Chapter Two: A Beautiful Scene (Alex's POV)

The constant twittering of rosefinches echoed through my room, rousing me from my uneasy rest. I slowly sat up and placed a hand to my throbbing forehead, attempting to shake off the excess sleep. But, such noisy birds, even their beautiful song, won't take away from the fact that they never take a breath! I paused for a moment, realizing that I had never heard these birds sing outside my bedroom window, before opening my eyes to gaze around the room slowly. The birds were unfamiliar to me, but so was this room.

Pale green walls encompassed the sizeable bedroom while light-colored bamboo peeked beneath cotton-woven rugs with a simplistic design of peonies. Towards the center of the room sat a quaint, short wooden table and pillows a darker shade of green than the walls were placed along the four sides to provide comfort for the host and guests to enjoy tea should there be a need. An accordion partition sat between me and the table, presumably to give myself some privacy and the exquisite art painted against the thin paper. I couldn't help but admire the delicate artwork depicting a graceful swan in flight. Everything in this room was gentle and familiar, yet not as if I knew this room, but I couldn't place why just yet. Even the bed I perched on felt inviting and comfortable to me, instead of foreign like everything else in this room should have been. I wanted to lay back down and close my eyes, pretending this was all just a weird and vivid dream. However, something was nagging at the back of my mind, insisting that I look in the mirror. A small, silver mirror I had not noticed before that rested on the side of the table closest to me. Taking a deep breath, I stood and walked to the small table to grab the little mirror before raising it to my face.

A face that was not my own looked back at me from the mirror. I gazed at the delicate features for a moment, taking note of the eyes in particular. Everything about my new profile seemed feminine, from the small oval face and silken fawn skin that was without flaw to the pouty, blushing lips. Author, you outdid yourself when crafting Lan! Even his, no my, eyes produced only one word. Ice. I remember reading the scene in which Lan was introduced to show off his otherworldly beauty, and I certainly remembered the cliche line that described his eyes. 'His eyes were like two orbs carved from the coldest ice upon Mount Jingshen's highest peak,' the phrase resounded within my mind, and I let out a soft sigh despite myself. That was one way of putting it; my eyes seemed cold and distant as if some soul-sucking demon left no emotion within me. Even smiling at the mirror seemed unnatural! However, I knew that wasn't the case. I could still feel the dull ache of sorrow, maybe a residual effect of whatever happened last night that made him take over this body. Speaking of, I should begin by finding out what day it is.

"Ah, even after everything, I still can't wrap my head around this. I need time to think, but I also can't squander these early moments! Who knows at what point in the story I was reincarnated. Kai might already be here!" I muttered to myself, with unease growing slowly in my chest.

[Inner Dialogue] 'I know I said that I would want to join this world if I ever was thrown into a transmigration situation, but God, I wasn't expecting this!' My inner self collapsed on the ground in a fit of frustration. _(:τ」∠)_

I took one last look in the mirror and sighed inwardly. It seemed that even if my mind was a mess, Lan's body wouldn't even show a hint of it, or maybe I just needed more stimuli to crack through this 'icy' exterior. I can dwell on the complexity of my new body later, but first, I need to understand this world and what is happening currently. The thought made me pause for a moment, and I began to chant within my mind to build up the courage to check on one aspect of the book I needed to be sure of. Then, moving mechanically, I undid my robe and removed my underclothes before I froze in silence as I stared down at the area between my legs.

"Author… I hate you," I quietly seethed before rushing to get dressed appropriately in a hanfu of pale blue embroidered with flowering lotus' that climbed along the sides of the skirt.

[Inner Dialogue] 'Ahh, great Author! Why did you make your characters like this? Half male, half female! I lost my Little Brother in the transition! It's not that this is a bad thing, but I know you only did this to give the Male Lead more options to his harem! The beautiful females weren't enough; you had to give him beautiful Half-Immortals too? Ahh, great Author, you truly have no conscience!' " ｡｡゛( ﾉ><)ﾉ

I would be pulling at my hair and screaming into the void, but that isn't who Lan was or is, and I am determined not to make the same mistakes as the original transmigrator. After all, it didn't matter to me whether I was brought here as a male, female, or both. I just wanted to save Kai from a disastrous end. Since I'm not planning on having a lover or getting married, it shouldn't matter…right?

I shook myself from my reverie to add the white jade slip to my belt and look for a crown to keep my hair up. My hair was a fascinating shade of silver that almost seemed to be teetering on the edge of the same pale blue as my robe and came down to my waist when left undone. A quick search of the room and I found an inconspicuous nightstand made from white oak that housed my argent crown and a multitude of hairpins. It seemed that Lan disliked keeping things out and, instead, liked a tidy room to keep even his crown in a drawer. I scanned through the hairpins before gently picking out one that seemed a bit worn. The hairpin was simple in design compared to the other hairpins but seemed well-loved by the previous inhabitant. It made me wonder why I never saw it before in the book, primarily when Lan was introduced. The pin was dainty, almost so thin that it seemed easy enough to break if given enough pressure, with tiny carmine peach blossoms that dangled off the end to provide a pop of color to his otherwise ashen hair. I smiled at the reflection in the mirror, which was just a slight twitch of my lips thanks to Lan's glacial exterior, pleased with the work that I had accomplished. I was almost sure that the other masters had a servant or two that would help them dress, but Lan detested physical contact. Even his own Sect Master, and Senior Brother, couldn't touch him without receiving a cold reception.

Turning on my heel, I placed the small mirror down and picked up the fan that always accompanied Lan whenever he went out, along with his sword, Luoxue. Honestly, with Lan's appearance and his sword's name, it wasn't hard to guess why he was given the nickname 'Ice Master.' You would think my dominion was over snow or water at this point and not the forests! I unfurled that fan before me, revealing the design of a leafy branch that stretched the span of the fan.

"All set, let's get to work!" With a flick of my wrist and one handheld behind my back, I strolled out of my room to find the one disciple I knew I could harass, I mean, grill information from.