Riven stepped onto the middle of the railroad tracks, watching the train rush toward him in the distance. He spread his arms wide, having chosen to surrender to a world that continuously humiliated him. He wanted to leave this world. He had endured various pains: betrayal, trauma, revenge, poverty, abandonment by the woman he loved, all of which had driven him nearly insane.
"Father… Mother… forgive me." Riven closed his eyes as the train's horn blared long and loud. Riven's body was violently thrown, shards of glass embedded throughout his body, almost completely destroyed. In Riven's last breath, he saw visions of his parents' happiness, the woman he loved, and his friends. At the end of Riven's life, the youth's spirit lifted, forming a blue energy vortex, floating high and traveling through dimensions of space and time, completely unbeknownst to him.
A consciousness arose in the soul of Riven Aurelien; the young man who had collided with the train was reincarnated into the body of the youth now lying inside a coffin. Riven panicked—he had already died once, why must he wake up again?
Even in this moment, Riven wanted to end his life again. What if he just let himself die one more time? He was tired of this life. However, the stale air inside the coffin made it unbearable, forcing him to push the lid open.
Shouts and screams filled the cemetery. The coffin carrying Riven shook, then was set down on the ground. The group of pallbearers was shocked to witness the resurrection of their clan leader's son. Vague memories from the body he inhabited began to surface one by one. The name of the body's owner was the same as his—Riven Aurelien. And Riven Aurelien's eyes widened instantly as he realized he was in a Cultivation world—exactly like the game he used to play when he was 16 years old.
How is this possible? Riven thought. Okay, he had finished the game, but he was not the right person to take over the life of a clan leader's son. Furthermore, the death of this body's owner was caused by the conspiracy between the girl he loved and his Stepmother. Riven hissed in anger, the fact nearly overwhelming him with emotion.
Riven rose from the coffin, dressed in the garments intended for his clan's last respects. Several pairs of eyes stared at him in disbelief; two of them even fainted upon seeing him.
"The spirit of Young Master Riven has risen! You must leave before he kills you!"
"Save yourselves, disaster is coming soon!"
"Hey, wait!" Riven realized his voice had changed.
Several people immediately ran away from the cemetery. Two of them remained unconscious on the spot. Riven then held his head, which suddenly throbbed with excruciating pain. Suddenly, Riven felt a hug from a middle-aged man who was crying hysterically on his shoulder. He immediately recognized the figure as Riven's Father—the original body's owner—from the information in his head. Riven's brain instantly adjusted to his new limbs.
"You should never have left us, Son. Come, let's drink tea together. I want to fix everything from the start." Riven's heart was touched. He had never felt a father's embrace before, because in his old world, he had lost his father when Riven was still a baby. Riven raised his hand and patted his Father's shoulder—Yan Xiang. Yes, regardless, he was in someone else's body.
Meanwhile, among the crowd, an old man with a white beard—Wei Feng, the grandfather—collapsed to his knees, tears streaming down his face.
"The Heavens have heard my prayer... my grandson is alive again!" Wei Feng clutched his beard, then hugged his beloved grandson. He vowed to find the person responsible for the murder plot.
Riven—or whoever he was now—was taken back to his family residence. He now lay in bed, his body feeling heavy. However, Riven's mind became sharper. He had planned everything he would do during his life here. He wanted to be a son who made his Father, grandfather, and clan proud.
The two large doors to Riven's room opened, and he saw a maid bringing him porridge. But the female servant's face looked terrified.
Riven closed his eyes, suppressing his anger. Apparently, the original body's owner had an extremely volatile temper. So he could be certain that people would consider him ill-tempered and every other bad trait. Riven was forced to start everything from zero, maybe even a deficit.
"Just put it on the table. And yes... you don't have to be afraid of me." Riven gave the maid a smile. Clumsily, the servant rushed out of his room, her body trembling.
Riven got up and reached for the porridge. He ate it bit by bit. Riven's body felt better. Just as he spooned the last bite into his mouth, a beautiful middle-aged woman ran toward him, tears welling up. This woman was Riven's Mother—the original body's owner—named Yue Qing. She embraced her only son.
"Mother was so surprised that you came back to life, Son. But Mother is so grateful. The Sky God heard my prayer."
"Yes, Mother. I am also grateful to be alive again with all of you. Forgive me for making Mother sad." Yue Qing hugged her son for a long time. Until a girl Riven's age appeared and pouted at Riven.
"Y-you? Who are you?" Riven didn't understand why information about the girl in front of him had not appeared in his head yet.
Instead of an answer, the girl hit Riven. "You're mean, Riven! Did you forget me because I often insulted you for being ugly? I'm Elina! I was so scared to lose you!"
"O-okay, I remember you. But stop hitting me, hey. I'm back to life, you should be grateful you can insult me again."
Elina wiped her tears.
"Yes, you're right. But I'm going to stop insulting you—"
"Yes, you should stop doing that." Riven interrupted.
"Ugh, you are so annoying!" Now Riven knew, the girl named Elina was his childhood friend. And as far as Riven knew, the original body's owner actually liked Elina, but because Elina was close to his stepmother's son, he chose to bury his feelings.
However Riven currently did not like Elina. He didn't know if feelings might arise in Riven's heart at some point. But what about the incident of his death? Didn't the original owner also have a lover? What a pity, besides being bad-tempered, the former Riven was also an idiot. How could he die at the hands of his own lover?
"Hey, what are you thinking about?"
"Nothing." Riven smiled again at the two women.
"Don't strain your mind too much, dear. Rest. Mother wants to see your Father first." Riven nodded in understanding. Yue Qing left the two of them. Riven's gaze did not leave his Mother. It turned out Riven had a harmonious family.
"You've changed. Why do you smile so often now?"
"Is it not allowed?"
"No, I mean you're so weird. Hey, how about you accompany me tonight? You feel better, right?"
"Where to?"
"Tsk, you're still the same it seems. We're going to see my friend. And you have to come, I won't take no for an answer."
"Alright." Riven wanted to see the city of this clan. He was curious how far the Sky God had brought him. Sky God, huh? Riven gave a wry smile; he didn't even believe in God.
"Where?"
"You'll find out later. But please, don't tell Mother about it. Please, okay? Will you do it for me?"
"We'll see about that." Riven gave a mocking smile while Elina raised her hand toward Riven again. This time it wasn't a hit, but a pinch on him. Riven laughed at Elina's adorable face.