Section 2: Turning Back Twenty-Three Years, Everything Begins Anew
By Gu Zhenren
February 9, 2013
Endless darkness.
“Is this death?” Chu Yun’s thoughts drifted, feeling himself wandering in the darkness.
There was no direction, no light in the darkness; he was like a lonely soul swaying in the wilderness.
But gradually, he felt something strange. “Why can I still feel my body? Didn’t I die?”
He tried to open his eyes.
*Splash.*
Light bloomed, revealing a simple bedroom.
A familiar feeling quickly filled his heart.
“Isn’t this my childhood bedroom? What kind of dream is this! Why does everything seem so real?”
Chu Yun sat up from the bed, touched the bedside, and then touched his body, filled with unease and suspicion.
He stood up cautiously, pacing in the narrow room.
“Something’s wrong! My leg!” His eyes widened suddenly, staring blankly at his left leg. His left calf, which in his memory was missing and replaced with a prosthesis, was now intact and healthy.
What was going on?
“Did I transmigrate?” His heart trembled as he suddenly caught sight of a mirror hanging on the wall.
He walked towards the mirror slowly, hesitating yet hopeful. His emotions were a mix of anticipation and fear of the unknown. It was incredibly complex.
In the mirror was a familiar face.
Too familiar!
This was his teenage self!
Chu Yun was utterly shocked. What was happening? Was he trapped in an illusion array?
He had been in a weakened state, lying under a tree, on the brink of death. But when he opened his eyes, he found himself from the Star Sea Dragon Palace in his childhood bedroom.
This was truly inconceivable.
“If this is an illusion array, it’s not bad,” Chu Yun chuckled to himself and opened the door, stepping out.
As a youth, he had been adopted by Shu Tianhao, the City Lord of Shu Family Island. He lived in the City Lord’s Mansion in the Shu Family city.
Opening the door now, the morning sun shone into the courtyard, with flowers and plants on both sides. Servants occasionally walked to and fro in the distant corridors.
“This illusion array is so realistic,” Chu Yun stretched, took a deep breath of the fresh air, and couldn’t help but exclaim.
“Chu Yun, you have a lot of nerve. Why didn’t you come to my room this morning to pay your respects on time?” A sharp, harsh voice called out, and a madame approached.
She was dressed in luxurious clothing, her face covered in white and pink makeup, desperately trying to conceal the traces of time, albeit unsuccessfully. Her pointed chin was slightly raised, revealing her proud nature.
Chu Yun stared blankly at her as she approached, thinking: This illusion array is too real.
“Impudent!” The madame frowned, feeling Chu Yun’s gaze was a grave offense. Her expression immediately turned cold, and she snapped.
“Chu Yun, you are becoming more and more ill-behaved. Not paying your respects is one thing. And not kneeling down to greet me when you see this madame?” She looked down on Chu Yun from a superior position, her gaze filled with hostility and disdain.
“Madame Shu…” Chu Yun’s tone was cold. The scene triggered certain emotions buried deep within his heart.
The person before him was the wife of Chu Yun’s adoptive father, originally named Ning Qishuang. After marrying Shu Tianhao, she took his surname.
She had two sons and had always been extremely harsh towards Chu Yun. A slight displeasure would lead to scolding or beatings. She had always harbored a desire to drive Chu Yun out of the Shu Family city but couldn’t act on it due to Shu Tianhao.
Today, Chu Yun had failed to pay his respects on time. She seized this opportunity to “educate” her adopted son.
Little did she know, upon reaching Chu Yun, she found that the usually submissive Chu Yun seemed like a different person. His gaze towards her held shock, scrutiny, and hatred.
*Whoosh.*
Anger flared up within her.
What kind of look is that? This little bastard, this brat, dares to look at me like that?!
Madame Shu felt her dignity severely violated. Just as she was about to seize this handle and pursue the matter further,
She heard Chu Yun suddenly let out a cold laugh, “Madame Shu, you can shut up now. Aren’t you just trying to use this as an excuse to drive me out of the Shu Family city? You’ve been making things difficult for me everywhere, aren’t you afraid that my adoptive father favors me, and I’ll snatch away the inheritance rights of Shu Family Island?”
“You… you…” Madame Shu’s face changed drastically, and she couldn’t help but take a step back, pointing at Chu Yun with a trembling hand. She was clearly startled by Chu Yun’s words.
Originally, she only intended to use this pretext to discipline Chu Yun and establish her inviolable authority in his eyes.
But she never expected Chu Yun to utter such shocking words, revealing her innermost scheme in one go.
That’s right, in her eyes, the foundation of Shu Family Island should belong to her sons, Shu Da and Shu Er. However, Shu Tianhao actually doted on his adopted son, treating Chu Yun as if he were his own. He had even publicly stated that the future successor of Shu Family Island would be chosen from these three.
Why should something of ours be inherited by a bastard?!
Madame Shu absolutely did not want this to happen. But her two sons were exceptionally dissolute, while Chu Yun was intelligent, sensible, and well-behaved since childhood. In comparison, the better or worse was self-evident.
Chu Yun continued to laugh coldly, “I’ve always shown you respect, yet you seize upon any minor mistake I make and exaggerate it. Today, I was just a little late for my morning greeting, and you rushed over anxiously to make things difficult for me. Hmph! If I get another chance again, I will decisively defeat your two good sons. I will watch as I legitimately inherit the legacy of Shu Family Island. At that time, my adoptive father will also be proud of me! As for you…”
Madame Shu couldn’t help but take another step back, intimidated by Chu Yun’s chilling aura.
Chu Yun’s outburst had shaken her greatly. She had initially thought Chu Yun was ignorant and easily bullied, like a little white rabbit.
But today, the little white rabbit had transformed into a young tiger right before her eyes. Although not yet fully grown, its fangs had already begun to gleam sharply! A formidable aura was brewing!
“Good, very good. You dare to defy your elder in public! You unfilial son, rebellious son!” Madame Shu was furious.
“Enough! I only recognize my adoptive father, when did I ever recognize you as my adoptive mother? I only paid my respects out of respect for my adoptive father. How you’ve treated me all along, doesn’t the entire Shu Family city know? You’ve repeatedly tried to drive me away, do you deserve to be my elder?” Chu Yun was venting, an emotion that had been suppressed in his memory for over twenty years.
Heaven knows, in his previous life, he had never intended to seize the inheritance of Shu Family Island.
But in his past life, his adoptive father was unexpectedly attacked by pirates and, before his death, passed on Shu Family Island to him. After taking over, out of respect for his adoptive father’s widow, he put aside past grievances and treated Madame Shu and Shu Da and Shu Er very well.
Yet, it was this very Madame Shu who, in collusion with her family’s influence and by collaborating from within, forcibly drove him away!
Fine, since you want to force me out, then I won’t leave. You treat me like this, should I repay kindness with ingratitude?
You have never shown me any kindness, why should I show you any consideration or affection?
“Ungrateful wolf cub, with wolfish ambition! Wolfish ambition!” Madame Shu shrieked, her face contorted, and she stomped her feet in anger, “Get out, get out! Guards, quickly throw this little beast out!”
The surrounding servants hesitated, standing still, unsure what to do.
On one side was the adopted son favored by the City Lord, and on the other was the City Lord’s wife. This…
“No need for you to chase me, I’ll leave myself. But sooner or later, I will return here openly.” Chu Yun felt greatly exhilarated and suddenly thought this illusion was wonderful, truly wonderful.
He could say things he never could, and do things he never could.
So what if it was an illusion?
His short life of thirty years was like a dream or an illusion. Wasn’t it all just a dream?
Ignoring Madame Shu, whose face had turned ashen and who was trembling all over, Chu Yun strode forward and walked out of the mansion on his own accord.
“What did Young Master Chu Yun say to make Madame Shu’s face so ugly?”
“Madame Shu took advantage of the Island Lord being away and forced Young Master Chu Yun out again. How vicious!”
“Strange, Young Master Chu Yun seems different today. He exploded and made Madame Shu so angry, it’s really satisfying to see!”
The servants chattered amongst themselves. Madame Shu was known for her biting personality, and seeing her embarrassed brought joy to the servants.
In his previous life, being forced out of the City Lord’s Mansion by Madame Shu was not an uncommon occurrence. But each time, he would be found and brought back by his adoptive father, Shu Tianhao, not long after.
The servants had grown accustomed to it, while Madame Shu tirelessly continued to find fault. Only Chu Yun could truly understand the bitterness and hardship involved.
Walking through the bustling Shu Family city, Chu Yun’s heart calmed down. With the feeling of revisiting an old place, he aimlessly wandered through the Shu Family city.
But gradually, the ease on his face disappeared, replaced by solemnity and astonishment!
He discovered that not only could he feel emotions like joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, but he also felt hunger! Punching the city wall brought a sense of pain.
Moreover, his thoughts were clear and calm, unlike someone lost in an illusion array. Interacting with everyone in the city yielded different reactions.
A bold guess couldn’t help but surface in his mind.
Could it be that I’ve truly been reborn?
Bold hypotheses, cautious verification. Chu Yun had his own methods of handling things.
“Generally speaking, this type of illusion array extracts one’s memories and creates a replica. In the Shu Family city, there are naturally places I haven’t been to…”
A moment later, a young man stood in the middle of the Shu Family city, lost in thought.
Suddenly, he raised his arms and cheered, shouting loudly, tears of joy streaming down his face!
“Heaven has eyes! I’ve truly been reborn! Twenty-three years ago, everything starts anew. Calm down, calm down. According to my memory, the next event should be the coming-of-age ceremony. At the ceremony, demon beast eggs will be selected, and that demon beast egg is among them. This is the turning point of my life! I must grasp this opportunity!”
