Rebirth of the Phoenix Emperor

Li Wei gasped awake, his heart hammering against his ribs. The familiar weight of the jade pendant rested against his chest, but something was different – it pulsed with a gentle warmth that seemed to sync with his heartbeat.

[Phoenix Rise Protocol initiated. Welcome back, Heir of the Vermillion Flame.]

The crystalline voice echoed in his mind, somehow managing to sound both ancient and amused. Li Wei bolted upright, taking in his surroundings. This was his old bedroom – not the massive penthouse suite he'd shared with Mei, but his childhood room in his parents' villa.

[Host appears disoriented. Expected side effect of temporal regression. Would you like a status report?]

"What... who are you?" Li Wei whispered, his eyes landing on the calendar beside his bed. June 15, 2005. Twenty years. He'd gone back twenty years.

[I am your System Interface, but you may call me Feng. It's less pretentious than 'Ancient Spirit of the Eternal Phoenix' or 'Supreme Consciousness of the Sacred Flame.' Trust me, I've had many names over the millennia, and most of them are quite pompous.]

Li Wei ran his hands over his face, feeling younger skin, fewer wrinkles. "I'm not hallucinating?"

[Negative. You have successfully activated the Phoenix Rise Protocol through your bloodline artifact – that lovely pendant you're clutching like a security blanket. By the way, your heart rate is elevated, and your cortisol levels are concerning. Might I suggest some deep breathing exercises?]

"My parents," Li Wei suddenly remembered, jumping out of bed. "They're alive!"

[Ah yes, the original holders of your bloodline in this timeline. Currently located: Master bedroom, west wing, both in REM sleep. It's 5:43 AM, by the way. Quite early for such excitement.]

Li Wei didn't care about the time. He rushed out of his room, bare feet silent on the familiar wooden floors. The layout of the villa came back to him instantly – every corner, every painting, every creaky floorboard he needed to avoid. Twenty years melted away as muscle memory took over.

He stopped outside his parents' bedroom, hand trembling as he reached for the door handle.

[Warning: Bursting into your parents' bedroom at dawn may raise questions about your mental state. Suggested alternative: Wait for breakfast like a normal person?]

Li Wei ignored the voice and quietly opened the door. The pre-dawn light filtered through the gauzy curtains, illuminating two sleeping forms on the massive bed. His father, Li Jing, still robust and healthy at fifty-five, and his mother, Sun Mei Ling, elegant even in sleep.

Tears blurred his vision. The last time he'd seen them was at their funeral, their bodies recovered from the plane crash that had shattered his world. The crash that would happen in three days if he didn't stop it.

[Detecting elevated emotional response. Also detecting the beginning of what humans call an 'ugly cry.' Might I suggest—]

"Shut up," Li Wei whispered, wiping his eyes. He closed the door quietly and returned to his room.

"Okay," he said once he was alone. "Explain everything. What is the Phoenix Rise Protocol? What are you? And what did you mean by my bloodline?"

[Finally, intelligent questions! The Phoenix Rise Protocol is an emergency temporal regression system built into your family's bloodline. Think of it as a cosmic insurance policy for spectacular failures. No offense, but your death rather spectacularly qualified.]

"My family's bloodline?"

[The Li family isn't just new money, dear host. You're descendants of the ancient Phoenix Clan, though the bloodline has grown... shall we say, diluted over the generations. That pendant? Not just fancy jewelry. It's a focus artifact that channels what little celestial fire remains in your veins.]

Li Wei touched the pendant. "And this let me travel back in time?"

[Only because you were dying. The Protocol activates in moments of extreme need, when a bloodline heir faces unjust extinction. It's meant to prevent the complete erasure of the Phoenix lineage. Though I must say, getting pushed out a window by your not-actually-your-son was a new one. Usually it's rival cultivators or demon lords, not teenage corporate spite.]

"Cultivators? Demons?" Li Wei's head spun. "What else don't I know about my family?"

[Oh, darling, we'd be here all day. Let's focus on immediate concerns: First, your parents' imminent departure for what you know becomes their final flight. Second, your embarrassingly empty cultivation base – seriously, how did none of you maintain the family arts? And third, the fact that your body is twenty years younger but still carries traces of your original timeline, which means—]

A wave of dizziness hit Li Wei. He grabbed his desk for support as memories cascaded through his mind – not just his past life, but new ones, things he'd never known about his family. Hidden rooms in the villa. Secret accounts. His father's private library filled with scrolls in ancient languages.

[—your temporal integration is beginning. Don't fight it. These are memories you should have had, knowledge that was your birthright. The Phoenix blood is waking up.]

"Three days," Li Wei muttered, forcing himself to focus through the flood of information. "I have three days to stop them from getting on that plane."

[Technically two days, twenty-one hours, and sixteen minutes. But who's counting? Besides me, obviously.]

Li Wei began pacing. "I can't just tell them not to go. They'll want to know why. And if I tell them about the crash..."

[Temporal paradox alert! Yes, please avoid explicit future revelations. Might I suggest a subtler approach? You do have twenty years of business experience in that brain of yours.]

A plan began forming in Li Wei's mind. "The Singapore merger. That's why they're flying out. If I can prove it's a trap..."

[Now you're thinking! Although, host, you might want to put on pants before starting your corporate espionage. Your mother is awake and heading to the kitchen.]

As if on cue, Li Wei heard movement in the hallway. His heart leaped.

[Your emotional stability is all over the place. Understandable, but please try to act normal. Sobbing into your congee while hugging your mother might raise questions.]

"I haven't heard her voice in twenty years," Li Wei whispered. "I haven't tasted her cooking, haven't..."

[Focus! Yes, your parents are alive. Yes, it's wonderful. But they'll stay alive longer if you concentrate on saving them rather than getting sentimental. Though I must admit, your mother's congee is legendary even in celestial records.]

Li Wei took a deep breath, straightening his sleep clothes. "Right. Act normal. Save them. Then figure out everything else."

[Good plan. Oh, and host? Your Phoenix bloodline is starting to wake up. Don't be alarmed if you feel unusually warm or start craving spicy food. And maybe avoid getting too angry – spontaneous combustion is rare but embarrassing.]

"Spontaneous what?"

[Just kidding! Mostly. Now go greet your mother. But remember – you're twenty-five, not forty-five. Try not to let two decades of CEO experience show in your breakfast conversation.]

Li Wei opened his door and headed toward the kitchen. The smell of his mother's cooking already filled the air, exactly as he remembered it. His throat tightened.

[Deep breaths, host. Deep breaths. And maybe let's work on your cultivation later. Twenty years of neglected celestial fire is giving me anxiety.]

As Li Wei entered the kitchen, he saw his mother at the stove, humming the same tune she always used to hum. She turned, and her smile – the smile he'd seen only in dreams for twenty years – lit up her face.

"You're up early, Xiao Wei! Are you hungry?"

Li Wei swallowed hard. "Starving, Mom."

[Smooth. Very smooth. Now try not to cry into your breakfast. Phoenix heirs should maintain some dignity... oh, who am I kidding? Go hug your mother. Just blame any steam coming off your body on the hot congee.]

As Li Wei embraced his mother, feeling her warm and alive in his arms, he made a silent vow. This time would be different. This time, he would protect his family. This time, he would honor his bloodline.

And if anyone tried to harm them, well... perhaps it was time to see what this Phoenix fire could really do.

[That's the spirit! Though please note: actual spirit burning requires training. Let's start with basic cultivation before moving on to cosmic incineration.]

Li Wei smiled despite himself. Between his reawakening bloodline, his mysterious but snarky system, and twenty years of future knowledge, he had tools his enemies couldn't imagine. Now he just had to figure out how to use them.

First step: Save his parents.

Second step: Rebuild his power.

Third step: Make sure Mei and Zhao Feng never got the chance to destroy his family again.

[Might I suggest a Step Zero: Finish your breakfast? Your mother's giving you that look that means she thinks you're getting too thin.]

Some things, Li Wei realized, never changed – across time, space, or even divine bloodlines. And he wouldn't have it any other way.