This was definitely not a good start.
From all the trials he had done before, becoming something great wasn't the way to stay alive.
He had tried multiple times—all the time, in fact. Become an educated person? Accused of staging a coup with his status as the smartest student.
Become one of the king's confidants? Accused of leaking royal secrets and ended up beheaded.
Becoming a wealthy man focused on business? Accused of stealing weapons.
Oh, the variations were endless.
Rui thought there was one thing left to do: to just do nothing. To be nothing at all. He wanted to keep it low-key so that no one would notice him, including his ultimate death.
But now, the plan was ruined. Terribly. Being able to join the Imperial Study was one of the most prestigious things one could do.
He had done it multiple times in his multiple lives.
Every 10 years, the kingdom would allow the 10 largest sects of Tianxiao to study within the kingdom, with the best teachers they could ever get.
It was a point of pride for any student to be chosen. Every sect of Tianxiao was fighting for the spot.
Jing Rui was raised in one of the top ten sects, the one closest to the common people, before it was burned down because of… him.
Guilt was eating away at Rui once again. He wanted to save everything—everyone who had died because of him.
This time, he would make sure of it.
The problem was… how?
Rui's plan to keep a low profile had definitely failed. His election as a representative of the Yinfeng Sect was something he wanted to avoid, but he got it anyway.
Now he was considering a few options: should he create something that would get him kicked out, or should he just let it flow and be an average student?
The former seemed riskier.
Tarnishing the sect's name was also not a good option.
He once did something that caused the Yinfeng Sect to lose the trust of the people because of his stupid decision to steal some secret scrolls to protect the sect, and ended up causing the sect to disappear before he could do anything.
The trip to the Imperial Study had been long and boring, with lots of fake smiles and pleasantries that Rui didn't like.
He had just arrived at the large complex, and the big gates made him think about the future he wanted to avoid.
He held the old bag he always carried, with only the things he really needed for his unpleasant job, and walked through the long, fancy hallways.
The place was very fancy. It had marble floors, detailed carvings on the walls, and the smell of expensive incense in the air.
He was trying to find the place where new students would be staying when he saw a flash of bright red robes.
A student, no older than Rui himself, was rushing around a corner, seemingly in a frantic rush.
As the student went around the corner, something fell out of their hand. It was a small, beautifully carved wooden bell. It bounced twice on the polished floor, making a faint but clear chime, and then it stopped near Rui's feet.
Rui instinctively bent down, picking up the bell. It was beautiful, crafted with exquisite detail, and seemed to hum faintly in his palm. He looked up, intending to call out to the owner.
"Hey, you—"
Rui blinked fast when the owner of the bell just ran away after looking at him.
Or maybe he wasn't really looking at Rui, but somewhere else near him, right behind him.
And as Rui turned around, now he was the one who immediately wanted to run.
Because just right behind him, he had just met the doom of his life.
Zhao Jueyan.