How dark. I thought I had died. But it seems I'm still alive. Oh well, it doesn't matter.

She opened her eyes. What befell her vision was not the familiar ceiling of her bedroom, but soars of clouds which covered the world.

She slowly got up and looked around, only to find herself sitting on a white jade-like floor which reflected her face.

She looked closely. Raven black hair and eyes, quite a contrast to her calm personality. She was blessed with a beautiful appearance, too bad she despised her looks.

Her mother had adopted her in the place of her deceased daughter. She changed her name, even her appearance, to match her real daughter's.

She was robbed off of her identity, even her face, but she accepted it all because she was grateful to her mother.

However, now looking at this face, she felt nothing but disgust, towards her mother and towards herself. What was even the point of the life she had lived.

Initially, she was abandoned by her birth parents, then she was raised by another as a substitute. She even gave up on the only thing she had truly desired in life, her love.

During her life's journey, the only incident which proved that she was 'Ning Ru Fei' and not anybody else, was when she fell in love.

She loved him wholeheartedly, and he also loved her back. It was perfect. Until, her mother found out about it and threatened her with his life.

Ning Ru Fei had no choice but to distance herself to keep him safe, and she never saw him again. She wondered what he might think of her now. Surely, he hates her.

She sighed. Finally, getting on her feet and glanced around. The scape was covered in clouds, as far as the eyes could see.

Am I really alive? This place is no way, Earth. So I guess I'm dead... Then, is this place...

"Welcome to the heavens."

A voice rang from behind her. The voice was gentle, calm and composed. The owner of the voice was surely courteous.

Ning Ru Fei was startled by the voice, but the calmness in it soothed her. She didn't feel any harmful intentions from the owner of the voice, so she calmly turned around.

What befell Ning Ru Fei's vision was a beautiful man with vibrant red hair, who looked to be in his twenties. He had a carefree smile on his face. She envied that but lost herself at the sight for a moment.

"Are you alright, dear?"

He asked.

Ning Ru Fei was confused. How long has it been since someone asked her if she was alright? She didn't know how to reply. So, she opened her mouth, but closed it again.

The man chuckled lightly, "It seems you're startled. Of course, you are, with such a scenery before you." He turned around and guided her to follow him.

The man walked ahead, Ning Ru Fei quietly followed behind him. After a while, he spoke again, "Dear, You have been blessed by the Gods. Or perhaps, they simply felt bad for you."

He stopped for a moment. Then suddenly turned around, his face serious and spoke again, "The Gods will grant you a second chance at life, as well as a wish, anything you desire. So, what do you wish for?"

A wish? God will grant me? God never paid attention to me before, but now they will grant anything I wish for? What absurdity.

The look in her eyes had nothing but defiance, disbelief and distrust. Although she did not doubt what the man said about being a god himself.

With the expansive scape of clouds and this dreamlike place, the possibility that this is either her dream or her afterlife was very high. And the latter held more weight since she clearly remembered dying.

...****************...

Ning Ru Fei was walking along the road. She did not remember why she was there, or what she was doing. With her life as it was, her mental health was at its breaking point.

This wasn't the first time she had wandered outside without guards, reason, or even purpose. Just walking along where her legs took her.

That day, she wandered and reached a crowded main street of some market. There were a lot of people. Ning Ru Fei never liked crowded places so, she hurried to the side.

That was when she noticed. A small child was pushed out of the crowd and backed towards the middle of the road. Many vehicles were running past at that time as well.

Ning Ru Fei remembered that her legs moved on their own at a very fast pace. She pushed the child aside, but in the process, took its place.

Crash--!!

...****************...

Ning Ru Fei awoke from her daydream. The man still stood tall in front of her. He seems to be perfectly fine with her ignoring his words like this.

The so-called God smiled.

"I know it is hard for you to believe me. And I would not force you to believe me either. Just know that no one here means any harm to you."

His warm smile returned to his face and continued to walk. Ning Ru Fei again followed quietly. However, the tension from the beginning seems to have decreased.

After walking for a little while, Ning Ru Fei saw a huge gate in front of them. The view of the two sides of the gates were worlds apart.

On one side, the landscape was covered with large expanse of cloud fields as far as the eye could see. On the other side, however, was a big town, no different than that of any normal town.

They walked through the huge doors. Ning Ru Fei was in awe of the sight before her. In front of her, the God was walking faster, so she also picked up her pace.

After walking for a while, they stopped at a tea house to rest. The man ordered a fresh pot of tea along with some snacks.

Ever since they entered this town, Ning Ru Fei couldn't help but notice that the people were being overly courteous to them.

Even when they were walking along the streets, many people cleared the way from the crowd and some even bowed towards them.

The tea house owner himself delivered their tea and left with nothing but glee on his face. The man poured them both a cup and took a sip of his tea.

"You have questions, yes? I shall answer them for you."

The man told her the whole story of how the heavens worked.

Apparently, there were two kinds of heavens, the upper heavens and the lower heavens. The lower heavens consisted of those extraordinary humans, who managed to ascend and gain godly powers.

The upper heavens, on the upper hand, consisted of only seven gods. Those seven gods were known as the origin gods, and they have existed since the worlds had existed.

The origin gods were the true gods who maintained the balance in existence. They all had different abilities and responsibilities.

The seven origin gods were:

God of Martial Arts

God of Alchemy and Medicine

God of Death and Reincarnation

Goddess of Natural Elements

Goddess of Emotions

Goddess of Fate and Destiny

God of Time and Space

The origin gods ruled over all of the existence including the lower heavens. They were the supreme beings which controlled the life and fate of all the worlds in existence.

"..."

"I know. It is all hard for you to believe. No need to fret over it. By the way, I haven't introduced myself, have I?"

He cleared his throat.

"I am none other than one of the seven origin gods, the god of death and reincarnation. You may call me Ming Ye."

His smile never faded for even a moment. Ning Ru Fei had figured as much already, so she wasn't much surprised.

"Ning Ru Fei."

She felt it was only right to introduce herself, at this point. Unexpectedly, God Ming Ye chuckled.

"I know, I know. I have brought you here after all."

"I apologize. I have been rude to a supreme god."

"No need to worry. So, what have you thought of what I said before?"

What he said before? The wish?

"I-- Why is it that the gods have favored me now? I always thought I was abandoned."

"I know why you might think that, but rest assured, the gods never abandon anyone.

Ning Ru Fei gave it some serious thought, and she finally made up her mind.

"I think I know what I might want. Should I say it now?"

"No. I shall be taking you to the upper heavens. There shall be a meeting held there. You may speak your mind there."

"Alright."

Ning Ru Fei knew very well that she was in the presence of a deity. Ideally, she should be courteous to her greatest extent, but now, she was too exhausted. The gods had come too late.

"Then let us go."

Ming Ye got up and waved his hand. A white mist covered them both completely. Ning Ru Fei closed her eyes in alert, but when she opened them again, the sight before her had changed.

She was standing in a waterside pavilion. Or maybe, it was a boat? Either way, it was huge. There were fresh plants growing that she had never even seen before.

Seven thrones were aligned in line with different decorations and luxuries adoring them. There were all kinds of tea and snacks placed on the table, at the front.

"Pretty, isn't it?"

Ning Ru Fei glanced at Ming Ye. His carefree smile, she really did envy. Ming Ye moved his hand again and a chair formed out of midair.

Ming Ye gestured for her to sit, then walked to one of the thrones and seated himself. "They all should be here soon." He said.

As soon as he finished, Ning Ru Fei noticed someone passing by her. She turned her head to look, only to find six people with a heavy presence, walking past.

Ning Ru Fei was curious at first, but then she saw Ming Ye getting up and greeting them. They also greeted Ming Ye. She figured they might be the other six origin gods.

After their formal greetings, the atmosphere turned informal quickly. Ning Ru Fei noticed that the entire attention had fallen on her.

She stiffened.

"Oh, so this is that child huh?" A big burly man among the group spoke. It was easy enough to guess that he might be the god of martial arts, considering his build.

Ning Ru Fei thought it was impolite to stay silent any longer. She was nervous, but more than that, she felt confused, still unable to fully grasp her situation.

"Excuse me. Ahem. My name is Ning Ru Fei. It is my pleasure to meet all of the seniors." She bowed lightly.

"Ning Ru Fei? But wasn't your name-- Ow! H-Hey, Qing Chen! What was that for?!"

"Ahem." Bai Qing Chen cleared his throat. "Miss Ning, ignore this idiot. He is the perfect example of having all brawns but no brains."

Bai Qing Chen flashed a gentle smile, but Long Zhan Tian roared. "What does that mean?!"

"Can you be quieter? You're scaring out little friend here. How impolite to not even introduce yourself." Feng Lan turned to Ning Ru Fei.

"Hello dear, I am Feng Lan, the goddess of natural elements. Nice to finally meet you." Feng Lan raised her hand and instantly, a small plant sprouted out of the ground. It was shining too, capturing Ning Ru Fei's focus.

"That was, indeed, rude of me." Long Zhan Tian admitted. "I am Long Zhan Tian, the god of martial arts. A pleasure! And this fellow next to me is Bai Qing Chen."

"Hey. I am the god of Alchemy and Medicine."

"You can call me Liu Yao. I am the goddess of emotions." Another next to her said, "Si Yuan, I control people's fates and destinies." Si Yuan winked at her. "And believe me, you have a good one."

A good destiny? Sure.

The last one among the gods was quiet. The aloof look he gave was quite frightening, but Ning Ru Fei had seen worse faces so it didn't affect her much.

"Wu Ju, you gotta introduce yourself!" Long Zhan Tian chimed in.

The god of time and space gave him another cold and aloof look, but finally said, "Chen Wu Ji."

Well... He did introduce himself, at least.

"Don't take it wrong. It's not that he had any problems with you. He's just aloof by nature, but he's a good man inside." Ming Ye explained.

"I understand." Ning Ru Fei replied.

The eight people seated themselves. But Ning Ru Fei found this spring arrangement to be quite uncomfortable. The seven gods say in a line, and all of them, facing her. She felt like she was being stared at.

"Anyway. Child, as I said before, us gods will grant a wish for you. This is the perfect time to say your mind." Ming Ye started.

Ning Ru Fei had long made up her mind as to what to ask for. She could only think of this. If the gods did not grant her wish, then that would mean they were simply messing with her.

Ning Ru Fei was feeling quite calm despite the fact that she was sitting in the presence of the supreme gods of all existence. Probably because, she had already died once.

"I wish to..." She held her breath. "I wish to stay in the heaven realm as a ghost."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Her words pierced through their ears. All of them sat dumbfounded. They couldn't believe what they had just heard.

Ming Ye was the first to inquire. "Child, do you realize what you're saying. Stay in the heaven realm as a ghost. But we're giving you a new chance at life. Why would you want that?"

"I know what I said. I appreciate your concern for me, and even giving me the choice of a new life. But... I don't have any attachments to life anymore. It's pointless to live. So, I'd rather stay here. At the least, this place is beautiful and peaceful."

Ning Ru Fei's negative attitude towards life stupified the gods. Many of them tried to persuade her, but to no avail. Suddenly, Si Yuan, who had been quiet till now, spoke up.

"This is her destiny. Not even the good have the powers to change it."

Her words were clear. Long Zhan Tian inquired, "Do you mean, she is meant to stay in the heaven realm? But for a mortal to stay in the heaven realm, there is only one way..."

He trailed off. Thinking, it may not be appropriate to say it now.

"Yes. That is her destiny."

"If that's the will of the world. Then, we shall follow through." These words came from none other than Chen Wu Ji"

As the god with the strongest abilities out of all, his words carried some weight. After he spoke, no one else dared to rebuke.

It seems it's settled then. But... I can't believe that my destiny involves me staying in the heaven realm. I can't predict what fate might have in-store for me next.

It hurts.

Am I going to die here?

But... I don't want to. Yes, I may not have a reason to live anymore, but that does not mean that I want to die. I want to live. I want to live for myself!

...****************...

"So, if I want to stay in the heaven realm, I will have to pass a few tests?"

Ming Ye explained. "Basically, yes. As it is impossible for mortals to stay in the heaven realm, because the spiritual energy here is too dense for a human body to withstand. If you stay here as is, you will, most certainly, die in a few days."

"Oh."

"Don't scare her. How can you bear it?" Feng Lan rebuked.

"But I'm stating facts."

"Hmph! After all, your specialty is killing people. Maybe, you cannot help but talk about death."

"It's not killing! It's--! Ugh, nevermind. It's useless to say it."

Ming Ye resigned himself. So Si Yuan took over the job of explaining things to Ning Ru Fei. But at the back, Ming Ye and Feng Lan were still arguing and laughing.

After all this, it had become clear enough that the seven origin gods had a good relationship with each other. They were close friends.

Ning Ru Fei had never had any friends, so she unconsciously drifted her mind to stare at them for a moment. She never before realized that she wanted friends.

Si Yuan continued. "There is a dwelling in the heaven realm where spiritual energy is generated. That place has the highest spiritual energy concentration in the entire heaven realm."

She paused for a moment. "That is also the most dangerous place in the heaven realm. There is only one way for a mortal to survive in the heaven realm, and that is to make your body accept spiritual energy."

"If you go there, one of the two possibilities will occur. Either you will succeed in getting the spiritual core needed for spiritual energy absorption, or you will perish by the overwhelming weight of the spiritual energy."

"So, where is this place exactly?"

Si Yuan raised her head, signaling her to look. Ning Ru Fei raised her eyes to the place Si Yuan was looking at. It was a mountain.

Strange.

What was strange wasn't the mountain itself, but the fact that such a large mountain exists here. It was probably visible from all of the heaven realm, but for some reason, Ning Ru Fei didn't notice this very obvious mountain at all.

"You did not notice it before, did you?"

"...No."

"This is the power of the world's creation. The heavenly mountain is so obvious here, but unless you take the effort to look up and gaze at it, one will never notice its existence."

"Strange, indeed." Ning Ru Fei mumbled, still staring at the sight.

Si Yuan continued, "That's the place where you have to go."

Ning Ru Fei looked at her. "There is a cave at the foot of the mountain. Its exit point is at the top of the mountain. As long as you make it there in one piece, you will be eligible to stay in the heaven realm."

"...I have a feeling it's not some simple mountain climbing." There was no way that she was simply expected to climb up a mountain.

"Naturally, it's not. I only told you the entry and exit points. But, what lies within is for you to find."

...****************...

At the foot of the Heavenly mountain.

"Be careful."

"Best of luck."

The origin gods gave her blessings, prayers and concerns. Ning Ru Fei accepted them with gratitude and made her way inside the cave.

After walking through an uneven path for a while, Ning Ru Fei gradually felt her body becoming heavier and heavier with each step.

She recalled Si Yuan's words. Either you will succeed in getting the spiritual core needed for spiritual energy absorption, or you will perish by the overwhelming weight of the spiritual energy.

This was what she meant. Ning Ru Fei felt like a few more steps would take her life. In her hazy state of mind, she tripped on an uneven rock and sprained her foot. She did emergency treatment, but it was to no avail.

Not long after that, her vision turned dark. The torch she had been using to enlighten the dark cave, suddenly blew off. With everything a dark and dangerous mess, Ning Ru Fei decided to take a break.

But the moment she moved around, she felt earth leaving her feet. It was not that she had miss stepped, but the land beneath her feet had disappeared.

She fell and fell until she felt herself being caught in something soft, her sprained foot no longer hurting either.

My foot doesn't hurt anymore? What happened? Didn't I just fall off a cliff? I think I smelled something sweet too, but there's nothing now. Did I imagine it?

Ning Ru Fei opened her eyes. She was no longer in some damp dark cave. This was clearly a hospital bed she was lying on. There was even a person at her bedside.

Ning Ru Fei turned her face to see and she stiffened. It was her adoptive mother. She was resting with her eyes closed. Ning Ru Fei, dumbfounded, looked at her.

The sleeping woman slowly opened her eyes. When the woman saw Ning Ru Fei awake and looking at her, the woman's eyes turned red and tears started falling.

Despite how shocked Ning Ru Fei was, she still had surrounding awareness. She swiftly inquired of her mother. "Mother, why are you crying? Please tell me. Has anybody hurt---!"

Ning Ru Fei didn't finish her words because Bi Ai Qing suddenly embraced her in a tight hug. Ning Ru Fei stupidly sat there, not understanding what was happening.

After Bi Ai Qing calmed down, she finally spoke. "I thought you would die. Dong'er, I have realised my mistakes. I shouldn't have treated you like that, dear. You're my daughter, no one's substitute."

Ning Ru Fei listened to her, dumbfounded. "I only realised it now when you almost died. I've been an awful mother. Dong'er, will you find it in your heart to forgive me?"

Ning Ru Fei finally snapped back, and hugged Bi Ai Qing back. "Yes, mother. It was not your fault. I'm happy as long as you're willing to recognise me."

Ning Ru Fei had yearned for her mother's recognition her entire life. Now, this sudden attention left her stunned, but she was happy.

Creak.

The door opened and a fairly tall and handsome young man entered. Ning Ru Fei was more than familiar with that face. Unable to get over the shock, she stammered badly.

"...B-Brother Ying?"

Hua Zi Ying was the most beautiful, yet the most regretful part of Ning Ru Fei's life. She had always regretted leaving him. Even if it was against her will, it was no excuse to break someone's heart.

"Ru Fei. how are you feeling now?"

What? Why is Brother Ying here? I left him already. More importantly, my mother is here. I don't understand...

"You look confused, dear. Let me explain. You had an accident a week ago, while you were saving a child. Do you remember?"

The accident? Yes, but...I survived. Then what was all that?

...All what? What was it? I feel like I'm forgetting something important... but what?

Ning Ru Fei held her head. It was throbbing painfully. Bi Ai Qing saw her reaction and became concerned. Hua Zi Ying also came to support her.

"Dong'er, does it still hurt?"

"Ru Fei..."

Ning Ru Fei had no idea what was going on. Her head throbbed badly and she passed out. The last she heard was worried voices of her loved ones.

...****************...

Ning Ru Fei slowly opened her eyes. The light of the dawning sun pierced her vision. She struggled to see for a while, but a reassuring voice soothed her.

"Ru Fei, don't push yourself."

"Brother Ying, where is this?"

"You're in your room. The doctor said you shouldn't push yourself for at least a month. Tell me if you need anything."

"But my mother..."

"Don't worry. I understand that you left to protect me. Thank you for that. Mrs. Bi will no longer pull us apart. She was really concerned for you. She came looking for me and told me everything."

"I see." So, it's all over. Yes, it's over. Everything is fine now.

A few days passed without any trouble. Ning Ru Fei lived with her mother and her lover. She was very happy, but deep down she always felt that something was wrong.

...****************...

A year passed.

"Dong'er, you look beautiful today. Still, it's not enough. I have bought the newest A-series collection Tiara and necklace for you. You should wear them."

"But mother, I'm already wearing so much expensive jewellery Anymore, and I might fall down with the weight."

"No, no. Today's your wedding. Of course, you should look the best. You don't get married every day."

After much insisting, Ning Ru Fei finally agreed. After a short while, Bi Ai Qing took her daughter, 'Bi Dong'er, to the wedding avenue.

Mother and daughter walked hand in hand on the aisle. Standing at the end of the red carpet was Hua Zi Ying, the man she loved.

Ning Ru Fei's life could only be said to be perfect right now. But, because it was perfect that it wasn't her life. She had lived here for a year now.

Ning Ru Fei had long known that she was simply dreaming, but she was dreaming that she wished for a day more. She wished these days would go on forever, but she knew it was impossible.

As she walked down the aisle with her mother, Ning Ru Fei knew that things were soon coming to an end. This beautiful dream and world she had always yearned for, will soon end.

Her steps became heavy and she slowed a bit. It was unclear whether it was due to the weight of her clothes, or the weight of this world.

The red carpet ended. Her groom was standing in front of her, his hand extended. Bi Ai Qing took her hand and placed it on the extended hand.

The warmth of that hand crawled up her hand, to her entire body. That warmth was stinging. She knew she didn't deserve it, not even in a dream.

Ning Ru Fei's palm was seized securely in the palm of the other. She lowered her head, her white dress flowing in the air. Hua Zi Ying helped her up the stage.

Ning Ru Fei glanced around. All the eyes on the banquet were on them. Not a single soul with foul tricks and deceiving motives.

It would really be so great if all these were true. But, my life will never be so perfectly happy.

"Brother Ying."

"Ru Fei, I'm so happy. We're finally getting married. You've always longed for this."

"...I have, yes. But, this happiness, I cannot accept. Brother Ying, I'm sorry. I have to leave you again. The real you probably hates me. But, it doesn't matter anymore."

Ning Ru Fei's eyes were wet with tears which were not visible through the veil. She did her best to hold it in, but she couldn't any longer.

"Ru Fei, what are you saying?"

"Brother Ying, I'll forever be grateful to you for the love and care you gave me. And also for the name you gave me. Only with you, I am myself and no one else. I'll forever be 'Ning Ru Fei'. Bi Dong'er is long dead."

Ning Ru Fei had a smile on her face, but the sadness in her eyes was apparent. She tip-toed and drew their faces close together.

Ning Ru Fei had never kissed Hua Zi Ying. They had known each other for a long time but they hadn't dated for long. She drew close, but just before their lips met, she stopped.

What am I doing? I don't deserve his love.

Instead, the words that left her lips were...

"I'm sorry."

Just as her words ended. The floor collapsed and she sunk into deep darkness. Nothing could be seen, but she could feel land beneath her body.