The first rays of dawn shone bright in the sky through the windows of the Weeping Willow Inn, signaling it was early morning, Light seeped casted long shadows across the worn wooden floor and spilled onto He Renxiao's face, causing him to begin to stir uneasily in his sleep, his body still heavy with the stiff tiredness he had been shoving down as of late.
A general only rests when he knows his kingdom is safe. At this point, He Renxiao was unsure. He only fell asleep because it was demanded of him, otherwise.. The past few days he hadn't slept.
He Renxiao growled and blinked away the haze, immediately processing the faint hum of spiritual energy, mingling with the earthy scent of the willow bark and oncoming winter.
Across from him on the other bed was Li yuan, still sleeping peacefully. His chest rose and fell with each long, drawn out breath of sleep, his dark grey hair tousled and sprawled out over his pillow.
You know.. The more I think about it, the more he looks like Li Chengyuan.. He Renxiao thought as he tilted his head, watching the older male. He Renxiao often wondered if Li Yuan harbored his own hidden burdens, like he did, coming from both the responsibilities as a core disciple or being the legitimate son and future air of the sect. But they never spoke of such things.
Words between them were often just weapons, not bridges.
He Renxiao sat up slowly, body still aching with every movement. They still had about a day before they would leave for the next town, this day being a break before the next set off so the horses could rest. That meant, by normal standards, if they didn't experience any difficulties, they would arrive in the Pine Frost Village in about 3 or 4 days.
He Renxiao smiled gently, knowing that they might just make it in time to save the pine frost village.
There came a soft knock at the door, calling He Renxiao's attention to the sound. Beside him, Li Yuan began to stir as well, grumbling quietly. "What time is it?" His voice was laced with the slight of irritation, as if it was He Renxiao's fault that the sun rose so early.
"Dawn," He Renxiao replied curtly in response, his mood immediately soured due to the old male's own attitude towards him. He didn't bother with the pleasantries either to try and fix it. Li Yuan grumbled again and stood up. "You snore like a beast." It was a lie.. Just a petty jab at He Renxiao.. He Renxiao was pretty sure he didn't even breathe when he slept. But he chose to ignore it.
The knock came again.
"Enter." He Renxiao called
The door opened and Mo Shuyi stepped in, his frame tall and confident. At seventeen, he was the eldest disciple under the Yin Yang elder. His jet black hair was tied in a neat topknot. He had always carried himself with authority, same as Li yuan, because both were such powerful disciples.
"Morning, Xiao'Shidi." Mo Shuyi greeted, his voice smooth with zero edging tiredness, like he had actually had a good rest and was up for many incense times.. "And Li Yuan. We've lingered long enough. The Innkeeper mentioned a traveling merchant in the courtyard below us. A man named Huo Feng. He deals rare artifacts."
Li Yuan snorted, seemingly amused. "A merchant? We're on a mission, not a stroll in the market! What's so special about these artifacts anyway?"
Mo Shuyi gave a faint smile, though He Renxiao could tell that it was a fake smile, merely because Mo Shuyi had a certain glint in his eyes. "The leyline is unsettled here, and if there's any clue to how to fix what's going on in Pine Frost Village. Mostly for Renxiao, in case he has special herbs." Mo Shuyi turned to He Renxiao, his gaze softening.
In his first life, that attraction had been his downfall. He'd loved Mo Shuyi with a desperate, consuming intensity that had blinded him to warning signs, to small betrayals that accumulated like poison. He'd died still loving him, even as he'd realized too late that his affection had never been returned with the same fervor.
This time, He Renxiao had sworn to be smarter. To guard his heart more carefully. To remember that love, no matter how genuine it felt, could still destroy you.
But then Mo Shuyi would smile at him, or touch his shoulder in passing, or defend him against Li Yuan's barbs, and He Renxiao would feel those carefully constructed walls begin to crumble.
Fool, he told himself. You're a fool twice over.
He looked a lot gentler with He Renxiao and Lan Qiang more than anyone else.. Of course it was strange, the males had been his enemies in his past life—the people he wanted to kill most, so why was he suddenly so.. Gentle..
Skipping over Li Yuan, Mo Shuyi turned and gestured to He Renxiao to follow. "Come on Shidi, let's go. Shizun is already downstairs
With Li Yuan in tow, the three descended into the vast corridor of the inn, air thick. Their shizun waited for them there, his robes fluttering in the breeze as his expression remained calm and gentle as a pond.
The three disciples bowed.
"Greetings, Shizun,"
The three said in unison, but quiet as so no one else, (even though they were the only others awake at the current moment) could hear them. The last thing they needed was for their cover to be blown at the wrong time during this mission. Who knew how long they needed to be out here for..
"Greetings." Lan Qiang bowed back, then paused a noise catching his attention. "Ah, here comes the merchant." Lan Qiang said, turning his gaze to the other side of the hall.
He Renxiao's eyes widened slightly in surprise. Lan Qiang had always been very perceptive and sharp, sensing even the little things. He Renxiao wasn't surprised by this, but by the fact he himself hadn't noticed the footsteps. Was he really that distracted?
He could only think that this was because of him having trouble with his past feelings, holding them back in front of the others so they wouldn't find anything odd, though he faltered sometimes.. He Renxiao had also completely forgotten about the tension he and Li Yuan had in their first life, due to their differences obviously and especially with the favoritism from their father.
He didn't realize it had crowded his mind so much that he could precept footsteps just down the hall.. It was slightly frightening.
"Shall we?" Mo Shuyi asked, gesturing toward the private room. His smile was pleasant, but his eyes held that same calculating gleam. "I believe our merchant friend is ready to receive visitors."
Huo Feng was a wiry man in his forties, his cart laden with trinkets, herbs, and relics. His face was weathered by his years traveling miles and miles. He bowed. "Esteemed travelers! What treasures of mine might interest you? I reign for the forgotten dynasty! I have many things that may be of use!"
Mo Shuyi took the lead as usual, taking up a firmer, more confident stance. "We've heard of your wares, Mister Feng, Show us some of your unique items, and perhaps we may purchase. Anything from pendants to herbs."
"Antiquities?" Lan Qiang's voice held a note of amusement. "Since when are you interested in dusty old relics, A-Yi?"
"Since one of those 'dusty old relics' is reportedly an ancient scroll." Mo Shuyi paused, and He Renxiao could almost hear the smile in his voice. "A scroll that, according to Old Chen's very colorful description, 'glows with an inner light like dragon's breath.'"
The words hit He Renxiao like a physical blow.
Dragon's breath.
The world tilted sideways. The courtyard below blurred, the morning light suddenly too bright, too sharp. He Renxiao's hand shot out to grip the window frame as his vision fractured into double images—the courtyard as it was, and something else, somewhere else, somewhen else.
A palace of white jade and gold, pillars that reached toward a sky the color of lapis lazuli. Incense smoke curling through halls wide enough to hold armies. And in his hand—no, not his hand, someone else's hand, larger, scarred, wearing rings of authority—a pendant of green jade carved in the shape of a dragon, its eyes set with chips of amber that caught the light like living flame.
"Your Majesty, the delegation from the Eastern Provinces has arrived—"
"Tell them to wait. I need to—"
The scroll was warm in his hand his palm, pulsing with a rhythm that matched his heartbeat. No, not his heartbeat.
"—Renxiao?"
He Renxiao gasped, the vision shattering
"You had another episode," Li Yuan said flatly. It wasn't a question.
He Renxiao couldn't answer. His mind was still reeling, trying to separate his own memories from the fragments of something else—someone else—that had crashed through his consciousness like a tidal wave.
This had been happening more frequently over the past few months. Flashes of a life that wasn't his. The memories felt real, felt true in a way that made his own life seem pale and insubstantial by comparison.
"I'm fine," He Renxiao managed, his voice rough. He pushed himself to his feet, waving off Li Yuan's hovering presence. "Just a dizzy spell. I stood up too quickly."
The merchant paused, his eyebrows raising as he looked at these four esteemed travelers before him. He wondered what use they would have for these, though he questioned it not and turned to his cart, rummaging through his locked chest.
After a moment, he produced an intricate scroll that had swirling patterns of waves and dragons. "This, esteemed travelers, is the Echoing World Soul Scroll. I've never been able to truly use it, but it is said to reveal glimpses of intertwined fates!"
Huo Feng held out the scroll, and He Renxiao suddenly felt a strong pull to the object, like a magnet to metal.. He Renxiao's brows scrunched as he stared for a moment, confused why he suddenly felt this way.. Something in him was stirring, almost like a dragon waking up from a long nap in a cave.. He reached for the scroll.
"The scroll," He Renxiao managed, his voice hoarse. "I need—I need to—"
"You need to sit down before you fall down," Li Yuan said firmly, guiding him to a chair. "What happened? Another episode?"
He Renxiao couldn't answer. His mind was reeling, trying to process what he'd seen, what he'd felt. The Emperor's memories were his memories now, or had they always been? Was he He Renxiao remembering a past life, or was he the Emperor reborn, remembering who he truly was?
I will return, the Emperor had promised. I will return.
"The scroll," He Renxiao said again, looking up at the merchant. "Where did you get it?"
The merchant, who had been watching the entire episode with wide eyes, cleared his throat nervously. "I... I purchased it from a tomb robber in the northern provinces, young master. He claimed it came from an imperial burial site, though of course such claims are often exaggerated—"
"Which dynasty?" He Renxiao interrupted. "Which Emperor's tomb?"
"The late Azure Dynasty, young master. The last Emperor, the one who fell when the palace burned. Though the tomb was empty when the robbers found it—no body, just a few artifacts. This scroll was among them."
The Azure Dynasty. He Renxiao knew the history, as did anyone with even a basic education. The dynasty had fallen nearly three hundred years ago, consumed by civil war and rebellion.
The last Emperor had died in the burning palace, and his body had never been found. Some said he'd escaped. Others claimed he'd been consumed by the flames. But the dynasty had ended with him, and the Azure Dragon bloodline had scattered, diluted over generations until it became little more than legend.
"I need to buy it," He Renxiao said urgently. "The scroll. Name your price." The merchant looked uncomfortable. "I'm afraid it's not for sale, young master. It's already been promised to another buyer, a collector in the capital who—"
"I'll pay double whatever they offer."
"Triple," Mo Shuyi interjected smoothly, stepping forward. "I'll pay triple the agreed price, and I'll take delivery immediately. Surely your buyer in the capital can wait for the next treasure you find."
The merchant's eyes widened at the sum Mo Shuyi casually offered—more than most people saw in a year. "I... that is... the buyer in the capital is very influential, and I'm not sure—"
"Quadruple," Mo Shuyi said, his smile never wavering. "And I'll throw in a letter of introduction to several other collectors I know, people who are always looking for quality antiquities. Think of it as an investment in future business relationships."
The merchant looked hesitant for a moment, but quickly schooled his expression with a light smile. He didn't think he could accept that.. And the scroll already made up its mind.. "Don't worry, esteemed traveler. This artifact seems to have chosen you, so it's on the house, no payment."
He Renxiao raised an eyebrow. "What about—"
"No need." Huo Feng said, shaking his head and pushing He Renxiao's hand with the pouch towards the young male's chest. "Please take it, and I will be taking my leave of you!" Huo Feng bowed and left no room for argument as he turned and left.
He Renxiao turned to look up at Mo Shuyi confusedly, then down at his hand with the pouch.
Who were you? he wondered. And why am I remembering your life?
Mine, something inside him whispered. That was mine. That IS mine.