When John opened his eyes, he suddenly sat up, confused and alarmed. He looked around.
"Huh? Wasn't I dead? I died saving that child… What is this place?"
All around him were trees, and in the distance, he could see an ancient-looking village—like something out of a historical drama.
Suddenly, a sharp pain struck his head. He clutched his forehead and dropped to his knees. It felt as if something heavy was pouring into him, flooding his entire being. Then, images—memories—flashed through his mind. But they weren't his.
They belonged to someone named Wu Hao.
Confused, John sat there, overwhelmed. These weren't just fragments—he now knew everything about Wu Hao's life. Even stranger, everyone in these memories had Chinese names.
Goosebumps crawled up his arms. He rubbed them instinctively, muttering in his thoughts:
(I really hope this world isn't as racist as mine was… because this clearly isn't my world anymore.)
In this second life, he—Wu Hao—was from Fengyun Village, a quiet, rural place. He was an orphan who had grown up alone. When he turned ten, he had tried his luck and gone to a nearby sect to test if he could cultivate immortality.
The test was simple—but most people failed due to poor spiritual roots.
A Foundation Establishment cultivator named Liu Jian was the examiner. When he checked Wu Hao's roots, his expression shifted.
Wu Hao noticed the hesitation.
"What kind of root do I have?" he asked, already guessing the answer.
Liu Jian sighed. "Your root is a Brittle Ember Root. It cultivates at a normal speed—but it's damaged. That's why I said it's brittle. You might be able to cultivate… if luck is on your side and the root heals. Otherwise…"
Wu Hao had always known he wasn't special. Still, hearing it hurt. His heart sank.
(So I'll just live an ordinary life in that village... and die quietly in a few hundred years.)
For the next eight years, he did just that. Lived humbly. Saved what little he earned. At eighteen, he finally had enough to buy a small home in the village. At twenty, he went out hunting in the nearby forest.
That's when it happened.
A wild boar attacked him from the shadows—and killed him on the spot.
That's when John's soul entered this body.
John—now Wu Hao—stumbled to a nearby lake and looked at his reflection. The man in the water was young and strikingly handsome, wearing a white Taoist robe stained with blood. He touched his stomach, remembering how Wu Hao had been gored. Yet, there was no wound.
"Strange… shouldn't there be a hole here?" he muttered. "Maybe… because I entered his body, it healed."
He glanced around warily.
"I should get back to the village before another beast shows up and finishes the job."
As he ran back, just before exiting the forest, he heard groaning from behind some bushes. Curiosity got the better of him. He carefully approached and used his sword to part the leaves.
What he saw stunned him—a beautiful young woman, badly injured.
He crouched beside her. Before he could ask who she was, she fainted in his arms.
Wu Hao hesitated. "Should I take her to the village? What if someone's after her? I lost my first life doing something reckless…"
But in the end, he picked her up and carried her to the village doctor.
The doctor treated her and warned, "Her head injury is serious. She may suffer from memory loss. Take good care of her. If anything happens, don't hesitate to come find me."
Wu Hao bowed respectfully, just like in his memories. "Thank you, Doctor. I'm grateful."
He took her to his home and set up a spare room for her.
The next day, she woke up.
Her eyes widened when she saw him. "You're… really handsome! Who are you?"
Wu Hao coughed lightly, caught off-guard. "Ahem… I'm Wu Hao. I live here. Did you lose your memory? Do you remember anything?"
The woman blinked. "I only remember my name… Yu Yan. That's all."
Wu Hao gave a gentle smile. "If you don't mind, you can stay here until you regain your memory."
And so began a new chapter.
Days turned into months. Months into years. From strangers to friends, and eventually, from friends to lovers.
Five years later, Wu Hao and Yu Yan married. His dream of having a family finally came true.
Two years into their marriage, Yu Yan gave birth to their child.
But that night, something changed.
She regained her memories.
Suddenly, she burst into the room and grabbed Wu Hao by the collar.
"How dare you!?"
Wu Hao blinked, confused. He reached up, touched her forehead. "Honey? Are you okay? You're acting strange. Let's go to the doctor and—"
Before he could finish, she punched him in the stomach and shouted, "How dare you marry me!? Do you even know who I am? If they find out I'm here with you and our child—they'll kill you both!"
Wu Hao clutched his stomach, speechless.
Yu Yan turned toward the door.
"I can't stay here anymore. I have to go."
"What about our child?" he asked softly. His voice was hollow, expression blank.
"He'll stay with you," she said without turning around.
She didn't let him see her face—tears streamed down her cheeks. Then she ran into the forest and vanished.
Wu Hao stood silently, watching the spot where she disappeared. His eyes welled up.
Then he shouted after her, voice trembling, "What about my feelings for you!? The love—the care—was all of it meaningless to you?! You're leaving us behind like we were never important!"
But she had already gone.
Or so he thought.
Hidden behind the trees, invisible to his sight, Yu Yan was still there—listening. Crying.
Softly, she whispered to herself, "You are important. You and our child mean everything to me. But I have to go. If they find me with you, they'll kill you both. I had to act like that... or you would've followed me—and they'd kill you."
With that, she disappeared into the depths of the forest, her heart breaking.
Back at the house, Wu Hao—still in grief—returned to the cradle and gently lifted his crying child into his arms.
The child wept.
And so did he.