Fifty years ago, one morning after years of reclusion, Yu Sheng suddenly felt energized and proclaimed to friends and family, "I must not be someone who withers in sunlight! I will exercise, step out of my house, and I will definitely achieve health and longevity!"
Then, he suddenly died while jogging.
From then on, the concepts of health and longevity and living in seclusion, which theoretically contradict each other, became Yu Sheng's greatest obsessions.
After his death, Yu Sheng's soul was not extinguished; instead it was selected for reclamation by System 451. After a brief discussion, Yu Sheng was given a chance to live again in exchange for completing a task.
The task was simple: he had to cross into another world and play the role of a reclusive sage, hiding from the world, finding the protagonist, and providing help and treasures.
Yu Sheng was very satisfied with this task and even more so with his role.
What does being a reclusive sage mean?
Staying indoors (or rather, at the edge of a cliff), not concerning himself with worldly affairs—this was the dream life of seclusion!
A reclusive sage with an ethereal aura—this meant health and longevity that he could never experience in his previous life!
Most importantly, the role of a reclusive sage had minimal demands; each day, he only needed to practice, bask in the sun, and find the protagonist.
Actually, finding the protagonist wasn't something that needed to happen every day; it would occur only once every few years. In Yu Sheng's eyes, this was the perfect lazy life: "Ten years without opening shop, when I do, I’ll feast for ten years!"
The task location was the bottom of a cliff called Three Realm Cliff, where Yu Sheng was responsible for waiting for the falling protagonist.
The bottom of the cliff was desolate and lifeless, with terrain and feng shui unsuitable for ordinary people to inhabit. This place happened to lie at the intersection of the realms of humans, ghosts, and spirits, making it extremely unstable and fraught with danger.
Therefore, despite its apparent desolation, it was rumored in the outside world to be a place where anyone who fell would surely die. All the self-preservation techniques and sword-flying skills of ordinary cultivators would fail here.
Yu Sheng waved his sleeves and spent three days clearing the weeds and rubble at the cliff bottom, creating a small cave for himself, and calculating his plans enthusiastically.
Then he said, “451, I’ve thought it through. When the protagonist falls, I’ll use the image of a white-haired old man to save him. That way…”
A sound of rushing wind approached, and a shadow descended from above. Yu Sheng's expression changed slightly; he lightly stepped aside and swiftly dodged the ‘sneak attack’.
With a loud ‘bang’, the figure landed, kicking up dust.
It was Protagonist Number One.
System 451 said coldly, "Too late."
"..."
Yu Sheng looked down and saw, ten steps away, a man covered in blood and wounds lying there, with who knew how many bones broken. As the dust settled, their eyes met.
“Pff…” Protagonist Number One's pupils constricted. Just as he was about to speak, he coughed up a mouthful of blood and couldn’t utter a single word.
Yu Sheng smiled and walked over to the protagonist: "Who said it’s too late?"
With a flick of his dust cloth, after using his magic, Protagonist Number One fell into a deep sleep, and Yu Sheng transformed into a white-haired old man.
Yu Sheng: "When he wakes up, I’ll firmly assert that everything he saw before losing consciousness was an illusion, just a dream. I won’t admit anything!"
The system silently released the information about Protagonist Number One: Task Target Number One: Zhan Xiaotian, from the human realm, a reverse-takeover protagonist akin to Long Aotian. Task items ‘Immortal Body’ and ‘Ancient Sword Spirit’ have been issued. Please gift these to the protagonist upon recovery.
Yu Sheng squatted nearby, tentatively checking Zhan Xiaotian’s breath and pulse, concluding: "I think giving him the ‘Immortal Body’ golden finger now would be better."
System 451 gritted its teeth: "According to the script, you should have soared up directly and caught the falling protagonist."
"You already said the protagonist would come down, yet at the crucial moment, you dodged so quickly!"
Yu Sheng: "…Cough."
“Rest… No, sleep peacefully,” he gently patted Zhan Xiaotian’s head, then used his magic to lift the man, continuously channeling spirit energy to sustain his life as he walked toward his cave. “When you wake up, you will forget everything. Just remember the enemy who pushed you off the cliff, and don’t remember me. I’m just a benevolent old man with no desire for rewards.”
The ‘old man’ Yu Sheng indeed looked like a white-haired person now, with a white beard that was soft and smooth, reaching down to his stomach. He had a kind, cheerful smile on his face, and when he squinted, his eyes curved into crescent moons.
As for his original appearance? He didn’t have even one white hair, let alone a white beard; his skin was tender and pink, with baby fat that wouldn’t thin out.
However, in Yu Sheng’s chuunibyou fantasy, a reclusive sage should be someone in flowing white robes, with white hair and beard, possessing an ethereal aura, discussing tea and playing chess while resolving everything, speaking in profound yet incomprehensible phrases.
For example, someone who could make others ask if the tea was too hot just by walking in—now that’s a true reclusive sage.
In reality, though, he had transmigrated over decades ago and due to his extraordinary talents, he had maintained the appearance of a sixteen or seventeen-year-old youth, never achieving the ideal image of an elderly sage.
This led to his originally planned persona of ‘reclusive sage’ becoming distorted, resulting in the vastly different identities of ‘a beauty of the era’ and ‘the clear and cold moonlight in the hearts of cultivators.’
Yu Sheng had previously expressed dissatisfaction, thinking that the character of the clear and cold moonlight should at least possess a personality to match. He was merely someone who went mute and expressionless when faced with many people, and on top of that, he still had baby fat—people were simply too deluded.
Helpless, he eventually had to announce his retirement from the world under everyone’s scrutiny and specially crafted the persona of a white-bearded old man for several years before finally waiting at the bottom of Three Realm Cliff for the protagonist.
His true identity was the ‘Half-Spirit Immortal’ Yu Yangzi, known for his beauty and strength, who was said to be as elegant as jade and as ethereal as the stars.
The persona he adopted for the storyline and task was that of a white-haired old man, old and crinkly, who spent his days either drinking tea or basking in the sun.
Yu Sheng settled Protagonist Number One, Zhan Xiaotian, comfortably on his jade bed and optimistically reassured himself, “I think it’s still time to start embodying the role of a reclusive sage. Look how sweetly the protagonist is sleeping; he’s even mumbling in his dreams.”
The unconscious Zhan Xiaotian lay in bed, every part of his body in good shape, but clearly starting to burn with fever; his face changing from pale to red, and his cracked lips murmured.
Yu Sheng’s senses were sharp; he listened closely.
“Fish…” (Yu)
Fish? Was he craving fish? There wasn’t even a bird to catch at the bottom of this cliff…
“Goat…” (Yang)
Goat? Why was he craving goat? No wonder he was the protagonist; he still had such a good appetite even on the verge of death.
“Child…” (Zi)
Child? What child? Shouldn’t it be that fish and goat refer to something fresh and delicious? No, wait… Yu Yangzi?!
Damn!
Yu Sheng took a sharp breath.
“I’ve decided. If he wakes up and asks about this matter, I’ll say that Yu Yangzi is my son.” After thinking for a moment, he seemed to realize that everyone knew Yu Yangzi's background, and since he had consumed all his mortal lifespan, he quickly added, “A recognized adopted son!”
System 451 hesitated to speak.
After all, Yu Sheng had transmigrated here and had devoted decades to cultivation before starting to carry out the system tasks. His current physical body had been enhanced by the system, possessing extremely high talents rarely seen for hundreds of years. For him, saving someone and sustaining their life was not difficult.
Although the 'Immortal Body' golden finger could save a lot of trouble, Yu Sheng had initially only mentioned it in jest. After settling Zhan Xiaotian, he began to seriously heal and take care of him.
External injuries were easy to address; as Yu Yangzi, he had accumulated a substantial wealth of various medicinal pills over the years, so he had no shortage of those. For internal injuries, he tirelessly channeled spirit energy into Zhan Xiaotian day and night to accelerate his recovery.
Zhan Xiaotian danced on the edge of life and death, waking up several times in a daze before quickly slipping back into unconsciousness. When he was finally completely awake, the first sight he saw was that of the white-haired old man, looking tired, vigilantly watching over him by the bedside.
Noticing that he was awake, Yu Sheng felt extremely anxious, worried that Zhan Xiaotian might actually ask about Yu Yangzi. He practiced various responses in his mind repeatedly.
However, as Zhan Xiaotian gradually regained the ability to walk, and then moved around freely, a month passed in the blink of an eye. Yu Sheng's fake beard was almost rubbed bald from his constant handling, yet Zhan Xiaotian never asked about Yu Yangzi, seeming to truly forget the fleeting glimpse he had when he fell and never doubting the identity of the white-haired old man.
Only then did Yu Sheng finally feel relieved.
He couldn’t tell if it was because of the severity of the fall, but Zhan Xiaotian’s recovery was still a few months slower than what the system’s plot indicated. Yu Sheng always felt a bit guilty and didn’t dare to urge him to leave.
As expected of the protagonist, Zhan Xiaotian came from the human realm, and in terms of age, he was indeed much younger than Yu Sheng—barely in his early twenties. Once the bloodstains were washed away, his bright star-like eyes became visible, and when he looked at someone, he always appeared incredibly focused and serious, as if his gaze had warmth.
He was clearly the type to captivate both men and women alike.
Yu Sheng felt that after all the grievances this child had suffered and the severity of his injuries, there should be some vigilance and sharp edges in his eyes. Yet, every time he was looked at, it reminded him of a large dog that was quiet and obedient but fierce to outsiders.
Even though Zhan Xiaotian's hands and feet were fully healed, he still looked at Yu Sheng expectantly, waiting for the old man to personally feed him medicine. After taking the medicine, if Yu Sheng didn’t give him a candy, he would frown and remain silent.
Who could withstand this?
Yu Sheng sighed helplessly, “This is the last time, okay? Tomorrow, you can eat and drink by yourself. You’re not a child anymore.”
Zhan Xiaotian immediately smiled sweetly and obediently replied, “Senior, you treat me so well.”
He looked like a large dog wagging its tail. Yu Sheng glanced at him helplessly, and the words “Xiaotian Dog” inexplicably popped into his mind, but he held back and didn’t say them out loud.
This was not a good omen. Yu Sheng considered his memory poor and forgetful, but if a nickname accidentally stuck, it would remain in his already limited memory. As the protagonist, according to the system, Zhan Xiaotian would not return after leaving the cliff bottom, and he would definitely not abandon the hard-won leisurely life of seclusion.
Yu Sheng shook his head mysteriously, “There will be more people who treat you better in the future.”
Your protagonist storyline is just beginning.
“Senior, you are the best to me and the first person to treat me well,” Zhan Xiaotian said seriously after finishing the medicine. “I don’t have parents; you are like my family.”
Yu Sheng smiled but did not comment.
“Senior, I want to become your disciple.”
Yu Sheng pretended to be angry, “Nonsense.”
Regardless of whether Yu Sheng agreed, once Zhan Xiaotian had this idea, he was unwilling to give up.
System 451 timely reminded him that as the protagonist, Zhan Xiaotian was abundant in perseverance and determination—essentially, he was very stubborn and fixed in his views.
Unable to sway him, Yu Sheng ended up agreeing a few days later.
However, as soon as he accepted a disciple, he immediately started regretting it.
I'll use Sanjie (pinyin) at times and Three Realms at other times. Please let me know your preference, and I can edit accordingly.
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