I regret it.

Sitting in a god's damned carriage pulled by two horses. I watched the city landscape and saw the hustle and bustle of a city pass me by through the small window in the carriage.

It was a big city, that I knew.

It was the capital of the empire after all, but I never knew how big.

In sheer width, it could rival the cities I left behind on Earth, but that was mainly because unlike back there, here there were no skyscrapers or huge multistoried buildings.

What it did not have in height, it made up in charm that could only be brought forth by strange architecture and long-held tradition. The only thing it had in common with cities back on Earth was the wide carriage lane, and like a highway, it split the city into roughly four districts.

But none of that matters because I was leaving the said city with the carriage and the dust is left behind.

I regret it not because I am leaving, but because I didn't see it coming.

Even seeing the new cultural sights couldn't jump-start my positive feelings about the place I would be heading to.

It started all about a week ago, the day after my new physical art instruction came and after I had told him my opinion and requirements.

Gao Junjie came the very next day and asked me to demonstrate the limits of my current body. That part was easy and once he saw it, he taught me some simple stretch exercises.

It was similar to yoga in practice. Nevertheless, he soon left after telling me to continue doing them.

The next day he came over again. Asked to see how I did and asked for more information on Life Essence, like what it could do for the body and its effects. I laid out a simple example of how I planned out my thoughts and soon after he left again.

On the third day, he came again, just as I started the yoga-lookalike exercises and after a small conversation about my mental limits, he left again.

I was a bit suspicious about his behavior but to be honest all of that kinda needed to be put into retrospection, as otherwise, it was easy to mess up things.

Especially if the body in question was a child's and while a child’s body is easy to mold, it is also easy to create problems if not careful.

It was easier for me but the possibility was always there.

It was on the fifth day that a small change occurred but this one stemmed from Yu Liwei, my new father. He had called me into his office and there we talked.

The first thing he asked was if my malady still persisted, and I answered. He grunted and said no more of that topic. After a small talk on both sides, we agreed on a deal.

I didn't want a written deal as I wanted the spirit of the agreement and not its letters. The deal was simple, I kept the name Yu Jiao and could continue calling him father for the foreseeable future.

On the topic of my love life, it was harder. Here usually it was the female part of the household that considered and regarded all the matters of love and marriage. When I pointed out that he had ignored that part of the family when considering the previous Jiao’s marriage, he just grunted again and said that it was a different affair. While there was debate if it should be done, there weren't any huge denials either.

Still, I was different. I didn't have the selfless parental love of Yu Liwei that would do anything for his sweet little love, but the deal we agreed to was that how much he interfered in that department depended on my contribution to the family in business or somewhere else.

There I denied any involvement in the business part as I didn't want to be a paper pusher.

I wanted to see the world outside these walls. I wanted to enjoy it as much as possible.

He said nothing and just shooed me away with the excuse of thinking about it some more but in his eyes, I saw something else.

Or was it the face? Either way, I knew he had some plans, so if they were beneficial for me, I wouldn't mind going alongside them. After all, it was much easier to swim down the river than against its currents.

On the sixth day, which was yesterday, I got called again, and there he decided my fate. In my defense, I think I had brought him too much pain and trouble at the moment, so he decided to just toss me away.

My destinate, Heavenly Jade Associate - Mercenary Branch Training Center.

There I would improve my health, there I would learn more about the world in general, there I would learn about combat, and there I would fucking spend five fucking years.

Five fucking years, at least. He was quite adamant about it. I could see it in his eyes as they said “ I do not want you back here any sooner. “

To be honest the choice wasn't that hard to make on my side. It was a good idea, so I agreed but it was only when I saw the flesh-powered carriage bearing the Yu insignia of a bright green jade square slap with the image of a scale in the center that it kinda dawned on me.

Gazing through the small window I observed Gao Junjie on his horse riding beside the carriage.

“ I have to be honest here. ” Came an older voice upon my ears. “ I have not seen so many facial expressions on that face, since that fateful day the old Jiao vanished and you came. ”

Not taking my gaze away, I replied. “ What you see old man, is the realization of regret that suddenly dawned upon me. If I had to explain it, I would say that it was a moment of enlightenment that came upon me. ”

“ Ho, may I hear what this… enlightenment is about? ” He asked me.

Finally taking the inquisitive gaze off my new instruction alone, I observed the changes in the old man in more detail.

Similar to how it all started right after his stage ascension, he gained even more youthful vigor.

His face didn't change much and if described, one could say that he received a healthy dose of botox and the scraggy lines stretched more. But it was from the black hair and beard that his vigor emanated.

Not even a strand of white could be seen on the beard he liked to stroke while in thought. “ I could, but I doubt you would understand half of my reasoning. There is just too much cultural difference between us. ”

“ I wouldn't mind learning more about your past life if that is the problem. ” He remarked. “ Besides, we still have a long journey ahead of us. ”

“ Ugh, don't say it. ” Ignoring my unwilling facial expression that came upon my face, I had no choice but to remember that part.

My future five years would be spent upon a mountain in a remote location, where one could dedicate all one's time and energy to learning and training. I didn't bother remembering the name, as I would probably hear about it a lot in the future, but what I did bother to remember is the time needed to make the journey from Zhongyang Feng (Central Wind), the capital city of this empire.

If one took the journey by carriage it would take about a week to get there.

One whole fucking week in a crampy carriage with very little to do aside from rubbing my but from the ride. I knew there is a huge difference between a carriage and a car or a bus, but it was only when sitting in it that I felt the difference.

Right now it was still ok, as we were nearer the capital so the road was much better maintained if there was something to maintain at all. It was just dirt ground, after all. “ You know, for an empire supposedly over 3000 years old, you sure have crappy roads. ”

“ Roads? ” Not quite understanding why I commented on it, he tilted his head a bit and looked outside the window. “ They look fine to me? ”

“ Nevermind, so you want to know my inner thoughts? ” I ask him.

“ Why not, there is still a long journey ahead of us. ”

“ Fine. But I will need to set the background a bit for you. ” I said. “ Let's start with a simple question. If you could say it in numbers, how much of the population of this Azure Wind Empire can read or write? ”

“ Literacy? Hmm, I have no idea. ” He replied. Raising an eyebrow at him he gave more details regarding it. “ It largely depends on the wealth of the family involved, paper and ink are not cheap after all. Then would be the cost of a teacher and for those families outside the capital, out in the rural areas, it's even rarer. Usually, families save for a long time and send a child to learn the scholarly skills in a school, and only when that child grows up do they see any return on that investment. Why do you ask? ”

“ Well, back in my previous life, it was different. ” I explained. “ While there are still costs to be needed for educating a child on the parental side, like food, clothes, transportation, and similar stuff. It's the government that pays for the education itself. In return, they declare a law that all children must be sent to an institution of learning. So no matter the class of people, even the poorest of all receive an education at a certain stage and I am not just talking about reading and writing. I am talking about all the basic scholarly fields like mathematics, history, geography, biology, music and arts, foreign languages, and other stuff. ”

“ Every child? ” In wonder, he asked.

“ Yes. ” I replied. “ That requirement was written into the Law of Basic Human Rights of Living. If a country, or kingdom as it is here called, does not follow those basic rights, they are barely considered a 3ed rate country, and essentially looked down upon by all the others. That standard is set by the most powerful nations and to improve those standards all over the World, some voluntary workers go into such nations and help them of their own free will. That is the good side of it, the bad one is that every nation follows different standards of teaching, but with time those standards are improving everywhere. ”

“ Fascinating, to think something like that exists. ” Commented the old man.

Nodding to that, I continue. “ Now, here is the reason as to why I asked and explained this stuff. What do you think such a system does to the people in such a world? ”

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“ I am sure you will tell me any second now. ” With a smile he said.

Rolling my eyes at him, I did. “ With so many learned people, it changes how the world is perceived. Most of them became workers of a higher standard, after all, if there are no workers nothing gets done. ” He nodded to that. “ Once the worker places are filled, there are still a lot more people left. A lot of them will fill all the scholarly fields of learning and investigating. Some will go for politics, and some will become merchants of various types but there is one field that I want to bring your attention to. It's the entertainment side of the World. ”

“ Entertainment? Why that topic? ”

“ Simple. There is no greater enemy to civilization than monotony, especially one created by humans. If a human mind is not occupied by work and family, it will seek some other form of occupation and it's that field that explodes to life. ” I remarked. “ I am not just talking about Music and Arts but lots and lots of stuff. What I want to talk about are books, specifically stories that are weaved together for the pure enjoyment of reading. ”

“ I see, I can get behind that reasoning. So are you gonna tell me where this is leading? ” He asked.

Nodding, I went on. “ You see, the more there are people that write, the higher the standards are for what people call good entertainment. As such, people constantly try to improve their work, and a ton of new ideas burst into life every year. From the main characters in those stories to the setting of the World in those stories, it's all left to the imagination of the writer. Nothing is fundamentally left behind. Those writers essentially invent worlds with weird rules, and weird races and the most important part is the invention of the Powers they invent and how those Powers influence the World in question and the people inside it. ”

“ Oh. ” With even more curiosity in his eyes, his hand went for the beard. “ The sheer variety is stupendous. But let's narrow our topic even more. Aside from the system of Power they invented and how they function, the main topic of the story is the main character. They pull that character through various scenarios of love, battle, adventure, treasure seeking, rivals, and much more. After so many stories were invented people began to categorize those stories into the themes they embodied. One of those categories is Cultivation stories. ”

Now I smiled at him. The old man that regained some youth narrowed his eyes and stared at me for a bit. “ Our current situation is reminding you of something? ” He asked.

“ Yes. ” I stated. “ After you read enough of those stories you will further categorize how the story is weaved together. From the introduction of the story till the end, there are story arcs that define how the scenario will function and how their elements will influence the story overall. ”

“ It's because of that knowledge that I know what awaits me in the future, to a degree at least. “ I say. “ Want to know why I know that? ”

“ I am intrigued. How would you know that such elements of story weaving will affect you? ” He asked in curiosity.

“ Old man, imagine it like this. ” I said. “ Imagine yourself reading a story where the main character just introduced himself in the story. Then as you read, you follow his adventures, his battles where he won and lost, where he escaped dangers by a thin thread, and like that, with every opportunity he or she grew stronger and stronger, until he or she reaches the peak of Power and shapes the very world around them to his or her desires. Imagine all those events upon one thread in Reality and tell me how you would define his or her life? ”

As I asked at the end, his eyes grew cloudy for a few moments before exclaiming loudly. “ Fate? You are talking about Fate? ”

“ Bingo! ” I stated.

“ Bingo? ” He stated, confused.

“ Sorry, bad expression. I meant Yes. ” I said. “ Yes, old man. Some would say that it was Fate or Destiny or Karma, whichever expression you're using. There is more to those Words but ultimately the main characters of a story can be defined as Destined Ones, who always leave their marks upon History in one way or another. Now here is another question. What do you think is one of the most common themes of such stories? ” I asked, while ambiguously pointing at myself.

“ Reincarnation? ” He asked with disbelief in his voice.

“ Bingo! ” I said.

“ Bingo? Again? ”

“ Sorry, but sometimes it just fits to say it. Since it would be a pain to not be able to say it, so I will just spread it into the World. ” That said, I went on. “ Back to the main topic. Yes, old man. One of the most common themes is a person reincarnating in a different world. Let's continue, what do you think is the second most common theme of Cultivation stories? ”

This time I wiggled my right index finger at him.

“ Me? ” He wondered how he fit into all this.

“ No, not you specifically but an old man or grandpa as we called them, with much higher cultivation that would accompany the main character at the start of his journey. Usually, they are somehow tied by Destiny, and usually, the main character becomes something like a disciple of that grandpa, or something else. ”

He was speechless as I looked at him. “ Here is another shocker for you, the Destined Ones are real, and I can tell you that at least one such person already exists in this World. ”

“ YOU? ” He exclaimed at me, again.

“ Maybe, maybe not. I simply don't know but I am not talking about myself. ” I stated, with a smile on my face. “ The reason I know this is because my original somehow attached me to the Destiny of one such person and had me ride him or her into this World. So you could say I was smuggled into this World. ”

“ It could be that his or her’s Destiny rubbed on me somewhat, or it could be said that I have my own version of it. But in my honest opinion, I probably rubbed some of his or her luck and that influenced me, you, and probably him. ”

“ Him? ” He looked at the man I pointed at. “ Gao Junjie? Why him? ”

“ Well, usually it's the grandpa that teaches the main character some unbelievable or strong Mantra and helps him with combat or similar stuff. ” I said. “ As you are a healer, that part can't happen, so Destiny shifted and pulled somebody else, like him. So tell me, my lucky grandpa, what is so special about him? ”

He said nothing but the silence was an indication that I was right to some degree. “ Tell me why is he special? What makes him different from others? There has to be something? I can blame my dreams for not realizing it sooner but right now I can feel my bones itching to know it. ”

With a stern look on my face, he probably noticed that I wouldn't back down. With a sigh, he reluctantly opened his mouth. “ You are right. He is indeed different from other people. I have met him only a few times but I have heard about his reputation. I won't say it, though. It is personal history and since he will be your instructor, you can ask him about it. Either way, you will learn about it in the future. ”

“ Tell me more about Destiny and these main character people. ” He inquired of me.

“ Alright, let's start with Destiny or Fate, Karma is a different beast but it's close by. ” I said. “ First thing you should know is that the Future is evershifting, and anybody that tells you it's different is an idiot. Has my father told you why I made a deal with him regarding my Name? ” Seeing his nod, I continued. “ If you use the interpretation of a stone thrown in a pond of still water, then it's easy to imagine the ripples as Destiny or Fate. When you see them it's easy to imagine how they started, you can easily see how they are moving, where they are moving, and you can even see their destination. But what if you throw more stones, like 1 more, or 2, 3, 10, 1000, or more. All those ripples will start interfering with each other. Some will collide, some will overlap, some will be swallowed or something else entirely will happen. Now imagine those stones are people and imagine that every tiny decision those people make creates a ripple in the water. ”

He nodded to my imagined scenario and I went on. ” The complexity becomes so stupid that it takes a ridiculous amount of information processing to shift through everything already happening much less seeing the future. But there is a way, I was told by my original. Anyway, you want to know more about Destiny or Fate personally and what it is instead, am I right? ”

Another nod, I spoke what I had been told. “ Think of Destiny or Fate not as something already defined, like something set in stone waiting to happen. Think of it like a line or a thread, I think that's a better model. One's personal Destiny is the margin of error, or better said, it's the margin between success and failure in one's life. Imagine the thread with a start and end, and stretch it. The tighter the stretch, the less of a margin one has in life and even the smallest mistake creates ripples like a string on an instrument, that either destroy you immediately or make your life very bad to live in. The looser it is the more room you have to wiggle and struggle to achieve what you want. ”

“ Pulling at the strings of Fate, eh.” Said the old man in thought. “ Would one of those main characters be a finely tuned string on an instrument then? ”

“ Yes, but only if you change the quality of the string itself so that their margins of error are far greater than a normal person’s. It is they that create such strong ripples that they not only affect everybody's present and future but the past itself. It's from those ripples that prophecies emerge only that those ripples represent echoes of an already strung string. ”

“ I see, that explains a lot. ” With a cloudy expression, he questioned me. “ Is there a way to undermine such people? ”

“ Well, the future is never set in stone, it could happen. But what's more likely to happen is that the very act of trying to prevent their appearance will make them appear instead. ” I told him. “ As for the main characters, well… all of them have one thing in common. ”

“ And what is that? ” He asked.

“ There is an expression in my language and probably this too, but I lack a word. ” I said. “ Even you should know about this. What do you call a metal that attracts other metals? ”

“ Magnets? Oh. ”

“ Bingo, all those people are trouble magnets. ” Saying that I delayed my words for a second for more impact. “ Old man, I can see where your thoughts are going, but the only way to identify them is by the events that already happened. And even if by the chance you do find one, it's much more likely that the person will escape your grasp in some way, and in some cases even if you kill them they will return somehow, even stronger than before. It's why they are called the Destined Ones, they literally make their personal Destiny happen. ”

That opened his eyes. “Hmm, at worst I can treat this knowledge as a warning to be careful of my actions and to be more observant of the events happening around people. Tell me this, Jiao. You mention to the Lord that your Mantra needs a Destiny to cultivate it if I am correct in the interpretation. Why is that? ”

“ Ah, that. ” With some remorse on my face, I explained to him. “ I wasn't quite forthcoming as I said that. In theory, if I had all the needed materials, I could begin the Mantra right now. ”

“ But? ”

“ But if I want the best possible result, it's better if my Destiny is not weak. ” I said. “ Let me explain it like this. This mantra at its core is a body transformation Mantra and there are two ways to ugh... cultivate it. The safe way, which is the easy way, but aside from the transformation taking forever to complete I won't receive the reward I want. The second way is the Ride or Die way. As it says you either complete it or die, there is no in-between. It is that one that I want to do. ”

“ Why choose such a dangerous method? What is the reward that it beckons you to want, so much? ” He asked.

Smiling at the question, I spoke. “ Here let me use the previous example of Destiny and the string. In the safe method, I slowly transform myself and at the same time, the string slowly changes its quality to represent that change that happened. On the Ride or Die method, I pluck at my personal Destiny and ride the sound it makes to the peak possible. Then at the moment when that peak is reached I snap the string and gobble it up like it's the tastiest food available. ”

“ What? ” Shocked he asked. “ Wouldnt that be something like suicide? ”

“ Haha. ” I smiled and laughed at him. “ Indeed, old man. It's either you ride it till the transformation is finished or you die. Old man, something wonderful happens if you're able to pluck and break your individual string at the right moment and eat it. It is that reward that I seek, as for what it is. Well, there is a famous saying back on Earth, A girl has to have some secrets. ”

“ You must have been insane to create a Mantra with such steep requirements. ” He commented.

“ Haha, maybe, who knows? ” I replied. “ Unlike when he did it on blind faith and reasoning, he has given me the notes of his study after he achieved it. According to them, if my preparations are good and nothing crazy happens, there should be quite a high chance of succeeding at it. ”

“ Sigh, one thing that bothers me though, if your string is gone, what happens to you? ” He asked.

“ If I achieve the transformation, I will be alive like everybody else, but be something more at the same time. Another benefit of this Mantra is that with no strings attached to me, no Mantra or anything else unnatural will be able to pluck my string. Sounds contradictory, doesn't it? ” He nodded at me. “ To not have a Destiny and yet still be alive. Think of it like this, if I succeed, the only way somebody will be able to influence me is through the actions of people in the Mortal World. ”

Shaking his head slightly in disbelief. “ Your original is a madman, to even think of something like this. ” I only lagged a bit more at his remark.

Saying that he went silent for a bit. Not interrupting his inner thoughts for a while, he initiated another conversation. “ Wait, we went off-topic quite hard. This all started when I attempted to figure out your emotional regret, was it? ”

Remembering that he was right, I explained myself. “ The reason I am regretting this is that currently, I am going into my personal Power-UP arc of the story. All such arcs have one thing in common, and that is sweat and pain, with more sweat and pain for breakfast, an afternoon snack, and dinner. It's the part where the main character will be reshaped into a better version of himself or herself. When you read that part and their sweat and pain you see it all from an outsider's perspective. It's interesting to read the things the character goes through. ”

“ Hohoho, but now you're on the inside. It's your turn to experience the pain and sweat and there is no skipping it. ” He finished for me while laughing at me.

“ Haa. Yes, indeed. Now it's my time to sweat and enjoy the pain. ”