On the street, the distorted reflections of neon signs were cast on the puddles, flickering and shimmering like pairs of resentful red eyes staring intently at him.

Suddenly, a noisy and chaotic sound came from behind him, and instinct drove him to turn around sharply.

That one glance made his heart feel as if it had been gripped tightly by an invisible hand, contracting violently in an instant.

A large crowd surged toward him like a flood bursting its banks.

Among the crowd were fair-skinned white people and dark-skinned, muscular black people;

There are tall and robust men, and also delicate and slender women;

There were elderly people with white hair and faces etched with the wrinkles of time, as well as innocent and naive children;

Energetic young people and spirited teenagers were also among them.

They came from different corners of the world and had different backgrounds, but they all had the same deep-seated hatred in their eyes, like sharp, cold blades piercing straight at him.

In the blink of an eye, the crowd surrounded him, the circle shrinking smaller and smaller until the air was almost completely squeezed out. He felt a tightness in his chest and difficulty breathing.

Those fierce gazes were like sharp daggers, as if they wanted to devour him alive on the spot.

His breathing was rapid and heavy, his chest heaving violently, and his hands unconsciously clenched into fists, every muscle tense like a bow stretched to its limit, ready to snap at any moment.

He pushed away the people around him with all his might, desperately trying to break free from this nightmarish encirclement.

However, these people seemed to have known his every move all along. Countless hands, like cold iron clamps, reached out and tightly gripped his arms and clutched his clothes.

The more he struggled, the tighter those hands gripped him. He felt as if he were sinking into a sticky swamp, and every struggle was futile, only making him sink deeper.

This is a dream.

Just when he was almost in despair, a haggard-looking woman squeezed through the crowd and stood in front of him.

Her hair was disheveled, falling wildly across her face like withered grass, and her eyes were filled with a deep-seated despair and anger.

She was holding a baby in her arms, the baby's face was flushed red, and the baby was crying loudly.

The woman gripped Lu Fan's collar with all her might, her body trembling violently with anger and grief, screaming hysterically.

"Why did they take our lives? Why did they take my child's life? He's only been in this world for a short time, he hasn't done anything wrong!"

Her voice was sharp and shrill, piercing straight into Lu Fan's eardrums, like a heavy hammer, striking his heart again and again.

Immediately afterwards, more voices overwhelmed him like a surging tide.

"Give me back my husband's life!"

"Give me back my child!"

Why are you so cruel!

"You are a bloodthirsty executioner! A ruthless demon who kills without blinking an eye!!"

"God will not forgive your sins!!"

Angered accusations and desperate questions, like surging waves, relentlessly assaulted his reason and inner defenses.

He felt as if he had fallen into a bottomless abyss of darkness, surrounded by cold, hard walls, without a ray of light or any hope.

His consciousness gradually blurred, and his thoughts began to become chaotic.

Gradually, he seemed to forget even his own name and his identity. His throat felt like it was being choked by an invisible hand, and he couldn't utter a single syllable.

"Am I really an executioner?"

Am I really a murderer?

Who am I?

These questions swirled in his mind like a demon's curse, dragging him into endless despair and self-blame.

"Lu Fan, Lu Fan!"

"What's wrong? Don't scare me!"

Suddenly, Lu Fan opened his eyes wide, like a drowning person suddenly reaching the shore.

What came into view was An Lan's worried expression.

She looked at Lu Fan, her eyes filled with concern, and asked softly, "Lu Fan, did you have a nightmare?"

As she spoke, she reached out with heartache and gently touched Lu Fan's face, the warmth of her fingertips carrying endless tenderness.

Lu Fan's forehead was covered with a dense layer of sweat, as if he had just been pulled out of the water.

After a few seconds, he forced a smile, shook his head slightly, and said in a seemingly casual tone, "It's nothing, I just dreamt about ghosts."

Even so, his voice still trembled slightly, and the fear in his eyes had not completely dissipated.

An Lan didn't expose his lie. She simply picked up a towel from the side and gently wiped the sweat from his back with meticulous and careful movements.

After wiping, she leaned down slightly and placed a kiss on Lu Fan's lips, a kiss that carried a soothing power, and then said gently, "Don't be afraid, I will always be with you."

Lu Fan felt a warmth in his heart and instinctively pulled An Lan into his arms, his arms tightly wrapped around her as if she were his last lifeline. His eyes, however, held a complex expression.

He looked at An Lan, his lips moved, he hesitated for a moment, but he couldn't say anything.

...

The next morning, sunlight playfully filtered through the dense foliage, casting dappled golden shadows on the ground.

Lu Fan and An Lan slowly woke up, stretched comfortably, and walked out of the room hand in hand.

Looking up, the courtyard was empty, and Ling Yue was nowhere to be seen. Zhui Feng was also nowhere to be found in the newly built stable.

Looking at the scene, Lu Fan chuckled and joked, "With Zhui Feng as our capable steed, Brother Ling's enthusiasm for exploration has been ignited. I bet he'll be out exploring before dawn!"

An Lan covered her mouth and chuckled softly, her smile as radiant and captivating as the most beautiful flower blooming in spring: "Brother Ling is always on the go. Let's not stand around any longer, let's quickly prepare breakfast. When he returns, we must reward this great explorer properly!"

So the two of them plunged into the kitchen and began their joyful cooking time.

With their seamless teamwork, a delicious breakfast filled with the taste of home was freshly prepared.

The fragrant rice is steaming hot, and the lamb leg is roasted until the skin is golden and crispy, and the inside is tender and juicy.

The aroma alone is enough to make your mouth water, and when paired with refreshing and delicious stir-fried wild vegetables, it's both nutritious and delicious.

Around noon, the clear and melodious sound of horses' hooves drifted from afar.

Ling Yue rode the Chasing Wind, returning with the heroic spirit of a triumphant general.

Although his face showed some fatigue, the excitement of exploring new things was like sunshine that could not be hidden, radiating freely from his eyebrows and the corners of his mouth.

"Brother Ling, you're finally back!" Lu Fan greeted him warmly from afar, shouting at the top of his lungs.

Ling Yue dismounted, beaming, and said, "Haha, I'm incredibly lucky today! Although I didn't catch any prey, I did make some discoveries!"

"What good stuff did you find?" An Lan asked curiously, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.