T/N: For any new readers, this story is a thousand-chapter, slow-burn romance novel. It will take hundreds of chapters to get to the point where the MC and the ML begin to acknowledge their feelings for one another. This novel focuses on gradual developments in relationships and world-building. The relationship between the MC and the ML starts off as tentative business partners, to friends and adoptive brothers, to finally lovers.
Trigger warnings for slavery, genocide, and sexual assault (not between the main character and love interest).
Gu Zuo hugged a bag of groceries as he trotted home. His family’s house wasn’t close, and it would take another ten minutes to get there.
He was feeling a bit anxious. His dad should’ve been waiting at home for a while now, and wouldn’t have started eating without him. His dad had stomach problems, and while his other father wasn’t around, only he could take care of his dad.
Thinking this, Gu Zuo sped up.
But just as he crossed the road, an extremely fast truck swerved into the intersection. The driver was clearly drunk out of his mind!
Shocked, Gu Zuo tried to dodge, but there wasn’t enough time. The truck was upon him. He only felt a sharp pain before he blacked out, and knew no more.
Before losing consciousness, Gu Zuo failed to notice a twinkling object entering his forehead between his eyebrows. Then, his body vanished.
At the same moment, another body replaced his and was crushed beneath the truck.
Soon, a crowd gathered and shouts filled the air…
Gu Zuo crashed to the ground and grimaced in pain. However, he was still relieved. Whatever happened, he was still alive after being hit by a truck, right?
He got up, and dusted himself off. As he looked for the bag of groceries he dropped, he was stunned by the scene around him.
A carved wooden window and antique furniture — What was this place?
Gu Zuo felt anything but reassured. He’d just been hit, but hit by what? There was nothing here that could’ve hit him!
As he looked around, he found a young man lying on a bed.
Gu Zuo immediately went over to ask about his situation.
He didn’t feel quite right. The person’s appearance felt off somehow… As soon as he reached the bed and got a clear view of the person lying on the bed, he froze.
Who was this… How could this person look exactly like him?
The person on the bed was a teenager. His complexion was deathly pale and eerily motionless like a pool of stagnant water.
Gu Zuo’s face went pale as well.
This person shouldn’t be dead, right?
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Composing himself, Gu Zuo gathered all his courage and waved his finger under the teenager’s nose. Immediately his whole body weakened — Damn it, he really was dead! If someone walked in, he wouldn’t have been able to explain himself even if he had ten thousand mouths! Moreover, he inexplicably came across a dead body that had his face. It felt like he was looking at his own corpse! It was too deceptive!
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Gu Zuo was reluctant to believe it himself, but he came to a shocking conclusion.
When he was hit by that truck, he was sent hurtling back to ancient times. Everything was happening too fast. His dad was probably still at home waiting for him. He didn’t want to deal with any of this nonsense!
Thinking about his dad who needed assisted living, Gu Zuo wondered how sad he’d be when he found his son missing. Gu Zuo felt terrible.
It shouldn’t be like this… Wasn’t he asked to process some medicinal herbs at Huichun Pharmacy today? How could this have happened? Gu Zuo collapsed onto a bench in a daze. Even getting hit by a truck would’ve been better than this…
Wait a minute!
Gu Zuo’s face paled further.
He was hit.
Yes, he remembered he was clearly hit by that truck and felt intense pain. But now that his body was uninjured, it didn’t make any sense!
His whole appearance was unscathed…
It couldn’t be that he crossed over because he had magic powers?
Gu Zuo couldn’t make sense of anything. With his mind in chaos, he didn’t know what to do.
With this dead body that looked exactly like him, was it a coincidence or a deliberate ploy? Was it like those novels where he was supposed to take over the body’s identity?
At this time, a line of text suddenly flashed inside Gu Zuo’s mind.
[Medicine Refining System greets the host. Will the host allow this system to bond?]
Gu Zuo stared blankly.
System? What system? What was this thing in his head?
Another line flashed.
[After bonding, this Medicine Refining System can help the host become a pharmacist. This system program is currently in the host’s mind space, but it is not yet activated. When the host faced imminent death, this system teleported the host to the Cangyun Empire, located on the Tianwu Continent. Then, the host’s body was restored. Will the host allow this system to bond?]
Gu Zuo was a little confused.
He wrung his fingers to calm down as much as possible before he proceeded to talk to the thing in his head.
He thought in his mind the questions he wanted to ask: How do you bond with a host and what do I get if I become your host? Can I still go back home? And what if I don’t accept you?
[After bonding with the host, this system will provide a step by step guide on how to refine medicine. The host will then complete corresponding tasks and gradually become the world’s greatest pharmacist. If the host works hard enough, you can return home with your own strength. In the case that the host chooses to bond, the host merely needs to give consent to immediately bond. In the case that the host chooses not to bond, this system will automatically separate itself, and the host will have to survive alone.]
Gu Zuo stared blankly again.
The idea of surviving alone… Blindly wandering around by himself?
Although he didn’t know what this Medicine Refining System was, he knew it transported him here and it could turn him into an expert. It could be counted as his golden finger. Naturally, he’d accept!
However, Gu Zuo still warily asked: What restrictions do I have if I choose to bond? If I don’t complete my tasks, will my life be in danger?
[If the host does not complete the tasks within the allotted timeframe, this system will obliterate the host.]
Gu Zuo: “…”
As expected, it was quite dangerous.
Then he shouldn’t bond…since the thing he was most afraid of in the world was dying.
[Disaster and happiness go hand in hand. Host, please consider things carefully. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Furthermore, this continent is not safe at all.]
Gu Zuo hesitated.
[Insufficient energy. This system will enter sleep mode in half an hour. Please make your decision as soon as possible. If an answer is not provided in half an hour, this system will remove itself by default.]
Gu Zuo hesitated once again.
So if he bonded with the system and failed a task, he would die, but if he didn’t bond, he wouldn’t have any protection in this world.
But in the end, how unsafe was this place? Could he survive by himself? How difficult were those tasks? Right now he didn’t know what to do. He didn’t have enough information to make any decisions!
Without a definite grasp of the outcomes, he feared making the wrong choice.
[If the host makes contact with the body on the bed, you can obtain its memories. You can make a decision after watching.]
Gu Zuo felt his mouth twitch.
In this world, were people able to extract memories from dead bodies?
[No.]
Gu Zuo relaxed.
In other words, this was the system assisting him? He warily moved towards the corpse.
The body wasn’t rotting and it wouldn’t get up all of a sudden…
After gathering his courage, Gu Zuo ran passed the corpse and smacked it with his hand.
Sure enough, in the next moment, countless bits of information frantically poured into his mind. A painful headache erupted and he staggered back a few steps. But soon enough, all the information melded into his brain as if it had belonged there all along.
After he looked over the information, a vein on Gu Zuo’s forehead popped up in anger.
…This guy’s circumstances were so unlucky!
This world was practically a tragedy. It barely had any laws at all. Although in Wuxia tales, even though there were those who believed that might made right, for good or for ill, at least the ‘Xia’ (hero) was still present there. This place, however, was empty of any good will. Everything was based on the laws of the jungle. Only the strong were at the top of the food chain!
If ordinary civilians were killed here, there was no place for compensation. Those with higher strength received respect and attention. They had the power to protect their families and provide for them. Along with the rise of one’s strength, one’s lifespan also increased.
The only thing worth celebrating was that, though martial artists were powerful, the continent was still ruled by a humanistic empire. Although the world existed in feudal times, most cities had some degree of law to allow the common people to prosper adequately.
But still, this continent had an awfully strong martial spirit. For those didn’t have the means to cultivate their martial strength, if they were lucky, they would be mediocre their whole lives, and if they were unlucky, they would perish. They wouldn’t have personal freedom, and any wealth would be exploited by those with strength. Any hint of refusal and they’d surely perish.
Simply put, it was very easy to die.
However, in addition to martial artists, there was one other class of people who were regarded even more highly: The pharmacists. During cultivation, martial artists faced many bottlenecks when they broke through to the next level. In order to supplement their development, one needed medicinal pills, which only pharmacists could refine.
At the same time, becoming a pharmacist was incredibly difficult. A prerequisite to becoming a pharmacist was that one must possess a medicinal bead located in the acupuncture points of both hands. Otherwise, one would be incapable of harnessing their inner power to properly regulate their medicinal furnace. Any inferior medicinal pills made this way would be useless to martial artists.
However, people with medicinal beads were very rare, perhaps not even one in ten thousand. One could well imagine their high status.
If Gu Zuo bonded with the Medicine Refining System, he would be able to become a pharmacist. As long as he could become proficient in this skill, he would be able to ensure his own safety.
Gu Zuo wasn’t stupid. Although he wasn’t a person from here, the system insisted that he could become a pharmacist. Even if he didn’t have medicinal beads, he was sure that the system would help him acquire them… It seemed that there really weren’t any reasons to avoid bonding.
Rubbing his hands over his face, Gu Zuo resigned himself.
So be it. To traverse this dangerous world, he would join together with this system.
He spoke: “I agree to become your host.”
At that moment, a strange feeling permeated through his whole body. All of a sudden, he was able to sense something inside his mind.
Moreover, although he couldn’t control the thing in his head, he felt inexplicably connected to it. Truly, it was very…magical.
Was this the real system?
T/N: Attention to new and old readers alike. This volume has been completely edited as of July 14, 2021. I devote more of my attention to translating new chapters than editing the old ones, so it’s only now that this volume is up to speed. Don’t be alarmed if there are different terms moving forward.
Please don’t forget to support the original author.
aw, poor dad back in the original world! thanks for the chapter
Though it was probably unnecessary to research it as deeply as I did for one line that would be forgotten in this long story, I had fun and it was a great learning experience. So, here, I wish to share my findings with you, new translator! And also, I got really into reading Sima Qian's work afterwards XD
Anyway, I don't know if you know this or not but I believe the author took part of this saying here: 儒以文乱法，而侠以武犯禁 which in turn is taken from the famous work by Sima Qian, Records of the Grand Historian. The saying basically translates to: Confucians uses literature to disrupt the law, and Heroes(侠) uses force to violate prohibition.
In this one article that I found, it indepthly explained about the 侠 character in many wuxia tales. The heroes/knight(侠) can be good and/or bad as they are those who disregarded the law and social conventions in order to uphold their own ideals of justice, personal loyalty and/or courage. Not always are the ‘heroes’ helpful as they are probably causing more harm than anything else.
武侠故事里虽然也是以武犯禁，但人家好歹还有一个“侠”字
From how Gu Zuo phrased it, I think he was pretty much saying: "In wuxia tales, even though there were those who uses force to violate prohibition, good and/or bad, there was at least the word 'hero' there(in the phrase)"
Wow thanks, appreciate the info, it really gives more depth to that phrase~🌸
Woah this is fascinating! Thank you so much for the information!
The system is too forceful in its approach. It manipulates the host to become a pharmacist. If I was in the MC's shoes, I would refuse to bond with such a system, the future would be dark with such a bossy system constantly threatening you of erasing your existence if you don't do what he wants.
Would rather take my chance by walking in the world with the knowledge I acquired from the previous world, at least the path I walk on would be the result of my own choices.
Truck-kun always travels all over to make someone transmigate..too hard working…
good luck…your ability in leaving comments in the internet, grocery shopping without killing a single animal, and driving a highly manufactured car will be really helpful…
LOL 👍
Ahahaha! I’m guessing he’ll have a weak chicken personality along the lines of our dear Bai Xiaochun?
I’m already hooked, this is gonna be good!! Heheheehehheehhehhhehehehe… ʕథ౪థʔ
Thanks for the hard work love the story ^_^
Every time I read “host” in a novel I can’t help but think about bugs….
LMAO he really smacked his doppleganger’s corpse… he sure has a lot of nerve (and nerves…)
Thanks for the chapter 🙂
I love how Gu Zuo has 2 dads… Wholesome. Hope he can return to them someday
This is going to be my fourth time rereading this novel. I wait four weeks which is typically three to four chapters.
And I enjoy it.
I love the spiriting away transmigration.
I had this novel on my PTR but there wasn’t any translation available (two years ago… how time flies)
Thanks for translating this novel <33
Poor dad. But there is a father as well? Oh my.
my exact thought’s!!! XD
he has 2 fathers!! #. \ (^o^) / .#
I think it’s going to be a good read ~
How lucky I found this when it already has so many chapters..
Thanks translator and Co for the hard work.
now this is interesting huh~ thank u for the chapter!!
Truck-kun’s at it again! This is interesting and I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes. I love me some slow-burn. ❤😁
I just finished reading LMW (The Legendary Master’s Wife by Yin Ya; for those who haven’t read it yet, go!) and I can’t get enough! So I looked for some recommendations that had the same tag for LMW and that led me to here. That’s why I’m excited to read this because the novel seems to be good and has a lot of chapters based on the TN. So folks, I’ll see you in the latest chapter!
Cowardice aside, it’s like he forgot that he should be DEAD. By truck-kun even. He’s not panicking, he instead paranoid about the system playing tricks? It feels a bit poorly written, unless it’s supposed to be that way and the world he came from has situation like that.
THANK YOU FOR SHARING THIS TRANSLATION! I was reading the MTL, and made it to chapter 4 before my brain was like “yup, no can do mate” – and I turned to Google. (This isn’t listed on novelupdates. which is probably intentional, but just thought I’d mention.)
After reading the explanation at the beginning of the chapter and not just skipping it, I cringe at my obliviousness. Apologies.
rereading! thank you for the chapter!
I took a break due to my studies and now I am back. I can’t wait to reread all those fun moments and the new ones, too. o(^▽^)o
I’d have risked it and went on my own.
It’s so easy to die by not following the system’s tasks, whereas there’s a chance of survival otherwise. Maybe not as a pharmacist. maybe he can be one of those inventors. lol.
how would he know what kind of tasks that the system tells him to do? At worse, he can be told to do something against his morals….or it might not be achievable.