Unconventional [Rebirth] - Chapter 100

During the short ambulance ride to the hospital, Jiang Rui’s mind was racing. When the police were called, he had specifically instructed Zhou Yongping to contact Uncle Cheng so the message would reach Rong Jingtang. He had cast such a wide net specifically for this day; with Rong Jingtang’s intervention, every suspicious detail of the event would transition from forced coincidence to logical conclusion.

Jiang Rui allowed a faint smile to cross his face before closing his eyes. He left a physical manifestation of his presence in the ambulance while his divine sense retreated into the Spirit Realm.

He had come back for one reason: to find out why Xiao Wu was dying. Specifically, he needed to know how a bullet had struck him despite the defensive barrier Jiang Rui had placed on all three of them. Barriers have flaws, but he refused to believe that a one-in-a-billion chance had allowed a bullet to hit a microscopic blind spot—and that this spot happened to align perfectly with Xiao Wu’s heart.

With a dark expression, Jiang Rui walked into Miao Xuan’s room. Finding Miao Xuan meditating on a cushion, Jiang Rui recounted the events.

Miao Xuan remained silent for a moment before speaking. “I told you before: this world will try to minimize the impact of your rebirth. In the previous life, Xiao Wu was destined to die protecting Xiao Lunan. In this life, the focus of fate remains fixed on him.”

Jiang Rui frowned deeply. “But he and Jiang Xi are fated to be married.”

If Xiao Wu died, Jiang Xi’s thread of fate would eventually reconnect with someone else, but Jiang Rui knew that no one would ever be as perfect a match for her as he was. Furthermore, what would his death do to Xiao Lunan? Xiao Lunan didn’t even know Mo Zhao was pregnant yet; if Xiao Wu died and Xiao Lunan went on a self-destructive rampage, it would be a devastating blow to Mo Zhao as well.

“It’s not actually that difficult,” Miao Xuan said with a mischievous grin. “I’ve seen that boy a few times; he has a ‘Yin’ constitution. Tell me, was the place where Xiao Lunan first rescued him an extremely Yin burial ground?”

Jiang Rui nodded. “I heard Lunan mention it, yes.”

Miao Xuan shrugged. “Xiao Wu has cheated death this time, but he has already come face-to-face with the Soul Reapers. If he is captured again, he won’t escape punishment. Since this world insists on ending things with his death, why not simply… let him live out his days as a ghost official in the Underworld alongside Jiang Xi?”

Jiang Rui had never considered that his current power could reach such heights.

“Why not?” Miao Xuan’s tone shifted from casual to serious. “Do you think legends like Sun Wukong wreaking havoc in Heaven were entirely fictional? If everything could be explained by modern science, then what are you? What am I? In a universe of thousands of planes and overlapping timelines, rebirth and transmigration are possible. Why should this be beyond you?”

Jiang Rui felt a sense of daze. This realization shattered his previous understanding of his own limitations. He knew rebirth defied science, but he hadn’t truly grasped the scale of the world he now inhabited.

Suddenly, Jiang Rui felt a surge of warmth in his dantian, like drinking hot porridge on a winter day. His Golden Core split apart, transforming into a fist-sized, transparent infant wearing a traditional bib—a Nascent Soul.

Miao Xuan jumped up, staring at Jiang Rui in utter disbelief. “You… you broke through to the Nascent Soul stage just like that? Without a single lightning strike from the heavens?!”

Jiang Rui was equally stunned. Usually, every major breakthrough triggered a tribulation of heavenly lightning, yet he had skipped several steps and ascended to the third grade of Nascent Soul in total silence.

“The Heavenly Way…” Miao Xuan muttered, looking at Jiang Rui with a glazed expression before suddenly running into his room to wail in dramatic fashion.

Ignoring Miao Xuan’s outburst, Jiang Rui turned to find Rong Jingtang standing beside him. “How did you get here?”

“I’ve reached the Early Stage of Core Formation,” Rong Jingtang said calmly. The crying in the next room paused for a second, then resumed even louder.

“Core Formation?!” Jiang Rui was shocked. He pressed his fingers to Rong Jingtang’s neck to check his vitals, then pressed his forehead against the other man’s to perform a deep spiritual scan. Everything was normal, but Rong Jingtang’s Ice Spiritual Root was now overflowing with energy.

Rong Jingtang watched him, his eyes narrowing slightly. He remembered Jiang Rui’s lost memories. While Jiang Rui had promised to help him recover them once Rong Jingtang reached Core Formation, he knew that memories traded as the price for rebirth wouldn’t be easily reclaimed.

Back in the hospital, Jiang Rui opened his eyes. Thanks to Zhou Yongping’s arrangements, they were all in private rooms with specialized care. When the nurse saw him wake, she pressed the call button, and soon the hallway was filled with footsteps.

Zhou Yongping was the first to enter, wearing his white lab coat. He winked at Jiang Rui, who felt a secret sense of amusement. Several police officers followed. Since Jiang Rui was the first to wake, he gave them his prepared story—and subtly implanted a similar narrative into Xiao Lunan’s mind through a dream-link.

The officers looked at the clean-cut youth, unable to imagine him as a threat. One veteran officer in his forties asked kindly, “Son, where do you go to school?”

Jiang Rui smiled, a faint dimple appearing. “I’m in the medical department at Jingda (Peking University).”

“That’s a prestigious school!” the officer exclaimed. In a small place like Qing City, Jingda was legendary.

The officer studied Jiang Rui’s face. “Wait… you look familiar.”

Jiang Rui remained silent. The officer suddenly slapped his thigh. “I remember! You’re the young man who helped the Jingda Armed Police take down those three drug lords!”

Jiang Rui twitched his lip. Rong Jingtang had suppressed the media in the capital, but he had underestimated the efficiency of the police department’s internal gossip network. If news had reached a small town like Qing City, Jiang Rui could only imagine how he was being “demonized” as a hero in the capital.

Regardless, this reputation served as a perfect cover. The officer looked at Jiang Rui with newfound respect and left the room in high spirits with his subordinates.

Once the door was shut, Zhou Yongping coughed. “Rui-Rui, your cousins Xiao-Xiao and Tong-Tong are in my office doing homework. Why don’t you go see them?”

Zhou Yongping knew Jiang Rui was perfectly fine because Jiang Rui hadn’t bothered to use illusions on him. He knew the kidnappers were mostly dead, and Wang Chenghui’s fate was a lifetime in prison—if he survived.

Jiang Rui headed to the office, where the twins shrieked with joy and tackled him. He noticed they looked healthy and had even put on a little weight.

“Brother, is Sister Xi-Xi hurt too?” Xiao-Xiao asked softly. She still carried shadows from the previous kidnapping, but she was a cheerful child and was slowly recovering.

“She is. Want to go see her?” Jiang Rui asked.

The twins nodded obediently, said goodbye to Zhou Yongping, and each took one of Jiang Rui’s hands. Jiang Rui smiled, his expression full of warmth as he led them down the hall.