For the first time in many lifetimes, he woke to the gentle sound of city life:
cars humming on distant roads, birds chirping on power lines, the faint chatter of vendors selling breakfast in the streets.
Stretching lazily, Shen Li smiled to himself.
"So this is my new life... peaceful, ordinary... and full of possibilities."
The Xiao household was already awake and bustling.
Downstairs, Madam Bai supervised breakfast with military efficiency.
The rich aroma of porridge, steamed buns, and fried eggs filled the air.
"Mother," Shen Li said as he entered the dining room, bowing his head politely.
Madam Bai turned, a spatula in her hand, ready to scold—
but seeing his respectful greeting, she froze.
Her lips quivered.
"Sit, sit," she said hurriedly, pushing a bowl into his hands. "Eat more. You lost weight after that fainting spell."
Xiao Rui, already halfway through his third bun, glanced up.
"Who are you, and what have you done with my brother?" he teased.
"I evolved," Shen Li replied dryly, taking a seat.
Madam Bai laughed despite herself, the sound warm and musical.
It seemed Shen Li’s changes were starting to win over even her cautious heart.
Funny Family Moments
Midway through breakfast, Madam Bai insisted on checking Shen Li’s pulse "just in case."
"Mother, I’m fine," Shen Li protested.
"Nonsense!" she snapped, wrapping a blood pressure cuff around his arm.
Watching her fuss over him so earnestly, Shen Li’s chest tightened with an unfamiliar warmth.
"So this is family... real family."
In another life, he might have scoffed.
Now, he simply smiled and let her dote on him.
Later that morning, Shen Li wandered into the courtyard, sipping tea.
As he sat cross-legged under the old banyan tree, he began to reach inward—
seeking the familiar flow of Qi he had once commanded so easily.
To his astonishment, he felt it.
Faint.
Thin as spider silk.
But real.
He drew a slow breath, guiding the invisible energy into his dantian, the energy center within the abdomen.
The process was painstakingly slow compared to the dense energy of the warrior world.
But it worked.
A tiny spark flared within him.
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"It's the same Qi. Just weaker here."
Excitement surged through him.
If he cultivated patiently, he could regain strength far beyond ordinary martial artists of this world.
And so began his secret daily routine:
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Morning meditation under the banyan tree.
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Afternoon physical training in the Xiao family’s private gym.
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Nighttime quiet breathing exercises before sleep.
Each day, he felt a little stronger.
His movements became sharper.
His senses, keener.
His presence, heavier—subtly different, though most wouldn't notice.
Later That Week
Madam Bai watched him sparring lightly with one of the family bodyguards.
"You’re improving," she said, smiling proudly. "My Zhan'er is becoming a real man."
Shen Li bowed respectfully. "I have you and Father to thank, Mother."
Madam Bai looked away, blinking rapidly, pretending to inspect a flowerpot.
"You silly child," she muttered under her breath, a hint of tears in her voice.
Xiao Rui, passing by, laughed.
"Careful, Mother, he might make you cry one of these days!"
Madam Bai shot him a look, but Shen Li caught the tender, proud gleam in her eyes.
The Heroine Appears...
That afternoon, Father—Xiao Ren—summoned Shen Li to the living room.
Standing beside him was a girl about Shen Li's age.
She was stunning.
Sharp gray eyes, long black hair pulled into a neat ponytail, a slim athletic build.
She wore casual clothes: jeans, sneakers, a fitted hoodie.
There was strength in the way she carried herself—
the easy confidence of someone used to winning.
"This is Bai Xue," Xiao Ren said. "Daughter of my old friend. She's just returned from the capital."
Bai Xue gave Shen Li a glance—
then wrinkled her nose slightly.
It was subtle, but Shen Li caught it.
"In the novel, she despises Xiao Zhan for being arrogant and foolish," he remembered.
He bowed politely.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Bai," he said calmly, his tone cool but respectful.
Bai Xue blinked.
She had been prepared to sneer, to dismiss him...
but the boy standing before her wasn’t blustering or trying to impress her.
In fact, he seemed... distant.
Detached.
Almost cold.
For some reason, it unsettled her.
"Y-yeah," she mumbled awkwardly, hands stuffed into her hoodie pocket.
An awkward silence stretched between them.
Madam Bai, sensing the tension, clapped her hands.
"Come, come, let's have tea! You young people can catch up!"
As Shen Li poured tea for everyone with slow, precise movements, Bai Xue stole glances at him from under her lashes.
"Why does he seem so different?" she wondered.
"Wasn't he supposed to be loud and annoying?"
Her heart twinged with a strange, unfamiliar irritation.
Later that night, sitting in the quiet of his room, Shen Li reflected.
"The story’s path is already crumbling."
"I will not be a villain. I will not be a hero. I will be myself."
His hands formed a simple seal, and he began to breathe rhythmically, drawing thin threads of Qi into his core.
Outside, the city hummed with life.
Inside, a new power slowly, patiently awakened.
A journey of transformation had begun—
one that would defy all expectations.
As Shen Li meditated in his room, the quiet of the city surrounding him, his mind wandered back to the past—a past that had always been void of family. His memories, though vague, were still vivid enough to stir a deep sense of loss.
In his first life, he had been a scientist—a brilliant mind working tirelessly in a laboratory. He had no family. No parents, no siblings. The sterile environment of his work was the only place he felt truly at home. People around him were always colleagues or distant acquaintances, never anyone he could consider family. In the end, his life had been consumed by his work, and he had died alone, without anyone to mourn him.
Then, there was his second life—a world of warriors, where strength and power dictated one's worth. In that life, he had been raised in a military barracks. An orphan from the moment of his birth, Shen Li had known nothing but the harsh rules of survival. No mother to tuck him in at night, no father to offer words of encouragement. Every day was about survival, about growing stronger, about fighting until there was nothing left. Even in the world of warriors, where blood and strength ruled all, he had never known the warmth of a true family.
But now, in this life, he had found something he had never imagined possible—a family who cared for him. Madam Bai’s warmth, Xiao Ren’s silent strength, and even the playful banter with his younger brother—these things were new to him. They were a source of confusion, of joy, and most of all, a comfort he had never known.
For the first time, he could feel something inside him shift. There was more than just power and strength in life. There was family. There was love. And it was something worth protecting.
[End of Chapter 4]