Under the still cloudy sky, Li Ming comprehended the meaning of death.
The one thing Li Ming never understood, despite dying in his past life.
Now, he finally understood.
Death is the calamity of life, enforced by the world.
Li Ming's eyes refocused towards the tombstones in front of him. And he said the words that had been bottled in his heart.
"I'm sorry."
These 2 tombstones belonged to his parents. The only parents he had. But they're gone now.
Though Li Ming knew he wasn't the cause of their death, Li Ming still believed he was at fault for their deaths.
Because he was a Transmigrator, he believed their deaths had been due to the law that Transmigrators don't have family. Maybe fate played a joke, or perhaps fate never cared enough.
The sky began to darken as thunder roared. Tiny water droplets began to fall from the vast, dark sky onto the 2 tombstones.
As the water droplets splashed on Li Ming's current juvenile body, Li Ming snapped out of his daze.
"Goodbye, Mom and Dad."
After saying those words, Li Ming dragged his 15-year-old body towards the path that he had come from.
After 1 Year.
Beijing, Ming Dynasty
The streets bustled with chatter and lights. Coloring the night sky with colors so distinct from the stars.
Among the flood of people was an unremarkable young man in ordinary white robes who seemed to disappear into the world. He was the 16-year-old Li Ming.
Compared to last year, Li Ming has amassed vast amounts of wealth from selling paintings and plagiarizing poems from mainland China in his past life.
Maybe it was embarrassment or shame from the act of plagiarizing that Li Ming hid his name under the pseudonym of "Merit Seeker" and only ever sold a poetry book with a collection of Classical Chinese poems.
The Book had sold well, which allowed Li Ming to amass enough fortune for ten lifetimes. Since this much fortune was enough for Li Ming to live without any worries in Ancient times, Li Ming decided to move back to his hometown with his fortune.
It took a few days for Li Ming to gather his belongings. Li Ming didn't have much to pack. This makes sense as he never stayed in one place throughout the year.
Since Li Ming had finished packing his luggage with a little time left over today, Li Ming decided to get himself some dinner from a restaurant within the streets of Beijing.
As Li Ming wandered the streets of Beijing, he smelled the aroma of Chow Mein. So similar to home.
Li Ming couldn't resist his appetite, so he went inside the restaurant for food. As Li Ming sat at an empty table waiting for a reception that never came, he couldn't help but regret the life choices he had made today.
'I should have worn an expensive robe, then the waiters would probably think of me as some noble and let me order quickly. Then I would have eaten by now.'
As the seconds passed by, Li Ming's thoughts continued to diverge.
'Why did I have to be so thrifty? I should have worn an expensive robe without caring whether they got oil stains on it or not. I mean, I have enough wealth to live ten lives of luxury. Why should I be so thrifty?'
An eternity in Li Ming's eyes was 10 minutes in the world's eyes.
Finally, a restaurant worker came to Li Ming.
Li Ming ordered his Chow Mein, which came within 5 minutes.
As Li Ming enjoyed his food, he felt like the wait was worth it.
At the end of his meal, Li Ming paid for his meal and left.
After exiting the restaurant with a full stomach, Li Ming decided to take a stroll across the streets of Beijing.
He had just wanted to take a walk for health reasons. Not because he had been eating unhealthy food almost daily.
Just as Li Ming was lost within the atmosphere of the lively streets of Beijing at night, Li Ming saw something flying past his eyes.
As the flying thing got close to Li Ming's field of vision, he was able to make out the picture of the flying object.
It was a young man in white, immortal robes, with extraordinary bearing on top of a flying sword.
"Hey! Isn't flying forbidden inside Beijing City?"
"That immortal lord must have extraordinary status to allow the imperial family to ignore the disrespect."
"Maybe it is so."
The nearby whispers didn't reach Li Ming's ears as his eyes lingered on the passing figure of the immortal.
Li Ming's mind went blank.
He had lived in a world with immortals.
In the 16 years he had spent living in this world, Li Ming never realized that immortals had existed in his world.
To be honest, it was Li Ming's fault for never realizing the kind of world he had lived in.
During his 16 years of life in this new world, Li Ming only minded his own business without paying unnecessary attention to the outside world. When his parents were present, Li Ming only paid attention to his studies and when his parents were gone, Li Ming only paid attention to making money.
That night, Li Ming returned to his home in a daze.
Before drifting into sleep, Li Ming lay down in his bed, the faint silver light of the moon spilling through the paper windows. His room was quiet, filling his mind with questions.
He closed his eyes and began to sort through the swirling tangle of thoughts that had haunted him.
If this world truly held the immortals, then what role was he meant to play in it?
He was a transmigrator. The kind often seen in novels as harbingers of destiny, as people chosen by the heavens to shift the flow of the world. Shouldn't he be chasing the Dao? Seeking enlightenment and carving his name upon the Heavens?
And yet… for sixteen years, he had lived a quiet, stable life. No calamities, no bloodshed. He had a place to return to in this unfamiliar world. In this new life, he had finally found stability. Was it not foolish to throw it all away just to chase an elusive dream?
The Tao was beautiful, yes—but also distant, cruel in its indifference. Cultivation promised power, but it often demanded everything else in return: time, safety, even identity.
Li Ming exhaled slowly, his chest tightening.
What use was eternity, if the cost was every peaceful morning?
He had nearly resolved to let it go—to live his life as it was, quietly, peacefully, with no need to gamble everything on an immortal path that might devour him whole.
But then a memory rose from the depths of his heart: his parents.
He hadn't seen them for a year, but their faces were etched into his soul, vivid and sacred. The laughter of his mother in their kitchen, the rough warmth of his father's hand on his shoulder, the smell of home on a rainy day.
He had lost them.
But what if…?
In the cultivation novels he'd read in his past life, immortals lived for eons. Some saw the reincarnations of their loved ones bloom and return like springtime after endless winter. A single glance from afar. A moment of recognition. Not to disrupt, not to interfere—just to witness.
To see them live again, to know they were happy in this world… That would be enough.
Not for reunion, not for attachment, but for quiet, wordless joy.
And so, in that still night, with moonlight painting shadows across the floor and the gentle rhythm of his breath filling the silence, Li Ming made his decision.
He would walk the path of immortality.
Not to defy heaven. Not to conquer death. Not even to ascend.
But for the faint, impossible wish of seeing his parents smile again in a life beyond memory.
A wish more illusory than the Tao itself.
The next morning
Li Ming took some money from his dear vault. He rarely kept huge amounts of money in his hands. Though Li Ming has ignored the world for more than 15 years, Li Ming wasn't an idiot.
He knew that flaunting large amounts of wealth would get you mugged, kidnapped and robbed. So he kept Some of his money in a secret compartment while converting the rest of the money into gold and silver and storing them in different cabinets throughout his house. But since he was planning to move to his hometown before deciding to become an immortal practitioner, Li Ming had covertly hid much of his wealth in his luggage.
Anyways, Li Ming left his house with his dear money. After making sure his money was safely hidden inside his cheap robes, Li Ming walked towards the outskirts of Beijing.
Why didn't Li Ming didn't take a carriage? Of course, he wanted to save money. Money comes before the body.
After 30 minutes of walking, Li Ming finally reached his destination. It was Yan Pharmacy.
Li Ming entered the Pharmacy.
"Good Morning to you, sir. My name is Wei Xan, and how may I help you today?"
The male worker of the pharmacy, named Wei Xan, inquired when he saw Li Ming enter the store.
"I would like some medicine that replenishes blood."
"For Whom?"
"For myself"
"Please allow me to lead the way, Our Esteemed Customer."
Wei Xan bowed politely and then walked towards a door which opened automatically when Wei Xan approached an unassuming Cabinet.
Li Ming followed Wei Xan. According to what Li Ming heard from the mouths of nobles and officials, the Yan Pavilion is an excellent information source. Normally, Li Ming would have ignored this but Li Ming was interested in the Yan Pavilion when he learned that many people had gone to the Yan Pavilion to inquire about the true identity of his Pen name.
The Yan Pavilion had indeed found out about his identity through his pen name. Though Li Ming didn't know how they did this, Li Ming had to pay out of his pocket to keep his pen name intact. Since then, Li Ming had been visiting the Yan Pavilion monthly to check if his money was well worth it.
At this moment, Li Ming didn't know anything about Immortals, so getting information on the immortal world from the Yan Pavilion was his best bet.
Wei Xan gestured toward the low table between them, and the two men sat, facing one another across polished wood.
"Our esteemed guest seems to harbor doubts about our establishment," Wei Xan said, a subtle smile playing on his lips. "So much so that a second inspection this month was necessary?"
"Oh, Owner Wei," Li Ming replied with a light chuckle, "everyone in Beijing knows the Yan Pavilion is the most dependable source of information in the Dynasty."
After Exchanging Pleasantries, Wei Xan and Li Ming.
"How may I help you today, esteemed Customer?"
"I would like to get some information on immortal sects," Li Ming said directly, his voice steady but laced with anticipation.
He didn't know if Immortal Sects truly existed in this world. But after twenty years spent devouring cultivation novels in his past life, he knew one thing: where there are Immortals, there are Sects.
Information about Immortal sects would give Li Ming a sufficient amount of insight into the immortal world.
"That would be about 20 silver coins."
Even though Li Ming was puzzled by the low amount of money for the information, he decisively took out some money from his personal treasury and placed it in front of Wei Xan.
Wei Xan nodded and turned to the cabinet. He sifted through folders and scrolls, each movement precise, until he drew out a plain, leather-bound book with no title on its cover.
"Here is the information you requested, Esteemed Customer."
Li Ming took the book with care and slid it into the folds of his robe as if cradling a fragment of fate itself.
"Thank you, Owner Wei."
Li Ming expressed his gratitude and left the Yan Pavilion.