On a remote, desolate plain, a small city stood in silence.
Rain poured down in torrents.
The vermilion gates were shut tight, and the sprawling manor crouched like a beast.
Rumble!
A thunderclap split the sky, and the entire manor seemed to tremble with it.
In a secluded courtyard, a young man wearing a worn undershirt suddenly jolted awake in bed.
He gasped for breath, then raised a hand to his forehead. His head hurt. He seemed to have dreamed a very long, long dream, but now that he was awake, he couldn't remember a thing.
At that moment, he felt as though a heavy gloom were lodged in his chest, impossible to dispel. It was stifling.
The young man reached up and pulled aside the bed curtains, then sat up. He found himself in a spacious but simply furnished room.
There was furniture, bedding, curtains, and the like, but everything was old. Much of the paint had peeled away, leaving only faint traces of its former elegance.
Where... was this?
The young man furrowed his brow. Everything before his eyes felt incredibly familiar, yet he couldn't remember where he was...
What was more, he couldn't remember his own name...
Creak!
Just then, someone pushed the door open from outside, and a young woman dressed as a maid walked in.
Seeing the young man, she immediately said, "Seventh Young Master, you're awake. The family head is waiting for you in the main hall."
The young man gradually calmed down. He opened his mouth, with countless questions to ask the maid before him, but no sound came out.
But the next moment, the maid seemed to know what he wanted to ask. In an even voice, she said, "This is Pei Manor, in Luquan City."
"Seventh Young Master's name is Pei