Chapter 1: Returning to the Human World

Heaven and Earth had just opened, and millions of beings were thriving; tumultuous history swept through endless time like tidal waves and mountain collapses.

Humans live only for a lifetime, like the grass and trees in autumn, from birth to twilight years, eventually turning to dry bones; such is the mortal fate.

In ancient times, Emperors, plagued with illness, sought immortality by worshipping Heaven, searching for eternal life, yet ultimately they could only be buried in the yellow soil.

Birth, aging, sickness, and death—these are the sorrows of mortals, and none can break this iron law.

...

Duanchang Mountain, towering mightily, one of the eight great wonders of the world, situated within the borders of Xia Country.

With steep slopes as smooth as walls, where neither birds dwell nor beasts leave traces; it was but a fantasy for a mortal to think of reaching its peak, indicating the extreme peril of the mountain.

Atop Duanchang Mountain, the north wind was biting cold.

Ye Xuan gazed down at the vast sea of clouds, his eyes filled with unspeakable loneliness and vicissitudes, as if nothing in the world could stir him any longer.

"Time marches on, years rush by; four years have passed, do you... still remember me?"

"Or perhaps... you already thought I was buried in the yellow soil?"

Ye Xuan harbored a huge secret; he was originally a terminal leukemia patient, destined to die, but four years ago he had left the bustling city for Duanchang Mountain, hoping to end his fragile life. However, Heaven gave him a chance, opening a sealed gate, allowing him to survive until now.

No, not just merely surviving, as the four years passed, Ye Xuan had gained some things and lost others, gained strength, and what he lost... perhaps was that once compassionate heart!

"All things born must die; today Ye Xuan breaks free from his cocoon to become a butterfly, and will once again tread the Human World."

Boom rumble.

Like thunderous waves and stones flying chaotically, as soon as Ye Xuan's voice rose, thunder sliced through the sky, thousands of lightning bolts crisscrossed within the clouds, and Duanchang Mountain's depths resounded with countless beasts' roars, as if witnessing Ye Xuan's vow.

Storm clouds gathered, thunder ruled the sky.

Ye Xuan stepped forward, infinite ripples spread through the void, and he transformed into a streak of light, vanishing above Duanchang Mountain.

...

The cold wind howled, and the snow poured heavily; it was the cold winter of December, with few pedestrians on the road and even fewer vehicles, but a desolate figure progressed through the heavy snow.

Flurrying snowflakes constantly landed on Ye Xuan's hair tips, his slender body steadily moving forward until he stopped, standing in front of a hospital.

Jiangnan City, affiliated People's First Hospital.

A plaque, white background with black characters, entered Ye Xuan's sight.

"Four years, and I've returned to this place!" Ye Xuan murmured softly, a trace of bitterness crossing his eyes.

Four years ago, he was diagnosed with a terminal illness in this very hospital, spending all his family's savings on treatment, only to receive a certain death diagnosis in the end.

Ye Xuan clearly remembered his mother's despairing gaze, his brother's tightly clenched fists, his sister's tear-reddened eyes... and the cold, merciless letter brought by his father.

It was also on that day that Ye Xuan vanished from the hospital under the cover of night, because he didn't want to die in front of his family, making them grieve for him.

Returning to old grounds, things have changed though people remain the same.

Four years had passed, no one knew what he had experienced, that he had lived was from walking out of the Blood Sea and Bai Gu; it was an experience he could not share with others.

Drifting through the Blood Sea, with all hopes shattered, struggling between life and death, reviving among ruins and Silent Annihilation... blood... endless fresh blood... tragically beautiful...

Ye Xuan's thoughts blurred; the four years' ordeal seemed like a bloody nightmare. He sank deeply into his memories, his facial expressions sometimes contorting, sometimes fierce, until a sudden voice brought him sharply back to reality.

"Hey, young man, don't stand outside in this cold weather. Are you in some kind of trouble?" an elderly man in his fifties wearing a security uniform opened the reception room door and quickly walked toward Ye Xuan.

"Old gentleman, may I ask if Dr. Xia Qiu is here?" Ye Xuan inquired.

"Are you talking about Director Xia Qiu?"

The gatekeeper spoke and pulled Ye Xuan toward the reception room, and the two entered the room, cutting off the cold wind and snow outside.

"Old gentleman, could you please contact Dr. Xia Qiu for me?" Ye Xuan got straight to the point.

"Okay, wait a moment."

The old man didn't dawdle and directly picked up the phone on the desk and started dialing.

…

In the Director's office.

Xia Qiu was looking at a medical case in her hand when the phone beside her rang, prompting her to pick it up.

"Hello."

"Director Xia, there's a young man looking for you."

"What's her name, does she have an appointment?"

As the chief physician of the hospital, Xia Qiu had to deal with many patients' families every day, so she wasn't surprised that someone was looking for her.

"What's your name?" the old man's voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Ye Xuan, with 'Ye' from bamboo leaf, and 'Xuan' from Xuanyuan."

Click.

Suddenly, the glass cup in Xia Qiu's hand quietly fell to the floor, shattering and leaving her completely stunned.

"Hello, hello, Director Xia, what's wrong?" the old man inquired from the other end of the phone.

"No… it's impossible… absolutely impossible… let… let him come see me."

Xia Qiu bit her lips tightly, her voice intermittent. If one listened carefully, they would detect an overwhelming shock in her tone.

It's no wonder Xia Qiu was so astonished, for she could never forget one image.

Four years ago, a boy lying on a hospital bed, when she first asked for his name, he had responded just like that.

"Auntie, my name is Ye Xuan, with 'Ye' from bamboo leaf, and 'Xuan' from Xuanyuan."

Diagnosed with a terminal illness, at a dead-end in life, the boy was only fourteen. Yet, he faced life and death with a smile—something not every adult could do easily—leaving a profound impression on Xia Qiu.

Sadly, one late night, the boy escaped from the hospital, and she never heard from him again.

Xia Qiu clearly understood that Ye Xuan, the boy, just didn't want his family to watch him suffer and die at the end of his life.

"It's impossible, absolutely impossible, that boy had late-stage cancer back then, after four years, he must be long gone…"

As Ye Xuan's attending physician back then, no one knew his medical condition better than her, and she was utterly certain that the boy had been buried long ago.

"Damn it, this joke isn't funny at all, whoever you are, I will never forgive you."

Clearly, making a joke using a child who had died was an unforgivable mistake for a professional like Xia Qiu.

Xia Qiu suppressed her anger, her face stern as she awaited the appearance of the other person, but the tightly gripped pen betrayed her unsettled emotions.