Cangyun Empire, Qinglan City, Li Mansion
A maid hurried through the manor courtyard and pushed open the door to the family head's wife's room.
"Madam, the Second Young Master is awake."
In a side room, a young man lay on a bed of golden-thread nanmu wood.
His resolute face looked as though it had been carved with knife and axe, his valiant sword-like brows slanting into his temples. Yet his complexion was slightly pale, his eyes tightly shut, making him appear somewhat weak.
"Chunxiang, didn't you say the young master had awakened? Why is he still like this?" The woman speaking was just over thirty. She wore magnificent green robes, her face smooth as goose fat, lips like dabbed cherry blossoms, brows painted in ink, and eyes tranquil as autumn waters. Not a trace of time showed upon her.
"The young master's eyes really did move just now, and he groaned something. I thought he had awakened. Madam, I was wrong." The maid called Chunxiang lowered her head, not daring to say another word.
"Mu'er, you must wake up. Otherwise, how am I supposed to answer to your mother?" The woman sat by the bed, her eyes filled with worry and anxiety.
Li Mu only felt as if his head were splitting apart. His entire body seemed to be inside a furnace, every inch of skin flooded with a burning sensation. Darkness filled his vision, and his limbs were limp and powerless, as though his whole body were beyond his control.
Suddenly, a flash of white light appeared before his eyes. Gritting his teeth and mustering all his strength, Li Mu finally opened his eyes.
Two beautiful faces entered his sight. One wore elaborate palace attire and heavy makeup, exuding noble elegance; the other wore only light cosmetics, fresh and lovely. Both were looking at him now, their faces brimming with surprise and concern.
"Wait, I must be seeing things. What is going on?" Li Mu hurriedly shut his eyes, then forced them open again. Yet the scene before him remained unchanged.
"Mu'er, wonderful! You're finally awake!" The woman threw herself onto Li Mu's chest. Her excited tears had already ruined her makeup, yet her beauty remained breathtaking.
"Young Master, wonderful! Chunxiang was worried sick about you." The delicate maid stood nearby, continuously wiping away her falling tears.
"She called me Mu'er. How does she know my name? Where am I?" Li Mu felt his head hurting more and more as memories began playing through his mind.
As a severely internet-addicted youth and veteran gaming expert, I had been fighting in an internet café as usual that day. More than ten years of online gaming had made every game feel like second nature to me. Just as I was locked in fierce battle with an enemy, the screen suddenly went black, and curses rose one after another all around me.
The loudmouthed manager clearly refused to back down. "Fuck, lightning outside burned out the circuits! Just wait, we're fixing it!"
Only then did I notice that outside the window, fierce winds were raging, lightning flashed and thunder roared, and torrential rain poured down in sheets.
The noise around me and everyone's impatient mood suddenly made my chest feel tight. Luckily, I was seated by the window. I stood up and yanked it open, and a gust of wind rushed into my face.
"Now that feels better." Satisfied, I looked at the heavy clouds outside, sat boldly atop the computer tower as though it were a chair, pulled out the last Huazi from my pocket, lit it, and took a deep drag.
Perhaps even Heaven had been subdued by my invincible aura. A thunderbolt suddenly descended from the clouds, striking straight at me, and then I lost consciousness.
His thoughts returned to the side room, and Li Mu realized that he might have encountered the legendary transmigration.
"Damn, is this the trait of a Heaven-chosen son? Fine, since I'm here, I'll make the best of it. What matters now is figuring out the situation of this body's original owner."
Li Mu did not panic. He did not even feel the slightest attachment to his original world. He had been a solitary shut-in anyway, able to gain recognition only in the virtual world. Instead, transmigration filled Li Mu with excitement.
"Heaven has given me another chance. I must seize it."
The Simulation System has been activated. Initialization has begun. Initialization complete. The Memory Inheritance System has been activated. Memory inheritance complete.
Just as Li Mu was considering how to pretend he had lost his memory and how to draw some useful information from the two great beauties before him, a line of blue text appeared out of thin air in his mind. Beneath it was a progress bar, with the word "loading" flashing continuously.
As the progress bar swiftly filled, Li Mu felt a tide of images surging toward him, all of them recounting the life of a young man who bore the same name, Li Mu.
"Could these be the memories of this body's original owner? My God, the Memory Inheritance System—I seem to have gained some incredible ability."
The immense flood of memories battered Li Mu's brain, forcing a pained expression onto his face. The woman in palace attire saw it all.
"Mu'er, what's wrong? Where does it hurt? Chunxiang, hurry and fetch Doctor Wang."
The sobbing maid quickly wiped away her tears, acknowledged the order, and ran out.
After examining him, the doctor concluded that Li Mu was merely physically weak and had no serious ailment. Only then did everyone feel relieved.
During their conversation, Li Mu also roughly understood the relationships of those present. The woman in palace attire was Liu Ruoying, wife of the Li Family head. The girl called Chunxiang was his personal maid. And his name truly was Li Mu, the Li Family's second young master.
The Li Family was the foremost family in Qinglan City. Its head, Li Yubai, possessed Nascent Soul Perfection cultivation. As a major coastal stronghold in the eastern region of the Cangyun Empire, Qinglan City was the empire's largest commercial port. As the city lord, Li Yubai wielded tremendous power and held an exalted position, while the Li Family naturally became the city's unquestioned authority.
Li Yubai had only two sons. The eldest, Li Yue, possessed Great Perfection of Core Formation cultivation and had already become Li Yubai's right-hand man despite being only in his twenties. His younger son, Li Mu, however, had a far worse reputation.
Moreover, Li Mu's mother had suffered fatal hemorrhaging while giving birth to him and had vanished like a fragrant flower. This left Li Yubai with an indescribable feeling toward this son. Over the years, he had never nurtured him, and could scarcely be bothered to discipline him.
Thus, Qinglan City gained another frivolous young wastrel with low cultivation who loved drinking flower wine—the Li Family's second son.
"I never expected the body I transmigrated into to belong to the son of an official. Too bad he's had it far too rough. He's already sixteen this year, yet he hasn't even touched the threshold of cultivating immortality. His father doesn't favor him, his elder brother looks down on him, and ordinarily, only Aunt Liu Ruoying has cared for him because of her sisterly bond with his mother."
"Fine. Since I've taken over your body, I'll rewrite your life. From this day onward, I am Li Mu, the Li Family's second son." Li Mu made up his mind. He would definitely help this Li Mu live like a proper man.
Ding. The Simulation System interface has opened. The first-level shop is now available. Please browse.
A burst of electronic notification sounds rang out in his mind, and a blue interface appeared within Li Mu's consciousness.
"Aunt, I'm a little tired. I want to rest first."
The sudden activation of the system compelled Li Mu to quickly speak to Liu Ruoying, who was still standing by the bed and watching him with concern.
"Alright, Mu'er. Rest well. I also need to tell your father that you've awakened. Chunxiang, take good care of the young master."
Before leaving, Liu Ruoying carefully tucked Li Mu's blanket around him, then left the side room while looking back every three steps.
"Chunxiang, you should go out too. I want to rest by myself for a while."
Li Mu sent the little maid away as well, then calmed his mind and began seriously studying the Simulation System in his head.
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