Chapter Text
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His name is Xī Yáng, using 夕阳 characters; meaning Sunset, or the light from the setting sun because that was the time he was born, just a minute before the sky turns completely dark. It was the same time, on one evening too, when he got left behind with his grandmother in a small village.
‘Be a good boy and wait here with your grandmother, I'll be back.'
Lie…
She never came back, that evening he waited and waited until the last sunlight was gone but she never came back nor the next sunset. Xi Yang never understood, always wondered why? Why was he left behind? Why did she leave him here, why..why.. why why left him behind with a promise she never intended to fulfill.
The sunsets again and again, and each day he always waits, and waits. Days become months, the leaf changed its color and wither and not long the winter arrived together with the snow and the cold, so cold it cut deep to the bone before slowly turning his heart into frost, not even once the snow melted to welcome the spring could defrost it, not anymore. Not the warm heat of summer nor the scorching sun in August.
Xi Yang stopped wondering, he did not ask, he did not wait. Not anymore.
There's no point asking those questions to someone that will never come back to answer.
Moreover he still has his grandmother that even with old age, while she could hardly walk, still force herself to work in the farm from dusk till down- scrambled for meager wages just to put food on the table for him. Even then she could have thrown him out, out of sight, out of mind but instead he's being cherished, being loved.
As such, Xi Yang had been determined, heart burning; he’ll do anything he could to give them- give her a better life.
He managed to get out of that small village two years before she passed away with a smile on her face.
She said she was lucky to have him as her grandson..
The truth is, he was more lucky.
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After everything said and done, Xi Yang just lives according to the flow of time, does not struggle, does not resist.
He lives in a world where time never stops, never waits for anyone.
He did not care anymore, just watched at the sideline and lived his life day by day and hoped when his time came, he would have a peaceful death.
Xi Yang didn’t have many hobbies, he didn't have that luxury. Until he was well into adulthood, then he mostly spent his day reading novels on the web.
Until one boring day, after he runs out of anything to read (more like because he's been reading too long and too many novels so he became more picky with novels) but yeah, that day- he found a novel that tore down his expectations and created a new one, higher, captured his heart beyond turning back.
The novel is called Mo Dao Zu Shi. At first, he thought it was just about a Xianxia and Wuxia novel like usual. He didn't look at the category and didn't realize it was a Danmei[BL] type of novel until much much later. Even then, it still doesn't change his liking or the views he has against the novel.
He remembered, at that time there weren't a lot of chapters. So for Laoshi to not give up on writing he always makes sure to leave comments behind, one chapter after one until his name becomes a regular user. Day by day the novel starts to gain more readers and Xi Yang heart bloom because finally, finally more people discovered this diamond.
The novel, from just one of the many stories on the website, became number one.
Of course Xi Yang knows, there's others good novels out there as well but it has never left him with such a fulfilling feeling like Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation.
This piece of work is like a shooting star that happens once in a while and yet engraved in one heart..
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It was another day when Xi Yang returned home, took a shower and made himself a cup of tea. Once again he browsed the web to read the novel for how many times he lost count. But after a long day and with how tired he was, after just ten minutes he fell asleep.
Yeah, he is sure, he fell asleep on the couch in his room.
But the situation in front of him turned out to be a bit funny; when he woke up, he found himself on the boat. The scenery around him was unfamiliar, it seemed to be an abandoned city with things laid broken and ruins as though it had been through war.
Xi Yang looked down at his (no, no not his) hands. He knew.. knew his own body(Who does not?) and this is not. Panic started to rise, heart picked up the speeds, he clenching his (no, no, is not) hands and loosening it, before repeating it a few times.
Xi Yang had read enough novels to know what was happening. How could he not? Goes to sleep while reading a novel and then suddenly wakes up somewhere unfamiliar, this scenery, he is so familiar with it and can not be anymore familiar.
He had transmigrated.
“...but the people here know how to swim. How can it be the birthplace of the water spirit?”
“That's true.”
“It must have been driven from somewhere else.”
Xi Yang raised his head but needed to squinting his eyes due to the bright light of the setting sun in the horizon. So all he could see was only the silhouette of the people in front.
“Xiangzhong, where have there been problems with water spirits recently?”
“.....”
He pursed his lips, those lines, these conversations, he knew it like he knew the back of his hand. Xi Yang parted his mouth and silently answered.
Qi Shan, the Wen Clan's place.
“Qi Shan, the Wen Clan's place.”
Xi Yang closes his eyes, his heart squeezed tightly and breath stutters. Is really happening, is not a dream, he's not going crazy.
How can it happen?
He starts to see now. Why those protagonists freak out, always pinch themselves or act like an idiot because right now, he's thinking of doing the same.
Xi Yang breathed out slowly, trying to calm down his pounding heartbeat.
He transmigrated, into his beloved novel Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation!
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