He had no idea how much time had passed, where he was, or what time it was.
In a daze, Lin Shisan woke up.
But he could neither see nor hear anything.
He did not even know where his body was.
He felt nothing at all.
That woman struck me dead.
In the end, that was the only conclusion Lin Shisan reached.
According to the storytellers, this was what happened after death.
The soul left the body.
Though he knew that, he could not feel it happening.
What puzzled him was why he could not see his own body.
Did she strike my eyes blind when she killed me, too?
He woke up a second time.
More precisely, he became conscious a second time, but Lin Shisan still could not see anything.
This time, however, the pain was unmistakable.
His head, in particular, felt so swollen it was as though several pounds of pig iron had been stuffed inside it.
It was about to explode.
Vaguely, he could also smell something scorched, mingled with the scent of lightning.
This time lasted a little longer. Nearly an incense stick's worth of time passed before he sank back into sleep.
The third time Lin Shisan regained consciousness, he was still dazed.
He could see nothing.
But this time, besides that scorched smell tinged with lightning, he could actually hear faint sounds.
As for what they were saying, Lin Shisan could not make out a single word.
Does reincarnation require a whole series of preparations?
Isn't it just a matter of closing your eyes and opening them again?
He took those intermittent sounds to be preparations for his reincarnation, like the work Servant Disciples performed.
"Ah..."
An explosion erupted in his spiritual awareness.
Lin Shisan passed out again.
He really was going off to be reincarnated.
This time, he saw his own body.
On the table beside it lay a young woman, sleeping soundly.
He could not make out her face, only her long hair spilling over her shoulders.
What truly caught his eye was her Tiny Waist and her long, snow-white legs.
"Whoosh..."
A gentle breeze blew past.
Just as Lin Shisan was beginning to enjoy the view, he felt his soul slip out of his control and fly away.
He flew over mountain after mountain, waded through river after river, and crossed plain after plain.
He had no idea where he was going.
All he knew was that something seemed to be pushing him from behind, leaving him powerless to act.
Ox Family Village?
Hu Niu?
Still drifting through the air, Lin Shisan came to a halt.
He had arrived at Ox Family Village. He saw Hu Niu catching fish barefoot by the water, then saw her slip and fall into it.
"Hu Niu..."
Just as Lin Shisan was about to descend and help Hu Niu up, he was helplessly pushed away again.
"Splash..."
Lin Shisan dropped out of the air with a splash.
He thought he must have reached the place where he would be reincarnated, so he was not surprised at all.
"Father..."
Then Lin Shisan's eyes filled with tears.
Not far away, a familiar figure sat by the river, leisurely fishing.
Lin Qinghan.
His father.
He wanted to throw himself toward him, but he could not.
It was as though he had been imprisoned again.
He could not even cry out.
He could only watch helplessly as his father fished there alone.
From sunrise to sunset, then from sunset to sunrise.
"Shisan, go back."
Lin Shisan was beside himself with excitement.
That night, he actually heard Lin Qinghan's voice.
Lin Qinghan even walked over and wiped the tears from the corners of Lin Shisan's eyes.
Though he had a thousand things to say, Lin Shisan could not utter a single word.
He could only listen as Lin Qinghan spoke.
"No more crying. My Shisan is a figure above the clouds, the reincarnation of the Heavenly Emperor and Great Sage. How could you cry like a little child?"
It was something Lin Qinghan used to say.
On the day Lin Shisan was born, thirteen stars in the sky had formed a straight line.
His father had said it was a sign of the Heavenly Emperor and Great Sage's appearance, which was why he had named him Lin Shisan.
In truth, Lin Shisan knew it was merely his father's dream, carrying his fervent hope that his son would become a dragon.
"Shisan, look. Have the thirteen stars lined up again?"
The instant he looked up, Lin Shisan froze.
A string of stars, thirteen in all, really had formed a straight line.
"Whoosh... Father..."
A fierce gust swept past.
Lin Shisan instinctively looked back.
A white tiger with bared fangs and a pair of small wings snapped its jaws toward Lin Qinghan's head.
"Father..."
Lin Shisan was so terrified that his three souls and seven spirits scattered.
He jolted awake from his deep sleep.
Tears still lingered at the corners of his eyes.
His entire body was drenched, and his forehead hurt as though needles were stabbing it.
He wanted to get out of bed, but he could not move. Everything below his waist was still stiff and numb.
"You're awake, kid?"
Lin Shisan's frightened shout had awakened Tiny Waist, who was sleeping on the table.
She promptly voiced her displeasure.
"With a voice that loud, you can't be hurt too badly."
"You slept just fine, while I stayed up for three days and nights."
"Sorry for the trouble, senior sister. I, Lin Shisan, will remember your kindness."
Lin Shisan spoke humbly and respectfully.
Seeing the room and Tiny Waist, he immediately realized that both the thirteen aligned stars and the white tiger had been dreams.
Yet his chest still felt tight.
After all, his father had paid with his life for Lin Shisan's position as a Servant Disciple.
"So you're a polite dark-skinned lad, at least."
Tiny Waist rubbed her large, sleepy eyes.
Her irritation eased considerably, and she felt positively delighted.
After all, she was a Servant Disciple much like Lin Shisan.
She had simply been luckier.
A year earlier, she had done her work well, so the languid, mature beauty had kept her on as a maid who handled daily errands.
Though she was still nominally a Servant Disciple, her standing was considerably higher than that of ordinary Servant Disciples.
Even the Servant Stewards treated her courteously. After all, she had a powerful patron to cling to.
When Lin Shisan had fainted in the Thunder Sea, the languid beauty had specifically sent her to care for him while he was unconscious.
"Dark-skinned lad, don't move around."
Tiny Waist was only saying that.
As early as her first day here, she had already shrewdly deduced Lin Shisan's standing.
Not only had the cat-keeping Fairy Aunt come, but the languid beauty had visited too, followed at last by the ice-sculpture beauty.
Not even a ghost would believe that Lin Shisan had no status or backing.
"Dark-skinned lad, shall I give you a massage?"
"A massage... Senior sister, no, no, there's really no need."
Lin Shisan's heart pounded.
When had a country boy like him ever had a massage?
Let alone one from a woman.
His face flushed all the way down to his neck. It was even more unbearable than being electrocuted.
"You need it. This is how I massaged you while you were asleep. It helps your lower body recover."
As she spoke, Tiny Waist walked over, crouched down, and really began massaging him.
Lin Shisan shuddered all over.
Worse still, when she massaged him, Tiny Waist paid no heed to which part she touched. She thoroughly worked over every last spot.
All the while, she kept casting flirtatious glances at him.
Her body leaned closer and closer.
He could even smell Tiny Waist's scent now.
At a complete loss, Lin Shisan felt something soft press against him.
Though she looked only seventeen or eighteen, she lacked none of the curves she ought to have.
Pressed against him like that, she made his breathing quicken. His head seemed to hurt again, and he felt as though he were being electrocuted once more.
In one unguarded instant, he even caught sight of an expanse of gleaming white skin he should not have seen.
"Dark-skinned lad, is this pressure all right?"
Tiny Waist's voice was like a lark's.
Light and lilting, it also held a hint of a coy, babyish sweetness.
It sent tingles through Lin Shisan's entire body, leaving him burning hot and covered in goosebumps.
Before you continue