Chapter 3: Choice

"Furen has already been in labor for 10 hours but the baby is still not out and the furen is too weak!!"

"JieJie! Wake up , you have to wake up, please be strong. Think of the baby, jiejie you still have to hold the baby in your arms."

Ahxue connecting everything finally realized that the soul that she had seen previously leaving the orb was probably the baby's, who was stillborn.

" Soul number 9782599, You have entered the soul transmigration birth tree's orb. You can choose to leave this orb and give up on this life or stay in the orb and transmigrate to another world and be given an opportunity for a second life in the new host body. Please make a choice in T-minus 2 minutes as the host body will only remain open for that period of time." A deep echoing voice rang out.

What the hell, so her guess was right!

This baby was one who was never going to be given to them as the soul was no longer there but now that she was inside the orb does that really mean that she could take this baby's body and be given a second chance to live?!!

She was excited. If this was really true then she could finally get the chance to live again and have the one thing which she desired the most in her previous life, a family. The family of this baby was one that beyond everyone of her imaginations, they seemed so happy and Ahxue wondered if she could really have this happiness as well.

But like cold water thrown over this happiness, suddenly she who wasn't even afraid of knives, bullets or even death was scared. She admits it, she was scared that this wasn't real and was only a dream which would disappear just as fast as it came.

But she was more afraid that this was real and that after giving her this second chance, the gods would be cruel and take it away after letting her taste happiness and make her fate the same as her previous life, to be alone till death.

What if this wasn't a chance at a second life but rather another filled with misery?

What if she isn't accepted by this family?

Will she really be able to have a true family?

Thousands of thoughts ran in her head in less than 2 minutes and she was truly torn between the choices.

"T-minus 30 seconds, soul number 9782599 please make your decision." The voice rang out again interrupting her thoughts.

The voice anchored her thoughts and she was determined. She was not someone who believed in if's or hopeful about other future opportunities that may or may not come. She was someone who believed in the present and always followed her gut. This was her only chance, who knows if she would have another or if it would be possible to ever have such a family if she gave up now.

"T-minus 10 seconds, soul number 9782599 please make your decision."

"I've made my decision. I choose to stay." she voiced out with determination. Regardless of everything, as long as she was given this chance then she'll do whatever it takes to protect it and have a true family in this life.

"Congratulations to soul number 9782599! Your soul will be transferred into the host body in T-minus 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1."

Once again the heart wrenching pain from before returned but this time it came with a feeling of suffocation from the inability to breathe. The experience was so similar to when she had died that for a moment she thought that it was all a lie and that she was still dying. Then a rush of air swept through her lungs bringing with it a searing pain from the previous lack of oxygen in her lungs. She couldn't help but cry out from the pain.

"Waa!Waa!Waa!

She knew that she had transmigrated. There was hard to describe yet extremely familiar heaviness in this body and she was sensitive to every single pain coursing through her new infant body.

This was exactly the helpless feeling of being a newborn who had no control of any functions other than to cry. Now that she could breathe, the most important problem was solved and she was relieved to know that she was at least alive but being just born she couldn't open her eyes and thus was unable to observe her surroundings. Still now she could hear the previously fading voices with better clarity now. She heard the sounds of a door opening and closing. Immediately after the sound her body which was feeling a little chilly was being cleaned with wet cloth that was slightly warm and then her body was wrapped up in a clean blanket, the soft scent of plum blossoms entered her nose from the blanket.

All throughout this process she could hear a conversation in the distance occurring.

"Congratulations General, Furen! The baby is breathing and safe! The furen and the child have escaped the dangerous period but both need extreme care. I'll write some prescriptions for the furen to take during her postpartum confinement so that she can recover. As for the baby, she is a girl and naturally has a cold yin body but being born premature and in the winter has an extremely weak and cold body therefore whether she can survive this winter is unknown but she has to be kept especially warm. She is only a baby so I can't prescribe any medicine for her. General and furen can only pray and take precautions against the cold." She assumed it was said by the physician brought in to take care of this body and the child's mother.

"Thank you physician! Truly thank you for saving them, Steward Jin please see the physician to get the prescription for furen and make preparations to keep the room warm and get more wrappings and blankets for the child. The baby and furen must be okay." This voice was different from the physicians and sounded stronger, more powerful and deep but still she could hear a slight trembling in it.