Eternal Realm of Tranquil Insanity

A sharp pain exploded in his head as his head was throbbing. His expression twisted in pain.

In his dark vision, he endured the pain with difficulty. Lucky for him, it lasted briefly.

His mind gradually became clear-headed, and he began to feel his senses. Before he opened his eyes, though, he asked himself, what happened? Did I die? But why do I feel like my body is hot?

He could feel his body was soaked in sweat as if he had been working out in a gym, but this wasn't important as he remembered what happened to him before this.

He was a spy assassin, chasing his target yet in the way. He got ambushed, which resulted in his death.

With a shot in the head, his vision went blank.

The last thing he remembered was the smell of gunpowder, and something drilled into his head.

Did I die? He was surprised as realization dawned upon him and continued in his mind, but my breathing was fine. I could even feel my heartbeat, surroundings as well, and something hooked around my neck. What's going on? 

He felt his current situation was bizarre and thought inwardly: am I dreaming? Is it possible that my life as a spy assassin is anything but only a long dream? Like those in novels?

He soon denied this possibility with a shake of his head. Not only *the dream* was too real, but it was also ridiculous speculation to boot.

Then, he had another thought popped out: it can't be that I got reincarnated into another world?

He was a bit doubtful about this, for such a thing only happened in stories instead of real life.

However, after he opened his eyes, he believed he was in another world.

That bullet penetrated his skull. He was beyond saving. What possibilities were out there besides reincarnated to another world?

After opening his eyes. Which blurry followed as it lasted for a few seconds.

What came in his vision was a dim room with an oil lamp glued on the side of the wall. It exuded a warm light.

He touched something hooked around his neck and speculated silently; it appears to be a rope. Hum? Why is it around my neck?

He had speculation about this. It led him not to look up. He held the urge to lift his head, but curiosity got the better of him.

Looking up, he saw a rope dangling on the ceiling and swaying about to the left and right. He subconsciously averted his gaze to his side and saw a falling chair.

Now though, he confirmed something as soon as he saw these two items.

This guy committed suicide?! His pupils dilated, and as he averted his gaze to the rope on the ceiling, he added, it seems the time he died is coincidentally the same as mine. But why would I be on the ground instead of hanging? Hum?

That was when he noticed the rope had a sign of snapping. Taking closer attention; the thick rope has clear evidence of rotting.

It appeared that the rope snapped after he died. What an unfortunate kid. After he said it to himself, he couldn't help but sympathize.

Shortly after, a surge of information flowed in like tidal waves. It took a few seconds before it calmed down.

What a coincidence, this child is named Xu An as well. Xu An amused by the fact they shared the same name.

Xu An was a middle-aged man before being reincarnated into this world. Now that he died, he was in the body of a young boy who lived in a hut slightly far away from the city, near a dangerous forest where monsters lurked.

Xu An was a sixteen-year-old youth. Who got kicked out of his house because of his so-so talent in cultivation.

Yes, indeed, the world Xu An reincarnated into was a world of cultivation where strength means everything.

However, he didn't feel excited in the slightest. Living by earning money as a spy assassin, his life was always on the line.

Constantly playing with death, he grew bored of it and hoped to change his career. 

He planned to live without danger after completing his mission, but he didn't expect such an outcome.

He had to admit, he was getting ahead of himself when chasing his target and subconsciously lowered his guard.

He sighed and smiled regrettably when such a thought appeared. If there was a chance, he wanted to go back and change the course of fate.

But that was impossible. One can't change the past, and now got reincarnated into another world.

He had to live his life to the fullest, not without regret.

Since his previous intent didn't come true, he hoped he could live peacefully in this world, but something struck him. It immediately destroyed that goal of his.

It was a cultivation world, where the strong could get anything their heart craves and the weak simply a stepping stone for them.

In this world, killing was necessary. Whether through scheme or fist, it was a must.

In this aspect, Xu An sighed helplessly and made a mental note to himself; even I couldn't live peacefully, at least I could try to avoid killing the innocent.

By no other means he's being a coward. Taking life was an everyday thing for him. However, after an event, which around a few days before his death. He learned to learn himself more. The more he dived into himself, he found out he did not like killing people.

No, he aware of it many times already but he subconsciously ignore it as he thought it was the best.

However, it was the opposite.

It was a wonder in itself why did he became an assassin, but that's for another tale to tell.

Therefore, in this new life. He wanted to do the things he never done before. For instance, talking first and if that didn't work, fist sometimes work.

He had encountered many things in life and learn from it. One of the many he found it valuable; violence didn't always solve a problem.

One thing to add, Xu An despise doing something that he had no a chance on win it.

Okay, let's move on, Xu An observed the information in his head, which flood onto his brain like tidal waves and figured out the city he lived in was called Jade City.

The city had three big clans. Xu, Chu, and the Zhang clan. They had sects and influence in politics, cultivation, and the military.

These clans' position was beneath that of a kingdom. The head of each almost had the same position as the Emperor.

They were feared and respected. None dared to get the negative side of these guys!

In this aspect, Xu An somewhat understood why he was getting kicked out of the clan's main house.

Although he was the first son of the clan head, his cultivation talent was so-so, so were his overall capabilities in different things like military and politics. 

Therefore, for such a big clan, normal was dangerous.

His little brother, on the other hand. His cultivation and many aspects in him stood above Xu An.

Left with little to no choices, Xu An packed his stuff and left the house. Even if he stayed, sooner or later, the elders would chase him out of his house, and that would be a disgrace.

Meanwhile, his little brother got everything that should be his. Strangely, there was no hatred nor enmity between these two. There was jealousy but not to the point of wanting to kill his little brother.

Xu An got out of his daze as he fixed the chairs' position.

Right, tonight is my little brother's engagement party; he remembered and was slightly jealous, a bit sorrowful. It was coming from the original Xu An.

His soul had vanished, yet his feelings were still in the body.

He didn't want to attend the party but not doing it would be rude. Personal feelings aside, he had a noble circle and wanted to maintain a relationship with them in case they have a job to offer or just information commoners couldn't access. He could sell it to an informant under an anonymous name.

Additionally, he could expand his relationships and get to know a lot of people. Simple terms, make one's life easier. Plus, as the young master of the Xu Clan, his brother always had a date with family matters and it's been a while since Xu An had visited him. He kinda worried about his health.

Xu An swept over his gaze at his room. A wooden hut with a bed on the side. A table with two chairs in the middle. A desk next to his bed.

There was an axe leaning against the wall, close to the door, and figurines before the axe.

Figurines of an animal, a human figure, and a plant.

Left to the axe was a sword in its scabbard, and his clothes hung above the sheathed sword. There was a red scarf around the collar of his clothes.

If he wanted to go to the party, he had to make sure his smell wasn't bad, or else. Xu An would embarrass himself.

He inhaled his armpit and found his odor wasn't that bad. He went to the desk to grab some money, and before he did that, he noticed a pot of black flowers above the desk and making the space their home. It silently stood there.

The flower let out virtuous air despite its color a complete black. This contradiction made Xu An feel strange.

When he saw this, his eyes narrowed into confusion, and something flashed his mind; it was a memory.

The original Xu An got this flower a few days ago. It happened after he rescued a boy from getting eaten by a beast. 

Truth to speak, the original Xu An searched for this particular beast to kill himself. The reason was that he saw his childhood friend, who was his girlfriend, and he even promised her that he would marry her in the future.

However, fate sent a painful slap at him, causing his trust in her to vaporize.

What she did was sleep with another man.

He saw it with his own eyes! At first, when he saw her walking with that man, he only took it that he was her friend, walking him to his home.

But after silently following them, they went into an inn.

Couldn't hold it any longer, the original Xu An approached the room they went into, and after a few knocks. No one replied.

He was a cultivator. His ears were sharp. He heard a sexy and steaming moaning inside the room, and at that moment, he was heartbroken and rushed to the forest.

He was in despair, and his mind wasn't thinking straight. He lost his logic and became narrow-minded.

Xu An sighed after the bitter memory ended and said to himself, this kid has it tough. Sigh, everyone in this age, no matter what the world is, needs someone they trust and chat with. Yet this kid lost that very person. Furthermore, this person is someone he loved.

The process of a child changing to a young adult was a tough time for almost everyone. They began to feel the changes in themselves, such as body and emotions, and search for their true self.

Ego often got the better of themselves, and many acted based on emotions.

Rather than being trapped with the past, Xu An chose to move on. Let the past be.

He opened the drawer and grabbed some money.

He wasn't in a rush and observed the flower. Almost all petals were pitch black, except one petal; it was bright as the moonlight.

Why is this one different? Xu An asked himself and touched the petal.

In an instant, he felt something cold slowly seep into his body through his skin pores.

At this moment, he remembered something.