Ch1 - Like the gods

Translator’s Note: The author doesn’t name their chapters but they do have short summaries, so I’m using those as “chapter titles” to make navigating the story a little easier. ^-^ 

3 things to keep in mind before you start:

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A pale white beauty laid on the vermillion lacquer bed. 

The corners of his lips were stained with blood as he lay sunken bonelessly into the mattress. One hand rested over his heart while the other dangled off the edge, his fingertips hooked around a moon-white cup. 

In front of the bed stood the young emperor with a gloomy face. He picked up the cup, which was recently filled with poisoned wine. Even healthy men couldn’t last long after drinking its contents, to say nothing of this originally weak, frail shijun to the monarch. He had awarded this cup of wine to the shijun, watched him beg for mercy in terror, and finally die without a breath.

But now…

The emperor’s gaze grew unsteady. He set down the wine cup and caressed the chest of the man on the bed. The silent heart had resumed beating, each sound more powerful than the last. 

Ba-thump, ba-thump.

The heartbeats went from slow to fast, stagnant to chaotic. Before the emperor’s eyes, the shijun given the poisoned wine came back to life. At the same time, Xie Huaian (谢怀安) was dragged into this empty shell of a body.

“?” wondered Xie Huaian. 

His brain turned sluggishly as he gulped and floated upwards. Suddenly, a force grabbed him and sent him falling. His mind wasn’t very clear at the moment. Gradually, his senses recovered until he smelled the heavy scent of blood and felt the silk bedding beneath him. Someone had their fingers on his chest, quietly and patiently feeling his heartbeat.  

Xie Huaian’s brain stiffened. 

His memories were completely blank. Besides his name, he didn’t know anything else, but there was still intuition and instinct to guide him. He remembered he was terrified of horror situations and ghosts. Now this was both in one. He seemed to be stuck in a horror scene by becoming a dead yet sentient “ghost.” 

Should I be afraid of myself? Xie Huaian wondered. He didn’t move, and neither did the fingers on his chest. After a while, the owner of the hand seemed to get impatient. His hands moved up and gently pressed against Xie Huaian’s carotid artery.

“Have you slept well, shijun?” 

A soft greeting rang out from Xie Huaian’s side like a caring husband speaking to his newly-awakened lover. But the grip on his neck grew stronger and stronger. Xie Huaian opened his heavy eyelids and saw a blood-hued bed tent. He was lying on an intricately carved bed and beside him stood a young man in black. The man looked around eighteen to nineteen years old, a teenager at first glance. But closer scrutiny revealed a maturity in his features. He was handsome and melancholy, with a pair of strange turquoise eyes beneath dense brows. Under the candlelight, his irises looked clear and treacherous, striking fear into one’s heart.

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

“…cough, cough cough,” Xie Huaian’s throat was raw and he gave up trying to speak. He smiled politely at the stranger and slightly shrank back against the cold, hard porcelain pillow. 

“Still sleeping restlessly because of the news you’re expecting? Zhen will tell you now, the person you’re waiting for is on the ground,” the young man said as he helped Xie Huaian sit up.

Calling himself Zhen…this is the emperor. Xie Huaian’s memory was stimulated as he remembered a piece of common knowledge. He glanced at the ground before his face scrunched into a frown and his stomach did flip-flops. The carpet on the floor was woven with gold threads and contained an open box wrought with precious metals and inlaid turquoise agate.  

Pcrlvf atf ybz kjr j gbaalcu tewjc tfjv.     

“Forgot him already? Shijun really is a noble man who forgets more things,” the emperor said mildly before he fell silent.    

Ycis atf mjcvifr mgjmxifv lc atf rlifcmf. Wlf Lejljc mbeivc’a tfiq bqfclcu tlr fsfr j rila ab qffx. 

Ktf fwqfgbg abbx rbwf akffhfgr ab milq j mea rjrt jcv gjlrfv la yfobgf tlr fsfr. Lf ibbxfv ilxf rbwfbcf ktb qgjmalmfv wjgalji jgar, yfmjerf tlr tjcv kjr nfgs rajyif. Llr olcufgr kfgf jirb kgjqqfv alutais lc j ijsfg bo rlix uibnfr, jr lo atf rjrt kjr abb vlgas ab abemt. Wlf Lejljc ibbxfv ja tlw, atfc ja atf rjrt, lc mbcoerlbc. Lf vlrmbnfgfv atja atf batfg rlvf bo atf qtbfclz-qjaafgcfv mibat mbcajlcfv j rfglfr bo alcs kglaafc mtjgjmafgr. 

This was a bloodstained secret letter.

“What, does shijun still have unfinished business to tell me? Or was one cup of wine not enough, and shijun wants another taste?” The emperor picked up the moon-white cup and pried open Xie Huaian’s fingers before stuffing it into his hand. Xie Huaian looked down and saw that his black hair was in disarray over white robes stained with large blood splotches over his torso. 

His heartbeat quickened before he felt a pain in his chest. Breathing was difficult, and he felt like he could sleep for three days and two nights. 

He had a hypothesis. 

The emperor’s stubborn questioning involved a messenger, a waterproof letter, and a cup of poisoned wine. As the shijun, he had thoughts of rebellion and was forced to drink the poison. The young emperor was actually asking him what was the matter. Why had he died and come back to life?

“Misunderstanding…this is all a misunderstanding, I reincarnated in the wrong place.” Xie Huaian murmured weakly, the blood accumulated in his mouth flowing out as he spoke.

Ah, so fishy. So disgusting.

Xie Huaian’s face crumpled up before he fainted away.  

He felt the same dragging sensation before his consciousness crashed into a pitch-black space. 

“Dear!” Along with a melodious tune, a mechanical voice shouted at him affectionately. “This System is a Soothsayer Raising System here to help you reach the peak of life!”

“What, ah? This dream isn’t over yet?” Xie Huaian looked at himself in the blood-stained clothes before his lips thinned.

“I sincerely hope you use the power of this System to change the Jing Dynasty…” As the System’s mechanical voice sounded, a flashing dialogue box appeared in the air to caption its words in real time. “This System is a repeatedly upgraded system rich in features and fair in trade. I am your loyal and dependable backer.” 

“By using the System well, you can become a well-deserved true immortal and save the dynasty shrouded in gloom. Your name will be extolled by countless people, monuments raised in your honor, your legacy famous throughout history…”

“All right, stop. I didn’t hear or remember a thing, you can leave,” Xie Huaian had his hands over his ears.

The System stuttered briefly, not expecting his carefully chosen host to give him no face at all. “Information is about to be poured into your consciousness and will not be forgotten unless you experience severe changes.”

“Wait, I said I wasn’t gonna listen, oof.” Xie Huaian’s mind was stuffed full of random information. Countless pictures and explanations entered his brain as he was forced to understand this world. 

System said he had transmigrated into an off-track world with a deviation value of 145622453.87. The so-called deviation value was comparing the world to its original historical trajectory. The Jing Dynasty (景朝) should have ushered in a peaceful, prosperous world after successive generations, but it had collapsed into a mess. 

A eunuch who should’ve been nobody rose to become a high-ranking Heavenly Master; an emperor who should’ve led a flourishing reign was reduced to being a puppet. The court sold official titles, the imperial examinations only existed in name, and waves of lives died as soon as the Heavenly Master (天师) lightly raised his palm. System wanted to reduce the deviation value to push the Jing Dynasty back on the path to prosperity and selected Xie Huaian to complete the mission.

He became the male consort Xie Huan (谢欢).

Xie Huan was born with a beautiful face with features like ice and jade, as well as a delicate body that could fall with a gust of wind. He was appointed as the sixth-rank shijun, an extremely low rank that nevertheless made him the sole master of the emperor’s harem.  

Rumors claimed that Emperor Hong Yao (鸿曜) was a heavenly star of loneliness and misfortune. The year he ascended the throne, he had clear hobbies and a natural aversion to physical contact. Unlike the Heavenly Master who spent his days searching for holy sons and daughters, or Hong Yao’s long-dead father Emperor Yong Shou (永寿) who tended to excessive debauchery, he spent all his days inside paring wood and raised a group of carpenters and limners to perform regularly in the palace.

He respected the Heavenly Master as “Ah-Fu” (阿父), or father, and could approach this most powerful person in the world. Countless powerful families inquired about his preferences and wanted to stuff people in his harem, all the better to get closer to the Heavenly Master. Suddenly, the emperor himself was enlightened one day. 

He slept for a long time and woke up to kowtow to Heavenly Master, saying he wanted to find a beauty surnamed Xie from his dream. Heavenly Master issued an edict on behalf of the emperor, causing painting scrolls to pile up in the royal bedchamber. From them the sovereign glimpsed the beautiful Xie Huan and began to love him boundlessly without exception.

“No way, right…is this the same emperor as the one I just saw?” Xie Huaian mused as he received more fragments of information from the mental images. 

The rumors were both true and false. Although Emperor Hong Yao was indulging in beauty, he had a secret ambition. He amassed strength while selecting Xie shijun for his harem so the world would know he already had the fairy of his dreams. Xie shijun looked beautiful, but was shallow, illiterate, and not insightful. He was in the palace for less than three years before notorious rumors spread that he was difficult to serve. Over time, he grew dissatisfied that the emperor never touched him and tried to climb up to the Heavenly Master. 

As a result, he was caught half-way while trying to send out a secret letter. All of the people who helped him write, send, and pass on communications in between were beheaded by Hong Yao in secret. Deep in the palace, Xie shijun himself met a cup of poisoned wine while waiting for news, giving the System time to pull over Xie Huaian who had just died himself.

“Dear, that’s how it is!” System explained cheerfully. “The above is information provided to you about this world. You’re welcome to explore more content in person, oh.”

“This System came as a result of the Jing Dynasty’s deviation. System encourages you to do the work of a wise minister as a soothsayer. You only have one mission: to reduce the world deviation value of the Jing Dynasty. You can do it yourself or influence others to act, there are no time limits or penalties for failure, just try until you die.” 

“According to your current status, System recommends you immediately resign from the post of consort and reveal your seer side. Convince the emperor, overthrow the Heavenly Master, and become a great, virtuous minister praised by millions!”

“Now that the beginner’s introduction has ended, please use your usual writing hand to sign your name in this system box!” 

The text in the System dialogue disappeared, leaving only the box borders glittering. Xie Huaian was still clutching his chest. 

“Dear?” System flickered its box a few times. 

“Doooon’t—waaant it,” Xie Huaian trailed off. After the emperor’s scare and the System’s forced input, Xie Huaian’s brain was no longer as sluggish as it was during his rebirth. He discovered that this pitch-black space was like a dream that could let him change as his will. Following his thoughts, he turned into a glittering ball of light that scurried over to draw a big “X” in the System box.

“Nonono, don’t want it!” 

Xie Huaian wasn’t a talkative person, but after turning into a ball of light, he blabbed out all the words he’d saved up.

“I want to rest, I don’t want to hear about any mission. System, right? Let me just live two days in peace. Oh wait, I’m already dead.” Xie Huaian paused in ball form. “Since I’m dead, then let me cross over. Although it still feels like I’ve left something unfinished…” 

“I’m really tired. I don’t know why, but my entire soul’s exhausted as soon as I hear I have to work. In my last life, I must have been forced to hold a bowl of water on my head while being unable to drink and slaving 365 days a year without sleep.”

Xie Huaian wilted before he bounced twice. “Cold, cruel System, you’ll incur heavenly lightning for forcing the dead to work. And that male consort thing. You told me who I am now, so why not tell me who I used to be…I feel like I should still be pretty handsome.”

The ball that was Xie Huaian stretched and elongated before turning into a black-haired, black-eyed teenager wearing a swallow-tailed tuxedo.

“Strange, this feels off.” He examined himself before changing into a young man in flowing white robes. “This is even more wrong. Isn’t this ancient-styled clothing?” 

The white-robed youth shook his sleeves before reverting back to a much dimmer ball of light. “Amnesia patients shouldn’t have to deal with something so provoking…” He shrunk from the size of a kickball to a marble and popped up in front of the System’s dialogue box. After all that fuss, he still hadn’t woken up from his “dream” and gradually began to accept it as reality.

“Hmm…living is still better than dying. No matter what you are, I’m still grateful you dragged me back, thanks. But the mission is too hard, right? Can’t I just be reborn as a baby? What happens if I wake up to find myself made into another pretty horror box? Wow, I have all this evidence convicting me, plus I’ve committed the crime of being a fraudulent corpse. Being a soothsayer is useless, even gods can’t salvage the situation.”

“….” said System. “Dear, are you finished? Extracting souls for transmigration will lead to memory loss. System can collect energy to help you heal as long as you finish the mission to reduce the world deviation value!”

It spoke slightly faster than before, the text disappearing on the dialogue box before another sentence followed, leaving Xie Huaian with no chances to interject.  

“Although the deviation value is high, it will always decrease bit by bit. System can also be upgraded with new functions after value reduction. Actions are better than thoughts, won’t you start your soothsayer career filled with miracles?”

“Next I’ll give you a newbie feature to play around with. See you every night after today, be there or be square.”

“Please note: the newbie function is broadcasted in a form that’s easy to understand. Some expressions may come from beyond the current time period, so please use them wisely and well.” As System finished, it slapped the three shining, golden characters of Xie Huaian’s name into its dialogue box.

“Hey!” Xie Huaian the ball bounced three feet high. “Forged signatures aren’t valid—” He stopped halfway when the dark space was flooded with light and a clear image appeared before him. 

There were miniatures of mountains and rivers as well as changing cloud maps. Why was this scene so familiar? 

As he spaced out, someone announced, “Good evening, let’s all look at the Jing Dynasty’s weather forecast today. This forecast is dedicated to the Soothsayer Raising System to give you early weather reports. Tonight until tomorrow, Huainan East Road, Jingxi North Road, Yingzhou, Liaozhou, Qianzhou, Huaizhou, and various areas will have…”

Under Xie Huaian’s gaze, the cloud map reached from his eyes to his toes, zooming in and out as the weather report went on. Storm clouds rolled and surged, mountains stretched, plains expanded, and rivers intertwined before his eyes. In a trance, Xie Huaian stared at the vast map with unblinking eyes. 

For a moment he felt that he could change the wind and clouds with a wave of his hands and feet, just like the gods.