The Serpent and the Raven: A Soul Pure and Luminous as the Full Moon
4.0
4.0Chapter 1
2904words
He stared at the recently purchased ticket with anticipation — it was his only chance to escape. Not from work, but from life itself. From people, from pain, from the constant, gnawing discomfort — even if only for a little while.
To disappear from the world forever, to a place where no one could find him — that sounded like the peak of dreams. A faint smile tugged at his lips, letting Xin believe, for a moment, that everything might soon change. That he would return to the world wearing a new, complete mask.
Books, movies, fleeting trips — each gave Xin Yijie a momentary sense of wholeness. He never let others know what truly interested him; if they did, it would no longer be just harmless teasing about "wasting time."
He shook his head, brushing off thoughts of the hostile world outside. Right now, it was better to focus on what he’d always lacked time for — a story to hide in, something to escape from who he'd become.
From the very first lines, the story pulled him in completely. And yet, something still felt missing. Xin rose and went to the kitchen in search of tea and sweets. Without lifting his eyes from the screen, he brewed the tea, scooped up a pack of sesame cookies, and headed back to the living room.
Suddenly, the ground trembled beneath his feet. Xin Yijie thought it was just dizziness from exhaustion and not eating properly — but the shaking didn’t stop. He leaned against the wall, only to collapse as hot tea and cookies slipped from his hands.
When he finally looked up from the phone, he saw it: a massive crack had spread across the ceiling, splitting farther with each tremor. The kitchen light flickered and went out. Darkness swallowed the apartment whole. The crack split downward — and like a house of cards, the walls gave way, burying everything in their collapse, choking the air with dust, sand, concrete, and lime.
In the darkness, Xin didn’t even realize he had fallen — down through floors, down with the crumbling skeleton of the building. He only heard the roar and the sickening crunch of his own bones before everything went black.
Xin Yijie didn’t die immediately.
When he came to, his body felt unbearably heavy and cold. Each breath became more torturous than the last.
With great effort, he lifted his head — and froze in horror. The taste of blood flooded his throat, pouring from his mouth before he could stop it. He couldn’t get up. His chest and abdomen had been pierced through by rusted, jagged rebar. The hot blood gushed from the wounds, only to cool instantly as it soaked his back and thighs.
The pain didn’t come right away. As if his body hesitated to show him the full truth. But when it struck, it crashed down like a tidal wave.
Xin Yijie couldn’t hold back a guttural scream — yet crying out only made it worse. He vomited blood, his consciousness slipping away with the last remaining warmth. His vision blurred, and darkness overtook him.
Only then—when Xin Yijie had lost all sensation and memory of his final moments — did strange thoughts begin to stir in his fading mind: guilt and fury for always running from himself. Why… why did this realization come now?
[Welcome to the subspace “Qi.” I am a System, sent by the Gods to assist souls in reincarnating into new worlds and guiding them along their path!]
A cheerful female voice echoed in his mind.
Xin Yijie looked around in confusion. There was only endless darkness and emptiness, and in the center floated glowing words in a soft blue frame.
He looked down at his hands as if in daylight. They were scraped, bruised, and covered in some dark crimson liquid. Paint?
He touched his face — blood was still streaming down it. Then, in a panic, he pressed trembling fingers against his chest — and accidentally sank them deep into the terrible wound. A sick, wet squelch followed. Finally, he placed his hand over his heart and waited.
Nothing. No beat. Only cold. Only emptiness.
Truly realizing what was happening at last, Xin Yijie turned to the voice — the one being here who might know something.
— Where am I!? What’s happening to me?! You — what are you?!
[Answer: You are dead!] - the System replied brightly.
[You lived your allotted time in an unworthy manner!]
— What? — Xin cut her off, outraged.
The way the voice spoke chilled him. How dare anyone judge his life?
[Please do not interrupt!] - the System scolded.
[Because you lived your allotted time in an unworthy manner — according to the Gods — you have been granted the opportunity to reincarnate in another world!]
— The Gods? — Xin Yijie laughed bitterly. — I don’t believe in any gods, never worshipped a single one — so why, even if they exist, would they do this to me?
[You are absolutely right. The Gods never do anything without a reason. Upon reincarnation, you will follow my commands to help save a world on the brink of destruction!]
— Ha! So you want me to be a puppet for gods I’ve never even heard of? You think too highly of yourselves! — Xin fell silent for a moment, then shouted, clutching at the front of his shirt: —You could’ve just let me die!
[But you don’t have a choice.] — the System’s voice dropped low, almost threatening, tired of argument.
Before Xin Yijie could hurl a few more curses, the space around him began to warp — pulling him in all directions at once, as if tearing him apart. Everything remained pitch-black, but he could feel it: the place was changing. Xin Yijie landed in darkness again — but this time, it was cold and damp. Wind stirred through the stone chamber.
— Why are you doing whatever you want with my soul and body, without my consent?! — His voice echoed through the cave, ragged with fury. The System remained silent, treating the question as rhetorical. — What the hell is wrong with you?! Explain — right now!
[What’s wrong with me?] — the System asked innocently, somehow managing to sound offended.
“She’s absolutely infuriating!” - Xin snapped to himself.
He flung out his arms, not knowing what else to do — when something tugged at his wrist. He froze.
By now, Xin Yijie had grown used to the darkness. He looked down at himself as best he could.
He was dressed in pale, unfamiliar hanfu*. The blood and wounds were gone. He tilted his head — dark, shoulder-length hair spilled forward. Raising his hands, he traced the shape of his fingers with his eyes. They looked slightly longer, more slender than his own.
* hanfu – Traditional clothing of the Han people in ancient China.
His body felt unnaturally light — yet charged with power, brimming beneath the surface.
A vague, creeping suspicion crept over him. Trembling, Xin touched his chest. It was smooth, Muscular. No gaping wounds. No blood.
Panicked, he started patting himself down — everywhere. Every inch. And then it hit him.
This body wasn’t his.
— What. The hell. Is going on?! — His voice was low, trembling with cold fury.
In the dark, his eyes seemed to glow — light amber, laced with madness. Even the System hesitated before replying.
[You have been reborn in the body of a man named Xinyue Xiaoying. He was a renowned cultivator of the Celestial Heights sect.]
A glowing status screen appeared before him:
[Xinyue Xiaoying]
[Affiliation: Celestial Heights Sect]
[Reputation: –320]
[To regain his strength, he entered seclusion in the caves beneath Mount Yashibo to meditate. But after succumbing to his inner demons, he made a mistake during cultivation and died. You now inhabit his body.]
[Would you like to begin your first mission?] — the System chirped, entirely unfazed.
— What the hell do you mean “mission”?! Send me back!
[Back to your crushed corpse under a pile of rubble?] — the System asked, plainly. — [That is beyond my capability. And if you die here, your soul will not be reborn again.]
“Great. Just great. You damn thing,” — Xin cursed silently.
[Ahem. I can hear your thoughts when they’re directed at me. You still haven’t figured out how this works, have you?] — the System added gently.
— Fantastic.
[Not thrilled myself. But now that we both dislike each other equally, can we return to the matter at hand?] — Even the familiar ping that accompanied her interface sounded noticeably more bitter this time. — [Any more questions? Or shall we proceed with the task?]
Xin Yijie forced himself to calm down. He had already said far too much — argued, shouted, cursed — on what was supposed to be a peaceful day off. He could’ve been drinking tea, reading a book, enjoying solitude. Now this System was a constant presence in his mind. Was that even normal? To hear a voice like that?
Maybe he’d gone insane. Or maybe he was in a coma and dreaming all of this. But could a dream be this vivid? He doubted it.
For now, Xin decided to go along with it. At least for a while.
— Who was Xinyue Xiaoying? Tell me more about him. How am I supposed to act like him if I don’t know anything — his friends, habits, even where he lives? People will notice something’s off. They’ll burn me at the stake before I say two words.
[There’s no need to worry about that. Xinyue Xiaoying was a rather... eccentric man. However you behave, no one will find it strange. He’s been in secluded meditation for nearly a year. Surely that would change a man—both his soul and spirit. The rest, I’ll help you with when needed.]
— “Surely”*? So… you’re female? A woman? — This… thing. This voice. It was suspicious. Just like the so-called Gods behind it. He wanted to know more—at least to understand how to speak to it properly.
* Note on the System’s pronouns: In the original text, the System refers to herself using feminine grammar. Xin notices this shift, as up to that point, she avoided any language that would suggest a gender.
[Loading quest…]
She ignored the question!
Xin Yijie clenched his fists. He hadn’t even asked anything outrageous! Why was she acting like a sulking teenager?
[Quest: Learn to control internal Qi*]
[Description: You now inhabit the body of a renowned cultivator**, but your soul cannot yet harmonize with its spiritual power. Attune yourself to the Qi and raise your cultivation level. More info...]
[Time Limit: 7 days]
[Reward: +5 points]
[Penalty for failure: X]
He didn’t like the sound of "penalty." What else hadn’t she told him?
Xin Yijie sighed in resignation. There was no point arguing with an automated voice. She was like an AI — no matter how much you yelled, you’d only make a fool of yourself. But still. He had to ask:
— Why should I follow your orders?
[How dense can one soul be?]
[You’ve been dropped into a world far more dangerous than the one you left. If you want to survive long enough to save it, you’ll need to grow stronger.]
That didn’t convince him.
[Put simply—if you don’t start cultivating now, you’ll die before you even leave this cave.]
That convinced him.
With a groan, Xin tapped the glowing word More info. A new screen appeared, listing the steps for internal cultivation.
He sat on a mossy rock by the cave wall, crossed his legs, and rested his hands on his knees in a specific gesture. But before starting, he asked, hopefully:
— Hey, System… do I have to do this here? In this cave?
— I could get sick. — He tried sympathy.
The cold and damp were making it hard to focus. And he really didn’t want to die again before figuring anything out.
[You won’t get sick.]
He could’ve sworn he heard her smirk!
[Once you learn to circulate Qi properly and do it instinctively, the cultivator’s body becomes immune to most ordinary illnesses.]
[These caves beneath Mount Yashibo are special. They contain high concentrations of natural Qi, making it easier to recover and learn to control spiritual energy. Also, cultivators don’t require food: spiritual energy can replace the nourishment of meals. Xinyue Xiaoying’s body holds large reserves of innate Qi and has ideal potential for forming a Golden Spiritual Core*. So consider yourself extremely lucky.]
* Golden Spiritual Core - The physical manifestation of a cultivator's power. It stores and concentrates Qi, acting as the internal source of spiritual energy.
Xin Yijie obediently began the training. His only wish—for now—was to leave this cave as soon as possible. To his surprise, it didn’t take long to feel the Qi. But when he tried to gather it and direct it through the meridians*, it scattered, bursting outward with a soft pop.
* meridians - Energy channels within the body through which Qi flows. These channels weave together and converge in the cultivator's Golden Spiritual Core.
Frustrated, Xin swore under his breath every time he failed. At first, it wasn’t painful—just unpleasant. But as his understanding of Qi deepened, each failure became more jarring, as if his body was punishing his lack of control.
Xin Yijie lost track of time. His body was soaked with sweat, muscles trembling from strain. But it hadn’t been wasted effort—far from it. He had not only learned to sense Qi, but had filled his Golden Core with it.
Collapsing onto the stone floor, he let out a shuddering breath. Exhaustion flooded him, but a worn, involuntary smile crept onto his face.
He didn’t want to feel proud. Didn’t want the System to know it had satisfied something raw and aching inside him. But the truth was… he did feel a flicker of pride.
The System didn’t gloat. It simply added a few points to his total and prompted:
[Quest: Learn the Basic Techniques of the Celestial Heights Order]
[Description: The Celestial Heights Order has a history spanning over 1,200 years. Its techniques draw from the martial foundations of the Soaring Phoenix and Striking Tiger schools. Both contain offensive and defensive methods. You are to learn the basics of all nine foundational styles. More info...]
[Time Limit: 21 days]
[Bonus Quest: Create your own unique style]
[Reward: +50 points]
[Time Limit: Unlimited]
Xin’s eye twitched.
More training. More obedience.
He was starting to suspect this voice in his head wouldn’t shut up any time soon. But he had to admit —something had changed. In the days he spent training in the cave, Xin Yijie had begun to grow accustomed to this new body and everything that came with it. At the very least, it no longer distracted him. He had even started to… enjoy it.
The energy flooding through his limbs made his heart race — a wild, almost intoxicating rhythm. When the Qi flowed smoothly through his meridians, the world itself seemed sharper. Every movement felt perfectly balanced, graceful. Even after days of harsh training, his body showed no signs of fatigue.
He felt like a different person. Almost euphoric.
Stretching with a long, slow breath, Xin asked:
— System, what level of power did the original owner of this body possess? And how does this world rank cultivation stages?
[Stages of cultivation: Qi Refinement → Foundation Building → Core Formation → Nascent Soul → True Immortality]
[Xinyue Xiaoying had just crossed from late Core Formation into early Nascent Soul before his death. So congratulations. You’ve effectively gone from Qi Refinement to Nascent Soul in record time.]
There was still so much he didn’t understand about this world. But he wasn’t in a rush. Rushing would only lead to mistakes.
He had a strange feeling — a dangerous one — that he could accept anything the System threw at him now. The consequence of years spent reading fantasy novels, perhaps. Or maybe he’d simply snapped.
Still, the more he learned, the more it all… made sense. Everything the System taught him felt strangely familiar. As if he’d read it all before.
And though she gave him seven days to grasp Qi, he had accomplished it in hours — a feat that normally took months, even years, for new cultivators.
Part of that was thanks to the body he now inhabited. But the rest? The rest was his own obsession, his focus, his quiet refusal to give up.
The System observed his progress in silence. And for once, it was impressed.
She had been assigned many souls before — but this one… this one was special...
Hi! im Kasikomi Ray - author of "The Serpent and the Raven", original language: Russian
Help is welcome! If you spot translation errors or wish to help with English adaptation — your feedback would mean the world. Even a single comment makes a difference!
Thank you for reading chapter 1!
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