“Where am I? Where is this? Haven’t I blew up into smithereens?”
Opening his eyes, Shen Lang looked all around, carefully taking note of this unfamiliar environment.
He laid softly on a carved bed. The decorum of the room brimmed with grandeur. The exquisite mahogany table crafted from quality materials, the majestic candlestick, and soft wool carpet concocted from the finest fur exhibited the house of a filthy rich family.
Though the most important thing he found was the ancient antiquated style of the room. It lacked any style reminiscent of modern earth.
He looked down at his clothing made of fine silk. They were fashion of the modern earth but like an ancient clothing from the many historical series.
On the edge of the corner stood a large bronze mirror. Breathing deeply, Shen Lang rose to his feet and gazed at the mirror with great courage. Such things, it cannot be blamed on him. The events leading to his disfigurement caused him a psychological trauma. He’s since despised even a momentary look of his figure. He too was afraid of his looks. It frightened him so.
After seeing his current self, Shen Lang’s eyes bulged wide open before sets of tears fell uncontrollably. Though he looked haggard and pale, his countenance resembled the gods themselves, like the heavens crafted a fine specimen as if a gift for his past misfortune.
Thereafter, he confirmed one thing. He crossed into a strange world inside the body of a white lotus whose face was unmatched under the heavens.
Shen Lang looked at his face greedily.
“God really answered my prayers…”
And bestowed unto him a new life. Though he’s in a strange world, it was more than enough.
After his parents passed on, he ceased living, slowly losing the will to live each day to the fullest. He was without any attachment to the modern world. To be able to start anew, he firmly held on to the belief of treasuring this new life of his well.
Seconds after, complexes of mass information flashed and watered down like a waterfall deep into his mind. It was the memory of the previous owner of this body.
This world was unfamiliar yet familiarly strange. Familiar in the sense of culture, language, and appearance like that of Ancient China. Unfamiliarly strange because this was not the Earth he knew off.
The foundation of this world was different. The Four Books and Five Classics of this world were works of the first wise sage which laid out the foundations of the world. Moreover, there are no dynasties. The Qin Dynasty, the first empire founded by Qin Shi Zhuang was nowhere to be seen in history; the Han Dynasty spanning over four centuries long and deemed to be a golden age in Chinese history never occurred nor did the Jurchens conquer northern China, hence the Jin Dynasty never existed.
Much of history he knew of ceased to exist. It’s strange, really. Though the foundations, roots, and history had schisms of differences, much of the culture remained the same. This world he’s in now, it experienced the Great Nirvana thus establishing a peace of awakening and enlightenment. They’d soon attain a moment of profound spiritual insight. From there, civilization was reborn again. The Four Books and Five Classics became their sole foundation through living in this strong makes might and the strong preys on the weak world. Such works… it truly held a lofty status as it provided them deeper insights on how to live each passing day.
Not only so, many walk the Jianghu. Martial arts technique were innately powerful and more developed. Modern Earth in this aspect was truly weak.
As of current, The Great Yan Empire ruled the continent. It’s a vast empire—territories reaching over fourteen million square kilometers long, surpassing all dynasties combined in Shen Lang’s ancient world.
The empire though cannot be compared to Ancient China. The Great Yan being the central empire, it too had many lords, governors, and princes under its care, it’s relationship somewhat similar to monarchs and its vassal states. The king was head of the central empire mandated by heaven itself, its strength and power stronger than all lords, counts, and princes combined. The vassal states needed to bow and worship before the king of the Great Yan lest they wish to suffer the consequences.
As far as the degree of progress of the Great Yan, it far surpassed the Spring and Autumn Warring States Period 1 [javascript:void(0)]The Spring and Autumn Warring States Period and the Tang and Song Dynasties was historically a golden age in Chinese history.
As of current, Shen Lang presided over in Yue State, a vassal state on the southernmost area of the Great Yan’s ruling. Yue State has three provinces, forty-five prefectures, and with over three hundred thousand square kilometers long with over ten million civilians.
As martial artists are in need of resources to break through, commerce and businesses were highly developed to keep up for the needs of martial artists. In this regards, business owners and martial artists each benefit from one another.
The Ning Family has ruled over Yue State for more than four hundred years long and it is here in Xuanwu City, Nujiang County located on the southern part of Tiannan Prefecture Shen Lang lies in. [i]
Shen Lang… it is the name of the previous owner. Shen Lang is Shen Lang. Nevertheless, the key point to analyze was the body he possesses. To a certain extent, the features looks like him when he was still a handsome lotus before the cataclysmic event came to be in his previous life. This should not be a coincidence, but it is what it is. Heavens fate of wheel had begun so he might as well live it out.
But after reading the memories of this body, he felt that his life in this world was nothing but a tragic comedy.
*
[i] Empire → State → Prefecture → County → City → Town → Village\n