Never being lonely again

As Ling Mingyu slowly regained conciousness, he could feel himself laying on a soft surface once again. He was afflicted with a sense of déja vu. However, contrary to the first occasion when he had passed between planes, this time, Mingyu did not percieve then sounds of nature. Instead, what he heard seemed to be two people concernedly whispering to each other. At this moment, his head began pulsing painfully.

"How bad is his condition? Didn't you say he would wake up soon? This doesn't look like waking up at all! Look, he's just laying there like a dead fish, pale and ugly! Do something gege!" the tearful, low voice of a young woman sounded to his left hand side.

"What am I supposed to do? I'm no poison expert, you know that, Ah Yin! Master said he would wake up soon, and even father calmed down after he took a look at him, so it should be fine? It was just a small cup of tea anyways!" The person this hushed exclamation belonged to definitely sounded male. He was in his early twenties or late teens, maybe?

"What do you mean 'just a small cup of tea'?! Second brother was foaming at the mouth, okay?! I almost got a heart attack! What's the use of you anyway, aren't you supposed to be some bigshot healer? Hmph!" the girl responded arrogantly, not bothering to keep her voice down.

"As if you could get a heart attack... besides, I'm much more useful than you, anyway. Damn bookworm!" the male voice sounded dryly.

Mingyu decided that he had heard about enough of the two's bickering and opened his eyes sluggishly, letting out a painful groan at the loud voices assaulting his ears.

"Ling Bolin! You dare insult me?! Oh! Ah Yu! You're not dead after all, how great!"

The now cheerful voice to his left hand side really belonged to a young woman. She was seated sideways at the edge of the bed Mingyu was laying on. Oh heavens, she was so close to him! His heart started beating faster. Nobody but butler Gui had ever been this close! Suddenly, Mingyu had the urge to jump up and run away. 'Get yourself together, you lunatic! This is normal! Very normal!' he scolded himself internally.

After the initial shock, he examined the girl in curiosity. If he had to guess, she was probably around eighteen years of age.

The girl looked at him with wide eyes, the brows above her delicate features raised in surprise. Her dainty hands clenched the sleeves of her light blue robes, which were embellished with an elegant cloud pattern. At her thin waist hung what seemed to be a whip made of white leather. The young woman's lustrous hair cascaded down her body like a waterfall. It was of the same reddish brown color as his own. Part of it was held back by a long, satiny, sky blue hair band. Only the color of her worried eyes did not resemble Mingyu's, as they were deep black.

Who was she to him? Most likely some kind of relative? He cursed in his mind. Why couldn't that damn god have provided him with the memories of this body? Or at least some information on what his family would be like once he had transmigrated? This was really awkward! 'Well...' he thought to himself 'there is only one way to handle this situation now'.

In a hoarse voice Mingyu began: "I'm sorry I... I seem to not be able to remember who you are..."

Almost immediately, the color drained from the girl's face. She interrupted him and hurriedly said: "Y-You don't remember me? I'm Ling Suyin! Your darling little sister! The prettiest girl you know! You love me the most, you said so yourself! How can you not remember me?! Maybe it's because you hit your head too hard from fainting! It must be an aftereffect of what happened! This can't be, I'm telling father right away!"

Before the other two could say anything, Ling Suyin had already gotten up from the edge of the bed and strode out of the room determinedly. Before slamming the door hard, she turned around and barked an order to the young man standing at Mingyu's bedside: "Bolin! Make yourself useful and check second brother's pulse or... or something!"

Mingyu and Bolin looked at each other in awkward silence. The youth, who was now sitting with his back against the headboard of the bed, was at a loss. He honestly did not know what to say! Mingyu was really inexperienced in meeting so many new people. And in such a short period of time, too! First, it was that old man, now these two, and who knew how many others his sister would bring. On the inside, he was squirming in discomfort! However, his face remained impassive, as if the whole situation had absolutely nothing to do with him.

'Facial paralysis does have it's advantages' Mingyu thought to himself as he stared at the young man in front of him.

From Ling Suyin's words, this should be their elder brother. Well, he did resemble him a bit.

Ling Bolin wore the same type of garments as his sister. Only, his outer robe was of a beautiful emerald green and embroidered with a lotus pattern. His inner robes were pure white. A sheathed jian with a pale green sword tassel hung at the young man's sturdy waist. Unlike Mingyu, his face could not be described as beautiful, but it did hold some masculine charm. His hair was long, just as Ling Suyin's.

Mingyu guessed that the world he had been sent to might be similar to some of the xianxia books he had read. The deity of crossroads had said that he could become an immortal if he wanted to. From what they were wearing, he concluded that these two should be cultivators. So, did that mean that he was a cultivator, too?

"Uhm... so, do you remember me by any chance? I'm guessing not, huh?" Bolin said while his thin lips stretched into what was supposed to be a reassuring smile. Needless to say, he failed miserably.

Mingyu felt a tinge of guilt. He bowed his head slightly.

"I apologize... honestly, It's not just you two, I don't even remember who I am. We're all siblings, right? I'm really sorry about forgetting all this, I don't even know how it happened..."

Right! What had happen to him? His siblings had said something about an accident involving tea? Or, if it was really a poisoning, that wouldn't have been an accident at all, would it? Mingyu bit his bottom lip in deliberation. Didn't that weird geezer say he could live a peaceful life? How was there anything peaceful about getting poisoned?!

Though his brother's face was calm, Ling Bolin could see the worry in his eyes. He sat down in the same spot his sister had been in. The young man took one of his younger brother's hands in his own and squeezed it reassuringly.

"Don't worry Ah Yu, I'm not mad and I don't blame you... I'm just a bit sad, you know? Yes, us three are siblings, and really close ones at that. Hmm... if I tell you a bit about yourself, it might help with your memory. How about it?"

Bolin looked at him with kind, obsidian eyes. Unbeknownst to his brother however, Mingyu was now completely preoccupied by the hand holding his own. At first, there were some serious alarm bells ringing in his head. Mingyu was frightened and even somewhat uncomfortable. He fought very hard against the urge to pull his hand away and hide under the blanket like a litte kid. Though, as he listened to Ling Bolin's gentle, calming voice, his discomfort quickly turned into something else. Mingyu took a deep breath to steady himself. His hand being held actually felt... nice? He started to feel reassured. Someone was with him, and he didn't need to face this unknown world all by himself. He would surely never be as alone as he was before.

"Ah Yu?" Bolin's concerned voice brought him back to reality at once.

"Ah! Yes, please tell me a bit. Maybe it will really help me remember." he attempted to smile, and just like his brother, failed disastrously. It looked more like he had eaten something extremely sour. Bolin smiled at him indulgently.

"Alright, well, where to begin? Hmm, so your name is Ling Mingyu! You're the second inner disciple of Lian Zi Jin Peak's Master Rong Zemin, and I'm the first. We're part of Jiang Feng sect. Lian Zi Jin Peak is responsible for healing, concocting pills, elixirs, and making antidotes to poison. Actually, our family is pretty famous around here. They are all highly accomplished healers and alchemists! Uh... what else is there...?"

Ling Bolin leaned his head to one side while pondering. Suddenly, his eyes lit up again. Mingyu smiled at the excitement in his voice, genuinely this time. That brother of his seemed like a really nice guy.

"Ah yes! Ah Yin belongs to Fu Yun Peak. They are scholars trained in making formations and drawing talismans! They also record the history of the Jianghu and study morality. Ah Yin specializes in making formations, and she is pretty good at it. Don't tell her I said that though! She's a brat!"

Bolin crossed his arms and pouted before continuing: "Speaking of our sect... there is also Ju Jiang Peak. They teach crafts such as sword smithing. They wear plain orange robes. You have some friends there! Do you maybe remember anyone wearing orange?"

Mingyu shook his head no. As his brother told him about these things, he sometimes got a feeling of familiarity. Especially when Bolin mentioned Lian Zi Jin Peak. Though they did not seem like complete memories, more like fragments of a dream. The more he tried remembering, the further they would slip from his grasp. Bolin sighed disappointedly.

"It'll be fine! I believe it's just a matter of time. Let's just continue like this. Anyway, Meng Hu Peak, which is the most prominent of our sect's four peaks, specializes in combat. You can recognize them by their red robes with tiger embroidery. The masters train their disciplines in using all kinds of weapons. We all had to go there together to attend the advanced martial arts course! So, even though we aren't really warriors, we are quite skilled in self- defence. At least you are! Or... were, I guess." His brother cleared his throat awkwardly.

"You were really great Ah Yu... even though we both have water spiritual roots, I couldn't keep up with you. You even have your own custom weapon, and you cherished it very much. Here, let me take it out for you, maybe you'll remember something when you hold it!"

Ling Bolin let go of his brother. He eagerly waved his right hand to acces the spacial storage ring he was wearing. A tall, slender weapon appeared out of thin air. At first glance, it looked like an ordinary jian. On further inspection however, Mingyu could see that its blade was thinner and longer than that of an ordinary sword. It reflected the light beaming through the wide windows beautifully, making the whole length of the double edged blade radiate in a dazzling, white glow. At its tip were a number of incredibly small hooks. One would have to look very closely in order to spot them. Additionally, a forest green sword tassel hung from its hilt. Mingyu felt a strong sense of closeness while gazing at this weapon.

Ling Bolin handed the jian to him with a smile. When Mingyu held the lithe sword in his right hand, he could easily picture himself swinging it in a graceful arc, as if he had done so countless times before. He returned his brothers smile. Yes, he could definitely remember!