After being transmigrated into the body of a revenge novel protagonist, I was a little excited. It took a while to realize that I really didn't have the skills for this.

“There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with the young master,” A young man said helplessly, still holding my wrist.

“Well, why's he being timid, then?!” My new little brother Xiujian demanded to know.

This was the third person that had been called to check on me. Sisi, a servant in our courtyard, had been quick to pronounce me healthy. So had the second woman.

“It's nothing physical, just let it go,” I urged Xiujian also, feeling awkward. He bumped me with his shoulder, scowling, but sent the servants out.

“Well, whatever! I'll tell mother and Instructor Yao, so you rest, okay? I don't want to go to the banquet if you don't go. You have to feel better soon!”

I'd wanted a moment to myself, so I took it, nodding and mussing Xiujian’s hair a little. He was really too cute, acting offended and leaving quickly.

But… once I was alone, I still really didn't know what to do. I sort of remembered why Rong Yutang’s birthday banquet was a big deal; some of Xiugang’s early enemies made their appearance, like his fiancee and his stepsister, and he made some mistake that put him out of favor with his father. Not knowing what the mistake was, not remembering how Xiugang interacted with others, I was a little afraid to go out.

I also didn't know why I'd ended up here. Didn't transmigrators usually have a system or something? Or see a dream? Shouldn't I at least receive some kind of heavenly guidance??

“Rong Xiugang, ah, what do I do,” I asked out loud, flopping onto the bed. This time, when my spine tingled and something echoed in the back of my mind, I took notice. “Rong Xiugang,” I repeated again, sitting up.

This time, I heard it clearly. Xiao Qiang. It's Xiao Qiang.

“Xiao Qiang ah?” I said, and felt a ripple of surprise that didn't belong to me. My own emotions were closer to relief, amusement; This name was a pretty memorable one (1).

Though the protagonist was called Rong Xiugang at first, as I mentioned, this name wasn't suitable for him. He wasn't actually Rong Yutang's son, and the generation name Xiu belonged to that Rong family also (2). As for Gang, his personal name had come from his stepmother's Yu family.

In the novel, once he traveled back in time, he quickly brought the Rong and Yu families to ruin. Afterwards he naturally rebranded himself, returning to his baby name, Qiang (3).

“You time-traveled?” I asked him, since he clearly could hear me. Then, realizing something else, I added in a sharp voice, “A second time?”

The little voice was silent, but… the feeling that crept over me wasn't good. Well, of course he didn't feel good, and I didn't either.

For one second I thought I'd been reborn at the exact start of the novel, with the reborn protagonist in here with me. But, if this was only his second life, he would have used his mother's name, calling himself Lan Qiang! It wasn't until later in the novel that he learned his real father's surname was Xiao.

So, to call himself Xiao Qiang, this must be his second time around. And that meant he was the dangerous guy who toppled families and righteous sects left and right, on a tragic quest where he became more and more outrageously petty.

Well, crap. But I decided to try talking with him anyway. “Well, Xiao Qiang, I don't know how I got here, but… I'm here for now.”

You aren't me.

“Mmn, I'm not. Oh, I'm pretty sure I died, but, as for how I woke up here..?”

How do you know about me? Was naturally the next question he asked. There was a tap on the door, which saved me from trying to answer him.

“Little Gang? May I enter?” The voice was a little cloying; I had a guess even before I heard Xiao Qiang hiss out Yu Qianqian!

“Mother, or should I call her something else?” I mumbled. The only response was a wave of anger, one I suddenly realized was the same as when I met Rong Xiujian.

Yu Qianqian didn't wait long for an answer, quietly letting herself in with Sisi right behind her.

“My dear son, are you well? Are you in any pain? Do you want any breakfast? We were going to eat lightly this morning, but your mother will bring you anything you want.” Yu Qianqian promised, coming to sit beside me on the bed. She spoke quickly, and I felt that she would be a little difficult to deal with.

“Just… I feel a little weird. It doesn't hurt.” I mumbled. I couldn't quite meet her eyes, so I looked at her sleeves while she took my hand.

Coming from the modern era, I had a faint idea of what ancient clothes were like, but her sleeves really were astoundingly luxurious. A faint metallic sheen on the embroidery left me wondering if gold really could be spun into such fine threads; the embroidered trees and floating flowers didn't seem to add any weight to the thin silk. I didn't see any loose or pulling threads, either. It wasn't anything like the bulky embroidery I'd done before with supermarket thread. Besides, it was gold on a cream color robe, very subtle and elegant, while my embroidery attempts were usually bold colors on bright cloth.

Yu Qianqian was talking again, I realized. “ - your father would understand. Well, what do you think?” She paused briefly, and I looked up at her. I was a little surprised by how young she looked, before I remembered that Yu Qianqian also cultivated in her youth.

Seeing my blank look, she patted my hand and softened her expression. “Okay, don't worry about anything. I'll have breakfast brought to you, dear, and we'll see if a better doctor can check in on you. Please send for me if you're in any pain. I would stay with you a while longer, but there's more to prepare for this afternoon. Is that okay?”

“Mmn,” I said, and awkwardly patted her hand back. This seemed to be a good reaction - she smiled and gently squeezed my arm. I ignored the goosebumps that appeared right after.

“You haven't been this quiet and obedient since you were little,” Yu Qianqian said, seeming nostalgic. She then stood up and turned to Sisi, thankfully missing how my jaw clenched against my will. She became much more businesslike. “Keep a close eye on the young master, don't let him experience any discomfort. Don't pressure him either. Anything he asks for, bring it to him.”

Sisi bowed and murmured her assent, keeping her eyes on the ground. Yu Qianqian turned to look at me from the doorway, and although I knew her expression was not entirely genuine, I couldn't help but blurt out, “Mother, thank you.”

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Those few words startled her, her soft smile fading for a moment to reveal something a little hard to read. “You silly boy,” she said, shaking her head. Embarrassed, I looked away until I heard the door close and her soft steps leaving.

“So,” Sisi said slowly, moving to lean against the wall. One eyebrow was raised. “What's all this about?”

I had kind of noticed before, but she was a little direct with Rong Xiugang. Sisi seemed to be in her late teens, not especially pretty but not bad-looking, and I wasn't sure why she was so confident.

Xiao Gang suddenly spoke up, giving me words to say. “What do you think it's about?” I said, trying my best to copy even his irritable tone. “Anyway, mother said I don't have to go, so I don't have to go.”

“Hey, are you serious? Yesterday you wanted to go so badly, you even said you'd starve yourself if you couldn't join the adult’s table. Your father agreed, but now you're chickening out? Did something happen?”

It took me a second to answer, because I wasn't sure I wanted to repeat what Xiao Gang said next. Instead, I said, “I know, I know, I was childish, okay? And now I want to hide my face for a while.”

Sisi wrinkled her nose. I was really struck by how disrespectful she was towards me, compared with others.

Sisi came to the Rong household with my mother, Xiao Qiang suddenly explained, seeming to recognize my thoughts. She's the only one that knew anything about her, so she became my confidante. I let her get away with a lot.

Ah. Maybe Sisi was in the novel after all; I thought I could remember a minor detail about someone like that dying, or maybe just going missing.

“Yeah, I don't believe it,” Sisi decided. “What actually happened? Did you get bullied yesterday?”

I had no clue what had happened the day before, but I'd gotten a feel for how to act now. “Just leave,” I huffed. “Don't you have some work to do?”

“Fine. Don't tell me. I can guess, anyway.” Sisi acted for a moment like she might slam the door around, but thought better of it, leaving quietly.

So. You let that woman push you around?

“Sisi?”

Yu Qianqian, he spat out.

Oh. “It’s just, I haven't had a mother in a long time,” I answered, a little defensive.

She's not your mother, and she's not even my mother, Xiao Qiang points out. She's nothing but a scheming old woman.

“...” I kind of wanted to argue, but realized right away that it would be stupid to do so. Anyway, we needed to get back to the topic. “Xiao Qiang, how did you travel back a second time? Did you die again?”

How do you know about that?

“Answer my question first,” I said.

I expected the teeth-clenching wave of aggression that followed. You know who I am, but you dare to speak to me like this?

Well, Xiao Qiang was a little scary, but… he didn't seem to be able to do anything to me, and hadn't taken control from me, so I decided to enjoy my advantage. I waited silently.

After a minute, Xiao Qiang settled down. I didn't die, he said. How do you know about me?

He had compromised, giving one answer. “I read a lot about you in a strange book,” I told him in return, figuring he could believe it or not. My spine tingled again. “Well, if you didn't die, then what happened?”

I found a strange book.

“Are you going off my answer?” I asked blankly, although I felt that he was probably telling the truth. I could also tell that he felt like I was mocking him. “Okay, so I read a book and you found a book, and now we're both here. Can you control the body at all?”

My jaw locked up, my body tensed, but I remained seated on the bed. After giving him another second to try, I forced the body to relax, feeling very relieved.

Can you give me control?

“No way,” I said without thinking. “Well, I wouldn't know how to.”

…I suppose you haven't possessed anyone before.

“Mmn, no.”

Xiao Qiang was frustrated. Who are you?

“Like my name?” I was a little scared to tell him. I was pretty sure I'd heard of stories where knowing a dead person's name gave power over them, and I didn't want to risk it.

What sect did you belong to?

“Oh. Um… I'm not a cultivator. I'm just an ordinary person.”

It was awkward for both of us.

“Um, anyway, the situation is like this. So what should we do?”

That book… you were able to read it.

“Yeah.” It didn't seem to be a question but I thought it was good to give some kind of answer.

What do you want to do?

I winced a little, before remembering that he could feel that. “I want to live.” He waited for me to elaborate, so eventually I said, “It’d also be cool to see magical creatures, make elixirs, and exorcise demons. Maybe when I get my own body -”

Be careful what you say, he warned me. Right, just because I couldn't hear anyone nearby, didn't mean there wasn't anyone.

“Right. Um. Yeah. What do you want to do?”

You recognize the name Xiao Qiang, and you seem to know some of the affairs of the Rong family. Can't you guess?

“Seriously?” I asked, though I was not surprised. “You already got revenge on everyone once, didn't you? What's the point of doing it twice?” It was exasperating how wasteful he could be with his life; was it because this was his third chance? “Why don't you do something better this time? Like, let's track down your - the lady that went missing nine years ago. Talk with her before she dies.”

The body reacted to that statement, but his emotion was difficult to interpret. So, I continued on.

“Also, there were times when that book revealed you had misunderstood someone. Some of the things you think you know are still wrong. You could go looking for the real truth.”

What could I have been wrong about?

His confidence made me want to roll my eyes. “Well, there's a lot, but let's start with Nie-”

Wait. You shouldn't say that name out loud either.

I scowled, and then remembered - right. Rong Xiugang would meet her for the first time later on, at the banquet. It would be hard to explain how I knew about her already if we were overheard.

“Okay. Right, all the more reason not to go out today.”

Even if it's not today, Yu Qianqian will bring her by later on, Xiao Qiang reminded me.

“Mmn.” I got up and walked around the large bedroom, feeling uncomfortable from all the sitting around. My steps were loud, and I struggled to soften them. “We need to lose weight…”

“Now you say that,” Sisi’s voice came from beyond the door, startling me. She came in backwards, holding a tray. “Well, are you serious, or will you change your mind tomorrow too?”

“Hey,” I started to argue, but got distracted. There were a lot of dishes crammed onto the one tray; at a glance, many desserts and fatty portions of gleaming meat. “Is all of that for me?”

“You want more?”

“Less please,” I said without thinking.

Don't be polite with her.

“You're sick of seeing me like this too, right? You eat half.”

Sisi scoffed, closing the door with her foot and then smoothly moving to set the tray directly onto the bed. “I think you'll be ugly even if you lose weight. Anyway, I can't eat with you. Just exercise more.”

“Do we have a dog? Can I feed it to them?”

Sisi gave a mean side-eye. “I hate dogs,” she said. “You get one, I leave.”

Well, the food was both hard to eat, and hard not to eat. As I expected, it was oily, rich, sweet and sweet. There wasn't much for real flavor or nutrition, and everything felt heavy. I still ate half of the tray without thinking, only coming to my senses then and pushing the rest away. Sisi's smile was a bit sarcastic as she took it and left.

Whatever. I did a few stretches on the floor, noting that this body was actually pretty limber. Well, at eight years old, I'd still been able to tuck an ankle behind my neck; this was probably normal for kids, right?

I need to find a way to seize control, I could hear Xiao Qiang murmur in the back of my mind. No martial arts training…

“Right. This Rong Xiugang should have been training for a few years, but I don't know anything. Can you give me some advice?” I didn't know if he had wanted me to hear him or not, but it was still important to ask.

Do you think it's just a matter of advice?

Fair enough, but wasn't I allowed to dream? “Well, it doesn't have to be about martial arts. I don't know how to give you control, and if you don't help me with the Rong family, maybe we'll both die before you can work something out. And who knows if you'll get a fourth chance or not; I'm thinking not.”

His displeasure was felt as my lips pressed themselves together, my eyelids drooping slightly.

“So… let's get through this together, and then try to find a way to go our separate ways. After that, you can pursue your goals and I can pursue mine. Is that okay?”

Though I could tell he was unwilling, Xiao Qiang said, Alright.

“Well… as you said before, I probably do have to make at least a small appearance at the banquet. There will also be a chance to show you what you were wrong about, later on. So. Looking forward to our cooperation!”

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(1) The tones are different, but 萧强 xiāo qiáng and 小强 xiǎo qiáng sound a little similar, with the former being a person's name but the latter being a reference to a pet cockroach in a 1993 movie, “Flirting Scholar”. 小强 has since been used as a nickname for indestructible/reviving characters, and can also be translated as Little Strong / Little Qiang. The narrator’s amusement is partially because of this.

(2) Chinese families will sometimes use a sort of middle name to indicate the members of one generation within a family. See the Wikipedia page for “Generation Name”

(3) In ancient China, a baby’s real name would be decided later on, and in the meantime the child would be called by a childhood name. Ruming 乳名 or naiming 奶名, literally “milk name”