A Fisherman's Immortal Journey

Ren Wei's unconscious body lay on the ground, still.

Inside the unconscious space, he was dreaming of rather not a dream.

Flashes of unfamiliar scenes pass in front of his eyes. Inside the dream, he was a different man in a different world full of wonderful things.

He saw high and tall buildings he had never even heard of. Sometimes, he would see carriages without horses. And people dressing a whole new outfits.

And surprisingly, he was not shock by those things. It was like experiencing from a first person perspective but he was like trapped inside the body.

From a child to a teenager. Then to a young adult. He experienced the growth of a human.

Suddenly, one day, the young man was hit by a huge carriage. And then everything went black.

Sometimes later, a new life started in front of his eyes. But this time, he saw familiar scenes unfolding.

It was his life flashing before his eyes, or rather his memories.

Everything from the start. How he was born into a poor family. The lost of his mother from the young age.

Even the little romance between him and his wife was also included.

Then the scenes forwarded to the very moment he was catching the Black Scale Carp.

It suddenly hit his mind, he realized maybe all that was happening to right now, might be the reason of catching the Black Scale Carp.

"Maybe I should have listened to the ancestral advice and release the carp. What a fool. Now you are dead." Inside the dream, he thought to himself.

As the scenes was unfolding in front of his eyes, all he was thinking about was his two little children.

At that moment, he saw an unexpected thing. The first person perspective changed into third person perspective.

When the hook pierced into his finger, a drop of blood fell onto the Black Scale Carp. And it absorbed it through its giils?

Moments later, after he left the boat. He saw the Black Scale Carp turned into a ball of white light and flew up.

He saw it following the direction he left. And none of the people it passed by seemed to not see it. And finally it arrived at his home.

After revolving around the house for sometime, it finally enters the house.

With a light flashing it entered his body at the same time he slapped his own forehead.

Then suddenly, he felt the same electric shock and everything went black.

About 10 minutes later, Ren Wei slowly opened his eyes. For quite a short time, everything was blurry.

After rubbing his eyelids, he finally saw the clear vision he alway had.

Shaking his head, he tried to clear his mind. 'What the hell happened? Maybe I am too tired from not eating for days. But that was a weird dream.'

He thought everything that happened was just his body responding to his starvation.

Click...

He jolted awoke from his distraction and quickly checked the fish he was cooking. To his surprised, everything was still the same. The fish was barely cooked.

He felt confused. It was a long time he spent in his dream but only a few seconds have passed outside.

That is impossible.

He sat back to his stool and waited for the fish to fish cooking.

The whole time, he was thinking back what he saw in his dream. It was like he was living a two life. Or has a past life, before his current life.

But he could not quite catch the whole thing.

Finally, the fish was finished cooking after a whole 30 minutes.

After he divided the fish meat and the fish soup into 2 large bowls and a small one, he went to the bedroom to wake the two children.

Inside the bedroom, the candle was still burning.

Seeing his two little treasure sleeping side by side, Ren Wei smiled. But seeing the malnourished bodies, his smile turned into a sad one.

"Don't worry, dad will do anything to fulfill your lives." He softly said. Then with a calm voice he approached the bed.

As he reached the bed, he tried to wake rhem up. But before he could do that, the boy opened his eyes.

It looked like he sensed someone.

Seeing his father's face, he called. "Dad..?" His voice a bit loud.

Ren Wei smiled. "Yes."

The boy did not jump up in joy or other. Like a child, instead he just smiled and sat up.

Ren Chen, a sensible and mature child even from a young age. He was named by his late mother as 'Ren Chen'. Ren as in "kindness" and Chen as in "daybreak". She called him that hoping that he will always be a kind and his life will be always like a daybreak.

"You wake your sister and come to the kitchen. I am done cooking." Ren Wei sat on the bed and said to Ren Chen, softly.

"You caught fish today?" Ren Chen asked in a delighted voice.

"Haha..yes." Ren Wei smiled. Then, he added. "Now wake her up and come to the kitchen."

After that, he left the bedroom. As he was leaving the bedroom, he heard the complaining and crying voice of Ren Xiu.

He named her 'Ren Xiu', hoping that she will become a elegant graceful young lady. But alas, he turn out to be the complete opposite. Always taking loudly and complaining.

Even though she is the older of the twin, it was Ren Chen who always took care of her.

Sitting there, inside the kitchen, on the small bamboo dining table. He could hear the small yet high pitch voice of Ren Xiu.

On the way, she was complaining to Ren Chen for waking her up. And she was also complaining about Ren Wei for being late.

As she complaints, the twin arrived at the kitchen.

Ren Wei saw both of them entering.

With one hand she was rubbing her eyelids and the other holding her stomach. From time to time, her hungry stomach would let out some sounds.

Both the twin sat down on their chair. And waited for the foods.

Smiling, Ren Wei took the two big bowls and placed them in front of the twin.

Seeing the huge fish meat and soup, Ren Xiu's complaining voice stop. With a face full of happiness, she quickly started eating using the bamboo chopsticks.

Ren Chen also started eating his share. Looking at the two, Ren Wei smiled and he too started.

Halfway, Ren Chen stopped eating and looked at Ren Wei.

Feeling the gaze, Ren Wei looked over.

Before he could asked the reason. Ren Chen spoke.

"Dad, what do you think of Immortals?" The question caught Ren Wei off. He never thought his children would ask him such question.

Swallowing the food, he deeply looked at Ren Chen and said. "Chen'er, don't tell me you are some kind of reincarnated Immortal?" His voice carried some shock.

"What?!! No.... what are you even saying?" Ren Chen shook his head and looked at him like crazy.

"Then why are you asking such things?" Ren Wei said.

"Today, after you left for fishing. And old man came to us when we were playing and he said he wanted to take us as Immortal disciples. Me and Xiu." Ren Wei fell silent as heard Ren Chen said that.

Never in his life, he thought of Immortal taking his children as disciples. He always thought they would grow up to be simple people.

Taking a deep breathe, he said. "So what did you say to the Immortal sir."

"I said we will think about it and ask our dad for permission." Ren Chen replied.

Ren Wei did not say anything. He just sat there in silent. He knew even if he says no to the Immortal it would be useless. If the Immortal wants to, then he will take them away despite his denial.

After a moment, he said to Ren Chen. "Finish your food. Dad will think about it."

"Ohh.." Ren Chen turned back to his food and continued eating.

Later, when she finished eating, Ren Xiu turned to her dad. And with a sweet smile, she said. "Dad, bring more fishes tomorrow. Okey?"

Hearing the sweet words, Ren Wei smiled and said. "Why not? If my baby wants more, I will bring more tomorrow?"

"Hehe.. Good night dad." Then she left the kitchen.

Soon, Ren Chen also left.

Only Ren Wei was left alone in the room, thinking.

On one hand, he was happy that his children was going to be Immortals. But on the other hand, he doesn't want them to leave him so soon.

He knew once they left for he the Immortal road, they might never see eachother again. But he was powerless to stop that.

At that moment, he came to his final thought. He had to agree. Instead of them becoming an ordinary people, working hard just for a meal. It's better for them to atleast have a full meal everyday, even if the Immortal road is dangerous.

That night, Ren Wei barely closed his eyes. From time to time, he would wake up and think over again. Sometimes, he would think about his late wife.

But all in all, the night went.

Soon, the morning came.

The family of three woke up from their sleep.

At the courtyard, they were ready to have their breakfast after cleaning. It was the leftover fish from yesterday.

As Ren Wei sat down on his chair, he heard a knock on the bamboo gate.

When he opened the gate, he saw an old man standing there. Even though it was an old man, he did not look like an old man.

That instant, Ren Wei knew it was the Immortal Ren Chen was talking about.