Chapter 4: The World After Ascension

Jiang Dai: “Son, let go! Let go now!”

Bai Tian: “Good boy! Let go!”

Physician: “Let… go… ah!”

Still groggy, Bai Yunqi instinctively tightened his grip on the old physician’s wrist: ?

He stared at the elderly man before him, along with the two unfamiliar young adults. None of them were people he recognized.

But what truly caught his attention was his own hand—one he could control.

Small, thin, sallow… ugly as sin. This wasn’t his original hand. And besides, hadn’t his real hand been charred to a crisp under the Heavenly Thunder?

A rare look of confusion and daze flickered in Bai Yunqi’s eyes.

【This is my hand? It’s still here? I didn’t get struck dead by lightning?】

Juanjuan, hearing her Eldest Brother speak again, was already numb to it.

At this point, even a child like her was starting to wonder—if Second Brother and Third Brother woke up next, would they also start talking without moving their mouths?

Bai Yunqi felt a sharp pain in his head as a flood of unfamiliar memories surged into his mind. His grip on the physician’s hand loosened naturally.

In an instant, he understood.

He had… Borrowed a Corpse to Resurrect his Soul.

【So not only did I fail to ascend, I ended up in a world with no Spiritual Energy, no Spiritual Roots, and no way to cultivate.】

Overwhelmed, Bai Yunqi passed out again.

Jiang Dai: “Physician!!! Why did the child faint again?!”

Bai Tian: “Physician, please save him!”

As chaos erupted in the room, only Juanjuan stood frozen in place, dazed and silent.

She understood every individual word her Eldest Brother said, but when strung together, they made no sense at all.

Juanjuan stared blankly at her frantic parents and the brothers lying side by side on the bed, feeling more and more like she was trapped in a dream.

Bai Yunqi, on the other hand, was certain this was a dream.

Who could have imagined that the elegant and refined Bai Yunqi—heartthrob of countless female cultivators in the Immortal Cultivation World—would be struck down by lightning after failing to ascend?

He couldn’t even begin to guess how many hearts he’d broken, how many tears would be shed for him.

Dying from a failed ascension wasn’t the worst part.

The real nightmare was waking up in a world without cultivation, without Spiritual Energy, and finding himself in the body of an eight-year-old child.

And to top it all off—

The kid’s name was…

“Goudan?”

Bai Tian leaned in close to his newly acquired eldest son, whispering his name.

With the original host’s memories now his own, he naturally knew the names of the four children.

His newly inherited eldest son, eight years old, was named Goudan.

The second and third sons were six-year-old twins named Da Mao and Er Mao.

And the youngest, a daughter, was four years old and called Juanjuan.

Bai Tian found the names… abstract. At first, he couldn’t even bring himself to say them out loud.

But once he called out the first one, he let loose completely.

“Dan’er?”

“Gou’er?”

“Goudan?”

With the pure heart of a carefree Little Boss, Bai Tian joyfully called out his eldest son’s name.

Suddenly sensing a hostile aura, Bai Tian looked up—only to see his “wife” standing at the doorway, having just seen the physician out. Her sharp gaze was fixed on him.

Bai Tian blinked.

This body’s wife… didn’t quite match the memory.

Jiang Dai withdrew her gaze from her ridiculous husband, crouched down, and gently brushed the hair from Juanjuan’s forehead with her cool fingers. Her voice was soft:

“Juanjuan, why don’t you go play outside for a bit, alright?”

Juanjuan’s mind was already a mess. Hearing her mother’s gentle instruction, she nodded in a daze and wandered outside.

In a single day, she’d lived through her whole family dying, then coming back to life, and now her parents and brothers were saying all sorts of strange things without even moving their mouths.

Even an adult might struggle to handle all that.

As she stepped out, she stumbled and nearly fell flat on her face.

Her little arms flailed wildly as she fought to regain her balance, looking for all the world like a penguin with stubby wings slipping on ice.

Juanjuan, now steady on her feet: even more confused.

Jiang Dai, who almost reached out to catch her: …

Bai Tian, watching the whole scene: “Pfft.”

Juanjuan froze.

Then she heard her father—who had always been someone she feared—suddenly speak with concern:

“Juanjuan, be careful.”

“…Okay.”

The little girl responded softly, then bolted like a rabbit, as if some terrifying monster were chasing her.

When the child walked out, Jiang Dai turned back to look at her so-called husband. The tenderness on her face vanished without a trace, replaced by a calm, unreadable expression.

Little Boss Bai, witnessing her sudden change of demeanor: !!!

He saw it. He really saw it!

A face change!

She changed faces!

Bai Tian stared quietly as the woman walked toward him, step by step. He was certain—Jiang Dai had changed.

In the Original Host’s memories, Jiang Dai had always been beautiful, yes, but not very bright. She was gloomy, withdrawn, and silent.

She was nothing like this—radiating vitality from head to toe.

So…

Could it be…

Bai Tian hesitated for a moment, then asked the woman who had now come to stand before him, “Did you get your memory back?”

The moment Bai Tian said those words, a flurry of thoughts flashed through Jiang Dai’s mind.

Got her memory back?

That would mean the Original Host had been without her memories for a period of time.

And the most likely scenario was that, during her amnesia, this man in front of her had tricked her into staying and bearing him children.

Things like that weren’t unheard of—even in the Modern Era.

Jiang Dai began to piece things together. Even her response was carefully worded, leaving room to maneuver.

“I think I’ve recovered some of my old memories… but when it comes to you, and this family, I don’t remember a thing.”

Bai Tian: Just as I thought!

He knew it!

A person doesn’t change this drastically unless they’ve regained their memories.

What else could it be?

Transmigration?

Ha! One transmigrated protagonist per novel is more than enough.

And clearly, he—Little Boss Bai—was that lucky survivor, the one who had crossed over into the past.

The fact that his entire family had been in trouble but he alone survived? Obviously thanks to his arrival as a blessed transmigrator.

As for his formerly dull-witted wife suddenly regaining her senses and speaking clearly? Naturally, that was because of his presence.

“It’s probably better you don’t remember,” Bai Tian said, raising a hand to cover a couple of coughs. “It wasn’t anything worth remembering anyway.”

“I was a bit of a bastard before, but from today on, I swear I’ll make sure our family lives a good life.”

The moment Little Boss Bai opened his mouth, it had all the flavor of empty promises.

At least, that’s what Jiang Dai thought.

After all, back in the Modern Era, from company CEOs to her best friend’s boyfriend, everyone was a master of spinning dreams.

Jiang Dai was at a disadvantage without the Original Host’s memories. She had no idea what kind of person Bai Tian had been before, so she had no choice but to take his words at face value.

“Just now, since we didn’t have any money, I borrowed some from Old Lady Wang next door. Had to pawn off our three hens.”

“Is there any food in the house? I… don’t really know how to cook.”

Jiang Dai filled Bai Tian in on their current situation, glancing at his temporarily lame leg as she spoke.

Bai Tian recalled how the Original Host used to treat Old Lady Wang and felt a wave of shame. In his heart, he cursed the Original Host a hundred times over.

Then he turned to look at his wife, who had supposedly regained her memories but still didn’t seem all that bright.

“I’ll do it!”

Back then, the family had made little Juanjuan cook. Now that he, a grown man, was here, how could he still let a child handle meals?

Even if he had to limp, he’d cook.

Jiang Dai let out a sigh of relief and gave Bai Tian a look. For the first time, she felt like maybe this man was actually somewhat dependable.

Even if it was a bit cruel to make someone with a bum leg cook.

But Jiang Dai truly didn’t know how to cook—especially not in ancient times, and especially not without any memories. If she managed to get a fire going without burning the house down, that would already be a miracle.

So, she placed her full trust in her so-called husband and let him handle the cooking.

Not long after, a thick column of black smoke rose from outside.

Jiang Dai: …

———

Here is the meaning behind each name:

1. 狗蛋 (Gǒudàn) – The Eldest Son

· 狗 (Gǒu): Dog
· 蛋 (Dàn): Egg (but in this context, it’s a common colloquial term for “testicle”)

So, Goudan essentially means “Dog’s Testicle” or “Dog Ball.” It is the quintessential example of a humble name in northern China, meant to be as lowly and tough as possible so the child will be healthy and easy to raise.

2. 大毛 (Dà Máo) & 二毛 (Èr Máo)

· 大 (Dà): Big
· 二 (Èr): Second / Two
· 毛 (Máo): Fur, Hair, Feather

These names are simpler. They mean “Big Fur” and “Second Fur” (or “Number Two Fur”). This could be a reference to animals (like a sturdy, healthy puppy) or simply to the fine hair on a newborn baby. It’s a common way to name twins—the first gets “Big” and the second gets “Second.”

3. 娟娟 (Juānjuān) – The Youngest Daughter

This name stands in stark contrast to the boys’ names.

· 娟 (Juān): Beautiful, Graceful

Juanjuan is a very common and lovely name for girls. It means “Beautiful” or “Graceful.” The fact that it’s reduplicated (娟娟 instead of just 娟) makes it sound affectionate and cute, like “Little Beauty.”

———

Why Bai Tian Struggles:

· “Dan’er?” – He tries to soften “Goudan” by using the affectionate suffix “-er” (儿) on the last character, making it something like “Little Dan,” trying to avoid the full, vulgar meaning.

· “Gou’er?” – He tries the same trick on the first character, making it “Little Dog,” which is still a common humble name but slightly better than “Dog’s Testicle.”

· “Goudan?” – He finally just gives in and says the full, absurd name.