I have no idea how I ended up in this godforsaken place. My last memory is of conquering the great empire of Sabak with Liuzi, Tiantian, and Long Ge at the internet cafe.

Yet, what met my eyes was sheer horror. People were brutally cut down before me—the mournful cries of warhorses, piercing screams, and the sight of flesh and bone torn asunder. I thought it was a nightmare, and fear made me want to scream, but that only drew a charging warhorse toward me. It slammed into me, sending me flying. My chest felt like it was exploding, blood erupted from my mouth, and the pain was excruciating, unbearable! I knew this couldn't be a dream because dreams don't register pain. But where in the hell was I, and why was I here? Despite my desperate need to know, the knight who had just struck me wheeled his horse around and charged again, his face contorted in a savage snarl, his eyes bloodthirsty—a demon incarnate. I fought desperately to evade, but my body wouldn't obey; I couldn't even stand. I didn't want to die, especially not meaninglessly. But I knew I couldn't escape the massive steel saber slicing down toward me. In utter despair, I closed my eyes.

Thud!

The sound of a heavy object hitting the ground. What was that? I opened my eyes to see a tall man clad in battle armor, gripping a steel saber, standing before me. In front of him lay the corpse of my attacker, bisected. Recognizing the distinct green armor, I knew it was the knight who had attacked me, though now both he and his mount were split into four pieces.

"Go!" Before I could even process it, the warrior who saved me scooped me up under his arm. With a blur of swift movement, he vaulted onto a waiting warhorse with me still cradled!

"Hah!"

The horse immediately bolted into a full gallop! Everything in their path was either cleaved in two by the warrior's blade or trampled aside by the runaway steed. In the blink of an eye, the horse bore us out of the encirclement.

Only then did I feel safe, but the horse kept running at breakneck speed, showing no sign of slowing. In the distance, I saw a wide river and a large ship docked there, upon which stood a dozen figures dressed identically to my rescuer.

In a moment, the charging warhorse thundered to the riverbank and leaped onto the deck. Simultaneously, the ship pushed off and began moving rapidly.

"Chen Feng! You're hurt!"

"Dong Lun and the others... they're dead!" So, the warrior who saved me was named Chen Feng, though I didn't know who Lun was. Though I desperately wanted to understand the situation, I knew silence was the safest course right now.

"Xiao Man is hurt too! Tend to him!" Feng clearly paid no mind to his own injuries. I could feel the anxiety and heartbreak in his gaze as he looked at me.

Mmph! The pain forced a muffled groan from me, though it sounded like only a vague grunt. I could only nod instinctively, clutching my chest. The agony was real, not faked, and Chen Feng gently lowered me onto the deck. Only then did the tension in my mind truly ease. At least for now, I was temporarily safe, assuming I hadn't given away my true identity. From their brief exchange, I learned that in this body, I was a child named Xiao Man. I took the opportunity to observe Chen Feng and the others closely.

They were tall and powerfully built, each bearing a steel saber. Clearly, they were warriors, formidable and strong. But what shocked me most was that some of them had blue or golden hair, and their eyes were various colors, yet their features didn't look jarringly out of place, certainly not like Western Caucasians. A strange world, strange people. Of course, I desperately wanted to see what I looked like now, but there were no mirrors around. I also knew this wasn't the time to search for one.

"How do you feel?" Since I didn't know the name of the warrior attending me, I could only nod slightly, painting my face with an expression of pain.

"You were very brave! Don't worry, drink this." The warrior produced a small, red ceramic bottle. Clearly visible on the bottle were three characters. Though they weren't Han characters—just three strange symbols—I recognized them instantly, as if it were entirely natural. I couldn't explain it, but I felt it wasn't that strange; if I could inexplicably arrive in this world, inexplicably recognizing these characters was no stranger. The three symbols bore a slight resemblance to modern Korean script.

Healing Potion! My heart lurched. Examining the shape of the red bottle gave me an odd sense of familiarity. Healing Potion! Healing Potion! Suddenly, I felt plunged into an ice bath. This potion was identical to the ones I’d seen in Legend! I also noticed the steel sabers hanging at the warriors' waists—that specific style was exactly like the Zhanmadao from Legend. Even their armor looked the same as the heavy armor sets in the game. No wonder it felt familiar. Could this bizarre place be the world of Fama from Legend?

"Here," the young warrior uncorked the healing potion and handed it to me. A faint, herbaceous fragrance drifted into my nostrils, somewhat reminiscent of licorice root upon closer inspection.

Hesitantly, I took the bottle and took a sip! A cool sweetness flowed down my throat into my stomach. I could distinctly feel the trajectory of that coolness, and within moments, all the pain vanished miraculously. Long-lost vitality flooded back into my body; at least I no longer felt numb and weak.

Instinctively reaching for another sip, my hand met empty air. The young warrior had snatched the potion back.

"You little rascal, do you think this is water? One sip isn't enough?" The young warrior clearly cherished the potion. He carefully screwed the cap back on, then tucked the bottle into a small pouch at his waist, wearing an expression of genuine loss.

Feeling slightly embarrassed, I could only manage a small smile.

Meanwhile, Chen Feng's wound was being cleaned by another young warrior and wrapped in white gauze.

Though I desperately wanted to figure out what was happening, I dared not ask. After all, this wretched body belonged to a child, and I was stranded in such a dangerous place. I must be the unluckiest transmigrator in this entire world.

So, for safety, I decided to speak as little as possible; that should significantly reduce the chance of exposing myself. My second goal was to understand the current situation. After careful consideration, the only viable approach was to glean information from their conversations. At the very least, I needed to ascertain the identity of this boy named Man.

"It has to be Yuan Jia!" Chen Feng ground out through gritted teeth. "I've suspected that guy was trouble for ages."

"We can't be sure yet. We must wait until we see the Clan Head," the other young warrior replied uncertainly.

"I just hope I never run into him again, or I'll make him wish he’d never been born!" Chen Feng’s eyes blazed with terrifying intensity, and the cracking sound of his clenched fists was sharp and grating. The knuckles shone a ghastly, pale white. "We can't let Dong Lun and the others die for nothing! I will have revenge for this!"

"Chen Feng! Calm down!"

"How can you ask me to be calm?" Chen Feng snarled. "If Dong Lun hadn't shielded us with his life, neither I nor Xiao Man would have made it back alive!"

.............................................

The young warrior watched the grief-stricken, near-frenzied Chen Feng with helplessness, unsure what to do.

"Big Brother Feng, don't be sad!" Driven by impulse, I stood up and walked to Chen Feng's side, gripping his hand tightly. When I came to my senses, I was stunned. What was happening? Why was my body acting this way? It all felt so natural. For some reason, seeing Chen Feng so sad made me feel terrible, as if a huge hole had been punched through my heart, leaving behind emptiness and tearing pain. Had the original soul of this body not dissipated? The thought sent a jolt through me.

"It's alright, Xiao Man," Chen Feng seemed to calm down, but I could feel he didn't want me to worry.

Perhaps the deaths of Dong Lun and the others had cast a pall over everyone, as the ship fell into an unnatural silence. My plan to decipher events through their dialogue was thus thwarted.

In a daze, I must have drifted off to sleep. It was the sound of noisy footsteps that startled me awake; the boat had stopped. After disembarking, we rode horseback for half a day, seeing only desolate wilderness along the way. Occasionally, we spotted monsters lurking in the plains: creatures with the bodies of cats and the heads of men, wielding weapons like rakes—I instantly recognized them as Rake Cats. There were also straw-stuffed figures resembling puppets—Scarecrows. My mind confirmed it: this was definitely the Fama Continent from Legend. What in the world was going on?

We rode hard without stopping until we reached something resembling a village. On the wooden entrance gate, I clearly saw four strange symbols, but I effortlessly read the four characters: Yinxing Village (Ginkgo Village)! Following the main path through the large wooden gate, I found a substantial residence, like a manor, protected by a formidable iron gate. Above the main entrance hung two large symbols that I recognized: Ye Family.

Many people stood waiting to greet us. Their expressions showed deep anxiety and fear. Though I didn't know the specifics, the deaths of Dong Lun and the others proved the gravity of the situation. Perhaps some of these people were Dong Lun's relatives, I conjectured silently. The crowd consisted of old and young, men and women. It was easy for me to identify a man in his late forties or early fifties standing in the center of the group; he was likely the master here—Chen Feng’s lord. Chen Feng walked toward the middle-aged man, his face etched with guilt, and began speaking. I couldn't hear the words, but Chen Feng grew visibly more agitated. However, these figures couldn't hold my attention. My eyes seemed to move against my will, constantly scanning the crowd. Then, my gaze locked onto a woman in her early thirties, possessing a delicate beauty and dressed plainly. Her face was both unfamiliar and yet evoked a powerful, ancestral feeling of kinship. I didn't know why I started to weep, but I uncontrollably rushed forward and buried myself in her embrace, sobbing desperately as tears streamed down like water from a broken faucet.

"Mama, I'm so scared, waah!"

It was impossible to explain this phenomenon. It felt as if another soul was controlling my body, and I could only watch coldly as my physical self cried without restraint. In that moment, I finally understood: the spirit within me hadn't vanished completely. Yet, I felt no fear or terror; instead, I felt a sense of peace and groundedness, as if things were supposed to be this way. Familial affection, I realized, was the most moving thing in the world. I could no longer suppress my emotions. If before, I cursed fate for throwing me into this inexplicable world, now I was overwhelmingly grateful to the God of Destiny because he had given me family. As an orphan in my previous life, I had dreamed countless times of collapsing into my mother’s embrace, acting spoiled, and feeling her love and warmth. Now, that dream was easily realized. Without needing a reason, I knew that the person holding me was this body's mother—or rather, my mother. This feeling was wonderful. Truly wonderful.

"It's good that you're back!" Mother clutched me tightly, also weeping silently. Though she couldn't speak, I truly felt her heart’s message. Simultaneously, flashes of memories about my mother sprang into my mind. I realized she was mute. A searing, knife-like pain pierced my heart.

It turned out, Mother was a mute.

I don't know when I passed out. When I awoke, Mother was still by my side, her face a map of tender affection.

"Poor child!" She gently stroked my cheek. "You must have been terrified!" Her loving gaze made me feel utterly captivated and intoxicated. I simply stared at her, unable to look away, determined to etch her image permanently into my memory. No one had ever made me feel this way. At this moment, I began to fear that this was all a dream. If I woke up, my mother would be gone.

Her long, blue hair cascaded over her shoulders. Her features were delicate, possessing the uniquely captivating softness of an Eastern woman. Most captivating were her eyes: bright, clear, and black like a cold autumn pool. She was more beautiful than any female celebrity I had ever seen—undeniably a breathtaking beauty.

"Silly boy, it’s time to eat!" Mother seemed slightly flustered by my intense gaze, but her expressive eyes clearly betrayed her inner emotions. She gently pinched my nose and then left my room. Only then did I have a chance to look around my own room. A hard wooden bed with a canopy draped in netting. Across from the bed stood a large wardrobe. Near the window was a table holding a few books. Next to the wardrobe, there was a large mirror. The room felt simple and antique, yet nothing felt foreign; everything seemed natural.

Wait! A mirror! I quickly got up, put on my shoes, and walked to the mirror. But when I saw my reflection clearly, I nearly collapsed.

The person in the mirror had long black hair and black eyes. His features resembled Mother's by about seventy percent, yet he lacked her fragility, appearing instead as a cool young heartthrob—a look slightly reminiscent of the protagonist from Chūka Ichiban!, though perhaps a bit smaller in the head. Black hair, black eyes! Mother had blue hair and black eyes. I supposed my black hair must be inherited from the father I never met. I mulled this over privately. At least this aspect was similar to my former self, which offered some small comfort. But this physique… I sighed with resignation again.

Incredibly, this world possessed something analogous to toothpaste and a toothbrush. The difference was that the 'toothpaste' here was a powder, while the 'toothbrush' looked nearly identical to those in my previous life, just cruder—the handle was made of wood. Even so, I harbored a suspicion: perhaps I wasn't the only transmigrator here, given the similarity of these items to my old world.

Breakfast was simple: eggs, milk, and bread. Only Mother and I were eating.