In the haze of unconsciousness, Xiao Chen found himself adrift in a boundless, pale dreamscape. Dim light shimmered like morning mist; the ground beneath him felt like water—or cloud. There was no footing.
A voice, both familiar and strange, whispered beside his ear:
"Did you find me? Heehee. Hurry and wake up… or I won't talk to you anymore."
The voice flowed like moonlight across a lake, slipping into his heart. Mischievous yet tender, it carried an irresistible pull. It felt like something from a distant past—yet etched deep into his soul.
Just as the voice began to fade, a streak of starlight pierced the darkness, illuminating the deepest corner of his mind.
Xiao Chen's brow twitched. Consciousness stirred. The echoes of the dream gave way to reality—
The sound of a baby crying.
His eyes snapped open.
He was in the fire!
Flames roared. Smoke choked the air. Burning beams surrounded him. The infant in his arms wailed loudly. He looked down—those tiny fingers clung tightly to his robe.
"I can't die… not yet… not with him still here."
Xiao Chen murmured, voice firm with resolve.
He drew a deep breath. Energy surged from his core. The power of his life-mark erupted from within. A vortex of force blasted away the surrounding flames. He struck the wall with a fierce palm—
It shattered.
Amid the swirling fire, he leapt forward, a streak of light cutting through the inferno, cradling the child in his arms.
Behind him, the house collapsed in a thunderous crash. Flames soared skyward.
Outside, a young couple rushed forward, faces pale with terror. They seized the child, clutching him tightly, tears streaming down their cheeks, too shaken to speak.
But Xiao Chen's gaze darkened.
He turned toward the burning rooftop.
This fire—
Too fast.
Too precise.
He closed his eyes and released his spiritual sense, casting it like a net across the distance.
As expected—
In the shadows behind a crumbling wall, several presences stirred.
Mei Lisheng and his men.
A glint of frost flashed in Xiao Chen's eyes. He growled under his breath,
"Courting death."
His voice cracked through the night like thunder. Before anyone could react, a burst of energy sliced through the air!
A shadow shot from the blaze, silent as a ghost. Before his palm even struck, Mei Lisheng was already drenched in cold sweat. Xiao Chen's gaze was icy as he asked,
"Who gave you the guts to start a fire?"
"I—I don't know what you're talking about!" Mei Lisheng stammered, trying to sound defiant.
Xiao Chen sneered. With one hand, he seized Mei's throat and dragged him to the village center.
Villagers gathered, eyes wide with shock. Xiao Chen raised his voice:
"This fire wasn't an accident. He lit it."
"Bullshit! I didn't—mmph!"
A surge of spiritual force silenced Mei Lisheng, his face flushing red as he struggled, still refusing to confess.
Xiao Chen leaned in, his voice cold and sharp:
"You can die with pride… or live on your knees."
Already shaken, Mei Lisheng collapsed under the weight of the crowd's gaze. Trembling, he stammered,
"It was me—it was me! But I just wanted to scare him, I didn't mean to kill anyone!"
Xiao Chen's voice was like ice:
"Where did you get the oil?"
Mei's lips quivered. Finally, he broke:
"I set the fire! I stole the oil from the warehouse near the ancestral hall. Hid it for two days… My father told me to. He said if that brat died, no one in the village would dig deeper…"
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Some villagers turned pale. Others were furious.
One shouted,
"No way… The village chief? How could he do something like this?"
Another cried,
"So that's why the warehouse lock broke a few days ago… It was all planned!"
An elder's face turned ashen. He muttered,
"No wonder… All those fires over the years, always called accidents… Looks like it was never chance."
Just then, a hunched old man stepped forward, clutching a worn jade token.
"This was given to me by Old Liu himself. Before he died, he said—if the village ever falls into chaos, this token is proof."
He raised it high before the crowd, voice aged but firm:
"What needs reckoning today… isn't just tonight's fire."
Xiao Chen frowned.
"Your father is…?"
A villager whispered,
"Village Chief Mei Renyi…"
Xiao Chen's gaze sharpened, his voice calm as still water:
"Where is he? I'll invite him to hear the truth himself."
Another villager murmured,
"Everyone knows… On the seventh night of each month, the chief patrols the ancestral hall. Says it's to 'pray for the village's peace.'"
"Perfect."
Xiao Chen said coolly.
He hoisted the thug and strode toward the chief's home.
Moments later, Mei Renyi arrived in a flurry, face full of confusion. Before he could speak, he saw Mei Lisheng kneeling on the ground—and his expression changed instantly.
"What's going on? So many people watching, and you're kneeling like this? What kind of disgrace is this?"
"Father… You said… If that guy died, no one would investigate! You even said… said that thing with Old Liu's wife… was all your plan!"
Mei Lisheng sobbed and kowtowed, tears and snot streaming down his face. The villagers' murmurs surged like waves. He glanced around, feeling every gaze pierce him like arrows. His legs buckled—he nearly collapsed.
Mei Renyi's face turned ghostly pale. A flicker of malice flashed in his eyes, quickly masked.
"What nonsense are you spouting? Are you insane?"
He turned to the villagers, trying to explain,
"He's lying! He's lost his mind! How could I—"
"Enough."
Xiao Chen's eyes darkened. He stepped forward, and the air around him turned cold as frost.
"Say it again…"
His voice was barely audible, yet it thundered in every ear.
"Was it you who killed my grandmother?"
Mei Lisheng stumbled back in terror, slipped, and fell to the ground. He scrambled, trying to crawl into the crowd.
Xiao Chen didn't move—just lifted his gaze.
That one glance made the villagers instinctively part, forming a path.
In a flash, Xiao Chen seized Mei Lisheng by the collar and flung him to the ground like a rag doll.
Facing the villagers, he spoke with grief and fury:
"My grandfather was an honest man. He taught me to read, to heal, treated me like his own grandson. He shielded me from plague, and gave his heart to this village. When my grandmother died mysteriously, he wept every night. He aged faster than anyone. I always thought it was fate… But now I see—
You stole her life. You stole his soul. And you stole my debt of love."
His voice trembled no longer. His spiritual energy surged, freezing the air. Smoke from the fire recoiled in reverse.
Mei Lisheng lay dazed, face twisted in fear. He crawled toward Mei Renyi, crying,
"I—I just followed orders! I never touched your grandmother! It was my father, my mother… I just—"
"You were an accomplice."
Xiao Chen's voice was cold.
"And accomplices have debts to pay."
He slowly turned to Mei Renyi, gaze sharp as winter wind.
A village elder spoke gravely,
"I was with Old Liu when he died. He said his wife didn't die of illness… So it was you!"
Another shouted,
"You and your son have ruined this village for years! How many more must suffer for your sins?"
The crowd roared. Mei Renyi flushed red. Suddenly, he drew a blade and lunged into the crowd. Villagers screamed and scattered. He seized a child—
The child cried in terror.
The mother collapsed, begging,
"Please! Let him go!"
Cornered, Mei Renyi roared,
"Don't come near me! I did it all for the village's future! Old Liu's wife… I had no choice!"
Xiao Chen's gaze sharpened. His aura shifted—
Killing intent crashed down like a mountain.
"You call this development?"
His voice thundered.
"You call this madness virtue?"
He stepped forward.
Each step left a sunken imprint in the earth.
Mei Renyi's eyes flickered. His grip on the blade faltered.
The child screamed.
In a flash, Xiao Chen moved.
Two fingers struck the blade's spine—
"Clang!"
The weapon flew from Mei Renyi's hand.
He collapsed, trembling, staring at Xiao Chen in horror.
"Spare me… please… spare me…"
Xiao Chen looked down at him.
He had once vowed not to kill lightly.
But now he understood—toward men like this, mercy was not compassion.
It was indulgence.
Especially when the ones lost… were his own flesh and blood.
His voice was cold:
"You never spared anyone."
His palm fell.
With those words, he gathered his strength and struck Mei Renyi square in the chest.
A thunderous impact rang out.
Mei Renyi's heart shattered.
Blood poured from his seven orifices.
He collapsed—dead.
Yet in his final breath, Mei Renyi let out a low, twisted laugh:
"You… think… it ends here…? Fate… never bites just one… I curse you… You'll lose everything… like your grandfather… Die alone…"
Silence hung for a moment.
Then the village erupted—cheers and cries, curses and sobs mingled in the air.
A villager roared:
"Mei Lisheng must pay too!"
Xiao Chen turned, gaze cold.
"From this day forth, he is cast out. He shall never return. If he does—he dies."
Mei Lisheng was dragged to the village gate and thrown out.
He crawled away, humiliated and broken.
The smoke of the fire still lingered.
But with truth laid bare, the village finally saw light.
Yet Xiao Chen did not notice—
In the distant mist, a pair of eyes slowly opened.
Not human eyes.
But something… from beyond the stars and fate.
It had awakened.
And the long chain of destiny had quietly fastened itself to the boy's shoulders.
—His trial was never his alone.