I've read hundreds, if not thousands, of cliche tropes in my last life, but I never thought I'd reincarnate into one. My last life wasn't much to speak on; I got diagnosed with bone cancer at the young age of ten. My parents were rich, so I guess that's a silver lining. I had five other siblings, all healthy and all too busy to visit their dying youngest brother. My parents always sent books to keep me busy at the private hospital they had sent me to with a staff of doctors and nurses. I spent most of my time watching shows, reading novels, manhwa, manhua, manga, and a whole lot of other books on medicine and plants just in case I get reincarnated . I know it was delusional but what else could I do?
I read for those years, just consuming different material . But enough trauma dumping. I died at the young age of 15 and woke up in the body of a kid who shattered his own meridians. I know right? this kid is that dumb. But unfortunately, I think I'm partly to blame. My name is Shen Que. At nine years old, I ate a Frost Core Ember Berry. The energy was too dense for a child as well as for one who barely cultivated. The energy backlashed and shattered my meridians.
It seems I'm half of the kid's dormant soul. That's why he came off to most as stupid or slow. I've been dormant inside him for almost 15 years, just a passenger in a body that was half asleep half awake mentally . The kid is also known for being obsessed with his fiancée, Lian Mei, a rare Grade 7 Jade Root peerless genius. You know the usual: our grandfathers were friends, planned marriage, scorn from everyone.
What's worse is the kid's, or sorry, my father has been missing for almost 8 years. Not to mention there are probably more talented people that want to be engaged to her. Normally, this is where my brain loses common sense and refuse to break off the engagement, fight for her, get thrashed, get stronger, and kill the guy who deserves death through a life and death duel only to upset his father or grandfather, maybe even their whole clan.
Yeah, no. I'm not going down this route. Chances are I might not even be the MC, just an extra. I can'trely on non-existent plot armor to survive. I made up my mind and went to find an Elder at least I remembered where the sensible one usually is . I walked into the side hall. Elder He was sitting behind a desk piled with yellowed parchment, his eyes half closed. I stopped a few paces from his desk. Just as I was about to speak, my vision glitched. A cold, silver light bled across my eyes, and suddenly the world was overlaid with glowing, clinical text.
I didn't flinch. Apparently, this body had this innate ability like those broken polycoria eyes but I just got Heavenly Appraisal eyes.
Anyway, it was a HUD. A literal stat sheet floating over the old man's head.
Shen He (Elder He)
Age: 68 Health (HP): 45,000 / 45,000
Cultivation: Foundation Establishment (Late Stage)
Root: Earth Root (Grade 3)
Strength: 105
Agility: 40
Stamina: 120
Technique: Mountain-Leveling Palm (Earth Grade - Advanced)
Body Constitution: None
Current State: [Mood: Bored]
Combat Power (CP): 30,500
The numbers were staggering. If my math was right, he was 40,000 times stronger than me. I shifted my focus slightly, and my own data flickered into the corner of my eye like a notification.
Shen Que (You)
Age: 15
Health (HP): 198 / 1,800
Cultivation: Mortal
Root: Withered Root (Grade 1)
Strength: 2
Agility: 3
Stamina: 1
Technique: None
Current State: [Body: Shattered Meridians]
Combat Power (CP): 0.6
I was a decimal point. A literal rounding error in this world's power scale.
I forced the disappointment down, keeping my gaze level with the Elder's chest so I didn't look like I was staring at his floating stats. Seeing his Current State listed as "Bored" made this easier. He wasn't in a foul mood; he just wanted his tea.
"Elder He," I said.
He didn't move. He just sat there like a piece of decorative furniture. "Shen Que? You should be resting. Or staring at the Lian family gates again. Why are you here?"
"I'm here to clear things up, Elder," I said. My voice was flat, and I didn't let my face react to the silver text floating in my vision. I kept my head slightly bowed, the way a disciple is supposed to. "I'm going to the Lian estate to cancel the engagement. I thought the clan should know before I make it official."
The Current State on the Elder's HUD flickered. The "Bored" label vanished, replaced by a pulsing yellow "Intrigued." He leaned forward, the wood of his desk creaking under the shift of his weight. He looked at me for a long beat, probably noticing that the blank, vacant stare I usually had was gone.
"Cancel the engagement?" He repeated the words slowly. "You've spent years following that girl, Shen Que. You nearly died for that berry just to try and match her. Are you sure you've thought this through?"
"I have, Elder," I replied, keeping my tone soft. "I've caused the clan enough embarrassment with my stubbornness. Lian Mei is a genius, and I am below average fated to be a mortal. It is better to end this now so she can find a proper match and the clan can stop making excuses for me."
The Elder went quiet, his mood shifting to "Reflective." He wasn't used to me speaking in full, logical sentences, let alone being humble about my own lack of talent.
"It's a rare thing for a boy your age to find his senses," he muttered, the pressure in the room softening. "Most would rather die than lose face. You're truly willing to go there and hand over the papers?"
"Yes, Elder. I only ask for the clan's permission to settle this quietly."
The Elder went quiet. The Mood tag above his head shifted to "Satisfied." It was the look of a man who just had been relieved of a massive headache.
"Quietly is best," he said, his voice dropping an octave. "The Lian family has been looking for a reason to distance themselves without looking ungrateful for your father's past help. If you go there and hand over the contract yourself, you're giving everyone a way out."
He reached into his desk, pulled out a jade stamped scroll which was the physical proof of the engagement, and slid it across the wood toward me.
"Take it. If you succeed in this without causing a scene, I'll see to it that your monthly medicinal allowance is doubled. He gave a short nod, already looking back down at his ledgers.
"Take the southern path. It's less crowded this time of day."
I bowed low, making sure to keep it respectful. "Thank you, Elder He."
As I turned to leave, the old man watched my back.
Finally, he thought, reaching for his tea. The Sect Leader and the other Elders were just discussing how to handle this mess. We were going to give him another month before forcing the issue, but if the boy has finally realized he's a dragging weight, all the better. It saves the clan from looking like the villain.
I walked out of the side hall and into the afternoon sun. My 11% health made the warmth feel a bit too heavy, and the "Qi Blockage" that appeared in my status bar seemed to throb with every step.
I looked at the silver text still hovering in the corner of my vision. This can't be it. My original "cheat" is just a dormant ability that the other half had otherwise how did he find the frost Core Ember Berry. I'd read enough about Ocular Abilities to know this was an ability one was born with not a transmigrator cheat.
I began the walk toward the Lian estate, my mind drifting to Lian Mei.
Now that the "slow" half of my soul wasn't in the driver's seat, I realized why the original kid was so obsessed. It wasn't just her face. Lian Mei had a special physique, something like the Luminous Jade Body. To a normal person, she was just beautiful, but to my other half, she must have been like a literal sun. She was "shiny," and the kid had been drawn to that light like a moth, even if it was burning him alive.
I reached the main road, and something in my eyes glitched again.
[Gacha System Initializing...]
[Scanning Host Potential...]
[Current Luck Stat: E-Rank]
[First Pull Available: Tutorial Draw]
I stopped in the middle of the road. See what did I say? Well beggars can't be choosers even though gachas are dependent on luck, (Sigh) E-Rank Luck, I thought, as a dry internal laugh echoed in my head. Of course, a kid with bone cancer who reincarnates as a cripple would be a luck maxed protagonist. Give me a break already !!