [If you are unwilling… this new body will soon be reclaimed.]
Ji Xuan didn’t know if this counted as a threat.
Without a body, he would be nothing but a heavily injured divine soul. This world was depleted of spiritual energy; it could neither nourish his soul nor allow him to find a new body to possess. Thus, only death awaited him regardless.
[Besides, the story isn’t over yet. What if a miracle cure suddenly appears? Maybe you’ll survive!] the system said cautiously.
Ji Xuan chuckled inexplicably and asked: Do you even believe that yourself?
[I…]
Before the system could finish its stuttering, the light beside Ji Xuan was suddenly blocked by a shadow.
He withdrew his attention from the window. The first thing he saw was the newcomer’s golden, curly hair.
Likely having never seen such a facial feature before, Ji Xuan was stunned for a few seconds.
It was actually…
Blue eyes.
“Why are you sitting here all alone, brother?” The young man sat down nonchalantly on the single sofa furthest from Ji Xuan.
He wore a dark red silk shirt with a black vest that outlined his broad shoulders and narrow waist. The corners of his eyes slanted slightly downward, giving him an air of flirtatious charm, while a hint of cunning malice lurked in their depths.
[Shaikh Roanne.]
Who?
[Your ‘close friend,’ the young master of the Roanne family.]
[Um… he’s a pervert.]
“Thanks to Ji Yan, quite a few interesting fellows seem to have shown up today.” Shaikh Roanne smilingly accepted a glass of shimmering wine handed over by the mechanical arm and pulled a guest list from its side pocket. He lowered his eyes, scanning it rapidly, without the slightest intention of looking directly at Ji Xuan. His voice was soft and gentle: “The third son of the Spencer family—his eldest brother was just promoted to Governor of the Second Galaxy; he’s at the height of his power… This one from the Bo family, the former top student of Mars Military Academy, seems to have joined the Case Legion…”
After reading out who-knows-how-many names, he suddenly slammed the guest list shut and finally turned his gaze to Ji Xuan: “Brother, did anyone catch your eye this time?”
“Spencer is good-looking. He’s a completely different type from your fiancé. It’s interesting to try something fresh once in a while. Although the one named Bo is slightly lacking in looks, he is a 2S-grade Alpha. With someone from the Case Legion protecting you, Brother, your upcoming assessments will be much easier. You won’t have to worry about being kicked out of the military academy for dragging everyone down.”
“So?” He lifted his eyelids, his direct gaze like a damp, slithering snake, mockingly meeting Ji Xuan’s eyes as he spoke each word slowly and deliberately. “If you have someone in mind, I don’t mind being a matchmaker for you.”
It had been a very long time since Ji Xuan had encountered someone so eager to introduce him to a plaything.
He listened with some annoyance to Shaikh’s string of words mixed with many unfamiliar vocabularies and then asked coldly, “And what about you?”
“Me?” Shaikh gave a light-hearted laugh. “Don’t you know, Brother? I like them fierce. I’m not into the type like you, who starts sobbing before they’ve even lasted two minutes in bed.”
This sentence surpassed mere offense.
Yet, Ji Xuan did not get angry. He calmly scanned the young man’s face, which looked quite exotic to him, arched an eyebrow, and spoke with a mockery nearly identical to the other’s: “What a coincidence. I’m not into the wet-behind-the-ears type either.”
Shaikh was stunned for a moment, seemingly surprised that the usually dull and humble Ji Xuan was capable of talking back. But after a few seconds, he regained his previous composure. Then, as if discovering something, the smile on his face grew even wider.
He suddenly sat down on the sofa where Ji Xuan was, his aggressive scent flooding into Ji Xuan’s nostrils.
But more baffling than the scent was a patch of skin on the back of his neck, which suddenly throbbed uncontrollably twice.
Before Ji Xuan could understand this strange sensation, he heard Shaikh say with a hint of regret, “What a shame. It seems that the mature and steady one you like already has someone else in his heart.”
Ji Xuan followed his gaze out the window. Downstairs in the terraced garden stood two people, one tall and one short.
Vibrant yellow roses clustered in the well-manicured flowerbeds, their green leaves rippling in the wind. A fair-faced youth stood with downcast eyes, taking small bites of a delicate pastry from a white porcelain plate.
The man beside him, dressed in a grey suit, had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, his temperament cold and detached. Yet, as he reached out to wipe a smudge of cream from the youth’s lip, a rare trace of tenderness surfaced on his austere face.
At that moment, Shaikh leaned in without warning, as if wanting to observe Ji Xuan’s reaction to the fullest.
“Brother, what will you do? It looks like your fiancé still prefers Ji Yan after all.”
He spoke with utter malice.
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152