If you find any grammatical errors, please help me correct them. Thank you very much!
___________________________________________________________________________________________
CHAPTER 1 - Qin Sheng (Seal of Life)
- PART 1 -
Ask this world, is there any parent heartless enough to abandon their own child?
The answer is, without a doubt, yes! Shi Yan Si was neither an exception nor a unique case, but he stood as a representation of those whose childhoods were riddled with lifelong trauma, living driftingly like a ghost on the fringes of humanity.
Abandoned by his parents from the moment he drew his first breath, he was like a fledgling desperately dragging itself through the forest before its wings had even grown. There was only one path left for him: head toward the abyss, or teach himself to survive, to grow his own wings and learn how to soar.
Turning back the clock to that fateful year, the Great General Shi, Shi Nan Xuan, was taking his pregnant wife up to a temple to pray for peace when he cross paths with an itinerant fortune-teller. Upon seeing the couple approaching, the old man suddenly clicked his fingers in calculation, shaking his head and clicking his tongue. "My Lord... forgive this old man for speaking bluntly, but I see a dark destiny looming over the babe in Madam's womb. Not only does the future hold no bright prospects for him, but he will also bring ruin and utter disgrace upon your household."
The moment Shi Nan Xuan heard this, his face turned entirely pale. Before he could even punish the fortune-teller, his wife collapsed and swooned. Suppressing his rage, the General merely glared at the man, then immediately scooped her into his arms and returned to the manor.
From then on, a lingering doubt troubled Shi Nan Xuan's mind. Recalling the days of his wife's pregnancy, the friction between them had only intensified; they frequently engaged in loud, bitter arguments, to the point of almost dissolving their marriage. Could the fortune-teller's words actually be true?
Why, out of all the many people visiting the temple, had the man singled out no one else but the child in her womb?
The more he pondered, the more plausible those words seemed. Ultimately, Shi Nan Xuan decided to return and seek out that itinerant fortune-teller. However, the old man only stoked the fires of his deep anxiety, offering no remedy whatsoever other than to cast the child away as soon as possible, warning that keeping him in the house for long would only invite disaster.
At this point, Shi Nan Xuan found himself in a profound dilemma. Saying it was simple enough, but the child was his own flesh and blood after all—how could he just abandon him at a word? Never had his mind been in such a chaotic tangle, and he remained at a loss as to whether he should do as the old man advised.
After many days of agonizing deliberation, he finally decided to wait until the child was born to see how things turned out before making a move; if the boy truly proved to be a curse, then so be it.
Four months later, when the day of delivery arrived, a perfectly healthy young master was born. Seeing the infant, Shi Nan Xuan felt a glimmer of joy and named him Shi Yan Si.
From birth, the infant was separated from his mother and handed over to a wet nurse for care. Kept from his mother's warmth and raised amidst the loveless care of a stranger, Yan Si lived through the first years of his life in utter harshness.
Meanwhile, the relationship between Shi Nan Xuan and his wife showed no signs of improvement; on the contrary, her resentment toward him deepened by the day. By the time Yan Si turned three, Shi Nan Xuan had come to believe the itinerant fortune-teller's words completely. Thus, he resolved to entrust the child to someone else's rearing, considering him from that moment onward as though he had never existed.
The person chosen to take Yan Si in was a divine physician named Yichang Hua, who had long lived in seclusion in Lang Shan Gu, nestled deep within a remote mountainous region. The relationship between him and Shi Nan Xuan was like a tangled mess of creeping vines, bound by grievances and debts of gratitude hard to unravel, beneath which lay a smoldering block of wrath that had never once cooled.
A few days later, Yichang Hua appeared at the General Shi Manor. When Yan Si was pulled and led away by the hand of an absolute stranger, his heart was gripped by immense terror. His eyes brimmed with red, on the verge of tears, yet he held them back; the moment he saw the maid glaring at him, he fell dead silent and hung his head low.
Along the arduous journey, seeing that the child remained almost entirely silent without crying or throwing a tantrum, Yichang Hua found it strange and asked, "Do you know that you have just been abandoned?"
The words were like salt rubbed into an open wound, causing his heart to seize painfully. Yet, he vehemently shook his head. "No..."
His father had told him to follow this Lord to study obediently and well, and that once he grew into an accomplished man, he would be allowed to return home. Therefore, he did not believe he was abandoned—he absolutely refused to believe it!
Hearing this, Yichang Hua merely gave a faint, cynical smile and continued to lead Yan Si forward by the hand. After a long while, he suddenly recalled something and asked again, "Did that maid do something to you? You seemed terribly afraid of her."
To speak of that maid was to recall a horrific, waking nightmare. He remained silent for a long time before replying in a hushed voice, "Auntie... beat me."
Beneath his clothes, save for the easily visible places, his body was covered in purple bruises from her pinching and abusive torment. He had to be good, he absolutely must not cry; otherwise, she would surely beat him to his fill.
Understanding the tragic plight of the child, it was unclear whether Yichang Hua felt any pity or not; he merely shook his head in silence, and from then on, neither uttered another word to the other.
After many days of arduous travel, Yan Si was brought by Yichang Hua to Lang Shan Gu, an incredibly remote place nestled within Lingyun Shān.
To reach Yichang Hua's estate, they had to cross an entire rugged, treacherous mountain range. The deeper they ventured into the mountain valley, the more novel and wondrous everything appearing before Yan Si's eyes became. Leaving behind the vast, gloomy canopy of the ancient forest, he felt as if he had wandered into a celestial paradise. Here, the vegetation was not limited to a solitary shade of green but was adorned with brilliant, colorful blossoms.
For the first time, Yan Si beheld so many species of exotic flowers, and he gazed at them intently, unable to tear his eyes away. Seeing the child standing frozen and refusing to move, Yichang Hua said, "Let us go. You will have plenty of opportunities in the future."
Since he would be staying here from now on, what was to stop him from admiring the scenery whenever he pleased? He only feared that by the time that came... the boy would no longer be in any mood to enjoy it.
After another double-hour, the two reached the gates of the manor. Leading Yan Si by the hand, Yichang Hua walked toward the rear courtyard, then arranged for him to stay in a small house, saying, "Go inside."
Yan Si looked up at Yichang Hua once, then slowly stepped inside and looked around... Contrary to the grand exterior of the manor, the inside of the house was exceedingly simple, containing nothing but a rustic bamboo bed, a small, thin blanket, and a pillow. Observing in silence for a long while, he asked in a low voice, "Do I... live here?"
Yichang Hua nodded. "Correct! Stay here obediently and do not go anywhere."
Yan Si complied, silently climbing onto the bed and sitting down, while the other man coldly turned his back and walked away.
Only after Yichang Hua's figure had vanished from sight did he dare to cry. Tears rolled down his tiny cheeks; his heart was choked with stifled grief as he softly called out, "Home... I want to go home... I want to go home."
In the midst of the desolate emptiness, the child sobbed and sniffled without ceasing, calling for his father... but no father heard; crying for his mother... but no mother answered... For since the moment he was born into this world, he had long been abandoned by them.
And now, life felt even more hopeless for him... Not daring to think about it any further, Yan Si tightly clutched his jade pendant heirloom in his hand. Holding onto a shred of fragile hope, he lay down on the bed and curled his body up. Before long, he drifted off into a light slumber, though the outer corners of both his eyes remained drenched with tears.
When he woke up, Yan Si saw Yichang Hua sitting right beside him. The man's demeanor was so utterly cold and detached that the boy did not dare to make a single movement.
After a long moment of pondering, Yichang Hua reached out his hand, touched the center of Yan Si's forehead, and chanted some sort of incantation...
At that exact moment, the boy suddenly felt a fierce, burning heat searing through his bones, but it was merely fleeting, quickly subsiding as though nothing had ever happened.
With the task complete, Yichang Hua looked at him and asked, "Does it hurt?"
The sudden, violent pain that had appeared and vanished just as quickly left Yan Si completely bewildered, so he could only shake his head. Seeing this, Yichang Hua let out a cold laugh and said, "From now on, fend for yourself. I will teach you everything, but you are not allowed to call me master. Once you reach adulthood, you may return home, and we shall consider our ties severed."
Yichang Hua's words were both heartless and laced with mockery, and moreover, highly ambiguous. Yan Si widened his round eyes, staring at him for a long while before giving a soft nod.
Believing the child had understood his meaning, Yichang Hua gazed at him silently one last time, then coldly turned on his heel and departed, never returning after that.
A whole day passed, and Yan Si was still sitting on the bed, his back resting against the wall as his eyes gazed outside. Amidst the biting cold, the weary child lay down on the bed and curled into himself, waiting for a meal that he had no idea when would arrive.
Yan Si remembered that on the day before he was led away, at least the maid had given him enough to eat and drink. Even though he had been brutally abused by her, compared to this, it was still better than his current situation; this man had practically neglected him, showing no concern at all.
"Hungry... I'm hungry... Auntie..." Even though he knew that crying out at a time like this was futile, Yan Si truly did not know what else to do, so he kept urging himself: "Grow up quickly... grow up quickly..."
Once he grew up, he would be allowed to return...
Once he grew up, he would definitely be allowed to return... At that time, there would be food to eat, and he wouldn't have to suffer from hunger like this... so grow up quickly... grow up quickly!
As night fell over the valley, the fog outside grew thick, and the surroundings became incredibly freezing. A single small blanket offered very little warmth. Yan Si lay huddled on the bed, his tiny body shivering in waves, his teeth chattering uncontrollably... Never before had he yearned for his mother's embrace as he did now... it would surely be immensely warm...
In his hazy state, Yan Si thought of his mother's appearance from before... She was beautiful beyond measure... yet he could only stand and watch her from afar... He kept watching, secretly wishing he could rush into her arms, to be picked up and cradled affectionately by her... how... how wonderful and happy that would be.
Thinking of this, Yan Si tried his best to run to his mother's side. Just as he was about to touch her gown, the maid suddenly grabbed him. He immediately struggled and cried out, but there was no way to break free...
She dragged Yan Si back to the room, stripped off his trousers, and violently struck his buttocks, shouting angrily, "How many times have I told you not to go near the Madam, did you hear me...!? Did you hear me? Are your ears made of wood or what!?"
"I heard... I heard... Don't beat me anymore... don't beat me anymore... I won't do it again... I won't do it again...!!!" Yan Si struggled fiercely... until he finally escaped the maid's grasp, which was also the moment he jolted awake from the nightmare: "It was a dream..."
Though it was only a dream, why did the pain feel so agonizingly real?
No... that was by no means entirely a dream; it was something that had actually occurred, and even quite frequently. Yan Si had never been allowed near his mother, because she feared him even more than she feared ghosts and demons.
In the past, Yan Si still harbbed a glimmer of hope that he could do something to make his parents less cold toward him, but now, that was no longer possible. Being in this state, how long would it take for him to grow up? And by that time, who was to say they would still remember or even want to acknowledge their son.
At the thought of this, Yan Si felt a sharp, piercing ache in his heart, and the feeling of having to live on became utterly hopeless.
The gnawing hunger made Yan Si's stomach churn with emptiness, and his limbs felt completely drained of strength, as though they no longer belonged to him. When he wanted to sit up and get out of bed to forage for food, he remembered Yichang Hua's warning; in the end, he could only lie there huddled in endurance, not daring to go anywhere.
The freezing night air, coupled with the long day of exhaustion from starvation and thirst, eroded what little remaining strength Yan Si had left. Now, even drawing a breath became heavy, and an agonizing torment enveloped his tiny body.
"Perhaps... just let it go..." No need to grow up anymore, no need to return anymore; wouldn't it be better to just die like this? They had abandoned him from the very beginning anyway...
In his state of ultimate exhaustion, Yan Si truly could not think of anything good, especially when all his light and hope were so far away. He only felt a desire to let go of everything and go to another world, somewhere warmer, somewhere happier.
Time trickled away until seven days later... Yan Si lay curled up like a withered, dry twig. His breathing grew stagnant, and at times he felt as though he could no longer draw air into his lungs; yet, death still refused to take him, leaving him to drift endlessly between consciousness and oblivion.
"It's so hard to breathe..." The crushing weight made it impossible for Yan Si to breathe properly. He continued to hang onto life by a thread like that until near midnight, when he finally lost consciousness and swooned.