"Auntie, please give me two lamb skewers."

Xiao Huan stood in front of the food cart, looking frumpy and exhausted, but relieved. He had been forced to work overtime every day for the last three years without proper vacation or rest.

After being scolded by the manager for going home yesterday instead of working overtime, Xiao Huan resolutely threw a resignation letter in his face. He also shot off a few explicit choice words for good measure and left the building feeling absolutely refreshed.

It was early morning and a weekday, so the streets were still busy with students and workers commuting. Xiao Huan breathed in cool winter air mixed with the scent of grilled meat. His nose turned slightly red from the breeze.

A sudden girlish squeal prompted him to glance over at a pair of high school students standing under a heat lamp close by. The girl was speaking enthusiastically with her male friend.

"-almost 800 chapters of pure literary art!" She gushed.

"Oh yeah?" The boy answered indifferently as he focused on eating his skewers.

"Where have you been living? Under a rock? I'm talking about Transcending Heavens!¹Transcending Heavens (成仙天 Chéngxiān Tiān) - Often referred to by avid fans as CXT. The hottest xianxia²Xianxia (仙侠 xiānxiá) - Xian means 'immortal'. Xia means 'hero' or 'a person who is brave, chivalrous, and righteous'. Fictional stories featuring magic, demons, ghosts, immortals, and a great deal of Chinese folklore/mythology. Protagonists (usually) attempt to cultivate to attain immortality, seeking eternal life and the pinnacle of strength. For more information: https://immortalmountain.wordpress.com/glossary/wuxia-xianxia-xuanhuan-terms/. Highly recommend giving xianxia romance genres a try if you're into torturing yourself. Nothing screams angsty love like waiting centuries for your soulmate to be reincarnated or giving up immortality to save your dying lover lol. romance web novel of the year. The last chapter just got released last week. I stayed up all night waiting to read it."

"Mn."

The girl ignored his lack of enthusiasm and continued to rave about the novel.

"It was worth it! Handsome and valiant hero Wang Lingxiao. Beautiful and flowerlike heroine Yue Xunyi. Poignant romance and unexpected betrayals! Close camaraderie formed through trials and tribulations. The clashing of swords and messy political strife between sects! Hot brotherhood! The emotional ending! HNNNNNNNG. Fuck! I love it all. So perfect!"

She squealed and smacked her friend's back, causing him to cough mid-bite and almost drop one of his skewers. He shot her a look of annoyance.

"Ah, sorry I got excited ah." She apologized with a sheepish expression. Her smartphone suddenly vibrated, causing the screen to light up in her pocket. Seeing the time on her lock screen, she gasped.

“Aiyah, we’re going to be late to class A-Wei!”

With that, she dragged her friend off to the subway entrance as he polished off his last skewer.

Xiao Huan chuckled softly at their exchange.

“Young man, your skewers are done.”

“Ah, thank you.”

After being handed freshly grilled lamb skewers, he paid the auntie and started his journey home.

Xiao Huan's apartment was less than a ten-minute walk away, so he strolled at a leisurely speed while enjoying the savory taste of lamb meat. His breaths between bites generated small wispy clouds of moisture.

His apartment was on the tenth floor of an older building complex. It was small, but looked tidy with little furniture or decoration. Xiao Huan had moved into the unit right after getting hired at his job. Because he was always working, he never quite got around to decorating or properly furnishing his apartment.

As he looked around, it was as if he were seeing the apartment for the first time. The atmosphere felt sterile and cold, like a model unit being shown to prospective tenants.

He made his way toward the bedroom, taking in the details of his home that he previously did not have the time to notice.

The bare kitchen sink with a single dirty coffee mug from this morning. Hanging in the hallway, a framed photo of himself standing alone on the day he graduated from university. A closet filled with only pajamas and dress clothes for work. Several books stacked neatly collecting dust on his nightstand. He had planned to read them last year, but never got around to it.

Xiao Huan sat at the end of the bed and undid his tie, lightly tossing it into the laundry hamper in the corner. Then he fell back onto his bed and sighed quietly, facing up at the white ceiling.

He really had been working too hard these past few years.

His twenty-seventh birthday had come and gone just like that. With few friends, deceased parents, and only estranged family members, there were no birthday wishes or presents. His phone had remained silent all day.

He snorted in self-pity. Don't they say that you normally have a few lifelong friends at this age? A few people to share drinks and talk late into the night with on short notice. Some close comrades to endure life’s trials and tribulations with.

The thought reminded him of the conversation he had eavesdropped on earlier.

Transcending Heavens.

He flipped around and unlocked his phone to do a quick internet search. The novel was easy to find, being published on a popular website for young adults.

[Transcending Heavens - Pursuit of Immortality by BigBrotherSloth³BigBrotherSloth (懒惰大哥 Lǎnduò dàgē) - The author of Transcending Heavens. Literally means Lazy Big Brother, but using BigBrotherSloth in English sounded cuter. NEWLY COMPLETED!!!]

He had to scroll down the page for a few minutes before finally reaching the oldest published chapter.

"Damn, it really is over 700 chapters."

His thumb briefly paused over the link to the first chapter. 

788 chapters total. It was a long novel. Xiao Huan was reluctant to invest.

Well. He had time now. It's not like he had to go to work tomorrow.

After taking a quick shower and changing into his pajamas, he settled comfortably into his bed and picked up his phone again.

The novel was free to read, but had ads in between chapters.

Nobody likes ads.

With a few quick swipes, he purchased an ad-free version and began reading.

"..."

"..."

Five days passed in the blink of an eye.

“...I declare that web novels are poisonous.”

Xiao Huan stood in front of the mirror shocked at his current appearance. Red-rimmed eyes that were bloodshot with impressive dark circles stared back at him. His complexion was ghostly and ashen framed by unkempt hair sticking out this way and that. An oily sheen could be seen on his face. He looked worse than he did after working consecutive days of overtime.

(I should take a shower.)

True to its reputation, the novel had kept him captivated for multiple days without sleep. It was already the evening of the fifth day. He had marathoned through 787 chapters all day and through the night, only stopping to order takeout and go to the bathroom.

He sighed as he stepped into the shower stall.

(Can't believe I stayed up to read a web novel for five days. Really. Too dangerous! Too addicting!)

The novel is centered around a cultivator named Wang Lingxiao and his journey in attaining immortality. He was a senior disciple from Ronghua Palace. A wealthy sect known for its military might and protection services. Born between the two most prominent cultivators in the sect, Wang Lingxiao was destined for greatness from the moment of his birth.

At twenty-five years old, his figure was tall and proud like a lion. A pair of warm eyes framed by thick eyebrows sat on a handsome and honest-looking face. Gold-fitted robes paired with black boots. The standard Ronghua Palace uniform accentuated his majestic appearance as a hero and protector.

Righteous and courageous. Warm and bright. Wherever he went, Wang Lingxiao was always standing in the center. Like a sun.

His family heirloom, the legendary sword Huiyao forged with vermillion phoenix fire and infused with the blood essence of the first Ronghua Palace sect master, was always on his person emitting a subtle warmth in its sheath.

The storyline starts with him setting out on the sect master’s orders to investigate the recent disappearance of one of his fellow disciples. On the way to the next town, he runs into the kind and gentle heroine Yue Xunyi, a senior disciple from the predominantly female Huashan sect known for their cooperative sword fighting style.

The two initially bond over fighting off mountain bandits together. In return for his help, Yue Xunyi assists him with his investigation. Results of their investigation uncover a deeper, more sinister plot involving demonic cultivation, causing rising political tensions between major sects.

Through various twists and turns, the main plot moves along quickly while adding interesting subplots and fleshing out the background of complex side characters. The novel plot spans a total of five years, with Wang Lingxiao’s cultivation reaching the brink of ascension into the immortal realm near the end.

Despite the well-developed world and detailed side characters, Xiao Huan thought the main characters were absolutely annoying. Succeeding trials and tribulations with the help of others, but receiving all the recognition and credit. Overly righteous. Unrealistically optimistic. Continuing to react to each 'unexpected' betrayal with shock after giving out their trust for free like complimentary tissues.

Unexpected betrayals your father! The deceit of all the conspirators was so obvious, it might as well have been painted on their foreheads.

In a sword-clashing and bloodthirsty universe like this, how can a hero and heroine afford to be so disgustingly naive?

The sudden thought of it made a vein pop from his forehead as he stood under the showerhead.

Was it possible for novel plots to cause stress?

(BigBrotherSloth, your literary writing skills are being wasted on this housewife soap drama...)

He vigorously washed his face to clear his mind.

Well, that high school girl wasn't entirely wrong. There was definitely romance and passionate camaraderie formed through trials and tribulations. The clashing of swords and messy political strife between sects. 

“Hot brotherhood." Xiao Huan snorted in irony as he repeated her words while drying his hair with a towel.

He made his way to the kitchen, where a packaged noodle soup dinner ordered earlier in the day sat on the counter. As he split a set of disposable chopsticks, his mind unwillingly wandered back to the novel plot again.

It's hard having a novel addiction...

At the end of chapter 787, Wang Lingxiao was stuck in a deadlock with the final villain in Yin City. His comrades Yue Xunyi, his cousin Wang Jinghao, and close comrade Bai Yiyan were also fighting at his side. Each fending off one of the final villain’s ghost generals. Around them, countless subordinates clashed with the swarms of demonic creatures that had gathered due to the heavy miasma in the city.

The window of escape was too small. It was impossible for all of them to survive if they tried to fall back. Everyone would have to rely on their own individual ability to escape. Many of their allies' lives would have to be abandoned as they could not outrun the generals.

In order to break the deadlock and defeat the final villain, Wang Lingxiao must activate Huiyao’s innate ability, the temporary control of immortal vermillion phoenix fire. A fire so brilliant and hot, it can even burn away the flesh of immortal beings.

Unfortunately, a mortal wielding something as powerful as this must pay a high cost.

All humans possess two types of souls. The hun (yang soul) and po (yin soul). The hun has three parts and the po has seven parts. The hun is the soul that goes to heaven when the body dies while the po remains with the body after death. Because of this, the hun is essential to living and necessary to the process of achieving immortality.

Huiyao required the sacrifice of a hun.

It was an understandably difficult decision for Wang Lingxiao.

After spending the last 787 chapters trying to achieve immortality, anyone would hesitate when faced with the choice.

There was only one more chapter to go and a difficult decision would have to be made soon.

The last of the noodles were slurped up. Xiao Huan gave his stomach a few pats before clearing the counter and heading back to his room.

After unlocking his screen, he pressed his thumb over the link to the final chapter and began to read.

"..."

"..?"

"???"

"!!!"

"Fuck. What kind of shit ending is this?"

[IF YOU ARE NOT READING THIS BY XIAOMANGISBUSY ON SCRIBBLEHUB OR WATTPAD, IT HAS BEEN STOLEN. PLEASE REPORT AND ONLY READ OFF SCRIBBLEHUB OR WATTPAD.]

. . .

Reality is a cruel master.

Xiao Huan lamented as took a swig from a small dusty bottle of strong liquor dug out from deep in his kitchen cupboards. He stood on the narrow balcony of his apartment, leaning against the old railing with heavily flushed cheeks.

It had been so long since he last had gotten drunk, he had forgotten what it felt like.

Years of being pressured into attending work parties and drinking with that bastard manager forced him to develop an extremely high alcohol tolerance.

The past few days have been a strange break in his monotonous routine of only working and sleeping. Perhaps it was due to not sleeping a few days or the relief of finally quitting his job. After only a small bottle, he was already three sheets to the wind and throwing a tantrum.

"The ending sucks!"

He drunkenly yelled at the dark smog-filled city sky while shaking the bottle in the air. His body swayed back slightly at the action, causing him to steady himself on the railing with his free hand.

Reading the last chapter felt like being splashed with cold water and dragged out from a good dream. It was completely unsatisfying with countless loose ends.

Bai Yiyan had ended up suddenly sacrificing his hun in place of Wang Lingxiao, allowing them to seamlessly overpower and defeat the final villain. With their newly gained momentum, Wang Lingxiao and his cousin slaughtered their way to Yin City's now unguarded crystal core leaving Bai Yiyan's body to be devoured by the remnant demonic miasma.

After acquiring the core, instead of destroying it, Wang Lingxiao utilized the crystal core's power to break through to the immortal realm. The sheer amount of raw spiritual energy of the core also allowed Yue Xunyi, his cultivation partner, to enter the immortal realm shortly after.

The last sentence of the novel only left a bitter taste in Xiao Huan's mouth.

[The glorious pair transcended the heavens and entered a life of harmony forever...]

But what of Bai Yiyan? His heroic sacrifice had become a speck of dust in the wind. Not one sentence in the pages written after the battle mentioned his death. All the sacrifices and losses in Yin City were glossed over at the end, making it seem as if Wang Lingxiao had achieved his happy end with his own hands.

For a novel plot that persistently raves about the importance of righteousness, BigBrotherSloth did Bai Yiyan a severe injustice.

"Bai Yiyan, you fool! Giving up your life for a bunch of ungrateful people."

Xiao Huan recalled the words of his death scene.

[In the final moment, Bai Yiyan smiled like the sun and gave his soul to the sword. Twenty-seven years of his life burned away like a stick of incense as he closed his eyes to welcome an eternal sleep...]

(Fuck you BigBrotherSloth! Bai Yiyan deserved better!)

Bai Yiyan was a supporting character in the novel.

As the youngest son of the great Tian Lianhua sect master, he was tasked to quietly assist Wang Lingxiao on his journey. The Tian Lianhua sect was known for its austere and ascetic meditative practices, but Bai Yiyan's existence was like a living contradiction.

The words that left his mouth were smooth and mellow like aged wine, but his behavior was completely unrestrained, like stormy waves that ebbed and flowed with his every whim. 

He was also devastatingly handsome.

At only seventeen years old, his appearance caused a violent dispute between the daughters of two neighboring sect masters, which prompted his father to send him away to the isolated and politically neutral Qingshan sect under the guise of expanding his studies.

Bai Yiyan was neither a good nor bad character in the novel. He helped others whenever his mood was good, but also had no qualms in letting others suffer when his mood was bad. Though his role was to assist Wang Lingxiao in his journey, he always made surrounding cultivators wonder if his actions were actually helping or hurting the hero.

People gained and lost standing in his heart like winds changing directions. He was a person with a strong sense of self-preservation.

At the same time, he quietly harbored an unusually strong sense of loyalty to his sect. Without his sect members' knowledge, he assisted them from the shadows at his own expense. Especially his older brother Bai Mujun, who was set to inherit the sect master position.

The duality of his character was attractive and mesmerizing, ravaging the hearts of readers like a storm while also being a major source of headaches for his family. Bai Yiyan was a person who paved his own path in life. 

He was Xiao Huan’s favorite character.

A complex dynamic character. Though he had quite a few complaints about the story, he must commend the author of Transcending Heavens for their impeccable writing skill in creating a lifelike character like Bai Yiyan.

(Ai, what a waste!)

To sacrifice the life he values so much for that naive hero.

Xiao Huan's heart turned sour. 

(Strange.)

It was only a fictional story with dreamt-up characters and a fantasy plot.

Yet his heart that had long since been dried up like an abandoned well started to accumulate sour emotions like drops of fresh spring water.

Was it the alcohol?

He inspected the small bottle in his hand. It was supposed to be white distilled liquor. He had bought it from a traditional goods store a few years ago, on the day he moved into the apartment. The store was permanently closing its doors and its owner was trying to sell off the last of its stock. The old store owner seemed kind of shady to be honest, but Xiao Huan had been in extremely high spirits from just getting a new job.

The bottle was white with a traditional round shape. He brought the small opening up to his nose. Its contents had all been consumed, but there was still a sweet and mellow scent of osmanthus wine⁴Osmanthus wine (桂花陈酒 Guìhuā chénjiǔ): a mildly sweet alcohol produced from white distilled liquor and flavored with osmanthus flowers. Tastes something like apricots (in this author's personal opinion). permeating his nostrils. 

Hmm? Osmanthus wine was generally not very strong. Such a light wine had gotten him this drunk?

Osmanthus wine represented a lot of things that he had never had. Things like love, prosperity, harmonious family, togetherness, and reunion.

"Reunion..."

There was a sudden wave of intoxication followed by feelings of bitterness.

The empty bottle became blurry in his hand. The edges of his vision darkened at an alarming rate. As he lost his balance, he dropped the bottle.

A distant sound of shattering ceramic could be heard.

A sudden intense and overwhelming smell of osmanthus wine.

His hands shot forward to grab the railing, but to his astonishment, there was nothing to catch him and he was falling... falling.

---------------

WHITE-EYED WOLF THEATER

Xiao Songfen: No more drinking on the balcony for me.

---------------

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Work-life balance is hard...even for people in fictional stories.

I originally wrote this to be three small chapters (~1000 words each) but decided to merge it into one because there would be fewer ads for readers on Wattpad and less clicking hassle for readers on Scribblehub. But then I found out Wattpad added ads mid-chapter. Well-played Wattpad...well-played...

---------------

ENDING SONG OF THE DAY

Remembering the Homeland | Yīniàn shānhé 《一念山河》 by 西瓜JUN

^^ My rough AF attempt at translating the title to English. Ya'll on your own for the lyrics. Chinese is hard okay LMAO.