Under a deep blue sky, light poured through the layers of the banyan tree's canopy, shimmering like melting dew on jade petals. A stream meandered through the earth, its water so clear that every drifting grain of sand was visible.
By the bank, a young man in coarse linen clothes, a woven bamboo pouch hanging at his hip, stepped into the shallow water. Lam Pham's eyes tracked the silt flowing beneath the crystalline surface, quietly seeking his prey.
He spotted a climbing perch. It darted through the clear water, its spiny back and scales glistening like tarnished silver. He silently followed the faint ripples and the bubbles rising from the stream bed. The trail led him to a mud burrow hidden beneath the roots of the ancient banyan, where the current pooled into a deep pocket.
Without hesitation, Lam Pham bent down and thrust his hand into the burrow, feeling along the freezing mud. His hand brushed against the hard scales of the fish, but an instant later, his fingertips grazed a moss-covered metallic object, cold as ice. As he pulled his hand back, the sharp dorsal spines of the perch sliced deep into his palm; crimson blood oozed out, dripping into the mud.
The moment the blood touched the earth, the bronze jade bracelet vibrated subtly. From its center, a light flashed; a fourteen-pointed star ignited, and the first spirit bird took flight in the invisible realm. The Bronze Jade Circle had awakened.
Darkness slowly tightened its grip on Lam Pham's mind, gnawing at every shred of hope like toxic roots draining the sap of life. His will sank into despair amidst a silence so profound it was terrifying.
But in that final glimmer of light, a faint warmth reached out—weak, yet refusing to die.
Lam Pham stood upon a barren land where no grass grew and even the wind feared to blow. Suddenly, from the distant horizon, a spirit bird plummeted down, its plumage as radiant as if woven from falling stars. Upon touching the crown of his head, it burst into two beams of light: one transformed into a sun, the other into a moon, hanging parallel in a sky devoid of time.
And in that precise moment, time here began to move.
Once the terror subsided, Lam Pham slowly raised his head, his curious gaze scanning his surroundings.
The barren land remained. No grass, no leaves, no birdsong; even the moisture in the air seemed to have been sucked dry. Only the two celestial bodies hovered above: one burning like a sun, the other frigid as a moon, coexisting in the frozen sky. They took turns illuminating this pocket of heaven and earth, like two eyes overseeing all.
Lam Pham struggled to find a way back.
He walked, his bare feet treading on the cracked earth, which was so dry it left no footprints. The moment his desire to return intensified, his consciousness blacked out. When he opened his eyes, he was back in familiar surroundings—by the stream, under the banyan tree, with the afternoon sun slanting through the leaves as if nothing had happened.
On his left wrist, the bronze bracelet sat silently, the fourteen-pointed star pattern and the small spirit birds etched into his skin. The wound on his finger had vanished. The stream remained clear, the sand still drifted, but the perch was gone.
I want to go back. Instantly, the scenery blurred. His body felt as if it were sinking, and when he opened his eyes, he was standing in the barren land beneath the two hovering orbs.
He tried again. Thinking of the streambank, the coolness of the water, and the rustle of leaves, the familiar world reappeared in a flash. He was back by the stream, hand touching the water, the damp earth beneath his feet.
After several trials, Lam Pham realized the silent bronze bracelet on his left wrist was the key to everything. Each time the space shifted, the central star and the first spirit bird engraving glowed brilliantly. He also discovered a crucial rule: this was a physical displacement, not merely a mental projection. Upon returning, his body would restore its exact original posture. Furthermore, time inside this space moved twice as fast as the outside world. He could bring objects from his surroundings with him, but living things were strictly forbidden.
While Lam Pham was absorbed in his thoughts about the bracelet, a slender figure in a coarse fabric dress quietly approached from behind. A sharp slap on his shoulder startled him; instinctively, he prepared to spin around and strike. However, a clear voice rang out and a familiar face appeared, causing him to freeze.
"What are you doing standing there like a fool? Hmph, and you were actually going to hit me?" The girl puffed out her cheeks, looking thoroughly annoyed.
Seeing Lam Ngu, Lam Pham could only scratch his head and offer a sheepish, placating smile. "Haha, it's you, little sister..."
His heart raced. I was gone for nearly half an hour... Has she been standing here the whole time? Did she see me vanish into thin air?
Following Lam Pham's gaze, the strange bronze bracelet on his wrist immediately caught her attention. Lam Ngu narrowed her eyes, pointing at it demandingly.
"Hey, where did you get that thing? Don't tell me you..."
"Guess? I just picked it up from the stream a moment ago," Lam Pham replied dismissively, but Lam Ngu's skeptical expression showed she wasn't easily fooled.
She stepped closer, inspecting it for a moment before holding out her hand. "It looks decent. Let me borrow it for a few days!"
Lam Pham froze, a hint of hesitation clear on his face. Seeing her brother's reluctance, Lam Ngu stomped her foot, let out a long "Hmph!", and decisively turned her back to walk away. Seeing his sister angry, Lam Pham hurriedly chased after her, trying to press the bracelet into her hand. However, she brushed him off, her lip curled in wounded pride.
"I don't want your stuff anymore!"
All the way home, Lam Pham tried every trick and story he knew to coax her, but Lam Ngu kept a face as cold as stone, treating him like thin air. The moment they stepped into the courtyard, she took a deep breath and screamed at the top of her lungs:
"Father! Brother Lam Pham is bullying me!"
The "consequences" were immediate. Lam Pham ended up receiving a "full meal" of a beating from his father for the crime of upsetting his precious "apricot wine" (daughter). Standing in the corner watching her brother receive his punishment, Lam Ngu showed no pity; instead, she mischievously stuck out her tongue and made a face, gloating triumphantly.
In the dead of night, while everyone was deep in sleep, the bronze bracelet on Lam Pham's hand underwent a strange change. From its aged surface, tiny green specks of light began to emerge, hovering like stardust before quietly dissolving into the bruised skin from his afternoon beating.