[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner":3,"chapter-i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-chapter-1":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I'm Not Crazy—This Is the Emperor's Banner",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":18,"prevChapterSlug":19,"totalChapters":20,"novelImage":21},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":12,"translator":16,"content_hash":17},2291341,4480,"Chapter 1: Possession","i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-chapter-1",1,"\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan jolted awake from his dream, gasping for air as his arm throbbed with numbness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where am I?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan had not yet recovered from the torrent of heavenly tribulations; his body had been destroyed, his soul damaged, his spiritual sense obstructed—leaving him mentally dazed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lao Shen, what’s wrong? Sleepwalked?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His colleague Li Kang, seeing him sitting there blankly, poked him with the tip of his pen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan snapped back to reality and turned to look at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kang Mazi?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re the one with the freckles—call me Brother Kang.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Kang tossed his pen onto the desk, clearly annoyed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan ignored him, scanning the surroundings; the familiar environment slowly cleared his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Had a nightmare?” Li Kang asked again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just now, he had indeed dreamed of a demonic cultivator from the Great Wasteland who, after failing his Tribulation Crossing, was left with only a shred of his soul, crossing into this world to devour his spirit and possess his body—only to be unexpectedly slain and consumed in turn by Shen Siyuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the dream was too real, especially the memories he gained after devouring the demon’s remnant soul—as if they had truly happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The demon in his memory called himself the Nine You  Demon Lord, who had plunged the Great Wasteland into bloodshed and chaos; beneath the Nine Heavens’ thunderous tribulation, he was ambushed by orthodox sects and ultimately perished, his body and Dao destroyed, leaving only a shred of his soul protected by his life-bound magic treasure, which somehow arrived in this world and entered Shen Siyuan’s mind sea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of this, Shen Siyuan stirred his will, and a palm-sized banner of ten thousand souls appeared in his palm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Holy shit—it wasn’t a dream after all.” Shen Siyuan was stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He examined the banner closely; though badly damaged, its extraordinary nature still shone through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The banner’s shaft was jade-like, translucent, dotted with starlight as if celestial bodies revolved upon it; the fabric was deep purple, with divine runes flickering in and out, exuding nobility and splendor, inscribed with the words “ Youming ,” charred and constantly shifting as if burning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even now in its ruined state, any ordinary person who glanced at it would feel dizzy and disoriented, as if their soul would be yanked straight into it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a thought, the banner vanished back into his body, as natural as moving one’s own arm, without the slightest resistance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this was real, could he cultivate?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who among society’s oxen and horses hasn’t dreamed of being their own master, hasn’t wanted to shout, “I don’t want to eat beef”?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as a mere ant, with lofty ambitions yet no means to rise, how could one ever soar to the ninth heaven?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now it was different—if he could cultivate, it would be like growing wings to pierce straight through the nine heavens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He immediately scoured the remaining memories of the Nine You  Demon Lord, but soon his face fell in disappointment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This world had no spiritual energy whatsoever; the air was thick and foul—completely blocking the path of internal cultivation. That was why the Nine You  Demon Lord abandoned ghost cultivation and sought to possess a body, aiming instead to forge his flesh into sainthood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though a demonic cultivator, the Nine You  Demon Lord had toppled dynasties and stirred countless waves of bloodshed—he certainly possessed no shortage of methods to forge the body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, the banner of ten thousand souls contained a space, storing all the treasures he had plundered over the years, including no small number of heavenly treasures and earthly rarities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Shen Siyuan had no cultivation base whatsoever—he could not command the banner, could not open its inner space, and with its tattered surface, he had no idea how much remained inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He possessed a mountain of treasure but lacked the key to enter—only able to sigh helplessly, a torment indeed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lao Shen, here’s your reimbursement form.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Zhou Chuan, seated across from him, slid a stack of reimbursement forms over the partition, interrupting his thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan took them automatically, realizing they were his own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though a regular employee, he had a monthly reimbursement quota, mainly for overtime allowances and taxi fares.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But these required his department manager’s signature, then submission to the Caiwu Force for accounting approval, before finally receiving payment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Chuan was their Operations Department manager.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother Chuan, I’ll take these to Caiwu Force.” Shen Siyuan stood, glancing around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the overwhelming impact of memory, Shen Siyuan felt no discomfort whatsoever; everything around him remained familiar, as if the previous events had truly been just a dream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother Shen, could you bring my reimbursement form too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And mine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In that case, take mine as well.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Manager Zhou Chuan handed over his own form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You guys really are something.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan was speechless but accepted them all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guanghui Animation wasn’t large, but had three or four hundred employees, divided into two independent departments: Online Gaming and Single-Player; Shen Siyuan belonged to the Online Gaming Operations Department.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But departments like Caiwu Force and Administration were singular, managing all employees across the company.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Caiwu Force was small, only seven or eight people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan knocked on the door; the noisy chatter inside instantly fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then a pleasant female voice called out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come in.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan pushed the door open, immediately feeling a coolness, mixed with the scent of cosmetics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He did not linger to observe the interior of Caiwu Force, but walked straight toward a young woman wearing glasses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fu Accountant, I’m from Online Gaming Operations. Here are our reimbursement forms.” Shen Siyuan didn’t waste words, handing over the papers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fu Accountant was about twenty-four or twenty-five, slightly plump, wearing black-rimmed glasses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She took the forms and quickly flipped through them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan did not leave immediately, but waited quietly, for if receipts were improperly pasted, they’d be sent back for reattachment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure enough, Fu Accountant soon pulled out one form and returned it to Shen Siyuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Take this back and reattach it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Got it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Shen Siyuan reached to take it, a small head peeked out from beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked down and his heart leapt—he saw a little girl clinging to the desk’s edge, tiptoeing, peering curiously at the surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He never expected ghosts to exist in this world—and this girl’s soul was pure and flawless, perfect material to repair the banner of ten thousand souls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, no—what nonsense am I thinking? Shen Siyuan quickly crushed the horrifying thought; clearly, devouring the Nine You  Demon Lord’s remnant soul had influenced him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eunuch, what are you doing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The little girl looked up at Shen Siyuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan finally saw her clearly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was about three or four years old, exquisitely delicate like a porcelain doll, with large, lively eyes and a chubby, adorable face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Shen Siyuan didn’t answer, she wasn’t surprised at all—after all, she was used to being ignored.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan found her vaguely familiar; he must have seen her around the company before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That wasn’t unusual—on weekdays, some children were brought to work when no one could watch them, especially during winter and summer breaks, and as long as they didn’t disturb work, no one cared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This girl was likely the child of some Caiwu Force employee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan scanned the room: every employee in Caiwu Force was female; besides the manager, who was around forty or fifty, there was one woman in her thirties, a married woman of grace, the rest were all young girls like Fu Accountant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So this girl was likely the daughter of that woman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since they were in the same company, Shen Siyuan knew her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman was Jiang Wenxin; she wasn’t actually a Guanghui Animation employee, but a financial representative sent by the investor, holding an exceptionally unique position in the company.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan glanced once and did not linger in Caiwu Force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before leaving, he reached out, gently placing his hand on the girl’s shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl looked up, startled, then her face lit up with delight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eunuch, you can see me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan merely smiled slightly at her and turned to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl immediately scampered after him on her tiny legs, waddling like a penguin, utterly adorable.\u003C\u002Fp>",1376,"2026-06-20T03:53:08.657Z","Qwen3-Next 80B","b55aec65e0fc829febda1200052dfefc049a76c13027c98a41355f6942b4f14d","i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-chapter-2",null,623,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-cover.jpg"]