Posted byYours TrulySeptember 28, 2023Posted inZanxing
The cave was extremely dry.
A snail crawled slowly along the cave wall, leaving a wet trail in its wake. When Yang Zanxing gently touched its antennae with her finger, the snail retracted into its shell and remained motionless.
Yang Zanxing withdrew her hand and gazed at the pitch-black cave, heaving a silent sigh.
After five consecutive nights of working overtime, her energy had been drained. She had bought a boxed meal from the convenience store downstairs, but before she could eat it, she had fallen asleep. When she woke up, she found herself in this strange place. It was hard to put into words what she was feeling right now.
Just as she had opened her eyes, she saw a massive, dark figure emerging from the water. She instinctively pushed the girl next to her aside. She also heard someone calling the girl’s name, “Yunxin,” and possibly her own name, “Miss Yang”.
She was just an ordinary working-class individual, far from being addressed as “Miss”1.
The office worker Yang Zanxing diligently attended her job, working conscientiously and honestly. Her sole pastime was reading web novels, with her favorite genre being cultivation novels with overpowered protagonists. These novels were usually lengthy, often containing millions of characters, providing her with plenty of entertainment. Over the past few years, she had devoured at least fifty to a hundred of these cultivation novels. The plots followed similar patterns, revolving around themes such as “30 years in the east, 30 years in the west, do not bully the young and poor”2, “divorce and face-slapping,” and “from trash to overpowered”. She had committed these clichés to memory and could even mix and match plot elements. She was certain that she had transmigrated into the novel “At the Summit of the Nine Heavens” because of the name “Yang Zanxing”.
“Yang Zanxing” was also the name of a supporting character in “At the Summit of the Nine Heavens”. She shared the same name, but unfortunately, this cannon fodder supporting character met her demise at the hands of the male lead within just seven chapters of her introduction. Her role barely spanned three chapters from start to finish, serving as a stepping stone for the male lead’s path to a comeback.
It truly was a tragic fate.
As far as she could recall, in the original story, “Miss Yang” harbored jealousy toward Yunxin, who had captured the affections of her fiancé, Wang Shao. During Wang Shao and Yunxin’s struggle with the creature known as “Yu,” Miss Yang took advantage of the chaos to push Yunxin into the water, with the intent to kill her and erase the evidence. To save his childhood sweetheart, Yunxin, Mu Cengxiao, a childhood friend, jumped into the water after a fierce battle with the creature “Yu”. He became enveloped in the creature’s aura, leading to the discovery of a hidden treasure granting him incredible abilities underwater. Ultimately, he killed the creature and returned to the surface.
Upon returning to the surface, Mu Cengxiao‘s first act was to publicly kill “Miss Yang,” who had secretly attempted to harm Yunxin, thereby establishing a deadly feud with Wang Shao. It marked the beginning of the “I’m the protagonist, so I make enemies and face-slap everyone” mode.
While the storyline might seem clichéd, it had its own internal logic that unfolded smoothy. However, upon transmigrating, when Yang Zanxing encountered the creature known as “Yu”, she acted on instinct and pushed Yunxin aside during a critical moment. She then ended up falling into the water herself and became the one engulfed by the creature’s aura within the cave.
Yang Zanxing stood up, taking a moment to assess her surroundings. It was a pitch-black cave, with only a faint glimmer of light from above, which seemed quite distant. Despite shouting a couple of times, her voice seemed to dissipate halfway, like a flame extinguished by a flick of fingers.
There was no one in sight, not even an animal, only a solitary snail tucked safely within its shell. She gently plucked the snail from the cave wall and proceeded forward, albeit cautiously.
The ground beneath her feet felt soft, and with a sweep of her hand, she encountered dry white sand, resembling a desert. It was odd; she had fallen into the water, yet there wasn’t a drop of moisture in this cave. Such unexplainable occurrences were typical in cultivation novels. However, if this persisted, wouldn’t she die of thirst before finding an exit?
She pondered how the male lead had found his way out in the original story after obtaining the golden finger. The golden finger3… Right, where was the golden finger?
Where was that game-breaking, protagonist-level golden finger that seemed to have both the red and blue buffs, making villains and cannon fodders cry at its sight?
As Yang Zanxing pondered this, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her fingertip. Lowering her head and benefiting from the faint light from above, she observed that the snail she had held in her palm just moments ago had crawled onto her fingertip, where a tiny red dot had appeared.
Was she bleeding? Yang Zanxing was bewildered.
Snails typically don’t cause bleeding, right? What kind of unscientific concept was this?
In the next instant, the ground beneath her feet began to tremble, and rocks from the cave walls started falling and shattering. Yang Zanxing, shielding her head, was about to find a place to seek shelter when she noticed an unusual light suddenly emanating from her palm. Unlike the dim light from above, this light was blinding and radiated from her hand, as if she were being scorched by flames.
The light was emanating from the flower-patterned snail in her hand.
The snail, which had a nail-sized shell, gradually became blurry. Within the surging light, it transformed into a transparent sphere. This sphere seemed to come to life, absorbing the fresh blood flowing from between her fingers. With each drop, the sphere’s color slowly turned redder.
After an unknown amount of time, the trembling beneath her feet ceased, and the intense light faded away.
Yang Zanxing stood still, gazing at the red sphere in her hand.
The sphere was roughly the size of an eyeball, cool to the touch, resembling a glass bead. At first glance, it appeared red, but upon closer inspection, one could see that within this transparent sphere, a cluster of flames was burning. The flames continued to flicker, as if they would never extinguish.
“Xiao Yuan Pearl…” Zanxing muttered.
In the original story, this pearl was designated for use as the male lead, Mu Cengxiao’s, ultimate trump card. The Xiao Yuan Pearl was incredibly versatile, capable of sensing spiritual treasures, enhancing cultivation, shortening the time needed for advancement, and even restoring one’s health at critical moments. It was an essential divine tool for climbing the ranks. It was because of this pearl that Mu Cengxiao, who had been mocked as “useless”, experienced a rapid increase in his cultivation. He leaped from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment, then advanced to the early stages of Golden Core. He made a name for himself in the selection competition of the Taiyan Sect, redeeming himself and ultimately becoming a disciple of the Taiyan Sect.
Now, it was Liu Yunxin who encountered danger, and it was she who rescued the beauty, fell into the stream, got caught in the sand cave, and obtained the Xiao Yuan Pearl. It was only natural that she possessed it.
“So, does this mean,” Yang Zanxing wondered, “that the storyline has undergone a change?”
As she spoke these words, the Xiao Yuan Pearl in her hand suddenly turned into a red mist and with a “swish”, it entered her body.
The term “大小姐” (dà xiǎo jiě, translated here as “Miss”) typically refers to a young lady or a young woman from a well-off or noble family, and it’s used as a polite and respectful way to address someone of higher social status. ↩︎ “30 years in the east, 30 years in the west, do not bully the young and poor,” essentially means that life is full of ups and downs, and fortunes can change over time. It advises against underestimating or mistreating someone just because they may be young or currently in a lesser position. As for the rest, I think y’all can guess them yourselves ↩︎ golden finger: In the context of Chinese web novels and stories, a ‘golden finger’ refers to a special ability, advantage, or talent that the main character or a significant character possesses, which can help them navigate or influence the plot in their favor. ↩︎
Posted byYours TrulySeptember 28, 2023Posted inZanxing
The cave was extremely dry.
A snail crawled slowly along the cave wall, leaving a wet trail in its wake. When Yang Zanxing gently touched its antennae with her finger, the snail retracted into its shell and remained motionless.
Yang Zanxing withdrew her hand and gazed at the pitch-black cave, heaving a silent sigh.
After five consecutive nights of working overtime, her energy had been drained. She had bought a boxed meal from the convenience store downstairs, but before she could eat it, she had fallen asleep. When she woke up, she found herself in this strange place. It was hard to put into words what she was feeling right now.
Just as she had opened her eyes, she saw a massive, dark figure emerging from the water. She instinctively pushed the girl next to her aside. She also heard someone calling the girl’s name, “Yunxin,” and possibly her own name, “Miss Yang”.
She was just an ordinary working-class individual, far from being addressed as “Miss”1.
The office worker Yang Zanxing diligently attended her job, working conscientiously and honestly. Her sole pastime was reading web novels, with her favorite genre being cultivation novels with overpowered protagonists. These novels were usually lengthy, often containing millions of characters, providing her with plenty of entertainment. Over the past few years, she had devoured at least fifty to a hundred of these cultivation novels. The plots followed similar patterns, revolving around themes such as “30 years in the east, 30 years in the west, do not bully the young and poor”2, “divorce and face-slapping,” and “from trash to overpowered”. She had committed these clichés to memory and could even mix and match plot elements. She was certain that she had transmigrated into the novel “At the Summit of the Nine Heavens” because of the name “Yang Zanxing”.
“Yang Zanxing” was also the name of a supporting character in “At the Summit of the Nine Heavens”. She shared the same name, but unfortunately, this cannon fodder supporting character met her demise at the hands of the male lead within just seven chapters of her introduction. Her role barely spanned three chapters from start to finish, serving as a stepping stone for the male lead’s path to a comeback.
It truly was a tragic fate.
As far as she could recall, in the original story, “Miss Yang” harbored jealousy toward Yunxin, who had captured the affections of her fiancé, Wang Shao. During Wang Shao and Yunxin’s struggle with the creature known as “Yu,” Miss Yang took advantage of the chaos to push Yunxin into the water, with the intent to kill her and erase the evidence. To save his childhood sweetheart, Yunxin, Mu Cengxiao, a childhood friend, jumped into the water after a fierce battle with the creature “Yu”. He became enveloped in the creature’s aura, leading to the discovery of a hidden treasure granting him incredible abilities underwater. Ultimately, he killed the creature and returned to the surface.
Upon returning to the surface, Mu Cengxiao‘s first act was to publicly kill “Miss Yang,” who had secretly attempted to harm Yunxin, thereby establishing a deadly feud with Wang Shao. It marked the beginning of the “I’m the protagonist, so I make enemies and face-slap everyone” mode.
While the storyline might seem clichéd, it had its own internal logic that unfolded smoothy. However, upon transmigrating, when Yang Zanxing encountered the creature known as “Yu”, she acted on instinct and pushed Yunxin aside during a critical moment. She then ended up falling into the water herself and became the one engulfed by the creature’s aura within the cave.
Yang Zanxing stood up, taking a moment to assess her surroundings. It was a pitch-black cave, with only a faint glimmer of light from above, which seemed quite distant. Despite shouting a couple of times, her voice seemed to dissipate halfway, like a flame extinguished by a flick of fingers.
There was no one in sight, not even an animal, only a solitary snail tucked safely within its shell. She gently plucked the snail from the cave wall and proceeded forward, albeit cautiously.
The ground beneath her feet felt soft, and with a sweep of her hand, she encountered dry white sand, resembling a desert. It was odd; she had fallen into the water, yet there wasn’t a drop of moisture in this cave. Such unexplainable occurrences were typical in cultivation novels. However, if this persisted, wouldn’t she die of thirst before finding an exit?
She pondered how the male lead had found his way out in the original story after obtaining the golden finger. The golden finger3… Right, where was the golden finger?
Where was that game-breaking, protagonist-level golden finger that seemed to have both the red and blue buffs, making villains and cannon fodders cry at its sight?
As Yang Zanxing pondered this, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her fingertip. Lowering her head and benefiting from the faint light from above, she observed that the snail she had held in her palm just moments ago had crawled onto her fingertip, where a tiny red dot had appeared.
Was she bleeding? Yang Zanxing was bewildered.
Snails typically don’t cause bleeding, right? What kind of unscientific concept was this?
In the next instant, the ground beneath her feet began to tremble, and rocks from the cave walls started falling and shattering. Yang Zanxing, shielding her head, was about to find a place to seek shelter when she noticed an unusual light suddenly emanating from her palm. Unlike the dim light from above, this light was blinding and radiated from her hand, as if she were being scorched by flames.
The light was emanating from the flower-patterned snail in her hand.
The snail, which had a nail-sized shell, gradually became blurry. Within the surging light, it transformed into a transparent sphere. This sphere seemed to come to life, absorbing the fresh blood flowing from between her fingers. With each drop, the sphere’s color slowly turned redder.
After an unknown amount of time, the trembling beneath her feet ceased, and the intense light faded away.
Yang Zanxing stood still, gazing at the red sphere in her hand.
The sphere was roughly the size of an eyeball, cool to the touch, resembling a glass bead. At first glance, it appeared red, but upon closer inspection, one could see that within this transparent sphere, a cluster of flames was burning. The flames continued to flicker, as if they would never extinguish.
“Xiao Yuan Pearl…” Zanxing muttered.
In the original story, this pearl was designated for use as the male lead, Mu Cengxiao’s, ultimate trump card. The Xiao Yuan Pearl was incredibly versatile, capable of sensing spiritual treasures, enhancing cultivation, shortening the time needed for advancement, and even restoring one’s health at critical moments. It was an essential divine tool for climbing the ranks. It was because of this pearl that Mu Cengxiao, who had been mocked as “useless”, experienced a rapid increase in his cultivation. He leaped from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment, then advanced to the early stages of Golden Core. He made a name for himself in the selection competition of the Taiyan Sect, redeeming himself and ultimately becoming a disciple of the Taiyan Sect.
Now, it was Liu Yunxin who encountered danger, and it was she who rescued the beauty, fell into the stream, got caught in the sand cave, and obtained the Xiao Yuan Pearl. It was only natural that she possessed it.
“So, does this mean,” Yang Zanxing wondered, “that the storyline has undergone a change?”
As she spoke these words, the Xiao Yuan Pearl in her hand suddenly turned into a red mist and with a “swish”, it entered her body.
The term “大小姐” (dà xiǎo jiě, translated here as “Miss”) typically refers to a young lady or a young woman from a well-off or noble family, and it’s used as a polite and respectful way to address someone of higher social status. ↩︎ “30 years in the east, 30 years in the west, do not bully the young and poor,” essentially means that life is full of ups and downs, and fortunes can change over time. It advises against underestimating or mistreating someone just because they may be young or currently in a lesser position. As for the rest, I think y’all can guess them yourselves ↩︎ golden finger: In the context of Chinese web novels and stories, a ‘golden finger’ refers to a special ability, advantage, or talent that the main character or a significant character possesses, which can help them navigate or influence the plot in their favor. ↩︎
