Chapter Twenty-Nine: My Master is my salvation, my light...

It's so cold...

Shi Bai crossed his arms, his body slightly hunched, and trudged forward with difficulty through the low-lying terrain. He could see in the dark, but the end of this path seemed to lead straight to an abyss, as black as a viscous liquid, with no light in sight. He wasn't particularly brave to begin with, and if this path weren't a one-way street, he would have turned back long ago. The only reason he was still able to walk was because of his burning yearning for immortality.

He gritted his teeth, his earlobes trembling slightly in the breeze. His hearing was excellent; normally, even the sound of a fallen leaf could not escape his ears. But now, it was as if he were isolated in another dimension, unable to hear any sound at all. It was eerily quiet.

If I hadn't been able to hear my own disheveled, trembling voice when he spoke, I probably would have thought I was going deaf.

As he ventured deeper, the surroundings grew increasingly gloomy. He grew uneasy, his steps quickening uncontrollably until he finally fled, as if the endless darkness behind him were some ferocious beast chasing him.

Suddenly, he stepped on something protruding, his whole body stiffened, and he lost control and fell face-first into the ground.

"Ah—" The scream abruptly stopped.

When Shi Bai lifted his head from the ground, the scene before him was clearly wrong. He remembered that just a second ago he was exploring a dark tunnel, but when he opened his eyes again, he was in front of a lush green forest, with the faint sound of birds chirping and a small river flowing nearby.

It must be said that coming from a place of fear to a familiar environment did indeed relax Shi Bai considerably. But as he regained his senses, staring intently at the jungle before him, he pondered for a moment and was horrified to discover a terrifying truth—

This jungle was far too familiar to him.

A sense of dread washed over him, as if shrouded in darkness. Shi Bai propped himself up, brushed the fine dust from his earlobes, looked around, and chose a relatively quiet spot.

But as he walked, he noticed that the surrounding roads were gradually shrouded in mist. Looking back, he saw that only a patch of land he did not wish to tread on was clean, as if it were some kind of destiny.

So he took a deep breath, strode in, and went inside.

This remote hilltop connects to an unnamed little village, which can be seen by simply passing through layers of trees. The village looks to have no more than a thousand people. Shi Bai is very familiar with this place and knows that the village's population has never exceeded three hundred at most, and has never exceeded one hundred.

He took a deep breath and realized that his hands and feet were cold.

The villagers all know each other. When there's nothing to do, the aunts and uncles gather together to chat. The middle-aged men work in the fields, and the children of similar age play and laugh. The village may not have many people, but it has a wonderfully lively atmosphere.

Only one small place is shrouded in smog year-round.

The village stretches from one end to the other, and in the most dilapidated thatched hut at the very end lives a demon boy with feathered ears.

The boy was only six or seven years old, but he had already lost his parents and was abandoned in this small, dilapidated village. Some villagers with overflowing compassion were willing to occasionally care for him, but firstly, the boy had the characteristics of a demon, and secondly, he never took the initiative to get close to anyone. Over time, no one was willing to lend him a helping hand, and they all left him in a deserted place to fend for himself.

As Shi Bailin approached the village entrance, he became hesitant and uneasy.

The figures moving around inside were all very familiar to him, some with a hideous appearance, others with a kind and gentle demeanor, but most of them had slowly faded into the dust of his memory, disappearing along with the unbearable past.

Upon suddenly seeing an old friend, there was no joy, no surprise, no excitement, only boundless fear.

Shi Bai almost wanted to run away, but his body defied his brain's will and told him to take a step. So he walked cautiously through the crowd, his heart pounding so hard it almost suffocated him.

Just then, a man walked towards them, as strong as a bear, with deep-set eyes and a scar on his lip. Shi Bai was caught off guard and met the man's gloomy gaze. Startled and frightened, he shrank back, only to see the man act as if he hadn't seen him at all, and walk away on his own.

Shi Bai realized something was wrong, and only then did he muster up the courage to look around. Sure enough, no one who passed by him ever looked at him. Even if they met eyes by chance, it was as if it was just a casual glance, quickly passing by before looking away.

He then found the courage, and his heart stopped beating so fast.

Although he didn't know why he had inexplicably appeared here, Shi Bai wasn't stupid. He knew that the scene before him was most likely an illusion. After all, very few people in this world could silently move another person's location, let alone...

This small village before me, the people who pass through it, everything here seems peaceful...

Many years ago, it was completely burned down by a sudden fire.

He composed himself and moved forward slowly. This illusion had appeared suddenly, and Shi Bai, being of low cultivation level, couldn't discern the purpose of creating this illusion. He wasn't accompanied by Ya Feiyu or Ye Chi. Although he had barely formed his core, his spiritual energy was depleted, making him no different from an ordinary mortal. Without the protection of a powerful figure, he could only become a weakling easily manipulated by others.

Therefore, Shi Bai naturally dared not be negligent in the slightest.

He walked on, the familiar road seemed to stretch endlessly, until the sounds of laughter around him gradually subsided and the sunlight slowly faded. He stopped in front of a small house, paused for a moment, and was about to walk over when the half-open wooden door suddenly opened, and a thin figure emerged from it, only reaching his waist. The figure had a small, dirty face and was shivering as it hugged its vulnerable self tightly.

Shi Bai subconsciously closed his eyes, but the boy's face remained hauntingly in his mind.

He could only open his eyes in a self-destructive manner, fixing his gaze on the boy, staring at him with sharp, knife-like eyes, as if trying to pierce through him.

This is Shi Bai as a child, and also the version of himself that Shi Bai hates the most.

That weak, useless self that only brings sadness to those around me.

It was so hideous, so disgusting.

He was like a coward, head bowed, stammering and afraid to utter a single word, lest the painful memories flood his mind like a tidal wave, completely overwhelming him and drowning him in despair.

"Ah! The monster is out again!" A child playing wildly at the edge of the village saw him from afar and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Run! Monsters love to eat children! I don't want to be eaten by such an ugly thing!"

Shi Bai and Little Shi Bai clenched their hands simultaneously. Little Shi Bai clutched at his clothes, his face pale and weak. He didn't even dare to look up. Tears welled in his very light-colored eyes, hanging precariously at the corners of his eyes. His voice was very soft, as if he were murmuring to himself, yet so firm: "I'm not a monster... I'm not ugly at all, not ugly..."

But no one heard him. The boys just ran away, getting far away from him. Only then did Xiao Shibai have the courage to slightly lift his eyelids, but he could just catch a glimpse of the fearful or disgusted looks in the eyes of the people around him. The courage he had finally mustered up vanished in an instant, like a punctured balloon.

Xiao Shibai silently lowered his head, turned around and went back into the house. The moment he closed the door, the scene in front of him instantly turned into complete darkness.

Shi Bai was slightly taken aback and hurriedly looked around before realizing that he had actually fallen into the trap of the illusion.

He was in a completely dark space, with nothing around him, as if he had returned to the most primordial state of the world. He saw a chaotic world without light.

In the darkness, it was as if countless invisible hands were quietly climbing up his neck, gripping his lifeline tightly. But when Shi Bai reached out to touch it, he found that there was nothing there. Yet, the intense feeling of suffocation seemed to be trying to take his life, clinging to him relentlessly.

I can't breathe...

Is there anyone... who can save him...?

Shi Bai wearily lifted his eyelids, feeling as if a thousand-pound weight was pressing down on him, gradually losing his strength. He slowly collapsed, leaning against the cold ground, panting heavily, looking as pathetic as a dying man.

Is there anyone who can...

He stretched out his hand with difficulty, trying to grab onto something with his last bit of strength.

Suddenly, a light piano note reached my ears.

He closed his eyes and opened them again, and a pair of clean white boots and a snow-white hem appeared out of thin air before him. The newcomer seemed to emit a faint glow, and his whole being was out of place with his surroundings, as if he were a celestial being who had gracefully arrived to save someone in distress.

Shi Bai was so captivated by the sight that he felt all his pain vanish for a moment, staring blankly at the figure before him. He struggled to lift his head and met the gaze of a pair of silver eyes.

His appearance was clearly aloof, yet at this moment he was as gentle as water that can embrace all things.

The white-robed immortal slowly reached out, his cool fingertips tracing Shi Bai's face. His long eyelashes drooped slightly, and the corners of his lips seemed to curve upwards, carrying a gentle, faint smile. He spoke, his voice seemingly muffled by a wall, indistinct yet still pleasant to hear. Just a few simple words, yet they easily soothed the anxiety in Shi Bai's heart.

“It’s time to wake up,” he said softly, “my apprentice.”

My...apprentice...?

Shi Bai pondered the two words carefully before realizing that he had a master. He followed the person's hand and looked up. It was Ya Feiyu's face, but it seemed different from usual. His eyes seemed clearer, and a strange little mark appeared on his forehead. It was where his ears should have grown ear feathers, which were soft, long white feathers covering his short black face, making him look like some kind of crane.

The music gradually became more intense, and before Shi Bai could be surprised by Ya Feiyu's change, the scene before him suddenly changed.