Chapter 3: Return of Big Sister
With the five bottles safely tucked away, Bai Yuexian made his way back to his quarters. Night had fallen by the time he returned, the compound illuminated by softly glowing spirit stones embedded in decorative lanterns along the pathways.
His personal maid, Liu Mei, was waiting for him in his room. She served him a cup of fragrant tea, quietly ensuring he had everything he needed before bowing and withdrawing for the night.
Once alone, Bai Yuexian carefully locked his door to prevent any disturbances. He arranged the five jade bottles on a small table beside his bed, examining each one carefully. The pills within glowed faintly with spiritual energy, their colors varying from deep crimson to soft jade and pure white.
Taking a deep breath, he settled into a lotus position on his bed the standard meditation posture for cultivators. First, he opened the bottle containing the Meridian Regeneration Pill. The pill itself was a deep crimson color, about the size of a large grape, and it pulsed with energy that he could feel even without touching it.
He hesitated momentarily, thinking twice before consuming it. After all, he had already died once what if something went wrong? But his aunt had prepared these specifically for him, and delaying his recovery would only waste the opportunity his father had secured with the Saint Vermilion Academy.
Decision made, he placed the pill on his tongue and swallowed it whole.
For a few seconds, nothing happened. Bai Yuexian began to wonder if the pill was defective or if perhaps his new body's cultivation system was too damaged to respond properly.
Then, without warning, a surge of excruciating pain erupted throughout his entire body. It felt as though his veins were filled with molten metal, burning him from the inside out. His damaged meridians, which had been like collapsed tunnels, were forcibly being expanded and reconstructed by the pill's powerful medicinal properties.
Blood-red lines resembling lightning cracks appeared across his skin, following the pathways of his meridians. The pain was almost unbearable, forcing a strangled gasp from his throat as he struggled to remain in the meditation position.
Through the haze of agony, he remembered his aunt's instructions and fumbled for the bottle of supplementary pills. With trembling hands, he managed to swallow one, feeling its energy spread through his system, slightly dulling the edge of the pain.
Next came the Yin Pill a cool, soothing energy that spread like flowing water through his meridians, counterbalancing the fiery nature of the regeneration process. Immediately after, he took the Yang Pill, which infused his system with a warm, vibrant energy that complemented the Yin perfectly.
The two opposing yet harmonious forces circulated through his body, creating a balance that significantly reduced the violent reaction to the Meridian Regeneration Pill. The red lines on his skin began to fade as the Yin and Yang energies baptized his meridians, strengthening them even as they healed.
Finally, he consumed the last supplementary pill, which helped regulate the entire process. As the effects of the recovery began to subside, Bai Yuexian noticed something disturbing. A sticky, black substance began to seep from his pores impurities being expelled from his body as the pills purified his system. The smell was revolting, like rotten eggs mixed with decaying vegetation.
He grimaced, looking down at his soiled clothes and skin. According to the memories he had accessed, his cultivation level was at the Vital Essence Tempering Realm, sixth level a beginner's realm, but now purified and stabilized after the pills' effects.
The stench became overwhelming, and Bai Yuexian decided a bath was absolutely necessary. He made his way to his private bathing chamber, where a large sunken pool awaited. Servants had already prepared hot water earlier, and faint wisps of steam still rose from the surface.
He discarded his soiled garments and slowly lowered himself into the hot water. The tension in his muscles began to dissolve as he submerged his body up to his neck. The spacious pool allowed him to spread out completely, floating on his back and staring up at the ceiling as he processed everything that had happened.
In the quiet solitude of his bath, Bai Yuexian finally had time to truly reflect on his situation. Just days ago from his perspective he had been a normal university student, worried about final exams and job prospects. Now, he was the heir to a prominent cultivation family in a world of magic and martial arts, with a body that could channel mystical energy and a future that promised both danger and opportunity.
The warm water soothed his aching muscles as he contemplated the road ahead. His father had secured him a chance to enter one of the most prestigious academies in this country, but he would need to improve significantly in just five months. According to the memories he'd inherited, the original Bai Yuexian had struggled with cultivation due to limited talent.
But perhaps, Bai Yuexian thought as he floated in the steaming water, his modern knowledge combined with the determination born from his second chance at life would allow him to find a path forward that the original never could. He had always been analytical and methodical in his studies on Earth perhaps those same qualities could be applied to cultivation.
His eyes grew heavy as exhaustion from the pill's effects washed over him. The last thought that crossed his mind before he dozed off in the warm bath was a simple promise to himself: he would not waste this second chance at life. He would become stronger, wiser, and worthy of the family that had welcomed him without knowing he wasn't truly their Yuexian anymore.
...
The morning sun cast long shadows across Bai Yuexian's private courtyard as he moved through a series of practiced spear techniques. His muscles, still recovering from the medicinal treatment, protested with each movement, but he pushed through the discomfort. The memories of the original Bai Yuexian provided him with knowledge of the proper forms, yet his body felt awkward executing them, like wearing a suit that hadn't quite been tailored for him.
Sweat beaded on his forehead as he thrust the long spear forward in a standard attack pattern. The weapon crafted from a rare spirit wood with a gleaming metal tip felt increasingly natural in his hands with each passing minute. His movements, initially stiff and mechanical, gradually became more fluid as his muscle memory began to align with the instructions his brain was sending.
"I need to rebuild this body's strength quickly," he muttered to himself, repeating the basic form for the twelfth time. "Five months isn't much time to prepare for the academy evaluation."
As he pivoted for another thrust, something peculiar happened. The air around him suddenly chilled, dropping several degrees in an instant. A gentle but unmistakably icy breeze swept through the courtyard, carrying with it crystalline particles that sparkled in the morning light. The unexpected cold raised goosebumps on his exposed arms.
Bai Yuexian lowered his spear, instinctively adopting a defensive stance as he scanned his surroundings. The icy wind seemed to converge at a single point near the entrance to his courtyard, swirling like a miniature blizzard before coalescing into a human silhouette.
From within this vortex of cold air emerged a young woman of breathtaking beauty. Her appearance struck Bai Yuexian immediately there was an unmistakable familial resemblance between them. Her facial structure mirrored his own in subtle ways, though her features were more refined and delicate. Most striking were her eyes deep and dark, identical to his own, yet containing a coldness that seemed to pierce through whatever they gazed upon.
Cascading down her shoulders and back was silky black hair with an icy blue sheen, elaborately styled and adorned with ornate hairpins that glinted with embedded spirit stones. She wore an immaculate white hanfu with intricate blue embroidery depicting snowflakes and frost patterns. A sash of deep azure cinched her waist, highlighting her voluptuous figure. The fabric of her robes seemed to shimmer with each movement, as though infused with traces of spiritual energy.
Perhaps most unusual was the creature draped around her shoulders a serpentine being that Bai Yuexian immediately recognized as no ordinary snake. The creature was a python, but unlike any he had ever seen. Its scales gleamed with a crystalline quality, refracting light in prismatic patterns. A single horn protruded from its head, and its eyes one glowing red, the other an icy blue watched him with vertical pupils that indicated both intelligence and predatory instinct.
His inherited memories quickly supplied the identity of this impressive visitor: Bai Xueyin, his elder sister by five years. The memories painted her as a prodigious talent who had left the family compound years ago to cultivate at the prestigious Frost Cloud Sect an organization that exclusively accepted female disciples.
"Oh, little Yue'er," she spoke, her voice as cold and clear as a mountain stream in winter. "You're back on your feet."
Despite the chill in her tone, Bai Yuexian detected a hint of genuine concern. He quickly composed himself, bowing respectfully as was appropriate for greeting an elder sibling.
"Sister Xueyin, you have returned," he said, straightening his posture. In his memories, he found that the original Bai Yuexian had always admired and somewhat feared his talented sister. She had been away for nearly a year on sect business, making her appearance now all the more surprising.
She nodded almost imperceptibly. "I received news of your injury and obtained permission to return briefly." Her eyes narrowed slightly as she examined him. "I hear your meridians were damaged and your body was greatly hurt."
For a moment, her icy composure cracked, revealing genuine concern in the slight furrow of her brow. But it disappeared so quickly that Bai Yuexian wondered if he had imagined it.
"But I think it's good now," she continued, her expression once again unreadable. "Aunt Lihua's pills are still the best."
"Yes," Bai Yuexian replied, grateful for the opening to maintain casual conversation while he gathered his thoughts. "The pills worked wonders. My meridians feel much stronger now."
The python around Xueyin's shoulders shifted, its scales making a sound like delicate wind chimes as it adjusted its position. Its dual-colored eyes never left Bai Yuexian, studying him with an unnerving intensity.
"Who did this to you?" Xueyin asked, her voice dropping several degrees colder. "I heard it was from the Ye Clan. That bastard Ye Chen."
The temperature in the courtyard plummeted further, frost forming on the nearby vegetation. Bai Yuexian could see his breath misting in the suddenly frigid air.
"Yes, that was him," he confirmed, watching as his sister's expression darkened.
"And Father says we can't directly move against the Ye Clan because they have backing from the Jiu Clan?" Her question came out as more of a statement, laced with obvious displeasure.
"That's right," Bai Yuexian replied. "Father believes a direct confrontation would risk too much at this time."
"Jiu Clan, huh?" she muttered, almost to herself. The python around her shoulders hissed softly, as if sharing her displeasure.
Then, unexpectedly, her piercing gaze intensified as she studied his face. "Yue'er, you've changed."
Bai Yuexian's heart skipped a beat. The directness of her observation caught him off guard. Did she somehow sense that he wasn't truly her brother that his soul had come from another world entirely? He struggled to maintain his composure as his mind raced for a plausible explanation.