Regret Of The Past

  In a town in the east, a young boy was living a peaceful life. He was an orphan. His parents died when he was twelve, leaving behind a two storey house and their savings.

  This particular boy, was actually reincarnated. He was from modern earth. And the world he got reincarnated into was a Cultivation world. Needless to say, he was concerned with his survival.

  Fortunately, he had an incredible talent in cultivation and heavenly luck to pair with it.

  The years passed by. At fourteen he managed to establish his own restaurant. The town he was a part of didn't belong to any Sect. It was a free town that was herald as a center point. So his main customers were all mortals without cultivation.

  He didn't got a system, nor any golden finger aside from his unconventionally fast speed in cultivating. So, he lived a simple but fulfilling life of cultivating while managing his restaurant. Away from trouble and dangers.

Just like that, two years passed.

  Living all alone, the young boy earned more than enough to live comfortably. Scratch that, aside from his restaurant, the money he earned by selling cultivation resources he collected from the mountains due to his heavenly luck was really too much that he didn't know what to buy with it.

  One day, he suddenly looked around his house and realized a very important fact. He was lonely. What use does money have if you have no one to spend it to, or with, aside from yourself? Hence, he made a decision that changed his life forever.

  He started adopting children as his siblings.

  At sixteen, he adopted a seven years old boy. This boy was a beggar. He saw him being beaten by some older homeless people so he decided to take him under his wing.

  At eighteen, he decided to adopt two more kids. They were twins, a boy and a girl at the age of six. They were refugees from a massacred clan. And when he saw them, he can't help but take them in as well.

  A year later, he brought three more kids at his home. Two boys at the age of six and a girl at the age of eight. They were, believe it or not, being sold as slaves. Thankfully, his restaurant was doing really well so money wasn't a problem. Not to mention his savings.

  Eventually, he found out that he has an unaturally high affinity with children.

  The six childrens he adopted were all helping him managed the restaurant. They get along peacefully and was extremely obedient with him. He also guide them with basic cultivation from time to time.

  Years passed by and his eldest adopted brother turned sixteen. At this age, he can choose to pursue the path of cultivation by attending the Disciple Selection Ceremony. Unsurprisingly, he passed. Then, he left to become a full fledged cultivator.

  Two years later, his eldest younger sister followed after. She passed the ceremony as well and choose to leave and join a Sect. Naturally, the now twenty six years old man didn't stop her.

  After a year, the twins followed. They passed and chose to join a Sect as well. Needless to say, the last two did as well the next year. They all left to join different Sects and became cultivators.

  The man, who was now twenty eight, was proud. He didn't feel any resentment for them leaving. He felt proud of their achievements instead. But as the year passed by, he gradually lost connection with them.

  The letters he tried to send was all given back to him. He tried to visit but he never got to see them. He tried to directly leave a message to their Sects but he was blocked.

  Still, he followed every news about them. He celebrated whenever he heard that each of them breakthrough. He wrote poetries and letters for them every month, then kept it on their respective beds.

  Every year at their birthdays he bought gifts. Then he'll put it above their beds like the letters and poetries. He even learned how to carve to carve their images on a piece of jade.

  When they were promoted on their respective Sects, he always wrote a congratulation letter for them. He cooked all sorts of foods dedicated to them on the menus of his restaurant.

  This little things, although he knew in his heart that those little brats won't receive them, give him satisfaction and happiness. Because after years of raising them, their existence now gave the man a reason to live.

  Everyone in town was already used to the restaurant owner's constant bragging. Of course, no one ever believe him. After all, everyone was aware that the guy was an only child. Where'd he suddenly got six siblings?

  So everytime he bragged, they'll just brushed it off. Or just go along with him. The guy was aware that people thought he was crazy. But it was alright for him. He continued bragging.

  Everytime he did so, he will feel a sense of fulfilment. He raised those kids, he felt a sense of accomplishment for raising them well.

  Even at forty-five, the man remained unmarried. He wasn't really interested in marriage and he never met anyone he loved. He was contented with his younger brothers and sisters. His own family.

  When he turned fifty, a terrible plague broke out. A lot of healers and cultivators went to their town to try and cure it, none succeeded. But the man found a way, with the expense of his own life.

  He didn't hesitate not even for a minute as he decisively saved the townspeople.

  The man was then bedridden all year long. He was kinda hoping one of his younger brothers and sisters would visit. Since the news of the plague already spread even in many Sects, it was impossible for them not to be aware. But, unfortunately, it didn't happen.

  After a year and a half of battling with the side effects, the man finally succumbed to it. He died alone on his bedroom at the age of fifty one. A young age for a talented cultivator such as himself.

  Hundreds of years later, in a bustling town in the east. There was a certain two storey house at the edge of the town that was dilapidated. Rumors has it, that this certain house was owned by a famous genius cultivator.

  No one ever goes near nor entered the house in fear of angering that certain cultivator. So after hundreds of years, it was reduced to it's current abandoned state.

  Everyone in town was aware of this rumor. So everytime a traveler passed by, asking about the house, they'll automatically warn them to stay away.

  Coincidentally, this town was the one hosting the Disciple Selection Ceremony at this year. This ceremony actually has another name. The Eastern and Western Sect Gathering.

  Because the leaders, an elder and the most talented genius disciple of a Sect, as well as some more disciples will be the one representing their sect. All Sect in both the east and west needed to attend.

  The ceremony was one month long, so all the Sect will stay in the town for at least five weeks. It was so they won't missed to recruit those with incredible talent. After all, it was both a examination and a competition.

  In this year's ceremony, the Five Great Sect of the East and West were miraculously all present. And the elders this five Sect bought along coincidentally knew each other very much so.

  They are none other than the six adopted siblings of the restaurant owner. The eldest brother was an Elder of the Sleeping Dragon Sect. The eldest sister was representing the Soaring Eagle Sect.

  The twins both chose to join the Dancing Crane Sect. While the youngest two chose to join the Roaring Tiger Sect and Immovable Mountain Sect respectively.

  And their very first reunion happened to be at the place where everything began on their new lives. However, they weren't the least bit happy about it. They were longing to forget their pitiful origin.

  Their pride as a powerful cultivator won't allow any bit of embarrassment on their lives. So they decided to turn their back away from all of it. It is, after all, degrading to admit that they grew up as nobodies.

  When the disciples of the five different Sect heard about the weird rumor, they were curious about the house. They convinced their Elders to join them to take a look at the rumored house.

  The six didn't have any choice but to join their disciples. Furthermore, they were curious about the rumors as well. But they immediately regretted coming.

  Standing in the abandoned part of the town was a old two storey house. Beside it was another building that looked like a restaurant or a bar. This was the old restaurant owner's house.

  The six immediately commanded everyone present to leave. And to never approached the said place ever again. The disciples didn't have any choice but to follow their senior's orders.

  The six were left staring at the house after everyone else hurriedly rushed away. All of them were struck by a unknown feeling of longing and sadness. They were reminiscing of the past, where seven people were running about in the house.

  They were all following someone's voice. A sweet and gentle voice they couldn't believe they would miss after all this years. The voice of their big brother.

  The six snapped out of their thoughts then proceeded to enter the house. There, the first thing they noticed was the open room on the right. This was their big brother's study. Where he kept all his books, recipes and accounts.

  They can't help but let out a silent chuckle. This room contained countless memories.

  It was different, yet the same as they remember. The same messy room was still messy with paperwork everywhere. But even this room didn't escaped the effects of time.

  Then they moved upstairs. The biggest room in the second floor was theirs. It was their shared room back then. It was where they grew up. And now, after a hundred years, they were finally coming back.

  The first thing they noticed at the room were the beds. There were countless items above it. Envelopes, scrolls, trinkets and everything else they used to like when they were young.

  And at the head of every bed, there was a simple jade doll carved out of their young images. There was no need to mention anything, they already knew that it was their big brother who carved it himself.

  The papers in the envelopes and scrolls were surprisingly still intact. So it was easy for them to read the content.

  The six of them read silently. Their expression turned gloomier by the second. But they stubbornly refused to let their tears fall. At the end, they just stared at nothing for a few hours. In daze.

  When they snapped out of it, they remembered that they haven't reached the most important part of the house yet. Their big brother's room.

  So with a heavy heart, they all dragged themselves on the last room in the house. They all took a deep breath before opening the closed door.

  They didn't really know what to expect when they opened the door but it definitely wasn't this. The tears they tried their best to hold back suddenly fell freely on their faces. They were sobbing so much they forgot to care about the image they took so long to build.

  In the bed was a skeleton. And in It's hands was a book. This book was a collection of their handwritings. This was the notebook they used back when they started learning and practicing how to write.

  The posture of the skeleton make it look like it died while hugging the book on it's arms. Refusing to let go even on it's last moments.

  Some of them fell down on their knees because they lost their strength. Tons and tons of happy memories smashed them on the face. Flooding their minds.

  It was shouting at them. "THIS IS WHAT YOU LOST YOU UNGRATEFUL BRAT! THIS IS WHAT YOU PAID BECAUSE OF YOUR FUCKING PRIDE!"

  They sobbed and cried all night. Hugging each other. Feeling the infinite sadness clouding them.

  The next morning, with their renewed goal, they decided to figure out what happened to their brother. It was hundred years in the past so asking around the town may seemed pointless. No mortal can live for more than a hundred and twenty years.

  But still, the six didn't loose their hope. They asked around, hoping to find out what happened. But their efforts were fruitless. It was like finding a needle in a haystack.

  Fortunately, after weeks of searching and asking around, they came across a familiar man. This man was a cultivator and one of their brother's customer and friend. They were closed to each other.

  On their first meeting, the man glared heatedly at them. His eyes full of loathing and anger. He was even unwilling to talked nor looked at them and kicked them out.

  But the six stubbornly held on.

  Eventually, he gave up. He narrated everything that happened ever since the six left. All the hardships their brother faced, all his efforts to support them in the shadows. All his sacrifices.

  At the end of it, the man glared at them again. Saying "If only I could steal what you guys have, I would. Because that man you all abandoned was worth more than any elixirs, Immortal Artifacts and Weapons in the world." before promptly leaving.

  The six were left in tears again. They regretted it but they can't do anything about it. There was no used in regretting it now.

  After the Ceremony, the six parted ways again. This time, with a heavy heart.

  Years passed by again and the town changed with the passage of time. But the old two storey house remained the same. Not until the demons suddenly attacked the town.

  The town still wasn't under any Sect so they didn't have anyone protecting them. They were all mortals, they were powerless when they were attacked. And the town was reduced to ruins.

  The moment the six received the information about the attack, it was already too late. They all rushed over, praying with all their might that, hopefully, their brother's house was still there.

  Unfortunately, the house was the first settlement the demons destroyed. They fell to their knees, tears streaming down their faces. The last trace of their memories with their brother was gone just like that.

  With their brother as their motivation, the six continue to soar on their cultivation. At last, they ascended and became immortals. But they didn't feel fulfilled nor happy of their achievement.

  What's the point? Their brother wasn't even here to see them or cheer for them. If only they didn't left him. If only they didn't let their pride took over them.

  They thought they'll live all they're life like this. Buried in regret and longing. But one day, they woke up hundred years in the past. Back when their brother was still alive, waiting for them.

  This time, they won't make the same mistakes. With that in mind, they set off to change their fates.