The corridor outside the funeral chamber was empty, but I could hear the compound coming alive with preparations for my death ceremony. Servants rushed past intersections carrying flowers and incense. Guards spoke in hushed, respectful tones at their posts. Somewhere in the distance, I heard my mother's muffled sobbing.
Each sound was a knife twisting in my gut.
[EMOTIONAL DISTRESS DETECTED]
[REMINDER: GUILT IS A LUXURY YOU CANNOT AFFORD]
[YOUR FAMILY'S GRIEF IS TEMPORARY]
[YOUR DEATH WOULD BE PERMANENT]
"Easy for you to say," I muttered, pressing myself against the wall as footsteps approached. "You're not the one listening to your mother cry."
[CORRECTION: I AM YOU]
[YOUR PAIN IS MY PAIN]
[YOUR SURVIVAL IS MY SURVIVAL]
[BUT SENTIMENT WITHOUT STRATEGY IS MERELY SUICIDE WITH FEELINGS]
The footsteps passed—two guards discussing the funeral arrangements. I waited until their voices faded before moving again, each step calculated, each breath measured. The white burial robes I wore were both a blessing and a curse. If someone saw me from a distance, they might assume I was a servant carrying funeral materials. Up close? I'd be recognized immediately as the corpse that refused to stay dead.
I needed to find Xiao Lan quickly.
[ANALYZING COMPOUND LAYOUT]
[XIAO LAN'S CURRENT LOCATION: OUTER KITCHENS]
[DISTANCE: 200 METERS]
[OBSTACLE COUNT: 17 (GUARDS, SERVANTS, FAMILY MEMBERS)]
[PROBABILITY OF UNDETECTED TRAVEL: 12%]
"Twelve percent," I breathed. "You're just full of encouraging news, aren't you?"
[ALTERNATIVE: REMAIN IN FUNERAL CHAMBER UNTIL CREMATION]
[PROBABILITY OF SURVIVAL: 0%]
Fair point.
I moved through the compound using every servant's passage and hidden corridor my childhood had taught me. The Chen Clan estate was massive—three hundred rooms spread across twelve buildings, housing over a thousand people including family, servants, and outer disciples. As the Patriarch's only son, I'd been granted unusual freedom as a child, exploring places young masters normally wouldn't see.
Now those childhood adventures might save my life.
I navigated by memory and the System's guidance, that translucent blue line in my vision showing the optimal path. Down a narrow maintenance corridor that smelled of soap and old wood. Through a storage room packed with winter supplies. Past the servant quarters where I could hear exhausted workers catching a few hours of sleep before the ceremony.
[WARNING: GUARD PATROL APPROACHING]
[DISTANCE: 15 METERS]
[TIME TO CONTACT: 23 SECONDS]
I dove behind a stack of rice sacks, pulling my burial robes tight around me. The white silk seemed to glow in the dim light—completely conspicuous despite my best efforts.
Two guards rounded the corner, their voices low and professional.
"—still can't believe young master Chen Wei is dead," the first one said. "I know he wasn't the most talented cultivator, but he was always respectful. Never treated us like dirt the way some of the other young masters do."
"The talented ones are always the most rotten," his companion replied, a grizzled man I recognized as Guard Captain Yang from earlier. "I've served the Chen Clan for thirty years. The young master who treats you well is rarer than a phoenix feather."
They were ten meters away now. Five meters. I held my breath, not trusting even the System's vital suppression to hide me at this distance.
[DETECTION PROBABILITY: 34%]
[RECOMMENDATION: USE LP TO REDUCE CHANCE]
[COST: 25 LP FOR -10% DETECTION]
I was about to accept the cost when Guard Captain Yang stopped directly in front of my hiding spot.
"You smell that?" he asked his companion.
My heart, already barely beating, tried to stop entirely.
"Smell what?" the other guard replied.
"Incense. The funeral preparation incense. Must be drifting from the main chamber." Captain Yang sniffed the air once more, then shrugged. "Come on. We need to check the eastern wall before the ceremony begins."
They moved on, their footsteps fading into the distance.
[DETECTION AVOIDED]
[+10 LP FOR SUCCESSFUL STEALTH]
[CURRENT LP: 306]
[NOTE: YOUR CHILDHOOD EXPLORATION HABITS ARE FINALLY USEFUL]
I remained hidden for another minute before continuing. The outer kitchens were close now—I could smell cooking fires and hear the chaos of meal preparation. Cook Li's voice boomed over the din, ordering her staff around like a general commanding troops.
"Those dumplings need to be perfect! The entire clan will be eating after the ceremony, and I won't have anyone saying we dishonored Young Master Chen Wei's memory with substandard food!"
I felt that knife twist in my gut again. Even Cook Li, who'd scolded me countless times for stealing sweet cakes as a child, was working herself ragged to honor my death.
[FOCUS, CHEN WEI]
[SENTIMENT LATER, SURVIVAL NOW]
The System was right, but that didn't make it easier.
I spotted Xiao Lan through a gap in the kitchen yard's bamboo fence. She was hauling water buckets from the well, her small frame straining under the weight. Her face was red from exertion, her servant's robes stained with kitchen work. She looked exhausted.
She also looked like my only chance.
I waited until she'd set the buckets down and was catching her breath before I moved. The other servants were all focused on their tasks, the chaos of funeral preparations providing perfect cover. I slipped through the bamboo fence and grabbed Xiao Lan's wrist gently.
She spun around, eyes wide, mouth opening to scream—
I pressed my other hand over her mouth, pulling her behind the well house where we'd be hidden from view. "Xiao Lan, it's me. Don't scream. Please."
Her eyes went impossibly wider as recognition hit. She saw my face, saw the white burial robes, saw the desperation in my expression. For a moment, I thought she might faint.
[XIAO LAN'S EMOTIONAL STATE: SHOCK]
[PROCESSING...]
[SHIFTING TO: AWE]
[FINAL STATE: DETERMINATION]
Slowly, I removed my hand from her mouth. She stared at me for three full seconds before whispering, "Young Master Chen Wei? But... but you're dead. I helped Aunt Zhou prepare your body. You were cold. You weren't breathing."
"It's complicated," I said, glancing around to make sure we were still alone. "Xiao Lan, I need your help. I need it desperately, and I have no right to ask, but—"
"My brother is alive because of you," she interrupted, her voice fierce despite being barely above a whisper. "Xiao Feng runs through the compound every morning because you gave us the money for medicine when no one else would. Whatever you need, Young Master, I'll help. Even if..." she swallowed hard, "even if it costs me everything."
[TOLD YOU]
[XIAO LAN'S LOYALTY: ABSOLUTE]
[+25 LP FOR SECURING TRUSTED ALLY]
[CURRENT LP: 331]
Relief flooded through me so intensely I nearly collapsed. "Thank you," I managed. "Xiao Lan, thank you. But I need you to understand what you're agreeing to. I was murdered. The Nascent Qi Elixir Liu Yue gave me was poisoned. Zhao Ming helped plan it. If they find out I'm alive, they'll kill me again—and they'll kill anyone who helped me."
To her credit, Xiao Lan didn't even flinch. "Then we make sure they don't find out. Tell me what you need."
I outlined my situation as quickly as possible: the fake death, the upcoming funeral, the need to escape the compound without being discovered. With each revelation, I expected her resolve to waver. Instead, her jaw set harder, her eyes grew more determined.
"The guards will be looking outward, not inward," she mused, already thinking tactically. "And with the funeral, everyone's distracted. But you can't just walk out—you're too recognizable, even in servant's clothes. And you're..." she gestured at my burial robes, "...conspicuous."
"I need regular clothes, some food, and a way out of the compound," I said. "After that, I'll hide somewhere in the city until I can figure out my next move."
"Hide in the city?" Xiao Lan shook her head sharply. "Young Master, you can barely walk. You have no cultivation. The streets of Azure Peak City are dangerous even for armed men. You'd be robbed or killed within a day."
[XIAO LAN'S ASSESSMENT: ACCURATE]
[YOUR CURRENT PHYSICAL CONDITION: PATHETIC]
[SURVIVAL TIME IN CITY WITHOUT CULTIVATION: 18-36 HOURS]
"Then what do you suggest?" I asked, frustration bleeding into my voice. "I can't stay in the compound—they're going to cremate me in three hours."
Xiao Lan bit her lip, thinking. Behind us, Cook Li's voice roared something about garnishes. The normal chaos of kitchen life continued, completely unaware that a dead young master was hiding behind their well house.
"There's an old storage building," Xiao Lan finally said. "On the eastern edge of the compound, near the outer wall. It hasn't been used in years—Old Guan said it's too damp for proper storage, so they built new warehouses closer to the main buildings. Nobody goes there anymore. You could hide there for a few days while you recover strength."
"That's still inside the compound," I pointed out.
"Exactly," she said, a small smile crossing her face. "They'll never look for a dead man in his own family's estate. And I can bring you food and medicine without suspicion—servants move through the compound all the time. Once you're stronger, once the funeral is over and the investigation is closed, then we plan your escape."
[ANALYZING PROPOSAL]
[STORAGE BUILDING LOCATION: OPTIMAL]
[PROBABILITY OF DISCOVERY: 8%]
[RECOVERY TIME NEEDED: 3-5 DAYS MINIMUM]
[ASSESSMENT: PLAN IS SOUND]
[XIAO LAN IS SMARTER THAN YOU]
"It's a good plan," I admitted. "Better than anything I'd thought of. But first, I need to actually survive the next few hours. They're going to move my body to the main hall soon for public viewing. When they open the funeral chamber and find it empty—"
"They won't," Xiao Lan interrupted. "Not if we give them something else to worry about."
She explained quickly: during the preparation chaos, accidents happened. Kitchen fires, collapsed decorations, minor injuries. Nothing too serious, but enough to draw attention. If the servants responsible for moving my body were delayed by a crisis...
"You're suggesting we create a distraction," I said, impressed despite myself.
"A small one," she confirmed. "Just enough to buy you thirty minutes. You can make it to the storage building in that time?"
I looked down at my trembling legs, felt the weakness in every muscle. "I'll have to."
[QUEST UPDATED: ESCAPE BEFORE CREMATION]
[NEW OBJECTIVE: REACH EASTERN STORAGE BUILDING]
[TIME WINDOW: 30 MINUTES (AFTER DISTRACTION)]
[PROBABILITY OF SUCCESS: 67%]
[+15 LP FOR CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING]
[CURRENT LP: 346]
"What kind of distraction did you have in mind?" I asked.
Xiao Lan glanced back toward the kitchen, a mischievous glint in her eye that reminded me she was, despite everything, still a fifteen-year-old girl. "Cook Li has been preparing a elaborate sugar sculpture for the funeral feast. A phoenix rising from clouds, meant to represent your spirit ascending to heaven. It's in the cold storage room, and it's absolutely gorgeous. Cook Li spent sixteen hours on it."
"Xiao Lan," I said slowly, "you're not suggesting—"
"The cold storage room has a faulty door latch," she continued innocently. "It tends to swing open if you don't secure it properly. And if someone were to accidentally knock over the phoenix sculpture while trying to prevent the door from opening, and if that same someone were to scream loud enough to bring half the kitchen staff running..."
[PROPOSED DISTRACTION EFFECTIVENESS: 87%]
[MORAL IMPLICATIONS: DEBATABLE]
[COOK LI'S REACTION: WILL BE LEGENDARY]
[RECOMMENDATION: APPROVE PLAN]
I felt a smile tug at my lips—the first genuine smile since my resurrection. "You're devious, Xiao Lan. Remind me never to get on your bad side."
"My brother is alive because of you," she repeated simply. "Now we keep you alive. Wait here—I'll get you servant's clothes, some food, and a knife. When you hear Cook Li screaming about her phoenix, start moving toward the eastern storage building. Stay in the servant corridors. I marked the safe route this morning when I realized what I needed to do."
"You planned this?" I asked, surprised. "You planned this before I even approached you?"
She met my eyes steadily. "Young Master Chen Wei, I heard Zhao Ming and Liu Yue talking yesterday. After you collapsed at your birthday celebration. They were in the eastern garden, thought they were alone. Zhao Ming said, 'The trash is finally disposed of,' and Liu Yue laughed. They were laughing, Young Master. While you were dying."
Her small hands clenched into fists, knuckles white. "I knew then that something was wrong. When you were declared dead, when they said it was an accident, I didn't believe it. So yes, I planned. Because even if you were truly dead, I owed you enough to find out the truth."
[XIAO LAN'S INVESTIGATION SKILL: IMPRESSIVE]
[LOYALTY VERIFICATION: ABSOLUTE]
[ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: FOUND YOUR FIRST TRUE ALLY]
[+50 LP]
[CURRENT LP: 396]
"You're wasted as a kitchen servant," I said softly. "When this is over, when I've reclaimed everything that was taken from me, you'll have a place in my household. A real position, not servant work. I promise you that."
[PROMISE DETECTED]
[KARMIC THREAD ESTABLISHED]
[FUTURE QUEST GENERATED]
"I'll hold you to that," Xiao Lan said with a small smile. Then her expression turned serious again. "Now hide here. I'll be back in ten minutes with supplies. And Young Master? Please don't die again. Once was traumatic enough."
She slipped away, moving through the kitchen yard with the practiced invisibility of a lifelong servant. I crouched behind the well house, watching the organized chaos of funeral preparations, and tried to wrap my mind around what was happening.
Twenty-four hours ago, I'd been celebrating my eighteenth birthday, naive and hopeful despite my lack of talent. I'd believed Liu Yue loved me. I'd believed Zhao Ming was my friend. I'd believed the world, while harsh, was at least fair.
Now I knew better.
Now I knew I'd been poisoned, betrayed, suppressed since birth. Now I knew powerful forces had wanted me dead before I could awaken to my true potential. Now I knew the world wasn't just harsh—it was actively hostile to anyone who threatened its established order.
[PHILOSOPHICAL GROWTH DETECTED]
[WISDOM +5]
[YOU'RE LEARNING, CHEN WEI]
[THE WORLD WILL CRUSH YOU IF YOU LET IT]
[SO DON'T LET IT]
"Easy to say," I muttered. "Harder to do when you're a crippled corpse hiding behind a well house."
[CORRECTION: YOU'RE A RESURRECTED HEAVEN GRADE TALENT WITH A DIVINE SYSTEM]
[THE CRIPPLING IS TEMPORARY]
[THE CORPSE STATUS IS NEGOTIABLE]
[THE HEAVEN GRADE TALENT IS PERMANENT]
[START THINKING LIKE THE PREDATOR, NOT THE PREY]
The System had a point. Yes, I was weak now. Yes, I was hunted. But I also had advantages my enemies couldn't imagine. A mysterious System that had brought me back from death. A Heaven Grade spiritual root waiting to be unsealed. Knowledge of who my enemies were while they thought me safely dead.
And most importantly: nothing left to lose.
Liu Yue had taken my trust. Zhao Ming had taken my friendship. The poison had taken my cultivation. They'd taken everything except my life, and even that they'd tried to steal.
But they'd failed.
And failure, I was learning, was the most dangerous thing you could give a desperate man.
Xiao Lan returned exactly ten minutes later, carrying a bundle wrapped in oilcloth. She moved quickly, glancing around to ensure we weren't observed before pressing it into my hands.
"Dark servant clothes," she whispered rapidly. "They'll be loose on you—you've lost weight. Dried meat, flatbread, a water flask. And this—" she produced a small jade bottle, "—is basic healing salve from Old Physician Gu. It won't restore your cultivation, but it'll help with the pain."
I stared at the jade bottle, my hand trembling as I reached for it. The last time someone had given me a jade bottle, it had contained the poison that destroyed my life.
[ANALYZING ITEM]
[CONTENTS: BASIC HEALING SALVE]
[TOXINS: NONE DETECTED]
[XIAO LAN'S LOYALTY: STILL ABSOLUTE]
"It's safe," the System confirmed, but Xiao Lan saw my hesitation and understood immediately.
"Young Master," she said gently, taking my shaking hand in both of hers. "I swear on Xiao Feng's life—on everything I hold sacred—this is exactly what I said. Just medicine. Nothing more."
I forced myself to take the bottle, to trust despite the trauma. "Thank you, Xiao Lan. For everything."
"Thank me by surviving," she said firmly. Then she glanced toward the kitchen. "I need to go trigger our distraction. Count to one hundred after you hear Cook Li scream, then move. The eastern storage building has a broken window on the back side—you can enter there. I'll come find you tonight after the funeral with more supplies."
"Be careful," I said. "If they suspect you helped me—"
"They won't," she interrupted with confident certainty. "I'm just a clumsy kitchen girl who accidentally destroyed sixteen hours of Cook Li's work. They'll be too busy being angry to be suspicious."
She started to leave, then paused and looked back. "Young Master Chen Wei? What you're doing—coming back from death, fighting against people who want you gone—it's like something from the old legends. The stories my grandmother used to tell about heroes who defied heaven itself."
"I'm not a hero," I said quietly. "I'm just someone who refuses to die conveniently."
"Maybe that's the same thing," Xiao Lan replied. Then she was gone, slipping back into the kitchen's chaos.
I changed quickly behind the well house, stripping off the white burial robes and pulling on the dark servant clothes. They were indeed loose—I'd lost at least fifteen pounds in the past day. The healing salve went into an inner pocket. The food and water I distributed between my belt and the cloth bundle.
Then I waited, counting heartbeats, listening to the compound's rhythm.
Somewhere, my mother was still crying.
Somewhere, my father sat in shocked silence.
Somewhere, Zhao Ming and Liu Yue thought they'd won.
And somewhere in the void between death and life, fate itself had made a mistake by giving me a second chance.
The scream, when it came, was magnificent.
"MY PHOENIX! SIXTEEN HOURS! SIXTEEN HOURS OF WORK! WHO LEFT THE COLD STORAGE DOOR UNLATCHED?!"
Cook Li's voice could have shattered glass. It definitely shattered the compound's respectful quiet. Within seconds, I heard multiple servants running toward the kitchen, shouting questions, offering apologies, creating exactly the chaos Xiao Lan had promised.
I started counting.
One. Two. Three.
[DISTRACTION SUCCESSFUL]
[TIME WINDOW ACTIVATED: 30 MINUTES]
[BEGIN ESCAPE SEQUENCE]
[GOOD LUCK, CHEN WEI]
Twenty. Twenty-one. Twenty-two.
My legs trembled as I prepared to move. My body ached. My meridians were shattered glass. But I was alive, and I was angry, and those two things together made me dangerous in ways my enemies couldn't yet imagine.
Fifty. Fifty-one. Fifty-two.
The eastern storage building was two hundred meters away. For a cultivator, that was nothing—a distance covered in seconds with a simple lightness technique. For me? It might as well have been a mountain.
Seventy-five. Seventy-six. Seventy-seven.
But mountains could be climbed. Even by crippled dead boys who'd been resurrected by mysterious Systems.
Ninety-eight. Ninety-nine. One hundred.
I moved.