Heaven-Collapsing Start [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Night falls, dark clouds veil the starry sky, and a thin mist shrouds the wilderness. The shadows of trees are mottled, and a chilly breeze sways through the air.

In this dark and desolate night, suddenly, a hand stretches out from the soil. Following it is a rustling, granular sound as another hand reaches out from the earth, clawing aside the dirt. That sound, that eerie visual, cannot help but strike fear into one’s heart.

Finally, a shadow separates itself from the pitch-black, dark ground and sits up.

The clouds in the sky disperse, and moonlight spills down. Upon the slightly bulging earthen mound, it forms the silhouette of perhaps a man, perhaps a ghost.

Of course, Ji Liang could confirm quite certainly: his heart was still faintly beating, he had flesh and blood; he should be human.

Yet he did not know whether returning to life after death truly counted as being human or a ghost or perhaps, merely half-human, half-ghost.

The thin figure sitting under the night curtain seemed to twitch the corners of his mouth into a smile, a self-mocking smile.

After a long while, Ji Liang stepped onto the freshly overturned soil and stood up. His feet suddenly faltered, but in the next second, he steadied himself by leaning against the nearby stone monument.

Three steps. He left the slightly protruding mound or rather, the grave and came before the stone monument.

The moonlight revealed the complex characters carved upon it.

「Grave of the Rebellious Son, Ji Liang」

There was no signature.

Ji Liang curled his lips again, wearing that trace of a half-smile that wasn’t quite a smile, and slowly closed his eyes.

In his mind were the memories of this person’s life, displaying before his eyes like frame after frame of a film.

Also named Ji Liang, with the courtesy name Shenzhi taken from the meaning “a gentleman is cautious when alone”he was the eldest young master of the Ji Family Villa, a household of great renown in the martial arts world (Jianghu). He was gentle, humble, and polite; a young hero and talent whom everyone could not help but praise upon meeting him, and the pride of his father.

Regrettably, as long as one is human, one cannot escape desire. Greedy desires and jealous desires are enough to cause a person to fall.

The original owner of the body also originally thought that he would become his father’s pride, take over the Ji Family Villa, and expand the family business.

From childhood to adulthood, everything had gone his way; he hadn’t suffered much. Even if he had developed a gentle outward appearance under his family’s influence, in reality, the pride in his heart was just as intense.

And this point was precisely what became the fuse.

Six years ago, the sworn brother of his father, Ji Yan, from his younger days, was tragically exterminated overnight. Only one son was fortunate enough to escape the ordeal, later seeking refuge at the Ji Family Villa.

The elder Ji, being a man of great sentiment and loyalty, naturally would not turn him away. He let the other party settle down within the villa and showed him much care. This was the beginning of everything.

At the start, when the original owner first met this son of his father’s friend and observed his bright appearance and his sympathy for others, the original owner had a good impression of him to the point where the two even reached the level of calling each other brothers.

However, the rift began with a “quarrel” between his parents. To call it a quarrel might not be accurate; it was merely that, inside the room, his mother wept or accused his father in a low voice.

The original owner unconsciously listened at the door for a long while, finally leaving in a trance.

As it turned out, that old friend’s wife had actually been the elder Ji’s childhood sweetheart, his first love, and his “white moonlight.” Unfortunately, the “falling flowers had intent, but the flowing water had none.” The elder Ji arranged for the friend’s son to stay in the villa and checked on him often mostly because of this layer of history.

The original owner was in a daze for an entire night. When he saw that brother again, he suppressed the strangeness in his heart, his conversation no different from usual.

Except, after all, the thought had taken root. First were his mother’s tearful eyes, and second were the whispers of the servants he usually wouldn’t notice; it seemed everyone knew about the elder Ji’s past affairs.

Sometimes, the more you don’t care or the more you evade, the clearer and more obvious things become especially when you discover that your father is getting better and better to that person.

“Brother Yan… are you still harboring lingering feelings for that childhood sweetheart?”

“I never see you show this much concern for Liang-er, just because he is Liu Qian’s son?”

“What nonsense are you talking about!”

“He is the only posthumous child of an old friend. Whether by reason or principle, I should look after him.”

“The Master went to Young Master Gu’s place again today. I heard he even gave Young Master Gu a famous sword.”

“You say, is that rumor true? The son of the Master’s childhood sweetheart back then…”

“No wonder, no wonder. Looking at the Master’s momentum, it’s even possible he might take Young Master Gu as his adopted son.”

“Then who will be the master of the house in the future?”

“…”

No one knew that the original owner, standing at the corner, took all these words into his sight with an obscure expression.

The original owner’s temperament was gentle and polite; beneath that hidden surface, he was also extremely proud.

Though his heart felt dissatisfaction, he disinherited those rumors and slanders. Yet, a rift remained in his heart. The breaking of the final shackle was a peerless martial arts manual that the elder Ji obtained from the Martial Arts Alliance.

The original owner thought that manual would be his. He was naturally intelligent, a martial arts prodigy since childhood, and at his current young age, he had already achieved no small success in martial arts.

But, while the original owner harbored an excited heart, the sight of the elder Ji handing that manual to Gu Yun caused him to freeze instantly.

He was unwilling; he was angry. He went to the elder Ji to ask for the reason, only to receive a sentence: that manual is not suitable for you to practice.

Under a surge of fury, even a saint cannot maintain their sanity. It was at this moment that the original owner brought up the topic he had been deliberately avoiding.

 “In the end, am I your son, or is Gu Yun your son?!”

Such words, which could be called rebellious, naturally provoked the elder Ji’s anger. Between father and son, a discord erupted for the first time.

Perhaps the elder Ji had no other thoughts and was simply too loyal; perhaps seeing that the friend’s son possessed a martial arts talent no less than the original owner’s, he felt a desire to nurture talent… and thus neglected the original owner’s feelings… and so forth.

But in the original owner’s eyes, everything looked as if he were about to be replaced by Gu Yun.

His state of mind began to transform from that point.

If it were only this, it wouldn’t be enough to explain why, after the original owner died, he was only given a lonely and simple grave in this desolate wilderness, with a tombstone starting with the two words “Rebellious Son” and no signature.

What happened afterward, however, could be called the cultivation of a generation’s villain if Gu Yun were the protagonist.

Disappointed in his father, disappointed in his brother, the original owner’s ambitions were never limited to within the villa; he wanted a place in the Martial Arts Alliance. It was just that the thoughts which previously only existed in the depths of his heart burned like a prairie fire after that incident, as if he had cleared his energy meridians in an instant.

After that quarrel with the elder Ji, the original owner seemed to realize his mistake and apologized. His words and deeds returned to being gentle and polite, and his conduct was even more appropriate.

Even a year later, when the elder Ji announced to everyone that he was taking Gu Yun as his adopted son, he did not show a single trace of impropriety. In the eyes of others, his image was outstanding; the rumors of the past had somehow gradually vanished.

During these years, many incidents occurred in the martial arts world. Actually, in the Jianghu, it is never the case that absolutely nothing happens; it is only a question of the scale and the depth of the impact.

Coincidentally, among the incidents that occurred, all were neither too big nor too small.

First, the highly respected Qian Jizi was assassinated and died, and the secret treasure he had always guarded was stolen. Later, the Ning Yuan couple were attacked by assassins; the room was in chaos, and the child in the swaddling clothes was nowhere to be found, and so on.

At the same time, a “Hidden Pavilion” that seemed to collect and sell information quietly rose in the Jianghu…

In fact, there is no need to doubt: the person who committed those acts was the original owner. The Hidden Pavilion grew rapidly and strong in two or three years, and the person behind it was also the original owner.

On the surface the Hidden Pavilion, but underneath the Shadow Pavilion it was an organization integrating intelligence collection and assassination, gradually permeating the martial arts world.

As for the original owner himself, just as the Hidden Pavilion was being established, he spent great effort to obtain the secret treasure from Qian Jizi. It was actually a martial arts manual, but it was too powerful and sinister for ordinary people to practice, so it had been sealed by Qian Jizi and carefully hidden. He never expected it would ultimately fall into the original owner’s hands.

Over the years, Gu Yun made a name for himself in the Jianghu and, for some reason, gained the appreciation of the Martial Arts Alliance Leader. The original owner naturally expressed congratulations, maintaining a peaceful facade. However, he secretly targeted Gu Yun many times, yet the other party always managed to turn danger into safety.

This person seemed naturally born with a peculiar ability that could make everyone believe in him, his father, the Martial Arts Alliance Leader, and even the Ning Yuan couple who had luckily escaped.

More and more talented individuals stood by Gu Yun’s side, fighting together against the rising Demonic Sect. The original owner was the Demonic Sect’s “undercover” on the righteous side though that might not be quite right; he was likely in a relationship of cooperation with the Demonic Sect.

When the war between the two sides broke out, the original owner was exposed, facing the incredulous eyes of Gu Yun, his father, and the righteous path of the Martial Arts Alliance.

However, it was already too late. The original owner possessed all the information of the Martial Arts Alliance. Leaving behind the words “Preserve the Ji Family Villa,” the poised Demonic Sect rushed toward the righteous alliance members, who were like peeled eggs.

However, the world is unpredictable.

The one who finally fell was actually the Demonic Sect’s side.

It turned out that Gu Yun had a premonition and had guessed it long ago. He was just too shocked; in this matter, he chose to hide it from the elder Ji and the original owner, but he had discussed countermeasures with the Martial Arts Alliance in advance. This ultimately led to the defeat of the Demonic Sect.

Overnight, the situation reversed, and the heavens and earth were overturned.

The powerful and ghostly abilities the original owner practiced were difficult to maintain under the siege of countless martial arts masters. Furthermore, with his fury attacking his heart, he suffered a deviation in his internal energy (Qi deviation) and was finally stabbed through the heart by Gu Yun’s sword, dying.

…

Night, in the desolate outskirts, by the tombstone.

Ji Liang lowered his head, looking toward the position of his heart by the moonlight.

A sword scar, like a fresh and tender mark, was attached to the skin, yet it had already healed without medicine.

The corners of his mouth twitched slightly as if to smile, then he pursued them, finally returning to calm.

Clearly, he could not continue to stay here. Ji Liang scanned the surrounding mountain forests; the howling of wild wolves came faintly.

Taking a step, he walked in one direction.

Cough, cough.

The body that had just crawled out of a grave was weak and powerless. The dantian was completely empty, as if he could not feel its existence.

It makes sense. To be resurrected after death is already a… miracle.