As soon as Liu Xuefeng vanished into the portal, everything in Middle Heaven returned to normal. The men in white robes resumed sorting all the souls that came through the white gate, but it hadn't been long since they returned to their task when the old man's expression changed yet again.
Why?
A girl—or rather, the tears that flowed from her expressionless face—caught his attention. It was almost her turn to drink the soup to erase her memories when blue light glinted from the bowl, reflecting the tears on her face.
Tears were a normal phenomenon on earth, but it was unheard of in this realm. When a person died, their soul traveled into this place to be judged. By the time their soul crossed the Realms, it would have already lost its ability to do anything aside from falling in line and awaiting its fate.
Liu Xuefeng was an exception, of course. The boy earlier had the help of the Fate Spirit as well as his naturally strong soul, so he was able to move freely to some extent with all his bearings intact. After him, the old man thought it would take a long time before he could witness someone like him again.
He couldn't be more wrong.
Although not as amazing as the boy with the Fate Spirit, this girl was also special in her own way.
"This young girl has a strong will," the old man commented and flicked his hand, sending a drop of white light from his fingertip. It flew towards the girl and sank into her forehead, causing her to awaken.
Her expressionless mask broke like ice as her face began to stretch into normal human emotions. The ashen complexion bloomed into color as she regained the freedom to express herself. At this moment in time, the silent tears she had shed evolved into broken sobs as she was finally able to cry properly.
"Don't cry, girl. It will be over soon," the old man assured her kindly as he extended his hand to pat her head, only to suddenly freeze, his face bearing a look of surprise.
"What? Did something happen?" The middle-aged man wondered, noticing the sudden change in his partner's expression.
The old man ignored him as he shifted to create a hologram in the air with another flick of his hand. It was Liu Xuefeng who had left just a moment ago.
"Young girl, do you know him?" the old man asked her and she lifted her gaze, only to stop crying in stunned silence.
"It's Xuefeng!" she yelled with a mix of happiness and confusion on her pretty face.
It was as if she couldn't believe her eyes but was glad nonetheless.
"Did he also come here? Can you tell me where he is now?" She asked hurriedly while wiping her tears.
This made both men in white robes exchange looks for the second time that day.
"No! It's against the rules."
It was the middle-aged man who answered first, but the older man gave him a nudge as he pursed his lips. "If you don't tell anyone, no one will know."
The middle-aged man swallowed hard, not expecting the usually upright man would want to break the rules for a single soul.
"Well, that's true, but what if Chaos does an inspection?" His voice trailed off as worry filled his face.
"I will take responsibility if anything happens," the old man countered, his voice dripping with confidence that assured his partner.
"O-okay then..." The middle-aged man finally agreed, looking down at the confused girl. "Listen, your friend has already reincarnated. We can help you get into the same world as him, but it will depend on fate if you can meet him again. Are you fine with that?"
"Normally only those chosen by Fate Spirits can have a wish, but we can make an exception this time. Your friend's a Fate Spirit holder, but his only wish was to keep his memories," the old man added. "But as it's a rather small wish compared to what he could have asked for, we can extend the privilege for a wish to a second person."
The girl's face brightened as she bowed deeply. "I'm fine with anything, as long as I get the chance to meet him again."
The old man smiled as he pulled her up and gave her an encouraging pat on the head. "It will be hard, but there is hope. He doesn't know that you are searching for him, so you will have to find him yourself."
"I will, thank you!" she acknowledged sincerely as if the coming hardships didn't faze her at all.
"There's no need to thank me," the old man shook his head before giving her a warning. "I still need to tell you something else. If you reincarnate with your memories intact, you will have to start your life there as a teen and not as an infant. Are you okay with that?"
"As long as I can meet him again, I don't care about anything else," she repeated with a determined look on her face, and the men could only nod in approval.
"All right, one more thing. When people reincarnate, their souls will choose a body that is physically familiar, but there might be some exceptions. Your friend may look different now if his soul failed to find anything adequate."
The old man's detailed advice made the middle-aged man curious about their story, but he didn't disturb them.
"I'm confident I can find him," the girl assured, already eager to leave.
"Alright, I won't hold you back anymore. You can go through the portal now." The old man smiled kindly, creating a similar portal from before.
"Yes!" The young girl didn't hesitate to run towards it and jumped inside, disappearing soon after.
As soon as she was gone, the middle-aged man couldn't help but ask. "Why are you helping her so much?"
The old man didn't satisfy his curiosity and only replied with a riddle, "Because love can overcome everything."
***
After passing through the portal, only a second had passed before he could feel his body again. When Xuefeng opened his eyes, he could already see that he was in a different place.
Or rather, a different world. The disparity between Earth and this new world was glaringly obvious. The sights, the atmosphere—everything felt unfamiliar.
"Urgh…" he grunted as he tried to move, but taking control of his new body was not easy.
There was an invisible force restricting his movements at first, as if his brain and body were not yet in sync. He wiggled and lifted his limbs, acquainting himself with his new physique. It took a while, but soon he could move comfortably without the initial awkwardness. There was no longer any difference from how he felt on Earth. He moved smoothly, but just to be sure, he flexed his fingers, ensuring everything was in order. Only after he was satisfied did he begin to survey his surroundings.
He found himself lying on a king-sized bed in the center of a spacious room. It was modestly furnished, with only a bed and a wardrobe featuring a large mirror on its doors. Despite the simplicity, everything exuded luxury, with golden trimmings on the pillows and curtains.
"Whoa… I guess I'm a rich man's son now..." he mused, a smile forming on his lips as he continued to study his surroundings. Then he noticed he was bare from the waist up, a bandage across his chest. Covered by a purple-gold quilt, he hadn't noticed it at first.
"What's this?" he wondered, running his hand across his chest and upper torso, finding no trace of injury. Yet, the bloody dressings indicated a wound severe enough to be fatal.
"Did he die because of this?" Xuefeng pondered out loud as he began to undo the bandages, feeling no pain at all. Sure enough, there was no injury in sight, but he noticed his body being somewhat pale while also lacking muscles.
The only explanation he could think of was being magically healed after reincarnating into this body, but that didn't calm him down. Since his predecessor suffered a fatal injury, his life could also be in danger.
Sitting on the bed, Xuefeng glanced at the mirror hanging on his wardrobe.
He looked almost identical to his past life, except for his hair, which was now blond. His big crystal blue eyes were evenly spaced, with thin eyebrows curving naturally from his nose. His mouth formed a thin, straight line.
Yes, his incarnation was paler, but overall he looked similar. His only complaint was the body's muscle mass but it could be easily remedied later on.
"Alright…" he said to himself, slowly getting used to his old life being gone. He wanted to stand up and explore further but the memories of his family flashed in his mind, causing his chest to tighten.
His parents worked hard to support his education. He recalled their tired faces upon returning from work, yet their smiles remained, encouraging him to study hard. Those smiles motivated him to succeed, to repay their sacrifices in the future.
"I'm sorry I can't be with you anymore…" he whispered, hoping they could somehow understand and forgive him for his sudden death. He knew he would miss them dearly. He had left too soon. Yet, even if given the chance, he would make the same choice. He couldn't let Xiao Tianshi die.
"Tianshi…" he muttered, wondering how she was doing. He hoped she wouldn't be too traumatized from his death and would instead use this incident as motivation to work even harder for the future they planned together.
"Okay Xuefeng, pull yourself together. You need to move forward. Your family is safe, but you are alone in a different world. You need to plan your next steps."
He gave himself a light slap to refocus, but a sharp pain shot through his head. Information and emotions flooded his mind, suddenly overwhelming him. For ten agonizing minutes, he was paralyzed by the onslaught of memories until everything stopped at once, leaving him drained.
There was love, regret, and an unwillingness to die—not his own feelings, but those of the body's previous owner.
"Did you also die to protect a loved one?" he murmured, scanning through the latest memories. The boy had been injured in a fight with his cousin over a female servant he secretly loved. It seemed like their situation was similar, with their status preventing them from being together.
An ironic laugh escaped Xuefeng as he realized the parallels with his own situation back on Earth, albeit reversed: Tianshi was the princess, and he was the pauper.
With a sigh, he began to organize the flood of information in his mind, piecing together what he could about this new world. If he was to live here, the previous owner's memories were crucial.
After a moment, he gained some vague insights into this place.