Bone China Mountain.
This cold mountain range, belonging to Bai Family Village, was perpetually shrouded in a white porcelain-like cold mist, its power firmly grasped by Family Elder Bai Zhan Wen, like the frost condensed in the mountains.
“Have you heard? Young Lords Bai Sheng and Bai Hua… were abducted!”
Inside the stone pavilion, several young men and women in white short robes sat together, their voices extremely low, yet unable to conceal their panic. The cold moonlight pierced through the eaves, casting a bleak glow on their young faces.
“Absolutely true! I heard it was two Demonic Path scoundrels, who, using some unknown means, deceived the Clan Chief and gained his trust, leading to this disaster…”
“Alas… I only hope the Young Lords are safe…” Sighs drifted in the cold wind, carrying deep worry.
From the shadows in the corner of the stone pavilion, a slightly slender young figure slowly emerged.
It was Bai Zhan Tu Dai.
The night wind swept up the porcelain dust on the ground, brushing past his faded robes, making him shiver involuntarily and instinctively clutch the old book in his arms tighter.
Under the moonlight, his heterochromatic pupils, one black and one red, stood out strikingly on his pale face, drawing several gazes of unknown meaning.
“Hey! Tu Dai!” Someone in the crowd shouted, with a hint of mockery, “Your older sister, Bai Zhan Rou, is looking for you everywhere! Where have you been?!”
Tu Dai’s footsteps paused slightly, his gaze sweeping over the familiar yet unfamiliar faces in the stone pavilion.
Mockery, indifference, a hint of barely perceptible pity… He said nothing, merely shifted his gaze silently, turning his head to continue walking in the direction of Bai Zhan Rou’s residence.
“Tch…” A clear sneer came from behind him, “Putting on airs? He’s just D-grade Aptitude, that’s all.”
“Exactly, just wait until the clan assessment comes, let’s see where he’ll hide to cry then!”
“Alright, alright, don’t bother getting angry with a good-for-nothing. Go back and rest.”
The harsh words scraped his eardrums like cold porcelain shards. Tu Dai seemed not to hear, merely tilting his head slightly. A crescent moon hung high in the night sky, its edges tinged with an ominous dark red, like congealed bloodstains. His lips twitched, forming a bitter, almost extreme, curve.
“Indeed… the backlash from forcibly activating that ‘Divine Skill’ is far from subsiding…” he murmured inwardly, a sense of weakness originating from the depths of his Soul following him like a shadow.
He had a secret, a secret buried deep in his flesh and bones.
He was not from this world, but from a world called “Spirit Continent,” a place where magical radiance shone. His true name was Lin Meiyuan Yun Luo.
He once stood at the pinnacle of magic in Spirit Continent, but driven by an obsession with the ultimate truth of the world, he disregarded his sister’s pleas and brazenly activated the legendary forbidden “Divine Skill.” Going against Heaven, he ultimately incurred divine punishment!
At that moment, his Soul shattered inch by inch like Colored Glaze, and his consciousness sank into eternal darkness. When he struggled to awaken again, he found himself in this realm—an unfamiliar world where Gu insects were the Foundation of power.
“Bai Zhan Wen…”
Tu Dai (or rather, Lin Meiyuan)’s thoughts sank into cold memories. He had been adopted by this Family Elder since infancy, along with his nominal older sister, Bai Zhan Rou. Behind Bai Zhan Wen’s “benevolence” was a cold calculation; Tu Dai knew he desired to use familial affection as a chain to bind a supremely talented enforcer. Unfortunately, fate played a cruel joke.
During the Awakening ceremony, the dazzling Awakening only illuminated the most humble and murky D-grade light for him! His Qi Sea was almost depleted. From that day on, the Family Elder’s mask of warmth quickly peeled away, leaving only aloofness and indifference. Only Bai Zhan Rou, in her gentle eyes, still held unreserved concern, becoming the sole glimmer of light in this cold world.
Tu Dai gently shook his head, as if to shake off those cold gazes and memories. The night wind grew stronger, piercing his thin clothes, yet it was far less biting than the chill in his heart.
What if he had D-grade Aptitude?
What if the world was cold and indifferent?
A thought, like an unextinguishable spark, burned fiercely in the depths of his Soul, dispelling all illusory honor, disgrace, gains, and losses.
Go home!
At all costs… return to Spirit Continent!
Return to the homeland that belonged to Lin Meiyuan Yun Luo!
The old book in his arms seemed to sense the turmoil in his heart, clutched tighter, its corner pressing against his chest, bringing a faint sense of “existence.” He no longer lingered, his thin figure merging into the deeper night of Bone China Mountain, his steps slow yet exceptionally firm, heading towards that sole warm place—Bai Zhan Rou’s small house.
Bai Zhan Wen displayed a completely different kind of “warmth” towards this nominal older sister compared to Tu Dai. He doted on Bai Zhan Rou to the extreme, not only arranging her marriage to his own grandson, Bai Zhan Lie, but also settling her in the most scenic part of Bone China Mountain.
Gently pushing open the wooden door, a delicate floral fragrance instantly wafted out, softly dispelling the inherent porcelain dust chill and harshness of the mountain. In this Bone China Mountain, known for its hardness and where not a blade of grass could grow, only this small courtyard, thanks to Bai Zhan Lie’s tireless effort and expense in transporting fertile soil from afar, managed to cultivate such an unnatural vitality and beauty. Flower shadows danced gracefully, swaying under the cool moonlight.
“Tu Dai?”
A gentle voice sounded.
On the swing in the courtyard, a woman with a clear countenance looked up at the sound, her eyes, gazing towards the doorway, instantly lit up with joy. She held onto the swing, her movements cautious with the special care of pregnancy, and slowly stood up. Beneath her thin clothes, the slightly bulging curve of life was clearly visible in her abdomen.
“Mm.” Tu Dai responded, his gaze sweeping over his sister’s figure, a complex, inexpressible feeling crossing his heart. He silently walked to the stone stool beside Bai Zhan Rou and sat down, placing the old book from his arms on the cold stone table.
“Where did you go?” Bai Zhan Rou approached, her tone filled with unconcealed concern and a hint of reproach, “Didn’t I tell you repeatedly? Recently, bone wolves have become increasingly rampant near the mountain paths, and the area around the village isn’t peaceful. Don’t run around without reason.”
“I know.” Tu Dai’s voice remained flat, showing no discernible emotion.
Seeing his younger brother’s aloof demeanor, which pushed people away, Bai Zhan Rou sighed softly, her eyes filled with tenderness. But she quickly seemed to remember something, her lips curving upwards playfully, with a hint of secret triumph, as she slowly took something from the inner pocket of her robe.
“Here, look what this is?”
Tu Dai, who had been looking down at his book, was attracted and raised his head. When he clearly saw the object quietly resting in his sister’s palm, his heterochromatic pupils suddenly constricted, a flash of uncontrollable brilliance!.
It was a Gu insect of bizarre and strange form, its entire body exhibiting a warm, jade-like bone color, shaped remarkably like a miniature, flawless human Rib.
It lay quietly dormant in Bai Zhan Rou’s fair palm, exuding a restrained yet tenacious aura.
“It’s called ‘Rib Shield,’ and it’s a precious Rank Three Gu!” Bai Zhan Rou was clearly pleased with Tu Dai’s reaction, her voice filled with a small thrill, “When activated, it can instantly condense two rows of interlocking bone ribs outside the Gu Master’s body, offering considerable defense!” She explained, gently tapping the smooth surface of the bone-colored Gu insect with her fingertip.
However, the joyful expression was quickly covered by a thin layer of worry, and her voice lowered: “The clan… seems to have discovered a Legacy site of a Gu Master, reportedly related to the two Demonic Path scoundrels who abducted Bai Sheng and Bai Hua. This Gu was urgently sent back by your brother-in-law, Bai Zhan Lie, through someone. He seems to have encountered a thorny situation and can’t get away.”
She paused, looking at the Gu insect in her hand.
“As soon as day breaks, I’ll have to send it back to the clan, to be kept by the higher-ups. After all, it’s a Rank Three Gu; keeping it in individual hands easily invites trouble…”
“Tu Dai…”
Bai Zhan Rou suddenly leaned closer, her warm, jade-like fingers gently brushing Tu Dai’s slightly disheveled hair, damp with sweat, from his forehead. Her gaze was so tender it seemed to drip water, and her voice was extremely soft and gentle.
“Sister knows you’re suffering. D-grade Aptitude, like a heavy shackle… But what if your Aptitude is low? You are still you, the unique Bai Zhan Tu Dai, whom your sister cares about most in her heart.”
Bai Zhan Rou tried to penetrate the ice in Tu Dai’s eyes: “Don’t be afraid, no matter what, your sister will be by your side, always protecting you.”
“I? Still… me?”
Tu Dai murmured, repeating the phrase, and Bai Zhan Rou’s bright and warm smile in front of him, in a trance, overlapped with his Spirit Continent sister’s tearful, dissuading face in his memory. An inexpressible pang of bitterness and bewilderment surged in his heart. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something.
Just at this moment of surging emotions, as words were about to be spoken—
“Bai Zhan Wen is dead! Bai Family Village’s luck has run out! Hahahahaha! Brothers!!! Plunder everything!!!”
A thunderous roar, imbued with a strong scent of blood and undisguised malice, like a poisoned ice pick, abruptly shattered the tranquil and peaceful night of the small courtyard!
The sound came from the main road of the village not far outside the courtyard wall, filled with brutality, greed, and a madness to destroy everything!
In an instant, the warm floral fragrance seemed to freeze, and the cool moonlight was stained with blood.
Outside the courtyard, cries, clashes of weapons, sounds of collapsing houses, and beast-like roars… like surging tides, erupted instantly, plunging the entire Bone China Mountain into the abyss of Hell!