After drifting in unconsciousness for a long time, when Yan Si vaguely woke up, he realized he was lying in someone's embrace. A wave of warmth washed over him, making him no longer feel the cold, just like when he was still in his mother's womb.
The person held Yan Si and gave him some water to drink... he had no idea what it was, but it tasted incredibly sweet.
Feeling a hint of comfort, the child's lips curled into a faint smile, even though deep within that smile lay a multitude of bitter sorrows.
Waking up the next day, Yan Si felt his body was much lighter; though his stomach remained empty, the suffocating sensation of breathlessness had subsided.
Meanwhile, Yichang Hua sat beside the bed. Seeing the child had just awoken, he said in a cold voice, "Get up and eat."
"Eat..." Finally, he was given food to eat.
Yan Si forced himself up, his eyes darting around in search. The moment he spotted a small bowl of rice placed nearby, he immediately picked up the chopsticks.
It was just a simple, unremarkable bowl of rice mixed with stir-fried vegetables, possessing no particular flavor, yet Yan Si ate it ravenously, like a long-starved ghost.
Seeing this, Yichang Hua asked, "Does it taste that good?"
Upon hearing the question, Yan Si immediately nodded his head vigorously.
Looking at his state, the corners of Yichang Hua's lips suddenly curled slightly as if to smile, but the expression was quickly retracted. He merely asked, "Is the feeling of almost starving to death painful?"
Thinking back on the past few days, Yan Si remained utterly silent. Was there any child who had been starved for so long and still survived? Or was he the only one who could endure it?
Yichang Hua continued, "But rest assured, you will not die—you can never die. Qin Sheng will preserve you until your very last breath, no matter how shattered your physical body becomes."
Even if fire were to incinerate and burn away all his flesh, his bones could never dissolve; that shred of lingering life would endure for eternity.
Seemingly understanding this, Yan Si suddenly began to tremble uncontrollably. "What... what did you do? Why must you do this?"
Hearing the question, Yichang Hua simply replied, "To preserve your life."
"To preserve my life?" For what purpose? At this moment, Yan Si truly did not understand. He only felt a deep, profound terror regarding this thing called Qin Sheng—a malicious, freakish entity that would turn his entire life into a living hell.
Yichang Hua gazed at him and said in a cold voice, "From now on, if you do not wish to suffer, you must learn to forage for food yourself."
Forage for food himself...?
"How... how can I?" How could he possibly forage for food by himself in such a desolate place?
Seeing Yan Si sitting there dazed, Yichang Hua did not wish to say anything further and stood up, intending to leave. At that moment, the boy suddenly grabbed the hem of his robe, hesitantly pleading in a low voice, "Mas... Master, do not abandon... me..."
Upon hearing this, Yichang Hua cast a sidelong glance at him and replied coldly, "Did I not tell you that you are not allowed to call me master!?"
"But..." On the day at home, it was his own father who had forced him to apprentice himself to this man. Now, if he did not call him master, what else could he call him?
Speaking of apprenticing, it was also on that very day that Yichang Hua had rejected taking him as a disciple, agreeing only to raise and educate Yan Si until he reached adulthood.
The sudden reminder of Shi Nan Xuan caused a surge of fury to rise within Yichang Hua. He angrily brushed Yan Si's hand away and departed immediately, muttering a curse under his breath: "Miscreant seed!"
"Miscreant seed? What is a miscreant seed? Did Master just call me a miscreant seed?" As the thought flashed through his mind, Yan Si gradually sensed that Yichang Hua truly loathed him. If things continued like this, he had no idea how he would survive the days and months ahead.
And so, as twilight fell, Yan Si's stomach began to rumble incessantly once more... Realizing that waiting was nothing but futile, he knew he could no longer sit still and resign himself to fate, so he decided to go out and forage for food.
The manor was vast; in the eastern and western courtyards, rows of rooms stood side by side. He had no idea what they were used for, as every door he pushed open revealed nothing but emptiness. In the end, he walked for more than a double-hour and had still not found the kitchen, while his strength was gradually draining away.
The sky began to grow darker. Yan Si was forced to find his way back, but the more he walked, the more lost he became. His limbs were so utterly exhausted that he suddenly collapsed to the ground. His vision blurred entirely; catching a glimpse of a patch of wild herbs ahead, he mistook it for something delicious. He hurriedly scrambled up, plucked a handful, and stuffed it into his mouth...
It... did not taste good at all... Yet, this was the only source of food he could find at this very moment; there was nothing better. Between the biting hunger and the freezing cold of each night, Yan Si knew he had to force himself to adapt... He thought to himself that the plants and flowers of the manor were countless... he could just come out, pluck them, and eat, and he wouldn't have to worry about starving in the future.
In a state of frantic desperation, Yan Si devoured the herbs ravenously, stopping only when his stomach finally felt full. Even so, exhaustion still weighed heavily upon him... immediately, he collapsed, his eyes fluttering half-closed as he quickly drifted into unconsciousness.
Yan Si lay curled up on the bare earth, traces of herbs still clinging to his mouth, his eyes closed from sheer exhaustion... His heart seized painfully... At an age when he should only know how to cry for milk and beg for his parents' embrace, he had to teach himself how to survive in this desolate place...
He was like a fledgling dragging itself along with a shivering body... A tiny, fragile living being, trying to shelter himself by huddling up, as if curling tighter would make him less cold, less miserable... But the wind continued to blow, the ground remained freezing, and there was no protection whatsoever... much less any pity from anyone around.
The next morning, Yan Si vaguely opened his eyes, finding himself still collapsed upon the patch of wild herbs. His stomach felt both agonizingly painful and empty, an utterly unbearable sensation... Thinking that what he had eaten was still not enough, he proceeded to pluck more herbs, forcing himself to choke them down...
After a long while, the sensation did not alleviate in the slightest, no matter how much he forced himself to eat... It had completely exceeded what a small child could endure. Yan Si collapsed, clutching his stomach as he writhed in agony, tears flowing without ceasing.
This pain was even worse than when he was abused by the maid... Waiting for someone to save him, waiting for someone to soothe him, was just like waiting for rain in a desert—so despairing that he could only cry...
His chest was compressing; he could no longer breathe. His heart seemed to stop beating for a fleeting moment, and black blood began to ooze from his seven orifices.
Just then, Yichang Hua approached from afar. The moment he saw that his medicinal herb garden had been utterly ruined, and that Yan Si was collapsed upon it writhing and clutching his stomach... his face instantly turned pale. He rushed over, scooped the boy up, and scolded, "Are you foolish? How dare you eat poison?"
Foolish? Was it he who was foolish, or was it the man who was foolish? To ask a child barely three years old, who had been starved for days, why he dared to eat poison—how could he tell the difference? He only knew hunger... an immense hunger, and now he was in so much pain he was on the verge of death.
Yichang Hua instantly carried Yan Si back to administer medical treatment, forcing him to drink a large amount of bitter water...
The moment the liquid rushed in, it caught in his throat, causing Yan Si to vomit uncontrollably... Once one bout passed, the man forced him to drink another... straight until everything inside his stomach was completely thrown up.
With the task finished, Yichang Hua laid Yan Si properly on the bed, turned his back, and departed.
"This child..." To be like this at such a tender age, it was feared that in the future, even Qin Sheng might find it difficult to preserve his life.
"Hmph... After all, it has only been twice... die a few more times... suffer a few more times, and let us see how you fare..." For one bound by Qin Sheng, if they could not adapt on their own, the more they sought death, the more misery they would only invite upon themselves.
After many days of unconsciousness, the time Yan Si awoke was already during the evening twilight, completely unaware that he had just survived a brush with death.
Yichang Hua walked in, holding a bowl of medicine which he set down by the bed, commanding, "Drink the medicine."
Yan Si obediently forced himself to sit up. Bringing the piping hot bowl of medicine to his lips, he blew on it and took a sip... Instantly, his face turned pale; the medicine was terrifyingly bitter, nearly impossible to swallow... He covertly cast his gaze toward Yichang Hua and asked stutteringly, "Can I... can I please not drink it?"
In response, Yichang Hua's cold, detached glare struck fear into Yan Si. He immediately blew on the medicinal bowl to cool it, then swallowed it down in large gulps, frowning and grimacing as he drank.
The moment the bitter liquid passed his throat, Yan Si began to perceive a faint, subtle sweetness; it turned out this stuff was not entirely unbearable... Once finished, he held the empty bowl straight out toward Yichang Hua and said, "Master... I have finished... drinking it."
The man nodded, took the bowl, and departed immediately...
In the days that followed, Yichang Hua diligently brought meals to Yan Si. Only when he saw that the child had regained his vigor did he instruct him, "From now on, you must wake up early, precisely at the fifth watch. Do you understand?"
Hearing the instruction, Yan Si nodded his head vigorously. However, how could a small child understand what the fifth watch meant? The moment his back hit the bed, he fell into a deep slumber that lasted until noon the next day, completely forgetting Yichang Hua's words.
The moment he awoke, Yan Si bolted up in panic and looked around. A premonition that something terrible was about to happen caused his heart to thud violently.
Sure enough, it was not long before Yichang Hua walked in, and his countenance did not seem pleasing at all. He approached the side of the bed and asked in a cold voice, "Do you not know the hour to wake up?"
Hearing the question, Yan Si merely hung his head low, not daring to answer.
Seeing this, Yichang Hua suddenly pressed gently on the crown of Yan Si's head. At that moment, a tiny insect emerged from inside his finger and burrowed straight through the boy's skin. He said, "It will remind you every day. When you learn to be self-disciplined, I will take it out."
"It?" Just a moment ago, Yan Si had felt a sharp pain in his head like a needle prick, which quickly returned to normal; he naturally had no idea what kind of thing had burrowed inside him.
Yichang Hua did not bother to explain either, coldly turning his back and departing.
The next morning, precisely at the fifth watch, Yan Si, who was still fast asleep, suddenly felt a violent, agonizing pain in his head. Instantly, he jolted awake, clutching his head as he writhed and wailed. It felt as though something was gnawing and tearing inside, causing unbearable torment—even more horrific than the time he was poisoned.
It? Could this be the thing called "it" that Yichang Hua had mentioned yesterday? He only wanted him to wake up early; did he really have to resort to such a cruel method?
"That man... why is he so wicked?"
"Is it because he invoked Qin Sheng to preserve my life that he can comfortably torment me like this?" His cruelty far exceeded that of the maid from before... Thinking of Yichang Hua, two types of feelings began to brew within Yan Si's heart: one was terror, and the other was an intense hatred...
After a long while, the pain gradually subsided. Before Yan Si's eyes, the entire world seemed to spin and whirl topsy-turvy. It took him a very long time to regain his composure. He immediately sat up, resting his back against the wall, wrapping his arms around his knees to wait.
Not long after, Yichang Hua appeared. He looked at him and asked in a cold voice, "How do you feel? Does it hurt?"
Yan Si remained silent and did not reply. The man continued, "If you do not wish to hurt like that, then tomorrow you must learn to wake up earlier. It will not do anything to you."
Seeing that the boy still sat there dazed without responding, Yichang Hua frowned and commanded, "What are you still sitting there for? Stand up and follow me!"
Even though he detested the man, resisting at a time like this would only bring more misery. With this thought, Yan Si immediately left the bed and followed in Yichang Hua's footsteps.
From then on, the man began to teach Yan Si how to cook, requiring him to wake up early every day and go to the kitchen on his own initiative. In addition, he taught him many other survival skills, from how to forage for wild vegetables, set traps for animals, and fish, to preparing them... a little bit every day until the boy became proficient.
Yet every night, the thing Yichang Hua had embedded in Yan Si's head continued to torment him, making him fear sleep more than ever. For if he were careless enough to oversleep even slightly, he would immediately be bitten by the insect, causing excruciating pain.
This resulted in him staying awake almost the entire night, only sleeping when his body was utterly exhausted and could no longer endure. When that happened, he had no choice but to accept being bitten by the insect and enduring the agony for a while.
Unable to sleep at night and forced to follow Yichang Hua to learn during the day without a single moment of distraction allowed, Yan Si knew he had to focus entirely on doing well in what he was taught... Even though... since arriving at this place, his body had been severely damaged, and with his current situation, it grew progressively worse.
After nearly half a month, Yan Si's health deteriorated visibly... His face was pale and sallow, his cheeks sunken, and his already emaciated body now possessed almost no flesh left, to the point that his ribs were exposed... Such hardship he always endured in absolute silence. The smile completely vanished from his lips, and his eyes turned gray as ash; he merely complied unconditionally to avoid receiving further punishment.
Until one day, Yan Si truly could endure no longer and collapsed, fainting away. His body was so exhausted that he only wished to lie still; yet when the fifth watch arrived, he was still bitten by the insect. As usual, he jolted upright, clutching his head and writhing in endurance. Once the bout of pain passed, he forced himself to crawl up and step down from the bed...
The weather was bone-chillingly cold, and Yan Si's body shook uncontrollably. Having taken only a few steps, he tumbled to the ground once more and soon lost consciousness.
For that entire day, Yan Si lay in a stupor. In the middle of the night, during the third watch, he suddenly woke up with a start and immediately forced himself to sit up... His exhausted eyes strained to open and look ahead, his body shivering violently as he struggled to draw each heavy breath.
"Just a little longer... just a little longer..." his mouth mumbled softly, constantly reminding himself that he must try to stay awake past the fifth watch. However, the monstrous fatigue almost caused him to swoon; the moment his eyes involuntarily started to close, he forced them wide open.
In his despair, Yan Si tried to think of something beautiful to combat this brutal reality... That he still had a mother who loved him, who kept him warm every night; that every day he did not have to wake up early, nor did he have to work tirelessly all the time, but could instead play and linger by her side...
At that time, his mother would offer a beautiful... truly beautiful smile as she looked at him, then pick him up and cradle him affectionately...
Thinking of this, the corners of Yan Si's lips curled slightly... Though he smiled, his face distorted, clearly revealing a bitter hardship. Tears silently rolled down his cheeks, because there was no happiness to be found here... only poisonous insects and ultimate coldness.
Once the fifth watch had passed, only then did Yan Si feel safe enough to let his body collapse onto the bed, instantly falling into a stupor.
For many consecutive days, it was like this... His body was already severely weakened, yet near the fifth watch, he would still force himself to scramble up.
Yan Si had not been in the mountain valley for very long, yet he had already gone through several brushes with death, tortured to the point that he was nearly unrecognizable.
At this time, Yichang Hua stood in a hidden corner, watching Yan Si in silence... After many days of observation, it was unknown what the man thought, or whether he felt a shred of pity, but in the end... he decided to retrieve the poisonous insect.
Only from then on did Yan Si truly find peace, allowed to sleep and rest until his health gradually recovered...
By the time he stabilized once more, he still voluntarily woke up early every morning to follow Yichang Hua to the kitchen to help cook. Afterward, he would sweep the courtyard, gather dry firewood, pluck wild vegetables, and dig for worms. In the afternoon, he even knew how to go to the lakeside to cast a fishing rod and practice swimming under the man's supervision... From then on, it forged within him a habit of being more resilient and courageous when having to live alone in a desolate wilderness.