The Child of Demonic Cultivation

Summer

WC: 921

"Ti Ti?" a shaky voice echoed behind the forever twenty something year old as they stared off into a window of some sort showing images far below.

They sighed smiling tightly. "Hey Jin Jin. Took you long enough." Lan Tian's smile grew as they glanced over at the boy farther down the waiting area.

"I don't understand what's going on. You're supposed to be dead, and older than that. You were...you were like twenty three when you died, how do you still look like you're seventeen?" Tears flooded Jin Ling's eyes as memories of his teenage years rushed to the forefront of his mind.

Lan Tian walked up to him holding a small reflective surface that grew as they shook it. "Take a look at yourself then." Jin Ling almost dropped the mirror when he saw his seventeen year old face staring back at him. "A big change from the fifty year old face you were used to, huh?"

"How? I...I don't understand, am I dead?" Jin Ling searched Lan Tian's eyes for any hint at the truth.

"Yes, you are dead. So am I, but I guess you didn't really pay attention to the introduction, now did you?" Lan Tian raised an eyebrow bringing Jin Ling to a near by bench. "You just died, you have a few options now. One, you can be reincarnated into the next life, go through it all again and then repeat as much as you want. Two, you can retire your soul. In this case, your soul will get retired and used to create a new soul who will then go through the same process of life and death. Or, three. You can stay here in the in between. You can watch the world unfold before you, keep an eye on your relatives, or just wait and see what happens. Then, when you are ready, you can choose option one or two."

"Wow, that's a lot. But, it doesn't explain why I look like this." He said motioning to his sudden youthfulness.

Lan Tian nodded, "Well, the great beyond picks a point in your lifetimes that you subconsciously identify with the most. You can change it though, you can look like whatever you want. Haven't you noticed? I'm fully flat chested now, but when I feel more feminine I can bring them back. It's what ever makes you feel the most you."

Jin Ling smiled, "I didn't want to say anything but, you do look particularly confident too." He moved to nudge them lightly. "I pick option three by the way. I need to see what happens down there, but most importantly I want to be with you a little more if you'll have me?"

"Ah, there's something I need to tell you about option three first. You see, time travels differently up here in the in between. Every standard Earth day is about three and a half times 'longer'. So a year down there feels like three up here." Lan Tian glanced down at the screen they were watching earlier. "It can get lonely and boring up here. Very few people choose to stay. My Dad and Papa both offered to but I could tell they really wanted to be reincarnated so I made them go. I couldn't hold them back any longer. It's not all bad though, there are a few of us that have been up here for a long time. Socrates has been here for...a very long time. Although, he did...whats the word....transmigrate here from a different universe. In his original world there was no cultivation what so ever, and they did some really cool things."

Jin Ling looked deeply into Lan Tian's eyes, "You waited that long for me? I'm sorry I made you wait so long." They nodded not meeting his gaze. "You watched everything? You watched me love other people, raise children, get married, everything?"

"It was nice once I saw you smile again." They smiled as their eyes glazed over slightly, "At first it was hard, but then I was just happy you were happy."

Jin Ling stared down the window Lan Tian was looking out and watched as three different scenes played out in front of him. One was his burial, he watched as all his friends and family said their goodbyes to his lifeless corpse. The second was a scene focused on Lan Sizhui, it showed more specifically his surroundings. The third and final was his four adopted children and his wife. Similarly, it followed them more closely picking up on the subtle things around them

"Don't worry, I can leave if you need time to say your own goodbyes." Lan Tian said following his gaze. "You really made a nice family, and you looked happy."

"I never loved her the way I love you for the record. I'm sure you know already but it was an arranged marriage, the only way to save the Jin Clan. She's also a lesbian so it worked out nice. And she was excited by the idea of adopting children like we were going to. I wish I could have seen them grow up a little longer, but all the time in the world wouldn't have been enough." Jin Ling sighed as he shifted his gaze to Lan Tian, "Regardless, I'm so happy I get to see you and spend time with the person I love most."

"I am too, but honestly, I wish you would've waited a little while longer. I was okay with waiting even fifty years more." Lan Tian leaned on Jin Ling's shoulder, "So where should we start?"