Under the still cloudy sky, Li Ming comprehended the meaning of death.
The one thing Li Ming never understood, despite dying in his past life.
Now, he finally understood.
Death is the calamity of life, enforced by the world.
Li Ming's eyes refocused towards the tombstones in front of him. And he said the words that had been bottled in his heart.
"I'm sorry."
These 2 tombstones belonged to his parents. The only parents he had. But they're gone now.
Though Li Ming knew he wasn't the cause of their death, Li Ming still believed he was at fault for their deaths.
Because he was a Transmigrator, he believed their deaths had been due to the law that Transmigrators don't have family. Maybe fate played a joke, or perhaps fate never cared enough.
The sky began to darken as thunder roared. Tiny water droplets began to fall from the vast, dark sky onto the 2 tombstones.
As the water droplets splashed on Li Ming's current juvenile body, Li Ming snapped out of his daze.
"Goodbye, Mom and Dad."
After saying those words, Li Ming dragged his 15-year-old body towards the path that he had come from.
After 1 Year.
Beijing, Ming Dynasty
The streets bustled with chatter and lights. Coloring the night sky with colors so distinct from the stars.
Among the flood of people was an unremarkable young man in ordinary white robes who seemed to disappear into the world. He was the 16-year-old Li Ming.
Compared to last year, Li Ming has amassed vast amounts of wealth from selling paintings and plagiarizing poems from mainland China in his past life.
Maybe it was embarrassment or shame from the act of plagiarizing that Li Ming hid his name under the pseudonym of "Merit Seeker" and only ever sold a poetry book with a collection of Classical Chinese poems.
The Book had sold well, which allowed Li Ming to amass enough fortune for ten lifetimes. Since this much fortune was enough for Li Ming to live without any worries in Ancient times, Li Ming decided to move back to his hometown with his fortune.
It took a few days for Li Ming to gather his belongings. Li Ming didn't have much to pack. This makes sense as he never stayed in one place throughout the year.
Since Li Ming had finished packing his luggage with a little time left over today, Li Ming decided to get himself some dinner from a restaurant within the streets of Beijing.
As Li Ming wandered the streets of Beijing, he smelled the aroma of Chow Mein. So similar to home.
Li Ming couldn't resist his appetite, so he went inside the restaurant for food. As Li Ming sat at an empty table waiting for a reception that never came, he couldn't help but regret the life choices he had made today.
'I should have worn an expensive robe, then the waiters would probably think of me as some noble and let me order quickly. Then I would have eaten by now.'
As the seconds passed by, Li Ming's thoughts continued to diverge.
'Why did I have to be so thrifty? I should have worn an expensive robe without caring whether they got oil stains on it or not. I mean, I have enough wealth to live ten lives of luxury. Why should I be so thrifty?'
An eternity in Li Ming's eyes was 10 minutes in the world's eyes.
Finally, a restaurant worker came to Li Ming.
Li Ming ordered his Chow Mein, which came within 5 minutes.
As Li Ming enjoyed his food, he felt like the wait was worth it.
At the end of his meal, Li Ming paid for his meal and left.