Chapter Text
...
Shen Yuan opened his eyes with a second set of memories.
He felt weak and shitty. It didn’t smell like his apartment. He could hear flowing water nearby.
Where was he? Why was he half-crawling? The last thing he remembered was the sharp pain in his stomach from eating that damned expired ramen.
Tired, hungry, and half-delirious as he sprawled on the dirt, his xianxia-obsessed brain vaguely recognized a delicate flower hanging in front of him. It looked a lot like how the White Drop Vine Blossom from Proud Demon Immortal Way was described.
So he ate it.
More out of numb curiosity, really, but when he woke up hours later, rejuvenated and bewildered, he stumbled into people in wooden carts and ancient clothes talking about Huan-Hua Palace and Cang Qiong Mountain, making him realize that he transmigrated in the same novel he was bashing before he died.
Proud Immortal Demon Way.
Talk about bad luck and karma.
He might have cried and cursed all the ramen in the world. Even the un-expired ones.
Good thing he ate that flower, though. The White Drop Vine Blossom was one of Airplane’s bullshit plot devices, one that Luo Binghe consumed in a pinch when his demonic side was overwhelming his human side. It bolstered his qi enough until he reached his obligatory harem member for their papapa.
To the OP protagonist the flower was just a temporary solution but to the feeble Shen Yuan and his new body, it was a breath of fresh air. He felt good. In this instance, he felt compelled to thank Airplane.
He found a river to bathe in, left his clothes to dry on a rock and studied his reflection.
Once he washed out all the grime and dirt away, he realized he did look slightly like Shen Yuan did before. A little younger maybe, about thirteen to his sixteen. But…
Too pretty, ah. Shen Yuan thought. He looked like a girl. He even checked if he still had his parts, and yep. Still a boy.
The new body he inhabited came with a confusing set of memories. Of a boy with the same face as his, sneering and tugging him around while he called him ‘A-Yuan’ and ‘didi’ . Of another boy, older than him and his mirror image, smiling at them with tender eyes. The spotty memories came with a tinge of sadness, making him cry again.
He had brothers, it seemed. Brothers he lost.
It made him wonder if he was Shen Yuan, this world’s Shen Yuan, with the way he was feeling.
But there was no Shen Yuan in the canon story, was there? Only a Shen Qingqui, and there was no way he was related to him. Shen Qingqui was a noble son, a rich boy, and Shen Yuan’s vague memories told him he and his brothers were slaves.
So he was cannon fodder? Passerby B? A no-name civilian?
He can live with that. Proud Demon Immortal Way was a scary place to live in, scarier if you were a character that was going to get fucked or be fucked. He had no intention of being at the end of either of the protagonist’s swords.
At least Shen Yuan was still male. Luo Binghe was straighter than that demon sword of his.
Right. He can do this.
Just as Shen Yuan was about to head to the wide unknown with head held high and eyes fervent bright, the deafening sound of static beeping pierced his ears.
[Apologies for the delay, User! Welcome to Proud Demon Immortal Way!]
What the fuck.
“What the heck are you?” Shen Yuan gaped at the large, holographic screen in front of him.
[Greetings! I am System 320, installed to guide User Host: Shen Yuan through his journey through the novel ‘Proud Demon Immortal Way’! As compensation for the delay of service, we offer you a perk!]
Shen Yuan paused at the mention of a perk. He was awfully familiar with the ‘System plot’ since it was widely used in transmigration novels, usually as an OP device for the protagonist to level up. Or fuck them up, it could go either way. Yet why did he, a no name NPC, have a System?
He asked the System out loud.
[Initializing…]
[Gathering data…]
[Error found. User Host: Shen Yuan had been displaced. Management has been notified. In return for pointing out this error, User Host: Shen Yuan has been upgraded to VIP1 status!
Congratulations! Congratulations! Congratulations! Important things must be said three times!]
Shen Yuan was surprised. VIP Status? Just like that? “You seem to be giving out things generously…”
[…]
[System 320 can activate hard mode.]
“Right. Shutting up now.”
[System thought so, ah.]
Shen Yuan paused, thinking hard. So he had been… displaced? “Does this mean I was supposed to someone else?”
[Affirmative. Story mode is currently ongoing. Character selection is unavailable. System offers its apologies.]
“Apology accepted.” Shen Yuan said automatically, hiding his relief that he wasn’t an important character. And he had a System! Maybe it can tell him what happened?
Shen Yuan didn’t notice the System’s ping of surprise when he accepted its apology. Nice User Host…
“What happened to me?” Shen Yuan wrung the edge of his sleeves. “Did I die?”
[System 320 was prompted by Activation Code: ‘Stupid author, stupid novel!’. Automatically triggering words.]
Shen Yuan blinked. “Oh. Wait… I yelled that at my computer screen. About this stupid novel’s ending.”
[Yes. Activation Code triggered transmigration of User Host: Shen Yuan. During this course, you can achieve what you desire. To transform this ‘stupid novel’ by a ‘stupid author’ into a high-class, classic piece of literature. We pray for your happiness.]
“Right…” Shen Yuan rubbed his face. His nice-looking face, admittedly more healthy than his last. “Can… Can I return home someday?”
There was nothing for him here. Airplane’s world looked beautiful but Shen Yuan had no one here. His brothers…
[Initializing…]
[Sending request…]
[Transmigration inquiry sent. Thank you for your patronage! Your inquiry will be answered shortly by customer service.]
Which means not likely, Shen Yuan scowled. That was a standard ‘your question will be added to a pile of spam’ reply.
He sighed. “What do I do now?”
The System chirped happily [User Host has many things to do! System 320 shall generate a list of quests…]
Shen Yuan nodded, sighing tiredly. If he really was the Shen Yuan of this world then the least he owed his novel self was to live to the fullest. The world was his oyster and all that. “Sure, why not.”
And so Shen Yuan’s new adventure as a no-name NPC in this stallion harem began.
...
(Years later, draped in demon finery, he would curse the day he ate that stupid white flower. In fact, eating stupid things seemed to land him in unfortunate places. Ugh, never again.
“I should have dropped dead.”
“What foolish thing is didi saying now?”
“Sh-Shizun! How could you think—”
“Shut up, beast! Demon! Fuck off and stop bothering my brother!”
“Xiao Jiu…”
“Bingbing, are you done seducing your stepmother? Papa wants grandkids. Oh, other Shen and Shen-in-law, you’re here too?")