Zhang Yuxin was a bad man. He's been corrupt since young and used anyone or anything as an expendable tool to climb higher. He was born into an 'eat or be eaten' type family and quickly learned that if he wanted to get anywhere, he'd need someone to step on. Within the large family, Zhang Yuxin was the second youngest which left him in a vulnerable position. His mother died during childbirth so he was left to his own devices for the most part. Surprisingly, Zhang Yuxin seemed to have a natural talent for surviving among the vicious, eventually climbing the family ranks and gaining his father's favour. Though Zhang Yuxin had natural talent, experience wasn't something one can skimp on in these situations, and that is what ended up being Yuxin's downfall. His elder brother, whom he stole the 'crown' from after a fierce battle, was the cause of Zhang Yuxin's death. His elder brother planned for his death and succeeded. At twenty-three Yuxin was drugged and killed during the night, his death staged to look like a suicide. And that is what leads us into our current situation…
His eyes were stinging, his muscles aching, and he had no energy, it would be safe to say that Zhang Yuxin wasn't in tip-top shape. Letting out a husky groan Zhang Yuxin would shift his body, only to find that he was, in fact, not in his bed. He didn't hesitate any longer, instantly opening his eyes and attempting to prop himself up. He glanced around to find himself in the centre of a forest clearing, surrounded by trees and left directly under the sun. The clear sounds of a nearby river could be heard paired with the sweet songs of nearby birds, sounds he hadn't initially noticed. The air was fresh and a bit cool on his exposed skin… exposed skin? He immediately stiffened, examining his body to find that he was wearing only a pair of baggy linen pants that were held up by a makeshift belt. It was low quality linen, rough against Zhang Yuxin's unusually tender skin. His bones felt delicate and his muscles felt soft. But strangely enough, Zhang Yuxin appeared to be exactly the same as he was when he fell asleep. He was moderate height with a thin body and short black hair. However, his hands and feet had lost their callouses, his skin was perfectly smooth and he felt refreshed, as if his entire body had been restored. And as Zhang Yuxin would learn, that wasn't entirely untrue.
Just as Zhang Yuxin was preparing to arrange his thoughts and piece together the situation, a little yellow canary circled above him, twittering a lovely tune before landing about a foot away and hopping close. "Hello little Hero!"
The bird greeted affectionately, tail feathers spreading out then wagging side to side. While the greeting clearly came from the bird, Zhang Yuxin only spared it a glance, opting to search for wherever the voice *really* came from. But he soon found… nobody? Zhang Yuxin's eyebrows creased expressing his confusion. Maybe he was just hearing things?
"Down here!"
The bird chirped again, hopping up onto Yuxin's knee. However the bird suddenly landing paired with the return of the mysterious voice prompted Zhang Yuxin to scramble away, eyes wide with both shock and confusion. He had hardly managed to keep himself composed when he learned that he wasn't at home, but the talking bird set him too far off edge for Yuxin to remain steady.
"W-who- what?"
Yuxin stuttered out, staring at the bird who seemed to be somewhat offended by Zhang Yuxin's fear. Yuxin's first thought was that it must be some kind of robot, but based on the way it moved and sounded, the bird appeared to be very much alive. Its body language wasn't what you might typically see in a small songbird, but they were certainly still movements that a live bird would make. There were too many subtle movements and everything was too fluid, this couldn't be a robot!
"Bah! I do my best to act cute and you're still scared? Hm? Can't you just clap like you're supposed to?"
The little bird criticized, taking slow steps towards Zhang Yuxin.
Everything was happening far too quickly for Yuxin, but suddenly, it all made sense. He must be dreaming! Surely this is a dream! It's the only explanation for this strange setting and the talking bird. Though the dream felt strangely real, especially with the aches and pains, however Yuxin accepted this conclusion since it was the only reasonable one. And so, Zhang Yuxin allowed himself to relax, letting out a relieved sigh, he patted his chest lightly with a brief nod before turning his attention back to the little yellow bird.
"Tsk tsk. You're all the same. Can't humans have a bit more variety? Always deciding it's a dream. In any case… we better get you set up."
The latter part of the bird's sentence turned into mumbling that was too quiet for Yuxin to make out. He easily accepted the bird being able to understand his thoughts as it being a part of this dream. Soon the bird spoke again after seeming to make a silent decision.
"Then, let me start again! Ahem- Hello little Hero! Welcome to your after-death saviour system, I'm Canary, but you can call me Birdy? OK? Unfortunately for you, we don't let baddies reincarnate so easily, you'll be going through our soul reparation and rehabilitation program. So, Mr. Villain, are you ready to start your first test?"
"Wait- after-death what? Villain? Test? Why am I dead here?"
Zheng Yuxin only narrowly managed to catch that first part, nearly overlooking what seemed to be the most important part of what the little bird said. His belief that he was dreaming was already slipping and it was currently the only thing keeping him sane, but the after-death thing is shady… that and all the sensations he can feel while dreaming.
"Didn't they tell you anything before sending you off? Little Hero, weren't you briefed?" Birdy seemed equally confused with the situation, tiny head tilting as he hopped closer again. "Little Hero, you've died."
Zhang Yuxin got quiet, lips pursing into a frown and eyes narrowing suspiciously. He spent a few moments thinking before speaking again. "How?"
The yellow bird stared until abruptly letting out the bird equivalent of a sigh. This wasn't Birdy's job! How was he supposed to deal with it if Zhang Yuxin has some sort of mental breakdown? Despite his irritation, Birdy still decided to explain, it wasn't like he could send the soul back now.
"Your biggest brother drugged you. It's not something to worry about Little Hero, don't stress, you can't start crying over spilt milk now!"
"He actually killed me? Seriously? That sneaky piece of shit had the gall to kill me?"
His voice had an incredulous tone to it. Zhang Yuxin never thought his elder brother would actually make a move to kill him, especially not so soon. But here he was. Yuxin left the idea that this was a dream behind, completely convinced that he had died. The bird seemed naturally trustworthy so Zhang Yuxin didn't have a tough time believing it. He wasn't sad to have died, only a bit angry. Yuxin didn't have many attachments, maybe a friend or two but that was about it. His family couldn't be considered a family, and he was still young, too young to have been married or with children. So he didn't leave much behind. And knowing that he can reincarnate? Maybe dying is for the best.
"Little Hero? We can't stay here. I'm going to open up the first world, You can think more later. Keep your head on straight for now."
Birdy chirped, flapping his wings and landing himself on top of Zhang Yuxin's head. Yuxin resisted the urge to swat the bird away, only frowning. He felt like he had a lot to think about, but he didn't. The truth of the matter was that he had died by his brother's hands and there was nothing that he could do about it. He wanted to continue feeling angry and frustrated, but the only emotion he could muster was exasperation and a bit of relief. It was over. His struggling within that hell scape had ended. And now Yuxin found himself hoping that what he had initially labeled as a dream was real. He wanted to be away from those people, he wanted to let go of the responsibilities that came with his family name.
Before Yuxin had time to contemplate any longer he lost his train of thought, finding himself in an entirely new place and position. He was now crouched down, hugging his knees close and staring into a river. Zhang Yuxin found that he now had multiple scrapes and bruises all over himself paired with the stabbing pain of hunger. The light aches and pains of when he first woke couldn't compare! Wasn't this too cruel? His body was very pale and sickly looking, covered in dirt and various stains. He was dressed in a long hemp tunic that was very itchy and uncomfortable along with linen pants that were somewhat similar to what he was wearing before but far more beaten up and even lower quality. There was a pair of short leather boots set aside about three feet away. And judging from his reflection, Yuxin appeared to be a… little girl?! Though his reflection was distorted he could make out a somewhat feminine face and long silver hair. In a panic Yuxin fell back onto the muddy rocks he was crouched on. He immediately brought his hand to his crotch, patting it twice for good measure before allowing himself to relax, he hadn't lost his little brother! Yuxin readily closed his legs, frowning as he found his hands and bottom to now be muddy, not that he was much cleaner before, but the muck was still uncomfortable.
'Have you settled into the body?'
A familiar voice rang inside of Yuxin's head, causing him to flinch then glance around in search of the little bird only to find nothing.
'I mean… no?'
He responded in his mind, somewhat tentatively, uncomfortable with the sensation of having a voice that wasn't his own intruding on his thoughts.
'Eh….? You weren't supposed to say no… Anyhow- you can move fine, so that's good enough. This is your first world little Yuxin! It's a medieval fantasy world, fun, right?! Your quest here is to save Viscount Morgan DuPont, a young nobleman, from his death. He's in love with Duchess Marie Thomas and has her equally charmed. Unfortunately, Duke Thomas isn't as in love with the idea of Morgan 'joining the fam'. Your job is to sever their affections and keep both Morgan and Marie alive. Morgan must be happy and healthy with no desire to meet Marie for the task to be completed.'
Birdy ended his explanation with a short tweet. Zhang Yuzin's head was blank for a long while as he processed the information he just received. Soon he found himself frowning at the idea, resting his chin on his knees.
'Why do I have to save them? Can't you just tell them not to fuck?'
Zhang Yuxin grumbled internally to Birdy, unhappy with the direction this seems to be going in. It didn't seem bad when he was in the forest with his own body, but here he was just.. just a beat-up little peasant! Literally! Who would want this as their afterlife? Yuxin didn't completely understand why he was here, not having paid attention to Birdy's explanation. Was he expected to continue working even after death? Wasn't he supposed to be rewarded now?
'You- stop being so entitled! Bad guys don't get rewarded! Who do you think you are? Hm? You expect to be rewarded for ruining other people's lives? For stealing? No! You have to work and redeem yourself.'
Birdy's sweet voice now used an irritated tone, you could almost see the little bird flapping its wings with frustration just from the sound.
'You're over exaggerating, I wasn't as bad as you're making it out to be. I just did what I had to.'
He argued back, getting to his feet only to nearly bump his head on some stones. Zhang Yuxin paused, taking a few steps so he was no longer under what he now recognized as a bridge. He absentmindedly ruffled his hair, subsequently rubbing mud into it. The moment he felt the cold muck on his head Zhang Yuxin stumbled a little bit, clumsily jerking his hand away. He needed to get used to this new body.
"Geez- what is this kid? A troll?"