Chapter Two: Fleeting Happiness

Lei Yan was dead, and so was Buni. Yet, strangely, the psychic power Lei Yan had used to lock onto Buni showed no sign of dissipating; instead, it continued swirling above the control room of the small airfield. The visible blue vortex spun ceaselessly, and at its center, a blue dot grew at a frenzied pace—from the size of a pinhead, to a ping-pong ball, and then, to a transparent blue orb as large as a basketball.

A muffled boom tore through the sky. It was as if the heavens themselves had been ripped apart—a crack, several meters long, appeared out of thin air above the control room. The spinning blue orb, as if drawn by an immense force, shot toward the fissure like a bolt of blue lightning. The moment the orb vanished into the crack, calm returned to the world around.

In a dazzling white space, fragments of color raced and floated all around. No sooner had the blue orb entered this realm than several multicolored shards, moving at tremendous speeds, collided with it. With each impact, the orb shrank a little, its size dwindling from that of a basketball to a grain of rice as it dashed forward at full speed. At last, with another thunderous sound, the blue light, now no larger than a grain of rice, pierced through the radiant expanse, traversed the sky, and descended upon Yicheng, Jiangzhou.

Within Yicheng’s territory stood a great mountain called Azure Sky Mountain. Its former name was Emerald Screen Mountain, for legend had it that the mountain was once blanketed in verdant bamboo, forming a natural green screen. The name changed after the Lei family, one of Yicheng’s three great clans, seized the mountain and replaced the bamboo with buildings, leaving only the outer groves of bamboo standing guard.

In a quiet courtyard at the northeast corner of the Lei family mansion, a man in his thirties, dressed in purple cedar robes, paced anxiously outside a chamber door.

“Master, the lady will come through safely!” a man in light armor tried to comfort him.

“Han Yu, I know… Ah…” The man in purple, Lei Tiechuan, could find no words to ease his worry. He could not keep his nerves in check; his beloved was inside, giving birth, and he knew well that a woman’s first labor often brought danger. Many women perished in childbirth. He and his wife had endured countless hardships to be together, so he cherished both her and the child they had created. How could he remain calm now?

“Master, have you thought of a name for the child?” the steward standing by quickly changed the subject with a smile.

“We settled on the names long ago. If it’s a boy, he’ll be called Lei Yan; if it’s a girl, Lei Yu.” At these words, Lei Tiechuan managed a rare smile.

As his voice faded, a blue light no bigger than a grain of rice, invisible to the naked eye, slipped into the room.

At that very moment, the sharp cry of a newborn rang out from within. Everyone turned toward the door. With a creak, a midwife burst forth, cradling the infant in her arms, her face aglow with joy. “Master, it’s a boy! A boy!” she exclaimed.

“How is Qingqing?” Lei Tiechuan, reassured by the safe birth, immediately thought of his exhausted wife.

“The lady is well; mother and son are both safe,” the midwife replied with a wide smile.

“Excellent, excellent! Lei Fu, go to the accounts room and reward her with ten taels of silver!” Overjoyed, Lei Tiechuan did not stint on rewards. He took the baby from the midwife and dashed into the room.

On the wooden bed inside lay a woman, her hair a little disheveled, her forehead beaded with sweat. Though pale, her beauty shone through.

“Qingqing, look at our child!” Lei Tiechuan entered, carrying the baby. When he saw the ashen-faced Situ Qingqing, a pang of sorrow struck him. He gently smoothed her hair. “Qingqing, you’ve worked so hard…”

“Brother Chuan…” Overwhelmed by his tenderness, Situ Qingqing’s heart filled with happiness.

Just then, the infant’s loud cry interrupted their tender moment. A gentle smile appeared on Situ Qingqing’s face. “This little one… Let me see our child.”

She sat up with effort and took the baby in her arms, cooing, “Hush, Yan’er, don’t cry… Mama’s here…”

“He’s got a powerful set of lungs—good, very good!” Lei Tiechuan beamed.

“Look, Yan’er’s little eyes are staring straight at you, not even blinking! Hahaha…” Lei Tiechuan laughed, reaching out his broad hands to gently pinch the baby’s cheeks.

Laughter filled the room, but Lei Yan’s mind was in turmoil.

What’s going on? Didn’t I die?

He clearly remembered the battle at the small airfield, how he was killed by Buni’s bullet, and how he unleashed all his psychic power in a final strike to take Buni with him. Yet now, conscious again, he found himself in the womb, and not long after, he was born.

Are these truly my father and mother? Lei Yan studied the two people before him. I understand their speech—it’s Mandarin—but their clothes, and the attire of those around them, are clearly not of the modern era. This is ancient times! How did I end up in ancient times?

Faced with such a shocking situation, even one as resolute as Lei Yan was left utterly shaken, as if trapped in a nightmare from which he would never awaken. His thoughts were a tangled mess.

But the brain of an infant is far from fully developed, and as panic set in, Lei Yan was quickly overcome by dizziness and fatigue, soon drifting into a deep sleep.

Each time Lei Yan awoke, his mind raced. Fortunately, a previous lifetime had honed his will to extraordinary maturity. After a week or so, he managed to regain his composure.

He let out a long breath. There was no point in dwelling on the reasons for his predicament. What mattered was that it had happened. If he wished to survive, he would have to adapt to this new world quickly.

In his last life, Lei Yan had neither family nor friends. But this time, he had a father and a mother. In that sense, his arrival here was not without its blessings. Once, he had lost all purpose in life, but now, everything had changed.

Lei Yan’s arrival in this world coincided with the first winter of his life.

Heavy snowflakes drifted down like feathers, blanketing the world in silver.

In a quiet courtyard of the Lei family estate, a few steaming dishes and several jugs of warm wine stood on a stone table beneath a pavilion.

“Yan’er, isn’t the snow beautiful?” Situ Qingqing asked tenderly, cradling little Lei Yan as she admired the scene.

Lei Tiechuan sat at the table, pouring himself a cup and drinking it down in one go. Watching his wife and son, his heart brimmed with happiness.

Lei Yan’s cheeks flushed red as he nodded solemnly.

Situ Qingqing laughed delightedly at his expression. “Brother Chuan, come and see—Yan’er looks just like a little grown-up!”

Though not yet a year old and his vocal cords still developing, while other children could only babble, Lei Yan would nod and make simple sounds like “mm” and “ah,” just like a miniature adult.

“Let me see!” Lei Tiechuan set down his cup at once, came over, and, hugging Situ Qingqing from behind, gazed at the little Yan’er with a smile. “Well, he really does look like a little grown-up.”

So this is what it feels like to have parents… Lei Yan thought, seeing the joy on their faces.

Three years passed in a blink.

Lei Yan was now three, but with age came trouble. Despite his parents’ ceaseless care, Lei Yan noticed an unspoken worry between them.

Today was his third birthday. After the family celebration, Lei Yan lay down to sleep, but a searing pain, as though lancing his very soul, nearly made him cry out. He rolled on the bed, fighting to keep his senses, but each time he was about to faint, the agony would drag him back from the brink.

The torment blurred his vision. Through the haze, he saw a vague figure enter the room. Lei Yan longed to see who it was, but he was too exhausted, too wracked with pain to open his eyes.

The hazy figure sat by his bedside, pulled up his blanket, and sighed, “Yan’er, you must live. You must live well.”

Mother! Lei Yan’s heart jolted. Was the pain her doing? Impossible! He dismissed the thought immediately—no mother, especially one as gentle and loving as hers, would ever harm her child. Her words just now proved it.

“If one day I’m no longer by your side, you must learn to take care of yourself. Besides your father and Han Yu, you must trust no one unconditionally in this house. Be wary of everyone else. In any case… Yan’er…” Before she could finish, Situ Qingqing noticed sweat pouring from Lei Yan’s brow and, alarmed, called out to him. But no matter how she called, Lei Yan could not answer. He had finally slipped into unconsciousness.

Soon, several physicians were summoned to the Lei residence.

Situ Qingqing sat anxiously by Lei Yan’s side, glancing at her son repeatedly. Lei Tiechuan gently squeezed her hand in silent support, though he too was deeply worried.

Each physician, after examining Lei Yan, shook his head and stepped aside for the next. Seeing their grim faces, Situ Qingqing could no longer contain her grief and broke down in sobs on Lei Tiechuan’s shoulder.

“What is wrong with my son?” Lei Tiechuan’s frustration spilled over. “Don’t just shake your heads—tell me!”