Horizon, Bright Moon, Sabre (Gu Long) - Chapter 21: Emerging From the Cage

My name is Yan, and since I was a child, I’ve been able to see some strange things.For example—In elementary school, our new neighbor Aunt Tan had a pair of all-around genius twins, who were like the “precious little geniuses” with halos above their heads. They could recite the English-Chinese dictionary backwards at three, master both Chinese and Western musical instruments by five, and hack into a country’s database by seven…Growing up next to such prodigies, my life was inhumane, tragic, and constantly subjected to comparisons.To escape the comparisons with these “other people’s children,” I specifically applied to a private boarding school for middle school.On my first day, my deskmate was a small, thin girl with bangs, wearing an old uniform, and her voice was as faint as a mosquito’s.Three months later, she woke up from a nap with a “rebirth” halo above her head.She moved effortlessly among the cold academic genius, the wolf-like school bully, the fierce boss, and the gentle childhood friend, leaving me, a lonely onlooker, utterly amazed.By university, I thought I had finally escaped this abnormal world.But as soon as I stepped into my dorm room, my footsteps froze.My roommates each had halos like “ancient times to modern,” “post-apocalyptic superhuman,” “will die if not spending money,” and “ghost king revival.”I clutched my little blanket and applied to the counselor for a room change, but to no avail.Over time, I gradually got used to it. “Handover systems,” “management systems,” “book transmigration,” “infinite worlds,” “three-and-a-half-year-olds,” “interstellar live streams,” “red envelope groups”…The types of halos kept increasing, and I was able to calmly ignore all of it, focusing on my own life.Every morning, I skillfully helped my “ancient to modern” roommate, who was being blacklisted online, dodge campus paparazzi and secure seats for class.At noon, I assisted my tycoon roommate in distributing today’s haul of luxury skincare and designer bags, tasting the city’s top private chef’s custom lunchbox, and exclaiming with emotion, “Darling, can I really accept these?”In the evening, I enjoyed the flowers and plants cultivated by my superhuman roommate on the balcony, tasting a mutated cherry tomato and commenting, “I feel refreshed and purified.”Late at night, when my ghost king roommate quietly climbed back through the window, I peeked out to ask, “You’re back a bit late today, didn’t bring anything back, did you?”My name is Yan, and I am not the protagonist of this world.

Who could have guessed that the accidental discovery of a pitch-black USB drive would one day turn Chen Chen’s world upside down?

Lin Mu was pushed down the cliff, but he did not die and arrived to a magical world instead.

A huge python with wings and can fly, alright, just think it as the legendary Mayan Snake God;

A gigantic centipede that can fly in the sky, alright, he kinda seen it before in ‘Journey to the West’;

A mighty big wolf with a body as humongous as an elephant, en, just think it as a mutant;

….

Although the animals in front of him were a little strange, they are still animals but why did all of you suddenly turned into humans? Coming across wild beasts, Lin Mu still can accept it, but coming across ‘*yaojins’, Lin Mu became . . . . . . excited instead. What? You guys are the infamous drifter beastmen? I don’t know anything about that. You guys did a lot of heinous crimes? I don’t see that either.

And so, Lin Mu began a hard but satisfying life of building a home in a another world.

*Yaojin/妖精 doesn’t have a proper English equivalent word. The nearest meaning would be supernatural being or Yokai (Japanese).

- Description from Novelupdates

Emperor Zi Yu used 5 strikes of his axe to split mountains and unify everyone underneath the heavens. He partitioned the land into 9 areas, thus establishing the Nine Cauldrons which eventually became known as the 9 prefectures.