Ziqian easily accepted that he had already died and transmigrated. This situation was actually much better than continue staying on Earth, loathed by the people he once considered friends. If he had ever had the ability to restart his life, he would have done so a long time ago.
He still thought himself lucky that his death had not been a painful one.
Even if he had no true sense of belonging there, he would still miss some people—Grandma Wang, Uncle Chen, and Ah-Yan. He would also miss his collection of books and his hard-earned, brand-new cellphone, but that didn't mean he wished to return. After all, he had no reason to.
Ziqian's grandmother had sacrificed so much for him, even giving up medication so that he might live a little more comfortably for one day. If not for the shame of facing her in the afterlife without having achieved anything, he might have followed her not long after her passing. That was why, even when exhausted, he continued living an unfulfilling and monotonous life.
Blessed with a second chance, he set his heart on finding joy and realizing the last wish his grandmother had left behind.
Clear-headed, Ziqian noticed that his body was quite different from before. His hands were soft and pale. The scars and calluses earned through years of hard labor were no longer there.
He was also dressed in branded clothes—things he could never have afforded with his meager salary.
"Am I occupying someone else's body?" he asked.
Just imagining that he had taken over another person's body made Ziqian uneasy, as if he had stolen that person's life.
"No, this is your body. Time was too short—just enough to save your soul. Your body was also severely burned, so they created a new vessel for you," Phi answered honestly.
"Ziqian's new body is very outstanding and perfectly crafted. It's already adjusted to this world's physique, so you have nothing to worry about," Ero added enthusiastically.
He sighed in relief.
But if given the choice, he would much prefer that his appearance not be too outstanding, for he knew well the troubles that came with it.
"Do you want to see yourself, Ziqian?" Gae asked.
Before he could answer, a blue, screen-like mirror appeared in front of him, reflecting a young man who looked about eighteen, his features delicate and striking. He resembled his former self by roughly eighty percent.
The young man's skin was porcelain-clear, made paler still by his long, straight, ink-black hair. His peach blossom eyes, framed by long, curling lashes, carried a subtle allure, while the small red teardrop mole beneath his left eye gave him an indescribable charm.
Ziqian touched his bow-shaped lips, reddened further by the motion, then traced the bridge of his perfectly straight nose. His new appearance was undeniably effeminate and otherworldly—a flawless blend of innocence and seductive beauty.
Staring at his reflection, Ziqian stood dazed. A headache began to form. This face was far more beautiful than his previous one, and he knew it would surely bring unwanted complications.
"Do you like it?" Ero asked, his small movements filled with anticipation.
They might not have crafted Ziqian's body, but the garments they chose only served to accentuate his beauty. Now, they all waited, eager to be praised as useful guardians.
Ziqian felt conflicted.
His fingers lingered on the familiar teardrop mole. Hesitantly, he asked, "Is there any chance I could change bodies?"
He could not see the expressions of the four fluff balls, but he sensed their unhappiness from the dimming of their fur.
"Don't you like your new body, Ziqian?" Ero asked softly, rubbing his cheek against Ziqian's. His voice was low and gentle. "We should have put in more effort, but time was too limited. Your soul wouldn't have lasted long without a vessel," he explained.
"We can try asking the higher-ups if you're really not satisfied," Phi added, "but it may take some time."
Ziqian didn't know whether to laugh or cry. If he didn't explain himself clearly, these little fluff balls might misunderstand and think his standards were impossibly high—that he wasn't satisfied simply because his appearance wasn't perfect enough.
"It's not that I dislike it," Ziqian said patiently. "But so many of the misfortunes in my last life were born from my appearance—and ultimately, even my death was tied to it. So I believe it would be better if, this time, my looks weren't so striking." He spoke earnestly, hoping the four fluff balls would understand and help him change his body.
Gae bobbed his body up and down, signaling that he understood.
Of course, they knew every detail of Ziqian's life, from the moment he was born up to his final breath—everything had been clearly recorded in the Akashic Records.
That record was now under investigation. Even without the final conclusion, they were certain his death hadn't been solely because of his appearance. But they couldn't disclose that to him just yet.
"You want to be ugly?" Ero asked in surprise.
"No, no, that's not it," Ziqian hurriedly denied, afraid they would misunderstand again.
"Don't mind him, Ziqian," Gae interjected, ramming into Ero hard enough to send him bouncing several meters away.
"Hey!"
Ignoring his brother, Gae floated in front of Ziqian, as though meeting his eyes. Despite his childlike voice, there was a rare seriousness in his tone.
"Ziqian, like Phi said earlier, we can request to change your body. When that time comes, you'll be able to choose any type of body you want. But know this—the process of extracting the soul from a fully functioning vessel is said to be excruciating, a hundred times more painful than childbirth."
Ziqian wasn't sure if Gae was bluffing to scare him or telling the truth. Either way, the thought of his soul being forcefully drawn out made his stomach twist in discomfort.
Seeing his disbelief, Gae continued anyway. "If you want to be fat, slim, tall, or short, that's possible. But your appearance will always bear some resemblance to your current self."
Ziqian frowned. "Why?"
Another blue screen appeared before him, displaying countless figures. They varied in height, weight, gender, and skin color—but none of them had faces. The facelessness made Ziqian's skin crawl.
"Your face is the mirror of your soul," Gae explained. "It's carried with you into every body you inhabit. Humans can alter their appearance, yes—but if they stray too far from who they truly are, their vessel will crumble and distort, like a paper mask tearing apart as it tries to fit."
"I see." Ziqian nodded slowly. "So this is what my soul really looks like?"
"You're much more beautiful than that," Phi said, rubbing against his neck that made him squirm from the ticklish sensation.
Ero, still dizzy from rolling around, added proudly, "We're the ones who picked your clothes." His voice carried the stubborn hope of being praised.
Ziqian smiled wearily and glanced at his reflection again.
He was dressed in a loose white poplin shirt with ruffled wide sleeves, the V-neck collar exposing the delicate curve of his neck and collarbone. It was tucked into high-waisted, black pleated trousers that gave him a refined silhouette—like a prince stepped out of a Western fairytale.
Were it not for the pair of pink, fluffy rabbit slippers.
"Pfft. It's cute," Ziqian chuckled.
"Nia chose that. It ruins the whole outfit," Ero grumbled.
"Sorry…" Nia whispered softly.
"Hahaha, it's fine. I like everything. Thank you very much." Ziqian laughed warmly, reaching out to rub each fluff ball in turn. "You called yourselves guardians earlier. Will you really accompany me in this world?"
Phi: At least two of us will stay with you every day.
Gae: As guardians, we'll help you in every way we can. You'll also receive rewards once you complete tasks.
Ziqian's face lit up as he recalled how systems often became the cheats of protagonists in the transmigration novels. "Like those systems in the stories, you'll give me rewards after I complete tasks too," he murmured.
Ero: Hmph. Don't lump us in with those copycats. They're nothing but cheap imitations, created by greedy civilizations trying to play god.
Phi: Ziqian, don't believe those novels. Systems aren't nearly as wonderful as they're made out to be. They actually cause more harm than good to their so-called hosts.
Nia: Parasites.
Gae: Systems trick their hosts into thinking it's a partnership, but in reality, they're just exploiting them endlessly.
Ero: Those shitty systems aren't even worth a single strand of our fur!
Ziqian could sense the hostility in the guardians' voices the moment he mentioned systems. He didn't know the full story, but since they claimed to be different, there was no point in arguing. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."
Gae: No need to apologize.
Ero: Yeah! This isn't the first time humans have mistaken us for systems because of the schemes behind those presumptuous fools.
Ero and Phi launched into a rant, going back and forth like a duet, cursing the artificial intelligences—mere sets of bothersome numbers—that masqueraded as systems. Eventually, Gae grew tired of their bickering and cut them off.
Gae: Forget it, Ziqian. Allow me to transmit the details of this world to you instead.
"Yes, please," he replied immediately.
Whatever those schemes were, they had nothing to do with him. What mattered now was understanding the world he would be living in.
[Sending information...]
[Completed!]
Knowledge began to stream into Ziqian's mind, seeping in as if he had always known it.
This realm was one of the worlds under the dominion of the Beast God, Cernunnos. Its land consisted of a single archipelago called Gaia, inhabited by three genders: beasts, females, and sub-beasts.
Beasts were men who could freely transform between human form and their genetically inherited animal form. They possessed immense strength and were responsible for hunting food for their tribes. Beasts also exuded pheromones—both a means of intimidation against rivals and a lure for females and sub-beasts.
Females, on the other hand, were only capable of partial transformation and produced no pheromones. Frail bodies and low fertility marked their existence, and most domestic tasks, like cooking and gathering, were left to them.
The Beast God had created Gaia, bestowing intelligence and transformation to protect its people. But this gift had left females fragile, their numbers dwindling to near extinction.
To preserve them and ensure reproduction, the Beast God had created sub-beasts—males incapable of transformation, weaker than females, yet highly fertile. Their pheromones soothed beasts and enhanced their abilities during battle, making them precious and heavily protected.
Ziqian frowned as the knowledge settled.
The more he learned about this world, the heavier his heart grew.
He had prepared himself for hardship, but the reality was far worse than expected—a primitive world without electricity, houses, transportation, or even the internet. Even their food needed to be hunted.
As a man from the 21st century, how am I supposed to live in a place crawling with ferocious monsters?
In this world, monsters served as the primary food source—but they were not easy prey. Their strength was measured by the number of horns they bore.
The large, fat rabbit he had seen earlier had been a one-horned monster.
Most one-horned monsters were weak herbivores, rarely attacking unless threatened. Yet they were astonishingly nimble, making them difficult to capture.
But while people hunted monsters for food, stronger, more vicious monsters hunted people in turn.
This realm could be described in a single phrase—survival of the fittest.
After processing everything Gae had sent, Ziqian finally muttered, "...Can I request a refund for this transmigration?"