The warm gaze of the sun pulsed into the courtyard as the wind danced around. In the tree near the courtyard, a bird landed on a branch, unaware that a snake coiled nearby. The snake opened its mouth and struck, but the bird quickly flew off, leaving the snake disappointed.
The snake slithered away, revealing a young man reading with his back resting against the wall. His eyes were so focused on the book that nothing in the world seemed able to distract him.
From the tree, a leaf fell, carried by the wind as it twirled and slowly landed on the book. The young man picked it up and raised his gaze. His deep, black eyes lingered on the endless blue sky as he blew the leaf away.
"So boring..." he sighed. "If I were on Earth, I'd be playing games and watching Metube... I miss my life. How did this even happen?"
Nostalgia hit him hard. His name was Yin Yue, once an ordinary student on Earth. For reasons unknown, he had woken up one day to find himself in a new body in this strange world. At first, he thought he would live like the main characters in the novels he loved, enjoying adventure, power, and excitement.
But reality struck cruelly. Yin Yue was considered talentless in martial arts, without cheats or blessings. Worse, everyone around him disliked him, forcing him into solitude. With no choice, Yin Yue spent his days reading books just to pass the time.
It had been months since he arrived in this world, yet his boredom only deepened. The more he thought of his past life, the stronger the nostalgic ache grew, threatening to drive him mad.
Closing his book with a heavy thud, Yin Yue tossed it into his room. "Today, I'll write a novel," he decided. He had read many stories in this world, but they all repeated the same themes: worshipping immortals as gods or romantic tales of immortals and love. It is clearly catering to women's fantasies.
"I need paper and ink. I'll have Li Xinyan bring me some."
"You need me, young master?"
Yin Yue flinched when a plump young woman suddenly appeared beside him. "You know, you should really fix that habit of showing up out of nowhere."
The young woman was Li Xinyan, Yin Yue's personal servant and bodyguard. She scratched her head sheepishly. "But I've been walking beside you all this time, young master."
"Anyway, I'm writing a novel. What do you think I should write?" Yin Yue asked.
"Well... how about a servant and her immortal master..." Li Xinyan coughed, her cheeks turning red. "The immortal master falls in love with the servant, but his family forbids it. The servant is dismissed, and the master, driven mad by love, can only be saved by the servant's return... but then he realizes the servant is already dead..."
She continued weaving the story in her head, not noticing the strange look Yin Yue was giving her. He cleared his throat loudly, snapping her back to reality.
"Ah! I'm sorry, young master!" Li Xinyan bowed quickly, her face flushed with embarrassment.
Yin Yue actually found her idea interesting, but in the end, it wasn't the story he intended to write. He already had an idea, one from his past life.
Copyright? Who cared?
With the spark of inspiration reignited, Yin Yue's mood lifted. He only needed paper and ink. Just as he was about to give Li Xinyan her orders—
He paused.
Not far from them, on the ground, a spirit stone glistened under the sunlight. It lay there like a lonely pebble. Yin Yue frowned and walked past it.
"Spirit stone?" Li Xinyan gasped. Spirit stones were precious items, worth enough to buy hundreds of servants. She was shocked to see such a valuable treasure just lying there. "What should we do, young master?"
"Leave it be." He sighed.
Yin Yue didn't need to guess whose spirit stone it was. The moment he picked it up, his siblings would leap out of hiding and accuse him of theft. Their prank was obvious, yet irritating. They were immature, but in situations like this, all Yin Yue could do was swallow his anger.
Since arriving in this world, Yin Yue had learned the truth: the former owner of this body was talentless and had no future. His siblings, however, were gifted. Even if they never reached immortality, they could still become martial masters capable of strengthening the clan. In this world, benefit weighed more than blood. Even though he was the eldest, he was worthless in their eyes.
Unable to bear the pressure and loneliness, the body's former owner had taken his own life. That was when Yin Yue had awoken here, by coincidence sharing the same name.
Yin Yue shook his head slightly and sighed. He had lost count of how many times he had sighed today.
"Young master...?"
"What?" Yin Yue didn't turn around, his eyes scanning the surroundings. He was searching for the siblings he was sure were hiding.
"I think... the spirit stone is acting strange."
He turned back, and his eyes narrowed a bit. A faint blue energy was seeping out of the spirit stone, flowing into his body. He felt nothing unusual, but it was odd for a spirit stone to behave this way.
'Did those kids tamper with it?'
A sudden rustle came from the bushes. Yin Yue frowned and prepared to leave when two figures jumped out, a boy and a girl, who were twins. His expression darkened the moment he saw them.
"What?"
"What?"
The twins spoke in unison, pointing at him.
"You stole a spirit stone!? Big brother, you stole it! Father won't forgive you for this!"
Yin Yue closed his eyes and took a deep breath. If not for the fact that his younger siblings were stronger than him, he would have struck them on the spot. When he opened his eyes, he looked at them coldly.
"You have proof?"
"What?"
"We saw you!"
The twins glanced at each other, quickly coming to an understanding. "The spirit stone is always guarded! So how could one end up in your courtyard? Do you think we're stupid? If we tell Father, he'll be furious with you!"
"Really?" Yin Yue walked toward them without hesitation. His siblings were stronger and more valued by the clan. The original Yin Yue had always cowered before them, and they had taken advantage of it, knowing he would never fight back.
But this Yin Yue was different.
He crouched down so his eyes were level with theirs. His gaze was sharp as he said,
"Everyone in the family favors you, treating you as an important asset. But in the end, this spirit stone isn't meant for us. It belongs to those powerful beings who can crush our clan with a single finger. You know who I mean, don't you?"
The twins froze, unsure how to answer.
"Think carefully," Yin Yue continued. "The spirit stone is heavily guarded. Who would believe I stole it? I'm a weakling who can't even defeat two children, let alone the guards. Let's say the clan sides with you. But what about the immortals, the ones this spirit stone is meant for? If they think someone is stealing from them... tell me, how do you think those prideful beings will react?"
As Yin Yue spoke, his tone grew heavier. He placed a hand on each of their shoulders and leaned in, whispering coldly,
"Go ahead and tell Father. But if you so much as breathe a word to the clan, I'll go straight to the Immortal House and tell them my siblings stole their spirit stone. And then... boom. Father, Mother, the entire clan, gone, wiped out because of your little prank."
"Eh..."
His words dragged the twins back to reality. Tears welled up in their eyes, their small fists trembling as fear took hold.
In the end, they were just children. Pampered and spoiled, they had grown reckless, never once considering the consequences of their actions.
Sometimes, Yin Yue felt a twinge of pity for them. They were his younger siblings, after all. But because of their talent, everyone around them treated them like treasures, shaping their arrogance and carelessness. Deep down, however, they were nothing more than lost children who didn't know what they were doing.
Even so, Yin Yue could not forgive them. Their cruel "pranks" had piled unbearable pressure on the body's original owner, pressure that had eventually driven him to suicide.
"Please don't tell the Immortal, big brother!"
"Please, don't tell him!"
The twins' voices cracked, on the verge of tears. Yin Yue knew his method was effective, but if anyone saw him making the clan's beloved children cry, it would not end well for him.
He picked up the spirit stone and handed it back to them. Just as he was about to speak—
[Would you like to exchange a Low-Quality Spirit Stone?]
"Huh?"