Tanghai was a vast region, towering with mountains and dipping steep with valleys, rivers rushing along the narrow banks like ever-winding pathways to each village. One mountain towered especially high over the rest, seemingly geographically perfect as it's peak was flattened with grassy lands, the sun pouring over the flourishing greenery with a gentle glow.
Here, on this lovely mountain, stood tall of nothing short but an incredibly lavish manor that could only belong to the wealthiest of the ridiculously wealthy - smaller huts - humbler abodes a bit farther down. A stone staircase had been meticulously carved into the mountain, built with the utmost precision, made to be climbed to reach the closest thing to haven.
This mountain was named after the river that ran along it, a waterfall tucked between the stone. The Luo River was famous for it's crystalline waters and alleged healing properties, incredibly soothing for a dip.
The people living on this mountain were the Wei Clan of Tanghai, known for their calm attitudes, graceful beauties, and incredibly powerful cultivation talents and producing divine cultivators from dim-witted disciples. The Wei family was even more prestigious.
The family head, Wei Wuying, was apart of such the fine bloodline of even finer sons. Not one in their lineage was unremarkable - monks, powerful cultivators, miracle doctors and such...
You'd expect people like this to be more stuck up, right...?
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In certain cases, those who have passed on can manifest as ghosts. This can only occur if the one who has died held deep resentment - had a reason to linger on the earth. Be it wanting to get revenge on who has wrong you, or pure stubbornness - (I mean, come on, who would want to refuse rebirth?) - every ghost had a reason to keep on living in the life they had died in.
That's why, when a young man's eyes flickered open, he really couldn't figure out why he was alive.
Soft, silver eyes slowly adjusted to the little dots of light peeking out from darkness. The young man grunted, feeling heavy weight compressing his whole body. It felt strange against his skin, and he felt it was almost... grainy?
His arm thrashed out and he coughed, some of the dust obscuring his vision and some of it falling into his mouth - to which he sputtered with disgust as he realized it was... dirt?
He quickly started thrashing, digging and digging and digging, until he heaved a large breath and squinted - eyes taking a moment to adjust to the sunlight after presumably so long in the dark. The young man's soft, pale hands press against the grass underneath him. Had he been buried? That could be the only reason he had been literally underground.
He groggily stumbled to his feet, but ended up falling flat on his face right back into the ground as he realized his legs were numb. The young man attempted to push himself up a few more times before finally managing to hobble over as he registered his surroundings.
On the far outskirts of a village, surrounded by towering mountains. Actually, it can't even be called the outskirts - the village was small in view - emphasizing the distance. The young man's heart dropped into his toes as he recognized immediately where he had arrived.
Xuan Cheng had awoken in The Little Village of Tanghai!