A long wind rises, and the soft chanting accompanied by the clanging of swords travels far in the wind, like a dream.

Under the moonlight, the girl's snow-white clothes fluttered in the wind.

The moonlight, like a thin veil, lingered around her, casting a shimmering, ethereal glow upon her silhouette, making her appear otherworldly and ethereal.

She didn't even flinch, still twirling her longsword, unmoved by praise or blame.

Yan Shuang was almost driven mad by this bizarre scene. Her mind was on the verge of collapse, and her ear canals were filled with a noisy tinnitus.

No matter which direction she fled in, no matter where she hid, the girl's unhurried chanting clung to her ear like a spell from hell, following her like a shadow, exceptionally clear.

In a panic, Yan Shuang stumbled into an abandoned house.

Yan Shuang sensed something was wrong as soon as she entered.

The air still faintly carried the scorching smell of smoke and fire. Everywhere one looked were ruins blackened by the flames, collapsed beams, rubble scattered everywhere, and the pile of ruins stood silently amidst the overgrown weeds.

Perhaps it was her imagination, but she smelled a pungent, acrid odor of smoke.

But how could that be? This place has been abandoned for at least eight or nine years, and even if there was a fire, that's all in the past.

Wait, eight or nine years ago...

Yan Shuang had never felt her heart pound so hard. Her breath caught in her throat, and for a moment, fragmented images flashed through her mind.

She had been to this place before…

Her teeth chattered and she shivered; her eyes were bloodshot and crimson. In the deep, dark night, Yan Shuang stumbled and staggered through the terrifying mansion, searching for a way out.

No, impossible, how could it be, how could it really be such a coincidence?

She kept reassuring herself, but the further she went, the clearer her memories became.

She could even recall where a corpse had once lay, where scattered organs had been found, and where a severed head had once stared at her with its eyes wide open.

Her steps grew heavier and heavier, and the dried, blackened stains on the ground, sticky like blood, clung to her shoes.

Yan Shuang felt as if her brain was filled with sharp, foreign objects, which were popping and pricking her head painfully. She wanted to scream, but in the end, she could only lean against the wall and vomit a pool of blood that was stuck in her throat.

Monster! There's a monster!!

With a buzzing sound in her head, only a few words remained that sent chills down her spine. With trembling hands, Yan Shuang slowly took out a small hidden weapon from her sleeve and aimed it at a corner deep in the darkness.

Although she couldn't see anything clearly, she knew that the little monster was standing there quietly staring at her.

Originally, Yan Shuang did not intend to use the hidden weapon that her master had temporarily placed with her, since although it was extremely powerful, the production process was very complicated and the materials were extremely rare.

But right now, she can't care about any of that.

Gripping the hidden weapon tightly, Yan Shuang calmed down and finally regained her composure.

"come out."

As soon as she finished speaking, the girl in the white dress actually strolled leisurely out from the dark corner.

Zhan Xinjia remained unfazed. Her beautiful peach blossom eyes gleamed with a cool, eerie light in the near-total darkness. She raised the corners of her mouth, her tone still innocent and naive.

"What, are you scared?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Shuang let out a cold laugh.

"I admit you're quite skilled, but little girl, playing tricks won't get you anywhere. No matter who you are, from today onwards you're just a dead man!"

Yan Shuang was quite certain that no one could dodge this kind of hidden weapon. After all, she had personally witnessed her master use it, and it could easily blow the target's head into a pile of mud even from dozens of meters away.

However, she still didn't understand the true value of the "ceiling of combat power".

Upon seeing the hidden weapon in Yan Shuang's hand, Zhan Xinjia was not alarmed at all; on the contrary, he was pleasantly surprised.

Oh dear, she was a little worried about not being able to find this thing, but it was delivered to her door so quickly. How thoughtful of her.

As Yan Shuang pressed the mechanism, a dark light shot straight forward with earth-shattering force, and the tail of the iron plate even sparked from friction with the air due to its excessive speed.

With a loud "whoosh!"

It is no exaggeration to say that it is more than twice as fast as an ordinary bow and arrow.

Yan Shuang's bloodied and mangled face was already beaming with a victor's smile, but as the clanging sound rang out, the smile on her lips gradually froze and solidified, until it turned into a hideous, twisted expression.

The atmosphere was deathly silent.

With a light flick of her wrist, Zhan Xinjia brushed the fine dust off her clothes without even blinking. Calmly, she used the tip of her sword to pick up the piece of iron that had been blocked. The girl's brows furrowed slightly, showing a hint of disappointment.

"Did I overestimate you before?"

"It doesn't seem very strong now. Thinking you can kill me with this thing is really wishful thinking..."

Her response was Yan Shuang's utterly devastated screams.

Zhan Xinjia covered her ears in disgust, and when she looked up, she saw the woman running into the depths of the courtyard like a madwoman.

She raised an eyebrow, her eyes revealing an even deeper mischievousness.

"If you're going to hide, remember to hide well and don't make a sound. Don't let me find you!"

Hearing the girl's cheerful voice, Yan Shuang, who had hidden in a corner of the ruins, collapsed and covered her head, seeing danger everywhere.

Hearing the light footsteps coming from the corridor, patter patter, Yan Shuang clenched her teeth tightly. She didn't move, and even her breathing became extremely slow, for fear of being caught by the little monster wandering outside.

His bloodshot eyes were fixed on the outside of the ruins, not missing a single sound or movement.

Meanwhile, the girl on the corridor hummed a cheerful, off-key tune, dragging her long sword with one hand. The not-so-sharp blade dragged along the blue brick floor, making a harsh scraping sound and sending sparks flying.

She neither left nor came in, but lingered around Yan Shuang's hiding place, patrolling back and forth.

Under immense mental pressure, Yan Shuang nearly fainted.

The scene before her eyes had a strong sense of déjà vu, it was incredibly familiar. Nine years ago, she and her husband had searched the house room by room in the same way, trying to find the little girl who had hidden away.

Now that the roles have been reversed, he has become prey to be slaughtered at will.

Yan Shuang began to regret it.

This remorse that terrified her to the point of despair crashed against her reason like waves. She regretted coming to Dasheng back then, why she did those things, and in the end, she even began to regret why she had ever come into this world.

"Are you hiding well? I'm coming to find you."

The girl's cheerful voice, tinged with laughter, rang out again.

Her reason collapsed, her overloaded mind a tangled mess that couldn't be untangled. Completely driven to madness, Yan Shuang suddenly burst out from the corner, screaming, and rushed straight toward the door.

Sword shadows followed one after another from behind.

The left leg was cut off first, then the entire right hand, and a little while later the left hand also fell to the ground.

When Yan Shuang crawled to the front door with difficulty, convulsing like a worm, she was no longer human. Her body had been dismembered, with only her head and right leg still connected to her body, making her look like a lump of minced meat.

Even so, a delirious smile still bloomed on that blood-stained face whose features were no longer discernible.

They're out! They've finally escaped...

I'm sorry, I'm so sorry... Please let me go, please let me go...

A heavy whistling sound came from above. Yan Shuang strained her neck and looked up sharply. Her expression twitched, her pupils trembled wildly, and her eyes seemed to pop out of their sockets with fear.

A huge plaque crashed down on her from the highest point of the roof—

The sounds of bones breaking, internal organs rupturing, and desperate screams all subsided with a loud thud as the plaque fell to the ground. The red plaque with gold lettering stood upright in a pool of blurred blood.

Under the moonlight, the character "展" (exhibition) adorned with gold foil shone brightly.

Spitting out the weeds he was carrying, Zhan Xinjia turned away and walked towards the backyard, not looking back again.

The old general's mansion was completely burned to the ground by the fire that year, but, like a dead tree sprouting new leaves, the old pear tree in the backyard, which should have been burned to charcoal, actually sprouted new green buds.

Zhan Xinjia stood under the tree and looked up, as if in another world.

She leaped onto the highest branch, and in the gentle evening breeze, she closed her eyes and plummeted straight down. In that instant, countless fragmented memories flashed before her eyes, piecing together the forgotten truth bit by bit.

In mid-air, it seemed as if some force lifted her up.

Although I eventually fell to the ground, the impact cushioned the fall, so it didn't hurt much.

Zhan Xinjia did not get up, but curled up into a ball, listlessly lowering her eyes, lying alone in the ruins of what was once a warm and joyful place called "home".

After a long while, she turned over and stared blankly at the moon hanging high above her head.

Warm tears slid down her cheeks, into her hair, and down her neck.

She smiled, her eyes misting over, and after a long while, she murmured in a trembling voice.

You caught me again.