The city of Liangzhou stood proud.
Vast, majestic, surrounded by walls of black stone that had endured for centuries, the city pulsed with life.
Markets bustled beneath the morning light, the clang of hammers rang from the forge quarters, and incense wafted from temples old as memory.
The central market was like a universe—a maze of stands and voices.
Beneath bright awnings, vendors shouted out their goods:
"Fresh dumplings, steamed hot!"
"Authentic beast cores—extracted from Fire-Wind Wolf!"
"Spirit-forged daggers! Sharp enough to cleave the boulder!"
In between crowds, children darted back and forth, giggling, grasping candied plums and toy weapons.
Armored mercenaries traded for healing salves while some drunkard had already begun drinking.
A hooded old cultivator was squatting on the side of the road, selling the talisman for change.
Liangzhou looked eternal in the distance.
But beneath the surface of grandeur, tensions brewed.
This was not a city of peace, but a city built on sacrifice.
Every few years, the Beast Tide would come—waves of beasts out of the Unseen Wilds and batter at the city as surf upon stone.
Countless lives were lost. Houses burned. Districts fell. Yet each time, the city rose—ruined but not destroyed.
Many also call Liangzhuo the "City of Ten Thousand Defiances."
To others, it muttered a different ominous name: "The Waiting Grave."
***
Nestled near the heart of Liangzhou, within the embrace of an inner mountain ridge, stood the renowned Heavenly Path Academy—where the city's most gifted young warriors and noble heirs trained to one day defend its walls.
It has created innumerable heroes who have given their lives to protect the city.
It was the pride of Liangzhou, the hope and future of Liangzhou.
But on that day, something far less noble was happening on the academy grounds.
"I'm telling you, Yuyan'er, that your coldness makes me desire you more."
A lad with emerald robes draped over his body leaned slouching against a weeping willow, a roguish grin that pulled at his lips.
His hair was tidy, face clean, posture graceful——the epitome of a young master's appearance.
The girl, unfortunately, appeared to be disgusted.
"Li Fengyuan," she snapped as she pushed past him, "do you have nothing else to do but hang around me like a stray dog?"
"Oh, I certainly do," he said suavely as he fell into stride alongside her. "And that's exactly what I'm doing!"
Around them, students whispered. Some snickered.
"Young Master Li is doing it again."
"Tsk, tsk… Shen Yuyan should accept him already. His talent is trash, sure, but the Li Clan is a Noble Family. It's good to be able to marry into such a prestigious and powerful Clan."
Others rolled their eyes. The young master of Li Clan had not behaved like a fool for the first time.
It was a regular old habit.
Li Fengyuan didn't seem to be concerned about what others thought about him and chased the girl into her seat in the class.
And then something happened to Li Fengyuan.
There was a quick jolt—as if lightning had severed his skull. The sun itself above appeared to wink.
A high-pitched buzzing sound ensured his ears were ringing. His body stiffened, his eyeballs widened and the world turned white.
Memories poured in.
"Argh!"
He staggered backward, holding his chest.
(What happened?)
He still vividly recalled the moment he took on the Demon God with his body covered in blood, practically about to collapse.
(Did I die?)
It was the only reasonable conclusion—because the last thing he could recall was death staring at his face.
But this was not the afterlife or any void.
"Li Fengyuan?"
Shen Yuyan's voice sounded in the distance, with traces of worry.
And then the picture focused, and a girl he vaguely remembered stood before him.
(Who is she now… Shen Yuyan?)
He barely recalled the name of the familiar face and then looked up, his eyes trembling.
(Is this… Heavenly Path Academy?)
Glancing around, he realized that this was indeed the old school he had gone to.
(A dream?)
He thought. Perhaps it was the flashes of memories before his death. But it was too vivid—too real—to be one.
"Ouch!"
He tried to pinch himself and it was too real to be considered a dream or flashback.
(Regression?)
That was the only thing that could happen now—and what he badly wanted to happen.
It only took a moment, but he knew the truth.
This wasn't a dream.
He had truly returned.
Back to when he was fifteen.
He remembered everything.
The fall of Liangzhou.
The treachery of the Nobles.
His cowardice and helplessness against the destruction of Liangzhou..
His regret did not fade even after hundreds of years—it only grew heavier with time.
If he had acted sooner, trained harder, perhaps he could have protected the ones he loved, these thoughts always came to haunt him.
And now—against fate, against reason—he was back.
A second chance!
***
"Shen Yuyan, your clan has long been in agreement with the Li Clan. There is no use trying to appear cold before Young Master."
Said arrogantly one of the boys walking behind Li Fengyuan.
Another nodded and added.
"You must understand that this is for your own good. You should be honored that Young Master Li is interested in you!"
As soon as those words were spoken, Shen Yuyan's expression turned colder.
Just because her clan wasn't from a noble household, it didn't give others the right to look down on her, or try and force a marriage.
Her hatred of Li Fengyuan only increased.
BANG—!
"Dare to say that again?"
The girl next to Shen Yuyan slapped the table in anger!
From her dress alone, it was clear she belonged to a powerful noble clan—not someone to be trifled with.
The moment she spoke, both of them fell silent, not daring to meet her eyes.
After all, in this class, there was likely no one whose status surpassed hers
"Hmph! Cowards!"
The girl muttered.
She was Xiao Mei—Shen Yuyan's best friend and the daughter of one of the most powerful noble families in Liangzhou.
"Hey, Li Fengyuan, keep your little dogs in check. Or else I will not only beat the dogs, I will also have their master accompany them in their beating."
Xiao Mei warned, her voice chilling to the bone.
From her tone alone, it was clear the Xiao Clan stood above the Li Clan and she wasn't afraid of Li Fengyuan in the slightest.
Li Fengyuan was still in a daze as he subconsciously focused on the two girls in front of him.
(Xiao Mei…)
Though still in her early teens, she carried herself with noble bearing—the kind born not from arrogance, but from strength and responsibility, totally different from himself.
She was dressed in sweeping robes of azure cloth, accentuated by silver trim, garb elegant and pragmatic—clothing typical for a girl who'd known both the courtesies of court and martial discipline.
Long, waist length dark hair with soft waves and warm golden-orange highlights, that shine under the light.
Gentle waves of hair droop around her face and hang down past her shoulders.
She stood there with grace but also boldness in her eyes, that challenged anyone who questioned her.
She had always been this way.
Fiery! Loyal! Proud!
She was with him in his past life, and had stuck by him the longest out of anyone from Liangzhuo City.
Li Fengyuan's chest tightened.
"I couldn't save her then."
She has died saving him—while he couldn't do anything but just watch helplessly.
She'd risked everything for a man who hadn't even been worthy of her kindness… much less her love.
But now, she is still alive.
Under the desk he made a fist and held it.
"This time, I will save you with all my strength!"
Li Fengyuan muttered.
Then he glanced at Shen Yuyan, who stood next to Xiao Mei.
Her long hair blowing gently pink in the light as it swept down her back like silk.
Her hairpin was fine as the spring breeze, there were many small flowers dotted on top of it with deep blue ribbons that embellished them.
Her expression remained calm and distant—not a trace of fear, only annoyance.
There was strength in her silence. A quiet defiance in the way she held her head, eyes clear and unflinching.
A gentle girl, with a face like porcelain and steady violet eyes that rarely smiled.
That was Shen Yuyan.
But when she did smile, it was like winter plum blooming in frost, softening the harshest parts of the world.
And he—Li Fengyuan—had been the fool who froze that rare warmth with his own arrogance.
Back then, he thought he was merely pursuing her. Showing affection. Giving her the "honor" of his attention as a noble.
But in truth?
He had cornered her. Pressured her. Refused to listen.
How many times had she begged him to stop?
How often had he laughed it off, pretending it was a part of flirtation?
Now, seeing the slight crease between her brows, the subtle edge in her posture, and the poised distance in her gaze—he finally understood.
Shen Yuyan hated him.
And he knew he deserved it.
But not anymore.
He breathed out, long and steady as if expelling a lifetime of arrogance in one breath.
I know who I love. I know what I want. And I know who I am.
This time there will be no mistake!