Liang Fei woke up... confused.

Where am I? He thought, looking around. There was nothing but mist and grey as far as the eye can see. His body felt light and not really there.

(AN: Have I just given up my attempt at mimicking? Meh, you guys decide.)

He tried to remember how he'd gotten there but his last memory was just feeling really tired for some reason and falling asleep. Was he dead? He must be but how did he die? He mentally listed out the ways one could die in a house that would cause him to fall asleep. There were quite a few. He then thought of that loud beep he could have sworn he heard some time before he felt drowsy.

"Carbon monoxide poisoning." He muttered, less upset than he should be. He wasn't happy about being dead but it's already happened so what was the point of panicking? There were worse ways to go. At the very least, it was painless.

(AN: Fei is a bit of a pragmatist, as you can see.)

Setting that aside, he now wanted to know where he was. After looking around for a bit, he saw something coming toward him. What it was, Liang Fei had no clue. I looked like a ball of silver fluff but shiny. When it got close enough, it spoke, shocking him.

[Howdy! How are ya doing, host?] It asked, its tone upbeat and whimsical. Well, it would be if it didn't sound so forced. It reminded him of those falsely cheery cashiers he saw in stores.

"Fine... I guess." He answered, not sure what to make of this situation. "Who are you?"

[Me? Personally, it doesn't matter but you can call me 'System Q', if ya want.] Liang Fei frowned, feeling more lost than before.

"System? What's that?" His question was met with silence.

[...Host doesn't know?] It asked, seemingly taken aback at his question. Was it expecting him to know? [Well, if host must know, systems kind of run a business of choosing hosts to inhabit in order to perform tasks. That's what this system offering you.]

"And why should I accept this?" He asked, cocking a brow though something said he should go along with this. It felt like this was the best bet for him. Still, something felt off. The little fluff ball huffed

[You want to stick around here? Fine, host can do that but you'll soon fade away into nothing.] It stated, circling around the young man. [Host's best bet is to form a contract with this system. Doesn't' host want to go into their favorite fantasy novel?!] It pressed, convinced the host would say yes. Every other host did when given the chance to go into a fantasy world.

Except this one.

"I don't read fantasy novels." He replied, frowning in confusion. System Q stopped, tension radiated off the little ball of fluff as silence fell.

[Pardon?] It asked, it's tone a lot less friendly than before. It reminded Liang Fei of the tone his boss used just before he started scolding a co-worker to tears.

"I don't read fantasy novels." He repeated, staring at System Q as his words sunk in. For a moment, there was only silence as the two stared at one another. Liang Fei frowned when he briefly heard the rustling of papers being shuffled coming from System Q just before it spoke again.

[Your name, its Liang Mei, right?] It asked calmly, watching the young man frown in confusion.

"No, that's my sister" He replied. "I'm Liang Fei."

[Your mother-] System Q then proceeded to curse up a storm for a full two minutes straight. Now Liang Fei was used to hanging around Xue Tian, well known for his foul mouth but the things this cute little ball of fluff let loose made him want to shield his ears lest his ancestors keel over in shock.

(AN: Shield your ears, Fei Fei! You're too innocent)

[Fucking interns, can't do anything right!] System Q muttered to itself, seeming to have let loose most of its frustration. All the while, Liang Fei tried to piece together what was going on. All he got was the System Q's original target was his sister but why?

"What did you want with my sister?" He asked, his eyes darkening as thoughts streamed through his mind.

[Her? The intention was to have her get killed and use her to complete tasks, like I said before.] It replied with a huff, though the way it spoke, Liang Fei could imagine some annoyed desk worker slouching on the desk with a cigarette in hand.

"You... planned to kill my sister?!" He roared, reaching out to grab the ball. He missed, falling to the ground as the ball casually floated out of reach.

[Relax, siscon, it wasn't going to be permanent. I just needed her to complete some tasks and then she'd be sent home.] It exasperatedly explained. [Honestly, this is what I get for sending some glorified coffee maker to do a simple job. Live and learn, I guess. But it doesn't change much, I still need you to make a contract with me.]

Liang Fei let out a few breaths, letting himself calm down just a bit before looking up at the fluff ball. "My previous question still stands. Why should I?"

[Look, kid, I admit this is a mistake on our part but there's no need to be so petty about.] It stated,as if this mistake didn't cost him his life or imply that his sister's life had been in danger. He thought about what would have happened had he left first. Would Mei have been the one to suffer from the gas leak? He might be fine with dying after the fact but the notion of his family being in danger...

"You killed me. A completely unrelated person." He replied coldly, his anger fading somewhat as he pushed aside 'what ifs'. They wouldn't help him now.

[Hey, it isn't my fault! All you humans look the same to us.] It stated, moving in a way that made him think it was shrugging. [How was anyone supposed to know who was who?] Liang Fei was tempted to point out just how different they were but figured it was a waste of time anyway.

[More importantly, if you don't want to fade away, you'll form a contract with me.]

"Can't you just send me home? Like you planned with my sister?"

[Nope, we would need to have racked up some points and we can't do that until you complete some tasks. When you get enough points, I can revive you and send you on your merry way.]

"...So in other words, you made a mistake and rather than fix it you plan to have me work to fix your mistake?"

[Oi, I'm trying to help you out, you ungrateful little-.] It snapped, clearly annoyed that things hadn't gone it's way. [But fine, you want being a whiny little bitch about this? Congrats, you get our limited time offer 'F*ck you' package. You get reborn into life without a system and without a synopsis."

"What?! That's not fair!" He argued, seeing things were going downhill fast.

[Tough shit, smart ass.] System Q sneered, happy to have gotten a more interesting reaction than before. [You want to be difficult? Then here's second life on hard mode. Your task is to survive in a unknown world with no knowledge of the plot or characters. But, since I'm nice, I'll give you a freebie.]

"Freebie?"

[Yep, there will be no penalties for being OOC (Out of character) since you're going in blind.] It stated, the smugness thick enough to be cut. [That's just me being the bigger System.]

"A truly bigger system would just give me the information I need." He retorted, his expression blank but his tone slightly miffed. System Q trembled with sadistic joy.

[I could indeed do that.] It replied, letting the silence fall between them once more. Liang Fei opened his mouth to complain but had no chance to as light filled his vision. [See ya later, villain. If you live that long...]

***

Liang Fei didn't wake up.

He just... became aware of his new surroundings. One second, he was floating the mist with that horrible System Q thing and the next he was staring up at a tree. Blinking, he sat up only for his head to burst into rush of pain.

Groaning, he tried to get a feel for what was happening. For one thing, his body felt different. His hair, that used to be short and neat, fell onto his face. After a few tries, he managed to push the offending tuff away from his eyes. His long hair fell smoothly down his shoulders, getting in the way of everything.

Annoyed, he took a ribbon from his sleeve and used it to tie his hair back. Satisfied, he continued his observation. He was dressed traditional purple robes, though it was very flashy and gross. Colors that should never be seen with the color purple decorated the fabric, making Liang Fei grimace.

"Who in the world would wear so much color?" He muttered, disgusted by clashing style. He might not care about his looks, but even he knew what color went with what.

Just as he contemplated removing the robes, a notification sound rung. Years of habit had Liang Fei reach into his pocket for his cell only to note he had neither a cell phone nor a pocket. Still, the notification bell kept ringing.

Confused, he blinked only to find a email icon floating before his eyes. Turning his head and rocking didn't effect it.

On the outside, it read: Freebie, from System Q

"Mn." He sighed, still annoyed but chose to blink the letter open. This took quite a few tries, leaving him staring blanking into space and blinking at the invisible to anyone else icon. He was thankful that he was alone or else he'd be seen as a crazy person.

The email opened after a dozen tries and only contained a pdf named 'Original: Liang Fei.' My name? He thought briefly before nodding. He must be the novel his sister likes, he concluded after piecing everything together.

With nothing else to do, Liang Fei chose to look over this... file. As he skimmed over the info, he noted several things.

The body he inhabited was apparently over 100 years old. He wasn't sure how that was possible since he didn't feel any wrinkles on his skin. Even without looking in a reflection, Liang Fei knew he was a young man. The energy and lightness of his movement screamed youth. Still, that was a question for another time.

Other things of note, the file seemed to tell the life story of this body. He was the only child of a fairly well off clan of cultivators. Centuries of history and techniques at his fingertips. His parents gave him everything he'd need to become a great cultivator. The only thing of interest was the fact that he seemed to have a deep hatred for demons, which apparently exist in this world. From the little Q included, his grandparent were killed during a raid when he was young, leaving him the sole survivor. Little details were given, presumably due to how young this body was at the time and the lack of witnesses. After that, he took his role as heir quite seriously, giving his all to become great. His family supported him, showering him with everything one could need to become great.

Liang Fei could feel the pressure from here.

The original did his best, becoming a well known cultivator in the Ruogang Sect, though he seemed to hit a bottleneck some time ago since his rank hadn't improved in years. Still his family name and past accomplishments made sure he had a place in the sect despite his lack of improvement. Years went on though his rank never rose even a little bit despite all his meditation.

Then he died.

Honestly, Liang Fei wasn't expecting the paragraph to end with such a... blunt statement but there it was. Apparently, the original died after falling out a tree and breaking his neck. It occurred to him that someone who lived to see more than a hundred years who was apparently a warrior probably should have died with a bit more grace or at least some dignity. Any worse and he'd have died of choking on a dumpling.

Despite the fact that the original died in the previous sentence, the bio continued on, presumably telling the rest of the story. Unfortunately, the next six paragraphs were a sea of black bars.

So this is what that system thing meant by sending me in blind. He thought with a scowl.

Liang Fei scrolled through the lines of redacted information, scowling he noted that when viewed far enough away, he could swear the bars formed a giant middle finger. Whether this was the case or not, he chose to ignore it. He had to find some information in this bio.

What he did find was not what he'd hoped. System Q, who probably wrote this, decided to let the only plot relevant information presented to him be the way the original is destined to die. In a surprising and disturbingly detailed fashion no less, including pictures and how long he'd suffered before the sweet mercy of death took him.

"I'm pretty sure bones don't... do that." He muttered, briefly wondering how a man could lose that much blood and still live. The next sentence happily (with smile emoji's) assured him that with the use of a pill to replenish blood, his death could and does go on for days. "Delightful."

He then wondered what this guy could have done to be this hated by someone. From what he could remember about his sister's rants, the original was a perv and a devious person but was that enough to warrant such a dramatic and cruel death? Whatever System Q had kept from him, must have have been bad.

Still, whatever the man had done, apparently hadn't been done yet. No matter how he might feel about the situation, he must figure out how to survive in this world since the one who'd die would be him.

"How annoying." He grumbled, sitting up against the tree that apparently killed him. Looking around, he blinked the notification away and took in the scenery. Calm, quiet and still. The trees were sparse, letting just enough light shine through the canopy to create a tranquil mood.

Then it was killed.

"Tell the truth, you filthy rat!" Someone shouted, drawing Liang Fei's attention.