Seven

"The time has come," Zhao Ling said under his breath and opened his eyes.

A burst of energy formed within him, followed by a warmth going down his spine. He unlaced his fingers and placed them on his kneecaps before raising his head. He looked directly into the nameless girl's eyes and smirked.

"You have cultivated enough power through your rage and vengeance. It is time for you to go forth and fight for your death, Zhao Ling," she said and moved her hands in a circular motion and a strong wind blew.

Zhao Ling shut his eyes and welcomed the wind. He felt the atmosphere around him changing and the interchanging of worlds. After a few seconds, the wind calmed. He opened his eyes and saw a marble floor before staring at the door up front. A strong presence behind him made his back tingle and a knowing feeling flowed through him.

Zhao Ling smirked. "I have been waiting for you."

A gasp and a soft squeal pushed him to his feet. He turned around and smirked again at the sight of a young woman. She looked pale and rigid, which was hilarious to him but knowing he had important business to deal with, he had no time to say much but go straight to the point.

As he got close, the woman's eyes rolled before she fell to the floor. Zhao Ling idly stared at her unconscious body before making his way over to the shards scattered on the floor by her feet. He squatted and picked up a piece then held it in front of his eyes. He clenched his jaw and furrowed his eyebrows in anger the more he stared at the piece.

"I have come back from the dead," he spoke in a cold tone. "The man that you knew hundreds of years ago is gone and today, stands a different person. I will take back the joy and love you developed all over the years while I suffered."

A whimper beside him snapped him out of his state. He snapped his head toward the sound and frowned when he saw it was the woman. She was awakening from her unconsciousness. He willed his form to vanish and reappear before her as she rubbed her forehead.

"Ow," she said. "What happened?" She asked and sat up then raised her head. She squealed upon making eye contact with him, then scooted until her back hit the table. "Who are you?"

Zhao Ling could feel the fear and anxiety in her system. He craved them and smiled sinisterly at how much he could drain from her. She looked like the perfect meal for him at that moment and before he could stop himself, he vanished and appeared in her face. Her eyes expanded in fear and he inhaled the fear, savoring how delicious it smelt.

"I have gone without a meal for years and I will be breaking my fast with you," Zhao Ling whispered and leaned toward her face, only to grunt when he was kicked in the stomach.

A shock went through his body more than the dull pain he got from her kick as he had not expected her to feel him. The nameless girl had told him that no one would be able to touch him like a normal human but the fact that the woman had done such, spiked his interest.

"Get away from me or I'll kill you!" She barked while scooting away.

Zhao Ling smirked. "That won't be needed anymore. I am already dead."

The woman's eyes went wide again and Zhao Ling suspected that she was bound to lose her eyes with how they always got wide from reacting to everything he said or did.

"Who…who are you? Wh-what are you? How did you…" She pointed at the shards. "Y-You came from there. I swear, you did. How did you do… who are you?"

The woman was shaking from fear and Zhao Ling craved it the more it oozed out of her. It made his mouth water and his hunger for the emotion, double up. He vanished and appeared beside her, startling her again.

"That is not important for now," he replied and leaned toward her. "I am hungry."

Zhao Ling watched as her eyes darted all around his face. Slowly, he could feel her fear wafting away, replaced by curiosity and confusion.

"If you don't tell me who you are, I will call the authorities and have you arrested," she said in a strong tone.

Zhao Ling smirked. "I will like you. You do not fear what you see. Especially when I am a very angry spirit."

She blinked. "This must be a dream. This is a sick dream. This is because I am stressed out. I am still passed out, I'm sure."

Zhao Ling frowned at her stubbornness and the sash glowed red as usual, which got her attention. She reached out her hand to touch it and he quickly grabbed her hand, only to be forced into her memories. He saw the nights she cried, the days she worked hard and prayed for a savior and the few days she was happy. All these flashed through his mind until the very day she came across the vase he had been trapped in.

Zhao Ling dropped her hand and glared at the woman when she moved away from him to stand in the corner.

"How… how did I get…why did I see you in my head?" She was shaking from panic.

Zhao Ling rose to his feet and appeared in front of her. He slammed his hands on both sides of her head, trapping her between his body and the wall she was leaning against.

"What did you see?" His eyes hardened on her.

The woman was about to respond but passed out again, falling through his body and landing on the floor. He blinked hard in confusion as he wondered why she had gone through him instead of landing on him, just as she had kicked him. He craned his head to the side to stare at her face.

Zhao Ling would admit that she was a very beautiful woman with perfect facial features and luscious long black hair that framed her face but such things didn't matter to him as he was on a mission to get back into his body or find Zhao Feng's lineage.

"Something about you fascinates me," he said and looked away from her to stare at the wide window in the room. He vanished and appeared in front of it then stared out the window.

A warm breeze blew while he looked at the different houses surrounding the area. Things were different from what he was used to seeing years ago. Everything looked complicated to him, even the room he was in was a thing of confusion as he was not used to certain items.

Zhao Ling's ears perked up when an ominous and distracting sound filled the room. He darted his eyes around after spinning to find the source of the sound and when he located it, he appeared in front of a small table beside the bed and eyed the slim object with a bright light. He narrowed his eyes and read the words written on it.

"Lin Wei," he said and the brightness disappeared. He hummed in curiosity. "The things of this generation are very difficult."

"Li Yuxi?!"

Zhao Ling heard a different voice, which was masculine coming from outside the room. He shut his eyes for a second to sense the person through the walls but frowned when all he felt was darkness and an endless void. All his years of cultivating his powers, the nameless girl had told him he was bound to tell who is bad from good from the energy they gave but the person outside the room was unreadable.

"Li Yuxi!" The man yelled and opened the door.

Zhao Ling had expected the man to see him but he strolled into the room, acting like he hadn't. Zhao Ling eyed the man, taking in how average he looked, and glanced at the unconscious woman before staring back at him. He watched in silence as he approached her and softly kicked her hand.

"Hey, wake up, you lazy woman. I told you that I have lunch with someone important tomorrow. This is not the time for you to sleep! Get up and prepare ahead of tomorrow!" He kicked her hand again and grunted in annoyance.

Zhao Ling had a feeling that something was not right and his hunch was correct when the man went on one knee and pulled the woman by her hair, forcing her awake.

"Get up, you bitch!"

Something in him cracked and before he knew it, he stretched out his hand and forced a strong force in his direction, which sent the man flying into the closest wall.

"Lee Qiang!" The woman said in shock and ran to where he lay.

Zhao Ling snarled. "Pathetic little mortals."

The woman turned her head and glared at him. She got up and marched toward him then grabbed him by the front of his hanfu before tugging him downward. The strength she had used shocked him to his core and all he could do was stare in awe at how daring she was.

"Get out or I will send you back from where you are coming from," she said through gritted teeth.

Zhao Ling smirked. He was going to like the woman as she was the perfect food for him.