Inside the cell, Han Xuhan was staring at the blank ceiling, mouth agape. He just realized what his system meant when it had announced that succeeding in the trial quest would provide him with a reward titled-
[ Memory Unlocking ].
He had been wondering why he hadn't received anything after the notification of success. It turned out that this reward was set on an indirect path, issued through Crimson Snow Sect's memory unlocking technique!
The shock he received upon the influx of new memories wasn't small by any means. Setting aside the confusion it caused, the revelations in some scenes simply left him speechless.
"How did it come to this? What's even happening? This can't be right..."
He kept muttering the same few questions like a rambling fool. And such a reaction was not unwarranted.
The first problem was, this process of memory seal opening had unlocked two different sets of memories in his head!
The first set belonged to a young man native to this world, raised in an orphanage for as long as he could recall. This orphanage was situated at the outskirts of Green Curtain City, the place where Han Xuhan had met his benefactor, Son of Destiny Ming Zi.
This set of memories itself wasn't problematic. But it unveiled a horrifying question in his heart. Why the hell did he not remember a single thing about this life?
Until now, the furthest memory he could recall was waking up at the border of Green Curtain City, and realizing that he had transmigrated somehow.
Yet, he had never questioned the origin of the body he was possessing. Mysteriously enough, not for one second did he even think about his current identity, his past, and his ties in this world.
It was as if a veil in his mind had covered all such reasonable concerns from appearing in his conscious thoughts! He couldn't even understand the language here!
Terrifying! Such power was truly terrifying! But it could still be explained with the existence of the memory seal, although he wasn't sure about the nuances of the technique.
What could not be explained at all was the second set of memories. The implications it gave rise to were ten times more horrific!
This second set belonged to his life on Earth. But as a transmigrator who clearly remembered his past life, what else could he learn from it?
Naturally, he had been caught off guard when the second set appeared in his mind following the memories of his current body.
It was a very brief set, playing a scene in his mind he vaguely remembered. It took place several days before his peaceful death.
That night, he was pacing around his apartment building, giving advice to a friend about strategies to expand the influence of their new political party. The intense discussion had been interrupted by a stranger on the street.
This stranger introduced himself as an aspiring author, as well as a new member of their political party. He wanted his help in publishing a novel, which had been rejected by numerous publishers. Bound by a sense of brotherhood, Han Xuhan had taken the manuscript that night.
Later, he had discovered that the story was written in a format suitable for online publication, and the first few chapters were so clichéd that a veteran like him had immediately lost all interest in wading deeper into the slop.
So he had contacted the writer and told him that the novel wasn't really suitable for traditional publication. Even as an online story, its prospects didn't seem hopeful.
Han Xuhan distinctly recalled the writer's response that day.
"If you're going to be so judgmental, how about you show me how to improve my story?"
Han Xuhan had declined. As a busy strategist of a rising political party, where did he have that much time? His only hobby was reading novels, not writing one.
The other side had flown into a rage upon hearing him.
"You dare criticize my work, yet you don't dare to back your words? I must publish my story. You have to show me how to improve it!"
"Brother, do you take medication for your mental health? What kind of behavior is this? I told you I can't manage it. I don't have the time!"
Han Xuhan had put the call down. A couple of days later, he went to sleep at night for the last time in that life. Judging by how peacefully his consciousness had transitioned into his current body, Han Xuhan had assumed that he had died in his sleep by natural causes... until today.
Why would unlocking his memory seal bring out this very scene from the depth of his mind, if it had nothing to do with his death? If it had nothing to do with his transmigration?
There had to be a connection!
So he tried to recall more details about the whole incident. As he was currently sensitive towards the word- 'Storyline', thanks to his golden finger system, he couldn't help but think about that shitty manuscript.
It, too, was set in a cultivation world. But the few chapters he had read didn't seem to fit anything he had seen so far here. It followed a female protagonist, who, in order to pursue immortality, adopted her older brother's identity and set out on a typical journey.
Han Xuhan's system considered him as an 'Extra' character in the storyline. So far, the plot progression didn't strike him as typical either. In comparison, that story was not only of poor quality, it also contained numerous hints of the writer's barely disguised fetish.
The female protagonist, going by her brother's name—Mu Ran, kept encountering jade beauties in distressing situations, becoming their crossdressing white knight. Some of the scenes that followed were quite ambiguous, to put it mildly.
So why the hell did the seal unlock this particular memory?
Or was THIS the 'rewarded memory' his system had issued?
In that case, what relation did this story-based world have with Mu Ran's misadventures? The more Han Xuhan thought about it, the worse the premonition in his heart became.
He was now certain that between the two sets of memories, one was the result of unlocking his memory seal, while the other was the result of his system's influence over his mind.
Although the cell he was locked in right now had a cool airflow, his back grew stickier with sweat. His gaze kept flickering across the system panels in his consciousness.
The golden book of the Main Storyline, the silver book of Secondary Storylines, and the personal quest panel tracking his influence over these plots...
What hellhole had he gotten himself stuck in?