Chapter 1 - How to Land Safely In Another World

Li Wei felt sick just looking at the books. Surrounding him were an uncountable number of shelves with what seemed like an infinite amount of books. Each one was older than he was by an unknown number of centuries.

His job was none other than a librarian. Although he was also a cultivator, most of his time was spent sorting out books and performing other librarian duties.

When he first started working there, he loved it because he spent most of his time engrossed in reading the books. 

The endless shelves filled with stories and knowledge fascinated him, and he eagerly delved into each page, immersing himself in different worlds and perspectives. However, after 6 years of being surrounded by books day in and day out, the initial excitement began to fade. The repetitive nature of the job, combined with the constant exposure to the infinite literary works, gradually wore him down. 

The once-beloved haven of literature transformed into a monotonous routine, leaving him feeling disenchanted and longing for a change.

The day was as typical as it could get. The sun was shining with the intensity of a thousand halfling torches. Birds were chirping, probably gossiping about whatever drama was unfolding in their tiny bird world.

 The wind rustled the leaves in a soothing melody as if trying to lull the world into a peaceful nap. But in the middle of all this serene beauty, Li Wei was having an existential crisis.

Li Wei glanced at the ancient clock hanging precariously on the library wall. Was it just his imagination, or did the second hand seem to tick slower with each passing minute? It was as though time itself was mocking him, savoring in his misfortune. He sighed, staring at the looming pile of books that needed sorting. It was like Mount Everest, only less fun to climb.

Suddenly, he thought he heard a strange noise. It was...a hissing sound? He glanced towards the corner in surprise. A book was there, seemingly an ordinary one, but it was wriggling.

'Great,' Li Wei thought sarcastically, 'Now even the books are going crazy.'

Before he could investigate, he saw the entire bookshelf fall to the ground with a loud crash. 

'What now? Did that old mummified librarian finally kick the bucket?' He rushed towards the sound where assumed to see the old librarian under it, only to find a gnome scrambling through the wreckage. The gnome looked up, meeting Li Wei's gaze with a pair of guilty eyes.

 "Oops," he muttered, before vanishing in a puff of purple smoke.

Li Wei stared at the empty space where the gnome used to be. Then, he looked at the mess around him.

And then, as if his day couldn't get any weirder, the clock on the library wall started spinning backward. 'Huh,' thought Li Wei, 'time travel might actually make this day less confusing.'

First, there was a creature he had never seen before and now even the clock was going crazy.

He turned back to the squirming book, which was now writhing on the floor like a possessed diary. 

'Do I even dare open it?' he wondered. After a long internal debate that lasted all of two seconds, curiosity got the better of him. He kneeled down to pick up the book, and as he opened it, a shriek filled the library.

"Oh, calm down!" Li Wei yelled at the book, "It's just a little light reading!" But the book didn't appreciate the pun and shrieked louder.

Just as he was about to drop the book and run for the hills, he heard a small, timid voice coming from the pages. "Um...hello?" it whispered.

Li Wei blinked. He then looked around to make sure he wasn't being pranked. "Hello?" he replied hesitantly.

The book seemed to sigh in relief. "Oh, thank goodness! A human! Could you kindly remove the bookmark? It's...uh...it's kinda uncomfortable."

With the day he was having, Li Wei wasn't shocked anymore. He slowly slid the bookmark out of the book, and the book sighed again. The sigh sounded strangely satisfied.

Li Wei looked at the book with a worrying expression and then he looked at the page separator in his hands. He had a disgusting thought and with a shake threw the book separator as far as he could.

'Nasty!' Li Wei screamed inside and looked at the book judgingly.

"Hello! Hello! What was that?" He tried speaking to the book again and again but it would not respond no matter what he said even when he called the book a despond.

He looked at the offending book and couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter at the title, "The Complete Guide to Transmigrating: What to Do When You Find Yourself in Another World." He shook his head and said, "What kind of insane person would write this?"

His curiosity piqued, Li Wei decided to give the book a quick skim.

The chapters were absurd: "How to charm elves", "How to Arm-Wrestle an Orc", and even a highly dubious "Quick Guide to Dragon Taming". He chuckled as he flipped through the ludicrous pages, thinking about how this was probably some sort of fiction or role-playing handbook. Little did he know, the universe was about to throw him the curveball of a lifetime.

Just as Li Wei was getting to the section on "Inter-dimensional Banking: Dealing with Goblin Bankers", there was a sudden, blinding flash of light that screamed out from the book.

When he regained his vision, Li Wei found himself standing, or rather floating, in what appeared to be an endless expanse of space. Stars and galaxies twinkled in the distance, their light a faint but comforting presence in the otherwise void. He glanced down to see he was still holding the book. Apparently, inter-dimensional travel didn't include a luggage limit. 

The absurdity of it all caused Li Wei to chuckle. 'Guess I should've started with the chapter on 'How to Pack for Spontaneous Space Travel',' He thought.

As he continued to drift through the starry abyss, Li Wei closed his eyes and let out a sigh. He felt a tingle coming from the book. "Here we go again," he thought with resignation. Another flash of light spread from the book and he appeared in a different location. 

Li Wei looked around; his new location was a forest, the likes of which he'd only read in those high-budget fantasy books. Gigantic trees loomed above, their canopies a lush green tapestry against the azure sky. Strange bird-like creatures chirped melodies that sounded suspiciously like old pop tunes. A squirrel hopped by him gave him a salute and continued on its way. 

"Must be Tuesday," he muttered to no one in particular.

He took a moment to check his book, which had been his trusty (albeit unpredictable) travel companion.

He blinked, thinking that he must've hit his head harder than he thought. 

He looked down at the book in his hands. It had opened to a page that said, "Chapter 5: How to Land Safely In Another World". "You've got to be kidding me!" he shouted, eyeing the trees around him with growing trepidation.

Li Wei looked around with resignation.

"Master is going to kill me when I come back." He winced.

After standing in the forest for a good 5 minutes looking around Li Wei decided to give it another look.

Opening to the very first page, he began reading about 'Proper Etiquette when Meeting an Elf.' He wondered if the book included a chapter on 'What to Do When Accidentally Transmigrated into a Fantasy World.'

He flipped through the pages, pausing every now and then to chuckle at the outrageous tips and guidelines. The book was beginning to feel less like a joke and more like a survival manual. 

With every page, Li Wei realised that he had unwittingly signed up for a crash course in D&D 101. After all, D&D was a popular game even among the immortals. Although he had never played it himself.

Every chapter was more bizarre than the next – from 'Negotiating with Dwarves: Why They Hate Low Ceilings' to 'Mind-reading Leprechauns: How Not to Get Scammed'.

He then flipped to the chapter on space travel. He started reading about 'Interstellar Navigation: The Art of Locating Your Position Relative to Your Favorite Constellations.' When he read each line, his chuckles subsided and was replaced by a growing sense of bewilderment and awe. The book, ludicrous as it was, was his only guide in this unknown world.

And as Li Wei started to learn about the different races, territories, and the laws of magic of this universe, he came to a startling realisation. This wasn't just a game he had actually gone and done it.

He was in a completely new world and it really wasn't a game.

"Guess it's time to see if there's a chapter on 'How to Make Friends with a Dragon' or 'Dating in the D&D World: A Comprehensive Guide'," he mused.

He looked around the ancient and rather gloomy looking forest. 

He felt a sense of danger building up in his body.

Li Wei sighed, "Maybe it's better to go back after all."

Li Wei skimmed through all the pages again hoping the book would send him back, but nothing happened.

With a sense of desperation, Li Wei started flipping through the book randomly, hoping against hope that it would teleport him back. He even tried shaking it vigorously, putting on his best tough-guy expression, and growling, "Send me back, you oversized comic book!"

He then tried to sweet-talk the book, cooing at it as one does at a grumpy cat, "Now, now, good book, won't you be a dear and take me back home?" The book, rather rudely, remained as unresponsive as a brick.

Li Wei even went as far as performing an impromptu interpretive dance. He twirled, he jumped, he pranced around the book chanting, "Send me home! Send me home!" in what he hoped was a compelling rhythm. It was a spectacle worthy of an audience, but the only spectators were the confused squirrels and bird population of the forest.

Just as he was getting ready to admit defeat, Li Wei had an idea. He could try to recreate the scene when he was transported. With renewed energy, he hastily arranged everything as it was – the book in his lap, sitting right under the imposing old tree, the exact angle of the sunlight filtering through the branches. He took a deep breath, placed his finger on a random page, and, trying to recreate that exact moment of surprise, exclaimed, "Oh wow, Inter-dimensional Banking: Dealing with Goblin Bankers."

Nothing.

Exhausted and dejected, Li Wei sighed deeply and fell backward onto the forest floor, "Well, that didn't work."

Just then as he looked at the canopies of the trees he had a newfound idea. He sensed his Dantian and sent the Qi from inside to his hands and then into the book. He waited as he felt that the book was indeed absorbing the Qi he sent. He kept pumping out more and more Qi as he waited patiently, but he soon started sweating as his Dantian was emptying out.

"I must preserve! it can't possibly take all my Qi!"

With a final grunt of effort, he pumped what felt like his last drop of Qi into the book. The book remained as lifeless as ever, only now Li Wei was also flat broke, Qi-wise. He flopped back onto the ground, feeling slightly faint.

"Okay, book," he muttered, "You win. You're the most high-maintenance travel device I've ever seen."

He lay there for a while, idly watching a squirrel try to stuff its face with nuts. It was a slightly ironic sight - the squirrel, desperately trying to hoard more than it could handle, and Li Wei, pouring everything he had into an ungrateful piece of literature.

He thought about doing a rain dance around it, but it was apparent that the book was as responsive as a brick wall.

He stared at the canopy above him, a grim look of defeat on his face. At that moment, he could sympathise with the squirrel. They were both hoarders, in their own way, only failing in their pursuits.

As the sun set, casting long shadows over the forest, Li Wei lay there, lost in thought.

"I can feel it. If I had enough Qi, I could probably awaken the book. But this is a hard thing to accept. After all, cultivation requires an immense amount of time, and the Qi sent inside the book feels like a drop in the ocean."

"Life," he mused, "is truly a nut we try to crack, and sometimes the nut wins."