MLMD – Chapter 1 Awakening

June was the hottest time of the year, and Yingzhou Prefecture in Shanxi was no exception. The blazing sun had raged unrelentingly for two full months. Fields cracked and split from drought, and the water level of the Sanggan River—which flowed tirelessly through Yingzhou year after year—kept dropping. Some estimated that if there were no rain for several more months, the riverbed itself would soon be exposed.

Less than twenty li from Yingzhou Prefecture lay a stockaded village called Wuli Village. Situated beside the Sanggan River, Wuli Village stood right along the river’s upper reaches. At the center of the village was a low-lying depression formed by a tributary of the Sanggan River, creating a small lake of only fifteen or sixteen mu in area. Willows and mulberry trees were planted around the lake, while lotus flowers filled the water. In the scorching summer heat, this was the only place in all of Wuli Village where one could find even a trace of coolness.

In past years, both adults and children from Wuli Village loved to come here to escape the heat. But recently, a major event had shaken the village. Tension hung thick in the air, affecting even the surrounding areas, and as a result, far fewer people came to the lake to cool off.

Beside the lake stood a modest manor known as Yue Family Manor. As the name suggested, its owner bore the surname Yue. In Wuli Village, the Yue family was known to everyone without exception. Nearly eighty percent of the village’s land belonged to them, meaning that more than half of the farmers in Wuli Village depended on the Yue family for their livelihood. Calling the master of Yue Family Manor the local “earth emperor” ruling dozens of li around was no exaggeration.

Yet in these past few days, Yue Family Manor had lost its former calm. A sense of panic, agitation, and fear hung over every servant, attendant, and maid within its walls…

Yue Yang slowly regained consciousness. He tried to open his eyes, only to find his eyelids unbearably heavy. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t open them. His body also felt as though it were bound by something, completely unable to move. This realization startled him. He began struggling, shaking his body with effort, his throat emitting hoarse “heh-heh” sounds.

Soon, his efforts paid off.

A clear, crisp voice sounded by his ear. “Young Master… Young Master, are you awake? Sister, come quickly! Young Master has woken up!”

Clang!

The sound of porcelain knocking together rang out, followed by hurried footsteps. A soft, tender, slightly cool hand touched Yue Yang’s forehead. Then a gentle voice spoke.

“That’s wonderful. Young Master’s fever has gone down. Long’er, go report to the Old Madam at once. Ask her to come over.”

“All right, I’ll go right away!”

Hearing the two delicate voices, Yue Yang finally opened his eyes. At first, everything before him was a blur. He kept rolling his eyes, and after a while, his focus gradually returned. Slowly, a delicate face—both joyful and tearful, with glistening tears hanging on her lashes—came into view.

Seeing that Yue Yang had opened his eyes, the beauty before him didn’t wait for him to speak. She threw herself onto him and began to sob softly.

“Who is this pretty girl? Do I even know her? Why is she crying so hard on top of me?”

The thought had barely formed in Yue Yang’s mind when a flurry of noisy, chaotic sounds came from afar. Before anyone entered, an elderly voice rang out from the doorway.

“Has my precious grandson woken up? Quickly, quickly—take me to my precious grandson!”

The door was pushed open, and a group of people appeared before Yue Yang. At the front was an elderly woman, her left hand holding a little girl of twelve or thirteen, as cute as a porcelain doll. Yue Yang estimated that the old woman was around sixty years old. She wore a padded jacket and skirt that one would only ever see in historical TV dramas. She rushed to the bedside, grabbed Yue Yang’s hand, and burst into tears, crying as she slapped her thigh and wailed.

“My precious grandson, you’ve finally woken up! If anything had happened to you, how could Grandma explain it to your departed parents? With such a huge family estate, who would Grandma hand it over to?” The old lady cried and wiped away her tears.

Staring at the tearful elderly woman, a huge question mark rose in Yue Yang’s mind. He swallowed with difficulty, his throat dry, and asked hoarsely, “Old Madam, may I ask… who are you?”

The moment those words left his mouth, the room fell deathly silent.

The old lady stared at Yue Yang’s serious expression. Her well-maintained face instantly drained of color. Her body trembled as she pointed at him with a shaking finger, disbelief written all over her face.

“My dear grandson… you… you don’t recognize Grandma anymore? I am your grandmother!”

“My grandmother?” Yue Yang shook his head decisively. “Then why don’t I recognize you?”

“What? You don’t recognize me? Hic—”

The old lady’s body tilted, and she nearly collapsed. Thankfully, there were people behind her. Two maids hurried forward to support her. After pinching her philtrum and forcing some strong tea down her throat, she managed not to faint. But the moment she came to, she began slapping her thigh and crying loudly again.

Yue Yang rolled his eyes. His grandmother had been dead for decades. His parents had also been gone for many years. Where had this old woman come from? And why was everyone dressed in ancient clothing? Was this a film set? No… wait…

Suddenly, Yue Yang snapped back to his senses.

“Wait—wasn’t I struck by that purple heavenly lightning? Did I survive by sheer luck?”

As his mind slowly calmed, fragments of memory returned. He turned his head slightly and clearly saw the furnishings in the room and the people gathered around his bed.

Though Yue Yang wasn’t knowledgeable about ancient furniture, one glance was enough for him to sense the simplicity of form, rigorous structure, restrained decoration, and beautiful textures of the furnishings. The thick classical charm they exuded was something no modern so-called “high-end replicas” could ever imitate. Moreover, judging from his many years of experience dealing with people, the old lady’s concern for him was genuine, without the slightest trace of pretense. The respectful posture and demeanor of the maids and servants behind her also didn’t resemble anything from a film set. So what exactly was going on?

While Yue Yang was lost in thought, a middle-aged man with a goatee stepped out from behind the old lady. He wore a gray long robe and carried a wooden medical chest. Leaning closer to the old lady, he spoke in a low voice.

“Old Madam, the young master suffered a severe blow to the head. I estimate that there’s an eighty percent chance he has lost his soul—he cannot remember past events.”

“Lost-soul illness?” The old lady and those around her gasped. In modern times, many people knew this condition well—after all, countless melodramatic TV dramas revolved around it. It also had a far more familiar name: amnesia.

Though Yue Yang wasn’t a doctor, he understood the man’s words perfectly. Rolling his eyes, he braced his right hand against the bed, preparing to sit up. Suddenly, his gaze locked onto his left hand, and his entire body froze.

After a moment, Yue Yang raised his slightly trembling hand before his eyes and examined it carefully. His whole body began to shudder.

He could swear to the gods of heaven and earth that this was not his hand. The original Yue Yang was already in his thirties. He had worked as a porter, a deliveryman, and even a white-collar worker. Years of hard living had covered his hands in calluses. Yet this hand was long, slender, and fair—clearly a hand that had never done heavy labor, and one that belonged to a young man.

In panic, Yue Yang yanked open the front of his robe. What he saw was a young, slightly thin body. Stunned, he could only be certain of one thing: his body had been replaced.

When Yue Yang tore open his clothes, everyone around him was equally shocked, and the room erupted into commotion. The old lady was the first to react. She grabbed Yue Yang’s hand and scolded loudly,

“Grandson, what are you doing? Exposing your body in broad daylight—what sort of behavior is this? Linglong, hurry and come restrain your young master!”

No sooner had she spoken than a faint fragrance wafted over. The two maids who had already been standing by rushed forward and held Yue Yang, preventing him from moving around.

“Who are you people, and where is this place?” Yue Yang didn’t struggle, letting the maids support him.

Seeing him restrained, the old lady sighed and turned to the middle-aged man with the goatee.

“Physician Sun, do you think my grandson’s illness can still be cured?”

Physician Sun stroked his beard thoughtfully, then asked Yue Yang, “Young Master Yue, do you remember your own name?”

“Of course. Just one character—Yang,” Yue Yang replied without thinking, his head still spinning from everything that had happened.

“Mhm.” Physician Sun nodded, then pointed at the people around them. “And them—do you remember who they are?”

“No,” Yue Yang answered bluntly.

Hearing this, Physician Sun pondered for a moment before saying to the old lady, “Old Madam, it seems that Young Master Yue suffered heavy trauma to the head, causing him to forget his past. This condition is difficult to predict. He might recover his memories in a few days—or he might never remember them for the rest of his life. All I can do is prescribe some calming medicine. As for whether he can recall the past, I cannot guarantee it.”

With that, Physician Sun walked to the table, sat down, and deftly took out brush, ink, paper, and inkstone from his medical chest. He quickly wrote out a prescription and handed it to the old lady.