She couldn't remember what she dreamed about, but it was the first time she had ever felt so sad. It was as if a piece of her chest had been hollowed out, and the biting cold wind kept seeping into her internal organs from that empty space, freezing her to the point that she almost lost consciousness.

She trembled all over, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

What's wrong with me?

**

Valley, ancient village.

The once bustling village was now eerily quiet. There was no one on the road, and even the birds, who loved to sing, had hidden themselves deep in the woods.

The two-story stilted building had a simple mourning hall set up, with a small coffin placed in the center.

Gillian's mother hasn't spoken a word or eaten a grain of rice in the past three days. She maintains the same expression, her face as pale as paper, her lips dry and chapped. She sits numbly on the prayer mat, as if all life has been drained from her, her eyes fixed on the brazier where paper money is burning, but there is no light in her eyes.

Friends and relatives rushed over, and Gillian's father, despite his weak body, went forward to greet them. His forced smile looked more like a grimace.

The couple, who had just lost their beloved daughter, aged ten years almost overnight. Their once black hair turned completely white, and they looked haggard and emaciated. Those who came to pay their respects were even more heartbroken at the sight, lamenting the injustice of fate that had allowed their teenage child to drown in the river...

A gust of wind blew in, stirring the burning paper money in the brazier. A piece of paper money, burned down to the size of a palm, floated up and swayed.

From a certain angle, its shape resembles a small bird trying to spread its wings.

The mother, kneeling on the prayer mat, seemed to sense something. She suddenly raised her head and looked at the paper money.

The paper money circled in front of her once, then continued to drift away.

She froze for a few seconds, then suddenly realized something and anxiously reached out to grab it. However, she had been sitting slumped for too long and her legs were numb from being pressed down, so she only managed to grab empty air.

"Ah—ah!" She lay sprawled on the ground, her hands outstretched, her mouth agape as if trying to say something, but only managing a few hoarse, feeble cries.

Another gust of wind rose, and the paper money vanished into the sky in an instant.

"Ah—Waaaaah..."

Gillian's mother trembled, her lips stained with blood, and finally burst into heart-wrenching sobs.