'Say, what exactly can you help me with?'
[For now, let's focus on getting out of here, what do you say? It looks like you're in some kind of dungeon as of now. You're even being watched by a guard. A shame it's not a man, else it would've been easy to escape.]
I opened my eyes to peek around and as that voice in my head said, I was in some place that resembled a prison or dungeon of some sort. The walls around were made entirely of stone, the only light came past a wall of iron bars from torches that hung upon the walls. Their light cascaded down through the bars imprinting the bar's pattern upon the floor.
What I laid upon was quite comfortable though, unlike what most prisoners would normally have. It was an actual bed, unlike a simple bundle of straw strewn across the floor.
When I finally decided to see who my guard was I noticed that it was actually Li Daji sitting in a nearby chair just outside the bars. She seemed more focused on what she had in her hands at the moment, but from a little bit of surprise I happened to make a noise on the bed I was laying on.
She looked up from her object and came up to the bars with a tone that sounded just a little too excited for my current situation.
"Ah? Oh! Yi Feng! You finally woke up!"
Hearing that tone of hers I became a little disgruntled, but suppressed it.
"What happened?"
I tried moving my body only to feel a quite heavy sensation from each of my limps. Eventually I managed to sit myself up on the bed and plant my back against the wall. The chilly sensation of the stone took up my mind for a moment as it seemed to invade my back.
"Well when I finally came back into that basement I saw that you and that woman both had a little fight. Well, you probably know what happened, I came in and stabilized you for the time being and later on Master had actually come to personally heal you up.
As you can see, you're currently in the dungeon. Fun fact, the entrance to this place was actually the cave of reflection for his disciples! Uh, anyway I was told to guard you and just check up on you.
Master had said at the time that he was gonna find out why you attacked her first before eventually deciding what to do with you. Whatever your punishment is, it probably isn't too good. Master is really lenient, but family is a big no-no.
Hopefully at the time you'll have him in a good mood at least so his leniency might be better. The worst thing they'll do is kill you, cause you won't have any more chances. Maybe I can plead for you to become a slave, maid, or some kind of servant."
"T-that's better?!"
"Hey, at least you'll live!"
"And be forced to serve under her!? That demon?!"
"You know I think she would probably just kill you actually, she always tries to have as few women around him as possible after all, with some odd exceptions as of late."
"Ugh, well I was prepared to die when I attacked her then and there."
"Hey, why did you attack her? You should have known how strong she is, didn't you? If you couldn't beat her in your last life at your peak, what made you think you could when dozens of Foundation Establishment realm cultivators could be killed at a wave of her hand? Did it have something to do with that massive black mass you left in her left hand?"
Suddenly the voice's tone became extremely excited upon hearing that I died.
[Wait!!! You've died before?! No wonder I felt such a strong connection to you. So that means that it's possible to reincarnate with your memories after all?! It's not just some kind of myth or legend!?!?!?
How did you do it! Tell me! TELL ME!!!]
'SHUT UP!!! Don't interrupt my conversation like that! I've lost my thoughts just now. Do you dare try me when I say I'll kill myself if you don't shut up!?'
That voice's tone then became depressed as if she was moping in a low tone.
[So many people used to fear me, now even some random little Foundation Establishment cultivator can talk to me like this. Meh, guh, hernn. *Mumble* *Mumble*]
'Well, that's better I guess.'
I looked at Li Daji's slightly expectant look for a second before remembering her question.
"Well I thought I might never have the chance to deal with her again. If I had just let your situation play out, it was likely you would both be taken away to further determine the truth and I might just be left here alone. I had no connections to use to get further up and couldn't simply go up there without any issues.
Also that black mass you were talking about was in fact my source of confidence. I could feel the destructive force behind it and knew that I would be killed even at my peak if used correctly.
But since I didn't think I would probably ever have another chance to deal with her I decided to use everything I had then and there. I didn't think I would ever have another chance to strike at her with her so vulnerable and turned away from me."
"I see, well I think I should go and tell them that you woke up."
"Hey, wait!"
"Yes?"
"How long have I been out for?"
"About half a day or so."
"Li Daji, what happened to you?"
"What do you mean?"
"About the whole 2 Jinzi thing? How was that resolved? He just let you off after you revealed yourself to him?"
She had a bit of a wry smile after I asked her.
"I uh, well it was a little embarrassing, but yes? I don't know if he knew or not, but he was making very slow movements when he turned to leave. Every second that passed by I got more and more guilty of what I was really doing, so just before he was going to leave the sound barrier he had set up beforehand, I came out and unraveled my disguise. But uh, I-I actually cried a bit from guilt. A-anyway I'd like to think that it was a strategic movement since coming out by myself built some of our lost trust back up."
"What about me then? Are you just going to distance yourself from me?"
"Hey! I'll try my best, but you got yourself into this mess! Alright, I'm gonna go now! I'll see you in a little while Yi Feng, hopefully you recover your strength soon!"
With that she ran away down the hall with a little joy in her tone, most likely from going to see her master again.
That little joy irritated me a bit though. She gets to be with him and I'm sitting behind bars. But I can't really be mad at her, it wasn't like she caused me to be here. It was all my own fault, so I have no one to blame but myself.
[Who was that woman?]
'That's a lot to explain.'
[If that's too much then tell me about how you reincarnated! Do you think it's too late for me to be reincarnated?!]
'Ugh, well they're a little interconnected so I guess I'll just tell you what I know. After I died in my first life I don't really even know where I went. All I know is that I woke up in some endless darkness. For some reason time didn't feel like it was flowing consistently and I couldn't count even if I wanted to.
There I could only go over the memories of my past life for an unknown amount of time. I went over them again and again until each little fragment of memory felt ingrained into my very being. Even in my past life my name was Yi Feng.
When I woke up I thought I possessed some dead woman's body. I was in some bandit's cave and next to me were other women, clearly defiled, but I happened to still be clean or well as clean as I could be on the ground. They all wore the same robes too so clear we were a part of a sect.'
[So the body that you possessed was entirely random?]
'Yes, from there I met Li Daji, who wore a grander set of robes than the one I wore, and very quickly she found out that I wasn't who I said I was. I barely knew my name and it just so happens that she personally knew the body I had taken over.'
[Unlucky!]
'Tell me about it. After that I told her who I was in a past life and she believed me since she actually knew me, if only a little in the past.'
[L-lucky? What are the coincidences of that even happening?]
'From there we devised a plan. The person who killed me in the past was a woman named Jing Xiuying, a demon! You see I was actually one of numerous suitors for um… Li Daji's master.'
[Hoh? Interesting! So you're into older men?]
'No! He's actually really young and handsome too. It even still amazes me how such a young person can cultivate so many disciples.'
[A master who looks young and handsome? Tch! Must've been like those women who only care about vanity then huh? A useless man!]
'Hey! He's not useless, in fact I bet he's the strongest person in our entire realm even! I didn't go for him because of his appearance!'
I could practically hear her contempt for my man and it irked me.
[That's a high claim there, even I wouldn't dare say such things with my power at my peak! Tch! There's no way you could have met such a man, even if there was one! You're like a frog in a well, yet to see the world! What does a Foundation Establishment know? Tch!]
'I'll have you know I was in the 9th layer of the 9th realm of cultivation at my peak, Divine Transformation!'
[...That's… no… Stronger?... How? Is he a mythical 10th realm cultivator? A Divine Lord?!]
'I-I don't know, but that woman, Jing Xiuying, is. She's a Divine Lord, she has to be.'
[T-there's two in this era? How long have I been dead!?!]
'Um, I don't know, anyway where was I? Oh yeah suitors, so I met Li Daji since she was his disciple. The number of suitors for her master was incredible, especially since most if not all of us were Divine Transformation realm cultivators as well.
The world's best and yet one day that woman almost magically appears and suppresses us with strength not many of us had seen before. She's insane, but happened to fall in love with our man.
Of course we weren't simply going to take it with our pride as the world's strongest, but that didn't last. One day she killed one of the other suitors, it was obvious to us, but our man must have not known.
So one day we all gathered up to plan an attack and get rid of her once and for all, but it's like she knew where we would meet and set up an ambush for us.
Several dozen of us were defeated and one by one we were beheaded and our bodies tossed into a mass grave. All so she could be the only one left and have our man for herself!'
[...]
'Well, it's all in the past now I-'
*Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap*
My thoughts halted as I heard the sounds of several footsteps approaching echoing from the stone halls.
It was long till they all came into view either. Three figures appeared before me: Ip Cheng, Li Daji, and of course Jing Xiuying.
The 3 stood in front of the bars Ip Cheng in front and the other two just behind him on either shoulder.