Chapter 8:

As the sun hung lower in the sky, young disciples flooded into the hall for dinner until only few remained.

“Xiaogongzi*, is something the matter?” The disciple asked as he stood anxiously behind Long Guowei. 

The young boy's face hung down, eyelashes obscuring whatever emotions may have been lurking in his eyes. Hands clenched in his sleeves, his knuckles turned white as they drained of blood. Raising his head, his icy gaze met a figure in the distance walking amongst the crowd. 

“Brother Huang, Brother Shao.” Turning his head, Long Guowei met the eyes of the two boys standing on pins and needles behind him before smiling. “My friends, I must say that I am still quite embarrassed of the incident from earlier.”

The two perked up instantly upon seeing him smile. 

“Yes, of course! Who does that dog think he is talking like that to you!”

The other nodded and pumped his fist into the air saying, “We’ll teach him a lesson for you Long’er!*”

The boy's smile widened. “Do you both really mean that?”

Although albeit a little confused, the boys nodded vigorously in agreement. 

“...” Looking back out at the now retreating figure, Long Guowei’s eyes hardened instantaneously. “Good.”

***

As I sat down with a plate of food in front of me, all sorts of smells flooded my senses. Spices and flavor and scents I hadn’t even fathomed before. Tentatively taking a bite, my eyes dilated to a certain degree. All in all…

This is the best food I’ve ever had! This is miles beyond the scaps I was eating at the mansion. I can’t believe I died for ramen, I should’ve died for this!

Turning to my side I opened my mouth to speak. “Xiao bai-” 

Oh. Right.

Turning back to my plate I put my head down and sighed. I couldn’t help but miss him. Had he eaten? Was he being treated well in his faction? Had he made any friends yet? I knew the answer to all of these questions and yet I still couldn’t help but be worried. 

You’d think that with some knowledge of the plot I’d be more at ease but…

No, that wasn’t really the case here. All these thoughts, concerns, and questions had been troubling me until I had even lost the desire to eat the food in front of me. Though despite it all perhaps the most troubling question of all was-

Has he replaced me?

It wouldn’t be hard. I was a character who was never meant to be in his life in the first place. I was supposed to die and further the plot. He was to come here and gain friends, crushes, and allies to help him on his journey throughout the rest of the book. Just how useful would I be compared to all of them? The answer was clear. 

[Host?~ Host!]

Raising my head ever slightly I glanced up discreetly at the screen before me. 

Yes, Zheng ai?

[It is not necessary for the host to think like that. You are already helping the villain, Bai Huiliang, out a lot just by being here.]

What?

Clearing its mechanical throat, the system began speaking. 

[According to the data on “Years searching for the God of these lands,” it appears that the villain's biggest weakness is his lack of trust, which causes many of his friends to betray and stab him in the back. If the villain gains the strength of powerful and loyal allies then Zheng ai is sure that the villain will become even more powerful than even in the original novel. Would the host like to see that?”

Am I really allowed to do something like that? Making the villain…making Bai Huiliang stronger would likely result in consequences for the hero…

Although I said “consequences” we both knew what I meant. The hero could die. 

[Of course! Like Zheng ai said before, as long as you ensure that this story reaches a satisfying ending to its readers, then your mission will be accomplished. So Host, what kind of ending do you want to see?]

What kind of ending I wanted to see?

I want to see…

Feelings and memories of my experiences in my original world came flooding back into my head. The sympathy and anger, the tears and joy I felt, all directed towards the villain presented themselves to me. The bruises and scars I endured and the anger I felt for myself. 

I want to help Bai Huiliang get revenge on every single person who has ever done him wrong and ever will. I want this…no matter the cost. 

[...]

[Alright then Zheng ai asks the host to prepare himself! (≧∇≦) A crucial plot point is coming up! You will need to complete the main points in the original plot to assist the villain in becoming strong enough to reach his goal. I wish the host luck on this journey!] 

And with that, one voice stopped and another one began. 

“H-hello…?” I looked up and saw a girl about the same age as me tapping my shoulder. “Someone said they need to talk to you outside…I-I don’t know why or who but…I-” She hung her head down and bowed politely before returning to her table. Frowning slightly I shook my sleeves and stood up. 

That line sounded eerily familiar…

Walking out of the dining hall I was met with nothing but the empty dark night. No one was there. My first instinct was to return to the hall but then, in the corner of my eye, in the far distance, a light shone. It wasn’t bright but just light enough for me to see. Despite my better judgment I walked further out until I was in dense thick forest. There was no turning back now. 

All of this struck me as familiar, too familiar to ignore. Yet, no matter how hard I tried I just couldn’t put my finger on it just yet. This forest, this situation, everything about it was causing alarm bells to go off in my head. It wasn’t until I reached a clearing in the forest that I felt something reminiscent of recognition. In the middle of the grassy clearing sat a lantern that was just about to burn out. The light died and I was left alone in the dark woods. It’s probably now that I should mention that I’ve lied to you not once but twice. When the light burned out it forest wasn’t entirely dark as there was a blue glowing light shrouded in the trees. And second, when the figure hiding amongst the trees came out,

I wasn’t alone.

Vocab:

xiaogongzi: young master

Er: term of endearment