Transmigration

"Ugh, how unlucky can I get? How could I be so stupid? I graduated from a top university, for crying out loud. How could I make such a low-level mistake?" Lin Feng walked down the bustling street, a silver phone in his hand, shaking his head and sighing.

Today was Lin Feng's interview with China Mobile, the giant of China's telecommunications industry, which offered its employees excellent benefits. He had started preparing a month in advance, researching online and familiarizing himself with the company's services. He had even bought a suit especially for the interview. It was a cheap suit, but it had still cost him quite a bit, and he'd winced at the expense for a long time. Still, with the salary and benefits China Mobile offered, it was worth the investment.

Lin Feng had prepared for the interview as thoroughly as he could. He'd gone in determined to succeed and not allow himself to fail.

Heaven rewarded hard work. His eloquence served him well: he'd answered the interviewers' questions smoothly, all while maintaining a confident smile. In the brief five-minute interview, he'd performed exceptionally. On top of that, he had a degree from a top university and all the expected credentials, including certificates for passing English proficiency tests. After answering the interviewer's final question, Lin Feng saw him nod slightly and began daydreaming. He could already picture his future: a salary of nearly ten thousand yuan a month, regular working hours, and an air-conditioned office with a sofa. It was the life of a top-tier white-collar worker!

But before Lin Feng could finish imagining his happy future, a sudden bucket of cold water doused his dreams.

"You're Lin Feng, right? I'm sorry, but you don't meet our company's hiring requirements." The interviewer's casual words struck Lin Feng like a bolt from the blue.

"W-why?" Lin Feng snapped out of his daydream and asked in agitation. Had all his effort over the past month been for nothing? Would it all be swept away like water flowing east? Lin Feng couldn't accept it. But he realized he'd gotten too worked up, so he calmed himself before asking, "Could you give me a reason?"

The interviewer glanced at Lin Feng and coolly asked, "What's your mobile number?"

"131," Lin Feng answered reflexively.

It hit him. Now he understood everything. Lin Feng had been smart enough to get into a top university and graduate from it, so he wasn't an idiot. At the interviewer's reminder, he realized what the problem was: he'd applied to China Mobile, but his résumé listed a China Unicom number.

Lin Feng had been using that Unicom number since his first year of college and had never changed it. He'd never imagined such a tiny mistake could cost him the job.

Lin Feng's family wasn't well-off; in fact, they were poor. His parents were farmers, leaving home early and returning late each day, working in the fields to put him and his younger sister, Lin Ruo, through school. Because of his family's circumstances, Lin Feng had worked hard at his studies. He was the first person from his hometown to attend a top university, something his parents had always been proud of. Once he got to college, there were plenty of distractions. His classmates were busy dating or playing online games, and the drive that had pushed him through his final year of high school had long since faded. Lin Feng was different. Apart from studying, his only real hobby was probably reading webnovels.

With the spread of the internet and the explosive growth of the information age, all kinds of webnovels had sprung up like mushrooms after rain. Lin Feng had fallen in love with this kind of fast-food fiction and read the masterpieces of all the famous online authors. If anyone asked which novel he liked best, his answer would undoubtedly be Tomato's Coiling Dragon. Ever since reading it, Lin Feng had often imagined himself taking Linley's place in the world of Coiling Dragon, killing whoever he pleased and lording over the universe.

Lin Feng slipped the phone he'd had for four years into his pocket and raised his head to look at the sky. He thought of his parents' increasingly stooped backs and his little sister Lin Ruo, who was in the bloom of youth but didn't own a single nice dress. He'd planned to turn down his university's recommendation for graduate school and start earning money sooner, helping support his family, improving his parents' lives, buying his sister new clothes, and sending her to a better school. But now all of that had gone up in smoke because of one small mistake.

Because of this job, Lin Feng had missed the best hiring season. The recruitment drives at all the major companies had already ended. If he wanted a good job, he'd have to wait until next year. But would he be able to compete with the students graduating after him?

Of course, the setback wasn't enough to break Lin Feng's resilient spirit. He pulled himself together and headed for the job market. But out of the corner of his eye, he saw a dark shape hurtling toward him from the sky. Before he could react, everything went black, and he fainted.

"Big brother, what's wrong? Father's waiting for you to go to your lesson!"

When Lin Feng came to, he heard a child's voice by his ear.

Confused, Lin Feng lowered his head and saw a sturdy little boy standing in front of him, looking at him with a pair of bright, questioning eyes.

Lin Feng turned his head and looked around. The unfamiliar surroundings, the wooden doorframe so at odds with modern society, the ancient, weathered atmosphere washing over him—all of it made his brain freeze.

"Big brother, big brother, why are you acting silly again?"

Seeing his brother standing there in a daze, staring blankly at their front door, the sturdy little boy shook his arm, trying to bring him back to his senses.

The shake jolted Lin Feng out of his stupor. He reached out and pinched his thigh as hard as he could. The sharp pain told him it was all real, not a dream. But if he wasn't dreaming, how had he ended up here? Could he have transmigrated?

Lin Feng had read countless transmigration novels and had often dreamed of transmigrating himself, so he was more ready to accept the idea than most. But for now, it was only a guess.

Coming back to himself, Lin Feng looked at the sturdy little boy. Remembering that the boy had called him "big brother," he cautiously asked, "Am I your brother?"

"Of course. You've always been my brother." The little boy smiled when he heard his brother speak.

Only then did Lin Feng realize that his body was much smaller than before. Judging by its size, he was probably only seven or eight years old, while the boy in front of him was around three or four.

"Little brother, what's my name?"

By now, Lin Feng had accepted the fact that he'd transmigrated. It was hard to believe, but wasn't this what he'd always dreamed of? Since it had already happened, why bother investigating how? The urgent thing now was to figure out where he'd ended up: had he traveled through space, through time, or both? Since the little boy thought he was his brother, Lin Feng decided to play along so he wouldn't give himself away.

"Your name is Lin Feng. Big brother, have you even forgotten your own name?" The little boy was young, but Lin Feng's succession of strange questions had begun to make him suspicious.

"You—" Lin Feng was about to ask how the boy knew his name, but then he realized the person he'd replaced might have been named Lin Feng too. He changed the question. "Then what's your name, little brother?"

"Big brother, my name is Wharton!" the little boy said, looking hurt. He pressed his lips together, tears welling in his eyes. Had his brother really forgotten even his name? At the thought, Wharton's eyes filled with tears, on the verge of spilling over.

Wharton? Lin Feng was startled. He felt like he'd heard that name somewhere before, but he couldn't remember where.

Just then, a voice came from behind Lin Feng. "Young Master Lin Feng, your father is waiting for you to go to your lesson. Leave Young Master Wharton in my care."

Lin Feng turned his head and saw an old man with a bulbous red nose approaching. At that moment, he finally remembered why Wharton's name sounded so familiar. In his beloved Coiling Dragon, wasn't the protagonist Linley's younger brother named Wharton? Could this be the world of Coiling Dragon? Had he transmigrated into it and taken Linley's place? Had his dream come true?

"No, that's not right. The protagonist in the original story is Linley, so why would he have the same name as me, Lin Feng? Did I transmigrate as Linley's younger or older brother? But Linley doesn't seem to have a brother named Lin Feng besides Wharton."

Before Lin Feng could think any further, the butler Hiri spoke again. "Young Master Lin Feng, you must be tired from your training. Go take a bath and change your clothes. Don't keep your father waiting."

At those words, Lin Feng, who knew the plot of Coiling Dragon extremely well, immediately confirmed that he really had transmigrated into its world. He was shocked, of course, but he clearly didn't have time to think about it now.

"Who cares whether it's Linley or Lin Feng? They're just names. Maybe the protagonist of Coiling Dragon was originally named Lin Feng, and Tomato made up Linley."

Imitating the character Lin Feng's manner, he replied, "Got it, Grandpa Hiri!"

After washing up and changing into clean clothes, Lin Feng entered the sitting room. Hogg Baruch sat upright at the dining table, and three thick books lay in front of him.

"Father!" Lin Feng greeted him respectfully. The events were just like in the book. Although Lin Feng had never met Hogg, he knew that this stern-looking man was his father, Hogg Baruch, the current head of the Baruch Clan. He was also going to be his father from now on.

The events in the original story hadn't changed. Hogg nodded coolly, and Lin Feng walked over and stopped a short distance from him.

"Yesterday, I told you about all the countries in Yulan. Repeat them now," Hogg said coldly.

All the countries in Yulan? Lin Feng broke into a cold sweat. Although he knew the plot of Coiling Dragon well, he didn't know it that well. The original story had only given a general overview of Yulan's political landscape here, and had never gone into detail afterward. Even as a devoted Coiling Dragon fan, he knew only a little about the subject—just a vague outline.

But Lin Feng knew from the original story that Hogg was extremely strict with his family, and that he'd been even stricter in educating the original Lin Feng. Hogg wouldn't tolerate the slightest disobedience. It looked like Lin Feng would have to answer, whether he wanted to or not.

At that thought, Lin Feng began recalling the events of Coiling Dragon. Just as Hogg was about to scold him, Lin Feng stammered, "Yulan has three great perilous regions: the first mountain range, the Magical Beast Mountain Range; the second mountain range, the Sunset Mountain Range; and the first forest, the Forest of Darkness. All three cover vast areas. The Magical Beast Mountain Range runs almost all the way from north to south and stretches for more than ten thousand miles. It's home to countless magical beasts, including Saint Realm beasts with the power to 'destroy heaven and earth.' The Magical Beast Mountain Range has also shaped the entire region's political landscape."

The Magical Beast Mountain Range, the Sunset Mountain Range, and the Forest of Darkness were frequently mentioned in the later parts of the original Coiling Dragon, so Lin Feng was fairly familiar with them.

He lifted his head slightly and caught sight of Hogg's stern face. Lin Feng began to feel uneasy. He vaguely remembered that, in the original story, Lin Feng had gone on to analyze the various empires and alliances, then been beaten with a thorn switch by Hogg for forgetting how many principalities and kingdoms the Holy Union had.

It looked like I was going to get hit with that switch today, no matter what. Since I couldn't avoid a beating, I might as well answer based on what I remembered.

After sorting through his memories, Lin Feng continued, "To the west of the Magical Beast Mountain Range are two alliances: the Holy Union, which belongs to the Radiant Church, and the Dark Alliance, which belongs to the Dark Church."

"East of the Magical Beast Mountain Range are four empires: the Yulan Empire, the O'Brien Empire, the Rhine Empire, and the Luo'ao Empire."

At that, Lin Feng stopped. He only remembered the names of the major empires and alliances. He couldn't recall where they were located, how many principalities and kingdoms they had, or anything else. He was already prepared to get hit with the thorn switch. After all, Lin Feng had been punished with it in the original story too.

"That's all?" Hogg's expression turned cold. "Tell me, how many kingdoms and principalities are there in our Holy Union?"

"Our Holy Union has... has..." Lin Feng pretended to think. He was bound to get hit with the thorn switch, but he still had to put on a show. If Hogg found out he was a transmigrator who had taken over his son's body, Lin Feng would be dead. The odds of that happening were low, but he couldn't afford to take the risk.

"Hmph."

Hogg's expression darkened. He took a thorn switch from beside him, and Lin Feng, seeing it, obediently held out his right hand.

The muscles around Hogg's eyes twitched. The switch in his hand cracked twice in quick succession, landing hard on Lin Feng's right palm. Two bloody welts immediately appeared. Lin Feng clenched his teeth and endured it without making a sound. But in his heart, he cursed Hogg. He clearly remembered that the original Lin Feng had only been hit once, but he'd been hit twice. So the number of things you got right really did determine how severe the punishment was! Still, when he thought about how he'd taken over someone else's son's body and even erased his soul, being hit twice was a small bit of compensation.

"Lin Feng, remember this: we live in the Holy Union, so you must know its affairs better than anyone!" Hogg said coldly as he looked at his son. "The six major powers in Yulan are the four empires and the two alliances!"

Those were the exact words from the book. Lin Feng nodded firmly. But inwardly, he grumbled, You didn't explain it as clearly as I did. What right did you have to hit me? If you had to hit me, at least give me the same treatment as the original Lin Feng. But you hit me twice! Of course, he only dared think it, not say it aloud.

What followed was much like in the original story. Hogg began teaching Lin Feng basic knowledge, and Lin Feng behaved himself. A wise man didn't pick a fight when he was at a disadvantage. Besides, his palm still throbbed from those two hits, and Lin Feng didn't dare risk another beating.