Rebirth of MC Chpt 102 - 202 (unedited translations)

Chapter 165: Recovering memories

When Huo Zaiyuan gradually regains consciousness, the first thing he is aware of is being held in an embrace. An extremely familiar warmth and hug, as if it is...

Brow furrowing lightly, his long eyelashes flutter. As his eyes open unhurriedly, the first thing he sees is a pair of dark eyes filled with tender affection.

"Zhan – Zhanye..."

"Un, I'm here." A soft smile emerges on his face at Huo Zaiyuan's startled expression. Leaning down, he kisses the youth's temple.

"Your injury..." Recalling Cheng Mingcheng's claws piercing his shoulder and chest, Huo Zaiyuan's heart aches. When he tries to struggle out of Long Zhanye's arms to check on the other man, he abruptly realises that he doesn't have a sliver of strength in his body.

"Everything is fine now." An arm curling around Huo Zaiyuan's waist to prevent him from trying to move anymore, a free hand reaches up to unbutton his shirt, exposing his left shoulder and chest. Unblemished, honey-coloured skin is revealed. Not a single scar can be seen, let alone a wound. It is as though Long Zhanye has never been injured in the first place.

"No wounds. How...how is that possible...you were clearly injured..." Shock shifts into amazement as Huo Zaiyuan reaches up to drag his fingertips across the unmarked skin, not quite daring to believe his eyes.

"I was indeed injured and nearly lost my life. However, this one event resulted in you placing the Dragon pearl in my mouth, thereby awakening the memories slumbering within my soul," Covering the hand on his chest with his own, Long Zhanye states softly before pressing a kiss to Huo Zaiyuan's palm.

"Memories slumbering in your soul? What do you mean...?"

"Hmm...I should probably explain it as the memories of my previous life." Gathering the fabric of Huo Zaiyuan's long sleeve, Long Zhanye pulls it up to expose the silver dragon tattoo around his slender wrist. "This tattoo acts as the medium between the Dragon pearl and the interdimensional space. During that time, when I sent the bamboo house into this space, I changed the Dragon pearl into a white jade brush. That brush was given to you as a token of my love... But you don't remember any of it now."

"What...what are you talking about? Zhanye, I don't understand what you are saying..." Huo Zaiyuan truly cannot make heads or tails of Long Zhanye's odd words.

"In my previous life, I was called the Heretical Dragon, and you were him." Hand lifting, Long Zhanye points towards the portrait hanging on the back wall of the house.

Following the direction of his finger, Huo Zaiyuan's gaze lands on the portrait depicting someone he is very familiar with, as well as the flamboyant, cursive script of three characters, 'Huo Tianji'. Up until now, he had always thought that this person is his ancestor. Now, Long Zhanye is unexpectedly telling him that he was Huo Tianji in his last life. This one sentence is like a bombshell, destroying his perception of everything.

"I – I – "

"Actually, saying that you are him is also not quite right." Placing an arm under the curve of Huo Zaiyuan's knees while the other tucks him close. Long Zhanye lifts him up in a princess carry, bringing him over to the portrait. "More specifically, little Yuan is born from a fragment of his soul. The day when Tianji broke through and reached the topmost level of the "Mysterious Nine Dragons Heaven" Art, he became the strongest individual within the Taoist sect. It took him nine jiazi to reach that point. You, however, reached the sixth level in a mere two years. Thus, here is a clear evidence that you are different from him."

"Nine jiazi. A jiazi is sixty years, and he..." Huo Zaiyuan's eyes widen in astoundment.

Listening to Long Zhanye's words, he can't help the shock running through his being.