It's an assassin's job to kill and many in the field have a policy; all witnesses must be terminated. Purga, whose real name only the dead are aware of, follows said policy religiously. That's until she is caught during work by a young man who is happy to know he'll be put to death and actively encourages it. To him, being a witness was a blessing, to Purga it was a curse.

The writing majors on the true meaning of a ??? family

Ling-style killing arts! That was one of the Ling family loyalists' specialised combat arts — why would it appear here in this mission space? Doubt rose in Ling Lan's heart. If it could be said that she wasn't particularly concerned about this legacy mission at the start, now that she had seen this set of killing arts, Ling Lan had no choice but to take it seriously.
Ling Lan did not hesitate — she quickly followed the figure's lead to go through every punch and kick of the Ling-style killing arts perfectly. Having grown up practising these arts in combat training with the Ling family loyalists, Ling Lan had long had it ingrained in her memory.
Once Ling Lan had gone through the full set of the killing arts perfectly, the grey figure dissipated once again. At the same time, Ling Lan felt as if the surrounding fog and mist were gradually melting away, and soon, she could clearly see the scenery before her.
She was standing on a lush and green lawn. In the distance, there were the highs and lows of mountain ranges, circled by clouds and mist; nearby, a stream was trickling, and the air was filled with birdsong and the scent of flowers. A lovely and tranquil mountain valley scene had just appeared so abruptly before Ling Lan's eyes.
Ling Lan had never seen scenery as beautiful as this, which caused her heart to become unbelievably quiet in an instant. At that moment, a sheet of white paper suddenly descended from the skies, drifting down leisurely to float miraculously at her eye level and unfurled itself.
On it was a line of writing. It was a request: This is a beautiful mountain valley, but unfortunately, till now it still has no name. Please give it a nice name now.
Ling Lan had just finished scanning these words when an exquisite Chinese writing brush appeared beside the white paper.
That's strange. Why would such an ancient thing appear in this modern place?
Ling Lan's brows furrowed. Her gaze was fixed on the writing brush — the more she looked at it, the stranger it seemed. This was because the design of the brush actually seemed somewhat familiar to her, but she just couldn't recall where she had seen it before.
The academy? Ling Lan silently shook her head, eliminating this possibility. The academy was too advanced — if you told her that there were some things that defied reality there, Ling Lan might still believe you, but for an almost extinct antique such as a Chinese writing brush to appear there was almost impossible.
In that case, the only possibility was her house.
When and where would she have seen a writing brush like this one in her house? A writing brush would typically appear in a study room, but the study in the old Ling family mansion belonged to her father. Thus, the writing brushes in there were all bold and simple in design — there was no such elegantly exquisite writing brush there, which was clearly meant for women ...
For women? The study? Ling Lan suddenly recalled an incident ... That was back when she had first started learning how to read and write. She had been dragged into the study by her mum to practise calligraphy. Her mum had said that this was a Ling family tradition — every descendant of the Ling family must learn how to do it well. Back then, Ling Lan had been miserable. Her tiny fingers hadn't been able to hold any of her father's large writing brushes in the proper grip. In the end, she could only pretend to be clueless and innocent, and just grip the writing brush as if it were a mop.
Seeing Ling Lan's put-out expression, Lan Luofeng had been giggling with amusement. However, she also knew then that she had been careless, not having prepared a small writing brush more appropriate for Ling Lan. In the end, in order to let Ling Lan grip the brush correctly, she had taken out a small writing brush that she treasured dearly, lending it to Ling Lan. She had also told Ling Lan with a tender look that this was a love token given to her by her father Ling Xiao.
She remembered that she had reflexively complained right then that her dad was really such a cheapskate, while her mum was just too gullible. Lan Luofeng hadn't known whether to laugh or cry, and had knocked her smartly on the head. Still, that little writing brush had really been so pretty and exquisite that Ling Lan had played with it curiously for a good long while that day. But starting from the second day, that delicate little writing brush had once again been secreted away by Lan Luofeng. In its place was an extremely common small writing brush. From then on, Ling Lan had never again seen that love-token writing brush.
Five years had passed since then, and Ling Lan had almost entirely forgotten that event as well as that brush.
Ling Lan suppressed the emotions roiling within her. Carefully, she picked up the exquisite writing brush before her and twirled it in her palms. A phoenix with its wings outstretched in flight was carved on the shaft of the brush. It was exactly like the one she had seen in the past — sure enough, this brush was the one from her memory.
Could it be that this legacy had something to do with the Ling family? Something to do with her dad? Or perhaps this legacy was from her dad?
Ling Lan felt as if she were going mad, otherwise why would she even have these kinds of thoughts? Legacy missions could only be issued by someone at the level of a imperial operator or beyond. And anyone at that level would undoubtedly be a terrifying existence, almost a symbol of immortality. How could that short-lived dad of hers fall into this category?
But what if it were true? Ling Lan's heart started pounding violently ...
Right then, another line of writing suddenly appeared on the paper: You still have one minute to think. The countdown begins now. 60, 59, 58 ...
F*ck! Ling Lan's emotional feelings fled instantly. She started thinking hard on what name she should give to this valley. At this moment, Ling Lan was somewhat regretful that she had gotten distracted by the writing brush, and had not used her time wisely to think about this problem.
"A beautiful valley, an exquisite brush? What exactly is this legacy mission trying to tell me with this imagery?" The CPU of Ling Lan's little brain was whirring at full speed, trying to find any hint she could from her surroundings.
The writing brush was her mum's love-token? In that case, could this lovely valley also have something to do with her mum? Ling Lan began scouring through the conversations she had had with her mum, hoping that she would be able to find some clue there.
43, 42, 41 ... time continued to slip away bit by bit. Ling Lan's forehead began to bead up with sweat — Goddammit, if only Little Four were here.
"Boss, looking for me?" Little Four's voice suddenly rang out from within her consciousness. Ling Lan was startled, "Little Four, you're here?"
"Yup, I've been watching all this time. It's just that I was sealed by an energy force and couldn't talk to you. But when you thought of me just now, that energy just disappeared," replied Little Four.
"Enough about that for now. There's still about 30 seconds left. Quick, help me think, when I talked with my mum before this, did she ever mention a place like this?" Ling Lan was burning with anxiety, throwing out the question hurriedly.
"That's a bit too broad. Are there any more hints?" Little Four also became anxious, and his core processing chip started running in overdrive.
"Whatever location for my parents' engagement, dating, or proposal, or perhaps a marriage spot or a honeymoon destination ... or maybe some country that she has a deep impression of, or even an ideal country to build a home?" Ling Lan ran through anything she could think of — all she could do now was gamble.
"Dating spots ... other than the Ling estates, it was military camps. Your dad is really unromantic!" muttered Little Four. How in the world had Mama Lan been wooed by this? "Engagement? Proposal? Marriage? Honeymoon? Huh?! The family estates? Military camps? Hells, did your dad only know how to run between the family grounds and the military camps?! Did he never even consider exploring other places?!"
Little Four was infuriated. No matter how hard he looked, Ling Xiao and Lan Luofeng's romance history only went back and forth between military camps and the old Ling family estates. There was nothing at all connected with this beautiful valley before them right now.
"Then what about dreams? Or ideals? Didn't my mum have any places which she really wanted to visit?" Ling Lan saw the number on the paper dropping from double digits into single digits, and couldn't help but yell.
"I've got it! It's Belief! Mama Lan most wanted to go to Belief ..." Little Four finally located the place that Lan Luofeng missed the most.
At this point, the countdown had already reached 3. Ling Lan didn't hesitate, quickly writing down 'Belief'. The moment the final 'f' was written, the countdown timer hit zero.
Ling Lan stared blankly at her answer. She honestly had no idea what kind of place 'Belief' was, so she didn't know if this answer that Little Four provided was right or not. Whatever the result, she had already tried her best.
The words on the paper slowly faded away, including Ling Lan's answer, and the paper turned back into a completely white sheet. Ling Lan took in a deep breath and waited for the final determination of the legacy mission.
You Pass! Two words in bold and vigorous cursive writing emerged on the paper. When Ling Lan saw the two words, the tension in her heart eased, and she soon started to feel fatigue settling into her body and mind. The intense pressure and anxiety within that short one minute had really taken a toll on her mental resources.
When the two words disappeared once more, new questions appeared. However, these questions were not at all difficult, because they were clearly a type of self-introduction.
"Name: Ling Lan!"
"Father: Ling Xiao!"
"Mother: Lan Luofeng!"
"Age: 7 years!"
"What does your father like best?" The fifth question made Ling Lan pause. She stopped the brush in her hand, thinking back on what Lan Luofeng had said.
********
"Baby Ling Lan, do you know what your father likes?" Lan Luofeng was hugging Ling Lan, showing her a photo of her and Ling Xiao together, as she asked Ling Lan this.
Ling Lan rolled her eyes mentally. If her mum didn't tell her, how would she know?
"Your father really, really likes mecha. You could even say that, in his life, besides mecha, there is still only mecha. Mummy was sometimes jealous of his mecha, but your daddy was the coolest when he was piloting his mecha. No one else could compare." Mama Lan was starting to get lost in her fantasies again, her face dreamy with recollection. This made the one-year-old baby Ling Lan whack Ling Xiao's charming smiling face in the photo with a small hand.
"You menace!" scolded Ling Lan internally. The moment her dad was brought up, her mum would become unsteady.
"Still, what your dad loved most was me. Did you know that? Your daddy told me once ... if he had to choose between me and mecha, he would abandon mecha without question, and choose me." At this point in her story, Lan Luofeng blushed. "Wait till I meet him again. I will definitely make him throw away his mecha, and accompany me forever ... like he promised."
Ling Lan felt a faint sense of melancholy from these words. Loving so deeply that she just could not accept the other's death ... whenever Lan Luofeng mentioned Ling Xiao, she spoke of him as if he were just on a long journey away, as if he hadn't truly departed.
*******
Wasn't mum the one dad loved the most? This was probably also what her mum wished for ... Ling Lan sighed, and behind the question of 'what does your father like best', she wrote down 'Lan Luofeng'.
However, the next question gave Ling Lan yet another headache — why were the questions of this legacy mission so bizarre?
"Your mother's sleeping habit?" Ling Lan's face couldn't help but twitch at this question. Without hesitation, she put down 'grinding her teeth'.
When Ling Lan stopped writing, a final question appeared on the paper. "Do you need to modify your answers?"
Ling Lan resolutely wrote 'no'. At the final stroke, the brush in Ling Lan's hand instantly turned into black mist and dissipated into the air. The words on the paper also disappeared once again.
And then, very quickly, a new line of writing emerged on the paper.
"Congratulations on advancing to the next round!"


After dying from a strange terminal illness, Ling Lan was reborn into a world 10000 years into the future. Although she dearly wished she could just live a peaceful and uneventful life in her new healthy body, fate had other plans ...
 
Forced to disguise herself as a boy just so she could inherit her deceased father's premium military benefits, Ling Lan's journey to adulthood was full of challenges. After much difficulty, she finally turned sixteen when she could drop the charade. But before she could grasp her newfound freedom to get married and start her own family, a twist of fate results in her being thrown into the Federation's top military boys' school.
 
With these twists of fate, Ling Lan had little choice but to walk further and further down a path of no return, one of cold and aloof dominance ...
 
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
 
ryuxenji the translator here. :3 Here are some other things you should know:
 
1) This story is NOT primarily a romance. QI's system right now categorizes all novels taken from the female novel Chinese site (起点女生网) as 'romance' without fail, regardless of whether they truly are romance. So, if you are here just for the romance, you might want to find a different novel. There will be some romance eventually, but most of this novel is Sci-Fi/Xianxia with a lot of world-building and character development.
 
2) I use British spelling. So, please ensure spelling errors are really errors before reporting them.
 
3) No matter what the release rate up top says, the guaranteed release rate right now is 1 chp/day (a.k.a. 7 chps/week). All else is extra at my discretion. (I'll try my best, but RL responsibilities come first.)

The little boy looked over with ice-cold eyes.
The Shadow's shivering hands began to tremble more violently. As he was worried that this would cause more problems, he advised his master, "However, if this matter is not handled well, Concubine Shu will definitely suspect Your Highness. If so, Your Highness would be in a worse situation. Shouldn't we wait for the Retired Emperor's return..."
"No need," the little boy interrupted him. With his left eye bandaged, he stared at him coldly and ordered, "Do as I say."
The Shadow dared not speak anymore and merely nodded, "Yes, Your Highness."
At night, after Emperor Murong had received and read the message, a sudden realization flashed in his eyes as he yelled, "Servants, order the men to intercept Concubine Shu's message. Tell the ministers from the Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs and the Ministry of War to write in their plea now!"
The newly appointed High Concubine Rong was at the Murong Mansion as well. Upon hearing Emperor Murong's instruction, she stood up and asked, "Are you demanding these people to write in to convict the Li family of their crime?"
"No, I'm using them to protect him." Emperor Murong held out the letter and nodded, "I don't know who sent this message, but this plan is brilliant!"
High Concubine Rong frowned and questioned him again, "Brother, you made your decision based on a single letter. Isn't that too reckless?"
"Sister, you are new to the palace. You don't understand the Emperor. This letter analyzed the situation perfectly. The Emperor would not tolerate any cliques and factions between the princes and ministers. If someone is protecting the Li family, they would be gone even sooner. The Emperor especially disliked those from the Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs and the Ministry of War. The Li family has too many former subordinates in these ministries. If they plea for the Li family's lives, that seed of suspicion within the Emperor would blow up and he would take their lives even sooner! Even the First Prince might be… Heh heh..." Emperor Murong cackled coldly. The message was clear even without him finishing the sentence. 
This night was destined to be chaotic.
Somewhere deep within the palace, in the brightly-lit South Chancery, the Emperor threw out a report from his hands.
All of the palace maids and eunuchs who served the Emperor kneeled down at once.
Even Eunuch Gao, who was closest to the Emperor lately, was hit by the report in his face. However, he dared not shout out in pain. He could only kowtow and cry out, "Please calm down, Your Majesty!"
"How could I?" The Emperor's expression darkened as he pointed at the report, growling, "A day hasn't even passed, yet eight of these ten letters are pleading for the Li family and trying to speak for Feng Er! Good, splendid! Relay my words, the Li family's issue will be handled by the Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs from now on. Remove Minister Li from the ministry and let someone from Murong Mansion take over this case!" 
"Yes, Your Majesty." Eunuch Gao retreated after receiving his commands.
The next day, the servant sent by Concubine Shu to inquire about the case returned. 
"How is it? What did the Emperor say?" She thought that since the Emperor doted on Feng Er, the Emperor should have considerably calmed down after a day. 
Unexpectedly, the eunuch shook his head and said quietly, "The Emperor has authorized Prince Murong to take over the Li family's case. I couldn't get any news on what would happen after that." 
"What?" Concubine Shu's face instantly turned pale and she passed out.
Everyone knew about the intense rivalry between the Li family and the Murong Mansion. Since the Emperor handed this case over to the Murong Mansion, it was clear that he wanted the Li family dead.
The message spread like wildfire and almost everyone knew about it, except for the confined First Prince.
The Shadow kneeled down on one knee as he reported the message to Baili Jia Jue without leaving out a single word. 
The little boy listened and smiled, snarking, "That was quick. It seems like she was not strong enough to take the blow." 
The Shadow kept mum. At that moment, the sense of admiration for his master was mixed with great fear.
Logically speaking, he should not be frightened.
He was the one who knew all of His Highness' plans. He had a clear view of everything, which was why he thought that the prince in front of him was breathtakingly brilliant.
If it was not for his accurate understanding of everyone, he would not be able to concoct this plot with such detail.
Everyone in the palace understood that the Murong Mansion had a dominating victory in the battle with the Li family.
However, no one knew that the mastermind behind all these was merely an eight-year-old boy.
The Murong Mansion had indeed benefitted from this palace rivalry.
However, he was merely a pawn that His Highness used to exterminate the Li family.
Until now, Shadow still did not understand why His Highness would take the lives of the Li family so suddenly.
He assumed that they were disrespectful, but they had always been behaving in such a manner.
Why did the master stopped tolerating them this time and destroyed the entire Li family, while he risked being discovered?
The Shadow pondered curiously as he looked at the little boy sitting on a wooden chair.
The little boy did not continue talking and simply ordered in a calm tone, "You may leave."
"Yes, Your Highness." The Shadow stood up and noticed the new palace maid coming in.
Helian Wei Wei did not ask what they were discussing. She was holding a casserole pot in her hands as she looked at the boy writing in silence. Then, she took away his writing brush and said, "Your head is still wounded, stop writing."
"The doctor is visiting tomorrow." The boy snatched his brush and continued writing as if he had been writing seriously just now.
Helian Wei Wei said, "I'll write for you, go and drink the soup."
"You'll write for me?" the boy raised his brow.
Helian Wei Wei was fired up after seeing his mocking face and retorted, "What's wrong with that?" 
"Nothing much. You have to write this 20 times." The boy stood up and comfortably drank the bone soup that Helian Wei Wei had boiled.
Since she wanted to help him write, he could slack off for the time being.
It was just that… 
The little boy was eyeing Helian Wei Wei as he drank the soup beside her. Suddenly, he could not contain himself and asked, "Who taught you how to write?"
"Isn't it unique?" Helian Wei Wei's expression seemed as if she was fishing for compliments.
The boy snickered, "If ugliness is unique, then your writing is truly unique." 
Helian Wei Wei replied, "Would it kill you to speak more kindly?"
"Move over," the boy's tone was calm. Without waiting for Helian Wei Wei to react, he held her hand that was holding the brush. He tilted his elegant face and said slowly, "When you write this stroke, you should put some strength into your wrist…" 
At that moment, Helian Wei Wei thought she had gone back to the past when he hugged her from behind and held her writing hand like this.
"When will you go back with me?" she accidentally spurted out the words.
The little boy's fingers froze and his eyes were unfathomable. 
Suddenly, Shadow pushed the wooden door open and rushed in with a rather panicked expression, saying, "Your Highness, I have bad news."


She, a 21st century mercenary queen, had crossed over into a tragically betrayed body of a waste. Waste? She will show them what it means to be a waste!
Betrayed? With the Ancient Manual in her hands, she will astonish all the despicable men and cheap women!
Wait! Didn’t everyone say that she was an evil woman which everyone feared? Why is his Third Highness, full of mystery and charisma, so interested in her?

This is my first time writing a diary, and to be honest, it really feels weird. I don't know whether or not anyone will read my writing in the near future, yet I am still writing it as if I am certain that anyone will read it and am writing just like I am communicating with someone that may never exist. Well, I guess I should begin writing just like how others will write their diaries now.

15 June 205 based on Ivire Empire's Calendar. I was invited to the famous and the greatest empire in this whole Ivire Region, the Heria Empire, and of course, as usual, those dumbasses began to spout nonsenses behind my back, spreading useless rumors everywhere. "Apparently she has become a runaway from her clan after committing a serious treason. She was lucky that our king took pity on her since Sheverile family's head is a friend of his." Such illogical made-up stories had been made up before I even realized, yet everyone seemed to be brainless and quickly engraved such lies into their mind. What were they even thinking? I am not worried about the slightest about the famous King of Heria Empire since I know that no one in the empire would dare to challenge him nor plan a coup d'etat, considering his outstanding ability as a warrior and a ruler. Even if there is one, then that person would surely be either an idiot or doesn't know anything about him. Perhaps I just could not accept the fact that those assholes have been looking down on me and make up sweet stories where their king and the Sheverile family play a very important role while I am just another lucky ungrateful bastard born in Sheverile family. Sure, the Sheverile family has made a great contribution during the Lost Break alongside the Ivire Empire, but based on what are they concluding who's the hero and who's the antagonist of their story?

To tell you the truth, I was no longer one of the Sheverile, but it was me, not the family's head, who decided that to happen. It was because I am sick of each of them and their phoniness. A young girl full of potential; a talented prodigy who will certainly be the next heir then raise the Sheverile clan reputation once again. A single occurrence turned my situation greatly, at the same time changed their treatment towards me for almost 180 degrees, and as those praises slowly surfaced and were poured, more and more people turned their attention towards me. "Sheverile clan's pride", they say. Are you kidding me? A great, prideful clan who had contributed much to the infamous Lost Break? Oh, what these two eyes of mine could see is no more than a shameless clan that constantly rots over time. No matter how much good deeds each of you has done and how much nice treatments you now shower upon me, they wouldn't be able to hide your true characters. I would never forget about the past - the moments before all of these happened, and when all of you showed your real faces before me, nor when that single yet radical occurrence made me of today.

That memory sticks on my mind just like a strong glue and slowly becomes a spark of ambition that made my goal. Holding to that single spark, I started to train myself harshly in order to give that damned family a 'proper thanks' and have now become a figure that I am proud of - an amazing female warrior and a magician which is considered a threat to many empires. That is why my identity remained unknown to many, especially ordinary people. Could you imagine what would happen if normal and weak civilians knew there was someone with such a background could be a threat to them anytime? Someone with recognizable strength and talent and on top of that, is still a direct descendant who has the blood of the Sheverile family, which has a connection to the Heria Empire. Of course, the civilians, which is a foundation of an empire would go panic and make a ruckus, leaving the empire in a messy state, or so what few rulers think about me.

Nonetheless, that is also the major reason why Heria Empire sent out an invitation to me. A strength that could be used in wars. A talent that could greatly improve the empire's state and power, is how he sees me as. In addition, this person's identity is hidden by empires and is born in Sheverile family, hence no one in the entire region, who has authority, will dare to plan things like assassination - that's if, they still care about their life. 

Well, don't all of those situations create a perfect and fitting opportunity to the king? To gain an ability to touch the so-called 'gem' anyone doesn't dare to and by using this ancient connection between Sheverile family and Heria Empire as a fake reason, he could easily call my name whenever he likes doing it.

Well, probably that's the end of this diary.
Just so you know, everything I told you, from the beginning 'til the very end, are all definite truths, so consider yourself lucky for being able to know what is beyond everyone's sweet-coated lies.

I smirked.

"Of the 7 billion people living in this world, I am the one who now holds this writing and reads it..." I paused, and as I folded the paper and placed it in a safe place, I looked up towards the sky and continued,

"...Isabelle Sheverile..."

"Well, it seems like it's going to rain soon. I better off go now," I turned my gaze away and prepared myself to continue walking through this full-of-danger forest.

*END OF PROLOGUE*

Hi! Mabuhay!

The world is in chaos this past few weeks. I hope you, your family and friends are in good health and high spirit! Let us all unite for a prayer, for our family and for the world!

Thank you so much for supporting and reading my works. My heart is so full from your wonderful comments and your enthusiasm on reading Cyril and April's story!

Hindi ko man ma-meet ang standards ng ibang writer, sobrang thankful po ako dahil merong nakaka-appreciate ng mga anak ko.

Sorry din po kung medyo nabibitin kayo sa update or hindi ako agad nakakapag-post ng next chapter, like all of us I also have a different life outside writing. Writing is just my escape goat to the reality of life. My little sanctuary, at maraming salamat po at nagustuhan niyo 'yong stress reliever ko!

I am writing this note as a thank you for your support! I am in debt with your efforts of reading and commenting sa story/stories ko. My heart is so full :">

I also made a playlist on YouTube that has the songs I used to hear when writing each chapter. Sabi ko nga sa lahat ng author's thought ko, please hear the music included on every chapter para mas feel niyo po siya. I am including them because that is what I am hearing while writing those chapters! Just search "Young Hearts Playlist" on YouTube under Infinity Ramos name! :)

Also, this marks the start of the second half of Cyril and April's story. We are nearing the climax! Are you all excited? I am excited!!

Please wait for it cause I'll upload Chapter 21 (the first chapter of second part) on May 8, my birthday! *woot woot* it is my simple gift to you, my readers who keep on supporting my children!

Once again, thank you so much and my heart is so full to have you, my dear readers!

Ang inakala nilang isang pangkaraniwang gabi ay siyang magpapabago ng takbo ng buhay nila.

	Kapwa nakulong sa hindi inaasahang pagkakataon.

	CyriL is still waiting for his long time and only serious girlfriend, who dumped him for his best friend.

	April is an ordinary, jolly and simple lady who is in the middle of fulfilling her dreams.

	A single night that changed everything.

	Does their young hearts ready for a heartbreak?

*****

Eden just lies down on her sleeping bag inside her tent, a flickering candle providing a dim light beside her as she flipped the pages of her journal in the beginning first pages to where she had written her first entries from when the zombie apocalypse began, how it started and when it started.

Eden's gaze was almost distant as she read the written entries again as she remembered those dark horrific time that happened so suddenly a year before.

She decided to write another entry to her recent one, reached for her pen that was there beside the candle, and despite the low dim light, she can see very well to read and write even in the dark.

*****

JOURNAL ENTRY: DAY UNKNOWN, 8TH MONTH AUGUST, 2XXX

Hey, it's me again, Eden.

I had to write this down just so you can get the idea of how long has it been since I had remembered on when, where, and how this apocalypse all began.

It had all happened and started so suddenly that anyone including me wouldn't have expected it at all or was even prepared for it.

It was just a year ago that it all began.

Starting the first days when I first moved into this city, thinking that this place might be the chance I'm looking to have a normal life.  Me finding and living a simple apartment, searching and working in a normal job and so on as normal and simple like that.

But I didn't know that everything was going to change.

Just go to the beginning.

And you'll understand.

*****

Eden finished writing, put her pen aside and then flipped to the first pages again, reading the first entries once more before the candle goes out and she goes to sleep peacefully for another night.

Her mind wandered off as she read her first written entries again, remembering those times.

*****

A YEAR AGO BEFORE APOCALYPSE

Eden was so happy that she felt like screaming with joy as she finally putting the last storage box into the storage room inside her new and cheap apartment she's now living in, after moving into the metropolitan city.

She looked around at her space which is already filled with furniture and stuff and decently made up in a simple homely appearance.

She was happy at this kind of simple set-up for she isn't like most people who wanted to decorate in a fancy or messy way.

Once she double-checks everything and saw that everything is all fixed up and fitted to her satisfaction, she went straight towards her desk where a newly-bought big book is at the top and a new pen is there beside it.

She opened it, almost caressing her new personal item like it's a treasure and then started writing on the first blank page.

*****

JOURNAL ENTRY: 1ST DAY, 1ST MONTH JANUARY, 2XXX

Hi! This is Eden, the new owner, and writer of this new journal.

I just moved here into the metropolitan city.  But I will not write here exactly where and who I am, because if ever I lost this book somewhere in the city whenever and wherever I bring it along, I'd rather not have some stranger find out even if it's a kind Samaritan one or something.

There are plenty of other journals in the world obviously, so it's not a loss that I lost this one, even if it's like a diary to me.

It's not like I don't care if someone did read what's inside it since it's just some random stuff I write in here about what I'm doing in my life, what my thoughts are and venting out my frustrations.

Anyway, I'm getting a little sidetracked.

I just found and moved into a new apartment, it's simple and luckily cheap.  And it's in a good neighborhood where I don't have to worry about coming home late at night and worry about some gangsters that are going to be roaming about the streets.

Not that I don't know whether there are in this city I moved in.  But I hope there aren't some here.

Seriously, all I want and wish for in my life is a quiet and peaceful normal life for once.

Since the beginning when I was a kid, my whole life has been noisy, hectic and a complete mess with me being someone used something like a punching bag verbally or used as an outlet from my own family's frustrations.

Don't get me wrong. I love my family and I do really.

But for once in the former past of my life, would it be nice for them to at least not try to use me as a verbal punching bag for almost all my life?

I have ignored them or tuned them out whenever they talked bad to me as if I didn't do anything good in my life, since my high school, college and now my first ex-job days.

Hey, all I want is just normal life.  That's it.

Simply put, it's not like I want to go anywhere if I had super-high grades or anything.

I don't want to be one of those people looking for supreme and high-end rich jobs that will provide so much for me and my family.

That's not me at all.

Sure, my whole family has been medium-poor in a way of sorts.  But it's not like we're about to go homeless so soon.

That's just me sounding a bit selfish for myself but I'm telling the truth here.

Anyway, I finally had enough and when I secretly saved enough money for myself, I left my family behind without looking back except leaving a simple note and then moved away to this city so that I can firmly become a sole independent.

Most of my life, I have been doing something for my life, it's just that my family didn't even consider listening to me or giving me a chance to show it.

Well, who cares about them?

As the saying goes, they'll reap what they sow when the time comes.

So right now, before I finish writing this entry.  I'm about to go to my new job, which it's only a part-time job as an office assistant in a small firm during the day and cashier at a small grocery store during the night.

Though it's part-time, I'm just content with that. I have enough money saved up for myself that's with me kept safe and hidden in cash and the one in my bank account.

I'm off to bath and get ready for work.

So stay tuned for more! (smiles, laughter)

I'm writing this in my journal to liven it up and lighten up a little.

I'll be writing my next entry and tell you how my first days go here in my new normal life at this new place.

*****

After Eden finished writing her first entry in her new book journal, she stopped and put down her pen and sighed and stretched her arms up high as if instantly tired from writing and then rotated her neck around to heal the strain she's feeling inside.

Then she turned her head to look at the curtained windows beside her and the desk she's sitting next to and slowly stood from her chair and went over to it.

Eden moved the curtains a bit, staring at the grand and beautiful view before her which is going to be usual and normal in her new life.

She wouldn't trade it for anything and if ever in the future that something goes wrong, she won't go back to her life before and keep on trying and moving forward to stay and live in the city.

Then she let the curtains fall back into covering her windows and she walked to her bathroom to shower and prepare herself for her new part-time jobs and start working in her first days living and working in the city.

Little did Eden know, it is that her whole life is going to change.

In an unexpected way that she had never expected and wasn't prepared for it.

*****

It was exactly 7 days later, right there in the same apartment at the same city Eden is living in for only a week now.

Eden came bursting through the door like a bomb just exploded from outside and she ran for cover in her apartment instantly.

She quickly slammed shut and locked the door with the double locks latched as well and she panted heavily as if she was running a long marathon.

Then Eden seemed urgent and panicked and felt like she had to write in her journal to calm herself down from what she seemed to saw or witnessed before.

*****

JOURNAL ENTRY: 7TH DAY, 1ST MONTH JANUARY, YEAR 2XXX

Holy Mary Mother herself and Jesus Christ himself too!

Sorry, I wrote this so suddenly that I couldn't help but do it.

I'm sure you're wondering why I'm suddenly writing and looking a bit frantic in this entry.

Well, something happened that I didn't expect it at all and I'm pretty sure that the people aren't as well when they saw the news and heard stories and rumors about it.

I don't exactly know when, where and how it happened.

But it did so suddenly that I wasn't even prepared for it.

This is how it all started in the beginning.

I'm writing it all here in my journal.

The first days of the apocalypse.

*****

*****

I am alone.
In a Zombie Apocalypse.
I'm on a self-journey to find more survivors or trying to find a safe place.
Or I'm just living through it and surviving all by myself.
Listen to my story.
Listen or read about my survival.
It is all here in my SURVIVOR'S JOURNAL

*****

A lone survivor.
Since the beginning of the Apocalypse.
She survives through a hellish fallen world.
With nothing but her wits and a few skills that she has from her former normal life and learned throughout the apocalypse.
Listen to her tale.
Listen to what she has gone through in her survival through everything and how she managed to stay alive.
Listen or Read her SURVIVOR'S JOURNAL.

*****

"How long have you been alone?"

"Since the very beginning."

"How did you survive by yourself?"

"Nothing.  Nothing but with just my wits and a few skills and smarts that I have learned throughout everything."

"I'm surprised you're even sane and alive for so long and being alone."

"Oh, I'm not alone.  I have my journal."

*****
(Author's Note: This is a fictional story.  It is not based in real life at all.)

TLDR: As with every end of a book, I will be taking a break and will resume posting on 12th November 2018. I know, it's a longer break than usual, but since it is the end of Act One, I think it should be justified... Oh and since this author thoughts is really long, it really is a too long didn't read, lol.

Hi there guys! Linodo here! WE FINALLY MADE IT!!! We finally made it to the end of ACT ONE!!! *Confetti pops!* Haha, that's right, these first four books are actually part of one act. I know, I know, if it took me about five to six months to complete one act, how long would it actually take for me to finish the entire story?! Three years? Five years? Or should I go full Oda and write it for twenty plus years?

Well, joking aside, I didn't plan for my writing to take this long. If you followed me from the start, you would have known that I wrote Book One in just one month during my semester break. Naturally, the chapter length and quality of writing have been steadily improving (at least in my opinion), so there's that, but the real issue that I have is time management. As a final year university student, school is my full-time job. The most important thing that I must focus on is my school, even if it means decreasing the release rate of Spirit Immortal. And let me tell you, it sure was a challenge. University courses were tough enough, now I have even less time to study and do assignments? There were even times where I just wanted to write an apology letter to you guys and drop the entire novel altogether. However, there was no way that I could do that. Why?

Because I love writing.

I don't know why, no matter how stressed I am, when the clock ticks ever closer to 11 pm, I look forward to when my chapter to go live so that I can see how you guys liked it. You guys don't know it, but there were many days where I would refresh my latest chapters just so that I could see your thoughts about the chapter. In fact, I might be refreshing this chapter right now! Hahaha! So don't be shy to leave a comment or a review about the novel. Let me tell you now, the fear of an author isn't a negative comment or a negative review, the true fear is that no one reads your work.

Before I go in depth about the things you guys really want to know, let me tell you a little bit of my background. As many of you already know, I am an avid anime fan and got into reading web novels because I wanted to read light novels (the source material of a significant portion of anime). To tell you the truth, I didn't like reading books growing up. That's why my English is somewhat lacking as compared to most authors. I did, however, love watching shows/movies/cartoons. I watched many Chinese/Hong Kong dramas, American movies when the K-Wave first started I'd even watched Korean dramas. But, my one true love was still anime. I grew up watching Inuyasha, Shaman King, Naruto, One Piece, Katekyo Hitman Reborn… The list goes on… 

The peak of my anime obsession came when I was about 13-15. Those three years, I probably watched like two-three hundred anime titles, and that's when my life really changed. I watched timeless pieces like Code Geass, FMA, Cowboy Bebop, Fate/Zero, Hunter X Hunter… I delved into comedy anime like Baka Test (which I finished reading on Baka-Tsuki), Daily Lives of High School Boys, Seto no Hanayome, Seitokai Yakuindomo, Niichijou… I had even watched Shoujo anime (even though I was not a young girl) like Seitoukaichou wa Maid-sama, Ouran High School Host Club, Kimi ni Todoke and thoroughly enjoyed them.

However, up till that point, watching anime was just an entertainment hobby of mine. Only after I was exposed to Slice of Life anime did my opinion change. I first watched Angel Beats, and when the ending came, I found myself in tears. I was amazed at how a single storyline could affect my emotions that much. Following that, I binged watch several Slice of Life anime. Air, Kanon and so on. One day, at the peak of my obsession, I discovered a little title called Clannad. I soon discovered that it was by the same company that made some of the titles that I'd watched before, so I went into it with some high hopes. And well, season one was touching, but it was well within my expectations, after watching Angel Beats and whatnot. However, Clannad had something that the other titles did not. A second season. Curious, I thought, well why not?

Boy, was I not prepared for that fucking second season… Clannad: After Story destroyed me. If any of you haven't watched it, stop reading this post and go watch it now. I don't care if you drop my story, I'm just content that I had enriched your lives by letting you know how awesome After Story is. For the first time in my life, after watching a series, I felt empty. I felt as if there was an endless void that ripped my heart in half and that feeling lasted for a solid week. Ever heard of feels train? Clannad: After Story is like getting run over by the feels train while the conductor used the feels bat to hit you every single second. So, once I was finished griefing, I thoroughly reflected upon my experience. How could a story, that had no living creatures in any part of its production, tear me into shreds emotionally? Then, I had an epiphany. It was all about the story. You see, all forms of entertainment that I enjoyed, movies, dramas, anime, manga, light novels, video games, they all had one thing in common. They all had a story. It sounds stupid to say, but it was something that my young mind had pieced together. So, a slight flicker of passion started to burn within me. I wanted to write stories that made people feel that way.

As I grew older, I started watching many more mature animes, like Kara no Kyoukai, Death Parade, Death Note that all had a theme of morality behind it. Instead of the emotional train wreck that Clannad had put me through, it made me question the existence of everything, something that very little Hollywood or Chinese/Korean/Japanese drama ever could. Also, let me shout out a little-known anime called "The Legend of the Legendary Heroes." Severely underrated in my opinion and I can't seem to get my friends to start it. Perhaps you guys would after reading through this post. :p

I wanted to be like Maeda Jun (writer of Clannad, Angel Beat and Kanon) and write touching and thought-provoking titles, and what better way than to write a web novel? Naturally, I'm nowhere near the level of Maeda Jun and the folks at Key, but I'm trying my hardest. After all, how could I climb Mount Everest without taking the first step? If I could make you guys feel even a fraction of what I felt after watching Clannad: After Story, then I'm content. 

So yeah, before this turns into an anime recommendation section, let's talk about the pacing of the story, which was a significant issue that had been brought up by multiple users. As a novice writer, I'm still trying to figure out when I should speed up the pace and when there should be more exposition. At the start of this novel, I had a more direct 'tell not show' writing style which is something that I am still trying to fix till this day. Furthermore, I feel that my writing has a systematic structure that had been ingrained into me due to my numerous years of schooling and learning how to write reports, essays and whatnot. That's why I have been reading multiple successful author's works, trying to find the best style that fits me. Trust me, I have been researching. I read many successful works and analysed their styles. I took time off going to social events just so that I could read/write more. After all, I want to improve my writing. I want to deliver the awesome story of Spirit Immortal (I'll get to that later) in the best possible writings to you guys. In conclusion, my writing style still is a work in progress, and I hope that you could bear with me as I continue my experimentation.

Okay, now that the soapy stuff is out of the way, let's discuss the actual story. This is something that I don't often do in Author's Thoughts or any comments in general as I am not a good secret keeper. I'm afraid that I might accidentally divulge everything, in an accidental comment or otherwise. So I'll try to be very careful here.

The theme of Act One is family. Or to be more precise, what is a family? This is something that I had deliberated on for years, even before I decided to become an author. In Chinese culture, there is this saying, "Blood is thicker than water." I'm sure many of you who are frequent readers of eastern fantasy have come across this quote. However, one day I asked the question. Is blood really thicker than water? Why is it that just because someone is related to you, they must be closer than anyone else in the world? That's how the idea of the orphans came about. I wanted to explore the relationships between children, who have no clue about whether their related or not, and see whether they can be as close as real family. Furthermore, I wanted to see if the adults that adopted them, in this case, the First Elder, the Instructor, etc. would treat them as if they were their own children. And I tried to show you guys that they genuinely loved for the orphans, albeit in a flawed way.

Let me give another hypothetical example. A child was adopted as a baby by a foster family. The child was loved for, cared for and even treated as the most important family member by those who had no blood relations to him. However, one day, when the baby is grown to be fifteen years of age, the biological mother demands that the foster family hand over the child back to her custody. Is it truly right? If we're going by the doctrine that "Blood is thicker than water," the child should be reunited with his mother. However, she is no longer part of his 'family.' There had been no ties of love, memories shared or anything that could bind the two together. The foster family, which had treated him as their own son, is now his true 'family.' That's why when Shin found out about the truth of the Awter Clan, he didn't go full on rage mode and vow to kill everyone who had the Frie Clan's blood. It was because even though he is the heir of the Awter Clan, in his mind, he had no ties to it. 

Junius, on the other hand, is the polar opposite. He loved his family and would do anything in his power to reunite the orphans with their rightful 'family,' those that shared the blood of the Awter Clan. Although his purpose is righteous, his methods are flawed, which led to the unhappy circumstances in 'The Unfulfilled Promise.'

And now… We are finally addressing the elephant in the room. I'm sure many of you who read the last chapter are just dying to wait for me to talk about this. The deaths of Ariel, Lily and Linus. 

When I planned out the entire story, this was the turning point of everything. Ariel's death. The promise that had been made in chapter one will forever remain unfulfilled. I had actually run into some issues when I first started to write book four. A problem that no author should have… I didn't want to kill off Ariel. I had grown too attached to her antics, and I wanted Shin and her to remain together and become some sort of power couple. I had even toyed with the idea of re-planning the story from scratch just to keep her alive. However, the more I thought about it, the more it would ruin my beautiful ending. If Ariel lived, the ending wouldn't make any sense. So, I stuck to my guns, and I wrote the initially planned story, as much as I didn't like to. I'm sure that there will be many who will dislike my choice to kill Ariel and might even drop the novel altogether. And that's fine. I can't force you to read my story anyway.

I'm sure you guys can tell that I try my best to avoid the Wuxia/Xianxia cliche storylines that follow the same arc over and over. However, that, in turn, means that my writing style has to flesh out many details so that you guys can follow the story. So bear with me on that. Each Act will follow a theme. For instance, Act One's theme is family and Act Two's theme is… Well, read to find out!

The future of Spirit Immortal is unknown, even to me. I will be starting my internship soon and possibly, a job offer might come. Once I have the job, there would be so much less time for me to write so I don't know if I can continue my daily releases. Especially since I'm not getting paid to write and this is essentially my hobby. However, I promise you this, as long as there are readers, I will continue to write. I just love the story too much to just walk away. I will try to finish the story within two-three years, but as it stands now, I don't know if that's a reasonable estimate. So, who knows what the future would bring?

Alright, I shouldn't talk anymore lest I accidentally leak my entire storyline to you guys. To be honest, I have been dropping many hints about the end of Act One, and I'm sure many of you caught on early. In truth, I had also dropped subtle hints about the final ending in many of the chapters. I wonder if you guys have picked up on some… 

If you like the story, feel free to leave a review or a comment in the latest chapter, especially for my readers on Webnovel. I don't get notifications if you post comments on older chapters so I won't be able to respond. Please don't ask questions hinting for spoilers. As I explained earlier, I'm not good at keeping secrets so I will ignore the question altogether.

Thank you for supporting Spirit Immortal! Do leave a comment or review that tells me how you think about the novel! I hope that you have a lovely week ahead! Till next time! :D

Over a million years ago, the first human contracted with the first Spirit. Ever since then, Spirit use has become commonplace. Humans used Spirits to carry items and start fires. Eventually, even start wars. Thousands upon thousands of years past and one day, one human did the impossible. He transcended his mortality and ascended to the realm above.  

In the present day, the Frie Clan was once a great clan of the Himmel empire. However, a devastating battle ten years ago crippled the clan and their numbers dwindled. To make up for their loss, the upper echelons decided to adopt young orphans and nurture them to become a future pillar of the weakened clan. Shin was one of those orphans. 

Although picked up by the Frie Clan, not all is smooth sailing for Shin and the other orphans...
------------------------------------------------
Tags: Action, Comedy, Romance, Fantasy, Drama, Male Lead, Tragedy.

For some reason, QI doesn't allow you guys to see my tags so here they are. Also, there is no Harem in this novel for those of you who are curious.

Chapters are released daily at UTC+8 0100 unless stated otherwise

Support me at: https://www.patreon.com/Linodo
For additional content, visit me at: https://linodofictions.com/

I remember when I was seven and my mother confessed to me she had a lover.

Of course, I had no idea what that meant and just silently comforted her with a hug.

Ten years later I faced the consequence of my mistake.

The whole family had found out. 

And I remember just standing there dumbfounded while my grandmother kept bawling and my two aunts comforting her. 

Nobody blamed me.

They said it wasn't my fault.

I was too young to have known my mistake.

Instead they blamed my mother.

Who, after my family found out her scandal, started living alone in the house where we used to live as a family.

And me, with my younger sister and father, moved into the house where my extended paternal family lived.

That particular day left me guilty.

So much that it still keeps haunting me.

Of course, I never told anyone.

I couldn't stand the sight of people giving me pity or comfort. Their stares made me feel small and helpless. 

And I...

wanted to be free of those stares.

...

I was ten when I had found my first little crush. 

He was the smartest guy in our grade and was hopelessly childish.

I couldn't help but compete with him over everything. 

Exams, quizzes, activities, group projects.

And I failed miserably every time.

Then the whole class found out and I was teased for it. 

I, who at the time was too busy studying, didn't really care and continued to like him freely.

In the next grade, I had confessed to him.

I was rejected.

I expected it of course, but I still liked him so much.

There was even a time I kept crying because of him.

When our grade separated during senior high, he had suddenly confessed to me.

And me, being stupid, accepted his confession.

For the first few months, everything was fine.

But after that was a never ending cycle of fights.

I got sick of it.

So I confronted him and told him how I really felt.

After that we never contacted each other again.

I liked him for six years.

Ten years later I haven't found anyone yet. 

Maybe I still like him.

I'm not sure yet.

...

I was ten years old when I told myself that I would like to be an author.

I hadn't exactly found my purpose yet.

So I started writing on my phone in the hopes I could improve my writing.

In the midst of high-school I lost my will to write.

I wasn't exactly sure of the cause.

Maybe it was my family.

Or my studies.

Or maybe I had given up on myself.

But halfway through college, I met my professor.

I became fond of her and wanted to be like her.

Before I knew it I started to write again.

Sure it was silly and my writing had much to improve on but...

I felt happy.

And I had found my purpose.

Jiang Shan prefers to be left alone, leaving her with fewer friends than her peers.

After starting senior year, she is determined to spend her days at home to think about her plans for the future.

The strained relationship with her family, her unstable mental health, a complicated relationship with a boy, playing her part in the student council, and studying for the coming entrance exams.

All of this had been managed to be swept up in a storm called Yang Mu.

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