Chapter 2

Tang Chuyang had a strange dream, one that was incredibly fantastical and bizarre. In this dream, he saw many people who, by forming peculiar hand seals and chanting incantations, could summon a sky full of colorful lights, followed by silver-helmeted, golden-armored celestial soldiers and generals descending from the heavens. These celestial beings wielded long spears, swords, and sabers, engaging in fierce battles with those on the opposite side who also summoned celestial soldiers and generals.

The celestial soldiers and generals were ten zhang tall, mighty and imposing, causing the earth to shake with their every movement. A single slash of their swords or a thrust of their spears could split mountains and cleave valleys. The humans who summoned them either hid behind the celestial soldiers, stood on the shoulders of the celestial generals, or hid within their chests and abdomens. Their bodies shimmered with various colors, and every action they made was instantly and synchronously mimicked by the celestial generals they had summoned, their movements as agile and swift as those of humans less than one zhang tall.

The giants summoned were not just celestial soldiers and generals but also various creatures with animal heads and human bodies, or human heads and animal bodies. Tang Chuyang even saw many mythological creatures from the *Classic of Mountains and Seas*, including celestial soldiers and generals, star deities and celestial emperors, Zhu Rong and Gong Gong, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and even the legendary Azure Dragon and Fire Phoenix!

For some reason, Tang Chuyang knew very clearly that the ability to summon celestial soldiers and generals was called 'Divine Summoning,' and those who used hand seals to summon them were called 'Cultivators.'

Those who summoned celestial soldiers and generals, star deities, and celestial emperors were believers in the Heavenly Realm and were called 'Heavenly Cultivators.'

Those who summoned Di Jiang, Zhu Rong, and Gong Gong were believers in the Demon Realm and were called 'Demon Cultivators.'

Those who summoned Buddhas and Bodhisattvas were believers in the Western Paradise and were called 'Buddhist Cultivators.'

Those who summoned creatures like Ji Meng, Fei Lian, Jiu Ying, and Bi Fang were believers in the Demon Realm and were called 'Demon Cultivators.'

These bizarre and vivid experiences were so real that it felt as if Tang Chuyang had personally experienced them. Or perhaps, it wasn't just a dream but a memory that belonged to him.

When Tang Chuyang woke up again, he was certain that the long, vivid dream, which felt like it had spanned years, was indeed his own memory, or rather, a memory that had been integrated and absorbed by him. Therefore, Tang Chuyang was sure that he had been transported to a fantastical world where one could summon celestial soldiers and generals!

"This is incredible, I was actually transported here by a pig?!"

Opening his eyes, he saw the peculiar decor of the bedroom, completely different from Earth, and the carved dragon bed with silk curtains. Everywhere he looked, it was filled with an ancient and elegant atmosphere. He couldn't help but sigh in both helplessness and relief, realizing that he had truly been transported!

The helplessness came from suddenly finding himself in a completely unfamiliar world, which made Tang Chuyang feel very uncomfortable. The relief was that, while his Earth self had been turned into mush by the 500-pound hawthorn, he had been fortunate enough to be reborn in a more magical world, even though it was still unfamiliar to him.

"Being alive is good..."

After inheriting the memories of the previous Tang Chuyang, the Earth-born Tang Chuyang finally had a clearer understanding of the beautiful women from before. They were indeed all blood relatives—cousins, aunts, and sisters—and those who had been married were now widows!

This was all due to the wealthy old lady with a fate so strong that she had outlived all the men around her. This old lady, who brought death to any man who came near, was now Tang Chuyang's own grandmother, and a direct blood relative at that!

"Should I commit suicide again? Dying from a curse is really terrible..."

Thinking of the old lady with a fate harder than steel, Tang Chuyang felt a chill. He hesitated about whether to commit suicide and return to Earth, where at least he would die with a clear conscience.

Unfortunately, those who have experienced death and rebirth fear the experience of death the most. Tang Chuyang was clearly not someone who could face death without fear. After hesitating for half a second, he decisively crushed the thought of suicide, deciding to live as long as he could and deal with it when he couldn't bear it anymore.

"Since I am a descendant of the Ma Yi School, changing my fate shouldn't be too difficult!"

After moving his limbs, Tang Chuyang was surprised to find that his originally severe injuries had almost completely healed. When he first woke up, he had felt as if all his bones were broken, indicating serious injuries. However, when he remembered that in this world, one could summon celestial soldiers and generals, the rapid recovery of his injuries didn't seem so strange.

If one could summon deities, treating mere fractures was no big deal.

Moving stiffly, Tang Chuyang cautiously approached a full-length mirror nearby. Since being transported, he hadn't seen what he looked like.

After an unknown amount of time, Tang Chuyang finally stood in front of the mirror. The first thing he saw was a young, almost childlike, delicate face, no more than sixteen years old. According to the memories he had inherited, the current Tang Chuyang was indeed not yet sixteen, only fifteen and a half.

This body was about 1.7 meters tall, but rather slim and pale, making him appear somewhat weak. If not for the prominent Adam's apple, Tang Chuyang would look more like a delicate and weak girl.

"Too feminine, lacking in masculinity. I need to exercise more in the future..."

Tang Chuyang sighed slightly. The person in the mirror looked like a delicate and sensitive beauty, which was not the image he preferred. On Earth, although he was in his thirties, he had practiced several body-strengthening martial arts passed down by his master, making him a muscular man over 1.8 meters tall.

While Tang Chuyang was adjusting his appearance in the mirror, the red wooden door nearby creaked open, and a red figure quickly darted in. The red figure carefully closed the door and leaned against it, patting her chest in relief.

This was a charming and mischievous young girl, about sixteen or seventeen years old. After catching her breath, she looked at the bed, which seemed to be her final destination. However, when she saw that the bed was empty, she was surprised and opened her pink lips.

"Huh? Where is he?"

"Second Sister, why did you sneak into my room? If Grandmother finds out, she'll make you guard the ancestral hall again!"

These words came out of Tang Chuyang's mouth almost instinctively. The moment he saw the charming girl, he felt a sense of joy and warmth, along with a hint of helplessness. In his memories, this helplessness came from his second sister, Tang Chulan, who, although very caring, often enjoyed teasing her only younger brother.

"Ah!!!"

The sudden voice from behind startled Tang Chulan, who turned to see the person she was looking for standing beside her, smiling. Heart racing, she punched him in the chest in a mix of anger and embarrassment, saying, "Little Brother, you scared me to death! Who told you to get out of bed? Don't you know how badly you're injured?"

Her delicate fist was about to touch Tang Chuyang's thin chest when she suddenly realized he was still seriously injured. She quickly retracted her hand and gently stroked his chest, saying, "Sorry, I almost forgot you're still injured. Does it hurt? Did I hurt you?"

Seeing his second sister, who had promptly retracted her hand but still looked concerned, Tang Chuyang felt a lump in his throat. In his previous life, he had been alone and had never experienced such genuine care. This emotion was unique, indescribable, yet irresistible.

"I'm fine, your little brother is tough!"

As he spoke, Tang Chuyang tried to strike a bodybuilder pose, but his current frail body made the action look more like a skeleton dancing.

"Ha ha, Little Brother, I didn't know you had such a funny side. This isn't like you at all..."

Tang Chulan burst into laughter, finding her little brother's strange pose amusing. After a moment, she looked at Tang Chuyang without suspicion, glanced around furtively, and then pulled him to the bed, saying mysteriously, "Little Brother, guess what good thing Second Sister brought you?"

Seeing Tang Chulan's mysterious expression and her large, beautiful eyes, Tang Chuyang's mind flashed, and he suddenly remembered that when he first woke up, Tang Chulan had whispered something to him.

"Could it be a Ginseng Fruit?"

Tang Chuyang was somewhat surprised. Ginseng Fruits only existed in *Journey to the West*. Could Second Sister really have one?

Considering the magical and fantastical nature of this world, even if Second Sister did have a Ginseng Fruit, it wouldn't be too surprising.

However, a Ginseng Fruit that takes three thousand years to bloom, three thousand years to bear fruit, and three thousand years to mature, even the Monkey King from *Journey to the West* only dared to steal four. Could this charming and mischievous second sister really have one?

"Really boring, can't you pretend you don't know?"

Hearing her little brother guess the treasure she had brought, Tang Chulan pouted, but still held out a one-foot square yellow wooden box, carefully opening a small gap. Immediately, a rich fragrance filled the room, making Tang Chuyang's mouth water.

"Is it really a Ginseng Fruit?"

Tang Chuyang asked in surprise again. Just the fragrance alone had cleared his mind, and the effect was so miraculous that the item in the box couldn't be simple.

"What do you think?"

Tang Chulan glared at her little brother, who had already guessed but was still pretending to be clueless. She thought he must be acting silly because of his injuries.