He spent that Spring Festival being scolded all the way through, but at the time he was in his rebellious phase—the harsher his father scolded him, the stronger his urge to rebel became. Just a few days before school started, he had a fierce argument with his father, stormed out in the middle of the night and didn’t come home, causing his mother to search for him in the heavy snow for a long time. The next day, she caught a severe cold and was hospitalized.

When he got the news and went to the hospital to see his mother, his father, standing outside the ward in front of several doctors and nurses, slapped him hard across the face several times.

It seemed he hadn’t answered any calls from home for days, and at one point even considered running away and giving up on his studies. If it weren’t for a girl at this school whom he couldn’t let go of, who haunted his dreams, he might really have run away from home alone.

As he dug up these nearly forgotten memories, tears welled up even more fiercely in Brian Carter’s eyes. After putting down his phone and taking a deep breath to calm himself, he grabbed the phone again and said, “I’m washing my hair, I’ll be down in a bit.”

“Okay, take your time. Remember to dry your hair after you wash it, ...”

The voice on the other end of the phone grew even gentler, but Brian Carter didn’t listen to the end—he put the phone away halfway through and slipped it into his pocket.

In his previous life, after his parents passed away, he was self-destructive for years. No matter how his grandfather or uncle tried to persuade or scold him, he couldn’t pull himself together. The main reason was that his parents had left this world disappointed in him.

Disappointed in him.

When the college entrance exam results came out, Brian Carter was still a hundred or two points short of the minimum for junior college. Knowing his grades were terrible, he didn’t even go home after getting his report card. It wasn’t until his parents were moving to the city that he reluctantly went back. His parents, already in the car outside the house, called him to get in, but Brian Carter refused outright, saying he wanted to stay at a classmate’s house for a few days and would go to the city later.

He didn’t go home with his report card, instead spending his days hanging out aimlessly. It was only when he heard that his father had been promoted to deputy mayor and they were moving that he had to go back to get some things he valued.

When he returned, his parents were already packing up and getting ready to leave. His mother warmly called Brian Carter to get in the car with them, but he refused, saying he wanted to stay with his classmates for a few more days and would go to the city later.

His father originally disagreed and looked at him coldly, but his mother persuaded his father, saying it would be good for him to clear his head. She came over and stuffed some money into his hand before calling his father to get in the car.

When his father looked back at him one last time from the car door, his eyes were full of disappointment. Even when his mother got in the car, though her gaze was mostly doting, Brian Carter could still see a hint of sadness.

That was also the last time he saw his parents.

He didn’t think much of it at the time, but when his parents suddenly died in an accident on the way to the city—leaving this world so abruptly—he cried his heart out, unable to escape the endless guilt for a long time.

In his youth, he was immature and rebellious, his thinking clashing sharply with the older generation. But how could he stay immature forever? Only after his parents were gone, looking back on everything, did Brian Carter feel overwhelming regret.

Until his death, he never forgot the last look his parents gave him—his father’s eyes full of disappointment, even anger, and his mother’s gaze, though mostly loving, still hiding sadness.

As their son, he let his parents leave this world with disappointment and sorrow because of him. That look was the root of his self-destruction from then on.

No matter how many people tried to comfort him or help him untie the knot in his heart, he could never break free.

After putting away his phone, Brian Carter once again bent his head under the faucet, letting the rushing warm water wash over his long hair.

He really wanted to have a good cry.

Because now, he was no longer a wandering rogue cultivator in the spiritual realm, always on the edge of death, living in constant fear and guarding against all kinds of murderous crises.

Now, he actually had a chance to make things right, a chance to erase that look of disappointment that haunted him to his death, a chance to experience his mother’s affection all over again. He was truly moved.

Chapter 2: Young Man

After the heavy snow, as the snow melted, the temperature was even lower than when it was snowing. Most of the figures walking around campus were bundled up tightly.

Brian Carter was no exception. He wore a stylish, handsome down jacket on top, jeans and black leather boots below. Although most of his classmates wore similar clothes, his outfit stood out, because it was the most popular fashion brand in a major southern metropolis during the Spring Festival—at least a year ahead of the trends in this small inland county town of Yanhe in northern China.

With both hands in his pockets, Brian Carter silently scanned his surroundings. The vaguely familiar environment gave his heart quite a jolt.

When his mother came to see him, she would often wait outside the school gate. Even though he hadn’t walked this road in fifty years, he quickly found his bearings in his memory and walked calmly forward.

As he walked, a burst of crisp, whispering voices rose up behind him. Along with the whispers, a charming figure suddenly ran up to him, blushing, and stopped in front of Brian Carter, holding out a beautifully folded piece of colorful stationery. “Hey, this is for you.”