"Brother, time to eat! Today we have your favorite stir-fried bean sprouts with pork."
Hearing that silver-bell-like voice, Fang Yan opened his eyes and bolted upright.
He was drenched in sweat, breathing heavily.
This voice...
It's my sister!
Fang Yan stared around him in disbelief.
The room was less than twenty square meters, yet neat and clean.
Smelling the aroma of food in the air, Fang Yan’s heart pounded wildly.
I'm back!
In his past life, he had spent a millennium seeking the Dao, finally reaching the pinnacle of cultivation and becoming the youngest Celestial Emperor in the Heavenly Realm.
Emperor Yanyu!
Though revered by immortals and standing shoulder to shoulder with the sun and moon, the lingering regret of losing his loved ones became a shackle throughout his cultivation.
It ultimately caused him to fail the Heavenly Fire Lightning Tribulation, resulting in the destruction of his true body and the rebirth of his soul.
Seeing his sister placing a plate of stir-fried bean sprouts on the table, Fang Yan froze.
"Miao... Miaoxue?"
A thousand years later, I've really come back.
Noticing her brother's strange expression, Fang Miaoxue asked worriedly, "Brother, why are you sweating so much? Are you alright?"
Fang Yan shook his head. "N-no, I'm fine..."
Fang Miaoxue finally relaxed.
"That's good. Wake up a bit, Brother. The steamed buns are warmed up, I'll go get them."
Watching his sister walk into the kitchen, Fang Yan felt a warmth well up in his chest. Such happiness felt both unfamiliar and deeply familiar.
To call it a kitchen was a stretch; it was really just a narrow space by the entrance.
With no range hood, every time Fang Miaoxue cooked, the room filled with smoke and grease, and she had to open the windows to air it out.
Although Fang Yan had been a Celestial Emperor with three grand peaks, fourteen minor peaks, and nine palaces to his name, returning to this small, run-down, old house filled him with boundless warmth.
In his past life, his sister suffered from a strange illness that caused her to suddenly faint, her body temperature plunging to ice in an instant.
Though they had visited numerous hospitals, doctors could never find the root cause, and she had to rely on regular treatments just to manage it.
Fortunately, the Fang family in Jiangcheng was a prominent clan, easily able to cover Fang Miaoxue's medical expenses.
Two years ago, Fang Yan's second uncle, Fang Boxin, framed his father, Fang Jianye, in order to seize absolute power, and drove Fang Yan's family out of the Fang family.
At first, his parents continued to visit his grandfather every month to collect a bit of living allowance.
While these funds weren't huge, because his sister required ongoing medical treatment, whatever was left barely covered their basic living expenses.
Who would have thought that to prevent Fang Jianye from using the excuse of collecting living expenses to return to the Fang family, his second uncle cut off even this life-saving allowance.
At the same time, he severed all of Fang Jianye's connections, leaving them unable to survive in Jiangcheng.
With no other choice, his parents went to work in another city, while Fang Yan and his sister went to school in Tianzhou, depending on each other for survival.
Yet their meager income could not afford the medical treatments. Fang Jianye went to the Fang family to beg several times, even kneeling...
In the end, all he faced was his younger brother's cold refusal.
Heartbroken for her parents, his sister voluntarily refused treatment and passed away during her senior year of high school.
His parents died of grief shortly after.
Consumed by the loss of his loved ones, Fang Yan went to confront the Fang family on a rainy night, only to be ruthlessly driven away by his uncle.
Walking through the streets in a daze, a truck came careening toward him...
Who would have thought that after his death, his soul would travel across realms to a cultivation world, where he finally became a supreme mighty figure after hundreds of years.
Recalling all of this, Fang Yan widened his eyes and clenched his teeth.
"My sister will never suffer any harm again, and my mom and dad will never bow their heads to anyone ever again. In this lifetime, I call the shots for my family's destiny!"
"Fang Boxin, I will make you suffer the pain I once endured!"
"Brother, what are you muttering about?" Fang Miaoxue asked, placing the freshly warmed steamed buns on the table.
"It's nothing," Fang Yan said with a gentle smile. "Miao, with your brother here, I won't let you suffer even a shred of pain."
Hearing this, Fang Miaoxue couldn't help but freeze.
In their past life, Fang Yan had never spoken to his sister like this.
"Oh, you cheesy brother, you're giving me goosebumps! Eat, eat, taste today's stir-fried bean sprouts and see how it is!"
Fang Yan picked up a mouthful with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth.
Fang Miaoxue blinked her big eyes, full of anticipation as she waited for her brother's verdict.
Looking at his sister's pale, frail face, he smiled slightly.
"Delicious."
He meant it from the bottom of his heart. For a thousand years, not a moment had passed when he didn't miss this taste.
Hearing her brother say it was good, Fang Miaoxue smiled with satisfaction.
After the meal, Fang Yan volunteered to wash the dishes.
Fang Miaoxue looked completely surprised; her brother had never done housework before.
What on earth is wrong with Brother today?
After eating, Fang Miaoxue sat at the table to do her homework.
Seeing her brother sitting cross-legged on the bed in meditation, a puzzled look crossed her little face.
"Brother, what are you doing?"
Fang Yan slowly opened his eyes. "Brother is meditating. It helps with concentration."
Fang Miaoxue chuckled. "Hey, Brother, you go ahead and meditate then. Starting tomorrow, you really need to find a proper job!"
Fang Yan had just graduated from college recently and had been looking for a job everywhere, only to hit walls at every turn.
Yet now, as a former Celestial Emperor, he naturally wouldn't care about such things anymore.
Fang Yan closed his eyes again. He discovered that upon his return through rebirth, although his strength was completely gone, there was a trace of hidden force residing in his dantian.
Following the most basic breathing techniques for a short while, he immediately felt that energy begin to resonate with him.
"This power should be enough to protect my sister's safety for now. Once I reach Foundation Establishment, I'll figure out what's at the root of my sister's illness!"
At that moment, a few knocks sounded on the door.
"I'll get it!"
Fang Miaoxue got up and walked over.
"Brother, it's Wan'er Sister!"
Fang Yan was slightly stunned.
Wan'er Sister?
Fang Yan felt his millennium-old memories being slowly awakened piece by piece.
Su Wan'er, his college classmate from his past life.
Back when Fang Yan was still the young master of the Fang family, the two of them were very close, and there were even rumors among their classmates that they were dating.
However...
Because his heart was set on another girl, Fang Yan never got together with her, always maintaining a friendship with her.
Yet after being banished from the family, many of his friends chose to distance themselves.
Su Wan'er was no exception.
Whenever they crossed paths on campus, Su Wan'er would pretend not to see him and walk away in the opposite direction.
At this moment, a pretty-faced girl walked in.
She was in her early twenties, dressed in black professional attire with her hair tied in a ponytail, giving her a slightly mature air.
It was indeed Su Wan'er.
Fang Yan found her somewhat unfamiliar.
Over those hundreds of years, Fang Yan had missed his parents, his sister, and a name buried deep in his heart, having long since forgotten Su Wan'er's face.
"What do you want?" Fang Yan asked.
Hearing Fang Yan's lukewarm tone, Su Wan'er slightly frowned.
"Fang Yan, what's with that attitude? Aren't you going to welcome me?"
Fang Yan said with a hint of impatience, "Miao, keep doing your homework. I'm going out for a walk."
With that, he pulled the door open.
"Fang Yan, don't leave! Sun Chen's dad opened a new company and placed a lot of our classmates there. I'm going to talk to him and get your job sorted out, how about that?"
"Not interested," Fang Yan said.
"Fang Yan, you..."
Su Wan'er took a deep breath, calming herself. "Fang Yan, I know you're still reluctant to accept my help because I distanced myself from you before, but those are two different things. Finding a job is hard now; you can't throw away your future just because of that incident, can you?"
Fang Yan was speechless. Is that really what she thinks?
Having returned from rebirth, is my future existence something you could possibly imagine?
Without paying her any more mind, he stepped outside and closed the door behind him.
Thud!
Fang Miaoxue quickly said, "Wan'er Sister, don't be mad. My brother, he..."
Su Wan'er clenched her small fists in utter embarrassment.
"The more he acts like this, the more it shows he still cares about what happened back then. This guy is just ridiculously proud!"
Fang Yan walked down the street, trying to find a place rich in spiritual energy so he could cultivate, reach Foundation Establishment, and investigate the root of his sister's illness.
He took a deep breath. Whether there was spiritual energy was up for debate, but the exhaust fumes were definitely heavy.
Aside from his cultivation, there was another pressing issue: money.
His sister needed to eat more nutritious food.
Besides, the rent was two months overdue, and the landlord had already come by to warn them several times.
Just as he was thinking, a wine-red Porsche Cayenne suddenly rushed out from an intersection.
Bang!
Fang Yan froze completely. Killed by a car in his previous life, and now that he had finally managed to be reborn...
Could this be the will of heaven?