Riluo City: Blue Phoenix, #1

By Tinalynge

Sacrificing his life to protect his best friend was a decision which Hui Yue did not regret, yet who could have known that death was not the final destination, but rather the beginning of a new adventure into a world filled with demonic beasts and martial arts cultivation.

Hui Yue soon found that within this world, strength was what determined your future accomplishments and there was no space for the weak.

Embarking upon this new life, Hui Yue meets friends, experience betrayal, and starts his own journey of cultivation to overcome his limits and become strong.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tinalynge
• Release date: Mar 27, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215282861

Book preview

Prologue

Hui Yue closed his eyes and turned his face towards the window. The slightly chilled breeze flowed gently through his messy hair. Summer was coming to an end, and a tranquil smile was evident on his handsome face as he opened his eyes and looked at his surroundings. Happiness was the only word which could describe Hui Yue’s current feelings.

Hui Yue noticed two girls who were intently staring at him while they whispered to each other. A cheeky smile appeared on his face as he enjoyed the cuteness of the two girls, and he could not help but wave to them. This instantly caused them to giggle and wave back. Their cheeks turned crimson. They acted as if he was some kind of celebrity, making the young man chuckle slightly with happiness.

Hui Yue, remembering where he was, gave an apologetic smile to the two girls still openly staring at him. He usually would not mind flirting with the two of them but, he knew that classes were about to end, and he could not help but smile. His smile melted the hearts of the girls, and their faces flushed an even deeper crimson than before as they quickly went on their way. It was obvious they were trying to escape from their embarrassment.

Hui Yue was used to behavior like this. He had grown up in a wealthy family, and both of his parents were beautiful people who passed down their genes to their only son.

Hui Yue had eyes as dark as the moonless midnight sky; they seemed to contain as many secrets as the universe itself. Girls would feel as if their souls were exposed to him, and they were attracted to this mysterious feeling.

Those shimmering dark eyes were hidden beneath his slightly messy bangs. Hui Yue’s hair was shoulder length, and he usually tied it up while leaving his bangs hanging; this gave him a slightly mischievous, youthful look. His black hair and dark eyes were in sharp contrast to his pearl-white skin and perfect physique. In fact, most men would admit that Hui Yue was a handsome man. Which was the reason most people who saw him instantly took a second glance at him to ensure they had not seen an illusion. His appearance caused both admiration and envy among his peers.

Hui Yue was grateful to his parents for his good looks but more than that he appreciated all the resources and possibilities he was given because of them. From a very young age, he could have anything he wished for whether it was games, toys, books, or home tutors. These resources helped Hui Yue achieve his current level of knowledge and understanding.

All in all, Hui Yue was very satisfied with his life, and he had every reason to be with his good looks and education. He stood up and gathered his things before leaving the university for the day. Everyone he met in the corridors greeted him, professors and students alike. Happy for the recognition, Hui Yue smiled back at all of them.

Suddenly he heard footsteps approaching him from behind quickly. Clearly, someone was running; however, before Hui Yue had the chance to turn around two hands landed on his shoulders. The culprit jumped onto his back forcing Hui Yue to give them a piggyback ride.

Nevertheless, Hue Yui was not surprised. Rather, the familiar feeling of two small hands on his shoulders caused Hui Yue to smile contentedly. He turned his head and looked straight at his childhood friend Li Fen.

Seeing Li Fen always aroused a storm within Hui Yue as his feelings for her were doing their very best to burst out. Nevertheless, no matter how fierce those feelings were and how much they raged inside of him, Hui Yue forcefully subdued them. He behaved as if his stormy passion did not exist.

Li Fen was the only person that Hui Yue treated differently. She was his special person; though, only he knew it.

Hey! Hui Yue said with a voice filled with joy. This joy was always bubbling within Hui Yue’s chest whenever he saw Li Fen, and when he was able to spend some of his time with her. It was a bubbly feeling which he had experienced for the first time more than ten years ago.

They had grown up together as neighbors, gone to the same daycare and kindergarten. Throughout their years together, they had been the best of friends who shared everything with each other.

Well, almost everything. Hui Yue had loved Li Fen for as long as he could remember, but he had never been able to tell her how he felt. He was very well aware that she did not share his feelings.

Hui Yue had no doubt that Li Fen loved him. Unfortunately, her love for him was probably equal to that of a family member, and although it had caused him great pain in the past, it was something which he had overcome. Currently, Li Fen was the happiest Hui Yue had ever seen her. He had no wish to destroy her world by confessing his feelings. Instead, he accepted that his love would stay unrequited forever.

Will you be training today? Li Fen asked with a soft voice. She had a relaxed smile on her face making it shine as beautifully as the sun. This caused the bubbling feelings within Hui Yue to increase.

No, not today, Hui Yue said gently. He decided to change his focus to the girls who had been watching him with dreamy eyes, imagining they were Li Fen. Those looks always made Hui Yue think of the irony. These girls wished to be the girl by his side, yet the one woman he wanted did not want him.

Hui Yue practiced Wushu. He enjoyed bare-handed combat and loved working with short-range and long-range weapons. He enjoyed how training allowed him to focus solely on building up his body and on progressing, and also how it let him take his mind off of the one woman with whom he wished to spend his life with but could not have. Initially, he just sought a way to take his mind off of Li Fen, but gradually he found the feeling of improving his physique step-by-step immensely satisfying. This caused his typical day to consist of training, studying, and spending time together with Li Fen.

Going to meet up with Han Xia? Li Fen asked with a cheeky grin on her face, which caused Hui Yue to sigh deeply. While Hui Yue was busy reminiscing about his emotional struggles all Li Fen worried about was Hui Yue’s girlfriend.

No, he said while shaking his head. She broke up with me a few days ago. Li Fen looked at Hui Yue’s face and couldn’t hold back a small giggle as the man in question didn’t look the slightest bit sorry. Even after countless girlfriends, Li Fen showed no signs of having noticed Hui Yue’s feelings.

The usual? Li Fen asked carelessly with laughter in her voice. She was casually looking at Hui Yue, who nodded.

They say that there is no point in being with me if I am always busy training or studying and that I don’t take care of them, Hui Yue repeated what his previous girlfriends had said to him so many times before that he now knew it all by heart. Li Fen laughed once again as he did not sound sorry at all; both knew that he had a lot of girls to choose from after all.

The only girl that Hui Yue truly liked was Li Fen; however, if he was not dating anyone and a cute girl confessed to him, he would not hesitate to accept. He was a young man after all and living a life of abstinence was not something he was keen on.

Well then, Li Fen said while her smile widened into a grin and she grabbed Hui Yue’s hand. Come shopping with me before we go back home! she said while moving towards the city's center before giving Hui Yue the time to answer as she knew he would never say no to anything she asked. He could only laugh helplessly and obediently follow her.

Although Hui Yue might place his girlfriends second to training and studying, Li Fen was in a different league from everything else. He would gladly study less if it meant spending more time with the love of his life.

Hui Yue stood outside a lingerie shop and felt quite uncomfortable as people walked by. Li Fen dragged him here for the first stop in her shopping spree, but as Hui Yue was a man, it was quite inappropriate for him to enter a shop that specialized in female lingerie. It would embarrass other customers that were present along with himself.

Hui Yue sighed and leaned against the wall while quickly killing the jealousy he felt roaring inside of him. He did not mind going shopping with Li Fen, and he would have been quite excited if what she was currently buying was something she would wear while being with him. However, it was obviously being purchased to celebrate the anniversary with her current boyfriend and that put Hui Yue in quite a bad mood.

The young man decided to preoccupy himself, rather than allow himself to drown in self-pity so he started to observe the surrounding area for anything that might grab his attention.

As he looked across the street, he noticed an extensive amount of glances that were being thrown his way, though he couldn’t blame them. He was standing outside a lingerie shop with a rather uncomfortable expression on his face after all.

However, as his eyes swept over the area, he noticed an antiques store across the road that piqued his interest. His uncomfortable expression instantly vanished as his face lit up. He couldn’t help furrow his brows as he slowly started to make his way towards the shop that he had never noticed before.

Hui Yue was currently working on his masters in ancient history, and he adored anything that had something to do with the subject. He had studied everything from war and tactics to cooking recipes and architecture from most well-known nations throughout history. Studying these subjects had brought him great joy since his childhood. Even now it was one of the things that was the most enjoyable to him. Hui Yue was confident that he had already visited every antiques shop in town, but somehow it seems he had missed this one; he wanted to correct that.

Who knew, he might even be able to find something of interest, so he was fairly excited when he opened the door to the shop and felt the stale air inside.

An elderly lady was sitting behind the counter reading an old book. She sent a long look towards the young man who had just stepped through the door. However, this elderly woman quickly determined that the handsome youth didn’t seem to be a troublemaker, so she returned to reading her book.

As Hui Yue’s eyes swiftly adjusted to the dim lighting that illuminated the shop, his gaze swept past the elderly woman and focused on row after row of intriguing items. Even at first glance Hui Yue felt excitement growing within him; it was as if he was treasure hunting and uncovered a treasure chest full of priceless gems.

The first shelf Hui Yue arrived at was completely filled with vases that ranged in age from as young as five hundred years to as old as three thousand years. Hui Yue was dumbfounded at the manner in which these incredible treasures were displayed.

At first, the young man was sure that these vases were fakes and disdain was evident in his eyes. But something kept bothering him, and after spending some time examining the details, he was pretty sure that they were genuine. Shock quickly replaced his disdain, and Hui Yue felt his heartbeat grow erratic. This also caused his breathing to become slightly irregular. If these vases were really genuine, then what about the rest of the items?

Although Hui Yue adored vases, he had no actual use for them so he slowly moved further into the shop eager to see what he would find next.

As he made his way through the shop, he noticed one treasure after another. A whole shelf was filled with ancient paintings that had been rolled up and stored one on top of another; stacked up three layers. Hui Yue felt deeply depressed when he noticed many old texts lying among those valuable paintings treated as though they were nothing, even though their value could very well be priceless.

Although the shop looked dodgy and was quite dusty, it was without a doubt a treasure trove. Hui Yue moved deeper into the shop, and each step caused his heartbeat to speed up. Due to this, he felt lightheaded for a moment. The next sight he came across was a stack of armor and weapons which had been dumped on top of each other in a corner.

Hui Yue spent a lot of time looking through the weapons and noticed that some of them bore the marks of master craftsmen, and no doubt had been used by the nobility and generals of ages long past. After staying in the shop for so long, Hui Yue had completely forgotten about Li Fen. He was immersed in his interest of the ancient times, of great heroes and wars.

Although Hui Yue knew he was in a shop, it was very much like he was visiting a museum except here he was allowed actually to touch and examine the treasures. Looking around, Hui Yue was certain that this shop contained even more treasures than the actual museums he had visited before.

Hui Yue walked past clothing, emblems, and books to reach the counter where he saw jewelry spread out. The moment he arrived he saw something which caused him to freeze and take a deep breath to mentally steady himself.

In front of him was the most beautiful phoenix crown he had ever seen, an astonishing fengguan. It was far more exquisite than the one that had been found in the tomb of the Wanli Emperor, and Hui Yue had never even heard of such a treasure being found before. This shop was filled with surprises.

The crown was on display in the middle of the counter, and it was, without a doubt, the most stunning head ornament he had seen in the shop so far. The crown was, oddly enough, not locked down or guarded with anything. It just sat there allowing customers to examine it through a mere glass cabinet.

After staring at it for a while, Hui Yue withdrew his gaze from this stunning piece to look at the counter for other intriguing items. A large grin spread across his face as his eyes fell on a box in a corner that had a sign which read ‘anything in this box is ¥600.’

Hui Yue noticed a blue gem that was extraordinarily similar to the one he had seen on the phoenix crown. He immediately went to the box and removed this beautiful item.

It was a hairpin that was unlike anything Hui Yue had ever seen before. It was a Blue Phoenix hairpin, and it had a body formed into an oval from an incredibly pure piece of white jade which was framed with golden swirls. Its wings were made from sapphires. Jade, gold, and sapphire swirled around each other creating elaborate patterns, beautiful tail feathers, and a long delicate neck towards a beautiful beak and face. Multiple pearls lined the face of the phoenix near the wing completing the look.

Oh, you like the Blue Phoenix? An old voice sounded from the corner. Hui Yue was startled as he had completely forgotten about the elderly lady, but he quickly looked at her with a respectful gaze and noticed a complex expression on her face.

Hui Yue gave a short nod to answer her question before once again looking at the beautiful hairpin. It had to be an exquisite antique, and he had no way of understanding why it would have been tossed into this cheap box. A worrying premonition appeared in his heart as he felt that he liked the hairpin more and more with each passing moment.

Was it placed in the wrong box? Hui Yue asked. The worry in his voice was evident as he pointed to the sign that read ‘anything in this box is ¥600.’ He could understand that she might feel cheated by taking such a low price for this masterpiece. That being the case, no matter the price, Hui Yue felt that he needed to own this particular piece of jewelry.

No, the price is right, the elderly lady said hesitantly.

Hui Yue frowned upon hearing the old woman's reply but said no more as he waited for an explanation. He was certain that it was from either the Tang or Ming dynasty, and most likely from the same place as the beautiful phoenix crown. How could it possibly be sold for such a low price? For some reason, Hui Yue felt insulted that this crown was so cheap. Insulted as if it was himself that was being considered cheap.

It is cursed, the old lady finally said with a sigh. She noticed how obsessed this young man had become after holding the hairpin, even though he only had it for such a short time. Death will descend upon the owner of this hairpin.

Hui Yue was about to snort in disbelief, but his upbringing, however, had taught him to never show arrogance in front of others, and he managed to restrain himself. He understood that people would be superstitious when there was a lack of knowledge; although in this day and age something like a curse could not scare him. Especially not since this beautiful hairpin felt as though it was a part of himself; he could already not bear to part with it.

Young man do not make fun of curses. They are more real than you might imagine, the elderly lady warned as she stood up and walked towards Hui Yue and the Blue Phoenix hairpin. Although Hui Yue had tried to contain his contempt, the lady easily understood his thoughts; she wished for this man to survive. She did not wish for him to become another target for the Blue Phoenix.

It arrived in my shop three hundred years ago, the lady started as she took the hairpin from Hui Yue’s hands and moved behind the counter. We sold it almost immediately then the owner died three days later having been assaulted by thieves. Hui Yue kept quiet as he did not believe that thieves could be blamed on the hairpin unless they specifically aimed to steal it.

The thieves were then killed by relatives of the buyer, and so the hairpin went to his oldest son; however, he died from a lightning strike. Hui Yue crooked his brows slightly. It was very unlikely for anyone to die from a lightning strike unless they intentionally sought out a location where lightning would hit them. He chose not to believe the story so far as it was more than a hundred years ago, and the story had to have been exaggerated.

After that, the old lady continued as she noticed that Hui Yue had doubt in his eyes. It went from one person to another, and every one of those people died. Eventually, the last owner delivered it back here. We have sold it a few times since then, however, the results have always been the same.

The elderly lady sighed and hoped that Hui Yue would give up. She did not mind selling the cursed hairpin to wicked people, but after she saw the genuine excitement and admiration he had while looking at the treasures in her store, she wished for him to live a long and prosperous life.

Hui Yue felt her hesitation, and he sent a genuine smile towards the elderly woman. He took the hairpin back into his hands at once while politely saying, I wish to purchase this hairpin, and I will just have to hope that my luck is stronger than the curse. His smile left no space for discussion causing the elderly lady to sigh once again as she accepted his money. After all, she had never personally experienced anyone being affected by the curse, so maybe this youth was right, perhaps the curse was just a superstition.

Hui Yue’s mood did not have any trace of his previous jealousy; instead, he was ecstatic as he left the antique shop. He knew that no one would use such a hairpin in this day and age; however, it was incredibly beautiful, and he could think of only one person who could match its beauty. He could not wait to gift it to Li Fen and see her happy expression; just thinking about it made him show a silly smile.

Hui Yue! a brilliant voice called out to him the moment he stepped back onto the pavement. He noticed that Li Fen had finished her shopping, and she had been waiting for him outside of the lingerie store. As she saw Hui Yue leave the antiques shop with something in his hand, Li Fen was overtaken by excitement. She wanted to show Hui Yue what she had purchased as well as see what he had found so without thinking she stepped onto the busy road.

Hui Yue scratched his head slightly as he realized that he had most likely spent more time than expected within the shop, but coming out he felt as though it had been worth it. Li Fen’s happy smile was quickly replaced by an expression of shock when she heard a loud honking. When she instantly looked to the side, she saw a truck heading straight towards her. The driver was doing everything he could to avoid a collision, but Li Fen was like a deer in headlights, frozen by fear and disbelief. Her body refused to move.

The silly smile and happiness which had been bubbling within Hui Yue instantly vanished. Seeing Li Fen frozen and the truck only a few meters away, Hui Yue’s body swiftly moved on its own.

Hui Yue’s heart was filled with the fear that he might not make it in time. Images from their twenty-four years of friendship passed in front of him enhancing his feelings for her.

Hui Yue jumped onto the road and arrived next to Li Fen within a second, and his horrified expression scared Li Fen, but as they were close to each other, the fear quickly subsided from Hui Yue’s face.

All this happened within seconds, and it was only possible for Hui Yue to react swiftly and succeed in his rescue due to the truck having hit the brakes so hard that the entire area was filled with screeching sounds.

He borrowed the power he had gained with his speed and quickly pushed the girl as far back as he could. Li Fen ended up flying two meters back and landed safely on the pavement before she realized what had happened.

Although he pushed her quite hard and she was bound to get some bruises, she would be alive. A relieved smile appeared on Hui Yue’s face just before the truck hit him and sent him flying over ten meters causing him to bounce off the ground a few times.

Hui Yue expected himself to be struck by fear and horror, but the moment he was hit, he felt no fear, only relief that Li Fen was safe. Hui Yue attempted to protect himself and raised his arms before the initial impact, but his eyes widened as he noticed that he was still tightly grasping the Blue Phoenix hairpin. Only now it was shining with an odd, almost mystical, blue light.

As soon as the truck hit him, the impact against his arms caused the hairpin to penetrate his skin going between his ribs to pierce his heart.

Hui Yue felt as if time stood still; then shock filled his eyes as he had a sudden whimsical thought. Would he die because of the truck or was it because of the hairpin? Suddenly, while looking at the hairpin, he noticed that it disappeared and turned into blue flames that gathered just outside of his chest.

Hui Yue was shocked when he noticed he could sense everything that was happening to him, and it all appeared to happen in slow motion. Fortunately, either the impact from the truck or the stabbing hairpin must have killed him instantly because he felt no pain from his injuries that he was observing.

Hui Yue diverted his attention from his wounds to the unusual fireball which was currently hovering above his heart, and a shocking sight met him. Not only was the fireball hovering above his heart, but it had also begun to absorb his blood. Hui Yue was completely unable to comprehend what was happening to him. A chill ran through his already dead body while his mind filled with fear from this unknown phenomenon which was occurring to him.

Shortly after, he felt his consciousness move from his beaten body into the ball of blue fire that was rapidly growing. This caused panic to spread throughout Hui Yue’s mind. A futile struggle began, and in spite of how hard Hui Yue tried, it was impossible for him to resist the suction force coming from the fireball.

As Hui Yue entered the fireball he was able to look down at his old body and notice how people were rushing towards him; however, due to the powerful impact, there wasn’t any sign of life. Hui Yue was completely broken, and anyone would have a hard time recognizing his body.

Hui Yue himself was fully aware that his soul had departed his body, but he still felt an urge to linger around longer. He did not feel as if he was ready to depart yet. Hui Yue had a deep lingering regret whenever he thought about how he would never see Li Fen again. To know that her smile would be lost to him forever. At least she was with him during his dying moments.

Profound sadness appeared in his heart as the image of his parents flashed before him. He could not help but be saddened when he thought of his parents who had given him everything he could ever wish for; however, now, as he was dead, he wouldn’t even have the chance to say goodbye.

Hui Yue looked at Li Fen, who was crying while touching his bloody corpse trying to convince herself that he was still alive, that there was still a possibility of saving him. This caused a wave of sadness to flood Hui Yue’s heart.

He had never wanted to make Li Fen feel this pain, and he knew that his parents were going to be as heartbroken as she was, but, even so, he was certain he made the right choice.

Hui Yue was not selfless, nor was he a charitable person, however, there were three people in this world that Hui Yue would give his life to save. Li Fen happened to be one of those people, so Hui Yue had no regrets.

To save the woman he loved by sacrificing his own life was the right choice, but death was still a frightening thing.

Live well, Hui Yue whispered towards the crying Li Fen before he attempted to mentally brace himself for his soul to perish as he knew it should. However, instead of death, Hui Yue heard a mocking voice from within the blue fire which said, What a sappy love story.

Chapter 1 - Rebirth

Hui Yue had been floating in a sea of blue flames for what seemed like an eternity. At first, he was panic-stricken, but the endless sea of blue flames swayed his mind quickly washing away the depressing thoughts that still lingered within Hui Yue.

Currently, Hui Yue found himself engulfed in a comfortable way he had never been before. His body was light, and it floated around in the sea. He was completely without worries as he casually moved around observing the flickering blue embers which the sea was made of.

He was well aware that he had died. Though the blue sea was doing everything it could to wash away his sorrows, there was still a feeling of loss which could not be filled. Whenever Hui Yue thought about this, he remembered the face of Li Fen. He remembered their childhood together, and the first time he realized he loved her. He then remembered the smiles she would give him and the happiness they brought him.

Although Hui Yue kept thinking about his life with Li Fen, he also knew that there was no way he could ever return to his previous life. Death, however, did not seem as terrible as he expected. There was no darkness. No monsters nor a long path of light leading towards stairs. There was nothing apart from this endless warm blue sea.

These blue flames were so calming that he soon stopped thinking about his memories of leaving behind Li Fen and his parents. His worries subsided into an unexplainable feeling that everything would be okay.

Suddenly, Hui Yue was startled as he heard a faint mumbling. A mumble that came from far away. His soul became alert, and he strained his ears trying to pick up what was being said. Unfortunately, everything he heard was muffled, and no matter how hard he tried, he was still unable to understand what the voice was saying.

For a long time, Hui Yue was as tense as a bowstring; fear and panic threatened to overtake him; however, even if he wished to move away, it was currently impossible. His consciousness was completely trapped within the blue sea of flames.

Hui Yue focused his attention towards the sounds, but it took some time before he noticed how the previously still blue flames started to flare up towards the blue sky. The change in the sea caused the already alert Hui Yue to finally force himself to calm down and observe everything happening around him.

While the flames grew larger, the sea grew smaller, and a suction force started pulling Hui Yue towards a dark blue abyss. As this suction force appeared, Hui Yue noticed that the murmur he had heard previously originated within this abyss, and he was heading straight for it.

Hui Yue felt his consciousness flicker slightly. His consciousness rushed down a dark blue tunnel falling towards an unknown location. His initial fear had long since passed because these events felt as if they took years to complete. Every stage, every meter traveled was clearly visible to the alert Hui Yue.

When Hui Yue noticed that he was rushing through a dark tunnel, falling towards an unknown location, his speed suddenly picked up. It changed from a few meters each year, to a few meters each day, and eventually, he could feel himself falling at a high speed near the end.

A hint of fear snuck back into his heart as he was unaware of what his future would bring. He had no idea how this blue sea and the black tunnel were capable of controlling time or at least his sense of time. However, he forcefully calmed himself down with the thought that he had already died and with no body, he should no longer be able to feel pain.

Hui Yue focused on suppressing his fears so that it would not cloud his mind. He attentively observed everything which was happening around him. Soon he had stopped moving, but it was not an abrupt stop, rather his speed slowed down before it almost unknowingly disappeared.

Hui Yue noticed subtle changes in his surroundings, but currently, he was still unable to understand what was going on. His senses were alert, just as before, however, nothing seemed to be happening.

A moment of complete silence followed Hui Yue’s arrival, at wherever he was. Nevertheless, after that moment, he heard the previous voices which were mumbling. The voices now were no longer low mumbles, but hurried voices seemingly yelling right next to him.

The darkness changed from a black tunnel into a lighter shade, a shade Hui Yue was all too familiar with.

Hui Yue needed a moment to understand what was happening around him. Once he relatively understood his situation he noticed that he was no longer just a consciousness but once again contained within a body. Shock filled his heart and increased its beat. The darkness which surrounded him he finally noticed was from having his eyes closed, and opening them was not an easy task.

Hui Yue was rigid with fear and curiosity. He had been dead, of that he was sure, but now he suddenly found himself in another body. It was impossible for him to move in this body though, and even opening his eyes seemed to be a cumbersome task; however, even if he had to live his life as a vegetable, it would be worth it, as long as he could see Li Fen and his parents once more.

His fear melted away as he thought about Li Fen and the terrified expression on her face. His gratitude for the heavens spread within him as he knew that they might be reunited. Maybe he could even get this body to move.

Hui Yue decided to try moving his limbs, testing whether they were still attached to him, and relief flooded him as he noticed that they somewhat followed his orders. However, although they followed his orders, he could not help but feel that something was amiss.

Hui Yue’s entire body felt very different from what he was used to before the crash, but he decided that details like this could be focused on later. The most important issue for Hui Yue was to once again see Li Fen’s beautiful smile. The fact that he could control a body left him feeling relieved, and he focused all his energy in forcing his tired, sealed eyes open.

As soon as his eyes opened, he instantly screamed. His heart felt as if it had tried to escape his chest and fear shone in his eyes.

The next thing he knew the face of a giant was in front of him. It was a rough-looking man with a bearded face so close that Hui Yue was certain that he would reach it if he stretched out his arm.

After containing the scream, Hui Yue dared not make another sound let alone move a muscle. The fear in his eyes was apparent to this giant as well, but he seemed not to care. Hui Yue was shocked deeply by these events.

Hui Yue’s first thought was to escape instantly and find a safe place where he could focus on understanding this changed reality he seemed to be in. However, right now, there was no way to escape with this giant staring at him.

At least this giant did not seem hostile in any way; however, it still seemed to be a dangerous situation to be caught in right after waking up in a new body, being completely unguarded.

Hui Yue was scared. He had expected to see Li Fen and his complete mindset had been positive, but everything was now thrown into chaos, and he feared for his future. He feared for his new questionable life.

Don’t be so close, you’re scaring him, dear, an exhausted but gentle voice sounded from the side, and Hui Yue slowly turned his head to look in the direction of the voice.

It was hard to move his head or even keep his eyes open, but he forced them to do so as he currently had no choice but stay alert; to stay on guard and to understand what was happening around him.

As Hui Yue moved his head, he noticed that he was currently located in a worn-out bedroom in a rundown shack. Looking at the shack, Hui Yue furrowed his brows and wondered if he had traveled back in time. The interior resembled a wooden shack that commoners would have owned back in ancient China.

Something about the air here was much richer than what he was used to, but most importantly, giants definitely did not exist, and Hui Yue suddenly understood that he was in another world.

The bed in the bedroom was currently occupied by a woman who was clearly beautiful, but right now her beautiful features were filled with exhaustion and pain. The lower part of the bed was covered with blood, and a young girl was washing the injured woman.

Hui Yue was both scared and confused as his eyes widened while he stared at the bed. The entire situation was something which he completely did not understand. These giants did not seem hostile is what Hui Yue thought while observing the two adults. He continued to contemplate for a while but decided that the easiest way to gain information would be to simply ask them.

Although he had decided to seek help from the friendly giants, it still took a few breaths for him to stabilize himself and calm his soul before he finally opened his mouth.

Goo goo, Gah... Uwhaa! Hui Yue tried to say something along the lines of, ‘Excuse me, could you explain what is going on here?’ However, the words that came out of his mouth made no sense. Hui Yue’s eyes widened as he got quiet and had a strange and rather uncomfortable premonition.

Listen, darling, the bearded giant said as he reached down and carried Hui Yue towards the fatigued woman. Our son is already trying to speak. There was tenderness in his voice, and the same tenderness was shown on the woman’s face.

The tenderness and care that these two people showed Hui Yue made his heart ache as he was reminded of his parents and the pain he left behind with his premature death, not to mention his own suffering. Seeing these two adults made him long for his parents. It made him miss how they would talk with him randomly, or lovingly scold him when he broke things.

He also missed Li Fen. The woman whom he had given his life to save, and the woman who meant the world to him. He had hoped to be reunited with her, but now he realized that it was highly unlikely to ever happen; he would probably never see her again. This realization caused a lump to form in Hui Yue’s throat, and he fought back to avoid crying.

Lying on his new mother’s bosom, Hui Yue forced himself to ignore the pain and sadness he felt from the loss of his parents and Li Fen. Instead, he started thinking about everything that had happened to him.

He should have believed the old lady when she said that the hairpin was cursed. It truly did seem to have killed him; however, as he was thinking about his situation he said in his mind, ‘I wish I knew how I went from death to rebirth.’

‘Obviously, it was caused by my astonishing power,’ a self-satisfied voice spoke from somewhere inside of Hui Yue’s mind causing the already frightened young man to become even more frightened. The voice seemed faintly familiar.

‘Who are you?’ Hui Yue asked tentatively while trying to remember where he had heard this voice before; however, as soon as he had that thought, he remembered. It was the voice he had heard as he was dying.

Hui Yue instantly became alert and did not allow even the slightest muscle in his new body to relax. He knew that he was in a very dangerous situation. He had the body of an infant, and he seemed unable to fight back in his current state.

‘Is he a death reaper?’ Hui Yue questioned himself while refusing to say anything else. But as he kept his silence, it seemed as if it did not matter much as the voice gave a healthy laugh.

‘Ha ha! You’re not bad kid!’ the voice exclaimed happily as if it were praising a dog. ‘I am the legendary blue phoenix, and I was sealed within that cursed hairpin which you bought.’

‘You... you’re the one who killed me?!’ hostility flared up in Hui Yue’s mind as he roared at the hidden voice.

This voice belonged to the person who took Li Fen away from him! This blue phoenix was the one who had taken away his hopes for a future and taken away his parents’ only child. This self-proclaimed phoenix made Hui Yue seethe with rage.

‘Nah, I did not cause the truck to appear. I just used the opportunity to merge with you,’ the voice sounded bored as it spoke. It seemed as if he did not even care about Hui Yue’s death, which in turn only nurtured the younger man’s rage.

‘You should thank me you know,’ the voice said as if it was capable of sensing the hostility which was aimed towards him; nonetheless, the voice still contained obvious disdain.

‘If I hadn’t merged with you, you would not have been able to reincarnate this quickly,’ once again the voice turned smug as it pointed out just how much Hui Yue owed him.

‘I doubt he is lying,’ Hui Yue thought annoyed. ‘It seems as if this person does not care about me at all, so why would he bother to lie about such a thing?’ After contemplating for a short while, Hui Yue decided to believe the arrogant voice in his mind. In the end, he had no real choice if he wished to get information.

‘What do you mean when you say that you caused me to reincarnate? Where am I?’

As soon as Hui Yue asked these questions, he heard a sigh from the phoenix, and somehow he understood the feelings the phoenix felt.

He felt a certain degree of impatience, and annoyance but also hope. Hui Yue felt astonished as he realized that he was currently able to understand the feelings of the voice inside of his mind. He was deeply astounded, but at the same time unsure why the phoenix would allow him to feel this.

‘I will tell you a long story,’ the phoenix said after a pause.

‘I have nothing but time, I’m a baby you know,’ he thought while noticing that his new mother had fallen asleep. Hui Yue pretended to be asleep as well so that he would not be disturbed while talking with the voice in his mind. Had Hui Yue not been moved to a different world, he would have been certain that he was going insane.

‘Be quiet and listen to my story,’ the phoenix said just as the silence was getting suffocating, and his actions made Hui Yue think of a child throwing a tantrum.

‘It is really quite a long story, and you better listen because I will only say it once,’ the phoenix said aggressively, but Hui Yue just stayed quiet, waiting for the bird to start his story.

He had a feeling that the phoenix was able to understand everything about him, his thoughts, his emotions, everything. Even if they did not directly communicate, he felt that the bird understood him. Unfortunately, it seemed this did not work both ways.

‘Hmm,’ the phoenix grumbled a little before he decided how to start. ‘This world is quite different from the one you were used to. Here strength is what matters the most; the stronger you are, the better prospects you have in life.’

The phoenix was quiet for a second before continuing, ‘This world was created by the four divine beasts: the Azure Dragon, the White Tiger, the Vermilion Bird, and the Black Turtle. These four divine beasts created multiple worlds prior to this one; however, they decided to settle here. They laid down their bodies as the foundation for each of their countries, and their consciousness created new bodies that they used to walk these lands and experience a normal life.’

Hui Yue was dumbfounded as he heard about these four beasts. He had never thought that they were real. In China, they valued these beasts by naming constellations after them and even went as far as to call them symbols of China. To think that these beasts were real and that he was in a world they created, it was simply unfathomable.

Even though Hui Yue was filled with excitement and astonishment, he did not open his mouth even once. Instead, he was focusing on what Lan Feng was saying. He would definitely not repeat this later, Hui Yue thought dejectedly.

The phoenix spoke once again, ‘Thousands of years passed after the divine beasts created this world and they had started their own families in their individual countries where they settled down. Their descendants were not divine beasts; instead, they were normal humans.’ Hearing what this odd phoenix said, Hui Yue felt nostalgia wash over him. Immediately he felt how strange it was to feel this as he had no reason whatsoever to feel nostalgia which caused him to assume that these emotions belonged to the phoenix.

‘Time went by, and eventually, the four divine beasts decided to enter an eternal slumber. They had long since buried their original bodies far below the surface of this world, and they spent the rest of their energy to create four massive mountain ranges that split the whole continent into four equal parts. Those four parts represented the locations of each of their bodies. In the middle was a large castle they had created when they first came to this world. Each one of the divine beasts called their oldest son to the Four Beast’s Palace in the center of the continent. There they passed down their legacy together with some of their powers and the right to lead their kingdom. After this rite of passage was completed, they reentered their original slumbering bodies and went into an eternal slumber.’

Yet another wave of sadness and nostalgia hit Hui Yue as these final words were spoken. Although these feelings did not belong to him, they greatly influenced Hui Yue’s mood.

Hui Yue was not a slow person, and he instantly understood that this was part of the phoenix’s story.

‘The sons did a good job and many thousands of years passed by in peace. Civilization flourished, and humans started cultivating their internal powers. However, four thousand years ago a human tricked the descendant of the Azure Dragon and used his powers to seal and banish the four beast clan leaders from this world.’

This time, he felt a mixture of hate, regret, and pity as he understood part of the reason why the phoenix had ended up as a hairpin.

‘You are the eldest son of the Vermilion Bird?’ Hui Yue asked as he decided to make sure his assumptions were right. He had a lot of questions waiting to be answered.

‘That’s right,’ the phoenix said with a proud voice, and Hui Yue understood that he indeed had a right to be proud.

‘Then why are we stuck in a baby’s body instead of one matching our age?’ Hui Yue could not help but ask. Being in an infant’s body with the mind of a twenty-four year old person was simply too surreal for him to accept.

‘Why don’t you try being sealed inside a hairpin for four thousand years?’ the phoenix snorted. ‘I had almost no power back then, and only a small fraction got released when I merged with you while you were dying. We share a body right now, so I am unfortunately also quite limited by this arrangement,’ he continued with disdain.

‘Hey, don’t complain about the body. It was you who chose it!’ Hui Yue pointed out as he laughed at this incredibly haughty phoenix. A strange sense of satisfaction grew within Hui Yue every time he made the phoenix display his unhappiness.

Despite Hui Yue having been attracted to the Blue Phoenix hairpin, he was definitely repulsed by this self-proclaimed phoenix. It was hard to explain why his feelings were like this, and he could not think of any valid reasons; however, something about the phoenix made him annoyed.

That being said, Hui Yue genuinely enjoyed hearing about this new world in which he had ended up. Especially the story of the four divine beasts which made his heart beat much faster.

The phoenix also had a good reason for why he was so arrogant. Not many were able to claim that they were the first born son of the Vermilion Bird.

‘I didn’t have many bodies to choose from you know,’ the phoenix replied. ‘You should be thankful. If I did not help you reincarnate you would have been stuck in the Netherworld for god knows how long, and then there would be no possibility for you to remember anything about your previous life.’

‘It was you who was complaining,’ Hui Yue laughed as he enjoyed hearing the phoenix trying to persuade him to feel indebted to him.

‘Shut up. Do you want me to continue with the story or not?’ Hearing that, Hui Yue decided not to argue any further and waited for the phoenix to continue.

‘It has been four thousand years since I was last here, so I don’t know how the countries are split up right now, nor do I know who controls what. But I do know about cultivation, and that is one thing that will never change.’

Hui Yue’s interest was piqued even further when he heard the word cultivation. He had cultivated in the past, but he never found it to be helpful.

‘Everywhere in this world is the essence of the heavens and the earth. Every person has something called a lower dantian. This is where one can refine the essence of the heavens and the earth into qi and store it in a qi spiral. Cultivators increase their strength by gathering essence and refining it into qi. Refinement is the first step in the world as a cultivator. The finer one’s qi is, the better their results will be. There are three different dantians in the body, but you can only gain access to the next two if you have enough strength.’

Very confusing Hui Yue thought, as he tried to follow the bird’s explanation. The phoenix within him explained quite a bit about this world in a very short amount of time causing Hui Yui to understand very little on the subject. All this caused a slight headache to come his way.

‘It’s not my fault it is confusing!’ the phoenix said without the slightest display of pity, and he quickly continued his monologue giving Hui Yue no time to digest the previous information.

‘Okay, listen closely. Cultivators are ranked into ten ranks of strength, and every rank is split into nine stars. The first rank is Student, then Disciple, which is followed by Practitioner. Those three rely solely on the lower dantian, and refinement of essence into qi.’ After this, the voice paused for a moment causing a smile to appear on Hui Yue’s infant face.

Although the phoenix claimed that he did not care whether or not he understood, he still paused and allowed Hui Yue to quickly think over the information given and commit it to memory.

‘If a person has enough qi of good quality and some cultivating talent it is possible to break into the Master rank,’ the phoenix continued with an overbearing voice pretending that the previous pause never happened. Hui Yue was quite amused but chose not to comment on how the phoenix seemed to act cold but was actually considerate.

‘After Master rank comes Grandmaster then Duke. When a cultivator reaches these three ranks, they still absorb essence into the lower dantian and also refine it to qi, but they also open the middle dantian.’

The phoenix took another short break before he continued, ‘Qi travels from the lower to the middle dantian and gets refined even further into spiritual power. It is much finer than the regular qi, and it allows the cultivator to use higher-ranked techniques among its other uses.’ The phoenix did not dwell on talking about spiritual power much because it would be a very long time before Hui Yue would even be able to see a spiritual power user. Hui Yue could only approve of this decision. He already felt flooded with new information which he tried to keep from mixing together.

‘The three ranks after that are King, Emperor, and Saint. To achieve the rank of King, you need to open the final dantian, the upper dantian. It allows the user to refine their spiritual power into wu wei. Wu wei is the ultimate strength, and upon achieving it, you will be in an entirely different league than all the other cultivators below this rank. However, it requires building some insane basics from the start at the lower dantian and continuing with intense, grueling training throughout the middle dantian. One can only hope to reach the Emperor rank, and because of this they are incredibly rare,’ the phoenix was quiet for quite some time while trying to think if it had explained all the necessary information.

This silence was well received by Hui Yue, who was working his brain at the highest possible speed. He managed to digest all the information slowly and made sure to memorize it all.

A frown appeared on his infant's face as he thought of everything the phoenix just said. ‘Isn’t that only nine ranks?’ Hui Yue asked slightly confused. ‘What is the tenth?’ ‘It’s the God rank,’ the blue phoenix answered swiftly. ‘But you don’t need to know about that yet. First, it is completely different from the ranks that rely on one’s dantians, and second, there have only been four Gods as far as I am aware.’

‘What rank were you before you were sealed?’ Hui Yue asked with curiosity but did not expect to be given a proper answer based on their previous history. Surprisingly, the phoenix replied to him honestly, ‘I was at the Saint rank before. As far as I know, there have only been four Gods in all of history, and they were the four divine beasts.’

‘If you were a Saint rank then weren’t you really strong?’ The hostility towards the phoenix was dropping slightly, and Hui Yue began to feel more and more curious about this phoenix, the only company he had. The thought of no longer being near Li Fen still hurt him quite badly, but if he focused all his attention on cultivating the essence of the heavens and the earth, there was a chance that he could get past his broken heart.

‘I was very strong before,’ the phoenix answered smugly; however, this smug feeling was quickly replaced by something that sounded like a sigh.

‘Right now I can’t use my powers very well. I am trapped in this body with you. If I was stupid enough to use my strength, I guarantee that this body would explode, and we would both die horribly.’

‘But can’t you just do another instant reincarnation then?’ Hui Yue asked. He knew that it was probably unlikely, but at the same time, he also wished to ask all his questions to get a definite answer from the only person who was able to give them.

‘Do you think I am some almighty person? When you die, your soul goes to the Netherworld. In the Netherworld, it will wander around until you lose all your memories of your previous life. It doesn't matter if it is you or me, we would both forget. I was able to help us out this one time because I used the last vestiges of my remaining power, but don’t expect me to be able to do anything like that for a long time to come.’

With a humph sound his voice stilled, and Hui Yue could sense that he had insulted him. Nevertheless, he didn’t stop questioning him and continued unaffected.

‘Then did the four divine beasts turn into other creatures after going to the Netherworld?’ he asked curiously as he wondered what would happen if Gods were to reincarnate.

‘They never went to the Netherworld. They entered something called eternal sleep. They are asleep and will be sleeping forever. Legend says that there is a way to wake them up, but no one has ever found it,’ the phoenix sighed, showing a certain degree of longing. Hui Yue understood that even if multiple millennia had gone past, this bird still missed his father.

‘What is your name?’ Hui Yue suddenly asked. He felt fairly guilty having asked so many questions, even been told the whole life story of this phoenix, but he had not tried to get a personal answer such as this. ‘Lan Feng,’ said the phoenix, and both Hui Yue and Lan Feng were quiet for a long period of time.

‘So, what should we do now?’ Hui Yue finally sighed not completely sure what step he was supposed to take within this new world which seemed to be waiting for him.

‘I want revenge. As soon as we manage to kill the person who was behind tricking the descendant of the Azure Dragon, then I should be able to return to my own body. That is the goal,’ Lan Feng instantly answered, and anger flared within his voice causing some of it to even make Hui Yue slightly aggressive.

‘What rank was that person?’ Hui Yue asked out of interest. If I can help this guy, then I might as well try, Hui Yue thought casually.

‘He was an Emperor.’

‘I see,’ Hui Yue said, but then he realized exactly what it was that Lan Feng had said. ‘But if you cannot return to your own body then you are stuck in mine, right? You expect me to fight someone ranked that high?’ he started to panic slightly. He was a perfectionist, and it was true that he was quite curious about this so-called cultivation, but he was not suicidal.

‘Yes I am, and I’ll help you to cultivate,’ Lan Feng assured him almost as if everything had already been decided and Hui Yue had no say in the matter.

‘Why should I do something that dangerous? Give me a reason.’ Blaming his death on Lan Feng, he had no intention of dying for this unknown person once again. His previous rage was flaring up once more. Lan Feng might have said that it was not his fault, but Hui Yue felt as if Lan Feng was his murderer.

‘When you reach the rank of God you can be reunited with that girl from before,’ Lan Feng said in a matter-of-fact sort of way, however, that one sentence caused great waves within Hui Yue’s soul.

‘Li Fen?’ he asked breathlessly.

‘Was that her name? The one you saved before you died.’

‘Are you certain?’ Hui Yue asked skeptically. After he died, the thoughts of never again seeing Li Fen had made the pain unbearable. While he was being reincarnated, he hoped that he was not dead, but that Li Fen would