After a brief while, Li's headache came to a stop, and the doctor and the nurses left the room, leaving only the girl and Li in the room. She sat quietly and watched as Li slowly realized he'd been reincarnated.
She looked about seventeen or eighteen, with jet-black hair tied messily into a ponytail. Her emerald eyes, sharp but caring, were fixed on him with concern.
She wore a green bomber jacket over a pink polo and had a bandage on her cheek—likely from some earlier scuffle.
It's different... and at the same time not different...
Li held his chin in thought.
After various thoughts and hypotheses, Li concluded that it was more of body possession than reincarnation.
The body had once belonged to a boy named Light. Along with it, he inherited fragments of the boy's memories, only the ones tied to what mattered most: his name, school, home and family. The rest remained foggy.
He stared into space, nodding his head as he changed expressions, making the girl even more worried.
Light, are you ok?, she asked.
He broke out of his daze and came to his senses.
"I'm fine..." he replied. Her name is Jade, she's a close friend of Light, they've known each other since elementary school, and from the way I see it, it seems she liked him, but he was too dense to realize it.
"Ha..."
She exhaled a deep sigh of relief.
"I did not know what I'd tell your sister if something had happened to you."
"Ha!"
Li chuckled slightly, "Please, don't also tell her this," he said as he placed both his hands together, begging Jade not to tell on him.
She stood up angrily, placing her index finger towards Li's head.
"I've told you multiple times. I can handle anything blunt throws at me, you know I'm durable, right?!"
"I know... But I couldn't let that hit you, I'm a man too, you know," Li replied, rubbing his head
Jade's face turned beet red, she stood up quickly and turned around.
"Don't say things like that, don't you know gender norms have changed?"
She placed both of her hands on her chest, and a wide grin appeared on her face.
"And remember?" She continued, "My superpowers are way stronger, so I'll protect you."
Li's mouth and eyes opened in shock, although this was a norm in this world it wasn't on his which left him a little conflicted.
He smiled softly and replied, "Thanks, Jade, that's why I love you."
Jade's already red face became even redder.
"Wha—what! are you s—s-saying li—ght!" She said, blushing from her head to her toes.
"Do you want me to say it again?" Li teased.
"it se—ems yo—you're all ready healed, since you're able to t—talk like that," she replied, barely able to finish her words.
"There's more I want to say," Li teased further.
"SHUT UP! I'M LEAVING!" Jade yelled at Li, she stormed out of the room, and slammed the door shut on her way out.
Then she sat on a bench just outside Li's room, thinking.
"Light... why is he saying this? What came over him? Is he being mind-controlled?
She covered her face, which was still beet red. "But I kinda liked it though... him like this...," she muttered.
Li smiled softly at the door as it slammed shut.
"I knew I would get her to leave. He muttered, smiling.
"Now to more pressing matters at hand," he muttered.
He bent both of his legs to a meditation stance and began to check his dantian for qi.
Previously, Light had thought his power was to use the energy in his body to boost his physical abilities, but that wasn't the case.
Unknowingly, he was using his life qi to do it, that he was using his life energy to fight, basically shortening his lifespan.
Li's internal thought (pov)
"The life force qi, it's destroyed... Oh, Light, you idiot. This was definitely what killed him...
It's not too bad... I'll be able to fix it with the All Life Technique...
Now.... his spirit root, I had 7 spirit roots in my previous life... I wonder how many I have now...
"Ha—" Li muttered, almost breaking into a sound
"This... impossible! 10 spirit roots!
In the martial world, spirit roots are everything. They determined how fast they could cultivate, and even what type of elemental techniques they could master. Most people were born with only 1 to 3 spirit roots—4 or 5 was rare, and anything beyond that was the stuff of legends.
Each root represented affinity to a different Dao path—fire, water, earth, metal, wind, lightning, darkness, light, time, or life. A single root could lead to greatness. But ten? That was unheard of.
In my past life, I had seven, which made me a one in millennium genius. But now ten spirit roots? This body... it may be the greatest gift the heavens ever gave me.
First. I'll use the All Life technique to fill my life qi.
Blue light swirled in his dantian, and Life Qi surged. His hair darkened, and his muscles tightened; his body was restored to that of a vibrant 18-year-old.
Three hours passed in silence, and Li emerged. Renewed."
He walked towards a mirror, wanting to observe the potential of Light's body.
"Wow!" He said, surprised. Light's body has great potential, even more than Li's former body.
Jade rushed towards his room. She opened the door in a panic.
"Light! Are you ok?!"
Light came out of the bathroom, shirtless, only in his underwear.
"Light—ght, what are you doing?" she asked, covering her eyes with her hands but leaving space in between which she could peek through.
Light picked up his clothes and wore them as he spoke.
"We're leaving."
"Leaving?!"
She said, confused, "But you just got here."
"Yes, but I'm still leaving," He replied as he put on his shoes
"But your medication, the doctor has—"
"Look at me," Li interrupted. "I'm fine, better than I have in a long time."
"Well, you do look more handsome than before..." Jade muttered.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing! Nothing... let go." She said, rubbing her temple.
Together, they went to the checkout section to process his discharge.
After it was finalized, they headed left towards the exit of the hospital.
The hospital was pure white, like clouds in the sky and parts of it were clad in silver like a warrior in armor, ready for battle, different from the one in the martial world.
Various machines beeped at different rates, and individuals, male and female, walked in and out endlessly.
The smell is just as you'd expect a hospital to be, like medicine.
He stopped at the exit, ready to bid Jade farewell, before hearing a voice call.
"Dodge."
"He grabbed Jade's shoulders and dropped into a squat, just as a beam of light hissed past overhead.
Li stood up, furious. He already had a hunch, and just as he feared, it was Blunt and his goons, snickering and laughing.
Blunt...
"I never thought you'd heal so quickly!, seems like I didn't mess you up enough," Blunt said, laughing.
Jade stepped in front of Li, gently pushing him behind her.
"Oh.. oh, so you need a woman to protect you, huh?" Blunt mocked Light. He's goons chuckling behind him.
"What a loser."
"weakling."
"bastard."
"It's better than attacking from behind, like a loser," Jade replied angrily.
Blunt grinned his teeth, eyes bloodshot. He's palm lit up is a blue hue. He faced them towards the Li and jade, prepared to attack
Jade covered herself in green crystal, boosting her defense.
"You motherfuc— "
"Next week," Li interrupted.
"What?" Blunt replied, confused.
"It's me you want, right?" Li said confidently.
"I challenge you to a match. It'll take place next week."
"Ha?" Blunt muttered, confused.
He laughed hysterically. "You're one crazy bastard! Light."
He dropped his hands slowly, the beam on his palms reduced in luminosity.
"I'll see you next week, don't be late." He said, turning slowly towards the exit, his goons followed.
"Am gonna fuck you up, light!. Just like before!" he yelled as he left.
"Yeah...," Li repeated, eyes sharp, "But this time..., won't be like the rest."