After school, he was then offered himself to a succubus.

[Triggering past events...]

During the reign of Emperor Wen and Emperor Song, you acquired the identity of a scholar. This time, you need to experience life as a mortal. This is your innate cultivation, and until the cultivation is completed, your memories and cultivation level cannot be restored...

Although you have forgotten much of the past millennia, your wanderlust has allowed you to master the knowledge of the current dynasty almost effortlessly...

Your mind was gradually influenced by this knowledge, and you developed the ambition to serve in the court and for the country and its people.

The days of studying hard in poverty were dull and boring. Your fellow students often invited you to brothels to listen to music, but you were not interested in human women. You preferred the sounds of birds and cicadas to human singing.

Coincidentally, every day while you are reading in your study, a lark will sing at your window, which is quite amusing.

You don't bother her, and she doesn't bother you. Gradually, she will fly down from the windowsill, stand on your desk, watch you write, watch you compose poems and lyrics, and read the classics with you...

She is very intelligent; she has developed cultivation in less than half a month of being with you.

You are shocked! So, it turns out that monsters can also become spirits by reading the classics! You've never heard of such a method of cultivation before.

You realize that if demons could coexist peacefully with humans, studying and cultivating themselves would be a good path, without having to resort to eating people to overcome tribulations...

Therefore, you became even more attached to this lark and fed her your essence... guiding her to absorb your yang energy.

[After eighty-one days, she suddenly took human form in your arms. She was extremely beautiful, surpassing even the current empress.]

You almost succumbed to worldly desires, so you taught her the ways of the human world, but she still preferred to be a little tadpole, nestled against the back of your hand, composing lyrics and music together...

After transforming into human form, her singing became even more beautiful, and you were often captivated by it. Only then did you realize that you didn't dislike humans; it was just that these kind female demons, after transforming, were far more beautiful than ordinary people.

You're just a lecherous person.

Three years have passed since spring came and summer went. During this time, she has transformed more and more often, and often lies naked in bed with you, touching you all over. Her address to you has also changed from "Young Master" to "Husband".

You dismissed it as her first stirrings of love and didn't take it seriously, until... one night, while you were fast asleep, she sat on your stomach and nearly swallowed your vital essence...

When you ask her why, you learn that she has secretly read many erotic songs and read erotic pictures, and desperately wants to spend the night with you. Furthermore, she believes that since you are already husband and wife, there is nothing wrong with it.

You smiled bitterly, realizing that you had created another tragic relationship. So you decided to go to the capital to take the imperial examination, leaving her at home to calm down. Humans and demons are ultimately different, and this was all just a dream.

Before leaving, you named her... Lin Yinmeng.

More backstory awaits unlocking.

【…】

"The morning's military training is over. Okay! Those whose names I call, come over here. This is based on your own wishes. If you don't want to go, you can come back and continue the military training with me."

The military training had just ended when the instructors hinted that the selection results were in.

Immediately, a large crowd swarmed around them.

The same scene unfolded across the entire playground: freshmen swarmed forward, while older students watched from the sidelines. The whole school was filled with people holding up their phones or cameras, creating an incredibly lively atmosphere.

Looking at this grand spectacle, Li Yu remained calm and composed, standing with his hands behind his back, looking up at the cicadas in the trees, a slight smirk playing on his lips.

"Ugh, so noisy, so noisy! What's the use of being anxious? The outcome is already predetermined."

"Lin Yinmeng is definitely looking at me! Don't you think so, Lao Chen?"

Zhang Chen snapped out of his daze from the defeat cutscene and followed Li Yu's gaze to the cicadas in the tree.

He couldn't help but wonder, why did the CG version of himself like to listen to the chirping of cicadas and birds?

On a whim, he opened the system and scanned the cicadas on the tree:

[List of Yokai Included]

[Already included: Cicada Demon (near death)]

[Reward: Significantly increased reproductive ability]

[Note: Ordinary animals, if they do not commit evil deeds and reach the end of their lives, will briefly become spirits and gain a certain degree of intelligence...]

It was a monster.

According to the system, Zhang Chen realized that many pets would inexplicably become human-like when they were on the verge of death.

For example, when a pet dog is nearing the end of its life, it will usually try its best to give birth to one last puppy and teach it how to continue guarding the house... After everything is done, it will sneak out of the house and find a place far away from its owner to die.

Because it was the last dance, did it awaken its sentience?

Zhang Chen walked to the tree and asked the old cicada:

"He's almost dead, why is he still yelling so loudly?"

"That's because I need to mate, and I have to shout loudly so the female cicada can hear me," the cicada said. "But you have the custom of taking the college entrance exam, and you're afraid we'll affect it, so you catch cicadas every summer, which makes it so I can't find a female cicada anymore."

Zhang Chen couldn't help but chuckle; it felt a bit like hell.

"Since we can't find it anyway, and you're about to die, why don't you rest?"

The cicada flapped its wings. "I'll only see the height of summer twice in my life, so why not shout with all my might? Don't you humans cry loudly when you're born?"

Zhang Chen was slightly taken aback.

"By the way, are you an immortal? Could you please wish that I won't be reborn as a citizen of the Celestial Empire in my next life?" the cicada said.

"Wouldn't being reborn as a human be better than being a cicada?" Zhang Chen was stunned.

"You Chinese are always waiting; such a life has no meaning," the cicada said. "Waiting until you have time, waiting until you have money, waiting until you get married, waiting until your children grow up, waiting until you pay off your mortgage, until you die..."

"But the summers of your youth won't wait for you; even I, a cicada, understand that."

Zhang Chen remained silent for a while, then said, "Fine, then I hope you don't become a citizen of the Celestial Empire."

"Thank you." After saying this, the cicada stopped chirping, fluttered to the ground, and died completely.

"Holy crap, Zhang Chen, you're amazing! You stared the cicada to death?" Li Yu's voice came from behind.

"No, it was already close to dying." Zhang Chen smiled. "It was just a coincidence."

It turns out that talking to cicadas is so interesting. No wonder he liked listening to cicadas and birds chirping more than a thousand years ago.

"I have to say, you were standing there talking to yourself just now, and it startled me," Li Yu said, scratching his head. "You seemed like a different person; I didn't even dare to call you."

"Has he become mentally ill?" Zhang Chen asked.

"No, no, it's just that my aura suddenly changed, you know? I used to be a loser, but suddenly I seem to have become very... ethereal? Don't call me a chuunibyou, that's really my first impression."

"You've been reading too many fantasy novels."

"Oh my god, it's true!" Li Yu said, feigning regret. "Sigh, if it weren't for the fact that I'm basically guaranteed the male lead role this time, I think you would be great shooting a music video."

"After all, Lin Yinmeng sings songs in the ancient style, which sounds ethereal and otherworldly."

"What a pity, what a pity!" Li Yu's mouth stretched from ear to ear. "Old Chen, I will never forget you."

"Uh, are you so sure Lin Yinmeng is looking at you?"

"Alright, enough pretending, Lao Chen. Actually, I have a special ability. From a young age, I've always been particularly good at catching girls' eyes!"

"Didn't you just keep staring at people like that? You couldn't even avoid making eye contact with them," Zhang Chen said speechlessly.

"That might be the reason, but she's different," Li Yu said confidently. "Lin Yinmeng was definitely looking in my direction, and she stayed there for a long time."

"It couldn't be because of you, could it? You were standing right next to me, but weren't you just lounging around like a slacker? You weren't even standing at attention properly..."

Li Yu was halfway through his sentence when he saw Zhang Chen's suppressed laughter and suddenly had a bad feeling; cold sweat broke out on his brow.

"Chen, you don't actually know Lin Yinmeng, do you? Joking around is fine, but don't play pranks on your buddies. I'm genuinely worried about you..."

"!!"

Suddenly, as if in response to Li Yu's words, the crowd gathered in a circle suddenly burst into a noisy exclamation, and everyone looked back.

"How could it be him..."

"This is outrageous! He just looks decent enough, but his character is so terrible..."

"It's one thing for Xu Mianmian to be chosen, but Zhang Chen is chosen... why wasn't I? Isn't Lin Yinmeng a woman? Why do female singers need extras in their music videos? Is she trying to seduce men...?"

"I'm unfollowing them. Speechless."

"..."

Amidst the murmurs, Xu Mianmian slipped out, ran up to Zhang Chen, and looked at him cautiously: "Sir, may I go?"

"Go ahead, we're short on money at home, you can work with me and earn two salaries." Zhang Chen subconsciously patted her head, only to realize afterward that people around them were watching.

The rabbit's face was flushed red from his touching, and the voices of the others grew louder and louder. Li Yu screamed at the top of his lungs, cursing the betrayal...

Such noise.

In the past, he might have fled in panic.

But Zhang Chen fell silent at that moment and couldn't help but look at the cicada on the ground—it was blown by the wind and covered by a leaf, as if it were being buried.

It seems that the more he unravels the past, the more his state of mind is elevated.

Little by little, they pushed him towards merging him with that shadow from a thousand years ago.