The roadside gas lamps emitted a pale glow.

The long street seemed to lead into endless darkness. With a War Bow slung over his back and a Long Sword in hand, Chen Shouyi walked alone on the road.

He kept feeling like he had forgotten something, but no matter how much he pondered, he couldn't recall.

He hurried towards home, but today this road seemed exceptionally long.

He felt as though he had been walking for a long, long time, perhaps half an hour, or maybe most of the night. He felt tired and weak, his head dizzy and he longed to sit down and take a rest.

But he hadn't arrived home yet, he couldn't rest.

His parents and sister should be anxious by now, not having seen him for so long, they must be worried.

He paused slightly, puzzled by these thoughts:

"Why would mom, dad, and my sister be eager to see me? Have I been away from home for long? But why does it feel like I've just been away for a short time?"

Just then, a familiar voice interrupted Chen Shouyi's thoughts.

"Chen Shouyi, is that really you? I thought I was mistaken."

Upon hearing this, Chen Shouyi looked up happily to see a beautiful figure standing ahead: "Zhang Xiaoyue, what are you doing here?"

"I live here now. My family moved to Hedong City half a year ago, and then we moved here. I've been thinking of you every day. Have you thought of me?" Zhang Xiaoyue walked up to Chen Shouyi and asked shyly.

"Yes, of course, I've been thinking of you too!" Chen Shouyi quickly stepped forward and grabbed her delicate hand, immediately speaking.

Though he hadn't thought of her for some time, he knew that this was not the moment to speak honestly.

Gently, Zhang Xiaoyue withdrew her hand, her face flushed.

"Where do you live now?" Chen Shouyi asked with joy filling his heart.

"I'm not telling you!" Zhang Xiaoyue teased, "It's actually not far ahead. Just walk along the road and you'll see it. Would you like to sit at my place? My parents aren't home today."

Chen Shouyi looked into the distance, where it was entirely dark, as if countless shadows and ghosts loomed. That darkness gave him a sense of unease, an instinct to stay away, especially since he was eager to get home.

"Not today, but I can come to your house tomorrow!" Chen Shouyi declined.

"Alright, but you're missing a great opportunity!" Zhang Xiaoyue giggled playfully, almost tempting Chen Shouyi to agree.

"By the way, why are you carrying a sword?"

"I'm a Martial Artist now, so of course I can carry a sword!" Chen Shouyi boasted in front of the woman he loved.

"You're amazing!" Zhang Xiaoyue admired, "Can I see your sword?"

"Sure, no problem!"

Chen Shouyi removed the sword and handed it over.

Curiously observing it, Zhang Xiaoyue gently unsheathed the sword.

Chen Shouyi was startled by how strong Zhang Xiaoyue was; the sword weighed a dozen kilograms. Lifting it normally was one thing, but holding the hilt and drawing it horizontally required considerable wrist and arm strength.

Even an average adult male would struggle, unable to hold it for long, let alone a petite girl.

However, Chen Shouyi didn't think much of it; perhaps Zhang Xiaoyue had started practicing Martial Arts in the past six months.

Brandishing the sword aimlessly a few times, a hint of gloom crossed Zhang Xiaoyue's charming face. Suddenly, she turned the sword and lunged it at Chen Shouyi's chest.

Chen Shouyi thought Zhang Xiaoyue was joking, preparing to dodge, yet a wave of intense weakness struck him, his body unable to move.

The Long Sword pierced straight through his chest, slicing into his heart. He felt an all-encompassing pain, his legs giving way, sitting helplessly on the ground. His disbelieving gaze fixed on Zhang Xiaoyue, whose face twisted with a hint of madness, he asked: "Why?"

"You liar! You never thought of me, go to hell!"

"Go to hell!"

"Go to hell!"

...

A cacophony of low, sharp, and whispering voices swirled around his ears, overwhelming his mind. As he came to his senses once more, Zhang Xiaoyue's figure had vanished:

"Damn it, what's going on? Why has Zhang Xiaoyue gone crazy?"

"Something's wrong, really wrong!"

He lowered his head, looking at the sword in his chest, grasping the hilt, mustering every ounce of strength to pull it out slowly.

Blood instantly gushed forth like a river, he covered his chest, struggling to stand.

"I must get home!"

His pace faltered as he marched onward, leaving a trail of blood behind. Feeling his body grow increasingly frail, life seemed to be slipping away swiftly, he feared he was truly dying.

He looked up towards the darkness in the distance, where countless demons and spectres seemed to grin and snarl.

"Why hasn't the wound started Self-Healing? And where exactly is this place?" A hint of doubt flickered within him.

He constantly felt he had forgotten something.

Dragging his weary limbs forward, blood continued to flow as he journeyed onward. After what felt like an eternity, his familiar villa revealed itself, with his parents and sister standing at the door, their faces adorned with smiles.

But for some reason, Chen Shouyi sensed a trace of falseness and eeriness in those smiles.

"Shou Yi, what happened to you?" Father Chen and Mrs. Chen rushed over in panic upon seeing Chen Shouyi's bloodied chest, supporting him upright:

"We'll get you to the hospital right away."

His sister stood beside him, her face pale with fright, unsure of what to do.

Gazing at his worried family members, it seemed he might have been overthinking.

But just as his thoughts began to turn, he felt a sharp blade slice through his back, sending a fiery pain surging through him. Before his sluggish mind could react, his head was struck heavily with blunt force, dizziness and disorientation took hold, and his body swayed uncontrollably, eventually collapsing into unconsciousness.

When he came to, he found himself in the living room, his entire body bound tightly.

Suddenly, the sound of sharpening knives pierced his ears, prompting him to strain his neck and look. He saw his father, clad in an apron, sitting beside him with a maniacal smile, consistently sharpening a knife.

"Dad, what are you doing?"

"Sharpening knives, of course!" Chen Dawei replied, focused on the cleaver without turning his head.

"Why are you sharpening knives and why tie me up?" Weakly struggling, Chen Shouyi found himself utterly powerless.

"To kill you for meat, naturally."

"Dad, are you insane?"

"Of course, I'm not crazy. You are a beast, what use is there to keep you alive? You're better off dead!"

"You're better off dead!"

"Dead!"

"Die!"

...

An incessant torrent of voices bombarded his ears again, compounding his headache. Were it not for a thread of conscious awareness, he'd truly believe himself deserving of death.

Mrs. Chen walked into the living room, carrying a blood-stained hammer, she spoke to Chen Dawei: "The water's boiling, make it quick."

Then she gazed at Chen Shouyi with a kindly smile: "Son, why are you still alive?"

Chen Shouyi instinctively tilted his head back and closed his eyes in agony.

This must be fake, perhaps it's all just a nightmare.

"Mom and dad, let me kill brother instead." Chen Xingyue's voice suddenly chimed in: "Brother is so annoying, he used to bully me as a kid, he even ripped up my certificates secretly."

"Alright, then you do it." Chen Dawei replied sinisterly.

Chen Shouyi kept his eyes tightly shut, paying no heed.

"Brother, for everyone's sake, you're just unnecessary, please die."

Chen Shouyi heard nothing but the sound of a blade being drawn. The next moment he felt a coolness on his neck, and he completely lost all physical sensation. He strained to open his heavy eyelids, his vision washed red, turning blurred and distorted.

His parents and sister surrounded him, sinister smiles etched on their faces, sounds faintly ringing in his ears.

"My poor son, is finally dying!"

"We're still young, if he dies, we can still have another one."

"Brother, you won't blame us, right? But you're really annoying!"

The sounds seemed to drift further away, his sight rapidly darkening. He struggled to blink his heavy eyelids, then slowly closed them, as his mind gradually descended into silence.

"So this is what death feels like?" A thought flashed in his mind before sinking into oblivion.

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