Shi Yang was the first to rise with the morning peach known as the sun, his excitement at being in a cultivation world far too great to waste half the day lingering in bed. With that excuse, he slipped away.
He headed for a bath. The cauldron in his room bore a simple formation that heated water at the cost of a little Qi. There was no need to wait, no need to draw warm water by hand. He simply sent a pulse of energy through the metal, and a faint flame ignited beneath. In moments, steam was rising, curling through the air like wandering spirits.
Shi Yang stripped and slid into the cauldron, leaning back with a long sigh. The heat seeped into his bones, carrying away the soreness from the night's relentless "cultivation." What struck him most, however, was that his body did not feel the slightest bit heavy. He hadn't slept at all, yet he was wide awake. His spirit brimmed with vigor, the fatigue of mortals no longer binding him.
He tilted his head against the rim, gazing at the drifting steam as thoughts crept unbidden. A new world… and to think it began with something so stupid.
The steam blurred his reflection, but his mind wasn't here at all.
It drifted backward—back to gray skies, neon signs, and the ceaseless hum of engines.
He remembered it too clearly.
After all, it had only been a day since he died.
Shi Yang had been slouched on a bus stop bench, one leg crossed over the other, eyes glued to the cracked screen of his cheap phone. He wasn't even doing anything important—just scrolling through comments on some online forum, smirking at the insults flung between faceless strangers.
Pathetic, he'd thought. Yet there he was, doing the same.
The city was noisy as always: traffic lights flickering, vendors shouting about skewers and cheap cigarettes, pedestrians flowing past like water. He ignored it all, until a sharp female voice cut through the din.
"Do you even know who my father is?!"
His thumb froze mid-scroll. The words came shrill, brimming with arrogance, the kind of tone that made his teeth itch. He lifted his head.
Across the street, a girl about his age was locked in a heated argument with a middle-aged shopkeeper. Her clothes screamed money—designer skirt, glossy bag slung over one shoulder, shoes that probably cost more than his rent. Her face, though undeniably pretty, was twisted into an ugly sneer.
The shopkeeper looked like he'd aged ten years in a minute. "Miss, I told you—that's the price. I can't just give it away for free."
"You think I can't afford it?" she snapped, slamming a card onto the counter so hard it nearly bounced. "I'm saying you should be grateful I'm even spending money in this dump!"
Shi Yang's lips curled into a half-smile. Ah, so that's it. A spoiled young miss throwing her weight around. If this were a novel, she'd be the one who ruins the hero's day…
The girl snatched up her bag, tossing her hair with exaggerated flair, and stormed off. The shopkeeper muttered curses under his breath. She didn't hear them—or maybe she didn't care.
She stepped into the street without even looking.
That was when the horn blared.
Shi Yang's head whipped around, and his stomach lurched. A truck barreled down the lane, brakes screaming, its bulk too fast and too close.
The heiress froze, blinded by her own rage, too furious to notice her impending death.
And Shi Yang… moved.
He didn't think—just lunged forward, phone clattering onto the asphalt as his body surged across the lane. His hands closed around her shoulders, shoving her with all his strength. Her perfume, sharp and sweet, filled his nose for an instant before—
Impact.
The world went white.
He remembered the sickening crunch, the weight crushing his ribs, the iron taste of blood flooding his throat. The girl's wide, startled eyes flashed in his fading vision as she tumbled onto the curb, safe.
And Shi Yang, pinned beneath the shadow of metal, thought only one thing:
This is it. This is my chance. She's rich. She'll feel guilty. She'll visit me in the hospital. Maybe she'll cry, maybe she'll cling to me… then I'll stick close, worm my way into her life. No more instant noodles for dinner. No more cockroach apartments. I'll have made it. A turning point. A golden ticket.
The irony was cruel.
He didn't wake up in a hospital, surrounded by wealth and opportunity. He woke up in a cultivation world, his old life severed like a cord.
Shi Yang snorted bitterly in the cauldron. "I really thought saving her would make me rich. What a joke."
He barked a laugh at his own reflection in the steaming water. "Hah… but I wasn't wrong, was I? That was the turning point of my life. Just not in the way I imagined."
The bathwater sloshed as he shifted, sinking deeper. Vulgar thoughts slipped in as his eyes narrowed. If dual cultivation works by sweat and essence mingling… what if Han Jie and I did it here? The cauldron would make her sweat even more. Wouldn't that refine the process? His lips twisted in a grin. I should suggest it sometime—though she might kill me first for being so shameless.
After soaking until his skin flushed, Shi Yang rose, droplets cascading down his body. He dried himself briskly, then stepped back into the bedroom. Opening the closet, he rifled through until he found a clean set of robes, slipping into them with practiced ease.
"Where are you headed this early in the morning?"
Han Jie's voice rang out like jade bells across the horizon, smooth yet teasing. She propped herself up on one elbow, the sheet sliding down to reveal the curve of her shoulder and leg. With languid grace, she fanned herself with the fabric, her smirk turning into open temptation, as if her very smile tugged him back to the bed.
Shi Yang chuckled softly. "As much as I want to get back between you… I feel like my hips would break." His voice dropped, low and hoarse. "Give me an hour to stretch my muscles and let my bones recover. Then we'll do it again."
Han Jie's fan stilled mid-motion. Her eyes softened, though her smirk never faded. "That's fine. I only wanted to make sure you'd come back to me~" She let the sheet fall lower, her voice dipping into a sultry whisper. "Though you still haven't told me where you're going."