Chapter One: Doubt
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Chapter One: Doubt
The end of the world was upon them; all things were perishing.
“Why am I here?”
In front of Li Hao’s eyes, a massive character for “Alliance” loomed, its presence dominating the heavens and earth. A towering structure rose into the clouds, grand and imposing.
The “Alliance” character was inscribed above the main entrance to this unique great hall.
Inside, a white-robed middle-aged man stood respectfully before a man dressed in golden robes at the very front.
“Alliance Leader, according to reports, three million star domains have already suffered catastrophic destruction. What should we do?”
The golden-robed man’s brow furrowed deeply at his subordinate’s report, fingers tapping lightly on the armrest as he pondered.
After a long silence, he finally spoke:
“How many strong cultivators have we gathered so far?”
To his right, a refined, scholarly man in blue robes replied,
“Alliance Leader, there are thirty million cultivators at the Origin Returning Realm, one million at the Selfless Realm, and three hundred at the Heaven and Earth Realm.”
Hearing these numbers, the golden-robed man was clearly dissatisfied. He ordered,
“Send out my edict. The three hundred Heaven and Earth Realm experts are to immediately inform every domain lord in all star domains, detailing the impending catastrophe that threatens all worlds. They must bring all cultivators at the Origin Returning Realm or higher here to help halt the spread of disaster. Anyone who refuses will face punishment from every domain. Elder Wu, please notify the Heaven and Earth Realm experts at once.”
“Yes, Alliance Leader!” A burly elder answered without hesitation, turned, and vanished to carry out his orders.
After the elder disappeared, the golden-robed man continued,
“All cultivators below the Heaven and Earth Realm are to be granted access to all available resources. Seize every moment for cultivation. Every increase in strength means a greater chance of survival. Today’s assembly is over—return to your duties. Dismissed.”
With that, the dozens gathered in the magnificent hall vanished in an instant, each returning to their post.
As these scenes faded, another vision took their place.
A dignified and beautiful woman called out anxiously, but her features were indistinct, her words muffled and unclear. Still, Li Hao felt an inexplicable closeness to her. He struggled desperately to see her face and hear her voice, but no matter how hard he tried, it was futile. As the woman’s cries continued, the scene faded away.
Li Hao was left in utter darkness, unable to see his hand before his face. Only endless night accompanied him.
“What is happening?” he muttered to himself.
At that moment, an ancient, anxious voice echoed in his ear:
“Child! Wake up! Quickly, wake up! Everyone is waiting for you…”
Before the old voice faded, a ray of light pierced Li Hao’s vision. Startled, he raised his hand to shield his eyes.
In doing so, his hand caught on the strap of the pouch he used to carry herbs, and he woke with a start.
“Sigh! Another strange dream. These bizarre dreams—why do I keep having them?”
To Li Hao, this was just another ordinary dream. He did not yet realize it was a premonition, nor that much of what he’d seen was actually coming to pass.
He stretched languidly, then sat alone on a rock, murmuring to himself,
“Morning sunlight at day's edge, each day longing and sorrow for kin. Thoughts endure, all else fades, tears of yearning flow first. Spring lingers sweetly here, yet only loneliness dwells with me. When will I return home and lay down these worries?”
For twelve years, Li Hao had lived without family, sitting here alone, pouring his longing into the empty air. When his words ended, he gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
He idly plucked a clean blade of grass from beside him, tucked it between his lips, and leaned back against the rock, basking in the gentle morning sun.
As he lay there, sleepiness crept over him once more.
“It’s still early, I’ll nap a bit longer—just a little while. Hopefully, no more dreams this time.”
With that, he slowly drifted off again. This time, the dreams did not return.
As Li Hao slept soundly, beneath the rock where he lay, a massive, multicolored python slowly poked out its head. Its greedy eyes locked onto the slumbering boy, seeing him as a delicious feast. The giant serpent slithered closer, while Li Hao remained oblivious to the danger.
Seeing its prey unmoving, the python opened its bloody maw and struck like lightning at Li Hao’s brow, ready to swallow him whole.
In the next instant, something miraculous occurred. A surge of power burst forth from the battle spear mark on Li Hao’s brow, blasting the enormous python to dust in an instant.
Peace returned to the world; Li Hao slept on, undisturbed by the strange events around him.
He did not know how much time had passed when a young girl approached, drawing ever closer.
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The girl was delicate and pretty, with a lovely oval face, a fine nose, and a charming cherry mouth. She wore an exquisite emerald green dress, cinched at the waist with a matching ornate belt that accentuated her slender figure. As she walked, her smooth, alabaster legs flashed beneath her skirt, enchanting to behold. A string of elegant jade pendants tinkled at her hip, marking her as the cherished daughter of a wealthy family.
The girl, around ten years old, walked straight to Li Hao, crouched down, and gently pinched his handsome cheek, as if she might accidentally spoil his good looks with the slightest extra force.
In a sweet voice, she called,
“Brother Li Hao, wake up…”
This girl, who pinched Li Hao’s cheek, was Lu Yao, granddaughter of the Divine Herb Doctor.
Li Hao, startled as if pricked by a needle, bounced up and blurted out,
“Who dares…!”
He’d meant to ask who disturbed his beautiful sleep, but stopped short when he saw Lu Yao pouting indignantly at him. He had no choice but to swallow the rest of his words and force a smile,
“So it’s my dear Yao’er—pardon my poor welcome, pardon my poor welcome.”
Lu Yao retorted in her tender, childish voice, “Get lost!”
Li Hao took no offense. In fact, his keen hearing had already awakened him when Lu Yao approached, her jade pendants jingling. He’d only pretended to be asleep to tease her.
Seeing Li Hao’s playful grin, Lu Yao could not stay angry. He would sometimes gently massage her smooth calves, sometimes rub her little shoulders, until her annoyance melted away. In her soft voice, she chided,
“In two hours we’re supposed to study alchemy with Grandfather, and you’re still napping here? Have you finished gathering your herbs today?”
Li Hao pointed at the small basket behind him. In truth, Lu Yao knew he’d already finished—he was always diligent in his tasks, only playing once his work was done. She simply wanted to find an excuse to chat with him.
She then asked,
“Aren’t you afraid you’ll oversleep and be punished by Grandfather?”
Li Hao replied,
“Not at all, because I know Yao’er will come wake me!”
This was the spot Li Hao always came to rest after finishing his chores, not far from the Hall of the Divine Healer. Lu Yao often sought him out here. It had become their unspoken meeting place.
Lu Yao pressed,
“What if I don’t come?”
Li Hao thought for a moment. “Even if you didn’t, it’s fine.”
She asked, “Why?”
“Your brother Li Hao would already be awake.”
He laughed triumphantly, not noticing the flames of fury now burning in Lu Yao’s eyes. She thought,
“I was worried you’d be late and punished, yet you pretended to be asleep and tricked me—just you wait!”
Growing angrier, she stomped hard on Li Hao’s foot, instantly silencing his laughter and wiping away his smugness. Li Hao gritted his teeth in pain.
At that moment, he realized reality was far less kind than he’d imagined.
“See if you dare trick me again!” Lu Yao scolded, pounding his arm with her little fists.
Li Hao could only apologize repeatedly,
“Yao’er, please don’t hit me—never again, I promise!”
He regretted provoking her, silently vowing never to cross a girl again.
Seeing him so contrite, Lu Yao’s anger cooled and she let him off. But the ever-simple Lu Yao failed to notice the sly gleam in Li Hao’s starry eyes.
When Li Hao slung the herb basket over his shoulder and made ready to dash off, he called to her,
“Yao’er!”
She asked, “What is it, Brother Li Hao?”
He said,
“With such a fierce temper, and not being pretty, who would dare marry you?”
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Li Hao had been so badly beaten by Lu Yao that he felt a need for payback, so he spoke so recklessly just to provoke her.
Lu Yao pointed at her nose, asking, “I’m fierce?”
“Yes.”
“I’m ill-tempered?”
“Yes, not gentle at all.”
“And ugly?”
Li Hao, still stubborn, replied, “Yes.”
“No one would want me?”
“Yes.”
With each question, Lu Yao grew angrier; by the end, her eyes blazed with fury.
Only after she finished questioning did Li Hao prepare to run. Suddenly, Lu Yao’s wailing halted him in his tracks. He was stunned, realizing too late that his careless words had truly hurt her. Regretful, he slapped himself hard across the face.
He quickly crouched down, using his sleeve to wipe her tears. Seeing Lu Yao so sad broke his heart and left him flustered and helpless.
After crying for a bit, Lu Yao stopped, sniffled, wiped her tears, grabbed Li Hao’s arm, and bit down hard with her cherry lips.
“You dare bully me—there’s a price to pay,” she thought.
Having vented her anger, she worried she might have bitten too hard.
This time, Li Hao did not dodge and let her bite him. It didn’t really hurt, only left him a little numb, but he felt strangely at ease, though he could not say why.
The warm morning sun bathed them, but neither felt in the mood to enjoy it. Only the whistling wind and the distant calls of animals were heard as the two children sat quietly on the rock, minute after minute ticking by.
After a while, Li Hao said,
“Yao’er, I’m sorry—I didn’t mean it.”
Lu Yao replied gently,
“It’s alright, I know you didn’t mean it. Does your hand still hurt?”
Li Hao waved vigorously. “Not at all!”
They often joked and played, though this time things had gotten a bit out of hand.
Then Li Hao said, “Yao’er, in an hour, it’ll be time for our lesson with Grandpa Baicao. Let’s go home.”
“Alright.”
Li Hao stood and slung his herb basket over his back, then offered his hand to help Lu Yao up from the rock. The two walked side by side, neither fast nor slow, toward the Hall of the Divine Healer. After a while, to break the awkward silence, Li Hao said,
“Yao’er!”
She answered, “Mm?”
Li Hao continued,
“You’re so beautiful—when you marry someday, your brother Li Hao will be reluctant to let you go.”
Lu Yao rolled her eyes at him, then replied,
“Then why don’t you marry me?”
As soon as the words left her lips, she blushed furiously, mortified to have said such a thing, and dashed away, leaving only an elegant silhouette behind.
Li Hao didn’t think much about it and chased after her toward the Hall of the Divine Healer.
Hearing his footsteps, Lu Yao cursed him inwardly again and again,
“You awful Li Hao, rotten Li Hao! Stop chasing me, just stop…”
But Li Hao pursued her relentlessly, calling out,
“Yao’er, wait for me!”
Lu Yao wanted nothing more than to shake off this rascal, while Li Hao only wished to catch up. And so, the two of them chased and fled all the way home, into the courtyard.
The servants and maids all greeted them respectfully, but today, Lu Yao ignored them, running straight home, while Li Hao, as always, smiled and exchanged pleasantries with the staff of the Hall of the Divine Healer.
The servants and maids noted the young lady’s odd behavior, each keeping their thoughts to themselves. Afraid of inviting trouble, none dared gossip about her behind her back.