Chapter 1: Reawakening
Pain.
That was the first sensation Bai Yuexian felt as consciousness returned to him. A sharp, piercing ache that radiated through his entire body. His head throbbed with each heartbeat, and his limbs felt as though they were made of lead.
With a groan, he cracked open his eyes. The blurry vision slowly cleared, revealing an unfamiliar ceiling of polished dark wood. Ornate carvings of clouds and mythical beasts adorned the rafters above.
*What is this place? Am I experiencing instant karma of reincarnation? Is this the afterlife?*
Bai Yuexian blinked several times, trying to dispel the fog in his mind. His last memory was of a busy street in modern Shanghai. He had been walking home from his university, mentally preparing for his final exams in software engineering. He remembered seeing a child dart into the road, the screech of tires, and then... nothing but the infamous "Truck-kun" barreling toward him as he pushed the child to safety.
The memory of his death sent a cold shiver down his spine.
Yet here he was, clearly alive and breathing. The room around him was spacious and elegant, decorated in a style reminiscent of ancient dramas. The furniture was crafted from expensive-looking dark wood, polished to a mirror shine. Scrolls of calligraphy hung on the walls alongside traditional paintings. A large four-poster bed supported his body, draped in fine silk sheets that felt smooth against his skin.
*Am I hallucinating from some kind of drug? Or am I in a coma, dreaming all of this?*
Everything felt too vivid, too real to be a mere dream. The subtle fragrance of sandalwood incense, the soft chirping of birds outside, the texture of the silk beneath his fingertips all of it registered with crystal clarity in his senses.
Slowly, Bai Yuexian pushed himself up into a sitting position. The movement sent another wave of pain through his body, but he gritted his teeth and persevered. As he shifted, he noticed something strange about his hands. They were smaller, more slender than he remembered, with pale, unblemished skin.
*These... these aren't my hands.*
With growing alarm, he lifted his hands closer to his face. The fingers were long and elegant, without the calluses he'd developed from years of typing code. More disturbing still was the long, obsidian-black hair that cascaded over his shoulders, reaching down to his waist.
Heart pounding, Bai Yuexian swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood up. His body felt different lighter, yet somehow stronger despite the lingering pain. He moved cautiously across the polished floor toward a full-length mirror mounted on the wall.
The reflection that greeted him nearly stopped his heart.
A stunningly handsome young man stared back at him, perhaps sixteen or seventeen years old. Perfect pale skin complemented deep, midnight-black eyes that seemed to hold unfathomable depths. High cheekbones and a sculpted jawline gave his face an aristocratic air, while small jade earrings adorned both ears. His hair was indeed long and black as obsidian, flowing down like a waterfall of ink.
*This... this isn't me. This can't be me.*
The face that looked back at him was beautiful enough to belong to a television actor or idol, not a sleep-deprived university student who survived on instant noodles and energy drinks.
Before he could process this revelation further, the sound of a door opening caught his attention. He turned to see a middle-aged woman entering the room, her movement fluid and graceful despite her age.
Her beauty was breathtaking. Long silver hair cascaded down her back, framing a face that time had barely touched. Deep blue eyes, in contrast to his black ones, regarded him with unmistakable affection. Her figure was mature yet magnificent, with curves that her elegant silk robes couldn't entirely conceal. The two peaks of her chest what the novels he'd read might call "jade mountains"—rose and fell with each breath.
"Yue'er, you're awake!" she exclaimed, her voice melodious and filled with relief.
Bai Yuexian could only stare, not knowing how to respond. The woman's features bore a striking resemblance to his new face the same high cheekbones, the same perfect skin, though hers was more feminine while his reflected masculine beauty.
"My child, you've finally awakened," she continued, tears welling in her eyes. "I thought I had lost you."
Before he could react, she rushed forward and enveloped him in a tight embrace, pressing his face against her soft chest. The sudden intimacy left him frozen in shock, his mind racing to understand what was happening.
This woman... she must be the mother of whoever's body I'm in now.
After a moment that seemed to stretch into eternity, she released him and stepped back, wiping away a tear with her sleeve.
"You must be hungry after seven days of continuous sleep," she said, her voice tinged with concern. "Wait here. I'll tell the head maid to prepare your favorite dishes."
With that, she turned and swept out of the room, leaving Bai Yuexian standing dumbfounded by the mirror.
Alone once more, he sank back onto the bed, his mind whirling with confusion. *Seven days? I've been unconscious for a week?*
Suddenly, a flood of foreign memories surged into his mind like a dam breaking. Images, sounds, sensations all belonging to someone else, yet now inexplicably part of him.
*Bai Yuexian.*
That was his name or rather, the name of the body he now inhabited. The son of the Bai family, residents of Flower Capital City in the eastern Azure Vermilion Country. A handsome youth known throughout the city for his looks, but also ridiculed as trash and a fool due to his trusting nature.
The memories continued to pour in, revealing the fate of the original Bai Yuexian. How he had been deceived by Ye Chen of the Ye Clan, who had promised to share a treasure with him. Instead, Ye Chen and his minions had lured him into a cave inhabited by a Black Iron Bear, a powerful rank 2 beast. While Bai Yuexian fought for his life, they had stolen the Spirit Fruits the true treasure and abandoned him to die. The original owner of this body had perished from his wounds, creating the vacancy that his soul had somehow filled.
More memories flooded in. His father, Bai Hongxuan, was the patriarch of the Bai family, a powerful and respected figure in Flower City. He had three wives the silver-haired woman who had just embraced him was his birth mother, Lin Qingyue. The other two were Zhao Meiling and Xu Rouyuan, both of whom had treated the original Bai Yuexian with genuine maternal affection. He also had two older half-sisters, daughters of Meiling and Rouyuan.
His thoughts were interrupted by another knock at the door.
"Young Master, may I come in?" a sweet, feminine voice called out.
"Yes," he responded automatically, the word feeling strange on his tongue.
The door opened to reveal a young woman in her early twenties. She was undeniably beautiful, with warm brown hair tied in a simple bun and large, expressive eyes. Her figure was slender yet curved in all the right places, with a plump chest and rounded hips accentuated by her simple serving attire.
From his new memories, he recognized her as Liu Mei, his personal maid for the past five years. The original Bai Yuexian had saved her from bandits when she was younger, and she had served him devotedly ever since. Despite her status as a servant, he had always insisted she treat him as a friend rather than a master a sign of the original's kind heart despite his foolishness.
"Young Master, your father has called for a feast to celebrate your awakening," Liu Mei said, a warm smile lighting up her face. "The family is gathering in the main hall."
Bai Yuexian nodded, trying to process everything. This was real. He was truly in another world, another body, another life.
She bowed slightly, still smiling, and left the room.
Alone again, Bai Yuexian released a deep breath he hadn't realized he was holding. The weight of his situation began to settle on his shoulders. This was a cultivation world, vastly different from the modern Earth he had known. Magic, martial arts, immortal cultivation all the elements he had only read about in novels were now his reality.
Moving to the wardrobe, he selected a seamless black hanfu-style robe adorned with intricate silver cloud and dragon patterns. The craftsmanship was exquisite, the fabric softer and more comfortable than any clothing he had worn in his previous life.
Once dressed, he stepped out of his chamber into a wide, elegant corridor. The architecture was breathtaking like a small ancient palace, with polished wooden pillars and open spaces that allowed natural light to filter through. A meticulously maintained garden was visible through the open side of the corridor, complete with a small pond and flowering trees.
As he walked, servants bowed respectfully, greeting him with "Young Master" as he passed. He acknowledged them with small nods and polite smiles, trying to mimic what he imagined the proper behavior should be.
With each step toward the main hall, his heart pounded faster. He was about to meet his "family" for the first time, yet they would expect him to know them intimately. The situation was surreal, and he felt a mixture of curiosity and dread.
The main hall was impressive, with high ceilings and massive pillars. Large windows allowed natural light to flood the space, illuminating the gathering of people seated around a long table. At the center sat a striking middle-aged man who, despite appearing to be in his forties, looked no older than twenty-five. His sharp features mirrored Bai Yuexian's own, and their eyes were the same deep black. This was undoubtedly Bai Hongxuan, his father in this new life.
To the left of his father sat three beautiful women. The first was Lin Qingyue, his birth mother with her distinctive silver hair. Beside her was a woman with a serene expression, dressed in a deep red robe Zhao Meiling, his first maternal mother. Next to her sat a woman in an elaborate green peacock-patterned robe Xu Rouyuan, his second maternal mother.
On the other side of the table were several other family members: his aunt Bai Lihua, his father's sister; his second uncle Bai Wulin and his wife Yue Baihan; his third uncle; and the fifth elder of the family. He recognized each of them from the memories he had inherited, though putting faces to names still felt strange.
As he entered, all eyes turned to him. Bai Yuexian cupped his hands in the traditional greeting and bowed slightly, his heart hammering so loudly in his chest that he was certain everyone could hear it. In his previous life on Earth, he had been a shy, introverted nerd who avoided social situations whenever possible. Now, he stood before an entire family of strangers who thought they knew him, in a world governed by rules he barely understood.
"Yue'er," his father called out, his voice deep and authoritative yet tinged with genuine concern. "Since you have awakened after such a long time, eat first to regain your strength."
Bai Yuexian nodded, moving toward the empty seat that awaited him. As he sat down, servants began to bring in dishes of food that smelled incredible far more enticing than anything he had eaten in his previous life.
In the silence that followed, if one listened carefully, they might have heard the rapid beating of his heart, the only outward sign of the tumultuous thoughts racing through his mind as he faced the beginning of his new existence in this strange, cultivation world.