Master of Suction [Time Travel]
Master of Suction [Time Travel] | Chapter 1

The night had fallen, and at ten o’clock, the city of Beijing was illuminated by thousands of lights.

Suddenly, a man’s desperate and hoarse cries echoed from a deep alley: “Officer, help me! Someone’s trying to kill me!”

A passerby, who had just reached the alley’s entrance, paused in his tracks and silently turned around. Moonlight cast his tall, slender silhouette onto the ground. He was a young man in his early twenties, with dark hair and calm, bright eyes that seemed to shimmer in the shadows.

“Please, save me! They’re about to find me!”

The man’s frantic cries were so hysterical that the young man, who initially intended to mind his own business, lightly licked his lips and, after a brief hesitation, began walking deeper into the alley. As he got closer, the man’s desperate voice became clearer. In his panic, the man had put his phone on speaker, and the voice of a police officer could now be heard clearly from the speaker: “Sir, please stay calm! Tell us your location, and we’ll dispatch officers immediately!”

“I’m in the Ionia region of Summoner’s Rift, in the bush near Baron. They’ve already killed four of my teammates, and they’re still looking for me. I’m not in good condition, my ultimate and flash are still on cooldown. Officer, I’m so scared!” The man slurred his words, punctuating them with a loud hiccup, clearly intoxicated, and his sobs were on the verge of making him pass out.

There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone, then the officer asked in a deep voice, “Say that again, what’s your name?”

“Lava Giant.”

The next second, the call was met with a cold, flat busy tone.

By this time, Baili Xiao had already reached the man. He silently gazed at the drunken guy and felt three imaginary black lines dropping down his forehead.

So, it was just a drunkard addicted to *League of Legends*.

Baili Xiao sighed in exasperation, about to turn and leave. However, just as he was about to step away, his nose twitched slightly, and he paused.

—The man lying drunk on the ground was emitting an unusually fresh citrus scent. It was rare, pure, something Baili Xiao hadn’t encountered in a long time.

He knew he wouldn’t be able to resist this kind of temptation. What he didn’t expect, after days of fruitless searching, was that he would stumble upon this by pure luck. He had already investigated nearly everyone in his neighborhood, and people with such rare luck were becoming increasingly scarce.

If he let this one go, who knew how long he’d have to wait for another chance.

Making a snap decision, Baili Xiao resolved to endure the strong smell of alcohol. He crouched down and gently asked, “Who is trying to kill you?”

The man hesitated for a second, his eyes bloodshot and wary as he looked at him. “Are you… the enemy?”

“I’m here to help you.”

“You’re lying. All my teammates are dead. No one’s here to help me…” the man mumbled.

Baili Xiao was speechless for a solid three seconds. Then, he switched to an even softer tone. “I’m your turret.”

“Oh,” the man suddenly understood, then pitifully lowered his head. “I’m sorry, we didn’t protect you well enough. I tried my best, but they got too strong in the late game…”

Baili Xiao, who had been expressionless, couldn’t help but curl the corners of his mouth. If his thoughts had subtitles, they would probably be filled with “What an idiot.” But he managed to suppress his smile in less than a second, speaking as if he were soothing a child: “It’s alright. The game’s over. You can go home now.”

“Oh, okay.” The man nodded obediently, swaying as he got to his feet. The strong smell of alcohol overwhelmed the air, and after a moment’s hesitation, Baili Xiao reached out to support him.

“Thank you, you’re so kind. Next game, I swear I’ll protect you!” the man promised, slurring his words.

The overpowering scent of alcohol nearly masked the refreshing citrus smell. Baili Xiao frowned, deciding to wrap things up quickly. He grabbed the man’s shoulders, his black eyes shining with an unnatural brightness. Staring intently into the man’s eyes, he spoke in a low voice: “But in the next game, it won’t be you who’s protecting me. What should we do about that?”

“Yeah… what should we do…” the man repeated instinctively, mesmerized. He had never seen eyes like these—obsidian, as if covered by a layer of mist, flawless and gleaming.

So bright. So deep.

It felt as though they would pull him in.

Baili Xiao’s lips parted slightly, his cold face taking on a seductive allure. “Promise me, share your good luck with me.”

The man was already half-dazed. Though the alcohol had mostly worn off, his mind was still foggy, as if a pot of warm water was sloshing around in his head, leaving him muddled and confused. Yet despite his unclear thoughts, he was absolutely certain of one thing: even if it cost him his life, he didn’t want to refuse the request of the person in front of him. Instinctively, he nodded, “My good luck will live alongside yours. I give it willingly.”

As soon as he spoke, the refreshing citrus scent swirled around both of them, enveloping them entirely. Baili Xiao closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, and exhaled slowly.

The drunk man, on the other hand, suddenly felt much lighter, as if the effects of the alcohol had entirely dissipated. He forgot what had just happened, his eyes now filled with childlike confusion and innocence. Baili Xiao’s lips curled into a small smile. He pulled out a banknote and slipped it into the man’s hand, his voice returning to its usual coldness. “You’ve had too much. Take a cab home. Don’t make your family worry.”

With that, he let go of the man’s arm, turned swiftly, and walked out of the alley without looking back.

Baili Xiao’s luck-transfer business had been stagnant for days, but tonight, he’d finally closed another deal.

The Weibo account “Baili Celestial Master” had gained a surge of popularity over the past few months, attracting hundreds of new followers every day. With tens of thousands of followers already, its profile contained just a simple phrase: “Eyes see through the chaos of the heavens, hands control the rise and fall of fate.”

The owner of this account was none other than Baili Xiao. Every night at midnight, he would post a fortune slip, interpreting the next day’s auspicious times, and thousands of people would leave comments, hoping for good luck. However, the real power behind his success wasn’t these trivial posts. Anyone could pick up an almanac and do the same thing. The reason Baili Xiao could sustain himself with this Weibo account was because of a rare and costly service he offered.

—He sold luck.

Each transaction came at a sky-high price.

While he had many fans, most could only follow his daily public posts. In the entire city of Beijing, only a select few could actually afford his exclusive services.

However, it was precisely these few clients who fueled his rise to fame—business tycoons, infamous playboys, and even legendary stock market traders. Every single one of them who had paid for his services publicly praised the “Baili Celestial Master” by name on Weibo, hailing his supernatural abilities. In just one night, Baili Xiao’s popularity and reputation skyrocketed.

There were countless posts on Weibo trying to uncover the truth behind his account, but no one could pin down the true identity of the mysterious blogger. Whenever he met with clients, he always wore a black mask. When they heard his voice, they described it as ethereal and deep, like that of a reclusive sage, adding to his air of mystery. As for the fans who had never even heard his voice, he became even more enigmatic. Some speculated that he was actually a witch, others claimed he was an old man who had lived for centuries, and there were even rumors that he was a koi fish who had transformed into a spirit.

[TN: Koi fish, especially in Asian cultures, are symbols of good luck, strength, and perseverance. In Chinese and Japanese traditions, they represent wealth, success, and overcoming adversity due to their ability to swim upstream against strong currents.]

But only Baili Xiao himself knew the truth—he was merely a soul from another world, and nothing more.

His name was Baili Xiao, the eldest prince of the Baili family. In his former world, Pangu had split the heavens from the chaos, dividing the realms into those of gods, ghosts, and humans. Time flowed endlessly in the ancient wilderness, and though the god race had long disappeared without a trace, the bloodline of the Baili family remained. While they no longer possessed divine bodies, they still inherited the power of the gods.

The Baili family was revered by mortals as miraculous healers. People suffering from grave illnesses would travel across mountains and rivers to the Baili Valley seeking cures, and in times of disaster, members of the Baili family would leave the valley to provide aid. Over thousands of years, the world forgot that the family’s true power was not in medicine, but in observing celestial phenomena and controlling fate.

As the eldest prince of the Baili family, Baili Xiao not only possessed the ability to observe the stars but also to absorb, share, and purify others’ fortune. His extraordinary talent made him the natural heir to the family. However, on the night before his coming-of-age ceremony and ascension to the family leadership, while conducting his routine celestial observations, he saw a sudden surge of purple energy enveloping the Big Dipper. The movement of the stars shifted in a way he had never seen before. The celestial phenomena were strange, yet the purple aura signified good fortune. Confused, Baili Xiao pondered the meaning, but before he could grasp it, his body went limp, and in an instant, he lost consciousness.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in an entirely different world.

This new world was ruled by ordinary humans, devoid of even a hint of divine power—a land of “Muggles,” so to speak. Yet, it was fascinating, filled with things like technology, celebrities, and the internet. As of today, it had been exactly three months since Baili Xiao arrived in this world. He had grown accustomed to driving, to opening the door to receive packages and takeout, and to gathering information on Weibo. If not for his lingering ability to manipulate fortune, and the vivid memories of the rising and setting sun over Baili Valley, he sometimes wondered if his former world had been nothing more than a dream.

His new identity was Li Xiao, a tarot card enthusiast who spent his days aimlessly, earning just enough pocket money through fortune-telling on Weibo. This person shared similar “interests,” a similar name, and even an identical appearance, but he had always been lackadaisical, orphaned at a young age, and without any particular skills. One day, after a few drinks, he fainted at home for reasons unknown, and it was then that Baili Xiao took over his body.

Or perhaps it was not quite that way…

—Baili Xiao gently wiped the steamy moisture from the mirror, gazing at the handsome face reflected back.

Maybe it wasn’t so much that he occupied Li Xiao’s body, but rather that he was summoned by the celestial phenomena to enter another time and space. Ever since his soul crossed over, he had become Li Xiao. At least, to the outside world, he was Li Xiao.

The slightly outdated air conditioner hummed quietly as it started up, and Baili Xiao dried himself off before wrapping himself in a black satin robe. Despite being in a small, old house and having lost his long, flowing black hair, he still looked every bit the noble prince of the Baili family.

He clearly remembered his teacher telling him, “When you were born, three thousand clouds accompanied by purple energy lingered over Baili Valley for eighty-one days without dispersing. Your birth foretold the greatest good fortune in the world.”

Thus, even in a different world, nothing would change. The original owner of this body had lived a mundane and unremarkable life, lacking any highlights. Although he did not understand the significance of that day’s celestial phenomena or why he had come here, he knew that since he had arrived, everything would be different. This world would change because of his presence.

Baili Xiao’s lips curled into a slight smile, his black eyes shimmering as if covered by a translucent film of water, sparkling in the dim moonlight.

At exactly midnight, people from all walks of life, tired from their day, snuggled into their cozy blankets. They opened Weibo to check the account they couldn’t miss before bed—the predictions from that ever-reliable source.

“@Baili Celestial Master: Tomorrow is suitable for worship, bathing, and breaking bad luck. However, marriages and business openings may lead to great misfortune. Additionally: Purple energy is coming from the east, fortune is abundant, and my small shop is reopening. Welcoming those with intent to trade.”

The post had been live for less than a minute, and already thousands of shares and replies flooded in. Baili Xiao didn’t bother to read through them. Instead, he gazed through the window at the starry sky, wondering who his next client might be. He hoped for a big transaction that could bring in a substantial income. After all, he had been dabbling in the fortune business for three months now, and it was time to start planning his new life seriously.

As those thoughts swirled in his mind, sleepiness gradually overcame him, and he closed his eyes. Meanwhile, in the northern sky, though invisible to mortal eyes, the purple energy once again spread, enveloping the shimmering stars of the Big Dipper.

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