Becoming Immortal - Chapter 1

The moon rose from the east, its soft glow as brittle as frost. 

Lin-niang* pushed at the crooked wicker back gate of her house, doing her best to minimise the creaking. Opening the door just a crack, she twisted her slender body and slipped out swiftly. 

*T/N -niang is a name affix for females. 

Beyond the back gate was a narrow and remote mountain path, bordered by emerald green pine trees. Lin-niang carried a small cloth bundle on her back and a lantern in her hand. She took a few steps forward, then stopped and looked over her shoulder. Moonlight crept into the dark house through the crack in the door, emitting a cold loneliness. 

A wisp of longing drifted across Lin-niang’s face, but once she thought of that person, she could not help but touch the wooden hairpin on her head. Her eyes twinkled and her lips curved as the melancholy expression vanished. 

Father. Mother. 

Liu-lang* wants to bring me to see the world. We will be back in at most three to five months. 

*T/N Similar to -niang, -lang is the name affix for males.

With that thought in mind, Lin-niang turned and followed the mountain path without another backward glance. It was the middle of the night, and dew was already gathering on the foliage, glistening under the illumination of Lin-niang’s lantern. As she walked, damp streaks blossomed across the hem of her skirt. 

The mountain was shrouded in a light mist. Lin-niang walked alone through the expansive mountain forest, accompanied by the incessant chirping of insects. Gradually, she heard other noises hidden within the chirping. It was hard to determine what those noises were, but she had the feeling that there were too many pairs of eyes staring at her. 

Lin-niang had never been out by herself after dark before. Her heart raced in her chest and she could not help quickening her steps. Not long after, she emerged from the dusky forest, the view opening up to a rocky riverbank. A long river stretched out between two patches of trees, glistening like spilled ink under the misty moonlight. 

An old tree with a thick trunk and luxuriant foliage stood by the riverbank. Through the shifting mist, Lin-niang saw the tall figure under the tree in the distance. She heaved a sigh of relief and smiled, running towards him. 

“Liu-lang!” 

The figure under the tree lingered in the obscurity of the hazy moonlight. As Lin-niang approached, the lantern in her hand quickly illuminated his face. 

He was extremely handsome, with a gentle and elegant look. However, his skin was a few shades too dark, ruining the appearance of his refined features. Lin-niang remembered he used to be very fair, but became tanned like this after spending a few years away from home. 

He was still very handsome though. 

Lin-niang jumped into his embrace. His arms were a bit clammy, and smelled faintly of earth. Lin-niang gazed up at him. “Liu-lang, can we really return in three to five months?” 

Hearing this, Liu-lang lowered his gaze to her and smiled gently. “Don’t you trust me?” 

“Of course I trust you,” Lin-niang shook her head, then continued, “So many people have left, but only you returned. I’m just afraid if I leave for too long, Father and Mother would…” 

Liu-lang’s peach-blossom shaped eyes were as gentle as ever, yet they seemed confused as they looked at her. He said, “If you can’t bear to leave your parents, why bother leaving with me?” 

“But you said that the world outside has magnificent buildings which connect the earth and sky. That there are 10-foot tall giants, uncountable fruits, unwilting flowers…” 

So many. 

There were so many fantastic things which Lin-niang had never known. She looked toward Liu-lang. “My father’s leg is getting worse. It’s unbearable to see him hurt so dreadfully at night. I want to find a good doctor for him outside.” 

“Liu-lang, do you think the doctors outside can heal my father’s leg?” 

Liu-lang was always so gentle. No matter what Lin-niang said, he always looked at her so tenderly. Even if he said nothing, he had the ability to make her feel at ease. But as she looked up at him, she found that that familiar sense of security was gone. The light from the lantern in her hand and the moon in the sky shone on his face, revealing an expression that was as cold as his clammy embrace. 

But his clothes were clearly dry. There was not a hint of dew even on the hems of his clothing. 

Lin-niang’s heart started to race. He lifted a hand to her, and at that moment Lin-niang realised that he never returned her hug. When his finger grazed her cheek, the piercing coldness sent shivers down her spine. 

“Lin-niang.” 

The inky river rippled under the moonlight. Liu-lang’s pitch-black eyes were like unfathomable vortexes. As the river breeze lifted the hems of his clothes, his voice drifted in the wind. “Don’t leave.” 

The icy touch on her cheek vanished. Belatedly, Lin-niang lowered her head to look at the bloody patch on her chest. The sanguine redness silently engulfed the original color of her clothing, spreading outward. 

His hand was embedded in the bloody hole ripped through her chest. 

Lin-niang felt cold throughout her entire body, as if she had been chilled in a snowfield for too long. Like an ice sculpture, she could only stand frozen as the cloth bundle fell from her shoulders and the lantern fell from her hand.

The lantern ignited the bundle, erupting into dancing flames. 

Lin-niang could clearly feel his fingers gripping her heart, but strangely she felt no pain. Her eyes trembled, and she looked disbelievingly at her lover before her. “Liu-lang, you…” 

Liu-lang’s pale lips curved as he tightened his fingers. Lin-niang felt an excruciating pain, but she no longer had a chance to cry out. Her bloodshot eyes widened as her body fell backwards uncontrollably, reflecting the gory mass of flesh in Liu-lang’s bloody hand. 

Fresh blood seeped out between his fingers and splattered on the ground. With flecks of blood splattered across his eyelids, he looked down at her eerily. 

Splash. 

Lin-niang fell into the river and was instantly engulfed within the inky waters. Tendrils of blood emerged unceasingly from the bloody hole in her chest, dispersed by the rippling current. 

On the river bank, Liu-lang moved to approach the water, but as the moonlit inky surface grew increasingly turbulent, his expression abruptly changed. 

The mist above the river grew heavy. The fire from the lantern had burnt out, leaving the sky and water a similar shade of black. Below the turbulent surface of the river, a curl of black smoke surged forward like a frenzied fish. 

The waves grew more violent in the places where the black smoke passed by. 

As the black smoke came into contact with the wisps of blood, it paused momentarily. Then it fervently intertwined with the bloody tendrils, growing increasingly vigorous. Her body was completely immersed in the water, her hair drifting like seaweed. 

The river fish flocked towards her, but at that moment, the black smoke surged forward, scattering the schools of fish. The smoke rapidly enveloped her body, filling the bloody hole in her chest.

The blood in the water emitted a dark red glow, splattering out of the water’s surface, resembling fireflies weaving through thick fog. 

Under the surface, the formerly lifeless woman abruptly opened her eyes. 

“Ping!” The surface of the water exploded into layers of waves. The woman burst out of the water and landed on the shore. Her hair had come undone, the damp ebony locks draping on the spring green dress mottled with blood. 

Damp strands of hair clung to her bloodless face. Her shoes had been taken away by the current. She sat barefoot by the side of the water, her eyes moving slowly. 

In the water, Lin-niang realised that her body had turned transparent. 

She looked at her hands fearfully. 

Then snapped her head up. 

The woman was still sitting on the shore, surrounded by pinpricks of dull red light. The hole in her chest was still dripping blood, pitter-pattering on the surface of the water.

The moonlight melted into the fog. The sky was dark, and the waves glistened coldly. 

The same face, the same body. 

They looked at each other across the water.