The Chronicles of Yiānyù's Disciples

Chapter 11

Chapter 11 - Unfamiliar Territory V

The village marketplace was already alive before midday.

Merchants called out to passing customers. Children darted between the stalls, laughing as they chased one another through the muddy streets. The smell of freshly baked flatbread mixed with roasted chestnuts and simmering broth drifted through the cool northern air.

At one small wooden stall... a young man stood perfectly still.

"..."

"..."

"You've got to be kidding me."

Chen Leo Yu stared blankly at the goods neatly arranged before him. Bundles of dried herbs. Simple farming tools. Woven baskets. Hand-carved wooden utensils. A few smoked fish hanging from hooks.

Apparently... this was his family's livelihood.

He slowly picked up a wooden ladle, turned it over and sat it back down. Then picked up a basket.

"...Yep." He sighed. "This is real."

No matter how many times he pinched himself nothing changed. He wasn't waking up. He wasn't lying in a hospital. He wasn't hallucinating.

He had died and somehow transmigrated into another body. In another world. "I don't know what I expected after death."

He rubbed his temples.

"Maybe a glowing tunnel. Some divine judgment. A giant ball of light. Heaven, Hell? Anything."

His shoulders slumped.

"But certainly not running a village stall."

A customer paused in front of him. "Young man, how much are the carrots?"

Chen blinked. "They're oranges."

The customer frowned. "I know they're orange."

"Right." Chen looked around desperately. How much do very weird looking oranges cost in another world?

The customer coughed awkwardly. "Young man?"

"One moment." He quickly searched the newly acquired memories of Zhen Leos Yu.

Come on... come on....There!

"Three copper coins."

The customer smiled. "I'll take two bundles."

"Excellent."

The exchange went surprisingly smoothly.

As the customer walked away, Chen let out a relieved breath. "One crisis survived." Then another thought returned to haunt him.

"Yiānyù."

He looked toward the distant mountains. Even saying the name felt surreal.

Yiānyù, The Celestial Realm.

The setting of Xavier's favorite novel.

He covered his face with both hands. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me. Of all the fictional worlds... Why this one?"

His eye twitched, then another realization struck.

"Wait. If this really is The Chronicles of Yiānyù's Disciples..." He slowly lowered his hands. "Then Xavier... probably knows this world better than anyone."

A spark of hope appeared. Only to disappear immediately afterward.

"Except..." His expression twisted. " He's not here. And I never listened."

He remembered countless evenings in the apartment. Lin sitting on the couch with stars in his eyes while explaining kingdom politics, ancient ruins, power systems, legendary figures and secret organizations.

Every single time... Chen had nodded. Pretended to understand. Then mentally wandered off after approximately thirty seconds.

"I'm an idiot."

That was when fragments of their last discussion about the novel floated back into his memory.

Three sacred Paths.

Martial...

Literary...

Medic.

Three powerful men.

A prince.

A general.

An...

"...Eight-hundred-year-old fox." He frowned. "...Or was he nine hundred?"

He groaned. "I should've listened."

He remembered teasing Xavier. Calling these types of stories "Tax Evasion with Swords." He remembered asking why the prince didn't simply just stab the villains.

He remembered Xavier looking personally offended.

"...I'm sorry, buddy." He looked up at the cloudy sky. "I officially admit it. I should've paid attention."

He sighed. "Please don't let this be one of those stories where remembering tiny details saves your life."

A passing villager gave him a strange look and Chen smiled awkwardly. "...Talking to myself."

The villager nodded sympathetically. "It happens."

"...Thanks?"

The villager walked away and Chen leaned against the stall.

Okay, focus Leo.

Step one, Confirm whether this was truly Yiānyù.

Step two, Find Xavier.

Step three, Find Aiden.

Step four, Try very hard not to die again until then.

"Simple." His own voice lacked conviction. If Xavier really had ended up here too... then perhaps he already knew where he was. Perhaps they would meet again sooner than expected.

That thought warmed his heart. Until another memory surfaced. It was that of Xavier talking about his favorite character.

"Wei Shen Ruilan..." He scratched his head. "The prince who dies."

He remembered Xavier crying on the sofa.

Calling it "a waste of a fine, cold, intimidating, and powerful specimen." Chen couldn't help chuckling.

"If Xavier actually meets him..." He laughed quietly. "...He's going to embarrass himself."

"LEOS!" SMACK! A sharp pain exploded across the back of his head.

"Ow!" He spun around to see his grandmother standing behind him with folded arms. Her expression could have frozen a volcano.

"What are you laughing about?"

Chen rubbed the sore spot. "Nothing?"

She pointed toward the front of the stall. "There has been a customer standing there for nearly a full minute."

Chen turned, and indeed A middle-aged woman stood patiently holding a basket.

She smiled politely. "Whenever you're ready."

Chen's ears turned red. "I am so sorry!"

His grandmother snorted. "I leave you alone for five minutes and your soul leaves your body."

If only you knew...

He forced an apologetic smile and straightened his posture. "Welcome! What can I get for you today?"

The woman chuckled kindly. "I'll have two bundles of herbs and one smoked fish."

As Chen busied himself filling her order, he stole one more glance toward the northern horizon.

'Hang in there, Xavier and Aiden. Wherever you are... I'm going to find you.'

He didn't know how. He didn't know when. But for the first time since waking in this strange world... he had something to hold on to.

Hope.