It was dusk, the boundary between day and night.
The distant mountains were connected to a sky glowing with red-violet light.
Brilliant colors spread across the sky, making it impossible to tell where one ended and the other began.
The colors of the sky were resplendent, but the light was dimming.
The fields, hills, and pear tree grove all became somewhat blurred.
Only the village grew brighter.
Those lights were not from lamps, but from flames.
The fire was orange-red, deeper than the sunset clouds on the horizon, flickering in You Xue’s eyes.
The sounds of fire, collapsing buildings, shouts, and cries mixed together.
On top of that, there was the roar of a beast as huge as a mountain.
“Why…”
You Xue stood frozen, not knowing what to do.
She took a step forward, but a hand stopped her.
“Don’t go over there.”
You Xue turned her head and saw Su Li.
“What happened?”
Everything that was happening was utterly foreign to the gray-haired girl.
The entire village was destroyed in an instant.
A warm sensation came from her hand—Su Li had grasped it.
His face was full of panic.
“We have to run fast…”
You Xue didn’t let go.
She held on tightly, because only this made her feel a little reassured.
“There’s a monster coming.”
“Monster?”
You Xue was confused.
Su Li nodded.
“A man-eating monster. We can’t beat it. We can only run.”
You Xue still hadn’t fully processed it.
She looked into the distance at the village swaying with flames.
Among the smoke and fire, the silhouette of a huge monster that looked like a dog but was covered in bone spikes appeared and disappeared.
Its head was lowered, as if it were gnawing on something.
She was terrified, almost falling to the ground.
This was the first time she had seen such a cruel, bloody scene.
“I… what do we do?”
Fortunately, Su Li held her hand, so she didn’t fall.
“Run.”
Su Li pulled her hand and sprinted across the ridge of the fields.
Behind them was the fire of the village.
Ahead was the mountain path growing darker.
Every step landed on gravel and weeds.
Her calves ached, and her throat felt like it was burning, but she didn’t dare stop.
When You Xue looked back toward the village, she saw the dog-like demon beast lift its head.
Its eyes gleamed with a ghostly green light in the glow of the fire, staring fixedly in the direction they were fleeing.
“It… is looking at me?”
You Xue’s heart stopped.
Su Li didn’t look back.
He only tightened his grip on her hand and sped up.
They ran desperately, but the ridge under their feet grew narrower and narrower.
Gravel and weeds tripped them, making them stagger.
Gradually, they could hear the beast’s footsteps—alarmingly fast.
Step after step, the sound was terrifying.
“Maybe we should split up.”
You Xue knew she was a burden.
As long as Su Li was pulling her, they would never outrun these demon beasts.
If she could lure the monsters away, maybe he would have a chance to survive.
You Xue lifted her head and carefully looked at Su Li’s expression.
Death was terrifying.
She didn’t want to die, but she also didn’t want Su Li to die.
Su Li’s expression was serious, his gaze fixed on the path ahead.
“If we split up, you’ll die.”
The boy didn’t let go.
“There must be a way.”
You Xue looked at him and thought to herself, ‘It’s good.’
Neither had given up on the other.
The two of them, whether alive or dead, were together.
She suddenly thought of a solution.
“Run up the mountain!”
“What?”
Su Li asked between heavy breaths.
“I know there’s a cave on the mountain. We can hide there for a while.”
This time, You Xue pointed the way, and they both ran up the mountain.
The cave was halfway up the slope.
It wasn’t big, but it was just large enough for two people to curl up inside.
She had discovered it while picking wild vegetables.
In front of the cave was a low shrub that just enough to block the entrance.
They couldn’t run anymore.
They slowly crawled into the cave, straightened the tangled shrub, and everything turned dark.
The two leaned together in the narrow, dark space.
They could hear each other’s breathing—rapid, suppressed.
But eventually, both fell silent because the demon beast had arrived.
As the footsteps slowly drew closer, a fishy smell seeped through the gaps in the shrub.
The stench invaded You Xue’s nose.
You Xue held her breath, not daring to move a muscle.
The demon beast’s footsteps stopped near the cave entrance.
You Xue recalled that moment when she looked back from outside the village—the burning houses, the ugly demon beast.
Everything, all of it, would be destroyed completely.
Nothing would remain.
Thinking of that past that could never return, what was the use of surviving?
You Xue tightened her grip on Su Li’s hand.
They had grown up together as childhood sweethearts.
Now, the only one she could rely on was Su Li.
She didn’t want to let go no matter what.
The beast’s footsteps stopped near the entrance.
Time stretched endlessly.
Every second felt like a year.
She didn’t know how much time passed.
By the time You Xue was almost unable to resist gasping for air, she finally heard it.
The footsteps moved—slowly passing by the cave entrance, heading down the mountain.
The sound grew softer, more indistinct, and finally swallowed by the night wind.
You Xue still didn’t dare to move.
After a long while, Su Li gently squeezed her hand.
“That monster is gone.”
Only then did she let out a long breath.
“What do we do from now on?”
She asked blankly.
Su Li was silent for a moment.
“I don’t know. But there’s always a way. We’re alive. We’ll figure it out together.”
“Okay.”
You Xue said.
“Have you seen this kind of monster before?”
She was a little panicked and just wanted to talk.
Listening to his voice made her feel more at ease.
This time, Su Li paused for a while, then said.
“I’ve seen them before. A long time ago, on the outskirts of a very prosperous city. In the end, my father and mother died in that disaster. Only I was left…”
“I’m sorry…”
You Xue murmured.
She knew she had said the wrong thing.
This was a very sad matter, but she didn’t know how sad it really was.
Because she had never seen her own parents, she didn’t know how precious that was.
You Xue didn’t know what it felt like to lose family, but she could compare it—it would be like losing Su Li.
That must be really painful.
“It’s okay. Now I only have you. We have to live well together.”
Su Li hated recalling that disaster, but he didn’t hate You Xue.
“Mm. Promise. Together.”
You Xue nodded in the darkness.
That night, they didn’t go anywhere.
They fell asleep right in the cave.
If they rashly ran out in the thick night, they wouldn’t know where to go.
Better to rest here for the night.
The next morning, they were woken by footsteps.
There was more than one set of footsteps—chaotic and urgent, accompanied by intermittent voices.
You Xue opened her eyes groggily.
The shrub was pushed aside, and rays of sunlight streamed into the cave.
“Patrol Envoy! There are two surviving children here!”
You Xue saw many people in uniforms.
Among them, a tall man spoke.
Then light footsteps approached.
You Xue stared in that direction.
The person who came was a tall girl with soft chestnut hair.
She carried a long-barreled gun on her back.
She looked very young.
Her voice carried a hint of surprise and pity.
“Take these two children to a nearby city. We’re not a welfare organization. We can’t adopt them.”
The memory of that disaster stopped there.
You Xue woke from that real yet illusory recollection.
In the original story, that memory was just a briefly mentioned background detail.
But when she recalled it, the emotions were so real.
That fear.
That despair.
That warmth and reassurance transmitted through the darkness—it didn’t feel like something belonging to someone else at all.
She looked down at her own hands.
Pale, slender, with distinct knuckles.
But…
She wasn’t You Xue.
Not the sweet, innocent childhood sweetheart from before.
That was the truth.
Undeniable.
She frowned, troubled in her heart.
‘Sigh.’
You Xue let out a sigh, but ultimately didn’t dwell on it for too long.
Because she had more important things to do.
After briefly calming her turbulent emotions, she prepared to head out.