In the small village, the moonlight seemed unable to dispel the lingering summer heat. The sticky, oppressive warmth permeated the air, settling heavily on people’s hearts.
A bamboo basket for catching loaches lay overturned nearby. The basket was deep, and the creatures inside writhed vigorously, splashing mud everywhere as if struggling to escape a whirlpool.
The girl, who had been assaulted, had managed to break free from the villain’s grasp, but now the young rescuer found himself in trouble.
The perpetrator was a middle-aged man, a farmer from the village known for his honest demeanor. No one believed he could commit such an act. The man stubbornly defended himself, claiming, “I didn’t force her. She came on to me first! I didn’t do anything!”
The young girl, still innocent and inexperienced, could hardly cope with such shamelessness. She tried to explain but was quickly overwhelmed, her only response being silent tears.
The villagers’ suspicions turned towards the victim, and their initial outrage swiftly transformed into finger-pointing and murmurs. She couldn’t prove the man’s wrongdoing or even her own innocence.
Gui Yansheng, his eyes covered with white cloth, silently observed the scene of suffering on the ground. The perpetrator looked smug, as if relishing the chaos. The world was such that rumors and slander were as deadly as a blade, each cut revealing blood.
Gui Yansheng was suddenly reminded of his mother.
Jiang Yiru had lived in the village for many years, and during that time, she had been surrounded by rumors and slander. Her years of unhappiness and unhealed heartache might have contributed to her untimely death.
Gui Yansheng said, “He did force this young lady.”
A hush fell over the crowd.
The lazy man looked at Gui Yansheng’s face, covered with the white cloth, with undisguised ridicule. Yet he said, “What does he know? He must have heard wrong. He’s a blind boy. How can you believe the words of a blind boy?”
The moonlight grew increasingly dim, and waves of heat felt like a suffocating prison closing in around him.
Gui Yansheng responded calmly, “I can see.”
The girl’s soft sobbing stopped abruptly, and the lazy man’s smile froze. The eyes of countless villagers were now fixed on him.
Gui Yansheng slowly unwrapped the cloth, revealing his beautiful golden eyes. He said, “I am not blind.”
In the pond by the rice field, the reflection of the moon was distorted. Once clear, the moonlight was now obscured by thick clouds, casting a muddy, elongated, and twisted shadow in the dark water.
Fear seeped from all directions.
A trembling voice, filled with profound disgust and hatred, rang out, “Monster… he’s a monster!”
With a loud whoosh, it was as if a dam had been burst, and a torrent of fury and condemnation came crashing down on him. The once-proud farmer, the respected village head, and the seemingly friendly neighbors all turned their eyes on him with intense hatred, as if he were an unspeakable villain. He heard countless vicious curses and accusations flying towards him from all directions, piercing into his heart.
“He’s a monster! Look at his eyes—”
“I said something was wrong from the start. His mother was obviously strange and wicked-looking!”
“Why did he hide in our village? Why pretend to be blind?”
“Of course, it’s to harm others! A few years ago, our village suffered a drought and poor harvests—maybe it was because of him!”
“Kill him!”
“Kill him!”
“Kill him!”
Neighbors, once friendly and caring, now lost all semblance of affection. They brandished bright torches, wielded knives and pitchforks, advancing on him with a vengeful fury. They seemed intent on reducing him to nothing more than a bloody smear, trampling him into dust, until there was nothing left but ashes.
The young boy stood there, bewildered, his beautiful golden eyes reflecting the harsh light of the torches, both desolate and beautiful.
Until hands reached out to him, pulling him away, and a voice, laced with fear and tears, urged, “Run—”
The girl he had saved pulled him out of the villagers’ frenzied grasp.
The torches left a trail of pursuit in the long night, like wind set ablaze.
Zanxing fell silent.
“Those people are insane,” Gu Baiying’s voice was cold, standing beside Zanxing, his gaze fixed on the two fleeing figures, as cold as ice. “A bunch of lunatics.”
Zanxing replied calmly, “Because he is a demon.”
In the eyes of mortals, a demon’s existence was a sin. Even if one had done nothing wrong, even if in the past years Gui Yansheng had strived to be a good person by worldly standards, once his identity was revealed, all past kindness was wiped away. Former friends and neighbors who once laughed and cared instantly became vengeful spirits seeking his life. One’s identity was far more important than what one had done.
Gu Baiying was taken aback.
He glanced at the person beside him. The night was dim, but Zanxing’s dark eyes were bright. She seemed to recall something, her lips curling into a faint, ironic smile. Her long hair draped over her shoulders like flowing clouds, and the emotions hidden in her lowered lashes were invisible to him.
He felt an inexplicable irritation. After a pause, he spoke softly, “Was it the same for you in the Ten Thousand Killing Formation?”
He could no longer remember the details related to Zanxing, but her experiences in the Ten Thousand Killing Formation were easily inquired about. He had initially thought that a demon who could escape from such a formation must be quite skilled. Now, however, glimpses of the past from this golden-eyed youth suggested something more.
Zanxing didn’t seem like a cruel and ruthless demon lord. She appeared gentle and rational. If she was like Gui Yansheng, and had not done any bad deeds before, yet was forced into the Ten Thousand Killing Formation on Gufeng Mountain by other disciples from various sects… Gu Baiying’s heart skipped a beat, as if some shadow had risen from his chest and covered his heart.
“No,” Zanxing’s words broke his train of thought. She smiled, her voice light and cheerful again. “I am much luckier than he was. My friends all believed in me, and there’s also Mimi—”
Gui Yansheng was not so lucky. His misfortune seemed as if the heavens had intentionally piled all the world’s difficulties and sufferings upon him.
The girl he saved dragged him out of the village and into the forest. The forest was dense, dark, and filled with wild beasts at night, and the villagers dared not continue the pursuit. The children did not dare to relax and kept walking until the next morning when the sun rose, and they finally emerged from the forest.
The village was left far behind, like an absurd and silent past. The girl tore off a piece of her skirt to clean and bind his eyes, softly saying, “If others see your eyes, it will surely arouse suspicion. It’s better to cover them.”
He numbly allowed her to put the cloth on him.
“Thank you for saving me last night,” the girl said as she finished binding the cloth, releasing her hand and looking at him cautiously. “You don’t know my name yet, do you?”
“My name is Xiao Chun,” she said.