Chapter 3: Plot and Protagonist

Chapter 3: Plot and Protagonist

3

Plot and Protagonist

I

As Hao Zhen stared at Tian Jins sleeping form, he did his best to stop himself from slamming his head against one of the nearby trees.

He had just dismissed the possibility of being inside a novelhe had just managed to convince himself that he was simply in another world instead and that all similarities were simply coincidencesand yet

No matter how he looked at it, Tian Jins trajectory so far, not to mention his appearance and behavior, were just like those of the protagonist of a cultivation novel. He ticked all the boxes, missing not even a single one.

But no. No. He wasnt inside some kind of cultivation novel. Hao Zhen couldnt accept that. There was no way Tian Jin was this worlds so-called protagonist. This was an alternate reality, and everything that had happened so far could simply be attributed to coincidences.

Then again Hao Zhen furrowed his brow, another idea occurring to him.

Parallel universes. Infinite possibilities.

Right.

He could accept the world and the people resembling the setting and characters of cultivation novels, so why couldnt the events of the world resemble the plot? Events were, after all, the result of people interacting with each other and with the world. Following that logic, since both the world and the people of his current life appeared to follow different rules, itd make sense if the same applied to the product of their interactionsto events. To fate.

Still

Hao Zhen gritted his teeth, stopping himself from dwelling on this matter any further. Now wasnt the time for this. Hed have plenty of time to theorize and agonize over the nature of reality in the future. Right now, there were other things he had to take care of.

He looked at Tian Jin, debating whether to wake him up, before finally deciding against it. After realizing a couple of things about Tian Jin, he decided that there was something else he needed to do first.nove(l)bi(n.)com

Ignoring Tian Jin for the time being, Hao Zhen made his way over to Ke Lis corpse.

As he walked, he reviewed what he knew of the plot of cultivation novels. Usually, there was something on the corpse of enemies that would be useful in some way. It wasnt always the case, but it happened more often than not, and it was particularly common at the beginning of novels. Based on what he knew of Tian Jin, Hao Zhen believed that that was where the trajectory of the world was currently at, analogously.

Becoming a rogue cultivator would be dangerous, certainly, but as he was a mere outer disciple, he didnt believe that the sect would send anyone after him for desertion. And if he hid in a small mundane village and laid low, he could probably live a long and peaceful life. He even had the things on Ke Lis spatial ring, as well as the spatial ring itself, all of which he could find a way to sell and get himself enough money to start a new life.

But was that what he wanted? He was in a magical worlddid he really want to live a simple life in the countryside, no matter how safe itd be?

After all, he had many questions about why the world was the way it was and his transmigration, and he wantedhe neededanswers. Answers he wouldnt have any chance of getting while leading an ordinary life. He didnt think hed be able to live an ordinary life anymore, even if he wanted to. He had no doubt that his questions about the nature of reality and his transmigration would keep eating away at him, giving him no peace of mind.

Before deciding on his plans for the future, however, Hao Zhen wanted to know what Tian Jin thought of the situation. Hed then think some more about his plans going forward based on what the potential protagonist had to say.

Having come to a decision, Hao Zhen made his way over to Tian Jin, who was still asleep. As he walked, he was suddenly struck by the feeling that he was forgetting something, but quickly dismissed it. If it was important, he wouldnt have forgotten it.

And then he froze.

He felt like he was forgetting something, and he had just decided to ignore it.

His instincts as Hao Zhen were telling him to just move on and that it wasnt important. Ignoring his intuition had become the norm for him. On the other hand, his newfound instincts as Amyas were screaming at him to stop and rack his head to remember whatever it was he was forgetting.

Hao Zhen decided to listen to his Amyas side. He had already raised enough red flags.

He closed his eyes, focusing. There was something he was forgetting, and it was probably significant. Something that would probably become a problem later on. He recalled the recent events: waking up, struggling with his memories, and getting Ke Lis spatial ring from his corpse. Nothing wrong so far. He went further back. He had arrived at the clearing, at the fight scene No, still nothing. Further back, then. He had arrived at the meet-up location but found nobody there. No sign of Ke Li, Tian Jin, or Duo Lan.

Duo Lan.

His heart skipped.

Right. She was what he had forgotten. Was she in on Ke Lis plot? She certainly didnt seem like she had any goodwill toward Tian Jin. However, she had yet to make an appearance, so that was unlikely. But if she had nothing to do with this, where was she? And why hadnt she been at the meet-up location last night?

Hao Zhen had no time to lose. He hurriedly walked over to Tian Jin. He had to wake him up and get the situation in order before Duo Lan came back. She had gotten second place in the entrance examination and was probably at the second level of the Red Spiritual Realm already. He didnt think he would be able to handle her if she turned out to be an enemy.

He first tried to call out to Tian Jin, but he seemed to be in deep sleep. Only after he started shaking him did the taller boy stir. Hao Zhen took a step back and collected his thoughts, carefully considering what he was about to say.

Tian Jin opened his eyes.