Chapter 83: New Timeline
Somewhere inside one of the alchemy chambers, Lingling was cultivating. Her body was exhausted, sweat clinging to her skin. After some time, she finally stopped and sat down to rest.
At this moment a sudden knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.
"Come in." Lingling Said.
Her personal maid entered, bowed, and spoke, "Young Miss, while you were cultivating, a letter arrived from the Mission Hall."
"Mission Hall?" Lingling frowned slightly. Why would they contact me instead of sister Yanmei?
"Give it to me. And prepare warm water—I’ll take a bath."
"As you wish, Young Miss."
"Wait," Lingling called again before she could disappear.
The maid turned back. "Is there anything else, Young Miss?"
Lingling looked at her, a hint of displeasure in her voice. "Have you heard anything about where my husband is? Mother hasn’t told me, and sister Yanmei won’t say anything either."
"Sorry, Young Miss. I haven’t heard anything about the young master, nor have I seen him anywhere near the elder’s residence."
"Alright, you can go now," Lingling said. With that, the maid turned and left the room.
It had been three days since Lingling last saw brother Xuanyan, and she was starting to feel anxious. She let out a soft sigh and lay down on the floor, thinking it would be another boring day without him. Her attention finally shifted to the letter, and she opened it without much interest.
Young Miss Lingling,
Apologies for the disturbance. A junior disciple from the outer sect, named Ye Qingyue, came to the Mission Hall today insisting on meeting a rumored young prodigy disciple of Elder Mei Lingyao.
If you have any information regarding him, please inform us.
—Mission Hall
"Ye Qingyue..." Lingling muttered to herself. Her attention sharpened on the content of the letter. Who is she? Why have I never heard of her before? Lingling thought she knew everything about brother Xuanyan, yet she has never received any information about someone named Ye Qingyue being his acquaintance.
Without wasting any time, she responded to the letter and sent a reply to the Mission Hall, asking Ye Qingyue to come and meet her.
____________
At this moment, when Lingling was preparing to meet someone who might become her rival, Xuanyan who remained immersed in his studies, and Ye Qingfeng still lay in an unmoving slumber.
None of them knew...that far away, in a chamber within the outer sect, something had just awakened.
"It’s dark."
Tang Lishen suddenly woke up. His vision was still blurred as he stared at the ceiling above him, his eyes struggling to focus while everything remained hazy and unclear.
The ceiling felt unfamiliar. Faint light filtered in from one side, leaving the room dim and cold. He blinked a few times, forcing his eyes to adjust, his breathing growing heavier as he slowly realized he was no longer in a place he recognized.
He tried to move his limbs, but a sudden pain surged from below his navel, making it difficult to even shift his body.
Wait... I can think!
"I clearly remember getting killed by one of Heavenly Court’s immortals..."But seeing his current situation, Tang Lishen realized that he was somehow still alive.
"I was really foolish to challenge one of the strongest sects in the world."
He frowned slightly. "Then... where am I?" Tang Lishen lowered his gaze and looked at his body. His limbs were smaller, weaker. This was clearly the body of a child, and not a healthy one at that.
"A crippled body... and the damage is recent." His expression darkened. Tang Lishen closed his eyes and released his divine sense, carefully inspecting the condition of his current body, tracing through the damaged meridians and unstable internal state.
What’s going on? Did they transfer my soul into someone else’s body?
It was true that Rank 5 cultivators could continue living even after their lifespan ended by simply changing their previous vessel into a new compatible one. But even so, Tang Lishen didn’t think he possessed anything valuable enough for them to go that far. But that wasn’t the most shocking part.
How is this vessel able to withstand my Rank 5 soul so easily? He could clearly feel that something was wrong. Right now, his soul was perfectly fused with this body without the slightest rejection—it felt as if this body had been tailor-made for him.
Tang Lishen’s gaze swept across the room. What entered his vision was a worn, cramped space, its wooden walls faded and rough.
Why am I getting a sense of déjà vu...? he thought.
Without wasting time, Tang Lishen pushed himself up from the bed. A sharp pain rose from his lower body, but he endured it without much difficulty. After all, he had long grown used to worse during his years as a cultivator.
He moved toward the table and picked up a few scattered items, inspecting them in hopes of finding something useful.
"Looks like I’m in some mortal house... or a low-level sect," he muttered. "The spiritual energy is dense, but mixed with too many impurities. That usually only happens in places like this."
But he wasn’t able to find any useful information in the room. Tang Lishen let out a slow breath and decided to continue his inspection outside.
His clothes were also dirty, and he was starting to feel hungry. He turned toward the washroom to clean himself and change, but just as he took a step forward, his foot caught the edge of the same table.
His body lost balance instantly. Before he could react, his head struck the table with a dull thud.
His mind went blank. Even with years of experience as a cultivator... he still couldn’t avoid something like this.
But the physical pain was nothing compared to what came next. A sharp pain suddenly erupted in his mind, almost making him lose consciousness. Fragments of unfamiliar—yet strangely familiar—memories began to surface, flooding into him without warning.
Tang Lishen coughed several times before finally calming down, his breathing still uneven.
"No.. this can’t be real right,"You’ve got to be kidding me..." This... this can’t be real. I’m dreaming—I have to be. I died... I remember it clearly." Tang Lishen breath hitched, fingers curling slightly against his pants. "They killed me... so why does it feel like I’m back... in the past?"
