Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Evening was falling, and a light drizzle pattered against the windows.
In the dim stairwell, motion-activated lights flickered on at the stomp of a foot. Jiang Li stood frozen in front of the brass plate marked 302, staring at the number as though it might vanish.
He was back—
More precisely, he had crossed back from another world.
Only minutes earlier he had been in a realm of sword and sorcery, celebrating the Blessing of the Bountiful Goddess with his companions. A blinding column of holy light had lanced down from the heavens and struck him squarely. When the whiteness cleared, he found himself on the familiar landing outside his childhood home.
The door looked exactly as he remembered, except for a handful of A4 sheets taped across it—glossy ads for a gym opening, infertility treatment, and a reward for a surrogate mother.
"So that's it?"
He had just watched the princess lift her skirts and walk toward him, promising they would speak alone after the festival. Remembering it now felt like waking from a dream.
But if it had only been a dream...
...why was a full-length, razor-edged "Hero's Sword" hanging from his belt?
"..."
Jiang Li snapped back to attention. He glanced around; no neighbor had spotted the weapon yet. Dropping into a crouch, he rummaged beneath the welcome mat. His fingers found the familiar bump. A second later he had the spare key in hand, slotting it into the lock and twisting.
Inside, he yanked a phone from its charger—how long had it been plugged in? A flood of text messages appeared. He'd spent three years in the other world; only three monthly rent deductions had arrived in his absence.
Ouch. Wallet cramp.
Well, first things first—takeout. He still had a returning-customer coupon...
—
Inside Fantuan Garden Complex, deliveryman Huang was threading his electric scooter along a narrow cobblestone shortcut. Evening rain had begun to fall, but the delivery timer refused to budge. If he wanted to stay on schedule, he had to take the unconventional route.
Just one more corner. He leaned into the turn—
—and a woman burst from the roadside bushes.
Bang.
Screech...
Impact never came. The scooter stopped with barely a centimeter to spare. Huang exhaled in relief and finally studied the stranger.
She was tall, draped in a wine-red hooded cloak, black leather boots lacing up her calves. She looked as if she'd just stepped out of a comic-con. Pink hair spilled over her shoulders, framing a face that radiated presence.
Huang couldn't help staring.
Cosplay?
Kids these days...
The woman clearly believed the act. She faced the scooter, chin lifted, violet eyes gleaming with haughty satisfaction. Dropping to one knee, she stroked the round headlight as though calming a pony.
"What an adorable mount." A smile curved her lips.
Huang snapped out of it. "Move. My order's about to time out."
She frowned, not understanding the words, but she rose gracefully and stepped aside.
Kakayan—her magical instincts—warned her that anyone commanding such a steel steed was dangerous. The helmet on his head marked him as a knight. And he smelled of food... so fragrant...
It had been nearly five hours since Kakayan's arrival in this world. Starving, she had dashed out at the first scent of dinner. Yet this "knight" offered nothing. In the old world, men had tripped over themselves to present her with gifts. Where had chivalry gone?
Buzz...
She watched the steel mount disappear, then made up her mind. Follow. Perhaps she could still claim a share.
Moments later the knight stopped on the third floor and set the food down—then simply left. Kakayan blinked. He'd abandoned it?
—
Fresh from the shower, Jiang Li toweled his hair. He could already taste the burger and cola—modern food at last! He'd bathed and changed into clean clothes for this sacred ritual.
Three years. Three whole years.
In the other world he'd survived on emergency rations. No salt, no soy sauce, no scallions or garlic—nothing. His comrades had called a watery stew a feast.
People there couldn't cook.
His palate had long since been shaped by Big Macs and Coke; anything else was torture. How many times had he finished sword practice, throat raw, and wished for a single sip—Coca-Cola, Pepsi, he wasn't picky. One mouthful would send him to heaven.
Now the moment had come.
His phone buzzed: Your order arrived three minutes ago.
Jiang Li forced himself to breathe. He knew, without a mirror, that his expression resembled a parolee's first night of freedom. Best not to alarm the neighbors—he'd been gone a long time.
Deep breath. He opened the door.
Thud.
The sound of forehead meeting wood.
Frowning, Jiang Li looked down. Shredded takeout wrappers littered the floor—golden-brown flecks still showing the ghost of an M. Overhead, the motion light snapped on, casting a black silhouette crouched behind the door. The silhouette's head bobbed up and down.
Jiang Li leaned out for a better look.
A woman with pink hair...
Her cheeks bulged like a chipmunk's.
Their eyes met.
In her hand she held half a hamburger—shredded lettuce dangling, a bitten bun, a broken patty...
Jiang Li's temple twitched.
"Where the hell is my sword?"
Jiang Li was equal parts annoyed and bewildered. Who in this day and age actually stole take-out?
Across from him, Kakayan looked just as baffled.
"J-Jiang Li?"
Though the human's clothes had changed, the face was painfully familiar—someone Kakayan had once sworn to destroy. She would recognize that face even if it were reduced to ash.
The Hero who had seized her treasures and given them to the foolish masses, who had burned the potions she'd painstakingly brewed, who had ruined the life of luxury she'd worked so hard to build.
Jiang Li was squinting at her now, the pieces clicking together.
"Kakayan—Moxiang?"
The lofty Miss Demoness...
...was stealing his lunch?