Hearing this small bird's tweeting non-stop above his head almost made his brain melt because of it.
"Alright, stop it!" Ling swung his hands frantically to fend off the little bird. "If you are truly a Beast God, then why are you in this lesser form?"
"Tch! That's not your business. Besides, you wouldn't be able to withstand my presence if I'm in my true form. Not even in the slightest!"
Ling felt irritated by the little bird's cocky behavior, however, from its little body, Ling could feel a tremendous amount of energy, he couldn't even fathom nor perceive its power level.
"I see… Then, why do you summon my very soul to this place?"
"Straightforward as always, huh?" said the chick. "I have witnessed the rise and fall of countless heroes all across the galaxy, but you… you are truly something else. That's why, I shall grant you another chance to live your life to the fullest of your heart's content!"
Ling was silent for a moment, reminiscing about the past.
In his past life, Ling joined the army to earn some money and become a cultivator.
He did to the best of his abilities to climb up the tower and reached a high-level position, strong enough to be called a Tianzun.
However, his duty as a General, in his previous life only hindered his Cultivation Path, resulting in him being betrayed and killed like an animal by the very Kingdom that he fought for.
Deep inside him, there's a desire that's hidden beneath his heart, a will to become the strongest in all land.
"So, what do you say, human?" said the little bird. "I know that you resent your past life, you want revenge on life and fate itself. Now is your time to make your life, only yours and live it as you see fit. And I know the very world that is suitable for your ambition."
The little bird might look docile and harmless from the outside, but every word that was out of its little beak filled with animosity.
Somehow, Ling was thrilled by its words. He can't wait to be reincarnated to the life that he could never imagine.
"Very well, I shall take your offer."
"Good… very good. The world that you are about to be reincarnated in is unforgiving, have you prepared your heart for it?"
"Yes, bring me there."
"Very well!"
***
After what seemed like eternity, Ling could hear a cry of an infant reverberating in his ears.
Soonly, his mind gathered the consciousness of his own little body as the vivid light of the world seeped into his eyelids.
"It's my own voice? Wait… I am truly reborn as mere infants?!"
"Oh, it's a boy!" exclaimed the maids who helped the mother deliver the baby into the world.
The doula, the one who always had been taking care of the mother during her pregnancy, quickly wrapped the baby with wool clothes and placed him in his mother's embrace.
Soon after, a male figure, wearing a fancy black robe entered the room once he heard the cry of the baby.
"Cao, my darling…" says the mother, weakly.
The man rushed towards her, caressing her drenched face. Sadness was truly visible on his face as his wife's breath grew weaker as the time went.
"Yue-er…" He says again as the tears run freely on his cheek.
"Look, he has the same eyes as yours, darling." said the mother, looking at the baby's eyes.
"I shall name him, Ling. And he will inherit this family's name, Zhao." Yue named her sole son with an endearing voice. "Ling Zhao, may your unbreakable spirit guide this family into a prosperous future."
Coincidentally, the mother gave him the very same name in his previous life. As if fate itself whispered the name in her ears.
After Yue bestowed the name to the baby, she also put her very last life force to do the blessing that will protect him for the rest of his life.
When the blessing had been done, Yue drew her very last breath and passed away peacefully.
Her funeral was so serene as her ashes soar high into the limitless sky and beyond.
***
With Yue's departure, little Ling was nursed by the maids in this pavillion.
Cao Zhao choosed the maids by himself, and even hired a midwife to breastfeed little Ling until he was grown enough.
Inside Ling's chamber, the midwife who was in charge that day carried him in her embrace.
"Now, let's try it again. You have to drink the milk, so you can grow stronger as per your mother's wish."
The midwife undid her dress, revealing her pair of voluptuous bosoms, trying to feed little Ling gently.
However, the baby seemed displeased by it.
Ling was indeed a baby, but he's a grown man inside. Being breastfed by a stranger was indeed very awkward for him.
"Don't you dare put that dark nipple into my mouth! You old hag!" Ling cried aloud, trying to escape from that situation.
The midwife sighed heavily, not knowing how to deal with this troublesome little baby.
After she put little Ling's into his cradle, she went to Cao Zhao's study room to report it right away.
"The young master still doesn't want to be breastfeed by me, even with all the maids, my lord."
Cao Zhao frowned upon knowing it, he's concerned about Ling's growth for the long run.
"Say this to all people within our reach; I, Cao Zhao, the Sect Leader of Zhao Sect will reward all women who can care for Ling until he is one year old!"
"As you wish, my lord."
With that said, dozens of womens from various places came to the pavilion. Offering their services to take care of both Cao Zhao and Ling.
And yet, little Ling rejected them as soon as he saw their faces.
Filled with greed and lust for gold. These women didn't even have a shred of maternal compassion and only after the money.
Until one day, a mysterious woman, dressed in tattered black robe knocked the pavilion's front gate at pitch dark, rainy night.
"Who's there?" asked the gate man, peeking through the eye slot on the gate.
"I am Xiao Wu. I heard that the Sect Leader Zhao is in need of a woman to take care of his newborn son." said Xiao Wu, her voice shivered in the cold.
Seeing this poor woman, the gate man was skeptical. "You better forget about it and go. The Young Master had rejected all beautiful women that come from all over the country."
"At least let me try, please. I've been walking for weeks just to reach this place."
"Get back in the morning. The Sect Leader is already asleep." said the gate man, sternly.
A sliver of hope washed down inside her heart, knowing that she still had a chance to change her life.