Chapter 1

“Croak—croak—”

“Rustle—”

Summer nights were always particularly lively.

The sounds of insects, frogs, and the wind blended into a melody, rising and falling in turn, disturbing peaceful dreams.

“Creak, creak, creak—”

The rhythmic creaking of a wooden bed moving slightly back and forth blended harmoniously with the sounds of nature. Interspersed with soft, suggestive whispers, it stirred the imagination on this summer night, where the moonlight cast shifting shadows.

Beneath the Milky Way, a small courtyard stood in the countryside. Bluestone slabs paved a path through the front yard, neat vegetable plots filled the garden behind the house, and a babbling stream flowed alongside it. The layout was simple and unpretentious, yet an air of elegance could be found everywhere.

A little tabby cat emerged from the grass in the back garden. It raised its head toward an open window, where the faint outlines of two overlapping figures could be seen.

“Meow~~~”

The little tabby swished its tail, leaped lightly onto the windowsill, and poked its head around curiously.

Moonlight poured into the bedroom like water, clearly outlining the figures inside.

“Ah~ A Heng, don’t…”

The young man’s trembling voice quickly faded, replaced by restrained, uneven panting.

“Creak, creak, creak. Creak, creak, creak. Creak, creak, creak…”

The wooden bed’s movements grew faster and more urgent than before.

“Meow, meow~”

The little tabby tentatively stretched out a front paw, trying to pull aside the gauze screen that kept mosquitoes and insects out.

Hearing the cat’s cries, the young man struggled to regain a shred of rationality and weakly pushed at the man moving above him.

“A Heng… Little Li is outside…”

“Leave it alone.”

The man’s long, well-defined fingers closed around his fair wrists and, with a little force, pinned them above his head. Rather than slowing down, his movements grew even faster.

H-how could he just leave it alone?

Although Little Li was merely a young tabby cat, it was remarkably clever. Being watched by a pair of lantern-like eyes while they were entangled in intimacy left him terribly embarrassed and flustered.

Yet the more embarrassed he became, the more he unconsciously tightened around the man, bringing on a storm of overwhelming intensity.

The young man’s mind went blank. His lips parted slightly, his breathing turned ragged, and his dazed peach-blossom eyes stared dreamily at the man’s face, so close to his own.

The man had eyebrows that looked as though they had been painted in ink, eyes that shone like stars, a straight nose as imposing as a mountain peak, and naturally crimson lips. Even in the throes of passion, he maintained his dignified composure, reserved and impeccably restrained.

The young man was no less beautiful. At this moment, his eyes shimmered like rippling water, their soft radiance flowing and shifting. His jade-white face was flushed a deep peach pink, and sweet, breathy whimpers escaped between his lips. The tiny red cinnabar mole between his brows, combined with his captivating appearance, made him resemble willows veiled in mist and red plum blossoms bursting into bloom, enough to bewitch anyone who looked at him.

“Scratch, scratch—”

The frantic scratching of the little tabby’s claws against the window screen accompanied the harmonious sounds coming from the bedroom, drowning out the frogs and insects in the courtyard.

It was not until the silver moon had moved westward and hidden behind the willow branches that a clear, ringing cry suddenly arose from the bedroom, lingering for a long while.

“Riiip—”

Startled, the little tabby accidentally tore a long gash through the window screen with its sharp claws.

“Meow, meow, meow!”

Realizing it had made a terrible mistake, the little tabby immediately jumped off the windowsill, darted into the grass like lightning, and fled without a trace.

The young man lay flat on his back, utterly exhausted and gasping for air, his entire being drifting in a dazed, blissful state. The man hovering over him was breathing slightly harder than usual, the affection in his eyes yet to fade.

Once his breathing had steadied, the man sat up and gently brushed his fingers over the young man’s sweat-dampened temples. Without needing a word, he took the initiative to get out of bed and fetch water from the washroom beside the bedroom.

The water was cold at night, so the man mixed in some warm water and wiped them both clean.

Finally feeling refreshed, the young man let out a lazy yawn, turned onto his side, and embraced the man, fondly caressing his smooth back as though he could never get enough of touching him.

“Don’t move,” the man warned in a deep voice.

If he didn’t want to be unable to get out of bed tomorrow, he had better behave himself and go to sleep.

The young man gave a soft snort. His eyes shifted, and when he noticed the window screen torn by the little tabby, he ground his teeth in annoyance.

“Little Li’s claws need trimming.”

The man loosely encircled his wrist, slowly slid his hand down into his palm, and intertwined their fingers tightly. Turning his head, he kissed the young man’s hair and responded faintly.

“Mm.”

“…No, that won’t do. If we trim its claws, it won’t be able to catch mice properly. Forget it, forget it.”

In the end, the young man couldn’t bring himself to do it. He buried his face in the man’s embrace and soon fell into a deep sleep.

By the time daylight filled the room, only the young man remained in bed.

“Meow, meow~”

The little tabby, which had spent the entire night roaming outdoors, appeared in the courtyard. Discovering that the door had been left slightly ajar, it immediately slipped inside, strutted brazenly through the main hall, and entered its owner’s bedroom. Locking its eyes on the wooden bed, it sprang into the air—

“Hiss~ You rotten cat!”

Ling Zeyu, who had been stepped on, jolted awake from his sleep. He reached out, grabbed the little tabby by the scruff of its neck, and tossed it off the bed.

“Meow, meow, meow!”

The little tabby voiced its displeasure in protest.

Still bleary-eyed, Ling Zeyu propped himself up. The bedsheet slipped down, revealing a chest covered in red marks.

Brushing aside his disheveled, waist-length black hair, he pointed at the three- or four-month-old tabby kitten and asked lazily, “Little Li, count for yourself. How many times have you ruined the window screen this month?”

Fine gauze was expensive. To keep mosquitoes and insects out, he had saved money for three whole months before finally buying half a bolt.

Who would have thought that Little Li would resent the window screen for blocking its way home and repeatedly damage it?

The screen was so delicate. How could it possibly withstand those sharp claws?

The little tabby was a cat, so naturally, it couldn’t count. Its tiny mouth opened and closed as it meowed incessantly.

Ling Zeyu glared at it helplessly and muttered, “Such foul language. Looks like someone doesn’t want any dried fish.”

As though it had cultivated into a spirit, the moment the little tabby heard the words “dried fish,” its ears twitched, and it immediately shut its mouth.

Ling Zeyu scoffed and slowly climbed out of bed.

“Hiss~”

He had moved a little too much, and all the consequences of last night’s activities had made themselves known this morning.

As he dressed, he grimaced in pain and silently cursed that insatiable, wolfish man.

Sure enough, one should never compromise. The moment he gave in, the other party would take a mile. What had been agreed upon [bailiantales.com]as three rounds had turned into five, leaving his waist and back aching terribly.

Remembering that he still had to go up the mountain today, his expression turned even gloomier.

After getting dressed, Ling Zeyu entered the washroom. The little tabby followed close behind him, stopping obediently at the doorway to sit and occasionally swish its tail.

Once its owner had finished washing up, it followed him into the kitchen, its blue feline eyes sparkling brightly.

Ling Zeyu stood before the stove and lifted the lid of the clay pot that had been left on the stove to keep warm. His nostrils flared slightly.

It smelled wonderful—

The millet porridge had been cooked to just the right consistency, neither too thin nor too thick, making it the perfect accompaniment to boiled eggs.

Apart from his lack of restraint at night, Ling Zeyu’s man was flawless in every other respect.

Every morning, he would rise early to clean the house, fetch water, chop firewood, feed the chickens, ducks, and geese, and prepare breakfast, leaving it warm on the stove with the fire nearly extinguished.

After getting up, all Ling Zeyu needed to do was carry breakfast from the kitchen to the dining table and enjoy it at his leisure.

“Meow, meow, meow~~”

The little tabby had waited for quite some time without receiving any dried fish bailiantales.comfrom its owner, so its meows grew louder.

Ling Zeyu gently nudged its plump body with his foot. “Don’t worry. I haven’t forgotten about you.”

He ladled himself a bowl of millet porridge, took a boiled egg from the large pot on the stove, and placed them on the wooden table. Then he went to the cupboard, brought out the dried fish he had pan-fried yesterday, and tossed five pieces to the little tabby.

With an excited “Meow!” the little tabby pounced forward and happily picked up a dried fish in its mouth.

Seeing this, Ling Zeyu shook his head, sat down at the dining table, and began eating his breakfast unhurriedly.

After taking two sips of millet porridge, his stomach felt much better. He picked up the boiled egg and gently tapped it against the tabletop a few times.

The eggshell cracked, allowing him to peel it off easily.

Outside in the courtyard, the shadow cast by the wooden pointer of the sundial in front of the house reached the Si hour (9:00 a.m.).

Ling Zeyu put down his half-eaten boiled egg and stared at the virtual screen that had suddenly appeared before his eyes.

It was time to check in.

“Ding~”

A familiar notification sounded in his ears.

A line of text appeared on the virtual screen: Congratulations on your 545th day of checking in. You have received five copper coins.

[Would you like to exchange your coins for an item?]

Ling Zeyu glanced at the pitiful balance of twenty copper coins displayed on the interface. The word “No” flashed through his mind, and the virtual screen instantly disappeared.

“Sigh—”

Letting out a sigh, he continued eating his egg and drinking his porridge, but the food had lost its flavor.

Today marked his 548th day since transmigrating into this world.

Why wasn’t it his 545th day?

Because there had been three days when he hadn’t checked in.

A year and a half ago, he had still been a content creator specializing in intangible cultural heritage. After producing six consecutive videos, he had gained forty thousand followers. Hoping to reach fifty thousand, he decided to make an episode about mineral pigments.

Carrying a large backpack, he ventured alone into the mountains to collect stones. Unfortunately, he lost his footing and fell off a cliff.

He had thought he was as good as dead. Never unauthorized copy in his wildest dreams had he imagined that he would open his eyes again and breathe fresh air.

No, the air wasn’t fresh at all. Instead, it was filled with the stench of decay.

To his horror, he discovered that he was lying in a mass burial ground. Emaciated corpses were scattered all around him, their clothes ragged and their eyes still open in death.

As for himself, although he was still wearing the retro-style robes he had worn before falling off the cliff, his hair now reached his waist, and the large backpack filled with survival equipment and food had vanished without a trace.

At the time, Ling Zeyu had been terrified.

Anyone who woke up in a mass burial ground surrounded by hundreds of corpses would have been scared out of their wits.

He was merely a rookie who had graduated from university half a year earlier, earning a little money by making videos. He hadn’t even managed to reach fifty thousand followers, yet an accident had somehow caused him to transmigrate into a novel.

Yes, he had transmigrated into a novel.

While he was trembling with fear, an unfamiliar voice suddenly spoke in his mind, informing him that he had entered the world of a novel.

An immortal cultivation novel titled The Tribulation of Demons and Immortals.

Three days earlier, a director who made short dramas and lived next door had recommended this novel to him and enthusiastically invited him to play one of its protagonists.

Out of curiosity, he had taken a look at the story’s synopsis.

The Tribulation of Demons and Immortals was an old-school, melodramatic danmei novel. The protagonist shou, a Demon Lord, and the protagonist gong, an Immortal Emperor, were irreconcilable mortal enemies. During a certain battle, both suffered severe injuries and lost their memories. Through the author’s ingenious arrangements, the amnesiac pair fell in love, becoming so hopelessly devoted to each other that they seemed ready to die for love, come back to life, and die all over again.

N years later, the Demon Lord and the Immortal Emperor recovered their memories and were shocked to discover each other’s true identities. Their love and hatred became hopelessly entangled, their emotional grievances impossible to resolve. In the end, they loved and fought each other, battling so fiercely that heaven and earth trembled, while innocent bystanders suffered the consequences…

Ling Zeyu had no idea how the story ended.

That was because the entire first half of the novel revolved around the Demon Lord and Immortal Emperor’s intense love-hate relationship. It had given him goosebumps, prompting him to decisively drop the novel and solemnly turn down the director next door.

He felt that his acting skills were too poor for him to take on the lead role in a short drama. He would be better off remaining a well-behaved content creator specializing in intangible cultural heritage!

However, disasters were unpredictable, and misfortune could strike at any moment.

Never could he have imagined that a single trip outdoors would end with him falling off a cliff and transmigrating into a novel.

As for whose identity he had assumed after transmigrating, that strange voice hadn’t told him.

Having appeared in a mass burial ground full of corpses, he could figure out even with his knees that there was no way he had become one of the protagonists.

The protagonists of the novel were the Demon Lord and the Immortal Emperor. How could either of them have been so miserably discarded among corpses?

Therefore, he could only be an insignificant background character, much like an NPC.

Ling Zeyu shakily stepped over one horrifying corpse after another, struggling to climb out of the burial pit. Suddenly, something tightened around his ankle, frightening him so badly that he screamed.

Whatever was gripping his ankle only tightened its hold. Forcing himself to calm down, Ling Zeyu lowered his head and was astonished to discover that the one grabbing him was a blood-soaked man who was barely alive.

That man was none other than his current partner—Xie Heng.

Ling Zeyu cracked his second boiled egg while recalling the past.

There had been nothing romantic about the place where they first met.

It was a freshly dug burial pit, filled mostly with refugees who had starved to death while fleeing famine. Only he and Xie Heng were exceptions.

He still couldn’t figure out whether he had transmigrated with his original body or whether his soul had entered someone else’s.

If his original body had transmigrated, why was his hair now waist-length?

If his soul had transmigrated into another body, why did his appearance remain unchanged, right down to the identical red mole between his eyebrows?

Since he couldn’t figure it out, he couldn’t be bothered to investigate further.

In any case, he had been unlucky enough to transmigrate into a novel.

As the saying went, make the best of things now that you’re here.

What else could he do if he refused to accept his situation?

Beat up the author?

He would have to return to the real world first!

He dragged the barely breathing Xie Heng out of the mass burial ground and joined the other refugees on their journey south.

Fleeing famine was an arduous ordeal.

There was no food or water, and with epidemics and killings occurring along the way, every step was a struggle. They faced countless dangers and narrowly escaped death time and again.

Fortunately, he possessed a rather useless golden finger: a check-in system.

On the fourth day after leaving the mass burial ground, a virtual screen that only he could see suddenly appeared before his eyes.

Deciding to give it a try, he communicated with the virtual screen using his thoughts and successfully checked in, receiving two copper coins.

The copper coins could either be stored on the bailiantales.comvirtual screen or materialize in his hand as actual currency.

Once they became physical currency, however, they could no longer be deposited back into the system.

Copper coins stored on the virtual screen could be used as points to exchange for items in the virtual shop.

Having just acquired his golden finger, Ling Zeyu stared at the rows upon rows of locked food items and couldn’t stop swallowing his saliva. This caused Xie Heng to turn his head repeatedly, looking at him in confusion.

To prevent his secret from being exposed, Ling Zeyu suggested that he and Xie Heng split up to search for food. He then ran to a deserted corner and exchanged his two copper coins for two coarse-grain flatbreads, each about the size of his palm.

Afterward, relying on the stingy check-in system, they continued south and managed to survive until they reached Yuwen County, which was willing to accept refugees.

The county magistrate was a good official. He actively arranged for the refugees to settle in dozens of villages, granted them new household registrations, and allowed them to put down roots without worry.

Ling Zeyu and Xie Heng were fairly lucky. They were assigned to Wanhe Village, a picturesque place surrounded by beautiful mountains and clear waters. They received a dilapidated house, two mu of low-grade paddy fields, and a patch of wasteland.

Any wasteland they reclaimed would belong to them once they reported and registered it with the village headman.

After two months of fleeing famine, they had finally found a place to settle down.

As for why he and Xie Heng were registered as a single household, it was because the hardships they had endured together during their escape had brought them closer, and their mutual affection had naturally blossomed into love, leading them to become husbands.

Ling Zeyu simply couldn’t [stolen content]imagine how many times he would have died without Xie Heng by his side.

Likewise, if he hadn’t dragged Xie Heng out of the mass burial ground, Xie Heng would have died an untimely death long ago.

Ling Zeyu treasured Xie Heng like precious uncut jade, while Xie Heng cherished him like a flawless jade tablet.

The two were deeply in love and practically inseparable. Even after more than a year together, they remained as affectionate and harmonious as newlyweds.

Ahem, his thoughts had wandered too far.

Ling Zeyu finished his boiled egg, lifted his porcelain bowl, and took a sip of millet porridge before picking up a small dried fish with his chopsticks and eating it slowly.

Having wolfed down all five dried fish, the little tabby was still unsatisfied. It jumped onto a stool, raised its front paws onto the edge of the table, and fixed a hungry, predatory gaze on the dried fish on the plate.

Ling Zeyu reached out to shoo it away. “Get down. You’ve had your share.”

“Meow~” The little tabby softened its voice into a coaxing plea.

The sweet sound practically melted Ling Zeyu’s heart. Giving in, he picked up two dried fish with his chopsticks and tossed them onto the floor. “These are the last two. Once you’ve finished them, no more acting cute.”

“Meow!” The little tabby leaped to the floor, seized a dried fish between its teeth, and swished its tail happily.

Ling Zeyu sighed wistfully. “Life is much read the original at bailiantales.com better now, so I can spare a few dried fish for you. But back when we first arrived in the village…”

They had been so poor they could barely afford to put food on the table!