The cold wind raged, and snowflakes fluttered!
The winter solstice is the coldest day in the Tianshui Country, and the entire country is shrouded in ice and snow. Hanyuan Village is an unnamed small village in the central part of Tianshui Country, secluded from the world, situated deep in the mountains. Many villagers have never left this mountainous area in their entire lives.
Approaching dusk.
The cold wind raged, and a thick layer of ice had already formed on the fences outside the village. Looking from a distance, it was crystal clear, dreamlike, and extremely beautiful. The rugged mountain road was already covered by the snow, and at first glance, it was a vast expanse of white, like being in a dream world.
The snow grew heavier, and the cold wind howled.
Under such conditions, it was impossible for pedestrians to see two meters ahead of them.
As darkness fell, the snow continued to fall.
Inside Hanyuan Village, it was pitch black, with only a hint of light coming through the windows of a few houses. There were almost no pedestrians on the road. In such cold weather, most of the villagers had already gone to sleep. Occasionally, there were still one or two villagers who had not finished their work, and they were wrapped up like zongzi, wearing thick cotton padded jackets and fur hats on their heads, with only their eye sockets exposed.
The night grew even colder.
The snow grew heavier, and the cold wind was like a knife.
The wooden sign at the entrance of the village kept making creaking sounds in the night wind.
Suddenly, a black-clothed young man, ghostly silent, appeared at the entrance of the village. The young man looked very frail, with a somewhat pale complexion, appearing as if he could be blown away by the wind. However, in such cold weather, he was only wearing a thin long robe, and the black fabric rustled in the cold wind.
"Cough...Cough..."
The young man covered his mouth with his right hand and started coughing, and it took a while before he gradually stopped. However, he was still breathing heavily, looking as if he had just suffered from a serious illness, with a terrifyingly pale complexion.
After resting for a while, the young man looked up at the wooden sign at the entrance of the village, and then slowly walked towards the inside of the village.
The young man walked quietly, stepping on the snowy ground without making a sound. What was even more eerie was that there were no footprints left behind where he had walked, as if he were a ghost, extremely eerie.
In the time it takes to finish a cup of tea, the young man stopped in front of an ancient well in the village.
"Yin Soul Well...Cough...Cough..." as he spoke, the young man coughed again.
After a while, he stopped, but his complexion had become even paler.
The young man took a deep breath, and when he opened his eyes again, there was no sign of illness on his face. A gleam of light shot out of his eyes, and an invisible aura spread slowly from his body.
The snow grew heavier.
The snowflakes, when coming into contact with the aura around the young man, twisted strangely and no longer landed on his body.
It was not known how long it had passed. The young man took a few steps forward and reached the side of the ancient well. He extended his right hand, palm facing upwards, and a faint blue light silently emanated from his palm, slowly gathering into a ball of blue light.
The light flickered.
Suddenly, the young man pressed down with his palm, and the ball of blue light fell silently into the empty space above the well. It sank into the water at the mouth of the well and merged into the well water.
In an instant!
A cold breath erupted from the bottom of the well, causing even the snowflakes falling from the sky to seem as if they had solidified.
It was not known how long had passed before the cold air gradually dissipated, and the snowflakes once again began to fall, seeming slightly warmer compared to the earlier chill.
"Cough...Cough..." The young man remained silent, his eyes returning to their previous dullness, but they were fixed firmly on the mouth of the well. He covered his mouth with his right hand and coughed softly.
The snow continued to fall.
Time passed by minute by minute, until it was close to midnight, when the unnamed ancient well finally showed a slight reaction.
"How did you incur such serious injuries?" a deep voice came from within the well.
A small village, an ancient well, a snowy night!
The young man took a deep breath, and the icy air extended to his lungs, causing him to feel a slight uplift in his spirits.
"Displacement of the six fu organs, meridians completely severed, and your life is on the line." As he spoke, a mysterious light flashed in the young man's dull eyes.
His indifferent tone made it seem as if he were talking about someone else, showing no emotional fluctuations.
Silence.
After a brief silence, the voice of the person in the well was heard again.
"Your breath is getting weaker now. Even if I were to make a move, I wouldn't be able to save you. Moreover, I am now only a soul. It's difficult for me to save you. Judging by your current condition, you only have a breath left. Unless a miracle happens, you won't live until dawn."
"So, I'm here!" the young man inexplicably said. Before the person in the well could respond, the young man continued, "Although I have never met you, I know you are no ordinary person." As he spoke, a black aura surged from the center of the young man's eyebrows, but his eyes suddenly brightened.
The person in the well understood that this was a dying struggle.
"I, Ding Yan, haven't had many friends in my life. If I were to count, it would only be you. Now that I'm about to die, being able to chat with you again is enough," the young man said, taking a breath. He continued, "I used the last bit of my true element to break the final seal on the well. You can come out at any time. After I die, you can borrow my body and defy the natural order, reincarnating as a human."
The person in the well fell silent for a moment, seemingly touched. After a long time, they said, "Tell me everything you have left unfinished."
"It's simple to talk to a wise person!" The young man's pale face showed a slight smile, but it seemed to strain his wounds. He covered his mouth with his right hand, coughed again, and fresh blood silently dripped through his fingers.
Suddenly, a blue light shot out from the well, enveloping the young man.
Under the cover of the blue light, the young man's aura gradually stabilized.
"Thank you!" the young man sighed.
The person in the well did not speak.
"I have three things left unfinished," the young man said, sitting down against the well's edge.
The ground was covered in thick snow from the overnight snowstorm, but the young man seemed oblivious, sitting on the snowy ground and continuing, "Today, I met my end here, plotted against by someone. It's a pity that my cultivation is limited, and with my time running out, I cannot seek revenge myself. After you are reborn through my body, I hope that, within your capabilities, you can help me seek vengeance."
"This is not a problem, as long as your enemy is not a Great Luo Immortal, I, Ding, can definitely help you seek revenge," the person in the well agreed without hesitation.
The young man smiled faintly at the response.
"We share the same name, and I am the only one who can see you. I don't know if it's fate or a curse of destiny... cough..." The person in the well did not speak, seemingly lost in thought.
It took a while for the young man to stop coughing. His face flushed, and then he said, "The second thing is... I hope that after you are reborn, you can take care of my sister in my stead. She's just a mortal with only a few decades of life. It shouldn't be difficult for you."
"And the third thing?" the person in the well asked directly.
The young man didn't answer immediately, but took a long breath, brushed off the snow in front of him, leaned back against the well, and looked up at the sky. After a while, he said, "After the storm, the starry sky is infinite. Mortals are unaware, but you and I can clearly see it. I wonder if it's luck or misfortune."
The person in the well, surprisingly, did not stay silent but replied, "To gain, there must be loss. We have gained the power admired by mortals and naturally will lose something. This world is fair."
"Fair?" The young man chuckled self-mockingly, saying, "Nine more years. In nine years, the Elder will emerge. I hope that you can successfully shed your earthly desires by then, so my second wish will also be fulfilled..."
After saying this, the young man's aura gradually weakened. Watching the snowfall, he seemed to murmur to himself, saying, "I truly wish I could take a good look at the sky..."
The person in the well appeared visibly startled by the words, then seemed to understand and replied, "I promise you!"
The young man smiled at the response, and with his eyes fixed on the sky, his focus gradually dispersed. His aura faded away as well.
The snowflakes fell silently, landing on the young man's body without melting.
Clearly, the young man was already dead, and his body had lost all warmth.
The snowfall grew heavier.
The wind continued to wail.
It was unknown how much time had passed, but suddenly, the young man's body trembled, and the snow-covered figure slowly sat up. The snowflakes floating around him silently dissipated, forming an invisible aura.
The young man slowly opened his eyes, and focus returned to his pitch-black pupils.
"Have I been reborn..."