Chapter 4: The Protagonist Arrives
The news reached Chen Feng during breakfast on the eighth day.
"A commoner has challenged the Ling family's entrance examination," the servant announced, his voice carrying a mixture of scandal and excitement. "The guards say he's already passed the First Trial. They're calling him a once-in-a-generation genius."
Chen Feng's hand tightened on his chopsticks. So it begins.
Across the private dining room, Yue Lian caught his eye. She'd been the only one he'd allowed to see him since the transformation completed, and even she had needed time to adjust to his new appearance. Now she watched him with knowing concern.
"Early," she said quietly, once the servant had left. "You said three more days."
"Timelines can shift." Chen Feng set down his chopsticks, appetite gone. "The moment I stole the Heart of Primordial Winter, I changed the story. Apparently, he's adapting faster than expected."
Tian Wu. The protagonist. His father's bastard son, though no one knew it yet. In the original timeline, he would arrive with humility and hidden strength, slowly revealing his genius until the entire kingdom bowed before him.
But without the Heart, he'd had to find another path to power. One that made him arrive earlier and, judging by the servant's report, more aggressive.
[Warning: Timeline Divergence Accelerating]
[Protagonist Arrival: EARLY (3 days ahead of schedule)]
[Threat Assessment: UNKNOWN]
[Recommendation: Observe before engaging]
"What are you going to do?" Yue Lian asked.
Chen Feng stood, moving to the window. Outside, he could see the family's main courtyard where the entrance examinations were held. Even from here, he could sense the commotion—servants running, family members gathering to watch the spectacle.
A commoner challenging the Ling family. It was unprecedented. Scandalous. And exactly the kind of dramatic entrance a protagonist would make.
"I'm going to watch," Chen Feng said. "And then I'm going to introduce myself."
Yue Lian rose as well, falling into step beside him. "You're going to reveal your transformation?"
"Not entirely." He'd spent the last day practicing control, learning to suppress the more obvious signs of his Celestial Physique. His hair was still silver-white—impossible to hide—but he could dim the glow in his eyes, reduce the frost that formed around him. "But I won't hide either. Let's see how our hero reacts to meeting someone he wasn't expecting."
They made their way through the manor's corridors, Chen Feng noting the stares from servants and family members alike. His transformation had been impossible to completely conceal—the temperature drop in his wing, the frost on the windows, the rumors of illness that had kept him sequestered.
But no one had seen him. Until now.
"Is that... Chen Feng?" someone whispered as they passed.
"What happened to his hair?"
"His eyes—look at his eyes!"
Chen Feng ignored them all, maintaining the same indifferent expression that had served the original Chen Feng so well. Let them wonder. Let them gossip. Soon enough, they'd understand.
The courtyard was packed when they arrived. Chen Feng positioned himself on a second-floor balcony, apart from the main crowd but with a perfect view of the examination grounds below.
And there, in the center of the training yard, stood Tian Wu.
Chen Feng's first thought was that the protagonist looked... young. Seventeen, maybe eighteen at most, with the kind of lean, hungry build that came from a life of hardship. His clothes were simple but clean, his black hair tied back in a practical tail. Handsome in a rough, common way that would make noble daughters swoon.
But it was his eyes that caught Chen Feng's attention. Dark and intense, burning with an ambition that bordered on fanatical. These were the eyes of someone who had nothing to lose and everything to prove.
[Target Identified: Tian Wu]
[Age: 17]
[Cultivation: Fourth Circle of Crystallization]
[Special Ability: Flame Mimicry - Can copy fire techniques]
[Threat Level: HIGH]
[Hidden Identity: Son of Bai Zhuren (Ling Family Patriarch)]
Fourth Circle. Without the Heart of Primordial Winter, he'd still managed Fourth Circle at seventeen. Impressive. But not impossible to beat.
"Who administers the Second Trial?" Tian Wu's voice carried across the courtyard, clear and confident despite facing dozens of hostile noble gazes.
Chen Wei stepped forward, a cruel smile on his face. Of course it would be him. The Third Brother never missed an opportunity to humiliate someone.
"I will," Chen Wei announced. "The Second Trial is simple, commoner. Survive three exchanges with me. If you can do that, you pass."
Tian Wu's expression didn't change. "Three exchanges. Understood."
"You should know," Chen Wei continued, flames beginning to dance around his hands, "I'm Fifth Circle. This isn't a fight—it's a lesson in knowing your place."
The crowd murmured. Fifth Circle versus Fourth Circle. It was completely unfair, designed to break the challenger's spirit even if they somehow survived.
But Tian Wu just smiled. "Then I'll learn well."
They began.
Chen Wei opened with a straightforward flame lance—Fourth Circle technique, probably meant to test the commoner's defenses. Tian Wu dodged with surprising grace, his body moving with the kind of efficiency that spoke of real combat experience.
The second exchange was more serious. Chen Wei conjured a wall of fire, trying to corner his opponent. But Tian Wu did something unexpected—he absorbed the flames. Drew them into his body, his own aura flaring brighter, stronger.
"Flame Mimicry," Chen Feng murmured, recognizing the technique from the game. Tian Wu's special ability—he could copy and adapt fire techniques he witnessed, making him stronger with each battle against fire users.
Which meant fighting the Ling family—masters of flame—would only make him more powerful.
Chen Wei's eyes widened with recognition and, for the first time, concern. "You're—"
The third exchange never happened as planned.
Tian Wu moved, faster than a Fourth Circle mage should be capable of. His fist, wreathed in stolen flames, caught Chen Wei in the solar plexus. The impact sent the Fifth Circle mage flying backward, crashing into the courtyard wall with enough force to crack the stone.
Silence.
Then chaos erupted. Servants gasped. Family members shouted. Guards moved forward, hands on weapons.
But Tian Wu simply stood there, flames flickering around him, that same intense expression on his face.
"Three exchanges," he said calmly. "I survived. Do I pass?"
Chen Feng couldn't help it—he laughed. A soft, genuine laugh that drew every eye in the courtyard to his balcony position.
Including Tian Wu's.
Their gazes locked across the distance. Brown eyes meeting glacial blue. The protagonist and the villain-turned-player, seeing each other for the first time.
Chen Feng saw recognition flash across Tian Wu's face. Not recognition of him specifically—they'd never met—but recognition of what he was. Power recognized power, after all.
"Who is that?" Tian Wu asked, his voice carrying in the sudden quiet.
"The Seventh Son," someone replied. "Chen Feng. The family's—"
"Don't." The command came from the main hall entrance. Everyone turned to see Bai Zhuren—the patriarch, the Archimage of the Eighth Circle, Chen Feng's father—emerging into the courtyard.
He was an imposing figure even without manifesting his power. Tall, broad-shouldered, with iron-gray hair and eyes that burned like coals. He wore the formal robes of the Ling family patriarch, red and gold, symbols of fire and authority embroidered in precious thread.
"The Seventh Son is none of your concern," Bai Zhuren continued, his gaze sweeping the crowd before settling on the still-groaning Chen Wei. "Third Son, you've embarrassed yourself. Leave."
Chen Wei scrambled to obey, blood on his lips, pride shattered.
The patriarch then turned his attention to Tian Wu. For a long moment, he studied the young commoner, and Chen Feng saw something flicker in his father's expression. Something like... recognition?
No. Not yet. In the original timeline, Bai Zhuren didn't discover Tian Wu was his son until much later. But perhaps some instinct, some blood connection, made him pause.
"You pass," Bai Zhuren said finally. "Report to the administrative hall. You'll be assigned quarters and a training regiment."
"Thank you, Lord Patriarch." Tian Wu bowed, the perfect picture of humble gratitude.
But Chen Feng saw the way his eyes flicked back to the balcony. Saw the calculation there. The protagonist had noticed him, and more importantly, had recognized him as different from the other Ling family members.
As someone potentially dangerous.
Good. Let him wonder.
Chen Feng returned to his quarters, Yue Lian silent beside him until they were safely behind closed doors.
"He's strong," she said. "Stronger than the reports suggested. And that ability..."
"Flame Mimicry. He gets stronger by fighting fire users." Chen Feng moved to the window, watching servants below scramble to repair the damage to the courtyard wall. "Sending him to a family of fire mages is like throwing gasoline on a fire."
"Can you beat him?"
Honest question. Deserved an honest answer.
"Right now? Probably." Chen Feng assessed objectively. "I'm Fifth Circle to his Fourth, and ice counters fire naturally. But give him a month, maybe less, and he'll catch up. He's the protagonist—growth is what they do."
"Then what's your plan?"
Chen Feng was quiet for a moment, thinking. In the game, Tian Wu's arc involved slowly integrating into the Ling family, gathering allies, and eventually challenging the corrupt elements within the clan. Chen Feng's death in Chapter 52 was supposed to be a turning point—proof that Tian Wu had grown beyond mercy, that he was willing to make hard choices.
But that was the game's story. Not his.
"I'm going to approach him," Chen Feng said. "Directly."
Yue Lian's eyes widened. "That's—"
"Unexpected. Exactly." He turned to face her. "Everyone else will either try to use him or destroy him. The nobles will see him as a threat, the servants as entertainment. But if I approach him as... what? An ally? A rival? Something he doesn't expect. It disrupts the narrative."
"And if he's hostile?"
"Then I'll deal with it." Chen Feng felt ice crystallize around his fingers, responding to his will. "But I don't think he will be. Not immediately. The protagonist always starts idealistic, believing in merit and justice and all those pretty concepts. He won't attack without cause."
"You're gambling."
"Everything I'm doing is a gamble." Chen Feng smiled. "But this one feels right."
He found Tian Wu two hours later in the family's public library.
The protagonist sat alone at a corner table, surrounded by scrolls and books, studying with the kind of intense focus Chen Feng recognized from his own gaming sessions in his previous life. The hunger for knowledge, for advancement, for more.
Chen Feng approached openly, not bothering to hide his footsteps. Tian Wu's head came up immediately, body tensing, ready to move.
"Relax," Chen Feng said, taking the seat across from him without invitation. "If I wanted to attack you, I wouldn't do it in the library."
Tian Wu's eyes narrowed, studying him. Up close, Chen Feng could see the intelligence behind those dark eyes, the calculating mind assessing threats and opportunities in real-time.
"You're Chen Feng," Tian Wu said. "The Seventh Son."
"I am."
"They call you the family's shame. The one who never advanced past Second Circle."
"They did. Past tense." Chen Feng let a hint of cold radiate from him, enough that frost formed on the table between them. "Things change."
Tian Wu's eyes widened slightly as he registered the power. "You're... Fifth Circle? How is that possible? The reports said—"
"The reports were correct. A week ago, I was Second Circle." Chen Feng leaned back, deliberately casual. "Funny how things work out."
The protagonist's mind was clearly racing, trying to fit this new information into whatever framework he'd built. "No one advances three full Circles in a week. It's not possible."
"And yet." Chen Feng gestured at himself. "Here I am."
Silence stretched between them. Outside, the sun was setting, casting long shadows through the library windows. Chen Feng could sense Yue Lian nearby, positioned where she could intervene if this went badly.
"Why are you here?" Tian Wu asked finally. "What do you want?"
Direct. Chen Feng appreciated that.
"I wanted to meet you," he said honestly. "The commoner genius who challenged the Ling family and won. That takes either incredible courage or incredible stupidity."
"Or both."
"Or both," Chen Feng agreed with a slight smile. "I'm curious which it is."
Tian Wu studied him for a long moment. "You're different from the others. Your Third Brother attacked out of pride and fear. Your father dismissed me like an interesting insect. But you... you're evaluating me. Like a rival."
Smart. The protagonist was definitely smart.
"Should I not?" Chen Feng asked. "You're seventeen and already Fourth Circle. That's genius-level talent. And that technique you used—Flame Mimicry—it's rare. Valuable. Dangerous in the right hands."
"How do you know about—" Tian Wu stopped himself. "You've done research."
"I pay attention." Chen Feng stood, preparing to leave. He'd planted the seeds he wanted—curiosity, respect, recognition of equality. "One more thing. In two days, there's a family tournament. Junior members only. It's supposed to be for training, but everyone knows it's really about establishing hierarchy. You'll be invited."
"Will you participate?"
"Maybe. Depends on whether anyone interesting shows up." Chen Feng started to walk away, then paused. "Oh, and Tian Wu? Whatever you're planning—whatever reason you really came here—be careful. The Ling family has more secrets than you know."
He left the protagonist sitting there, confusion and suspicion warring on his face.
Yue Lian materialized beside him once they were out of earshot. "That was cryptic."
"It was a test." Chen Feng's mind was already moving ahead, planning. "He's smart, ambitious, and suspicious. Good qualities in a protagonist. But he's also alone, which makes him vulnerable."
"You're going to manipulate him."
"I'm going to give him choices he wasn't supposed to have." Chen Feng corrected. "The game's story assumed he'd have certain allies, certain opportunities. I've already disrupted that by taking the Heart. Now I'm offering him something different—a relationship with the 'family shame' who isn't what anyone expects."
"And if he refuses? If he stays on his original path?"
Chen Feng's expression went cold. "Then in forty-one days, when he tries to kill me in that duel, I'll be ready."
That night, Chen Feng couldn't sleep.
He stood in his room, staring out at the moonlit grounds, his mind churning through possibilities and permutations. The protagonist had arrived early. The timeline was shifting faster than expected. Every action he took created ripples, changing the story in ways he couldn't fully predict.
A soft knock on his door. "Young Master? May I enter?"
Yue Lian. He'd recognize her voice anywhere.
"Come in."
She entered quietly, closing the door behind her. She'd changed from her combat attire into simpler clothes—a dark robe that somehow made her look both more vulnerable and more beautiful.
"You should be resting," she said.
"Can't." Chen Feng turned from the window. "Too much happening. Too many variables."
Yue Lian crossed to him, her bare feet silent on the cold floor. "You're carrying too much alone. You've been different since... since the ruins. Since you came back changed. And you won't tell me why."
He could lie. Should lie. But looking at her—at this woman who'd proven her loyalty a thousand times over—he found he didn't want to.
"If I told you I know the future," Chen Feng said slowly, "would you believe me?"
She didn't laugh or dismiss it. Instead, she considered seriously. "The way you navigate the ruins like you'd been there before. How you knew exactly when the protagonist would arrive, even when you were surprised he came early. The way you talk about 'the story' and 'the timeline.'" Her eyes met his. "You're not just guessing. You know."
"I do." He took a breath. "In another life—another reality—I played a game. A game where all of this was just a story. Where Tian Wu was the hero, where I was a minor villain who died in Chapter 52 to prove the protagonist's growth."
"And you remember this... game?"
"All of it. Every plot point, every character arc, every tragedy and triumph." Chen Feng's hands clenched. "Including my own death. Forty-one days from now, I'm supposed to duel Tian Wu. And I'm supposed to lose."
Yue Lian was quiet for a long moment, processing. Then: "But you're changing it. Stealing the protagonist's opportunities. Becoming stronger than you were supposed to be."
"Yes."
"Good." She stepped closer, close enough that he could feel the warmth radiating from her body against his perpetual cold. "Then keep changing it. Rewrite the entire story if you have to. But survive."
Her hand came up, tentatively touching his face. Her palm was warm against his frozen cheek.
"I don't care about fate or destiny or some game's script," she continued, her voice fierce. "You're real. You're here. And you're mine to protect."
Chen Feng's breath caught. The way she looked at him—like he was the only thing in the world that mattered.
"Yue Lian..."
She rose on her toes, her lips brushing against his in a kiss that was both hesitant and desperate. Fire and ice, warmth and cold, meeting and merging.
Chen Feng froze for a heartbeat—then responded, his hands coming up to cup her face, pulling her closer. The kiss deepened, months of unspoken tension finally breaking free.
When they finally parted, both breathing hard, Yue Lian's cheeks were flushed. "I've wanted to do that for a long time."
"How long?"
"Since you saved my life. Maybe before." She smiled, shy and fierce at once. "Is this... are we...?"
"I don't know what we are," Chen Feng admitted. "I don't know what happens next, if I'll survive, if—"
She kissed him again, cutting off his words. "Then let's not worry about 'next.' Let's just... be. Right now."
[Relationship Status: Yue Lian]
[Loyalty: 100% (MAX)]
[Affection: 78% (↑↑)]
[Trust: 100% (MAX)]
[Status: Romantic Interest - CONFIRMED]
They didn't go further that night. Both knew the timing wasn't right, that there were too many uncertainties, too many dangers looming. But they held each other, finding comfort in the closeness, in the certainty of at least this one thing.
When morning came, they'd face the protagonist. The family. The tournament. The countless challenges ahead.
But for now, in the darkness before dawn, Chen Feng allowed himself this moment of peace.
Forty-one days remained.
But he wasn't alone anymore.
[End of Chapter 4]
[Next Chapter: "The Tournament Begins"]
[Major Events This Chapter:]
✓ Protagonist arrives (3 days early) ✓ Chen Feng observes from distance ✓ First meeting between protagonist and MC ✓ Seeds of manipulation planted ✓ Romance with Yue Lian advances (first kiss)
[Timeline Update:]
Days Passed: 8 Days Until Death: 41 Next Major Event: Family Tournament (2 days)