Dreams Arise in the Land of Ru—Chapter One: Awakening in a World of Spirits, With an Unexpected Companion From the Past

"My name is Ji Shi. I once thought that becoming a king was nothing more than a childish fantasy, until I truly became one—a king... a solitary king!"

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In the two hundred and ninety-first year of the Great Qian calendar, Emperor Ling of Qian was forced by Marquis Chen Bian of Chen to change the nation's name to Jianning. From then on, the realm fell into chaos. Eighteen warlords rose in rebellion, and across the country, flames of war raged, and misery was everywhere. After six years of strife, the fate of the land fell largely into the hands of five men, while the remaining territories were seized by various lesser lords. Each carved out their own domain, constantly undermining the very roots of Great Qian. By now, the fate of the nation was sealed—Great Qian existed in name only.

Though outwardly peaceful, within the decaying shell of Great Qian, unseen currents surged. No one could predict who would be the first to act, nor who would emerge as the final victor—the one true king.

In the seventh year of Jianning, within Ruzhou City, in the land of Ru.

“So hungry… I had a midnight snack just last night, so why am I starving now?” Ji Shi opened his eyes, murmuring to himself. Suddenly, he realized something was off. “This doesn’t look like my home!” He leapt from the bed, quickly scanning his surroundings. “Ouch!” A piercing pain shot through his mind, and when it faded, he found his head filled with foreign memories. Once these memories settled, an indescribable shock welled up inside him.

He discovered he was in a place called Kun World, in Ruzhou City, within the Great Qian dynasty—a soul now residing in the body of a youth who shared his name but not his fate. The ancient furniture, the carved window lattice—all exuded an atmosphere foreign to the modern age.

“This is bad. I still had twenty-five hundred left on my bank card, and my browser history! My soul’s crossed over, but what about my body? I’ll die of embarrassment!” Lost in his amazement, urgent footsteps sounded outside.

“Ji Shi, get out here now!” Ji Shi opened the door in confusion, only to find a burly, fierce-looking man flanked by two others, shouting at him. “Well, well, Young Master Ji finally wakes. When will you pay back the two hundred taels you owe to the Emerald Fragrance Pavilion?”

"Taels?" Ji Shi thought for a moment, realizing it was the original owner's debt.

The previous Ji Shi, relying on the little knowledge he gained before his family's fall, tried to win the title at the courtesan Yun Xiang's poetry gathering at the Emerald Fragrance Pavilion, hoping for her special company. Success seemed inevitable, but he was upstaged by another—a single breathtaking verse left him utterly defeated. Humiliated, he tried to start a fight.

But he was just a debauched fop, his body hollowed by drink and vice. After his parents died, he wasted what was left of the family fortune, selling valuables to fund his escapades. Unsurprisingly, he was knocked down with a single blow by his rival, shattering a vase in the process. Though it was an ordinary vase, the pavilion claimed it was worth two hundred taels. The original Ji Shi promised to fetch the money from home by the next day, only to discover there was nothing of value left. Overwhelmed by despair, he took his last breath.

Faced with the three debt collectors and the ruined home behind him, Ji Shi was anything but calm. “The original was really something! Got himself into trouble for his frivolity, then left me to clean up his mess. What am I supposed to do now?” Ji Shi thought anxiously.

Suddenly, a startling idea flashed through his mind. “That man who upstaged me—wasn’t he called Young Master Chi? I remember his attendants all addressed him that way. What was the poem he recited? I only recall the last line—something like ‘Just left the brow, yet lingers in the heart.’ Isn’t that from Li Qingzhao’s ‘A Cut of Plum Blossom’?” Recalling Young Master Chi’s demeanor, Ji Shi felt an odd sense of familiarity, as if he were an old friend, though he couldn’t place him.

“Hey, Ji Shi, don’t play dumb. We’re asking for the money, and you’re just standing there. Can you pay or not? Young Master Chi said if you can’t pay, go to the Dragon Soaring Inn tonight. Satisfy one small request of his, and he’ll clear your debt.” Hearing this, Ji Shi was even more convinced he knew the man. “Who could it be? Oh, right—Chi, my high school classmate! He’s crossed over too! No wonder he acted so sly, even dared to use Li Qingzhao’s poem to show me up—well, not me, the original me. Never mind, tonight I’ll show him who’s boss!”

Ji Shi looked at the burly man and said, “I’ll go see Young Master Chi tonight. If there’s nothing else, you can leave.” The man spat out “coward” and left with his two followers. “Just wait, you little Chi, I’ll show you who’s real tonight!” Ji Shi thought as he stepped out the door.

“First, I need to understand this world. The affairs of the Dragon Kingdom are behind me now—I doubt I can ever return.” Ji Shi set his first goal in this new world. The original Ji Shi had known little beyond food, drink, gambling, and women; any real information about this world would have to be sought elsewhere. So Ji Shi made his way to the Violet Glow Tavern. As soon as he entered, the waiter hurried over. “Well, if it isn’t Young Master Ji! I heard you caused a scene at the Emerald Fragrance Pavilion last night and owe two hundred taels—have you paid it off yet?” Ji Shi felt a surge of anger but suppressed it.

“Better not cause trouble before seeing Chi,” he thought. “I’ve paid it off—mind your own business. Bring me a jug of old wine and a plate of peanuts.” Feeling the two taels in his pocket, Ji Shi considered the prices here and decided to order just those. After all, he was here to gather information, not feast.

The waiter was about to mock him for his meager order, but meeting Ji Shi’s cold gaze, he thought better of it. “Tsk, he still thinks he’s the Young Master Ji of old—what a show-off!” Ji Shi simply smiled faintly, then began to eavesdrop on the conversations around him.

Half an hour later, Ji Shi had finished his wine and learned what he needed. He was indeed in Ruzhou, under the Great Qian dynasty. The current emperor was incompetent, the nation fractured, and eighteen warlords vied for supremacy. Five great lords each controlled large territories, while the smaller domains were held by lesser warlords.

Ruzhou was held by Zhu Sheng Zhiyin, King of Ruzhou. Ji Shi also pieced together his own situation. The original’s father had once been the richest merchant in Ruzhou, which allowed his son to live a life of indulgence. But on a business trip, his father was killed by bandits. His mother, grief-stricken, soon followed him to the grave. Thus began the original Ji Shi’s fall from grace.

As for Young Master Chi, rumor had it he was the adopted son of Chen Shui, King of the South, with a status rivaling that of Zhu Sheng Zhiyin himself. “Damn it, we both crossed over, but why did Chi land in a good family while I’m stuck in this mess?” The more Ji Shi thought about it, the angrier he became. He resolved to seek Chi’s help that evening.

With his last tael, Ji Shi bought another jug of wine and two buns, finished a simple lunch, and lay down for a nap. At dusk, he locked up his home and made his way to the Dragon Soaring Inn. There, he asked the innkeeper where to find Young Master Chi.

“You must be Young Master Ji. Young Master Chi instructed that if you arrived, you should go to room twenty, fifth corridor.”

Ji Shi climbed the stairs to Chi’s room. He knocked. “Come in,” came a strange, familiar voice, and Ji Shi was certain—it was his old friend.

He opened the door to find a handsome man, bare-chested, standing at the bedside.

“Hurry up and get in, my beautiful Ji Shi!” At these words, Ji Shi was dumbfounded, feeling a chill run down his spine. But after a moment’s thought, he replied, “Enough already, Chi—it’s me, Ji Shi, from the Dragon Kingdom in 2024!”

At this, Young Master Chi paused. “You’re Ji Shi? So you’ve crossed over too.” Their eyes met, surprise, delight, and unspoken emotion passing between them, all condensed into that single gaze.

“I never imagined I’d run into you in this other world. And to think I upstaged you yesterday—sorry about that,” Chi said with a smile.

“No need to apologize. That Ji Shi wasn’t me yet,” Ji Shi replied in a low voice. “What matters now is planning for the future. Since we’ve both landed in a feudal era, in a time of warlords and chaos, I want to make my mark here. Chi, I need your help—what do you say?” Ji Shi spoke with ambition blazing in his eyes.

“Actually, I’ve been thinking the same. I came to Ruzhou to win over Zhu Sheng Zhiyin. Now that you’re here, let’s carve out our own destiny together in this tumultuous world!”