The Two Masters

Li Yun could hardly believe it when he managed to open his eyes again. What surprised him even more was that he could raise both of his bloodied hands.

Li Yun then touched his abdomen where he had been wounded before, but all he found was torn clothes and fresh blood. He felt no pain at all!

"Does the sky pity me?" Li Yun wondered aloud, casting his gaze toward the bodies of his mother and brother lying stiffly on the floor. Innocently, he asked, "But why didn't it have mercy on them?"

Li Yun didn't shed a tear. Instead, his eyes filled with murderous intent. His hands clenched into fists as he imagined crushing the heads of the treacherous leaders.

"Hey, young boy!"

Li Yun snapped out of his reverie at the call. He looked around but found no one alive in the room besides himself. The voice had sounded like that of an old man.

"Who?" Li Yun called out, trying to rise despite his difficulty standing without support from the wall.

"Should be asking that," the voice returned. "Boy, who are you? And how is it that I find myself inside your little body?"

"What do you mean?" Li Yun exclaimed, bewildered. 

The moment he spoke, Li Yun felt as though lightning had struck his body. He stiffened and leaped up, almost touching the ceiling of the room. As he fell back to the floor, he noticed his head felt heavier than usual.

"Bastard!" Another voice erupted, sounding like an old man's, but distinctly different from the previous one, Li Yun realized.

The first old man shouted, "Long Wei! Did I really hear your voice after I sent you to hell?!"

"Jiang Huo?! HAHA! If you can still hear me, that means I'm dragging you to hell with me!" The second voice let out a satisfied chuckle. "Well, here we are—welcome to the waiting room. It's damp, it reeks, and hold up... we are we?"

"You probably won't believe this, but... I think we've been reincarnated and ended up trapped in this kid's body," Jiang Huo said. "We must've died in that fight."

Li Yun clutched his head as dizziness set in. The voices didn't seem to come from any direction but rather from inside his own head. Somehow, he realized that two old men were trapped in his head, and now they were arguing fiercely.

"Long Wei! Did you use that forbidden technique right before the end of our fight?" came the voice of the figure called Jiang Huo.

"Old fart, don't be so naive. Every technique we used in that fight was forbidden," Long Wei shot back. "But we should stop talking. Now, figure out why we're both stuck in this kid's body."

"That's exactly what I was asking before you showed up out of nowhere," Jiang Huo snapped, still frustrated. But he took a breath, trying to calm down.

After a brief silence, Jiang Huo gently asked, "Kid, what's your name? And where are we right now?"

Li Yun didn't answer for a moment. Everything had happened so quickly that it was difficult for his mind to process it all. The death of his mother and brother was a profound shock to his psyche, and now he had to accept the bizarre reality that two mysterious figures were inside him.

But no matter what, he knew that he had to answer to make things clear.

"I am Li Yun, son of Li Fang. We are in the underground secret room of the Southern Iron Wall," he said, trying to steady his voice.

"Li Fang? Southern Iron Wall? Ah, it's must be the Central Continent!" Jiang Huo exclaimed. "Long Wei, are you sure we were still in the East Continent when we fought?"

"There's no way we moved that far, Jiang. The distance between the Eastern Continent and the Central Continent is so crazy vast," Long Wei replied.

"Hard to believe it, but seems like we've reincarnated in Li Yun's body," said Jiang Huo.

"But I should be dead too," Li Yun suddenly interrupted, his voice trembling with a mix of anger and sadness. "I... I should've died with my mother and sister. You can see it—my body's drenched in blood. The heavens must've worked a miracle, giving me a chance to avenge my family's unjust death, but I have no idea why you two are stuck inside my body."

Jiang Huo's voice echoed once more. "Long Wei, does the sky offer us a chance to make amends?"

Long Wei snapped defiantly, but then paused, his thoughts shifting. "But... I'm starting to see things differently. Maybe the heavens are trying to tell us something by trapping us in this kid's body."

"So you have the same thoughts as me?" Jiang Huo's voice sounded a little mocking.

"No need for small talk." Long Wei indirectly reminds it was inappropriate for Li Yun to be in this room for too long. Not with the presence of the bodies of his mother and brother who died horribly.

Sensing Long Wei's intent, Jiang Huo quickly spoke up, "Li Yun, can we get out of here? This place isn't safe for you."

"I know." Li Yun's reply was resolute, leaving Jiang Huo and Long Wei nearly incredulous. They had readied arguments in case Li Yun refused to leave the room, but his response was completely unexpected.

"But only after I bury my mother and sister's bodies," Li Yun continued.

With his small hands and body, Li Yun lifted the bodies of his mother and sister one by one, exiting the underground secret room. Once more, his actions left Jiang Huo and Long Wei in awe.

For a 10-year-old boy, carrying a 20-kilogram sack of rice is quite an achievement. Yet, Li Yun successfully lifted his sister's body, weighing over 30 kilograms, and even his mother's body, which exceeded 50 kilograms!

Through their mental connection, Jiang Huo conveyed to Long Wei, "He's no ordinary child. Despite his blocked meridian path, his physical strength is remarkable."

"You're hailed as the Huo Alchemist God; it would be shameful if you can't mend Li Yun's meridians," Long Wei chuckled broadly, convinced that Jiang Huo's renowned alchemical skills from his past life would prove useless with their current limited resources.

Jiang Huo retorted mockingly, "Let's not forget you're called the God of Slaying Sword. It'd be quite embarrassing if you couldn't teach this little guy to wield a wooden sword."

The debate between the two disembodied souls continued through telepathic messages, so as not to disturb Li Yun, who was burying his mother and sister in the family cemetery not far from the basement.

Li Fang's great-grandfather had intentionally constructed the family cemetery underground. The reasons behind his decision had remained a mystery, but now Li Yun understood that his ancestor's choice had been wise.

The grave Li Yun built for his mother and sister stood out starkly amidst the grandeur of the other graves. It was a simple tribute, but all he could offer as a final farewell to his family.

As much as he hated to admit it, Li Yun knew that it was very likely that his father was dead now, but how could he retrieve his body while all the invading cultivators were going to kill all of Li Fang's descendants?

"Yun, could you explain what just happened to you and your family?" Jiang Huo's voice reverberated through the room. "Especially concerning the Southern Iron Wall, the largest and strongest fortification and camp ever built."