Having arrived in a cultivation world that previously only existed in xianxia novels, Nie Shiyun hadn't felt particularly excited while cooped up in his room. However, once he stepped outside, the array of novelties he encountered quickly drew him in.
A thousand years ago, the Yunqing Pavilion had been a wealthy and influential sect, renowned far and wide for its artifact refining. But as time passed and the sect declined, it failed to secure a spot among the four great sects. Now, it relied entirely on its old trade—artifact refining—just to maintain a foothold among the smaller sects.
At this stage, the Yunqing Pavilion was less like an unreachable, lofty cultivation sect and more like a wealthy local landlord. Of course, it was still beyond the reach of ordinary mortals, but for a modern man like Nie Shiyun, who was unfamiliar with ancient etiquette, this environment felt much more approachable.
"Young Master Nie! It’s been a long time!"
"Is that not Young Master Nie?"
Nie Shiyun had only been wandering the market at the foot of the Yunqing Pavilion's mountain for about half an hour, yet he had already been recognized and called out several times. The original owner of his body had been a playful sort who spent money lavishly, making him a regular patron of these taverns and antique shops. During the days he had remained shut away on the mountain, Nie Li had covered for him, leading others to believe he was simply in secluded cultivation.
Since arriving in this world, Nie Shiyun had only eaten Inedia Pills, which tasted like sawdust. Although he no longer had a physiological need for food, as a modern man, he still had psychological cravings. Thus, he headed to a tavern and ordered a spread of spiritual cuisine, intending to make up for the recent lack of flavor in his life.
He had assumed that since cultivators generally abstained from worldly grains, spiritual food wouldn't be particularly tasty. To his surprise, the flavor was a hundred times better than he had imagined.
At this moment, he pushed thoughts of spiritual roots and cultivation levels to the back of his mind. Acting purely as a transmigrated tourist, he sat in a private booth by a window with an excellent view, thoroughly enjoying the fine food and wine.
When he saw the total on the bill, Nie Shiyun felt a twinge of apprehension. Ultimately, he wasn't Nie Li’s real son. Impersonating "Nie Shiyun" while spending the man's father's money made him feel somewhat guilty. After finishing his meal, he merely browsed through the shops, not actually purchasing any more expensive items.
Strolling along, Nie Shiyun entered the city's largest spirit herb shop. As soon as he stepped inside, his senses were filled with the pungent aroma of herbs. Because the scent of the medicinal liquid Nie Li had sent him was so peculiar, Nie Shiyun, driven by curiosity, tried to recall that smell to see if he could identify the ingredients mixed into it.
He circled the shop, but after finding one or two items that seemed similar, he hit a dead end. Perhaps he had some talent for artifact refining, but when it came to spirit herbs, Nie Shiyun was clearly not cut out for it.
Just as he was about to give up on this challenge and leave, he looked up, and his gaze was completely captivated by a figure in white nearby. There shouldn't be such a cultivator in the Yunqing Pavilion. The man was handsome, with a gentle expression in his eyes. He was conversing politely with the female cultivator behind the counter; from head to toe, he perfectly embodied the description of "a gentleman as refined as jade."
Nie Shiyun thought to himself that if most people back in the modern world were asked to provide a universal look for an "ancient-style male lead," it would probably look exactly like this.
Perhaps because Nie Shiyun’s undisguised gaze lingered for too long, the young man turned his head, and their eyes met.
Though he had lived in the cultivation world for a few days and there was no shortage of handsome fellow disciples in the Yunqing Pavilion, Nie Shiyun—whose personal preferences were struck dead-on—felt his heart skip a beat.
"My apologies, Senior. I was rude," Nie Shiyun admitted his mistake candidly, knowing it was indeed impolite to stare so intently.
To his surprise, the man’s expression sharpened. His previous warmth vanished instantly, replaced by a look of profound displeasure as he glared at Nie Shiyun. Nie Shiyun’s heart sank. Was this young man the type who looked kind but actually had a terrible temper? He had only looked a few times and had even apologized; surely it wasn't enough to warrant such resentment?
Feeling himself being scrutinized from head to toe with an unfriendly gaze, Nie Shiyun said awkwardly, "Senior, is something the matter?"
Unexpectedly, the young man took a step toward him and gave a faint smile—though Nie Shiyun didn't see a trace of actual mirth on his face.
"What kind of trick are you trying to play now?"
"...Too close," Nie Shiyun thought.
"Mingyu has always found you quite bothersome. He hasn't used a single thing you've sent; he turned them all over to the Yingyue Sect. I think there's no need for you to continue humiliating yourself."
"...?"
After delivering his "harsh words," the peerlessly elegant young man flicked his sleeve and turned to leave.
"Se—Senior Zhai! Your spirit herbs!"
The shopkeeper, who had just finished packing the items, looked up to see this final scene. In a panic, he looked at the paid-for herbs in his hand, then at the back of the man who had vanished like a gust of wind. After hesitating, he chased after him.
Nie Shiyun stood frozen on the spot. It took a long time for him to piece together the truth from those words and the shopkeeper's reaction.
That man was none other than Duan Mingyu’s first love interest in the story, his fellow disciple—Zhai Bairong.
He was the trusted, outstanding disciple of the Yingyue Sect, and the character the author described as the standard "Gentle Senior Brother."
Zhai Bairong had long harbored resentment toward the original Nie Shiyun for harassing Duan Mingyu, yet Nie Shiyun hadn't even recognized his so-called "rival." Thinking back on his behavior just now, it must have looked like a blatant provocation to the other man. Nie Shiyun felt incredibly embarrassed.
Back when he read these kinds of novels, he used to complain about how authors piled beauty descriptions onto main characters as if they cost nothing, wondering how stunning they would actually look in real life. Now, he had finally seen it for himself.
It was indeed stunning.
If he didn't still have some lingering connection to Duan Mingyu, a cannon fodder like himself probably wouldn't even qualify for a description like "decent-looking." Nie Shiyun silently warned himself: in the future, if he saw a man in this world who looked exceptionally extraordinary, he had to stay far away. Eight times out of ten, they would be related to Duan Mingyu.
He didn't know if the shopkeeper ever caught up to Zhai Bairong. Standing in the shop, Nie Shiyun felt the gazes of everyone around him converging. In the eyes of outsiders, he was likely the one who had gone looking for trouble.
Feeling like he was sitting on pins and needles, Nie Shiyun muttered an apology to the people in the shop and hurried away. After such an incident, he was no longer in the mood for fun and headed straight home. He had been determined to avoid the protagonist Duan Mingyu and his harem of love interests, but he hadn't expected such bad luck—running right into Zhai Bairong at the very start.
Praying silently that this minor incident wouldn't drag him back into the tragic main plot, Nie Shiyun returned to his courtyard, feeling uneasy.
Not long after he returned to the Yunqing Pavilion, his father, Nie Li, came rushing over.
"If I had known, I wouldn't have let you leave. I thought only Duan Mingyu had arrived, but I didn't expect Senior Qu’s top disciple, Zhai Bairong, to be traveling with them. He arrived a bit later, so you missed the chance to greet him."
*Yes, because Zhai Bairong was browsing a spirit herb shop and ran right into me. We technically 'greeted' each other, though the atmosphere was a bit stiff.*
"Why should I greet him?" Nie Shiyun grunted, mimicking the original owner's attitude.
Nie Li, frustrated, gave him a light smack on the back of the head. "I know! He’s close with that Duan Mingyu you’ve taken a fancy to. But he is the head disciple of the Yingyue Sect, after all. If word gets out, it will look like you have no manners. Small sects like ours sometimes have to rely on those major sects."
Nie Shiyun gave a muffled grunt of agreement but maintained an air of stubbornness. Nie Li could do nothing with him; he nagged for a few more moments and then left.
Nie Shiyun thought to himself that the onlooker sees most clearly. As a reader, he knew everything, but among the people currently in the book, who could know that there would be three more "favored sons of heaven" like Zhai Bairong appearing one after another, all devoted to Duan Mingyu? At this moment, the seemingly unremarkable Duan Mingyu was the true Child of Destiny.
After a few days of leisure, he had suddenly been pulled into the main plot. Alarm bells rang in Nie Shiyun’s mind. He carefully recalled every detail of the original work, trying to calculate what his first move should be.
***
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
云清阁 | Yunqing Pavilion | The sect Nie Shiyun belongs to, known for artifact refining.
辟谷丹 | Inedia Pill | Also known as Fasting Pills; allows cultivators to go without food.
灵食 | Spiritual cuisine / Spirit food | Food made from ingredients containing spiritual energy.
映月派 | Yingyue Sect | The sect Duan Mingyu and Zhai Bairong belong to.
翟白容 | Zhai Bairong | The "Gentle Senior Brother" and one of the main love interests.
君子如玉 | A gentleman as refined as jade | A common idiom describing a man of noble character and elegant appearance.
曲前辈 | Senior Qu | A senior figure in the Yingyue Sect, Zhai Bairong's master.
