"The world is broken into three realms," Ling Hun explained. "One-- the Mortal realm, where, as the name suggests, mortals live. Second-- the Ethereal realm, where mortals who have ascended and granted immortality live. And finally-- the Fallen realm, where all sorts of wickedness reside."
"Intriguing," Zhen Lixin commented, leaning his back on the trunk of the tree.
However, Ling Hun continued as she ignored his comment.
"Every mortal is born with a certain power, whereas for you, it's water manipulation. Elemental manipulation is a gift and rarely given as an inherent power, which makes you powerful even if you didn't have any other powers. The mo-"
"Wait, how do you know all this?" Zhen Lixin intervened, opening his eyes and leaning forward.
"Shut up and listen," Ling Hun commanded, and a pout involuntarily came to Zhen Lixin's face as he leaned back, eyes closing.
"The mortal realm," Ling Hun continued, "is more like under the control of the Ethereal realm. The Ethereal realm is under ruling of the Emperor, Zhou Li, and the Ascended Council's assistance."
"The what?"
"The Ascended Council," Ling Hun repeated. "It consists of five Xians who are the highest ranked in each aspects. Xiu Ying, the right hand of the Emperor. She is in charge of especially managing the economy of both realms and being the Emperor's right hand speaks for her other duties. Bai Kexin, the woman who came to treat you today, is the healer of the realm. Gou Jian, the general who is mainly responsible for the security of both realms. An Le Yang, the Xian in charge of the agriculture, and finally, Jin Huang, who is the best illusion creator."
"That's a lot of names to remember..." Zhen Lixin thought.
"Don't worry, you won't need to remember them all," Ling Hun said, and then added, "Hopefully."
Zhen Lixin opened his eyes, sitting straight, and looked around. "Do I have any relatives?" he asked Ling Hun out of nowhere.
"Mother, passed away. Father, unknown." Ling Hun replied like an arrow being shot to Zhen Lixin's heart.
"That's... tragic-" Zhen Lixin commented, not knowing what to feel exactly. "So, I have no acquaintances?" He asked, standing up and dusting off his back.
"You have Shu Ming," Ling Hun replied, and Zhen Lixin wondered if it was just his imagination or she actually had sarcasm in her tone.
"Apart from him?" He asked, walking over to the path again.
"None."
Zhen Lixin was close to the edge of the mountain peak, a wave of clouds awaiting him in front. He stepped closer to the edge without replying to Ling Hun, and only spoke to her once he stood at the edge.
"Would I die if I jumped?" he asked, his gaze fixed on the semi-transparent sight of a green ground below through the cloud.
"You're an immortal, you cannot die," Ling Hun replied in an annoyed tone.
Zhen Lixin took a step back, his expression questioning as he asked, "That actually reminds, how old am I?"
"Close to four centuries."
"...."
Zhen Lixin's palm covered his face as he muttered, "I'm even older than a skeleton..."
"The Emperor is close to ten centuries, so I suggest you worry less about being just a few hundred years old," Ling Hun said.
Zhen Lixin sighed and lifted his head. He looked down again and said, "I pray you're right about not dying."
As Ling Hun kept silence, Zhen Lixin inhaled deeply before looking around and jumping off the cliff. Just as he passed the clouds, Ling Hun spoke up.
"You're immune to death," she said. "Though, you can still get injured."
"..."
"My love, did you hear that?" The young girl, dressed in simple but charming robes, asked the boy that sat with her under the shade of a huge tree in the green valley, his head resting on her lap.
"Hm? What?" The boy questioned, his gaze fixed on the girl.
"Not sure..." the girl replied, her gazed fixed aimlessly at far ahead. "I think someone was screaming..."
The boy gave the weight of his upper body to his elbows and straightened up, asking, "Huh?"
Suddenly, a strong breeze of wind came, a loud thud sound coming from where the girl was staring at. Startled, the boy spun around as the girl got to her feet, gasping. The boy stood up as well, and the girl took his hand as they stared at the man who had just fallen from the sky.
"I-is he... dead...?" the girl managed to mumble.
"Stay here," said the boy as he let go of her arm. "I'll go take a look."
"Be careful!"
On the grass field, the stranger laid unconscious, his handsome face troubled by dust yet remaining eye-catching. His eyes were closed, his eyelashes highlighted, and his rosy lips were slightly parted. The boy looked up, then leaned down to take a closer look to see if the man was breathing, when he suddenly straightened up. Startled, the boy stumbled back with a scream, turned around, and ran.
"My love??" The girl called after him as he ran past her without even turning back. She stole a glance at the man who sat straight, and as he turned his head towards her, she grabbed her skirt and ran into a leapt as well.
Zhen Lixin groaned in pain, his hand lifted to rub his forehead as he watched the two figures seize in size as they ran away.
"Why are they running?" he mumbled in a low voice.
"Why did you jump if you didn't know how to land?" Ling Hun asked.
"Why did you warn me AFTER I had jumped?!" Zhen Lixin asked back with a tone of anger as he clenched his fist. Realizing that he had spoken his words out loud, he immediately looked around for anyone but he was alone in the valley. He cleared his throat and fixed his hair and clothes. As he struggled to his feet, his body suddenly made a crack sound.
"Oh, lord!" Zhen Lixin exclaimed, his hands going to his back. "I think I'm broken..." he whispered in pain.
"You are not broken, Zhen Lixin," Ling Hun clarified in annoyance. "A mere mortal wouldn't have survived that fall, and you're unharmed. Quite the play."
"Tch," Zhen Lixin pouted as he rubbed his back and began to walk.
"Oh, right!" He suddenly blurt out, as if by being reminded out of nowhere. "You didn't tell me about the Fallen realm."
Ling Hun remained silent, and Zhen Lixin began to feel her silence odd now.
"Ling Hun?" he prompted, but there was no voice in his head.
"Liiiing Hunnn."
As Zhen Lixin walked, a huge arched entrance of a village stood before him. He glanced briefly at the name banner of the village as he kept calling out for Ling Hun in his head.
"Ling Hun. Ling. Hun. LiIiIiNnN HuUnNn~"
"What?" Ling Hun finally replied, startling Zhen Lixin. He turned around thinking someone was calling to him, but sighed in relief when he realized it was just Ling Hun.
"Where were you?" he asked as he continued to walk down the cobbled streets, lined with small wooden stalls.
The village was bustling with activity, the air filled with chatter and laughter, and the sound of vendors shouting. His gaze was roaming around, catching brief glances at the people and the stalls. Two women who walked past him whispered to each other and giggled, and Zhen Lixin nodded at them in confusion.
"I have my own concerns," Ling Hun replied.
Zhen Lixin's eyebrows lifted as a playful smirk came to his face. "Oh? Like what? Taking care of your body? Wait-"
"What did you need?" Ling Hun asked, a firm tone in her voice as she cut Zhen Lixin off before he could finish.
"Heh. You didn't tell me much about the Fallen realm," Zhen Lixin said again, his gaze freezing on a certain wooden stall that sold accessories.
"Apologies, then," Ling Hun began. "What do you wish to know about it?"
"What's there to know? Give me an idea of what it's like."
Zhen Lixin walked over to the accessory stall, his gaze searching over all the accessories. The stall owner, an old man, came over to him as he noticed Zhen Lixin's attention on his stall, and bowed to him with a grin. Zhen Lixin slightly bowed his head back, his hands tracing over the accessories as he examined them. Meanwhile, Ling Hun was giving him a speech on the Fallen realm.
"As I said," she was saying. "The Fallen realm is where all negative and wicked souls reside. Most of them are said to be various demons, but there's also a rumor saying there are mortal humans and immortal humans, as well. Why we should believe in this rumor is because, the ruler of the Fallen realm himself is an immortal human being."
"Completely human?" Zhen Lixin asked her, his lips not moving as he gently picked up a paper fan.
"Yes," Ling Hun replied. "The Fallen realm was originally an island where the evil was imprisoned in, guarded by the Ethereal realm. But one day, a human-- a powerful human-- was able to kill all the guards and let the wicked out of the prisons, and the island became their own residence."
"Interesting," Zhen Lixin muttered through his lips as he opened the white fan and examined it-- its edge golden and accented with light blue floral designs.
Pleased by his words, a huge smile came to the seller's face. "Would my lord like to buy it?" He asked, respectfulness mixed with a slight fear dripping in his voice.
Zhen Lixin nodded as he focused back on Ling Hun, but she was silent. Taking the opportunity, Zhen Lixin shared a brief conversation with the old man and bought the fan, and began to walk away, fanning himself with his new fan as it added a touch of elegance to him.
As soon as Zhen Lixin turned away from the stall, Ling Hun spoke again. "The realm really is interesting. It's said to be guarded by two giant serpents dwelling in the sea around the realm."
Zhen Lixin's eyebrows went high as he muttered, "Oh~"
"They don't let anyone without their master's consent in. Even the Xians from the Ethereal realm always come out injured after fighting them."
"Wouldn't that depend on how strong the Xian is, though?"
"Yes, and the Xians that were sent were close to your own rank."
Zhen Lixin remained mute for a while as he fanned himself and asked, "If they're that strong, then their master..."
"That's right," Ling Hun confirmed his assumptions. "The Emperor himself is trying to skip any encounters with the ruler for whatever reason no one is aware of."
"It can't be that he's scared of him, right?"
"According to the stories, the ruler of the Fallen realm is younger than the Emperor, which gives an idea that the Emperor is stronger. But at the very least, they're pretty much the same in rank. So, I can't really comment on your question."
Zhen Lixin had now reached the center of the village, an area covered with soft grass and free from wooden stalls. His eyes caught the sight of a crowd, circled around something in the middle of the area. Intrigued, he walked over as he conversed with Ling Hun in his mind.
"Do you know what his abilities or powers are?" he asked, craning his neck and standing on his toes to look above the people's heads at the center of attention.
Ling Hun replied, "Not exactly."
Zhen Lixin gently placed his hand on one person's shoulder, and the man turned his head to look at him over his shoulder, and catching the noble-like aura from Zhen Lixin, he immediately stepped back. Zhen Lixin nodded in appreciation as he forced himself through the crowd, trying to catch a clear glance at the man in the middle.
The person in the center was apparently a street performer, clad in dark robes, his raven black hair tied up in a ponytail. His tall and slender figure stood with his back to Zhen Lixin. Looking around, Zhen Lixin noticed the ladies' eyes fixed on the young man, whispering and shrieking. Even the men, fascinated as they held their jaws low.
"His name?" He asked Ling Hun when he finally got a perfect spot to watch the man.
The young man had extended his arm out, and something slithered down his sleeves. A snake! It slithered down his sleeves and wrapped around his wrist, its shimmering black head popping out of the back of his hand. A few women screamed and men gasped as the snake stared into them. He was offering his hand with the snake coiled around to the viewers, but they shrank back.
"Wei Xiyang," Ling Hun replied to Zhen Lixin.