Chapter 2:
The wind was cold against his skin. Long Wei's eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the dim glow of dawn filtering through a half-broken wooden window. He lay on a hard, narrow bed inside a crude hut—one he had not seen in decades. For a long moment, he simply stared at the peeling walls and uneven beams, his chest rising and falling with disbelief.
"This… this place…" His hand trembled as he touched the rough wooden frame beside him. The sensation was real, every grain of the wood pressing into his fingertips. His heart pounded faster.
He remembered this hut. It was his home during his fifteenth year—before his world had ever changed, before the Azure Heaven Sect claimed him, before betrayal and blood had stained his soul.
Long Wei staggered up from the bed and rushed to the small, cracked bronze mirror resting on a stool. When his reflection stared back at him, his breath caught. Gone was the scarred face of his later years. Gone was the cold, sharp edge carved by endless suffering. Instead, staring back at him was the youthful face of his fifteen-year-old self—slender, pale, with eyes still wide and untainted by cruelty.
He gripped the mirror tightly. His pupils quivered.
"I… truly returned."
The tomb's decree echoed again in his mind. "When the blood of the Dragon Vein falls, time itself shall bend. Rise again, bearer of the vein."
It had not been an illusion. He had been reborn, thrust back to the very year everything began.
His breathing slowed, resolve replacing disbelief. The last fragments of his fear and confusion hardened into clarity.
"In this life… I won't walk the same path. This time, I will choose differently. This time, I will not be blind."
A rooster crowed in the distance, pulling him back to the present. Long Wei pushed the stool aside and walked out of the hut. Morning mist clung to the small farming village. Familiar sights greeted him—the crooked fences, the stone path worn smooth by countless feet, the thin smoke curling from chimneys. For any ordinary boy, this might have been nothing more than home. But for Long Wei, it was a battlefield waiting to unfold, because he knew what fate had once awaited him here.
Footsteps echoed from the path ahead. A cheerful voice called out, "Brother Wei! You're finally awake! Were you lazying in bed again?"
Long Wei froze. Slowly, he turned his head.
There she was—Mei Lin.
Her long black hair was tied into a simple braid, her eyes bright like spring water. She carried a small basket of herbs, smiling at him as though the world was still whole and pure. At that sight, his chest tightened painfully. Memories of her dying breath in his previous life flashed before him. She had been loyal to him until the end—slaughtered because of her ties to him.
"Mei Lin…" His voice was hoarse, almost breaking.
She tilted her head. "What's with that look? You act like you haven't seen me in years."
He swallowed back the storm inside him and forced a calm smile. "I… just had a strange dream. It feels good to see you."
Her brows furrowed, but she quickly laughed. "You're always saying strange things. Anyway, the sect recruitment is coming soon. We need to gather herbs to offer at the altar for blessings. Don't fall behind this time!"
Long Wei nodded slowly. Sect recruitment. Yes, he remembered. In a few days, the Azure Heaven Sect would send elders to test the youths of the region. That had been the beginning of his rise—and the beginning of his downfall.
He clenched his fists. This time, he would enter the sect again. But he would not be the same naive boy who trusted blindly. He would step carefully, and he would not allow betrayal to catch him unprepared.
As Mei Lin skipped ahead, humming softly, Long Wei followed. Every step felt surreal. The path, the trees, even the scent of wildflowers carried echoes of the past.
When they reached the village square, a crowd had already gathered. Boys and girls around fifteen were lined up, excitedly discussing the upcoming test. Their voices buzzed with dreams of glory, of entering the Azure Heaven Sect and rising above the dust of common life.
And then—his gaze found him.
Li Shen.
Tall, with a refined face and eyes that gleamed like jade. He stood among the youths, smiling politely, his posture confident yet humble. To everyone around him, he appeared like a perfect young hero—kind, gentle, destined for greatness.
But Long Wei knew better. Behind that mask of elegance was a venomous heart. In his past life, Li Shen had been his sworn brother, only to betray him in the most vicious way, shattering his Dragon Vein and stabbing him through the heart.
The corners of Long Wei's lips curled into a bitter smile. So it begins again.
Li Shen noticed him and raised a hand warmly. "Brother Wei! You're here as well? I was just telling the others that you'll surely pass the test."
His voice carried sincerity, enough to fool anyone. The other youths turned their eyes with admiration.
But Long Wei's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. Inwardly, he whispered: Smile all you want, Li Shen. Play your role. This time, I'll carve every false gesture into memory. When the time comes, I'll repay you a hundredfold.
"Thank you," Long Wei replied, his tone calm, his face betraying nothing.
The village elder soon appeared, reminding them of the rules for the sect trials. The youths buzzed with excitement, while Long Wei remained silent, his mind already racing through strategies. He remembered who would pass, who would fail, and even which elders would arrive. Knowledge was now his greatest weapon.
As the sun began to climb, Mei Lin tugged his sleeve. "Brother Wei, are you nervous?"
He looked at her for a long moment. The old Long Wei would have answered naively, perhaps even with worry. But this time, his voice carried the weight of a second life.
"No," he said softly. "I've never been more ready."
Mei Lin blinked, slightly startled by the firmness in his tone, but then she smiled again.
Above them, the sky stretched vast and endless. Long Wei lifted his gaze to it, his eyes sharp.
"This life," he murmured inwardly, "I'll awaken the Dragon Vein. I'll rewrite fate. And when the time comes… even the heavens will tremble before me."