"Knock knock!"The sound of a wooden door being knocked resounded the room, after which a gentle voice, seemingly from the voice of a lady around 40 years old could be heard calling out.
"Young man, time to wake up! Help your mother here to collect some firewood today!"
After the voice called out, the person whom was sleeping soundly before began to jolt slightly under the blanket amidst a slightly dark room, where lights could be seen penetrating through the tiny holes of the wooven wall.
Coupled with the swaying of the translucent white curtains from the cool breeze that entered the room through that single half-opened wooden window, it creates an atmosphere of a very comfortable and blissful bedroom.
In fact, if one were to enter the room, one could even find their eyes to suddenly droop as if they were about to fall asleep suddenly!
The room is extremely neat and tidy, with minimalistic furnitures consisting of a single bookshelf with some books on it, one study table by the window and a chair draped comfortably with the leather of a deer.
Not to mention the bed which have many layers of sheathings to it that seems to be filled with either cottons or feathers, surrounded by pillows in all four cardinal directions, and of course, a blanket that is as smooth as silk covering a person beneath it.
"Yawwhhhh~" yawned the figure, as it slowly rose up into a seating position while rising both hands into the air in the form of a morning stretch.
Turning his head towards the window, a pair of eyes that is as clear as a lake could be seen reflected from the face of this man. His expression aloof, he slowly moved his legs down to the floor as he stood up from the bed.
"Another new day.." he mumbled to himself as he reached for his clothes hanged on the wall to wear for the day.
The door of the room slowly opened up with a creaking sound as this young man stepped out from his room with a little bit of a sluggish movements while wiping his eyes with one hand and his other arm tucked inside his clothes.
"Finally up eh, you sure know how to sleep.. sigh.." frowned his mother while sighing helplessly by the kitchen.
"Go and wash up your face! Happy 21st birthday by the way! Now go and collect some firewood for me." she continued with a wink and a charming smile.
"Okay mother..." he replied awkwardly. Although the lady in front of him is his mother, he couldn"t help but to feel awkward as his mother always teases him with such a seductive charm.
The thoughts that this mother of his was not his mother by blood would often ran across him, but he quickly dismissed them as quickly as it appeared in his mind.
After all, he knew that his mother had always taken care of him since he was but a baby. Once, he even took a tour around to ask the village folks and they could confirm that it is as so.
"splash"
Wiping his wet face with his sleeves, he tidied up his long black hair that reached down to his shoulders. From the reflection of the water, one could see that this young man had bushy eyebrows that was shaped like a mighty saber.
An aura of extreme sharpness could be felt from it.
This young man, is named Duan Li after his mysterious father by his mother. Whenever he would asked about his father, his mother would just smile as she utters the same sentence time and again;
"He is a great man."
...
Duan Li walked through the forest slowly with the axe up on his right shoulder, his left arm still tucked into his clothes as he looked around to find suitable trees to chop for some firewoods.
They could be seen as a low cla.s.s family, a little bit impoverished if one were to observe their living condition. But nevertheless, they still lived happily and enough to last day by day without going hungry.
"Hmm.. seems like this tree should do it.." thought Duan Li to himself as he swung his axe into a chopping motion.
Halfway through the trees, the axe seems to hit something hard that produces a metal "clang!" sounds before repulsing his axe away causing Duan Li to feel shocked as he stumbled backwards and fell flat on his back to the ground with a "thud!".
"What just happened?.. " said Duan Li to himself as he stood up slowly by using both hands to support himself from the ground while still feeling rattled by that sudden repulsion.
As he approached the halfway chopped tree trunk to get a closer look, to his surprise, he found a tiny pearl the size of a marble ball lodged firmly on the center.
This ball gave off a mysterious feeling to it as it is crystal clear like a gla.s.s that its innards could be seen to be filled with a golden glow with mists shrouding around it.
"What is this thing?.." he said curiously as he lift his right hand to grab it.
Just as his fingers touched it, a blinding flash of light seems to cover the entire area he is in before his head feels like it will burst apart as unbearable sharp pain strikes at him suddenly.
Unable to withstand the pain, his mind went blank as he blacked out and fell to the ground, unconscious.
...
In a kingdom far away, an old man with a long white beard draped in a luxurious clothing fell from his chair.
Rising haggardly as he put his arms onto the chair to support himself to stand up, he muttered with bated breaths;
"The stars of the Nine Heavens have merged together!"
His white beards shaking as he continued with a horrified look;
"T-This is.. what could this possibly mean??"
From that day onward, the fate of the entire Tian continent have derailed from its original course, forever changed by the unique destiny of a single person...
Duan Li..
...