Chapter 1: He Actually Returned
Nan Yu stared unblinkingly into the mirror, his eyes bloodshot, fixed intensely on his own face. Only after several minutes of this piercing scrutiny did he seem to confirm something, finally lowering his gaze to look at his own hands.
Then, as if a weight had been lifted, he let out a long sigh of relief.
Feeling the vitality of his fifteen-year-old body, Nan Yu couldn’t describe how ecstatic he felt. Yet, alongside that joy, a fierce surge of anger and resentment simmered within him. But…
The marriage contract between the Nan family and the Bai family—specifically, the engagement between him and Bai Zhouyun—wasn’t something he could dissolve with a mere few words.
Especially since that fellow Bai Zhouyun was currently playing a double game. He intended to keep the “red flag” flying at home while keeping “colorful flags” fluttering outside, planning to tuck Nan Yu away as a domestic trophy while keeping that disgusting creature as a lover on the side.
Because of this, Bai Zhouyun had always been exceptionally attentive and played the part of an optimistic, cheerful fiancé in front of Nan Yu and his family. Even the original Nan Yu had been utterly smitten with him.
Plus, there was the matter of that upcoming incident where Bai Zhouyun “saved” his life, which had cemented his devotion…
“Heh!”
Nan Yu let out a cold sneer. Putting that aside for a moment, he thought of the talent level of the “thing” Bai Zhouyun loved. In his previous life, if Nan Yu hadn’t been constantly helping him—treating him like a disciple and exhausting himself to provide guidance despite never officially taking him on—would that creature have ever become a High-Level Jingshenli Zhe?
If he hadn’t funneled so many resources that he himself had been reluctant to use or consume into that man’s hands, would he have reached those heights?
It was a joke.
Nan Yu checked his own mental power and found that his current level was only around that of a Middle-Level Jingshenli Zhe. But it didn’t matter. He knew that in just three or four years, he would become a High-Level Jingshenli Zhe.
At that time, he would become a high-ranking figure holding supreme status within the entire Empire!
The Empire would even classify his data as Top Secret.
And… by then, unless Bai Zhouyun became a general or marshal with illustrious military achievements, or some other major figure with significant contributions to the Empire, Imperial law would dictate that a man like him was simply unworthy of a High-Level Jingshenli Zhe.
In his past life, the state hadn’t intervened only because Nan Yu had been stubborn and willing to “lower” himself to stay with the man.
The corners of Nan Yu’s mouth curled. To break the engagement, he only needed to become a High-Level Jingshenli Zhe. In his previous life, he had reached that level in his early twenties. Now that he had been reborn with all that experience, he wondered how much he could shorten the timeframe.
If he could become a High-Level Jingshenli Zhe (mental ability user) before eighteen, he could completely shake off that piece of trash, Bai Zhouyun.
“Xiao Yu? Xiao Yu…?”
Nan Yu snapped back to reality. Although he had returned to his fifteen-year-old self, he wasn’t sure of the exact date. The person calling him from outside was his brother.
“I’m here! What’s wrong?”
Nan Yun knocked on his door and, after receiving permission, pushed it open. “Xiao Yu, why are you still in bed? That Bai kid has already arrived. He said you two made an appointment to go to the Heiye Senlin (Black Night Forest) today to gather some medicinal herbs.”
So it was this time. Nan Yu remembered now. Wasn’t this trip to the Heiye Senlin the very occasion where Bai Zhouyun supposedly saved him?
Since the heavens had allowed him to return to this moment, he certainly wouldn’t be polite. This time, he would absolutely not give Bai Zhouyun the chance to “save” him!
“Alright, I got it. I’ll be down in a minute.”
He had to prepare himself mentally. After all, in his most recent memories, Bai Zhouyun had conspired with others to scheme against him until not even his bones remained.
Just a moment ago, he had felt bone-deep hatred for the man, but now he had to pretend as if nothing had happened and go out with him. It was a massive test for his endurance and acting skills.
He first changed into suitable clothes. Even though he didn’t intend to let the man save him, he still needed to gather the herbs. On this specific trip, his luck was actually quite good—he would be able to find a small stalk of Nianshen Cao (soul-nurturing grass) in the Heiye Senlin!
To a Jingshenli Zhe like them, Nianshen Cao was a priceless treasure. As long as one kept a stalk of it nearby, their mental power would gradually become more refined and pure.
Over time, it would make advancing in rank much easier compared to others of similar strength, and the effectiveness of their mental soothing for Yineng Zhe would be significantly enhanced.
One had to understand that for Yineng Zhe to increase their strength, they had to consume the meat of Yineng beasts over a long period. However, the meat contained “distracting thoughts” that were almost impossible to eliminate.
It was essentially a form of mental impurity. After an Yineng Zhe ingested it, it would take a very long time to dissipate on its own, and almost no Yineng Zhe would go that long without eating meat.
Thus, the existence of Jingshenli Zhe made them akin to saviors in the eyes of the Yineng Zhe.
In truth, if Yineng Zhe wanted to avoid mental pollution, they simply had to stop eating beast meat. Unfortunately, once someone was detected as an Yineng Zhe, no one would ever give up eating the meat just because of pollution issues.
After all, every Yineng Zhe wanted to become stronger; it was their common goal.
Consequently, there were actually quite a lot of Jingshenli Zhe, otherwise it would be impossible to meet the demands of so many Yineng Zhe across the Empire.
However, while their numbers were large, ninety percent were Low-Level Jingshenli Zhe. Middle-Level ones were few, and the remaining tiny fraction were High-Level.
By the time he died in his previous life, there were fewer than fifty High-Level Jingshenli Zhe in the entire Empire, including himself. Compared to the number of High-Level Yineng Zhe, it was a pitifully small amount.
This was why Yineng Zhe almost always sought to marry a Jingshenli Zhe.
High-Level Jingshenli Zhe were the objects of fierce competition among all the powerful, influential, and wealthy tycoons. So, when the time came, why shouldn’t he find a real powerhouse to be with?
How could a guy like Bai Zhouyun ever be worthy of him?
A creature like that actually expected to have a High-Level Jingshenli Zhe at home to soothe his mind while keeping a little toy outside for entertainment?
What was most infuriating was that in his past life, Nan Yu hadn’t even known that “dog” was Bai Zhouyun’s little lover. He had treated him as Bai Zhouyun’s friend. Seeing how the man envied his status as a mental power user and looked so “pitiful,” Nan Yu had constantly helped him.
He never imagined that after using so many resources to help him—even giving him his own Nianshen Cao to help him become a High-Level Jingshenli Zhe—he would be betrayed by that man in league with others, including Bai Zhouyun.
After fortifying his mind, Nan Yu walked downstairs.
At first glance, he saw Bai Zhouyun sitting on the sofa in the living room. To be fair, Bai Zhouyun had the looks for it—he was quite handsome!
He looked the part of a refined gentleman. Combined with the fact that they were childhood friends and he had “saved” Nan Yu in the Heiye Senlin, it was perhaps destined that Nan Yu would fall for him in the last life.
But in this life, he would not make the same mistake.
In fact, Nan Yu knew that even now, Bai Zhouyun was already flirting with that “dog.” They were still young, so it was just a hazy feeling they hadn’t quite realized yet.
In a short while, they would “awaken” to it, and by then…
Translator’s Note: Hi everyone! I’m so excited to start this new project. This story is a classic “rebirth and revenge” tale, but with a cool interstellar/cultivation twist. You’ll notice terms like Jingshenli Zhe (Mental Power User) and Yineng Zhe (Ability User). Also, Dage means big brother—Nan Yu’s family is very protective! Hope you enjoy the first chapter!
Recommended Reads
