My ghad, Chu—why didn't you read the novel?!
"Isn't it because you'd just get jealous that the male protagonist has a bunch of girls around him?"
The inner voice slipped from the back of my mind, and I quickly shut my eyes, ruthlessly shoving it aside.
Reflecting on it, the reason I never read the Daoist Gu novel is straightforward.
I don't want to...
On top of that, I'm not into stories where the male protagonist is collecting a harem.
I've never had any interest in novels where a man treats women like trophies on his skin.
Not so handsome at all.
I'm just not a fan of that genre.
Speaking of the Daoist Gu novel, I actually looked it up online once after searching his name.
But then I found out it was a cultivation world, and most cultivation stories I've seen are full of male protagonists with harems.
That kind of story has never been my thing, so I quickly lost interest.
But now… here I am, in this unknown world of Gu.
What am I going to do now?
System… System? Manager System, are you there?
No voice answered my question.
So, I'm really left alone, huh.
I sighed and rolled to my side, only then noticing that my body felt lighter than before. I sat up quickly, only to feel dizzy again.
It seemed like this body lacked red blood cells, too.
That made me curious.
If I really came to another world, then… Did I possess someone else's body?
I looked down at myself—thin, soft arms, fair skin, and long hair that nearly reached my waist. This wasn't an adult body in her twenties, and definitely not someone already in college.
Most importantly, this wasn't my body.
Wait. Did I really possess another person's body?!
Transmigration!
Wait.
I don't like that kind of thing. I dislike transmigration stories sometimes. Deep down, they make me uncomfortable.
They always make me pity the original owner for having their body stolen.
Yet, I have no power to return, at least for now. I cannot separate my soul from this unfamiliar body.
With that in mind, I closed my eyes and whispered a silent apology to the original owner. I will take care of this body, and I will not let your reputation suffer.
Just as I finished my moment of lament for someone else, the door slid open slowly. Footsteps echoed in the room at the exact moment I looked in that certain direction.
An old man entered, middle-aged, with a graying beard, yet his back was straight and his steps calm.
He wore ancient white robes and carried the air of authority. Somehow, his presence made me suddenly stiff and nervous.
Who is this person?
"I see that you are awake. Do you have the strength to speak?" His voice was steady and firm, carrying the authority of one who commands respect, yet not unkind.
I blinked, staring at the elder with cautious curiosity, not daring to speak. Of course, I was awake. Couldn't this old man see I was sitting on the bed?
"...."
"...."
Silence fell between us.
Under the elder's steady gaze, I felt a wave of discomfort. With that feeling of being seen by another person, I finally forced myself to speak.
"I can speak."
"..."
Another silence fell.
The elder refused to speak further, his sharp gaze fixed on me with quiet observation. It made me shift uncomfortably, wiggling where I sat as I tried to think of something to say.
"I… seem not to know who you might be, old sir?"
My words seemed to catch the elder off guard. As a flicker of doubt flashed in his eyes before he spoke, he touched his graying beard. "I am an elder of the Gu Yue Clan."
He looked like he expected me to react, to bow or kneel right away, but I only stared back, no bells ringing in my head at all.
"You lost consciousness in front of the Clan's Ancestral Temple."
Ancestral Temple?
Elder of the Gu Yue Clan?
I had no idea what any of that meant.
As I sank into my own thoughts, the elder walked closer, stopping just a few steps away from the bed.
"I do not remember anything," I said softly, my voice barely above a whisper.
With that, I had just used the most powerful tool of every transmigrator, the classic amnesia excuse. It is the perfect trick to hide your identity and make everyone believe you belong here. People always fall for it anyway.
I looked back at the elder with genuine confusion, since I really didn't know him at all.
"Mnn… then you should rest more, little miss."
"Wait, Elder Gu." Seeing that the elder was about to leave, I couldn't let him go without knowing where I was. The elder of the Gu Yue Clan stopped, waiting for me to speak.
"I would like to know where I am, Elder Gu?"
"You are in Qing Mao Mountain, Gu Yue Village."
"Gu Yue Village?" Nothing in my memory stirred, but at least I knew for sure that I was in a cultivation world.
"Thanks to Elder Gu for letting me know."
I said, moving my hand in a gesture like in those Eastern dramas, holding one hand over the other as a sign of respect.
It probably did not look very elegant, because when I looked up, there was only silence as the elder regarded me and then turned to leave the room.
"Little Miss will rest, and we will talk tomorrow."
"I understand, Elder Gu."
After a few seconds, the window burst open with a loud bang.
Strong wind and rain rushed in, soaking my body. My attention snapped to it immediately, and I got up from the bed, noticing that I could move my body much more easily, almost as if it were truly my own.
As I stood before the window, I saw the other houses in the village, their lights glowing warmly.
I peered ahead with growing curiosity.
Gu Yue Village… Why does that sound familiar? And there's no electricity here anymore!