Chapter Three: Awakening
Boss, you’ve caught another captive...
Alright, let’s start with an electric baton combo...
“Ahhhh!”
Xia Mingyu jolted awake from the bed, heart pounding as he frantically surveyed the wooden cabin around him.
He had just experienced a terrifying nightmare.
“****”
At that moment, a gentle female voice whispered by his ear.
Though the language was still incomprehensible, the voice flowed softly like a mountain spring, soothing his racing heart and gradually calming his nerves.
Following the sound, he saw a golden-haired girl clad in a fitted jacket, her face filled with concern as she looked at him.
Her garment was made of coarse, pale brown linen—plain and simple—but it could not mask her ethereal beauty.
Her features were as pure and flawless as a lily blooming at dawn: a slightly upturned nose, porcelain-like skin, and a cascade of radiant golden hair tumbling down like a waterfall. The strands were soft and lustrous, resembling carefully crafted golden silk—warm and dazzling.
Beneath long lashes, her deep blue eyes held a mesmerizing clarity and depth, like tranquil bays capable of drawing one’s very soul in.
Though dressed in such humble cloth, she exuded an otherworldly elegance, rivaling the famed beauties of any era.
Indeed, in the end, true style is all about the face!
Xia Mingyu marveled inwardly as he quickly scanned his surroundings.
A modest wooden cabin built from raw timber, a stunning beauty in simple linen, and an unknown language he could not comprehend—all these elements felt wildly out of place.
His last memory was falling before the archer boy who had slain the alpha wolf.
Could it be... he had been taken to some colossal live reality show?
“****”
Seeing him calm down, the girl carefully brought over a bowl of water and placed it before him.
“Thank you.”
Parched to the extreme, Xia Mingyu took the wooden bowl without hesitation and drank it down in one gulp.
The icy water soothed his dry lips and flowed down his throat, revitalizing his weakened body in an instant.
Feeling restored, he threw back the covers and, ignoring the girl’s protests, walked barefoot straight out the door.
He had to find out where this strange place really was!
Stepping outside, the first thing to meet his eyes was a winding dirt path flanked by rows of houses constructed from logs and thatch. Thick moss blanketed the roofs, showing these dwellings had stood for many years.
Not far from the path lay an open clearing dominated by an ancient oak tree, its branches lush and broad enough to be embraced by three or four people.
Along the path and beneath the oak’s shade, several people wearing similar linen garments gathered in small groups, talking quietly. Some carried farming tools akin to hoes; others bore baskets brimming with fruit or held washbasins.
Above their heads floated lines of identical script.
“This... this...”
Xia Mingyu stared dumbfounded at the scene, eyes wide and mouth agape, astonishment plain on his face.
At that moment, he was certain this was no prank reality show. Someone like him was hardly worth the cost of such elaborate sets and actors.
He had truly arrived in a new world, one with an unknown language, possibly not even on Earth.
“*****”
Soon, the linen-clad people noticed him.
At the instant they glimpsed the words hovering above Xia Mingyu’s head, their expressions unanimously shifted to terror and disbelief.
Swish!
The first among them dropped to one knee; others followed like falling dominoes, kneeling in unison.
The golden-haired girl who had brought him water also knelt, mirroring the others—but she did so very close to Xia Mingyu. The ends of her bright hair fluttered in the breeze, brushing his ankles.
“Why are you kneeling? Can you see the words above my head? What do they mean?”
Puzzled, Xia Mingyu blurted out three questions at once.
He noticed that everyone, including the archer boy who had saved him earlier, seemed to kneel only after seeing the text above his head.
Minutes passed with no answer; they merely lowered their heads heavily, kneeling in the dirt.
This was understandable, since they clearly didn’t comprehend the Chinese he spoke.
His next thought was how to get them to stand up.
“My lord, please rise?”
Xia Mingyu tried speaking tentatively.
He couldn’t help but smirk at himself—he’d just sounded like the hero of some popular romance novel.
Still, no reaction came.
Rubbing his forehead in frustration, Xia Mingyu considered turning back to the cabin. Perhaps if he left, they would stand once more.
Rustle.
At that moment, he felt a tug on his pant leg.
Looking down, he saw the golden-haired girl, still kneeling, quietly lifting her head to meet his gaze with those beautiful deep blue eyes. Her pale pink lips parted slightly, silently mouthing words.
“Ulkala...”
Guessing her intent, Xia Mingyu attempted to mimic the shape of her lips and speak the syllables aloud.
The next instant, those kneeling rose—though not fully upright—they bowed respectfully and stepped back a few paces before quickly turning to leave.
Once everyone but the golden-haired girl had gone, Xia Mingyu exhaled in relief.
As a modern man, having so many people kneel around him was, frankly, nerve-wracking.
“Thank you...”
He began to express his gratitude to the golden-haired girl but stopped midway; after all, they shared no common language.
She seemed to sense his hesitation and shyly waved her slender hand.
Though graceful in form, the palm bore calluses, suggesting she was no stranger to light physical labor.
Thud, thud, thud.
At that moment, a middle-aged man clad in a sheepskin robe hurried over, carrying a plump gray rabbit.
His robe was worn but clean and neat, its edges stitched with rough hemp cord—much like his weathered, timeworn face.
Noticing Xia Mingyu’s gaze, his expression instantly shifted to one of obsequious respect. Without hesitation, he dropped to both knees and bowed his head, as if intending to kiss Xia Mingyu’s bare foot.
Brr!
A chill ran down Xia Mingyu’s spine. Hastily, he spoke:
“Ulkala!”