Crimson_Lore
patreon
Chapter 1: A Bachelor in His Past Life
🕑 Added 2025-01-22 10:35:15 +0000 UTCIt was early February. Though spring had arrived, the air still carried a deep chill.
The charcoal brazier had gone cold, and the room was freezing. Chen Xiao huddled under the lingering warmth of his bed warmer for a while before reluctantly crawling out of the covers. He put on a padded jacket and layered it with a thick cotton coat.
The copper kettle was wrapped in an insulated sleeve. Though it couldn't match the thermal performance of a modern thermos, it managed to keep the water warm enough to avoid the bone-chilling cold.
After washing his face with warm water, he brushed his teeth with a boar-bristle toothbrush dipped in tooth powder. Then, with practiced ease, he combed his shoulder-length hair into a neat bun.
That was all it took to finish his morning grooming.
Once dressed, Chen Xiao opened the door, and a wave of cold air greeted him. He stepped outside and took a deep breath. The crisp, clean air—so unlike the polluted skies of big cities—filled his lungs, invigorating him. Stretching his limbs, he let out a long yawn.
Chen Xiao had been in this world for half a year. At first, he was cautious, terrified that the locals would discover his strange origins and burn him at the stake. Over time, he adapted, blending seamlessly with the locals.
He walked from the backyard to the front, rubbed his slightly chilly fingertips, and removed the wooden planks securing the shopfront one by one. After neatly stacking them in the back, the shop was open for the day.
Chen Xiao worked as a clerk and live-in caretaker at an antique shop called "Taxue Xunxian Pavilion."By day, he worked under the shopkeeper and the assistant shopkeeper, learning the trade and selling wares. At night, after closing up, he would sleep in the back of the shop. In case of an emergency, he was responsible for sounding the large gong in his room to alert the neighborhood and summon the city's night patrol. The shop owner didn't expect him to fight off robbers—just to raise the alarm.
Chen Xiao was at the bottom rung of the shop's hierarchy. His duties included not only preparing to open the store every morning but also cleaning up. Fortunately, he didn't have to handle everything alone; there was another assistant named Zhao Erhu.
After a while, Chen Xiao finished his tasks. As pedestrians began to appear on the street, Zhao Erhu arrived, bringing him a steaming bowl of wontons and four crisp, fragrant flatbreads.
This breakfast was no small expense for an average household, costing a hefty fifteen copper coins. Zhao Erhu paid ten of them, while Chen Xiao contributed the remaining five.
Zhao Erhu had been bringing him breakfast like this for the past three or four months.
Zhao Erhu lived far from the shop and had to cross half the county city to get there. During the late autumn to early spring months, waking up early was cold and miserable.
Chen Xiao had struck a deal with him: if Zhao Erhu brought breakfast, Chen Xiao would handle all the cleaning duties himself.
Zhao Erhu was more than happy to part with a little money to avoid braving the cold mornings. However, he did insist that Chen Xiao pay five copper coins, claiming that Chen Xiao ate too much. While most people were satisfied with two flatbreads, Chen Xiao could easily devour four!
Chen Xiao took the breakfast, sat at one of the guest tables, and began eating. Zhao Erhu, meanwhile, poured himself a cup of hot water from the freshly boiled kettle to warm his hands.
Chen Xiao ate heartily, savoring every bite. The wontons were the perfect size, fresh and delicious. The flatbreads were golden, crisp, and fragrant, crunching satisfyingly with each bite.
Watching him eat, Zhao Erhu couldn't help but comment, "Xiao Han, not only do you eat a lot for breakfast, but you're even more extravagant at lunch and dinner. You're picky with food and particular about your clothes. I've never seen a shop assistant spend like you do. At this rate, when will you ever save enough to afford a wife?"
Chen Xiao almost choked on his food at the remark.
The body he now inhabited belonged to a seventeen-year-old boy with no formal name, only a nickname—Hanwa.
Hanwa's parents had fled famine, only to die on the road. Left an orphan, he followed his uncle's family to a prosperous village. Thanks to good genes, Hanwa had thick brows, almond-shaped eyes, and a simple, endearing charm. His looks spared him from too much scorn, despite being an extra mouth to feed.
That changed when he hit his growth spurt.
Teenage boys eat like bottomless pits, and Hanwa was no exception. His uncle, unable to bear the strain on the household, reluctantly sent him away to work as a porter for a merchant caravan. At the time, Hanwa was only twelve, barely taller than a small horse, and already tasked with grueling labor.
Despite working tirelessly, Hanwa's appetite left him with little to save. By the time he was fifteen or sixteen, he had learned some martial skills from the caravan guards and transitioned into a guard role himself.
But Hanwa wasn't lucky. Six months ago, during a routine delivery route, a wild beast suddenly attacked. Foolishly confident in his limited martial skills, Hanwa rushed in to confront it, while the others fled.
Had the county's patrol not arrived quickly, Hanwa would have been dragged off by the beast. Even so, he was gravely injured and barely clung to life.
The caravan leader admired Hanwa's bravery and rewarded him handsomely, covering his medical expenses. However, the caravan couldn't wait for him to recover. After completing their sales and restocking for the return trip, they left, entrusting him to a local family with enough money to care for him.
Unfortunately, the family was only minimally attentive, providing water and medicine on time but little else. Threatened by the caravan's guards against stealing Hanwa's money, they dared not misuse the funds but refused to pay for better care themselves.
After weeks of high fever, Hanwa's strong body finally gave out—and that was when Chen Xiao took over.
Chen Xiao, who thought he would die in his previous life, awoke in agony, burning with fever and unable to move.
Desperate, he used what was left of Hanwa's money to summon a skilled doctor. Most of it went toward a miraculous pill that cured him almost instantly.
After another half month of recovery, Chen Xiao thanked the family and left. With what little remained of the reward money, he found work at "Taxue Xunxian Pavilion."
Chen Xiao had no intention of returning to the caravan. Without Hanwa's memories, he couldn't risk being exposed. Besides, guarding caravans was too dangerous.
Working in the antique store allowed him to observe the world and piece together its mysteries.
This wasn't a simple pre-industrial society transitioning to capitalism—it was a world of cultivators, powered by spiritual stones instead of coal or oil.
Though he lacked the talent to cultivate, Chen Xiao wasn't disheartened. He'd been given a second chance at life, and if that meant living as an ordinary person, so be it.
Smiling faintly, he wiped his mouth and said, "Right now, I'm focused on getting healthy. That's the most important thing."
Zhao Erhu, seeing no point in arguing, shrugged and let the matter drop. To him, Hanwa's spending habits were foolish, but it wasn't his problem.
Chen Xiao, on the other hand, knew better than to explain. Life was too short to waste on pointless arguments. He had already decided—after one year of working here to learn the ropes, he would leave and explore the world on his terms.
He was too ill to travel. The caravan left him in the care of a local family, paying them a commission to look after him.
Since the caravan passed through the county city several times a year, the family didn't dare mistreat Hanwa. They brought him water and medicine on time, though their care was far from meticulous.
The martial instructor who had once taught Hanwa in the caravan, fearing the family might harm him for his money, had issued a harsh threat. This ensured the family wouldn't dare use Hanwa's money to hire a renowned physician without his consent. Unwilling to pay out of pocket themselves, they let him endure his illness as best as he could.
Hanwa had been physically robust, but repeated high fevers, compounded by a persistent cough and bouts of blood, sapped his strength. Eventually, Hanwa passed away. And when he did, Chen Xiao arrived.
In his previous life, Chen Xiao had thought he would close his eyes and never wake again. Yet when he opened them, he was met with excruciating pain throughout his body. He was burning up, unable even to sit up in bed. Raising a hand felt like a monumental effort.
As Chen Xiao struggled through the dizziness and splitting headache, his survival instincts kicked in. He realized that if things continued like this, this inexplicable second chance at life would end before it began.
Seizing a moment of clarity, he begged the family to summon a physician from a reputable medical hall. Using most of the money left behind by Hanwa, he persuaded the physician to treat him. The physician, motivated by the generous payment, spared no effort. After some effort, he procured a medicinal pill for Chen Xiao. Consuming it immediately eased his symptoms, and within days, his body had regained much of its strength.
After another half month of recuperation, Chen Xiao had fully recovered. Expressing his gratitude to the family, he left their home and checked into an inn.
Though the remaining funds seemed substantial, in this bustling county city, they were only enough to afford comfortable meals and lodging for three months.
Chen Xiao had no intention of returning to the caravan Hanwa had worked with. For one, he feared someone might notice his "change." For another, he lacked Hanwa's memories and skills. Though he knew how to brawl, he wasn't proficient enough in combat to work as a caravan guard.
In the end, he took a gamble. Using the rest of his money, he found a reputable broker and entrusted the man to arrange a position for him in his current workplace.
Looking back, Chen Xiao was grateful for that decision. His job gave him indirect access to upper-class society, allowing him to quickly learn the basics about this new world.
It was a fascinating place, a blend of ancient traditions and fledgling ingenuity. It had the backwardness of a feudal era, yet showcased the creativity and invention of an industrial awakening. This coexistence of old and new was magical, drawing Chen Xiao's curiosity and helping him acclimate despite his initial confusion.
At first, Chen Xiao thought he had transmigrated to a parallel world resembling ancient China, transitioning from feudalism to capitalism.
But as he learned more about this country called Dai, he realized he was wrong. This world had no coal or oil. Without such resources, there could be no steam age and no hope of progressing into a modern society.
However, this world had something unique: a precious mineral called spiritual stone. Rich in energy, these stones could replace coal and oil to power various devices.
Chen Xiao had once seen a marble-sized spiritual stone placed into a stove with three burners. It burned continuously for three hours, consuming only a tiny fraction of the stone.
That incident left him awestruck. The stove's owner, fond of showing off, revealed that the stone had come from a cultivator. Only then did Chen Xiao realize that this world revolved not around agriculture, commerce, or craftsmanship but the pursuit of cultivation and immortality.
Unfortunately, after some discreet probing, he confirmed that Hanwa's body lacked the spiritual roots necessary for cultivation. Without any innate talent, Chen Xiao was disheartened but soon rallied his spirits.
After all, being reincarnated was a bonus. Even if he lived an ordinary life, it wouldn't be a loss.
Thus, Chen Xiao set his sights on enjoying life, saving money, and traveling the world. Marriage? In his last life, he had been a bachelor accustomed to freedom. He had no intention of burdening himself with attachments now.
Wiping the corner of his mouth, he said, "I'm not thinking that far ahead yet. For now, my priority is regaining my strength."
No one knew how much his health had improved. After his severe illness, others thought it natural for him to splurge on food to recover. While some felt his spending was excessive, they couldn't argue with his justification.
Zhao Erhu, a coworker, shook his head at Chen Xiao's reasoning but didn't press further. They were merely colleagues, not close friends. Having voiced his opinion, Zhao Erhu left it at that.
Still, Zhao Erhu couldn't help but think to himself: Hanwa's not good at managing money. He's reckless and won't save a dime.
Chen Xiao chuckled to himself. He could see Zhao Erhu's disapproval but had no intention of explaining. Their values were too different, and saying too much would only complicate things. It was better to keep their relationship casual.
I've given myself a year to adapt and learn, Chen Xiao thought. After that, I'll move on. Why stir up unnecessary conflict now?
