Many weeks had passed since John's rebirth.
More than enough time to grasp the language spoken around him. He could understand most of what he heard now.
His mother's true name was Yue Li.
His father's name, according to her, was Yu Shang Li.
That was the only evidence the man even existed.
(Deadbeat, probably.)
Yet from the reverence others showed Yue Li, the bowed heads, the cautious tones,John could infer one thing clearly:
She was important.
Powerful.
Feared.
His days were predictable. Cry. Feed. Sleep. Observe.
It was repetitive. Mind-numbing Boredom.
But sometimes, Yue Li would carry him to the balcony overlooking the vast estate grounds. There, beneath drifting clouds and distant mountain silhouettes, she would drink a specially brewed medicinal tea made from rare herbs. The physicians claimed it would help her recover from the complications of childbirth.
Apparently, her meridians had been damaged long before his birth.
(Cliché. Of course it's damaged meridians.)
And yet…
She wasn't improving.
John cherished these quiet moments.
Not just because she was his lifeline in this unknown world, but because even in his previous life, he had longed for something like this.
Motherly warmth.
Gentleness.
He hadn't realized how much he'd craved it.
But beneath that comfort, something in his subconscious stirred.
Trouble was coming.
He didn't know how.
He didn't know when.
But it was coming, Perhaps his nature as a transmigrator made him wary of his new life.
So he listened carefully.
One evening, as twilight bled across the horizon, Yue Li smiled down at him.
"My little Sun… have I ever told you the tale of the Bloody Princess who fell from the Heavens and met a humble General?"
Her tone carried nostalgia.
John blinked slowly.
(Of course you have. And of course it's about you and father.)
Still, he shook his head.
Yue Li's crimson eyes softened.
"There once was a princess, drenched in blood, who dared to challenge the Heavens themselves. She mastered the sword… and slaughtered without hesitation. But the Heavens struck her down. Her ambition shattered. Her memories scattered. Her slaughter left behind."
She paused, sipping her tea.
"She fell… and met a general. A warrior peerless beneath the sky. His spear was sharper than her blade."
John remained still, absorbing every word.
"The princess demanded a duel."
A faint smile curved Yue Li's lips.
"The general proposed a wager instead."
Every five years, demonic beasts plagued the lands he governed. He asked her to assist in the culling. If she helped him bring order, he would grant her the duel she desired."
"And so they led an army of martial artists into battle."
John could almost see it as she spoke.
Mountains shaking.
Beasts roaring.
Blood soaking the earth.
"When the culling was complete… they stood upon a battlefield layered in corpses. Beneath the full moon, they finally crossed weapons."
Her voice lowered.
"Her sword, Jade Cutter."
"His spear, Heaven Piercer."
Blow met blow.
Sword light against spear light.
Water and blood twisted through the air, freezing and slicing in tandem. The general answered with flame and earth, reshaping the battlefield itself. Craters formed. Stone melted. Rivers boiled.The sky trembled.
From behind earthen walls, their soldiers watched with rapt attention, wagering monster cores, rare herbs, even primeval stones on the outcome.
Reckless?
Yes.
But at that level…
Recklessness was survival.
"And then," Yue Li continued softly, "they revealed their battle spirits."
The princess summoned a cyan-blue peacock, frost spilling from its wings, its screech piercing the heavens. With refined Qi control, she ascended into the sky.
The general answered with a jade-green winged tiger — a green-rank spirit near its peak. Slightly weaker than the peacock… but ferocious beyond reason.
The sky itself became their battlefield.
Their spirits clashed until both were grievously wounded, forced back into their masters' bodies.
Exhausted.
Bloodied.
Broken.
They fell from the heavens like twin meteors.
The earth shattered beneath them.
And when the dust settled,
It was...a tie