Chapter 1: The Foolish Son is Saved!
As dusk fell, the setting sun melted like gold.
Yuan Ye panted like an ox, bent his head low, and with his friend on his back, he climbed the mountain ridge with difficulty. Looking up, the scene before him finally opened up, no longer the endless, dark mountains, but a vast expanse of gray, desolate wilderness.
A large river also flowed diagonally across the wilderness, shimmering in the afterglow of the setting sun, a picture of peaceful times.
Admiring this beautiful scenery, Yuan Ye breathed a huge sigh of relief, a faint smile appearing on his face. However, this smile quickly vanished. He squatted down, gently placed his unconscious friend on the ground, checked his forehead temperature and pulse, and sighed silently.
They had an accident during their hiking trip.
He was studying abroad in Nagoya, Japan. Just as winter break began for his second year, his best friend and “silly son” from high school, Meng Ziqi, excitedly crossed the sea to visit him—ostensibly to visit, but actually to take the opportunity to travel. Meng Ziqi was an active little fatty studying at a 211 university in China and had long wanted to visit Japan.
The two hadn’t seen each other for over a year, but there was no awkwardness between them. They chatted and laughed, reminiscing about each other’s embarrassing pasts, and wandered around Nagoya for five or six days. Then, Meng Ziqi became deeply bored, feeling that Japan wasn’t as interesting as in anime. He then wanted to see some natural scenery and visit Mount Ise to take some photos and brag about it later. However, as soon as they entered the mountains, they encountered a dense mountain fog.
The fog was so thick that people and animals were indistinguishable beyond one meter, and beyond three meters, only sounds could be heard, not people.
They had never seen such a heavy fog. Moreover, they heard the roar of thunder within the fog, and in the shifting light and shadow, it seemed like lightning was striking. This made them afraid to stay put, fearing they might be struck down by divine retribution. They could only move forward by feel. This led to the accident—Yuan Ye was scouting ahead and stepped into an empty space. It was Meng Ziqi, this silly son, who desperately lunged forward and pulled him back, preventing him from breaking his neck. Unfortunately, Meng Ziqi suffered greatly from the excessive force, hitting his head on… it was unclear in the fog, possibly a rock. He lost consciousness on the spot.
When Yuan Ye finally found an open, flat, and relatively safe place, and managed to hold on until the mountain fog slowly dissipated, Meng Ziqi still hadn’t woken up. He had no choice but to abandon most of his belongings, keeping only a hiking backpack with some emergency supplies and a small amount of food and water, which he hung on his chest. He then put Meng Ziqi on his back and began his journey of self-rescue.
It was very difficult. He couldn’t find the mountain path they had taken, and his mobile phone had no signal, so he couldn’t call for rescue. He could only roughly determine the direction and force his way over mountains and ridges.
He walked for more than half a day, winding and stumbling, his legs trembling with exhaustion, sweat pouring like mud, and his breathing as heavy as an old ox. He was on the verge of despair when, finally, at dusk, he saw a glimmer of hope for rescue.
However, as long as there was hope, it was good!
He slightly steadied his breathing, checked Meng Ziqi again, and confirmed that his injuries had not worsened. He then put him back on his back and headed down the mountain, plunging into the dense forest.
He needed to get Meng Ziqi to a hospital quickly. He hoped this kid would be alright, otherwise, he might regret it for the rest of his life and be too ashamed to go home!
…
Going downhill was easier, and Yuan Ye walked much lighter. As the trees thinned and the terrain gradually flattened, he heard faint singing carried by the mountain wind.
He cursed inwardly, thinking he had finally encountered people, and put more strength into his legs and feet, speeding downhill. However, as soon as he emerged from the forest, before he could even call for help, he immediately stopped in his tracks, his joy vanishing instantly.
This was a natural platform located halfway up the mountain. In the center of the platform was a huge black rock. Now, a group of short figures in strange clothing were stamping their feet and clapping their hands in a semi-circle around the rock, as if dancing and praying. In front of the rock, a person was slowly twisting their body, singing a bizarre ballad with a drawn-out voice. Most importantly, a person was placed on the rock, seemingly a live sacrifice.
To be honest, the scene was a bit eerie, fitting perfectly into a horror movie.
Yuan Ye hesitated to move forward for a moment, adjusted the friend on his back, and his gaze became vigilant and deep.
He had been studying abroad in Japan for quite some time and knew well that Japan was full of superstitious cults, doomsday beliefs, eternal life beliefs, and worship of evil gods and demons. These things caused human lives to be lost every now and then. Now he had encountered one. In this desolate mountain wilderness, if they happened to bury him and Meng Ziqi as well, he wouldn’t even have a place to cry injustice. He couldn’t help but be vigilant.
However, the sound of his quick dash out of the forest was not small. One of the short figures, wearing a conical hat and holding a bamboo pole, was quite vigilant. Hearing the sound, he turned his head and let out a shout. Instantly, the group of short figures turned their heads collectively to look at him.
Under everyone’s gaze, Yuan Ye raised his eyebrows, his expression becoming calmer, his gaze deeper. He steadied his friend on his back with one hand and tightly gripped the taser in the mesh pocket of his hiking backpack with the other—legally purchased. As an international student with a friend who didn’t speak Japanese, wandering around a foreign country, he had to have a self-defense weapon to avoid being at a disadvantage if something happened. He hesitated whether to slowly retreat back into the forest, but he feared that a retreat might backfire, provoke these cultists, and escalate the situation, making it even more dangerous.
The main reason was that he wasn’t confident that he could escape from such a large group of pursuers in an unfamiliar mountain forest, especially when it was getting dark and he was already exhausted, all while carrying a fatty.
He remained silent for a moment, his mind rapidly processing strategies. The group opposite them also remained silent, just staring at him foolishly. The only sounds were the whistling of the cold wind and the rustling of the mixed forest.
…
Jubei was bewildered. He was singing a lament, praying to the mountain god for his companions to be shown mercy, to be freed from illness and regain their health. Unexpectedly, two people suddenly appeared from the mountain, and they were clearly people of unusual status.
The one being carried was not very clear, but the one carrying him was extraordinary. With sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, he had a handsome face and a tall build, definitely over six shaku （ one shaku is approximately 0.269 meters ）, perhaps even seven shaku, looking strong and powerful.
He also had neat short hair that was clearly meticulously trimmed. Although his skin wasn’t as fair as that of noble ladies in the city, it was quite lustrous, indicating he had been pampered since childhood and well-fed.
His attire was somewhat peculiar, but the fabric looked fine and luxurious, even shimmering slightly in the setting sun, more beautiful than coarse silk （ a type of rough silk ）, and certainly not something ordinary people could possess. Even ordinary local lords wouldn’t have such beautiful and exquisite clothing.
Jubei dared to swear by his more than ten years of service at Aragiko Castle that the person before him was definitely an important figure, perhaps even a noble or dignitary. In any case, he was not someone that ordinary family retainers or followers （ household servants and retainers ） like himself could afford to offend.
Jubei stared blankly for a moment, then his heart trembled. Seeing the “important figure” staring coldly at him with displeasure, as if blaming him for his lack of manners and for standing there foolishly without paying respects, he quickly stepped forward, knelt down skillfully, and bowed deeply, saying, “My apologies, Lord. I am Jubei, the head of the Hibitsu Village laborers. May I ask if there is anything this humble servant can do for you?”
Yuan Ye became even more bewildered. While it was true that Japanese people liked to kneel, he had never seen anyone bow their head upon first meeting. And this person’s attire…
Looking closer, the old man appeared to be over fifty years old. He was very short, estimated to be around 1.45 meters. He wore a faded coarse cloth jacket （ a type of short robe ）, and over it, a dark blue short haori （ a vest-like garment with a long hem ） printed with six white circles. He wore a narrow, coarse cloth belt around his waist, with a short sword over thirty centimeters long inserted diagonally. Below that were wide Ōhakama that reached his calves and straw sandals with three-button fastenings on his bare feet.
How to put it?
The old man’s body was quite robust. While Nagoya winters aren’t very cold, usually around 4-5 degrees Celsius, and not very windy, in such weather, wearing only a single layer of clothing and a vest with exposed calves, he was incredibly resistant to the cold!
Moreover, the short sword was also suspicious. Not only did it lack a scabbard, but the blade had many fine nicks and black, greasy dirt. It clearly had been in fierce collisions with other ironware. The more he looked, the more it resembled a murder weapon.
The old man’s hairstyle was also a bit strange. The front was either bald from shaving or naturally so, but it was half-bald. The remaining hair was tied with a cloth strip into an ‘n’-shaped topknot at the back, a style reminiscent of the Japanese Medieval Period found in museums.
He didn’t quite understand what the old man was saying. His accent seemed very heavy, and he only caught the words “Lord” and “need.” The other words were somewhat indistinct…
Yuan Ye was puzzled and glanced at the group of people in the distance. He noticed that their attire was similar to the old man’s, except they didn’t have the short haori with “six white circles.” They were also dressed thinly and shabbily, and they were all short, with anyone over 1.55 meters considered tall.
It didn’t seem like they were cosplaying ancient people; they were too dedicated, too real, too immersed, with not a single flaw!
Looking at everything before him, Yuan Ye adjusted the friend on his back, and then thought about everything strange he had encountered after getting caught in the heavy fog and lightning in the mountains—
Mount Ise Range is a modern, well-developed hiking area, with popular tourist attractions like hot springs for the elderly and Shuten-dōji. There should be many mountain inns, sanatoriums, guesthouses, and hiking stations, and plenty of tourists. Yet, he had wandered in the mountains with his silly son for most of the day and hadn’t seen a single living person!
Not only did he not see any living people, but he also encountered various wild animals continuously.
Rabbits and pheasants darted and flew everywhere, herds of deer roamed around, and he had seen large piles of dung in the valley that appeared to be from wild boars. His mobile phone had completely lost signal, and as he passed through several pine forests, he continuously found large quantities of high-quality pine mushrooms that no one had picked. Flocks of egrets flew towards Lake Biwa.
At the time, he was carrying someone and was exhausted from climbing mountains, barely able to catch his breath. He didn’t think much of it then, but now, reflecting on it…
A bad premonition began to stir in his heart. It was hard to believe, yet there was no other explanation. Rather than comforting himself by thinking he had encountered a large-scale reality show where a TV station was randomly pranking tourists, he would rather believe he had transmigrated.
But he had transmigrated like this, without any sensation, while carrying his unconscious silly son?
Where had he transmigrated to?
