Chapter 1 – The Trash Master and Phoenix Maid
It was a cold night. In a shabby hut, a candle was flickering.
Inside the simple and cramped room of the hut, there was only a single bed and chair. Near the bedside, there was a young girl wearing a plain, white military uniform and gazing with a pained face full of tears at a young man on the bed.
The man, whose pale, blue eyes were shut closed, was lying in a coma.
Bang!
The door was pushed open.
A handsome man with a tall build appeared at the entrance of the door.
“Miss, he is probably already dead! I will arrange for people to clean up the corpse. Time is of the essence. Quickly, let’s go back home. If the master of the main house finds out about this unexcused absence, you and I, both, will receive punishment.”
“No! I will not go back. I will stay here and accompany young master,” said the young girl. As she lay on the young master’s chest crying.
“Have you forgotten your responsibilities? Quickly come back with me,” said the handsome man as he frowned.
“Young master has had a sudden accident. Besides, what will I even do after I arrive back at home? Young master gave me a home and raised me since I was little; and now, with him all by himself, how can I just leave him?” As the young girl said these words, tears were raining down from her tired, red eyes.
“You…” An angry scowl emerged on the handsome guy’s face, but he could not say anything.
“Well-”
Just then, a slight groan was heard from the person lying on the bed.
The surprised girl suddenly stopped crying, rushed to the bed, and saw that the thin, pale young man had slowly begun to open his eyes.
“Did he wake up?”
The two people in the room were stunned.
In fact, Su Yun had already woken up. However, he had had a severe headache, so his whole body felt weak to the point where he was unable to move a muscle.
Even though the voice of her master was strange, she was very familiar with it. The girl listened intently to the words the young master spoke, without missing a word.
“Qing Er? Is that really Qing Er? Impossible! Qing Er is already dead… but this voice… You can’t mistake it.”
Su Yun painfully recalled; as he remembered events from the past, his emotions burst out.
“Young master…,” the startled Qing Er said quietly and then cried out, “How great! You have finally woken up!”
Su Yun slowly opened his eyes, only to see a beautiful female face greeting him.
The girl’s face was flawless. She had eyes that shimmered like precious stones, cherry-red lips, and a simple yet flawless beauty that would bewitch and intoxicate anyone.
She was quite young,-only about fifteen or sixteen-, but her body was exquisitely graceful, with a well-endowed chest. However, it was evident that she was still a child, as there were crystal tears on her face. Su Yun could not help but pity her.
Su Yun stared intensely at the girl.
“Qing…Er? Is it really you?” Su Yun gawked.
“It is me… master, it’s me!” Qing Er grabbed her master’s freezing cold hands. “Master, you had an accident. As soon as I heard, I rushed over here. How are you feeling? Do you feel better? Are you hurt anywhere else on your body?” Qing Er asked these questions, full of concern.
“Me?”
Su Yun looked at himself, puzzled
“What happened?
The familiar people; the familiar scenes. Isn’t this the small hut that little Qing Er used to live in?
Hadn’t this room been sold already?
Furthermore, Qing Er, Isn’t she…”
Su Yun could not understand what was going on. What’s more, his head became even dizzier.
“After eating it, while battling head-on with an intermediate spirit disciple, he still did not die! Hmph! So all that happens is that he remains a miserable wretch,” said the handsome man, beside Qing Er, under his breath.
“Ling Xuan Shi?” Shuyun could not recall anything, since his mind was still foggy.
Su Yun covered his head, “This terrible pain… this feeling… my memories seem so hazy.”
“Seems that Su Yun’s head is heavily injured,” said the handsome man under his breath.
“The damages, from the intermediate spirit disciple to inside your body, must have not been eliminated. Eat some medicine and take a long rest, and you should recover within a few days,” Qing Er said.
As Su Yun stared at Qing Er’s beautiful, little face his heart twitched, and he suddenly reached for Qing Er’s hand, refusing to let go.
“Mas-Master…” Qing Er could not react.
Her reflex was to let go of the hand, but her heart wanted to remain like this. The scene produced a lovely atmosphere between the two young people.
The handsome man was enraged. He quickly took away Qing Er’s hand and said, “Outrageous! Su Yun! You cheap bastard! Even daring to touch Qing Er! I will hack you to death!”
After he finished speaking, he then proceeded to cut Su Yun’s head off.
Clang!
As the sword neared Su Yun, a bolt of spirit energy was shot out from Qing Er. The man was forced back and was forced to use his own spirit qi to counter the bolt.
“Mosha, what are you doing? He is my master! Why are you trying to hurt him?” Qing Er angrily shouted as she bit her teeth.
“Master? Only you think of him as master! But to everyone else, he is considered garbage, especially to the main house. You still care about him? Do not forget, you are a promising person in the main house, but it’s the exact opposite for this guy. This guy… you should quickly cut all ties with him!”
“Master has always taken care of me! I will not back down when it comes to supporting young master,” Qing Er said as she bit down on her lip firmly.
[TL she can’t have much more lip can she?!?]
“You need to understand compromise. Look at this garbage: Already eighteen years old, and even with seven artifacts, he could not reach the spiritual realm! He does not even think about practice. If he is not drinking wine, he is out gambling. How is he different from mud? I heard that you used to serve under him and even got beaten a lot. How do you still have feelings for this scum?! He is an ordinary man now! You and him are in two different worlds. Do you understand now?” Mosha shouted as he lectured.
“You… don’t badmouth my master!” Qing Er’s face reddened from anger and she shouted back, “Get out of my face!”
“Quickly, come back to the main house,” Mosha replied.
“If you don’t get out, I will not leave here today,” Qing Er answered.
“You… Fine! Truly ignorant!” The man could only helplessly comply and quickly walked out of the room.
Bang!
The door was slammed shut.
A silence soon entered the broken home.
Like the calm after a storm.
Qing Er’s complexion finally lightened a bit. After a bit more, she quickly went to the window of the room to look outside for Mosha. Discovering that no one was watching, she quickly took out a grey bag from under her belt and placed it under Su Yun’s blanket.
However, as she was completing the action, a hand grabbed her arm.
Startled, Qing Er looked up to see Su Yun looking at her quizzically.
“What is this,” asked Su Yun.
“Money,” Qing Er whispered, scared that people outside could hear.
Every month, Qing Er would give Su Yun money to survive.
“Where did you get this money?”
“Didn’t Mosha tell Qing Er just now? The main house treats promising candidates very well, such as by giving them money. Because I never finish spending it, I always just give the rest to Su Yun.”
As she said this, Qing Er’s head faced downwards and looked uneasy.
“You don’t even know how to lie,” Su Yun said as he shook his head, “300 is your monthly allowance, but you always give me all of it, don’t’ you?”
A surprised expression appeared on Qing Er’s face.
“How did master know that?”
“What day is it,” Su Yun asked.
“New Dynasty, Year 1001, March 3rd.”
After Su Yun heard this, he became silent.
“Master, what… is wrong,” Qing Er asked with a puzzled expression.
Suddenly, she was captured by a tight hug from Shuyun.
“Qing Er, I’m sorry,” Shuyun apologized.
It was a simple phrase, but it had been left, unsaid for fifteen years.
Qing Er was completely flabbergasted. She simply could not understand her master’s actions. After her master had had an accident, it seemed that he had become a changed man.
After a long time, she gently spoke, “Master, no matter what happens, you have to live. Not just for your wife, but also for yourself. You have to live on, okay?”
Su Yun nodded in response.
A light smile crept unto Qing Er’s face, as she turned to leave the room.
“Master, the hour is late. In a moment, I will get some spirit doctors to look after you. I have to quickly go back to the main house. This time the house head is outside doing business, so he is not at the residence. I snuck out, but even if the house head discovers me, I’m not afraid of fines; but I was worried about master, so… Qing Er will leave. Take the money and maybe use it to buy some food and clothes.”
“No, Qing Er, you take it. From now on, don’t come to deliver money to me anymore.” Su Yun grabbed the purse and threw it at Qing Er.
Qing Er was stunned as she caught the purse, “Was there not enough money?”
“Nope, I just don’t want to live like this anymore.”
As she eyed the man in front of her, Qing Er was startled by this.
He was surprised to find a smile on her face, “Well Qing Er, quickly go back now!”
“Mas…master, is this okay?”
“I feel great.”
“But…”
“Quickly go! If you stay any longer, the house head might find out, and I will also get in trouble.”
Qing Er bit down on her dark-pink lips [TL What lip is there to bite, at this point.]. “Then… Master, if you have any difficulties, don’t hesitate to let me know. We will solve any problem together; and no matter what happens, Qing Er will always stand beside master.”
“No problem!”
Qing Er hesitated, then took a step back and quickly left the hut.
Su Yun took a deep breath. While looking at the flickering candle, his heart rate began to beat really fast.
Bang!
Just a few moments later, the door was flung open again.
However, it was not Qing Er, but the handsome, young man Mosha.
“You haven’t left yet,” asked Su Yun.
“I sent her away. I came back to specifically lecture you,” said Mosha as he coldly stared at Su Yun.
“What do you want to say,” asked Su Yun.
“Just a few things,” said Mosha.
“Then talk.”
“Very well. Even though Qing Er was your mother’s child, Qing Er is very gifted and will later play an important role in the Su family. She has a difficult and long road ahead of her. Furthermore, her partner has already been decided. Although she is grateful to you as a parent, you’ve already fallen so low that you are now not even a member in the main branch. I mean look at yourself. Just what is the difference between you and trash? Look at her, almost in the Phoenix Branch! Just don’t think you can eat swan meat when you’re a toad, alright?” (TL: Basically, a Chinese saying that means that because you are poor, you shouldn’t hope to associate yourself with successful/promising people).
Su Yun was silent.
“Get over yourself!” Mosha sneered, as he turned to leave.
“I want to ask something,” said Su Yun suddenly.
Mosha stopped in his tracks and turned around.
“Qing Er’s marriage is forced, but how was the Sky Branch involved?”
Mosha expressed surprise. “How did you know?!”
“Was this a secret?”
“Not really, but right now, even Qing Er does not know! I believe even you have heard of the Sky Branch before, a place where every person is famous. Anyways, don’t bother the miss anymore! Otherwise, you’ll certainly regret yourself. Also don’t even mention Sky Branch. The Su family will not even let you! There is absolutely no place for you!”
After finishing, Mosha quickly left.
Su Yun lay on his bed.
Previously, after waking up, his mind was dizzy; but now the memories were clear.
Just now, Qing Er and Mosha’s remarks had convinced him of everything that was uncertain in his heart.
He had been reborn.
Based on his memory, Qing Er was already dead.
In his memory, at ten years old, Su Yun had been considered a genius, who quickly reached the fifth stage. During that time, even Qing Er could not have compared to his talent. Qing Er and Shuyun were always monitored by the main family as the most promising candidates for the main house.
However, after the fifth stage, Su Yun’s talent disappeared. For the next eight years, his level of progression only increased his cultivation to only sixth stage.
As a result, Su Yun gradually faded from the limelight of the main house and, eventually left the spotlight all-together.
Later, as a result of his disgrace to his family, Su Yun’s parents kicked him out, causing his self-esteem to sink even further, and eventually led to his fall into depression.
His daily alcohol consumption and gambling had caused him to lose everything else that he owned
On the other hand, Qing Er’s talent continued on, which caused her to reach the next realm to directly obtain access to the main house.
And yet, Su Yun, who had just turned eighteen, would have his last strength test, which would still only be sixth stage.
In accordance with the Su Family Rules, he was banished to the outer sect and lost all of his family privileges.
The Su family had always been brutal. In other words, it was the survival of the fittest.
For this reason, he left home, and because of unsatisfactory results, he took out his anger at the family steward.
“Those were the contents of my previous world; but this is a new world, so thing is set in stone.”
The su house wanted to climb the ranks of the Profound Sky Sect Branches, so they arranged a special marriage using Qing Er. With Qing E’s looks and talent, she was not short of admirers and many houses coveted her.
The romantic life of Qing Er was not Su Yun’s business, but Qing Er had been against the arranged-marriage candidate.
But what could she do? The marriage had been set, only to serve as a political marriage in order to increase the Su Family’s relationship with the Profound Sky Sect Branch. After Qing Er had seen that nothing could be changed, she decided to give Su Yun one last visit; but Su Yun had been out at the bar, drinking his sorrows away, so he missed the parting.
Qing Er decided to flee, but, in the end, she could not get far. The Profound Sky Sect Branch was enraged and executed Qing Er.
Su Yun remembered it was New Dynasty, May 9th, Year 1005.
After Qing Er died, the Profound Sky Sect Branch had made up a cover story that had said that Qing Er died from disease, which Su Yun believed initially. However, he later found out through the gossip of elders, the truth of the matter.
Thus, Su Yun had woken up from his hopeless situation.
After his last family member was gone, he began to truly understand himself and recognize the world.
No one would deliver him money every month, no one would help take care of him when he was sick, no one would care about him at all.
Su Yun, after losing, came to understand that he owed Qing Er a debt.
So he had decided to take revenge.
However, how the Profound Sky Sect Branch have been so easy to deal with? How could he have compared to the experts of the spiritual master realms in the branch. This had just been wishful thinking. Nevertheless, Su Yun did not give up. He left the Su Family to travel the world. He looked for an expert to apprentice himself to, so that he could repair his condition and temper his heart and mind.
Even so, many people were baffled by the problem of why he could not enter seventh stage. Even skilled teachers were helpless.
Therefore, Su Yun had become more desperate. He eventually embarked on a road of no return. He snuck into the demon continent, found spiritual artifacts, and even risked confrontation with the Rumo sects. But in doing so, he discovered that he could replace human blood with a demon blood substitute.
But reality was cruel. Even though the blood had been changed, this initial condition was still difficult to repair. In all under the heavens, Su Yun had nowhere else to turn.
It had been a road of no return, after all. However, there was a chance to become a world-class expert.
The original reason that Su Yun suddenly lost talent was that he suffered from an odd disease.
This spiritually handicapped person would suffer from a rare disorder. However, the disorder was rare, so it was almost always the case that it was hard to detect. Nonetheless, if it was detected, curing it was not that difficult.
However, just as he had begun his treatment, a good opportunity to attack the Profound Sky Sect Branch appeared. Although the timing was perfect, he did not have time to fully cure the illness. When faced with these two choices, he could not wait, since to completely cure the disease it would take decades.
He had thought to himself, “But now was not the same!”
Before he attempted his assassination, he carefully set a strategy. It had been an attempt to use an artifact to behead the Profound Sky Sect elders. Then borrow the artifact’s power to destroy the Profound Sky Sect Branch.
However, he underestimated the strength of the elders of the Profound Sky Sect Branch. During the battle, Su Yun was eventually killed by the elders.
After death, his consciousness returned back to his shack from fifteen years ago. He had returned to a time before Qing Er would flee from the Su Family; a time where it had been three years and four days after he had gotten kicked out of his home.
“God has given me a second chance,” Su Yun muttered.
A vow suddenly appeared in his heart.