it hurts...somebody help...me...
"over there! quick, he's drowning",
drowning?
it was pitched black and he felt cold all over his body as if he was being thrown in a bath tub full of ice. his consciousness that was once fading away slowly recovered. he tried to open his mouth to speak and find that he couldn't utter a word. before he began to ponder over his current situation further, a strong force came and pulled him out.
cough, cough
"Shen Zhengyu, are you okay? can you hear me?", a harsh yet gentle tone asked him, his concerns conveyed through his voice. The man with thick beard and a sturdy body appeared before his eyes, seemingly around his late 30s, after hearing no response, the man started to prepare himself to perform a CPR before he was stopped by a hoarse voice.
"yeah, I'm okay", a huge relief could be seen escaping through the man's facial expression as he heard the young lad before him responded. without any time to waste, he began dispersing the crowd that had been curious flocking around them like vultures, each so eager to know what the commotion was about.
"aiya, you really scared me back there, Yu'er, how did you fell into the sea the moment I let my sight off ofyou?", Yu Chenhao sighed helplessly as he assisted Shen Zhengyu to get up.
the pain Shen Zhengyu was experiencing had long dissipate and his wet clothes mixed with the wind causes his body to shiver. a towel was placed on top of his head, "dry yourself, wouldn't want you to catch a cold in this chilly season". as Shen Zhengyu was drying his hair, he began to survey his surroundings. a bright light flickering everywhere and the pitter patter of people could be heard, there lies various of food stalls selling all kinds of seafood, the market was located strategically near the Honghua port making it easier for fishermen to sell their freshly captured crustaceans.
has the Honghua port always been this lively? I remembered clearly that it used to be so quiet. only trading personnel was allowed to enter here to send large packages. Shen Zhengyu pondered for a while before turning to the old man to ask.
"Yu'er, the Honghua port has always been filled with markets, ever since the kingdom of Lutili conquered us 100 years ago. my, my, have you forgotten what you've learned in your historical class?" Yu Chenhao answered his questions earnestly while also reminding him not to neglect his study.
100 years ago? kingdom of Lutili? Shen Zhengyu thought to himself after he listened to Yu Chenhao's answer, those words slowly sink into his mind before he realized, "wait, 100 years AGO?", he asked astonishingly as he accentuate the last word. they were walking side by side along the market leisurely and Yu Chenhao explained,"yes, 100 years ago, the kingdom of Lutili evaded our land, and there has been many changes to our sacred land, Shenzhou.
100 years ago, a huge war breakout that causes a huge political shift between 2 countries, kingdom of Lutili and Shenzhou. the war were caused by the sudden evasion from kingdom of Lutili, claiming that Shenzhou was part of their land that was promised to them by their ancestors. however, there were no solid evident to their claim and the 2 countries began to strain their relationship before eventually kingdom of Lutili became impatience.
"those Lutilians then changed most of the administrative here and surpressed us, citizen of Shenzhou as much as possible. we had no choice but to live in fear and hiding and this Honghua port was the only safe place for us, protected by the divine magic and hidden from the eyes of the Lutians", Yu Chenhao explained solemnly as they left the market. people of Shenzhou had turned the Honghua port to be an open business area to allow the locals to keep their language, cultures and traditions alive within these few acres of land.
a huge ancient door could be seen and they slowly opened as Yu Chenhao channeled his spiritual magic into the door. a soft light seeping into the intricate designs on the door, causing it to glow. it acted as a magical password to move the door and only allowed magicians to enter and left. once they left, Shen Zhengyu turn to look at the door again only to find that it was now gone, and instead, was replaced by a thick bushes.
they reached into a small, dim alleyway before Yu Chenhao started to gently knocked on the old wooden door. the house infront of them were small and covered in simple design, exuding an air of humility. the door creaked open and they were greeted by a woman, seemingly to be the same age as Yu Chenhao, she smiled cheerfully, and greeted them,"welcome home, you two!". as they walked inside the house, Madam Yu had served them a bowl of dumplings before she asked them on their journey to Honghua port.
the moon was bright and Shen Zhengyu began to gather his thoughts as he sit by the window in his room. multiple questions began racing into his mind. he had died during the Lutili-Shenzhou war 100 years ago, his people were massacred and there was hardly anyone he knew that was still alive today. so how is he still breathing and moving?
he went to his bedside table and looked into the mirror on the table. a young looking man could be seen, his skin was fair, and his long hair were tied in a half bun by a simple, golden hairpin. this is my body from hundred years ago. nothing change the last time i remembered. Shen Zhengyu could'nt fathom his miracle existence. the only difference was that his body doesn't have any scars from the battle wounds.
he tried to circulate his spiritual magic before he felt a sharp pain in his chest, causing him to caugh blood. it's energy blockage. this body is currently restricted from using any spiritual energy, but he can still feel his elemental flowing inside him, which means, it's not completely gone. he just have to find a way to lift this restrictions!