The Huangshi Settlement looked just like an ordinary village.
Villagers passed by carrying hoes, working in the fields, and seeing Chu Xiuyan’s unfamiliar face didn’t surprise them at all.
They warmly greeted him, stuffing any snacks they had into his arms.
“Oh, what a handsome young man, whose family are you from?”
“From the village chief’s family, actually.”
Chu Xiuyan held tightly to the struggling boy trying to break free, his face bright with a radiant smile as he greeted everyone along the way.
When they reached the edge of the village, they happened to see a kindly old grandmother carrying a wooden bucket.
Chu Xiuyan hurriedly approached and asked, “Grandma, where are you headed?”
“To the well to fetch water.”
The old grandmother pinched Chu Xiuyan’s cheek.
She wore tattered clothes patched up in many places; though they looked dingy, they were actually clean.
Chu Xiuyan held the boy’s collar with one hand and took the bucket with the other, chatting warmly with the grandmother.
“Grandma, how have you been feeling lately?”
“Pretty good. I can eat, drink, and sleep fine, but my head aches a bit.”
“Oh? Why the headache? Are you not feeling well?”
“It’s that old man of mine again. The poor old thing—he’s so old already, and suddenly he found someone to build a new house next door and moved in by himself!”
“Separate house? How could that be…”
The boy stared ahead with dead eyes, expressionless, watching the lively conversation between the old and the young, silently wondering how to slip away unnoticed.
Unfortunately, Chu Xiuyan gave him no chance.
Even while clumsily fetching water—almost falling into the well himself—he didn’t forget to hand the boy over to the grandmother for safekeeping.
After escorting the grandmother home, Chu Xiuyan continued wandering through the village, carrying a basket of fruit and eggs the grandmother had given him.
The boy held a bright red apple in his hand, expressionless as he asked, “Tell me, what’s the point of all this? Don’t be fooled by their surface friendliness—they might be gossiping about you behind your back the moment you turn away.”
With fruit flesh in his mouth, Chu Xiuyan mumbled, “Point? Doing what I want doesn’t need a point. But if you want an answer, it’s probably for these fruits and snacks I’m holding.”
The boy was momentarily speechless, then quietly muttered, “Weird lying bastard.”
Chu Xiuyan didn’t mind the insult and asked, “By the way, I don’t even know your name yet.”
“Guo Li.”
“What a cute name!”
The boy’s eyes sparkled.
“Little Guoli-chan~”
“Li! It’s Li!”
The boy was so annoyed he wanted to kick someone.
With such little strength, it felt more like playful wrestling.
Chu Xiuyan paid no mind and kept biting into the apple.
After a while, Guo Li suddenly asked, “Why don’t you say your own name?”
“Hm?”
“Normally, when two strangers meet and one introduces themselves, the other should respond with their name too, right?”
Chu Xiuyan frowned, sensing trouble.
He hadn’t even thought of what name to use.
His gaze shifted left and right, searching for inspiration.
Suddenly, he caught sight of large patches of white clouds in the sky and had a sudden idea.
Excited, he said, “Yun Tang! Look, today’s clouds are as fluffy as cotton candy. It must taste really good.”
Guo Li: “…”
The boy kicked Chu Xiuyan’s shin hard and expressionless.
Later, as night fell, having played enough in the village, Chu Xiuyan wandered back to the village chief’s house.
Upon entering, he was stunned to see three plates of mysterious pitch-black objects on the dining table.
“Uncle, the dining table is for food, not kitchen trash. Don’t you have a trash bin at home?”
Zhang Chun sat by the table, picked up one of the strange black objects, popped it in his mouth, and swallowed without changing his expression.
“Apologize to me for your home-cooked meal, you little bastard. And it’s edible, so that’s good.”
While speaking, he casually examined Chu Xiuyan, equally shocked.
In just half a day, the boy was covered in mud from head to toe, his clothes filthy, hair messy and tangled with plenty of chicken feathers.
The uncle was silent for a moment, then said, “You fought a chicken and lost?”
Chu Xiuyan scratched his head.
“There was a chicken outside the village. I thought Guo Li and I could catch it, but unexpectedly a big goose joined forces with the chicken, and we couldn’t beat them.”
He sat cross-legged by the table, scooping a mouthful of rice—undercooked, but edible.
Zhang Chun wasn’t sure whether to focus on “Who is Guo Li?” or the fact that “the chicken and goose actually teamed up,” so after thinking a moment, he pretended he hadn’t heard anything and moved on.
“About what happened during the day, I want to apologize.”
Chu Xiuyan poked at the rice with his chopsticks and casually replied, “What thing? Kicking me off the roof, or tripping me with a pile of dirt? If you want to apologize, you’d better hand over the village chief’s position to me, or I won’t forgive you.”
Looking at the boy’s casual, lazy demeanor, Zhang Chun calmly said, “It’s about your name.”
Chu Xiuyan froze. “Huh?”
Zhang Chun pulled out a palm-sized box and handed it to the boy.
“What’s this? If it’s a ring, uncle, you’ve got the wrong person.”
“No way it’s a ring, you idiot.”
Chu Xiuyan opened the box. Inside was a blood-red crystal about five centimeters in size, shimmering with an unusually dangerous crimson light under the lamp.
His pupils contracted slightly.
Zhang Chun’s tone remained calm.
“This is a peace offering. It was cut from the Blood Crystal Mine in that mutant settlement. It should be quite useful to you.”
System: [This human is very perceptive. Accept it, host. Your current Pollution Value is 50%. Although it decreases slowly, one day it will reach zero. At present, you have no way to acquire Blood Crystals.]
Chu Xiuyan blinked, quickly snatching the box to his chest.
“Thanks, uncle! If there’s ever a gang fight, remember to call me—I’ll help knock them all down!”
“Oh, good.”
Zhang Chun said, “So, what’s your name?”
Chu Xiuyan looked confused.
“I’ve been wandering around the village all day; everyone already knows my name. Don’t you?”
“Actually asking someone’s name is the most basic courtesy.”
“Yun Yan,” the boy said.
“Because today’s sunset clouds were so beautiful, I just decided to go with that name.”
Zhang Chun: “…You don’t remember your own name?”
“Yeah, I have amnesia, so I haven’t said what my name is. After all, I don’t even know it myself.”
The boy propped his face with his hands, expression completely unchanged, as if his past and identity didn’t matter at all.
Zhang Chun fell silent, studying the boy’s expression.
He clearly sensed a hint of sadness beneath, making him uneasy.
Chu Xiuyan was playing with the Blood Crystal box when suddenly a loud noise nearby startled him.
Turning his head, he saw Zhang Chun had hit his head on the table.
“…Uncle, are you trying to eat with your face?”
Chu Xiuyan stood up, tossing the Blood Crystal box aside, his eyes drooping as he looked at the back of the uncle’s head, his voice calm: “Don’t worry. Forgetting the past doesn’t make me feel lost or confused. For me, the people and events I’ll meet in the future are what will compose my brand-new soul… I’m not alone.”
Zhang Chun’s face rested on the tabletop.
Hearing this, his breathing faltered slightly, and his emotions began to stir.
Chu Xiuyan thought the atmosphere was awkward and decided it was best to leave quickly. Waving his hand, he headed outside.
“Uncle, I’m going to scrounge dinner next door. I’ll be back later. Also, if you get food poisoning, don’t tough it out—get help fast.”
The boy’s figure soon disappeared into the night.
After an unknown amount of time, heavy, slow footsteps sounded outside again—the dragging shuffle of soles on the ground, sounding particularly lazy.
Soon, a figure sat down next to Zhang Chun, crossing their legs and saying, “That boy you brought back today wandered the village all day and not only won everyone’s love, but even tamed the fierce dog at the village entrance. Quite an influence.”
Zhang Chun, still lost in the earlier conversation, nodded casually.
“Mm.”
The visitor seemed displeased with his reaction, knocking on the table sternly.
“Zhang Chun, that guy who wandered around as soon as he entered the village was there to gather intel and scope things out. He almost killed you last time. And that was only three months ago.”
At this, the visitor sneered, “Or do you really believe his amnesia story? Unknown origins, unfathomable strength. Our little village has attracted quite a few strange people.”
Zhang Chun looked up.
Behind his messy hair, his eyes were calm and steady.
“What I see in him is a purity not of this era, and a soul far more resilient and clear-headed than mine.”
The visitor glanced at him in silence.
Their irises were an icy blue, unusual in color, and when expressionless, always seemed condescending.
“I’m going to wash your brain one day.”
He snorted coldly, holding a small booklet with a brown cover.
After giving Zhang Chun a frosty glance, his gaze returned to the book, the coldness in his eyes unmistakable.
Even the slight curve of his mouth carried sarcasm.
“Unlike you, who never learns, I won’t fall into the same trap twice. I’ll watch that boy all the time. The moment he shows something unusual, the moment he reveals his true face, I’ll kill him without mercy… Wait!”
The visitor suddenly clenched the booklet tightly.
Whatever they saw inside startled them.
They straightened up, leaning closer to the book, their icy blue eyes widening.
The cold murderous intent instantly gave way to excitement.
“There’s even this pose! My god, the sensual feeling here is amazing! Hey, Zhang Chun, look at this part—pft!”
Their words cut off abruptly.
Zhang Chun expressionlessly grabbed a plate and slapped it into the visitor’s face.
The white plate seemed embedded on their face.
The next moment, a trickle of blood appeared at the chin, dripping onto the table with a soft sound.
Zhang Chun spoke clearly: “Cui Zhiyong, take your little dirty book and get out.”
***
On a dim village path, Cui Zhiyong wiped the blood from his nose, casually crumpled a tissue ball and stuffed it into his nostrils, muttering, “That bastard Zhang Chun, no wonder he’s still single at his age.”
He cursed as a sudden smell of blood hit his nose, his expression shifting.
“Isn’t it past mealtime? Which family is still slaughtering chickens?”
Because the village had a mysterious newcomer to watch out for, Cui Zhiyong was feeling paranoid.
He activated his mutant power, sensing the moisture in the air, which revealed everything.
Fuzzy images appeared in his mind.
A pitch-black room with flickering dim light. Under brief illumination, a black-haired boy held a sharp dagger, cold gleaming on the blade reflecting a pair of pitch-black, emotionless eyes.
Then—pft!
A faint scream suddenly sounded, blood splattered on the boy’s pale face, but he remained unmoved, still cold and ruthless.
Raising his dagger again, he stabbed down heavily—
Cui Zhiyong felt suffocated instantly, followed by intense rage. He charged wildly toward the source of the blood.
The closer he got, the more terrified he felt.
This direction… this direction!
It was Shu Xiumei’s house!
Damn it, could she have been harmed?!
Cui Zhiyong was desperate and heartbroken.
Just minutes ago, he’d bragged to Zhang Chun that he’d keep an eye on the black-haired boy, but now he couldn’t even protect his brother’s future wife—
He quickly reached Shu Xiumei’s home, kicked the door open, and searched the dark house with no trace of anything.
Then he heard faint sounds from the kitchen—someone seemed to be saying “Don’t…” or something similar.
His eyes reddened.
Furious, he dashed forward and kicked open the kitchen door, shouting, “Damn bastard, I’m going to kill you—”
Pft!
Suddenly, a glaring light switched on, dispelling the kitchen’s darkness.
In the cramped kitchen were four people.
A young woman stood on a stool, having just finished replacing the light bulb and was about to get down.
Guo Li squatted on the floor, yawning halfway.
By the cutting board stood the black-haired boy holding a sharp knife, gesturing where to cut the rabbit.
The last figure was Cui Zhiyong, who had just kicked open the door.
At this moment, all four froze, the air thick with terrifying silence.
The first to react was the black-haired boy by the cutting board.
Blood splattered on his face.
He lifted the dripping dagger to his lips, curling his mouth into a sinister smile, his gaze cold and mocking as he looked at Cui Zhiyong by the door and softly said,
“Who exactly are you planning to kill?”
“!!”
Cui Zhiyong’s mind raced.
This scene should have been a misunderstanding, but that black-haired brat’s smile was downright wicked, pure evil!!
Just then, the young woman suddenly snatched the knife from the boy’s hand, her tone stern: “Don’t hold the blade so close to your eyes, it’s dangerous!”
The black-haired boy immediately put on a docile face. “Okay, auntie.”
But after the woman turned away, he once again glanced at Cui Zhiyong with a cold, eerie smile.
Cui Zhiyong: “…”
Guo Li, still squatting on the floor, looked up at the obviously overacting black-haired boy, then at the genuinely fooled Cui Zhiyong.
He stared blankly and sighed heavily.
“Ah, enough, this is annoying. Maybe I should just go scrounge a meal next door too.”