Unconventional [Rebirth] - Chapter 79

The chaos inside the room was absolute, but the tangle of thoughts inside Jiang Rui’s head was even worse.

He turned around to find that the mist formed by the Peach Blossom Tree had vanished. Above, muffled thunder rolled across the sky. Looking up, he felt a suffocating weight of sorrow pressing down on his chest.

Before leaving, the Peach Blossom Spirit had told him that it needed to undergo a “Heavenly Tribulation.” It had chosen a mountain peak thousands of miles away, but that tribulation required the company of even more overbearing lightning to succeed in one fell swoop. It was for this reason that the spirit had risked revealing the secrets of Heaven, telling Jiang Rui things he was meant to die without ever knowing.

His rebirth had been bought at the cost of Jia Shi’s entire lifetime of Buddhist merit. Yet, the culprit who had caused his suffering in his previous life was that very same man. To the current Jiang Rui, the irony felt like a ridiculous, dark comedy.

The Rong family’s tradition of twins—and the sinister curse surrounding them—was something not even recorded in the vast library of Miao Xuan’s secret realm.

It seemed as though the current predicament had been caused by Jia Shi alone, but how could Jiang Rui claim to be entirely uninvolved?

Under Rong Jingtang’s watchful gaze, Jiang Rui’s eyes gradually lost their focus. All the sounds in the room seemed to drift away, and his surroundings fell into a profound silence, as if he were the only person left in the world.

The little white tiger perched on Rong Jingtang’s shoulder seemed to sense something. It suddenly became incredibly agitated. Not daring to claw Rong Jingtang’s shoulder, it leaped down and scurried over to Jiang Rui’s side, sniffing here and there. Finally, as if it had found the perfect spot, it lifted a leg and peed right on the leg of the stool Jiang Rui was sitting on.

Rong Jingtang’s normally stoic expression fractured for a split second.

Meanwhile, the mess inside Jiang Rui’s mind began to untangle itself in a strange, methodical way. The words the Peach Blossom Tree had spoken manifested as vivid, lifelike scenes playing out before his eyes.

He saw his previous life: because Jia Shi had descended the mountain to beg for alms, Rong Jingtang—who was supposed to have escaped the fire at the Rong mansion—died a tragic death instead. Consequently, Rong Anchen, who was fated to die, lived on in his brother’s place.

No wonder. No wonder he had never heard the name “Rong Jingtang” in his past life, yet in this life, a man powerful enough to control the capital with a single hand had suddenly appeared. No wonder things that he felt should never have happened were now unfolding before him.

Then, he saw Miao Xuan appearing above Jia Shi. In the previous life, when Jia Shi was old and nearing death, he had struck a bargain with Miao Xuan: he would trade his entire Buddhist cultivation to turn back the wheels of time. This was done to grant Jiang Rui a rebirth, to allow Jia Shi to atone for the sins he had committed, and to give a glimmer of life to Miao Xuan, who was destined to fade into nothingness.

Finally, the equations of fate balanced out.

Jiang Rui’s breathing grew shallow. He saw the various tragedies of his past life that had caused him so many tears. Even seeing them now, the pain in his heart was difficult to quell. Fortunately, there was still a chance to fix everything. All the “causes” they had planted would finally reach their “effects.”

When Jiang Rui finally emerged from his meditative state, he felt significantly more enlightened. However, his surroundings had changed.

When he had entered his trance, he was sitting in Miao Xuan’s room. But now…

Jiang Rui silently pulled the quilt up a little higher. He was currently stark naked—not even a pair of underwear. More importantly, lying right beside him, equally naked and still fast asleep, was Rong Jingtang!

Jiang Rui’s lip twitched. Even in sleep, the man looked dignified, his hands folded peacefully over his lower abdomen, his breathing steady…

“If you’re awake, stop faking it,” Jiang Rui rolled his eyes. Steady breathing, my foot—his eyelids were still trembling.

Rong Jingtang opened his eyes, showing not a hint of embarrassment at being caught. He remained lying there, watching Jiang Rui as the latter sat up.

From his vantage point, he had a clear view of Jiang Rui’s smooth back. Below the short hair was a perfectly curved neck, and further down, the line of a spine that made him narrow his eyes… until it reached the small of his back, where the quilt blocked the view.

Rong Jingtang pursed his lips, the word “Seductress” (or rather, “Calamity”) flashed through his mind.

Jiang Rui, whose mind was a whirlwind of confusion, had no idea he was being ogled. Being naked under the covers was awkward enough. Deciding that a quick pain was better than a lingering one, he gritted his teeth, propped himself up with one hand, and stood. Under Rong Jingtang’s intense gaze, he grabbed the clean clothes hanging nearby.

It felt like it took a century to get dressed. Only after he was fully clothed did Jiang Rui regain some of his confidence. He turned to face Rong Jingtang, who was now reclining on his side, propping his head up with one hand.

“You’ve been asleep for seven full days,” Rong Jingtang remarked.

Jiang Rui’s hand shook as he poured a cup of tea, causing two or three drops to splash onto the quilt. He took a quick sip to steady himself, set the cup back on the table, and said, “I’m going out to have a look.”

He had slept for a week. There was no telling if the little Peach Blossom Tree had been blasted into charcoal by the lightning. Furthermore, Jia Shi must have been unconscious before he entered his meditation.

As soon as he stepped outside, the change was obvious. The Peach Blossom Tree in the backyard had grown so massive it nearly covered the entire Rong estate.

Jiang Rui stopped in his tracks as a figure manifested from the backyard. The person was a translucent pink, identical to the peach blossoms, but his features were so beautiful they bordered on the feminine.

Calling him a “person” for now, Jiang Rui followed him to the stone bench beneath the original tree to listen to his explanation.

“How do you know all these trivial details about me?” Jiang Rui squinted against the sunlight filtering through the branches, feeling the warmth on his skin.

“In your past life, you suffered from a ‘Peach Blossom Tribulation’ (a romantic disaster), and you happened to break the original path of fate. I should have helped you a long time ago,” the spirit replied. He solidified his form, his hair turning black, though his clothes remained pink.

“…A ‘Peach Blossom Tribulation’? Is it actually related to peaches?” Jiang Rui asked, amused.

“It’s a long story,” the spirit smiled. “It was passed down by an ancestor who fell in love with a mortal. Although they went through countless hardships, they ended up together in the end. The name ‘Peach Blossom Tribulation’ just stuck after that.”

Jiang Rui nodded, finding it slightly funny. “It sounds like a type of Yanling (Word Command). It seems this tribulation has binding power even over enlightened spirits like you.”

“I’m actually quite happy about it,” the spirit chirped. The tree behind him shook its branches as if in agreement. “By helping others achieve a perfect marriage, I earn ‘Good Merit’ for myself. It’s a joy.”

Jiang Rui sighed. “The causality of this world truly plays with people.”

“It does,” the tree spirit nodded, resting his chin on his hands with an innocent expression. “By the way, you and that Rong Jingtang… yours is not a Peach Blossom Tribulation.”

Jiang Rui blinked. “Then what is it?”

“It is a destiny that was always meant to be,” the spirit grinned. A flash of red light seemed to flicker between his brows, though Jiang Rui couldn’t see it clearly.

Just then, Miao Xuan appeared beside Jiang Rui, looking at the spirit with a hint of jealousy. “I told you this life would be full of fortune and prosperity. I didn’t expect you to improve the luck of everyone around you as well.”

“What do you mean?” Jiang Rui asked, confused.

“According to the records of the Demon Realm,” Miao Xuan explained, “the Peach Blossom clan is most likely to become ‘Acolytes of the Moon’ (Moon Elder’s assistants) and join the Celestial Rank. Because he helped Jia Shi, Rong Anchen, and… ahem… his merit is so great that he has already been ranked as a Junior Acolyte.”

Jiang Rui realized what had happened. He looked at the spirit and said, “I see. Then I must congratulate you.”

The Peach Blossom Tree had revealed the secrets of Heaven to help Jiang Rui, using the resulting lightning tribulation to shed his mortal form. It was a blessing in disguise.

“Congratulations to us both!” the spirit laughed, waving a hand. “From now on, my name is Rong Jingsheng. You can call me A-Sheng, okay?”

Jiang Rui smiled and agreed. He knew that for a spirit with no family who relied solely on their own cultivation, a name was the thing they craved most.

“A-Sheng, congratulations.” Jiang Rui smiled and handed him a golden pill. “This is the best pill I have refined so far. It isn’t of much use to me, but it is a top-tier supplement for you.”

A-Sheng’s eyes sparkled. He took the pill, unable to stop grinning, and thanked Jiang Rui repeatedly.

“As a side note,” A-Sheng said, glancing nervously at the sky to ensure no more thunder was coming, “you and your destined one will have a peaceful future, but expect constant small frictions in the middle. These frictions will mostly come from your temperament and his arrogance. Just be careful not to let your mental state falter, or you might develop an inner demon.”

Jiang Rui thanked him with a smile.

After the spirit hurried off to refine the golden pill, Jiang Rui sat back down and asked Miao Xuan, “Did I… know ‘A-Jing’ (Rong Jingtang) before all of this?”

“Yes,” Miao Xuan nodded, floating at eye level with Jiang Rui. “But as for remembering it, that’s up to you. When I helped you into this new life, I had to wash away all your past memories to keep you safe. I could only replace them with your memories from birth up until your ‘accident’ to ensure your well-being.”

Jiang Rui breathed in the scent of the tea, suddenly desperate to know. What exactly had happened in those forgotten years between him and Rong Jingtang?

Rong Jingtang had only left home once, at age thirteen. Over a decade ago, Jiang Rui would have been only four or five. Back then… what unknown history had passed between them?