Warning: This chapter contains scenes of violence that may be disturbing to some readers. Reader discretion is advised.
Translator updated: I changed the name Stargazing Tower to Zhai Xing Tower
The palace of the Chu Kingdom, Zhai Xing Tower.
Underneath a sky adorned with a solitary, shimmering moon, the copper bells hanging from the eaves chimed a gentle, rhythmic melody. The night pearl perched atop the palace, its brilliance rivaling that of the celestial orb, cast an ethereal glow upon the richly ornamented halls, illuminating their unparalleled splendor.
Melodies filled the air, their enchanting strains weaving a tapestry of sound.
The dancer, her alabaster feet gliding across the mirror-like floor, moved with an ethereal grace, her movements forming a symphony of motion. Adorned with crimson sashes that delicately traced her ankles, her eyes, brimming with allure, held an irresistible charm that seemed to seep into one’s very bones. With every flick of her wrist and every turn of her head, she exuded an intoxicating sensuality, as if she had been determined to lure the figure seated upon the cushioned dais into the realm of earthly delights.
It wasn’t just her.
Even the old eunuch standing by with a feather duster in the palace was sweating on his forehead, sneakily glancing at the person on the dais, stuttering as he spoke, “Y-Your… Your Majesty, this was a dancer sent from the Eastern Continent. Not only was her dancing unparalleled, but it was said that her skills in the bedroom were also remarkable.”
The current emperor of the Chu Kingdom, however, was quite the picture of indulgence, reclining indolently on his dais and responding lazily.
“Mm.”
His voice, deliberately hushed, carried a hint of flippancy and indolence.
Adorned in a sumptuous snow-white robe, its sleeves and collar embroidered with intricate black cloud patterns, he stood before them, a vision of captivating beauty. Despite his tender age of fifteen, not yet having reached manhood, his countenance, often praised as “the Radiant Pearl and Exquisite Jade,” exuded an alluring charm that was both bewitching and delicate. His lips, crimson as the setting sun, and his high, sculpted nose accentuated his otherworldly beauty, creating an aura of enigmatic allure.
Gazing down at the alluring dancers below, Lou Guan Xue remarked nonchalantly, “From the Eastern Continent?”
The eunuch trembled with fear, his voice quivering, “Y-yes.”
Lou Guan Xue tilted his head, his raven hair brushing against his cheek, his eyes wide with innocent curiosity. “I’ve heard that women of the Eastern Continent have slender waists, finding amusement in dieting, and are as light as swallows. Is that true?”
The eunuch froze, his face pale. “I… I believe so.”
The music had ceased, and the dancer gracefully bowed before kneeling on the ground.
Lou Guan Xue let out a soft chuckle and descended barefoot. He was thin, his skin sickly pale, revealing the faint blue veins on his wrists and ankles.
As he approached, the dancer’ body stiffened, frozen in place.
Rumors of this tyrant flooded her mind, her fear rendering her brain blank. But recalling the Queen Mother’s instructions, she quickly regained her composure.
She was the Queen Mother’s gift… everything will be fine, everything will be fine…
Then, she heard the man above her speak in a clear, cold voice.
“If you are truly as light as a swallow, this hall stands a hundred feet tall. Come dance a celestial dance for me.”
The eunuch’s face turned ashen, his head snapping up abruptly.
The dancer was stunned, her eyes frantically darting up, her exquisitely beautiful face filled with terror. “Your Majesty.”
Lou Guan Xue held a smile on his lips but remained silent.
Suddenly, a strong wind swept through, and a flock of small, blue-feathered, yellow-tailed birds fluttered into the Zhai Xing Tower from outside. They circled the dancer, creating a spectacular sight reminiscent of a hundred birds paying homage to a phoenix. Yet, in the silent, cold palace, it was strangely eerie.
The dancer was still in a daze when she suddenly felt her hair being pecked at by birds and the red gauze on her wrist being hooked by claws. She lost her voice abruptly, crying out, “Your Majesty! Your Majesty! No, Your Majesty!”
In terror, she raised her head, wanting to grab at the man’s snow-white robe, but as soon as she took a step forward, she felt a sharp pain in her eyes, her vision filled with blood. A bird had pecked her eyes out.
“Ah—!” The dancer covered her bloodied face with her hands, her screams echoing with the bells on the palace eaves.
She broke through the flock of birds and stumbled towards the exit, but the doors and windows were all tightly shut. Only the outside terrace was bathed in moonlight.
Lou Guan Xue glanced to the side and said with a smile, “Play some music.”
The stunned musicians quickly came back to their senses and tremblingly plucked the strings of their instruments, the flutes and zithers playing clear and melodious tunes.
The dancer had already gone mad, running outside. She reached the terrace, a hundred-foot-tall building where one could pluck the stars, but there was no railing.
She turned abruptly, her face pale as paper. The bluebirds circling overhead became open-mouthed fangs. She took a step back and plunged straight down.
“Ahhhhh—” Her desperate screams pierced the silent night.
But the chirping of birds and the sound of silk and bamboo continued. Her fall, her black hair flying and red dress like blood, was as if she had truly performed a celestial dance.
Lou Guan Xue smiled leisurely and then said to the eunuch, “Tell the Queen Mother that I am very pleased.”
The old eunuch was terrified, his lips trembling, unable to utter a word.
Ignoring the crowd, the young emperor lowered his raven-like eyelashes, seemingly drowsy. Yawning, he said, “According to the ancestral law, I must remain here for another half month, is that right? I hope tomorrow’s visitors will be as entertaining. Everyone, dismiss.”
The old eunuch, his voice lost, eager to escape this place, trembled as he replied, “Yes, Your Majesty. I shall take my leave.”
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.
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The system obediently said, “Yes, she’s dead.”
It took Xia Qing a while to find his dry voice, “He just killed someone for no reason?”
The system said, “Yes, Lou Guan Xue’s character setting is a tyrant, so he must be killing people according to his mood.”
“…”
The system saw that his face was not good, and hurriedly comforted him: “Host, you don’t need to feel sorry for her. This dancing girl who fell was also a wicked person who had fun disfiguring and skinning people. She was a beautiful woman, a scorpion sent by the Queen Mother, and it can be considered that evil people will get their due punishment.”
Xia Qing still didn’t speak. He saw a flash of red fall from the building as soon as he arrived, which really woke him up instantly. Suppressing his inner irritability, he said, “So, you’re saying that you want me to accumulate merit to resurrect in the body of a tyrant?!”
“Uh.” The system seemed to realize that something was wrong too, and shut up.
Xia Qing laughed: “This is still accumulating merit? This is not bad if I don’t end up in the eighteenth level of hell.”
The system said awkwardly, “No, no.”
Xia Qing sneered: “Help me check what kind of packages are available in the eighteenth level of hell. I’ll make some preparations first.”
The system comforted him, “Host, don’t be discouraged. Let’s take it slow. You should know that in this world, everything can be whitewashed.”
Xia Qing remained silent.
The system persisted, “Anyway, Lou Guan Xue will die in three months. By then, you’ll take over his body, complete the plot of the book, and the merit you accumulate will surely offset the sins committed by the original body.”
Xia Qing coldly sneered, “I’ve read plenty of transmigration novels, but this is the first time I’ve encountered transmigrating into the original host three months before their death.”
This is indeed its fault.
The system felt embarrassed and fell silent.
After a moment of silence, Xia Qing chuckled silently, “Also, don’t you think it’s like being a thief to accumulate merit and resurrect with someone else’s body?”
The system hesitated for a moment, then tried to justify itself, “W-well, you can’t put it that way. Lou Guan Xue is a ruthless killer, unpredictable. You taking over his body is to eliminate harm for the people.”
Xia Qing, who wasn’t very keen on living in the first place, felt even more indifferent now. He waved his hand lazily, too lazy to argue with the system.
The agitation in his heart dissipated with the wind, and he said indifferently, “Forget it, I don’t want merit or resurrection. Just hurry up and send me back.”
The system, just a one-year-old child, was already exhausted from bringing Xia Qing over, and now it was even more flustered. It said dryly, “B-but, host, now that you’re here, are you really going to give up?”
Xia Qing looked at it indifferently, “You’re the one who forcibly brought me here.”
The system looked even more aggrieved. “You really don’t want to be resurrected?”
Xia Qing glanced at it, his clear pupils pure and clean. He smiled at the system. “No, I don’t. I have no parents, no wife, no children. My will has long been written, all to be donated to the orphanage. You’ve got the wrong person from the start. Can we stop wasting time? Hurry up and find someone else to follow the plot, I need to hurry up and reincarnate.”
The system collapsed. “But I’ve already exhausted my energy bringing you here.”
Xia Qing paused, asking, “…Then when will you recover?”
The system was on the verge of tears. “It might take half a year.”
Xia Qing spat blood. “So I have to be a lonely ghost here for half a year?”
The system whimpered.
Xia Qing had become numb to it all.
The system silently shed tears, feeling deeply aggrieved.
It is just a one-year-old baby, why does the world have to be so cruel to it?
After finally selecting a host and exhausting its energy to summon him, the timing was wrong, and the host didn’t even want to follow the plot.
Why is it so miserable?
The silent hall floor still bore the blood of the dancer and the scattered feathers of birds.
The system’s sobbing sounded even more pitiful.
“I’m sorry, wuwuwu, it’s all my fault, wuwuwu.”
Xia Qing: “…”
Xia Qing was originally a softhearted person. He waved his hand weakly, feeling somewhat resigned. “Forget it, I don’t blame you. Anyway, everyone in my original world is dead, so let’s consider this half a year in another world as a vacation.”
The system appeared as a transparent ghostly flame. The golden teardrops fell when it cried. It shrank back, but still unwillingly persisted, “Host, are you really not considering following the plot?”
Xia Qing replied sternly, “No, I’m not considering it.”
The system sounded disheartened. “Oh.”
But no matter how it thought about it, it couldn’t accept it. It tried to convince itself that there were still three months until Lou Guan Xue’s death, maybe one day Xia Qing would change his mind.
The system looked at Xia Qing hopefully again. “I don’t have much time left. Do you want to know about the setting of this world? Since you’re already here…”
Its voice was so pitiful.
Xia Qing felt like he was bullying a child. He thought to himself that he might as well listen to a story for the next half year. He shrugged and said casually, “Fine, go ahead.”
The night wind on the tall building was chilly, making it shiver. Though the system was a virtual image, its senses existed. It shook the small flame and said in a childish voice, “It’s so cold here. Let’s… let’s go inside to talk.”
Xia Qing forced a smile, then glanced at the spot where the dancer had fallen, now empty and desolate, only the wind came. He closed his eyes, shook his head slightly, and pulled the ghostly flame as he walked into the palace.
Inside was a dimly lit bedroom, not as grand as the shining hall outside.
Warm and elegant, there the incense burned, white smoke curled out from the boshan stove, winding upwards.
The eight panels of the screen were painted with ink plum blossoms, elegant and unparalleled.
The tyrant who had just killed someone was seated at the desk, his black hair cascading down, his white robe trailing on the ground, his chin supported lazily as he flipped through a miscellaneous book.
The candlelight flickered faintly, illuminating his beautiful brows and eyes. Just from his appearance and demeanor alone, one might have mistaken him for a scion of a noble family known for his refinement and grace.
After Xia Qing entered, he glanced around and found no seat available. After hesitating for a moment, he decided to sit opposite Lou Guan Xue.
Though Lou Guan Xue was capricious and bloodthirsty, Xia Qing was not a human. He had no sense of belonging to this world, and seeing a dead person as soon as he entered made him feel as if bad luck was looming over him.
The system instinctively felt afraid of this tyrant. This fear was like a natural instinct to avoid danger. It trembled and said in a trembling voice, “Host, c-can we go somewhere else?”
Xia Qing pressed it down onto the table. “You want me to find another place? And why are you so timid? He can’t see us anyway, just sit down.”
The system’s flame flickered, feeling aggrieved. “Oh.”
The system silently turned its body around, facing away from Lou Guan Xue. Not looking at that face made it feel much better.
Xia Qing had no such concerns. After arriving in this world, his appearance had changed into ancient attire, his hair had grown longer, a cascade of black hair pouring onto the table. Because he hadn’t tidied it, a few stray strands stuck up on his head.
Leaning on the table, his delicate wrists had rested casually, his arm serving as a pillow, as if he were sleeping in class during his student days.
He was in a bad mood and decided to sleep, wishing he could just wake up in the underworld, not having to stay in this feudal dynasty. He said casually, “Alright, start talking.”
The system replied, “Oh, then let’s begin. Actually, the world setting and such don’t really matter, I’m not sure about it myself. You just need to know that this is a melodramatic BL novel.”
Xia Qing closed his eyes and chuckled, “Oh, it’s still BL after all.”
Ignoring him, the system continued, “The Chu Kingdom you’re in now is the largest country in the world. A year ago, the late emperor conquered the Liang Kingdom, slaughtering the entire Liang royal family except for a young prince, who happens to be our protagonist, Wen Jiao. The late emperor spared him with the intention of grooming him as a pleasure servant, but he died before he could even enjoy him. Then the new emperor ascended the throne, and the new emperor is the person sitting across from you.”
Upon hearing this, Xia Qing discreetly glanced at the person opposite him.
Lou Guan Xue naturally couldn’t see them, resting his chin on his hand while reading a book, his ink-black hair scattered.
The lamplight illuminated his jade-like face, and Xia Qing noticed a faint mole on the corner of his eyelid.
When Lou Guan Xue wasn’t smiling, his demeanor was as cold as ice. He lowered his eyes and turned the pages of the book lazily and casually.
The new emperor.
The tyrant.
A murderer.
Xia Qing coldly listed a few words for Lou Guan Xue in his mind, then settled back down and chatted with the system, “So then the protagonist turns dark? Endures hardships, bides his time, bears humiliation, carries heavy burdens, ‘Thirty years on the east side of the river, thirty years on the west side of the river’, and finally seizes power in one fell swoop, forces the palace, restores the nation, avenges his parents’ spirits in the heavens.”
The system choked, “Uh, not quite like that. You’re following the typical plot of a male protagonist, but didn’t I already emphasize? This is a melodramatic BL novel. So, the protagonist’s character… he’s more like an airheaded, clueless sweetie.”
After explaining, the system added dryly, “If he wasn’t like this, he wouldn’t be the ‘shou’ at all.”
Xia Qing was just going through the motions with him. He had no opinion on the protagonist’s character. He closed his eyes and said indifferently, “Oh.”
The system continued, “The protagonist is pampered and spoiled since childhood, a delicate and helpless character. He doesn’t want to suffer anymore, but after the late emperor’s death, the new emperor completely forgets about him, leaving him to be bullied in the palace. So one day, after crying and suffering from frostbite while doing laundry, the protagonist decides to… climb into the new emperor’s bed.”
Xia Qing almost choked on his saliva.
Lou Guan Xue turned a page, and the sound of the page turning echoed softly.
Xia Qing glanced at him again and saw Lou Guan Xue smiling, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth, but it was unclear what he was reading.
Xia Qing wanted to call it quit.
This story was already exasperating enough, but the real kicker was that it was also inappropriate for children?!
But the system couldn’t stop: “The protagonist, after enduring countless hardships, finally succeeded, but he regretted it on the first night. Because Lou Guan Xue not only has a twisted personality but also has a strong inclination towards sadism in bed. The first time the protagonist endured with him left him half-dead, with injuries all over his neck, legs, and arms. According to the original text, the next day the protagonist was covered in ambiguous marks, feeling sore and in pain all over, covered in scars, unable to get out of bed.”
What the hell?! Xia Qing held back his curses: “Shut up, I don’t want to hear about this.”
The system pleaded pitifully, “I’m just being specific, trying to make you feel a bit involved.”
Xia Qing was speechless: “Feel involved? Involved with whom? Lou Guan Xue? Forget it, I don’t have those twisted preferences.”
After a brief moment of thought, the system suggested, “Perhaps you could take on the role of the protagonist.”
“…”
F**k…
Slap! Xia Qing couldn’t sleep anymore, he slapped the table and sat up.
With disheveled hair, his light brown eyes filled with anger, he looked as if he wanted to strangle the system.
Seeing him in such a ferocious state frightened the system, who shrank back in fear, weakly saying, “I’m sorry, please don’t be angry. How about I don’t talk about the protagonist anymore? I’ll tell you about someone else?”
Xia Qing impatiently replied, “Get lost.”
The system began to act cute: “Oh my, you haven’t heard the climax of this story, you don’t know how melodramatic it is! It has all kinds of tropes like body doubles, mistaken identities, you name it.”
Xia Qing replied coolly, “Tell me how to shut you up.”
Ignoring his words, the system enthusiastically continued its sales pitch, “And this book is full of the popular ‘chase wife’ trope! There’s the loyal and resolute general from a long history country, the mysterious and aloof High Priest from the Chu Kingdom, the carefree playboy from the capital, and including the tyrant opposite you, all initially despising and tormenting the protagonist but later falling deeply in love, going crazy seeking forgiveness after falling in love with the protagonist. It’s really exciting.”
Xia Qing grabbed it, trying to find its mouth: “Where’s your mouth? I’m going to shut it.”
The system squirmed left and right, trying to break free from his grasp: “What are you doing, suddenly getting handsy! I was just giving you a little spoiler about the future.”
Xia Qing retorted, “Can’t you just let me be a lonely ghost?”
The system, in the shape of a flame, poked out a tiny sprout from between his fingers: “This is a stock investment story, knowing the ending beforehand helps you pick the right CP. Do you want to know how the tyrant opposite you ends up?”
Rolling his eyes, Xia Qing replied, “I don’t want to.”
The system initiated a tug-of-war with him: “Let me tell you secretly, Lou Guan Xue is the one who loves the deepest and suffers the most later on. But he deserves it for bullying the protagonist so much in the beginning. He was so cruel and twisted, humiliating the protagonist in various ways, it’s really infuriating. Don’t you want to see him chasing after his wife?”
Xia Qing sneered, “Nope. Also, wasn’t it your protagonist who voluntarily climbed into his bed? Shut up about this whole cast of villains plot, it’s an insult to my intelligence. Hey, is this your mouth?”
Xia Qing finally found a trembling tiny button in the twisting mass of flames.
The system froze all over.
Xia Qing extended his index finger and pressed down on that spot.
The system muttered “Uhh” for a while, unable to speak, shaking with anger.
“Why endure this suffering when you can just shut up?” Xia Qing chuckled, lounging carelessly, tapping the top of the system’s flame head. “You wouldn’t be bothered if you didn’t integrate into this world. I have zero interest in knowing the outcome for Lou Guan Xue.”
“But I’m interested.”
A light laugh came from across the table.
“Huh?” Xia Qing raised an eyebrow. “System, you can still talk?”
The system: “Uhhhhhh.”
Xia Qing raised an eyebrow, “It’s not you, then it’s—”
Wait a minute.
If it’s not the system, then this is…
Suddenly, all sound ceased.
Xia Qing’s body stiffened, and the struggling system in his hand also froze in an instant.
Xia Qing maintained the posture of holding the flame, staring blankly upward.
The young emperor, who had been flipping through pages with lowered eyes across from him, finally put down the book and looked over in this direction.
With flowing black hair and a snow-white robe, Lou Guan Xue’s supporting hand rested on the table, lightly tapping, as he smiled gently at Xia Qing. His voice became tender and affectionate, as if whispering to a lover, “Continue, let him speak. I also want to hear about my own ending.”
The tone was cold, but faint, as if it could shatter the moonlight into fragments.
Sound interesting 😍 thank you for the chapter 😍
Very interested. Haven’t run across a system fic like this where its exposed to ML and MC looks to be sensible. Thank you for the chapter!
This looks super fun already lol
Ok, I am hooked, nice to see a transmigration story start a little differently
Ok… Nice change!
Thanks for translating
really I’ve also seen all sorts of transmigration tropes but not one where the MC falls in love with the OG host yet… xD (but really the OG host deserved so much better R.I.P to them 🪦🕊️)
uh oh… umm hi? don’t hurt these lonely ghosts, okay?
thanks for the chapter! 🙂
thanks for the translation! im glad the old emperor died. killing everyone else and leaving someone to groom as a pleasure slave is so disgusting, i hope his death was miserable 🙏
LMAOOO plot twist from the beginning, tyrant sadistic ML already discovers the lonely ghost MC 😂