Chapter 3: Refining the Body
Xiang Tian looked at his tiny body and gasped; the look on his face could only be described as complex. Over the past year, he had lost count of how often moments of his past life had flashed before his eyes. The memories were so fresh in his mind, it was almost as if everything happened only yesterday; as if engraved into the very depths of his soul.. No matter what he did, he couldn’t forget the memories, but he understood now; he was called Jian Chen in his past life. After his death, he had carried with him the mysteries of his memory and soul, and had been reincarnated.
He retained all of his memories even after his reincarnation, so even after being born, he already knew how to talk. And according to the conversations from the people at his bedside, he had a rough idea of what type of household he was in. More importantly, he had learned that he was no longer in the same world as before. This was a new world that Jian Chen had never heard of.
Even the mansion Jian Chen lived in had a name–Changyang Mansion. The mansion belonged to one of Luo’er City’s top 4 families, each had a foothold of power and influence. His own father was actually the leader of the Changyang clan named Changyang Ba. His mother was named Bi Yuntian and was the fourth concubine for the clan leader. Although she wasn’t the primary wife, she still had a considerable amount of power in the family because she held the title of a Radiant Saint Master.
Even though Jian Chen didn’t understand what a Radiant Saint Master was, he did understand that it was because his mother was a Radiant Saint Master that her status was high in the clan, and there were many that respected her.
In regards to Jian Chen himself, he was the Changyang clan’s fourth young lord, and had a majestic status within the clan. Jian Chen also had 2 elder brothers and an elder sister. The first brother was Changyang Hu, the sister was Changyang Mingyue, and the second brother was Changyang Ke. The four of them shared the same father, but each had a different mother. Excluding Changyang Hu, Changyang Mingyue and Changyang Ke had met with him multiple times and were both only a few years older than him. The eldest of the siblings was Changyang Ming Yue, who was 4 years old; 3 years older than Jian Chen. Changyang Ke was 2 years older than him. Aside from them 4 however, there were still many other children in the family.
At this time, an elderly housekeeper came up from behind Jian Chen and spoke softly, “4th young lord, it’s getting late, and your mother is looking for you.”
Jian Chen was immediately jolted back to reality. Looking at the sky, he had come to the sudden realization that the sky was dimming, an indication of the impending night. Unconsciously, Jian Chen had been standing there for the whole afternoon. “I understand, Chang Bai. I will go back in a second.”
Chang Bai was the housekeeper for the Changyang clan and essentially took care of every single matter within the family. Because of this, his status within the clan was fairly high. Although he was only a housekeeper, he had garnered a good amount of respect, practically the same amount as the head of the house himself had.
A smile adorned Chang Bai’s face as he watched Jian Chen with high expectations. Even when Jian Chen was only half a year old, he hadn’t needed the help of others to walk, and quickly learned how to speak within 8 months. Not only could he speak clearly, but he could even communicate with others. With these two achievements alone, Jian Chen had already been called a genius, and many were eagerly awaiting to see how he would grow up.
At night, Jian Chen accompanied his mother, Bi Yuntian, to eat dinner in the dining hall. The dining hall they both sat in was special; only the head of the house, his concubines, and his children could eat there.
When Bi Yuntian and Jian Chen arrived at the dining hall, three beauties were already sitting at the circular dinner table. Each one of them looked to be in their 20s, and two of them each held a child in their arms. One of the children was a boy, and the other was a girl. The boy was around 3-4 years old, and was healthy but chubby. He was the third son and young lord of Changyang Ba–Changyang Ke.
The moment Changyang Ke saw Jian Chen, hostility and hatred swelled up in his eyes. It was clear to see that he was brimming with the intent to start something, and one could tell that he held a bias against Jian Chen.
The four ladies could all sense the hostility radiating from Changyang Ke towards Jian Chan, but none of them spared a second thought about it. In their minds, this was merely a small matter between children, and definitely not something that would be of great matter.
The other child was a 4-5 year old girl with two ponytails. Her bright eyes looked at the still hostile Changyang Ke and laughed. With her two dimples that appeared with each laugh, she looked exceptionally cute. Although she was underaged now, it was certain that after she grew older, she would have beauty that could rival the gods. This child was the second born of Changyang Ba, as well as the sole female child–Changyang Mingyue.
“Fourth brother, you’re here! Come and sit!” Upon seeing Jian Chen, the smile on her face had become even more splendid, as she waved him over.
Jian Chen nodded towards Changyang Mingyue as a greeting, and sat down with his mother at the dinner table.
Bi Yuntian began to pamper Jian Chen, softly saying, “Xiang’er, say hello to your aunts and siblings.”
Without any other choice, Jian Chen looked at the pampered ladies, “Hello eldest aunt, second aunt, third aunt, second sister, and third brother.” Ever since his mother had discovered that he could speak efficiently, she had been ecstatically teaching him the basic rules of etiquette. With Jian Chen’s “go with the flow” mindset, he didn’t object to her teachings. It would prove beneficial to him in the long run as well in this new world.
When he had first arrived in this strange new place, he had struggled intensely with this new body. Since he was reincarnated with his old memories, he still felt like Jian Chen. Deep within his soul, he did not think this new life was his, but as time went on, he gradually accepted his new body and life. No matter what though, Bi Yuntian was still his mother. Although it was a mystery on how he managed to retain his memories, they had been from a place on another world. It had no relationship to this new world, so Jian Chen had decided to hide away the memories in the deepest part of his mind. It was time to accept his new life and give it everything he had.
The three ladies all smiled at Jian Chen. One of the ladies wearing golden robes laughed, “Sister Yun Er, it would appear that Xiang Tian is getting more and more intelligent. Ai… it’s getting harder and harder to only see him as a one year old child. I truly am envious of you for having such an intelligent child.” The lady who spoke was the second wife of Changyang Ba and mother to Changyang Mingyue–Bai Yushuang,
“That’s right, younger sister Yun Er, what second sister said is correct. Each and every day, I grow even more fond of Xiang Tian.” Sitting next to Jian Chen with a tranquil look was another one of the 4 ladies. She was the third wife–Yu Feng Yan.
“Xiang Tian is certainly a child genius. To be able to walk at 6 months and speak at 8, these are feats that no other child his age would be able to replicate. I find myself anxious to see how much Saint Energy he has when he undergoes the test in 2 years, though I do sincerely hope that he will give us all a pleasant surprise when the time comes.” The next lady who spoke was significantly older, and seemed much more temperamental than the others. She was the first wife–Ling Long.
The moment Ling Long finished her sentence, a deep manly voice spoke out, “I agree. I look forward to when Xiang Tian reaches his 3rd year for this pleasant surprise as well.” A 30 year old man entered the dining hall, carrying himself with the manner of a master. With a white chang pao decorated with golden outlines, and a head of black hair that reached his shoulders, the man gave off a relaxed atmosphere.
“Husband!”
“Father!”
Immediately after seeing the man, the 7 people at the table all stood up at once and called out one after the other. Jian Chen was no exception, and softly cried out.
This young man was indeed the head of the Changyang clan, Changyang Ba.
Changyang Ba strolled down to the dinner table and sat down with a gentle smile on his face. With a look at Jian Chen, he asked, “Xiang’er, are you feeling happy living here still?”
Jian Chen nodded his head, “Yes!”
A smile curled up on Changyang Ba’s face, “Xiang’er, if you ever feel closed in this stuffy old house, feel free to explore the outside and experience it for yourself!”
“I know, father!” Jian Chen replied.
Changyang Ba was indescribably happy at how intelligent Jian Chen was and how much he differed from any other one year old, .
The family dinner went by joyously and the meal was consumed quickly. Afterwards, Jian Chen returned to his room alone. Based on his age, he should have been sleeping in the same room as his mother, but he had requested that he wanted his own room. Regarding this request, Jian Chen had been firm, and wouldn’t be persuaded otherwise. Bi Yuntian had ended up accepting his request.
And so that night, Jian Chen sat crossed-legged on his bed, with both of his hands on his knees. The palms of his hands were facing upwards, as was his face, as he silently went through the motions of practicing the first principle of Azulet Sword Law.
Azulet Sword Law; this was what Jian Chen had been studying for 20 years in his previous world and had become the strongest weapon in his arsenal. It was a type of cultivation that was both rare and formidable; it had principles that were profound and also contained many strong techniques.
The Azulet Sword Law was something that Jian Chen had stumbled upon when he was a child. He had accidentally fallen off of a cliff while playing in the mountains, and somehow managed to survive the fall by landing in a pool of water. When he had awoken, he had found himself trapped in a cavern with fish as his only source of food. After finding the manual, he had dedicated himself to learning it, and finally succeeded after 10 years. With his breakthrough, he was able to jump out of the cavern and return to the lands above.
Jian Chen was a war orphan who had been taken in by his great grandfather and grandmother. 10 years had past while he was trapped in the cave, so when he had returned to the village, his great grandparents had already passed away from old age a long time ago. After paying his respects to them, the now alone Jian Chen left his little mountainside village to travel the world by himself.
Jian Chen had accepted what life had given him in his past life, and he had accepted this new life as well. With this acceptance, he had started cultivating and refining his body for half a year, ready to regain his strength.