When Li Xinwen heard Li Jinghua utter the word ‘second chance’, he frowned at her. He himself was experiencing a second chance at life and he couldn’t help but believe in it. Xue Rui nodded his head as he also believed in second chances, but for him it was different from the second chance that Li Jinghua meant. Sun Xiao was confused, so he just looked around to see everyone else’s reaction.
Min Xiaoyu answered. “According to our school of thought, second chances come in different forms. There are cases where souls who are unable to cross over to the spirit realm possess a living person. That, in a way, is their attempt at getting a second chance,” Min Xiaoyu, happy to be educating the others, leaned forward. “Reincarnation is also a form of second chance, and also rebirth. Some people think that reincarnation and rebirth are the same thing, but they are different. Reincarnation is when you begin anew in a new life. This is what typically happens after death. At the moment of death, the soul enters the cycle of reincarnation. Rebirth, on the other hand, happens when you have a strong karmic relation with the essence of the world. Due to that relation, you were sent back to experience the fruits of what you have sown,” Min Xiaoyu explained.
Li Xinwen could only agree with Min Xiaoyu’s explanation. It seemed that Min Xiaoyu was indeed practicing the path towards immortality. “And then, there is transmigration,” Min Xiaoyu continued. “Transmigration is when the soul is transferred into another body. The transmigrated soul would retain their memories, and is also able to look into the memories of the body they have taken over. Usually, for this to happen, the two souls must share the same karmic fate. But the probability of that happening is close to nil.”
Li Jinghua let out a quiet laugh. “Thank you for your explanation, Mr. Min. With that, I believe I won’t appear to be a lunatic in your eyes.” She felt relieved when she heard the explanation, because it meant that Min Xiaoyu believed her. She just hoped it was enough to make the rest, especially her two brothers, believe her.
Li Xinwen who had been silent for a while finally voiced out his thoughts. “Basically, every living being in the world will have their own form of a second chance. It is what the heavens dictate.”
In his thoughts he added, ‘Which is why cultivators who walk the path of immortality are sometimes punished by the heavens. Going forcefully against the heavens’ will is forbidden. There is a threshold beyond which we may not cross, and that is the reason why they send lightning tribulation every time we surpass that threshold…’ he added in his thoughts. ‘But his explanation about rebirth, it is only half correct. There is another reason why someone is reborn at a certain time. A person with a strong grievance may feel that the world treated them unfairly and thus, their soul returns at the time and place they wished to return, defying the will of the world.’
Min Xiaoyu and Li Jinghua looked at him with surprise, and Xue Rui had an astonished look on his face. But Li Xinwen was oblivious to everyone’s reaction. He was deep in his thoughts, as if the sentence he had just blurted out was a matter of fact. He was not expecting anyone to either agree or disagree with him.
“Well, in Taoism, when someone dies their soul simply returns to nature and maintains the balance until it finds a suitable body. Only then will it move to another body and be reborn as a different person. Or, if the soul is strong enough, it can even travel through space and time to obtain a suitable body, for example, by returning to the past. This cycle of rebirth and reincarnation will be repeated until one obtains Tao,” Min Xiaoyu explained further.
There was still no response from Li Xinwen, and Li Jinghua hesitated before she finally decided to bite the bullet. “I also believe in second chances. In fact… I have experienced the rebirth that Mr. Min told us of earlier.”
It was Li Xinwen’s turn to be surprised as he heard Li Jinghua say this. ‘Rebirth?’ Li Xinwen thought, his expression pensive.
Li Jinghua saw the expression of the people around her change the moment the last sentence got past her lips. Xue Rui looked at her with a mixed expression of disbelief and impatience, as if he was starting to have a headache, but was trying hard to keep his thoughts to himself. Sun Xiao on the other hand furrowed his brow and looked at her, confused, as if the idea of rebirth would only exist in a work of fiction.
However, she couldn’t gauge how Li Xinwen was taking the news. The change she saw on his face was only momentary. Only for a split second, almost like a flicker, and it was too subtle for anyone to notice without giving it their entire concentration.
Li Xinwen’s eyes looked straight at Li Jinghua as if examining her intently, analyzing her every word and her breathing. As if he could see through her every movement and would be able to call her out if she ever attempted to fabricate a story. It was the first time she had seen Li Xinwen this way, and it was as if her brother had become an entirely different person, a different kind of human being, and was almost unrecognizable. But it didn’t frighten her. If anything it made her feel a sense of ease. It was a reassuring presence which urged her to continue her story.
‘Who is this person?’ she thought to herself.
As if sensing Li Jinghua’s thoughts, Li Xinwen softened his gaze and managed a smile before encouraging her to continue.
“Hua-jie…please continue…”
“Uh..yes…thank you Ah‘Wen….” She cleared her throat and straightened her back, thinking ‘This is going to be a long night. I’d better do a good job at convincing everyone… especially Xinwen…’
“I know you don’t believe me so I’ll just prove it to you slowly, but first, listen to me carefully. In five years, our world will experience a crisis that might lead to the extinction of humanity. It begins with the news of a huge meteor coming towards earth. Military powerhouses from all over the world will come together to create a weapon that can destroy the meteor before it hits the earth. Although they will manage to create the weapon, it won’t be enough to destroy the meteor. It will break into smaller pieces and their trajectory will change slightly, and scatter across the earth. And the various governments of the respective countries where the meteorites land will quickly seal any information regarding the location of these scattered pieces. Then… a few months later, a world-wide epidemic will happen…”
When Li Jinghua said this, her aura seemed to undergo a drastic change, and her expression turned more complex. Her brows creased, she took several deep breaths as she tried to calm herself.
“This epidemic will lead to changes which you should expect will turn the world upside down. Humans across the world will start having fevers of varying degrees depending on their constitution. The weaker ones… will have a hard time surviving. The world will be in panic, and people will be clamoring for safety. It is devastating to listen to the news especially when you find out that people you know; people close to you… friends… family….”
Her voice trailed off as memories of the night their mother turned into a monster suddenly came flooding into her mind. She closed her eyes as she bit back the tears that threatened to fall just as the memories came. There were so many things that she regretted doing during the time of the apocalypse, and her dying wish had been to be given another chance to mend everything. Now that she had gotten that chance, she planned to make full use of it. The only unfortunate thing was that she could not change her mother’s fate. No matter what she did, she knew her mother was too old to survive the fever that came with the transition.
***
Li Jinghua became lost in her memories. Thinking about it, the first incident of a human turning into a zombie was recorded in the Republic of Burundi in Africa. The epidemic would later spread across its neighboring countries, hitting Rwanda next, before news of the epidemic was announced in Tanzania, then the Republic of Congo. A few days later, several of the doctors who had continued their work in their respective home countries while also doing humanitarian aid in Africa, turned. As if triggered simultaneously by something, the spread of what was now referred to as the “zombie virus” accelerated. Even the remote islands in the Pacific were completely overrun.
Millions of people around the world became infected. Countries were completely shut down, especially the smaller ones which did not have the military and financial power to fight the epidemic. Cities which had been bustling and teeming with life transformed into wastelands overnight. Buildings and houses all over were abandoned, and vehicles littered the roads. Those who survived and were uninfected locked themselves in. The epidemic spread so fast that a great majority of the people were unprepared. Everyone fought for resources, especially food and water. The rations provided by the military and the government did not last long. Military bases in some cities which were used to quarantine infected individuals also did not escape the epidemic. In the end those who were charged to protect the uninfected also turned.
Li Jinghua remembered everything clearly. Three months after the apocalypse began, the Li household was still managing to hold off misfortune with the assistance of Xue Rui. Their house in the suburbs had been fortified and they were provided with supplies to last them for another three months. There was no electricity and the water supply had long since stopped running in the pipes. It was fortunate that the family was able to store ample water before the complete shutdown of the water treatment and distribution facilities.
One day Li Jinghua and Li Xinwen had been in the basement of their home doing an inventory of the remaining items they received from Xue Rui.
“Ah‘Wen have you finished checking whether we still have enough of the water purification tablets? The water we stored might not last until Rui sends us more… I wonder what he’s doing right now…” there was a hint of worry within Li Jinghua’s tone as she stared at the book containing their inventory lists.
Li Xinwen, who noticed his sister’s worry, glanced at her and, wanting to comfort the older woman, gave her a smile. “Yes Hua-jie… we still have ten boxes on the shelf. And you shouldn’t worry too much about Rui-ge, I’m sure he’s safe.”
“Hmmmm…”
Seeing that his elder sister’s worry did not ease up, Li Xinwen walked up to her and held her at arm’s length. “Hua-jie, Rui-ge will be okay. I know that you miss him and want to be with him at this time, but you know how dangerous it is outside. He’ll come when it’s safe. I’m sure you’re also always on his mind. So cheer up and stop worrying, okay?”
“Yes…you’re probably right…”
Sensing that his sister was still worried Li Xinwen was at his wits end when he finally came up with an idea which he thought might put his sister’s heart at ease.
“Hua-jie, I have an idea… since the world has come to this and you and Xue Rui were unable to hold your wedding ceremony, why don’t we hold a simple ceremony for the two of you? Just the two of you, exchanging vows? You can wear the white long sleeve lace mini dress you have hanging in your closet! I’ll fix up the living room and make it all fancy!” As an actor, Li Xinwen managed to say all of this with a big grin on his face. His eyes were also shining with excitement, making even Li Jinghua feel that they were not currently living in the apocalypse, but instead, a normal world. It took her a few seconds before she finally returned to reality.
“You’re so silly, Ah‘Wen… Rui would never agree to something so embarrassing…” she said as she let out a demure laugh.
“The world is about to end. I’m sure Rui-ge will make an exception! I’ll convince him!” Li Xinwen responded and they both laughed like children, once again, forgetting for a moment that the world outside was already in ruins.
“Ahhh… thank you Ah’Wen…” Li Jinghua said with a smile on her face, and Li Xinwen couldn’t help but hold his sister in a gentle embrace, his heart aching at the thought that he had betrayed her, and that Li Jinghua was never going to have the perfect wedding with the man she loved.
‘Forgive me Hua-jie…’ he whispered quietly in his mind.
The siblings finished their inventory and went up to the living room. Madam Li was in the kitchen, preparing dinner for the family. She had been feeling under the weather for the past couple of days but kept her silence, not wanting to worry her children.
‘My age is probably catching up to me… who would have thought I’d witness the world coming to an end… and I fear that I am also nearing mine…’ she thought as she portioned the remaining dry fried sichuan beef she’d cooked some days ago. She set the table and called her children.
“Hmm… smells good!” Li Xinwen exclaimed as he made his way to the table. “Mom is absolutely the best! Coming up with this delicious food in spite of the situation.”
“Aiya! My Xinwen is praising me too much. Fine, fine, I’ll let you have some more of mine,” Madam Li responded with a smile, as she moved some of her portion to Li Xinwen’s plate.
“Mom! That’s unfair, what about Ah‘Xiao and myself?” Li Jinghua protested affectionately. Sun Xiao joined in looking at Madam Li like an abandoned puppy, and agreeing with Li Jinghua’s protest.
“Hahaha… my precious babies. Of course mom wouldn’t be unfair to you two,” Madam Li responded and looked at her children with the gentlest eyes. She continued to give away her meal until she had only a little left. When her three children saw this, they each gave back her portion, saying that she also needed to eat more.
The familial exchange managed to brighten the dining room that was only illuminated by a single flickering candle. After dinner, Li Jinghua, Li Xinwen and Sun Xiao went through their daily routine of making sure that the doors were locked, and the windows tightly shut. Afterwards, Sun Xiao went directly to his bedroom after saying good night to his elder brother and sister. They may not be related by blood but their bonds as siblings were stronger than others’ were.
Li Jinghua and Li Xinwen were in the living room reminiscing about their childhood with Li Xinwen occasionally bringing up the idea of Xue Rui and Li Jinghua’s vow ceremony. They were laughing and giggling like children, and Madam Li could hear them from her room as she sat on her bed preparing to sleep.
‘My babies are all grown up…’ she thought with a sigh as she smiled to herself. ‘I’ve done quite well in raising them to be strong and independent… they will survive…’
As Li Xinwen and Li Jinghua were about to head upstairs to their bedrooms, a loud thud was heard from Madam Li’s bedroom. The siblings exchanged glances and hurriedly ran to check on Madam Li.
“Mom?” Li Xinwen called out, only to be answered with silence. “Mom, are you okay?” Li Xinwen called out once more. His heart started to race as unwanted thoughts started to surface in his mind.
“Mom!” Li Jinghua repeated as she knocked on the door. She tried to turn the knob but found that it was locked.
“Mom… open the door…” Li Xinwen pleaded, with his heart beating loudly in his chest. A sinking feeling slowly spread in the pit of his stomach.
‘Stay calm… stay calm… everything’s okay,’ he thought to himself. “Hua-jie… get the spare key to Mom’s bedroom,” he told her, even though she was clearly distressed and worried. She looked at Li Xinwen, her eyes watery and filled with fear, as if asking him to reassure her that their mother was okay.
Li Xinwen grabbed Li Jinghua’s shoulder and shook her, “Hua-jie, we do not have much time, stay calm and get the spare key for Mom’s bedroom.”
“Okay… okay…” she responded with a cracked voice as she turned and ran to the study where they kept the spare keys. Hands trembling, Li Jinghua rummaged through drawers and shelves, her mind racing as tears pooled in her eyes and blurred her vision.
“Snap out of it Jinghua… stay calm… focus…” she willed herself. After finding the spare key she hurried back to find Li Xinwen pounding loudly at Madam Li’s door. Sun Xiao was beside him, worried and close to tears, fidgeting with his pajamas. He had heard the banging downstairs and decided to check on what was happening. Li Jinghua handed the keys to Li Xinwen and immediately ran over to Sun Xiao. She wiped her tears and mustered a brave face.
“It’s okay Ah’Xiao… sshhh…” she said, and she held the boy close.
Li Xinwen managed to steady his hands and put the key into the keyhole. He glanced back at Li Jinghua and Sun Xiao before turning the knob to open the door. It was dark inside the room and a candle flickered on top of the corner dresser by the window. Madam Li was nowhere in sight, at least that was what it looked like at first. Li Xinwen ran to the other side of the bed and found her lying on the floor.
“Mom!” he shouted as he dashed over to Madam Li. Li Jinghua and Sun Xiao followed him and stood at the foot of the bed with distress and worry on their faces.
“What happened to Mom Xinwen!?!” Li Jinghua asked, her voice filled with panic.
Li Xinwen looked at both of them wide-eyed, his expression filled with anxiety and fear.
“She’s burning up…” he responded as he lifted Madam Li’s body onto the bed.
“Jinghua… run to the bathroom and fill the tub with water… ice… we need ice…” he said, and when he realized that the taps had long since ran out of water and there was no electricity to make ice, tears began to slowly run down his face. He held Madam Li’s wrist and felt her pulse. It was weak.
“Mom! Wake up! Wake up! Jinghua, medicine! Find medicine for the fever… find something so we can lower her temperature!” Li Xinwen exclaimed, forgetting for a moment that he was addressing his elder sister. But the woman in question continued to stay rooted in place.
Sun Xiao, who was confused by what was happening, started to have short, labored breathing and tears streamed down his cheeks. Li Xinwen noticed that their younger brother was having a panic attack, but his sister was not moving.
“Jinghua!” Li Xinwen shouted, which pulled Li Jinghua out of her daze. “Ah’Xiao is having a panic attack!” he informed her.
“Ah’Xiao!” Li Jinghua quickly ran to Sun Xiao and held his shoulders, looking right into his eyes. “Ah‘Xiao, listen to me. Listen! Take a deep breath, calm down…” she told the boy before reassuring him that Madam Li was going to be alright. She led him out of the bedroom and went with him upstairs to his room.
“Hush now Ah‘Xiao… Mom’s going to be fine… go to sleep okay? Stay in your room until I come get you, okay? Promise jiejie that you’ll be a good boy…” she said,and she mustered a smile in order to reassure her younger brother. She then kissed his forehead and left him there.
She took the first aid kit from the upstairs bathroom with her and ran back to Madam Li’s bedroom. Li Xinwen was hurriedly wiping Madam Li’s forehead and arms with a wet washcloth in the hopes that it would lower her temperature. While Li Jinghua took Sun Xiao upstairs, he rushed to get a few bottles of water to use. He did not even care that he was wasting the water as long as he could keep his mother’s temperature down. He tried to be gentle but the motions were rough and hurried. It was as if he was willing the moisture from the washcloth to envelope Madam Li and make her temperature drop. He couldn’t stop his tears from falling.
“Mom… please wake up….” he kept whispering while Li Jinghua rummaged through the medicine kit looking for the fever medicine, but it was too late. Deep down, in both their minds and hearts, they knew that Madam Li had breathed her last, in spite of the persistent high temperature.
Li Xinwen and Li Jinghua exchanged glances.
“Ah‘Wen come over here…” Li Jinghua beckoned Li Xinwen.
“But… what about Mom? There must be something we can do Hua-jie…” he responded, barely able to whisper, because his throat was constricted.
“Come here Ah‘Wen… we need to leave the room…”
“No, Hua-jie… no…” Li Xinwen did not wish to accept it, but faced with Li Jinghua’s broken expression, he knew there was nothing more they could do. Li Xinwen let go of the washcloth and caressed Madam Li’s face, kissing her forehead. “I’m sorry mom… I love you…” he whispered, wishing in his heart that Madam Li was able to hear him. As if hoping that those words were enough for her to stay as she was.
As he stood from her bedside, Madam Li’s hands twitches involuntarily. Her arms jerked as Li Xinwen made his way towards Li Jinghua. Madam Li’s body contorted, and as if subjected to a lot of pain, it spasmed and started writhing. Madam Li let out a gurgling sound before her eyes opened wide with only the whites visible. Her skin quickly turned ashen, a sickly shade of gray, and the veins on her face became clearly visible as if they were going to pop out and explode at any minute.
Li Xinwen and Li Jinghua watched the entire transformation wide-eyed, shocked silent, with tears running down their faces. Li Jinghua was the first to come out of it, as if her protective instincts suddenly kicked in after witnessing their mother turn.
“We need to leave the room Xinwen… Now!” and she jerked Li Xinwen out of the bedroom, leaving their mother locked inside.
***
The memory was too painful to recall, and even though the apocalypse was still a long ways away from happening, Li Jinghua vividly recalled all the emotions associated with that future. She closed her eyes as she bit back the tears that threatened to fall.
There were so many things she regretted doing during the time of the apocalypse. The most unfortunate of those things was that she could not change their mother’s fate. No matter how she thought about it, she knew their mother would not have been able to survive the transition. Her old age had not allowed her to survive the fever. Before coming back to the present, Li Jinghua’s dying wish was to be given a second chance, in order to mend everything, and now that she was here she was not going to waste it. She was going to make full use of the opportunity.
She was deep in thought, vividly remembering how she felt during her last days after the apocalypse. She’d felt a deep sense of remorse and anger after losing Xinwen, and such a great sadness when she was unable to tell him how much she loved him, that she forgave him.
“Hua-jie, are you alright?” Li Xinwen’s question snapped Li Jinghua out of her memories. Her eyes landed on Li Xinwen who was looking at her. Then, memories of Li Xinwen’s death flashed in her mind and Li Jinghua could no longer hold back her tears.
“Ah‘Wen…” she weakly called out to her brother as the tears fell down her cheek.
Seeing this, Li Xinwen’s eyes widened and before he could even register what he was doing, he found himself already at Li Jinghua’s side, pulling her into a tight hug. Li Xinwen was not the original Li Xinwen of this world, and yet he felt his heart clench in pain when he heard Li Jinghua’s voice as she called out to him. ‘Such turbulent emotions… and the guilt in her eyes… She mentioned that she had experienced rebirth. Then, does that mean, she is experiencing this life the second time? Something must have happened to Li Xinwen in the future she speaks of, to evoke such an emotion from this strong young woman. Is that why she is protective of me? Or to be more exact, of the original owner of this body?’
Several questions ran through Li Xinwen’s mind but they remained unanswered, and he was unable to bring himself to ask them. Especially since Li Jinghua was clinging to him while silently crying her heart out, as if he was her last lifeline. Li Xinwen looked around helplessly before lifting his hand and starting to gently massage Li Jinghua’s head. While doing so, he made sure to send out warm strands of spiritual energy into Li Jinghua’s mind in order to calm her.
With the help of Li Xinwen’s spiritual energy, it didn’t take long for Li Jinghua to calm down. She wiped her tears and looked over to the rest of the people present in the living room. “I apologize for my outburst. Let me continue… where was I…” Li Jinghua tried to remember where she had stopped earlier. “Ah, yes. The epidemic. Those with a weaker constitution, once they died, it took about five to ten minutes for them to change, but in some cases, it was instantaneous. The period depends on the infected individual’s condition before turning…”
Xue Rui, who up to this moment had sat silently listening to Li Jinghua, had been contemplating whether all this talk about the apocalypse and rebirth was actually true. He thought, perhaps due to the incident earlier with Min Xiaoyu, all of his emotions were likely muddled, his thoughts in chaos.
‘This is giving me a headache… How did today turn out like this… today was supposed to be special… agh!’ he thought in frustration. This prompted him to ask Li Jinghua in a cynical manner, “Change? You’re not about to tell us that people are going to change into zombies now, are you Jinghua?” He crossed his arms and gave Li Jinghua a scrutinizing look.
The question was so sarcastic and condescending it left a bad taste in the mouth. Li Xinwen and Min Xiaoyu exchanged glances before looking at Xue Rui then back to Li Jinghua.
As if unfazed by Xue Rui’s statement, Li Jinghua gave him a helpless smile.
“Rui, I know that this is all hard to believe but it is the truth. In the first place why would I go through all this trouble to make up a story about the apocalypse and zombies?”
“Exactly Jinghua, what is the actual reason why you are making up these stories about rebirth and the apocalypse?”
“I am not making up any kind of story. The apocalypse will happen and nobody can change that.” Li Jinghua responded, trying to keep her composure.
“It’s frustrating to argue with you Rui… It’s alright if you do not believe me. I expected as much,” she said as she looked down on the floor.
“Clearly this is a waste of your time Rui and I do not want to spend my energy arguing with you about this. You can leave now. You know where the door is, I won’t see you out.”
***
It was obvious to everyone present in the room that Li Jinghua had basically just told Xue Rui to leave and bluntly asked him to see himself out of the residence. This did not escape Xue Rui as well and it frustrated him even more.
‘Nothing’s been going my way ever since we attended the auction! What the hell is happening? And now Jinghua is basically throwing me out of the house!’ Xue Rui thought. ‘What if they become closer while I’m not looking?!’ he added as he glanced at Li Xinwen, unwilling to leave.
“Why are you still here Rui? Since you do not believe me in the slightest, please leave. Why waste your time further? Don’t worry, I have already decided not to include you in my plans in facing the apocalypse. It is enough if my family survives and lives well,” Li Jinghua declared.
Xue Rui felt as if he was being doused by a bucket of cold water the moment he heard Li Jinghua’s declaration. ‘It hurts… I know I betrayed Li Jinghua since I decided to act on my desires for Xinwen, but I never treated her badly. I gave her my time and attention in all the years that we were “together,” so why am I now being treated as if I neither deserve respect nor affection?’ His thoughts continued to run amok as he clenched his fists in frustration.
“Then what about him?” Xue Rui responded, pointing at Min Xiaoyu, who looked confused at their exchange.
“What about Mr. Min? Since he believes me, naturally I am willing to share my knowledge with him. Please see yourself out, Rui.”
Not wanting to spare Xue Rui another glance, Li Jinghua closed her eyes and turned away from him. It was also painful for her to say those words to Xue Rui, who had once held her heart, whom she had once loved, so even if she had long ago decided to let go of him, it was still hard on her heart.
Li Jinghua’s words hit him like blows in a boxing match. He felt infuriated, sad, angry and hurt at the same time. And all these emotions kept building in his heart. He knew that arguing further would not get them anywhere. He thought of Li Xinwen and realized that no matter what happened, Li Xinwen would never take his side or even consider understanding him or how he felt at the moment.
‘Perhaps it’s time to let this all go?’ Xue Rui thought. ‘It all seems hopeless and I’ll never get Li Xinwen’s affection, especially now with how things have turned out…’
Xue Rui stood up and took his coat. He let out a heavy sigh and looked at Li Xinwen, who at that time was also looking in his direction. Their eyes met briefly and he mustered a weak smile as if to say goodbye, as if to say that he was giving up.
“Then I shall take my leave…” Xue Rui responded, his voice sounded tired and tinged with anger. His footsteps were slow and heavy as he made his way to the front door.
‘This is all hopeless… this is the right decision… let’s leave before I do something even more regrettable…’ he thought. Although Xue Rui told himself this, he knew it was impossible for him to give up. He had already sunk so deep within his desire for Li Xinwen that it was impossible for him to completely give up.
Li Xinwen, who had listened to the exchange between his sister and Xue Rui, looked at Li Jinghua confused. According to the original’s memories, Li Jinghua really loved Xue Rui, and if something bad were to happen in the future, she should’ve included him in her plans. Doubt suddenly began to envelope his heart.
‘Was it only because Xue Rui did not believe her? Or is there something else that they are not telling us? The way they were at each other’s throat earlier, and how Jinghua bluntly asked Xue Rui to leave… is there something else that I don’t know? And what was that look in Xue Rui’s eyes as he left? ‘ Li Xinwen wondered, his eyes lingering on the door where Xue Rui had exited. ‘That lost puppy expression is really deadly…’ he added with a sigh.
After Xue Rui left, Li Jinghua went back to sharing her knowledge regarding the apocalypse. She explained that during the first three months, the zombies were not as dangerous. Those who remained uninfected learned that their movements were slow and stiff. They learned that as long as they kept their distance, they could kill them easily. But, as time went by, they noticed that the zombies had become more agile.
However, at the same time the zombies upgraded, humans also found out that they had special abilities that they could use.
“Ability?” Min Xiaoyu asked in surprise. “Is it like the manipulation of spiritual energy?”
Shaking her head, Li Jinghua decided to show Min Xiaoyu her ability. After her rebirth, she noticed that she had retained the ability she awakened in the future. “Five months after the apocalypse, some humans were able to awaken their ability. Most ability users had one element, but there were some who were blessed with two or even three abilities,” Li Jinghua explained. “After my rebirth, my ability seems to have remained. This is a form of water ability,” she said, raising her hand in front of her then starting to focus. It didn’t take long for water to take shape on top of her palm.
Li Xinwen’s eyes narrowed at the water ball that formed on top of Li Jinghua’s palm. He could not sense any spiritual energy from Li Jinghua, which made him curious. ‘How could this happen?’ Li Xinwen wanted to find out so he directed his own spiritual energy towards his eyes and activated one of his skills – Mo Yan – which enabled him to see more clearly, not only the spiritual energy around him, but also the elemental spirits that existed alongside the spiritual energy. While Min Xiaoyu and Sun Xiao were in awe of her ability, Li XinwenXinwen was trying to figure out how the ability worked.
With Mo Yan, he noticed the water elemental spirit rushed towards Li Jinghua’s palm. But the spirits were dead spirits, so the water ball’s potential was very low. ‘So, an ability user is actually an elementalist?’ Li Xinwen thought to himself. In Long Xing, an elementalist was someone who had wanted to cultivate the dao, but as they were unable to understand the dao, they could only manipulate a dead elemental spirit. ‘But if I can help her cultivate the dao…’ Li Xinwen’s eyes rested on Li Jinghua in an attempt to sense whether or not her body had the aptitude to cultivate .
Unfortunately, he was left disappointed. ‘No spiritual root present…’ Li Xinwen sighed. Without spiritual root, the living elemental spirits would be reluctant to work with her. That was why elementalists were not considered to be true cultivators in Long Xing.
When he turned to look at Sun Xiao his eyes widened at his discovery. “Hua-jie! You said that after the apocalypse, humans awakened abilities. Can you tell me if Ah‘Xiao awakened one?” Li Xinwen’s sudden question made Li Jinghua lose her focus, which caused the water ball on top of her hand to lose its shape and fall splashing down to the floor. Seeing the carpet stained with water, Li Xinwen felt his forehead sweat. “I… sorry?”
“It’s alright, Ah‘Wen. That was my fault. I didn’t pay enough attention,” Li Jinghua replied. “And yes, Ah‘Xiao will also be an ability user in the future. In fact, Ah‘Xiao’s abilities were quite unique. Three years into the apocalypse there was still no one who had the same combination as Ah‘Xiao,” Li Jinghua told them.
“Jiejie, what is my ability?” Sun Xiao asked excitedly. “Can I also do like what jiejie did earlier?”
Li Jinghua was unable to answer Sin Xiao immediately. After all, her ability followed her through time, but she wasn’t sure if they could awaken their abilities before the meteor fell to earth. It was said that the abilities that awakened during the apocalypse were caused by the meteorite, which mutated every living being on earth. “Ah’Xiao, jiejie is a special case. For you and Mr. Min, the two of you need to wait until the apocalypse. Then I will explain to you how to awaken your ability. Mr. Min, your ability will be the wind element. While Ah‘Xiao… you will have Ice and Fire. Ice is a variation of water, just as lightning is to fire.”
‘Ice and fire?’ Li Xinwen frowned as he used Mo Yan again to look at Sun Xiao but he didn’t find his earlier discovery to be wrong. ‘Ah’Xiao does have a pure Zhuo Yang body. But with the presence of the Yin elements, if he is not properly guided, he will damage his body…’ at the thought that his younger brother might harm himself, Li Xinwen decided that he would make sure to give Sun Xiao the guidance he would need. ‘Having ice and flame isn’t bad. In fact, it could help balance the Yin and Yang energy within him.’
After thinking for a while, Li Xinwen noticed that Li Jinghua was looking at him guiltily. “Ah’Wen, about your ability…”
Li Xinwen had actually already noticed that Li Jinghua had not mentioned his ability at all so he could not help but ask. “Hua-jie, I am not an ability user, am I? Is that why you wanted me to learn martial arts with Mr. Min?”
