Chapter 1 – Rebirth (1/2)

Chapter 1 – Rebirth

「Born into suffering. Suffering leads to death.

Parting with one’s desire leads to bitterness.

Bitterness leads into what one does not desire,

Being unable to obtain one’s desires leads into Suffering.」

In Buddhism, there are the Eight Sufferings; Nie Yan had experienced no fewer than five of these sufferings. His whole life since birth had basically been a chronicle of tragedies. Fortunately, it was a short chronicle, because he only lived to the age of twenty-eight before facing his mortality.

Perhaps his life ought to have ended at that point. However, at that moment, fate conceived a single turning point.

Nie Yan turned over. A feeling of wetness arose from his back as his clothing clung closely to his skin. It was an uncomfortable sensation. He vaguely recalled having been shot in the back and collapsing onto the ground. His blood flowed out, seeping into the earth.

Isn’t it just death? Nie Yan lay there calmly where he collapsed. To silently pass away like this… Couldn’t this also be considered a peaceful death of sorts?

He had lain in ambush for five whole days at the gates of the Cao Xu Mansion. There, he waited with great anticipation for Cao Xu to emerge. At the moment when Cao Xu nearly disappeared into his vehicle, Nie Yan pulled the trigger. Employing his sniper rifle, he delivered a bullet straight through Cao Xu’s skull.「Bang!」Blood dyed the ground. Gazing through the scope from a distance, he saw a hole appeared in Cao Xu’s head, his blood flowing out smoothly.

Cao Xu’s eyes stared vacantly before finally becoming blank as the light in them gradually faded away.

Replaying the event in his mind, Nie Yan felt incomparable pleasure in his heart as he recalled the scene of the bullet piercing through Cao Xu’s head. Naturally, it was because he had been unburdened of his hatred.

Cao Xu possessed a lifetime of glory and splendor, yet he died at the hands of a nobody like Nie Yan. Even if he became a ghost, Nie Yan wouldn’t be too particularly bitter. In the face of death, everyone was at an equal standing. Even if he had the wealth to rival nations, it still hadn’t been able to save his life.

Cao Xu had committed too many evils… It would be hard for him to escape retribution in the afterlife.

At the same moment when Cao Xu’s brains were blown out, Nie Yan came to a realization. His perspective on life underwent a complete transformation. So everything in life was could be determined by no more than a single shot of a sniper rifle. Perhaps tomorrow his picture would appear plastered on the front page of the morning newspaper. The headline would read “Millionaire Cao Xu Assassinated!” Below, a giant mug shot would lay on the page for the common people to revere and worship.

Immediately after Nie Yan had assassinated Cao Xu, Cao Xu’s personal bodyguards discovered his location and went in pursuit. They shot at Nie Yan, and a single bullet managed to hit him in the back.

He felt a burst of sharp pain. So this is how it feels to get shot… His heart gradually grew colder as his life force rapidly escaped his body.

Am I about to die? he thought, and let out a faint laugh. He laughed at the bitter shortness of life. He laughed at his life of confusion and hesitation. Only when he was about to die did he finally awaken to reality.

Shortly after this realization, tears began to streak down his cheeks.

The deep animosity he felt towards his parents had already ceased to exist. The events of the past were now replaying within his mind as if they were some kind of film. The only thing he longed for now in his fading time on this Earth was her faint, unblemished smile.

She was Nie Yan’s fellow classmate in high school. By now, she had already been engaged to someone else, yet her elegant and refined complexion remained engraved in Nie Yan’s mind; the same as it was in the past. Following the passage of time, her image became all the more unforgettable. He wondered… When she receives the news of my death, of how I took Cao Xu out with me, how will she react? Will she sigh? Or perhaps… will she shed tears in grief?

The old memories of the past seemed to breach through their constraints and began flooding in. They were now drifting and floating within his mind. He was quite regretful. Sometimes, when you finally realize or understand the truth of something… it is already too late to do anything about it. In this lifetime he truly had too many regrets, too many unfulfilled desires…

Nie Yan reached out to grab at the empty air, wishing to grasp onto something… However, to his dismay, everything had gradually gone out of his reach. Alas, his life had finally reached its limit—up ahead lay only an eternally silent abyss.

Remorse and dismay resembled a dagger as it incessantly sliced at his heart; the pain in his chest was unbearable.

What wrongs have I committed in my past life for the Heavens to torment and punish me in such a way!?

Nie Yan’s grievances soared to the Heavens. He was bitter. He screamed resentfully in his mind as teardrops continually tumbled down his cheeks.

The moment seemed to last forever, and Nie Yan was actually completely unaware of how much time had passed. Eventually, his mind calmed down and gradually became serene.

His mind was still active as he pondered away… Could it be…? Is this death? Perhaps, I’m in spirit form now?

For a long time Nie Yan felt sensations in his fingers, moreover, it felt real. Why, after all this time, why am I still conscious? He immediately sat up. Surveying his surroundings, he stared out blankly, at a complete loss.

Could it be…? Is this the underworld?

Nie Yan’s dull eyes gradually began to regain their focus. As he looked around, a few old things entered his vision: a wooden bed, a chair, and a visibly damaged floor.

Where is this place? Didn’t I already die?

He felt as if he were in a dream—having a sort of illusory sensation. He began feeling his back; his entire hand felt wet and sticky. However, as he moved his hand into view, he saw that his palm wasn’t covered in blood but rather sweat. The wet sensation he felt earlier was due to the clothing on his back having been soaked wet in his own perspiration.

What’s going on?

Didn’t I lose a lot of blood? He vaguely recalled his blood being red. It was just like red wine, except with a scarlet tint; it was the colour of his life gradually fading away.

Nie Yan still felt pain after pinching himself. This really isn’t a dream. Don’t tell me… assassinating Cao Xu was a dream as well?

Why did it feel so real?

It was just as Zhuang Zhuo muttered as he awoke from a dream, “Am I Zhuang Zhuo who dreamt I was a butterfly, or a butterfly who dreamt it was Zhang Zhuo?”

How do I determine what is real, and what is a dream?

He surveyed his surroundings with a hint of doubt. There were just too many questions left unanswered.

Within the dim lighting, there was a shabby-looking wooden bed, chair, and desk. By the wall, there stood the grandfather clock his old man loved to exaggerate as a priceless antique.「Tick Tock Tick Tock」The sound it produced echoed into the silence. Nie Yan recalled that the clock’s time had never been accurate, not even once.

It was as if his past memories were stored in an old photo album, they slowly began opening up.

This room here feels so familiar. Isn’t this the house I lived in when I was in high school?

Through the gap in the window curtains, sunlight shone in. He felt a stinging sensation as the sunlight entered his eyes, causing his pupils to violently contract. This was a type of dazzling awakening into reality.

I’m still alive… Nie Yan stretched his right hand forward. He gazed at its tenderness and slight immaturity before noticing the sickly pale skin tone.

I… What’s going on here? Am I myself from ten years in the past, or am I myself from ten years in the future? Nie Yan scratched his hair in great bewilderment.

Aligning his train of thought, a few fragments from his memories began emerging. Gradually, they became clearer and distinct.