Fourth Rebirth

Liang An opened his eyes. A thin blanket, a small bed, heat waves, and the chirping of cicadas—he was back in his familiar bedroom.

This is the fourth time I've been reborn.

I skillfully turned on my phone screen. It was August 31st, the day before the start of the first year of high school.

The date has been postponed; it's no longer August 15th.

Liang An lifted the thin blanket covering him, walked to the window, basked in the sunlight, and frowned in thought.

The churning sensation lingered in my internal organs, and a dull ache crept into my brain along my nerves, making it difficult to think.

Consciousness is like a crumpled piece of paper; it needs time to be gently smoothed out.

Liang An rubbed his temples, choosing to clear his mind for a while, giving his body some space to relax slowly, without rushing to get back into the zone.

The next day was the registration day for the first-year students of Haicheng No.1 High School.

At five o'clock in the morning, the sharp sound of the alarm clock rang precisely on time, abruptly pulling Liang An out of his daze.

Liang An fell into that empty white space again, and the thread-bound book floated before his eyes once more—but this time, he was acutely aware that it was just a dream, completely different from the feeling of actually stepping into that space before.

He was also certain that the boundless white space was not a figment of his imagination, but a real and tangible existence.

Everything started with Wen Zhi, and perhaps only through Wen Zhi can all the mysteries be unraveled.

A strong premonition rose in Liang An's heart. He vaguely felt that the fog of constant reincarnation was gradually dissipating, and the truth was within reach.

He raised his hand to turn off the shrill alarm clock, rolled out of bed, went into the bathroom, quickly brushed his teeth and washed his face. The cold water washed away the lingering drowsiness, and his muddled mind gradually cleared.

After washing up, he quickly changed his clothes, picked up his backpack, and went out.

September has already entered early autumn. At around 5 a.m., the sky had just begun to lighten with a pale blue hue, and the morning stars were gradually disappearing behind the thin clouds.

The streetlights in the neighborhood still cast a dim yellow glow, and the breakfast stalls at the intersection were already bustling with activity. Steam rose from the steamers, and the aroma of boiling soy milk mixed with fried dough sticks slowly spread through the empty intersection.

Liang An bought soy milk and fried dough sticks from a breakfast stall, then carried them to the nearby market.

Skillfully squatting on the chair opposite the pork stall, watching the beloved chef debone and cut the meat, then eating a fried dough stick and a sip of soy milk—how could that not be a kind of enjoyment!

The pork stall owner felt a chill run down his spine for no apparent reason. He looked up and saw a strange young man squatting opposite him, watching him cut meat while eating his breakfast with relish. He frowned, but chose to continue working.

Liang An finally finished his breakfast, skillfully threw it into the trash can, and walked towards the pork stall across the street.

"Boss, can I order a whole pig?"

Upon hearing this, the butcher put down his boning knife, gently placed it on the cutting board, and looked up directly at Liang An. "Young man, who wants to make a reservation?"

Liang An grinned. "My family makes banquets for people in the suburbs and countryside. Master Gong recommended that we order pork from you."

"Oh, Lao Gong recommended you! Just pay a deposit in advance. Where are your parents?"

“I can make the decisions. Don’t let my young age fool you; I know more about pork than my parents do. I’ve even learned how to butcher pigs. If you want to see, I can show you my skills.”

"Haha, the kid's pretty cocky. No need to show off your skills. When are you planning to pick up the goods?"

"I'll come to your butcher stall to pick up the goods at 5 a.m. in three days. There's another thing I'd like to trouble you with?"

"What's wrong?" the butcher asked, puzzled.

"Master Gong said you can help me order a good boning knife. So I would like to ask you to help me order a boning knife that is the size of a dagger and easy to cut with."

The butcher looked at Liang An warily. "Pre-order a boning knife? Knives are sold in stores outside. How can I pre-order one for you? I sell pork, not knives."

Liang An leaned closer to the meat stall and lowered his voice, saying, "Master Gong told me that only you have the ability and channels to order top-notch knives in the industry. You're an expert, you should know how much effort a good knife can save, right?"

Liang An sighed and continued, "Making banquets is really hard work. I feel sorry for my parents who work so hard from dawn till dusk. This time, we took on a big banquet and we were short-handed, so I thought I'd order a handy boning knife to help debone and cut the meat, so as to lighten their burden."

Seeing that the butcher's expression softened, Liang An continued to deceive him, "Don't let my seemingly smart appearance fool you, I'm actually terrible at studying, all I know is how to slaughter pigs. I'm the one who handles the New Year's pigs back home every year. I also hope that by helping out this time, I can persuade my parents to stop forcing me to study and let me slaughter pigs instead."

The butcher looked at Liang An speechlessly, thinking to himself, "How come this eye-catching face doesn't match a smart brain? Life is full of disappointments!"

"Why does Lao Gong always tell everyone? Fine, let me see your hands."

Liang An spread his hands out and held them directly in front of the butcher's eyes.

"Alright, you don't need to get so close. I know the approximate size, so I'll customize a boning knife for you according to the size of your hand. We'll pick it up together on the day you get the meat."

Liang An's eyebrows formed crescent moons, his face full of smiles, and he said excitedly, "Thank you, Master! Here's the money! You've saved me so much trouble!"

The butcher was also infected by Liang An's joy. He chuckled and wrote down the price on his phone, then pointed the screen at Liang An and said, "This amount is just a small deposit. You can pay the balance on the day you pick up the meat."

“Okay, you’re a very honest person, I trust you completely, I’ll pay the full amount at once.” Liang An took out his phone and quickly scanned the QR code on the stall to make the payment.

"Hey, you're quite straightforward, young man. But business is business, next time just pay a deposit first," the butcher couldn't help but remind him, bending down to take out a receipt from under the counter, writing down the amount, tearing it open and handing it to Liang An.

Liang An breathed a sigh of relief and took the receipt. "Thank you, Uncle. Now that I've finished, I have to go to school. School starts today."

"Okay, let's go quickly."

"Goodbye, Uncle."

Liang An smiled and waved, then jogged away from the meat stall. He turned and ran across the intersection, the smile on his face slowly fading.

He stopped trying to evoke emotion, slowed his pace, and walked expressionlessly toward Haicheng No. 1 Middle School.

Three days later, Liang An successfully received the boning knife he had ordered, as well as a whole live pig.

The butcher had the whole pig cut into several large pieces in advance and packed them into food bags.

Liang An used a campervan he bought online to bring the pork home and stored it in the refrigerator.

He took the boning knife out of the box, carefully rubbed it to get a feel for it, and then took out the sharpening tools he had prepared beforehand and carefully sharpened the boning knife.

With a flick of the fingertip, the blade vibrated and emitted a clear, resonant hum, the steel at the cut edge shining dazzlingly.

Simply toss the prepared A4 paper into your hand. The falling paper lightly touches the blade and is instantly and silently sliced ​​open, leaving a smooth cross-section.

Liang An smiled with satisfaction, sheathed the knife, and put it into the inner pocket of his school uniform.

-----------------

Before we knew it, the day of the class placement exam arrived.

Liang An once again chose to submit a blank paper, and unsurprisingly, he was assigned to Class 9 again.

The weekend flew by, and it was that annoying Monday again—the first day after the first-year high school students were divided into classes.

The cicadas chirping outside the window still carried the lingering warmth of late summer. Liang An, carrying his schoolbag, strolled slowly as if he were wandering through a park, leisurely making his way to Class 9's classroom.

The fading sound of the school bell dispelled the noise in the corridor. Liang An was the last to enter the classroom, walking to Wen Zhi's seat amidst all sorts of scrutinizing gazes.

"Excuse me, is this my seat?" Liang An said, tapping the table.

Wen Zhi had just fallen asleep, his arms crossed and nestled in the crook of his arms, when he heard an annoying knocking sound. Each knock felt like tiny needles pricking his eardrums, instantly igniting his anger.

His brows furrowed into a tight knot, and he suddenly looked up, his eyes surging with murderous intent. He was ready to teach the foolish thug a lesson as soon as he saw who it was.

But the moment their eyes met, his murderous aura froze instantly.

Those were eyes filled with murderous intent, the killing intent surging within them solidified as if it were a tangible substance, seeping into every part of the body the moment they met.

His heart clenched, his breathing slowed, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, and a shiver ran through his entire body.

"Beep, beep, beep..."

Suddenly, the sound of heels hitting the ground drilled into his eardrums, coming from afar, the rhythm rapid and crisp, waking Wen Zhi from his boundless killing intent.

He looked at the male classmate in front of him. His face was excessively beautiful, with delicate features, fair skin, and a cold and noble temperament, which was completely incompatible with the murderous intent that suddenly rose in his mind.

"The bell rang three minutes ago, and there are still students who haven't returned to their seats." The sound of heels hitting the ground stopped abruptly, and the next second, a clear and stern female voice came from the podium.

"Teacher, I'm sorry, I'm still a little unfamiliar with the new classroom," Liang An turned around and explained gently.

After he finished speaking, he walked towards the empty seat near Wen Zhi, put down his backpack, took out his books, and quickly sat down.

The homeroom teacher, Ms. Zhou, nodded in satisfaction and began explaining the day's lessons.

Liang An propped himself up on the table with his left hand and turned the pages of his book with his right, but his mind was replaying the scene that had just happened.

He just wanted to confirm whether Wen Zhi and that empty, pure white space had a connection that no one else could see, so he tried to solidify his buried killing intent and release it at Wen Zhi the moment they made eye contact when he was least prepared.

These murderous intents were gradually solidified in his bones and blood from his numerous deaths and rebirths—each near-death experience and each excruciating pain became nourishment for his murderous intent.

He tried looking at himself in the bathroom mirror. The sudden surge of coldness and ruthlessness under the pale light stunned him, as if he had seen the call of death.

The moment he met Wen Zhi's gaze with bone-chilling killing intent, it was as if he had entered another space through Wen Zhi's body. Everything around him gradually began to distort, fade, and dissipate, and the real world collapsed bit by bit along the cracks once again.

But that moment quickly vanished, and as Teacher Zhou's footsteps echoed, everything returned to normal.

Liang An flipped through the book; the cover was brand new, and he could still smell the fresh scent of ink. The sun was shining brightly outside the window. Some of his classmates were sitting upright, some were secretly slacking off, and others were passing notes to each other. It seemed no different from any other ordinary school day.

Only the occasional terrified and uncertain look in Wen Zhi's eyes proved that the moment of collapse was not just his own illusion.

Liang An raised his left hand to support his head, his fingertips touching his temples to relieve the tearing headache.

His attempt was not without cost. In the instant that the tense force released the killing intent and then suddenly relaxed, his brain nerves were overstretched and rebounded like a spring. Sharp pain exploded from his temples, drilled into every nerve ending along the blood vessels, and even caused physiological redness to spread to the corners of his eyes.

But he eventually got the answer he wanted and uncovered the thread hidden in the fog.

Following this line, and tracing the trajectory you envision, perhaps you can uncover the secret of early death and rebirth.