1 A Fateful Encounter Post Mortem!

The first sensation Ling Mingyu experienced after dying was the feeling of his body laying on some kind of soft, comfortable surface. He could smell fresh air, fused together with the pleasant smell of pine, damp moss, and fallen leaves. Mingyu took a deep breath.

'Is this what death is like? Hmm, this is actually quite nice.' he deliberated in his head. He had expected a lot of things, maybe the famous 'tunnel of white light', perhaps having to pass a literal yellow river, or maybe even just black nothingness. However, what he actually felt was... hold on, did he just hear birds chirping? He opened his eyes. The soft surface Mingyu was laying on was actually made up of grass and moss. As he sat up and looked around, Mingyu noticed even more peculiar things. He was surrounded by tall trees, the sun was peaking through a canopy of luscious, emerald leaves swaying in the wind, and reflecting onto the surface of a small river running nearby, making it glitter as if countless diamonds adorned the water's surface. It seemed, he had arrived in some kind of forest grove. 'What the...? Have I reincarnated into a plant? No, that's impossible, I definitely still have my arms and legs. I am also wearing the same clothes as just a moment ago. There's even blood stains on them!' the young man thought confusedly. After all, mere seconds ago he had slit his wrists and ended his own life! That he was one hundred percent sure of. Mingyu clearly remembered the scene...

Long curtains of rain had unceasingly fallen from the sky that night. It was as if, unbeknownst to the people sleeping peacefully in their homes, they had attempted to drown the mortal world in the tears of gods. Apart from the constant pitter - pattering of raindrops against the long floor to ceiling window and the faint sound of thunder in the distance, only the ticking of an antique clock had been heard in the second floor library room of Ling jiā's wisteria estate. Not even the strike of lightning that had soon followed could much illuminate the inky, black darkness that surrounded this eerie place.

Ling Mingyu had reclined in one of the many sturdy mahogany reading chairs that could be found in Ling manor's library, holding a sharp kitchen knife between his fingers. His body had leaned languidly against the red, velvety backrest. The young man's legs had been lightly crossed, his head propped up by one of his hands as he was looking out the window. A small lamp to his left hand side had illuminated Mingyu's surroundings, casting long shadows onto the aged, bordeaux carpet. Though one had not easily been able to make out the details of his face due to the sparse light, it was undoubtedly enchanting. It held an androgynous beauty, as if meticulously carved by an artist. A thin but button shaped nose adorned his jade like, melon seed face. His sharp, upturned eyes were of a deep reddish brown, much like the hair that framed his features. His slender but muscled frame had been reflected on the glass surface of the tall window facing Ling manor's lush garden. After rolling up the sleeves of his dress shirt, and positioning the blade, he had slashed his wrists with two decisive cuts. Then, another kind sound had been heard besides that of the endless ticking of the clock: it was the dripping of blood onto the floor. Mingyu had quickly passed out from the blood loss, and most definitely died.

And now he was in this pleasant, peaceful looking forest.

Suddenly, he heard a low cough coming from behind him. Frightened, Mingyu leapt up from his seated position and whirled around. He was not alone in this place: an old man was sitting in lotus position a few meters away from him. His beard was as white as snow and incredibly long, and so was his hair, which was pulled back into a ponytail and fastened with a beautiful, intricate looking, golden dragon hairpiece. Despite his age, his phoenix eyes were sharp as a blade.That person was clad in luxurious, black and golden robes with dragon embroidery. It reminded Mingyu of attire worn by emperors hundreds, no even thousands of years ago. A light gust of wind swept through the grove. The robe's fabric flowed gently like ripples on the surface of a lake.

The man cleared his troat.

"You know, I've been doing this for quite a while now so I could catch your attention and I am starting to get hoarse! Well, I'm glad that you have finally noticed me!" he said as his eyes turned to crescents. Mingyu did not answer and just stared at the old man's smiling face expressionlessly. "Furthermore! I am so glad that you are not one of those... what is it called again?", his face scrunched up in thought before morphing into enlightenment.

"Ah, yes! An otaku!"

"Um, what?" Mingyu responded bewilderedly.

However, due the lack of any emotion on his face, this reaction seemed somewhat dull. He had always had a case of what his butler, old man Gui, lovingly called "mild facial paralysis". He just couldn't help it. In his twenty one years of life, Mingyu had interacted with no more than a handful of people. Even though he was an adult already, Mingyu really didn't know just what kind of look he should put on when faced with this kind of weird geezer!

"You know, those kids that read all these naughty comic books! Why in the heavens must every deity in these damned books be a loli goddess?! Or some big busted beauty with a high pitched voice! How unscientific! This is simply unbefitting of a deity of crossroads like me! Ugh, you can not imagine how many times I have had to take the appearance of some lewd loli whenever I have to come to this place and attend to young mortal men from your plane! I am despairing, I tell you! Des.pair.ing!"

"That... I am sorry?" Mingyu answered, unsure of what else to say.

From the old mans ramblings he had gathered that, one, his suicide attempt had most definitely suceeded, and two, he was now faced with a deity from the heavens. In particular, he assumed that it was most likely a god that decided ones fate after death, as the name 'deity of crossroads' suggested.

The old man heaved a sad sigh. "Alas, times are a changing! At least you seem to be quite normal, young man. Well, except for your peculiar constitution that is. A body of extreme yin, huh? It' been a while since I've seen one this powerful, too!"

Mingyu knew exactly what the deity was referring to. After all, it had been the reason why he had chosen to end his miserable life...