"Wang Xiaobao, you little monkey, where have you run off to now? It's time to come home for dinner!"
The six-year-old deliberately hid in the bushes, pretending not to hear his mother's calls. She always made him eat greens, and he didn't want to!
Whenever Wang Xiaobao wanted to hide, he would slip behind the house next door. Hiding here, no one could ever find him. Today, however, he noticed that this house, which had been empty for as long as he could remember, seemed a little different.
Unable to contain his curiosity, Wang Xiaobao slowly walked to the door, pushed it open with a creak, and stepped into the courtyard. There, sitting under a tree, he saw a person.
The man was dressed entirely in black, the fabric as dark as the dead of night. Yet, a head of white hair hung loosely over his shoulders, shimmering with a soft silver glow in the sunlight.
His eyes were cast down, long eyelashes hiding the emotions within them. His long, steady fingers held a small carving knife, meticulously whittling away at a piece of light-colored wood.
Wood shavings fluttered down, gathering in a small pile at his feet.
Strangely, one of his hands seemed to be formed from condensed black energy, or perhaps covered by a black glove, leaving not an inch of skin visible.
Bold for his age, Wang Xiaobao took a few steps closer, stared blankly at the man for a long moment, and asked, "Mister, did you just move here?"
Without looking up, the man said softly, "I have lived here for a very long time."
Wang Xiaobao found this even stranger. "Then how come I've never seen you before?"
"I was busy before. I only just found some free time."
"Oh, I see." Wang Xiaobao was a natural chatterbox, and the floodgates immediately opened. "Mister, this house you live in is really amazing. I heard my grandma say, who heard it from her grandma, whose grandma's grandma..."
He repeated "grandma" several times before continuing, "This house has always been empty. No one cleans it, but it never gathers dust. If thieves try to sneak in, they get thrown out by some weird force. A lot of people say this house is haunted!"
The man's tone was calm. "Is that so?"
"But I don't think it's haunted. There must be immortals here!" Wang Xiaobao pointed to a few flowers by the door. "Those flowers were almost dead, but when I planted them here, they came back to life. My mom told me to pull them out, though, saying I'd offend the ghosts and gods!"
The man raised his eyes and looked at the brilliantly blooming wildflowers by the door. As evening fell, fireflies gently landed on the petals, flickering with a faint light.
His expression softened a fraction. "It is good that they are planted here. My wife will like them very much."
Wang Xiaobao stood on his tiptoes and looked around. "Where is your wife, Mister?"
"She is in poor health and is still resting."
"Oh." Wang Xiaobao didn't doubt him and lowered his voice considerably. Looking at the object in the man's hand, he grew even more curious. "Mister, what are you carving?"
"A wooden figurine. One like this." A small, round figurine in green clothes appeared in his large hand. It had a stern expression, but paired with its chubby appearance, it was exceptionally cute.
He asked the boy, "Does it look good?"
Wang Xiaobao nodded without hesitation. "It looks great! Where did you buy it, Mister? I want one too!"
"My wife carved it for me. It is the only one in the world."
Wang Xiaobao felt that although the mister's voice was still completely flat, he somehow sensed that the man was showing off.
He pursed his lips in slight disappointment and looked back at the half-finished carving in the man's hand. "Are you planning to carve a little girl figurine to give to your wife?"
The man nodded. "Unfortunately, I have been carving for so many years, and not a single one has been perfect."
Wang Xiaobao had a different opinion; the wooden figurine he was currently carving was clearly very beautiful.
"Xiaobao, Wang Xiaobao, where are you? Come back quickly!"
The calling voice suddenly filled with urgency and fear.
Wang Xiaobao looked up and saw many cultivators in purple robes in the sky. They approached menacingly, clearly harboring ill intentions.
The mister in black with white hair patted the top of his head. "Don't let the people who care about you wait anxiously. Go back now."
Feeling uneasy, Wang Xiaobao sprinted back. When he reached the door, he couldn't help but look back.
Under the shadow of the tree, the man in black with white hair still sat quietly in place. He let the cold wind flutter his robes, remaining as still as a towering mountain. No matter how the wind and rain battered him or how the clouds rolled by, he remained completely motionless from beginning to end.
Wang Xiaobao suddenly felt much of his anxiety disappear.
"Xiaobao!"
His mother was still calling for him. Wang Xiaobao lingered no longer and quickly ran toward the sound, disappearing from sight in no time.
The purple-robed cultivators hovered in the air, looking down at the panicked villagers as if they were looking at ants.
To them, these mortals without any cultivation were indeed just ants that could be crushed at will.
The leader cleared his throat and said arrogantly, "Listen up, you mortals. This land now belongs to our Heavenly Desire Palace. Those who don't want to die—"
The next moment, the purple-robed leader's words came to an abrupt halt.
His arrogant head rolled straight off his neck, hitting the dirt with a thud. His eyes were wide open, and the undiminished contempt was still frozen on his face.
Not only did the people below scream, but the other purple-robed cultivators also felt a wave of terror.
They hadn't even seen who did it or how they attacked. Their senior brother, who had the highest cultivation, was just dead!
Han Yu popped its head out, shaking it with a sigh.
Master still loves chopping off people's heads so much.
Only then did everyone simultaneously cast their gazes toward the shadow of the old tree.
The man in black with white hair still sat peacefully in place. His fingertips leisurely twirled the small carving knife, wood shavings lightly falling. His expression was as indifferent as if he had merely swatted away a bothersome mosquito.
Someone stiffened their neck and asked angrily, "What kind of cultivator are you, daring to go against our Heavenly Desire Palace!"
"Wait—do you guys remember that a man in black with white hair appeared in the Void Secret Realm this time?"
"That person seems... seems to be... Cangshu Bai!"
At this moment, everyone's hearts skipped a beat, and the gazes they directed at him shifted.
The man didn't have a shred of fierce aura around him, but he was like a silent abyss. Just by sitting quietly there, he made all the cultivators present too afraid to even breathe heavily.
They belatedly realized they needed to flee, but in an instant, they exploded into blooms of blood mist.
Finally, the person under the tree moved.
Han Yu darted out, seemingly asking, "Where are you going?"
He said, "To annihilate a sect."
Han Yu wagged its tail excitedly.
Infected by the creator's killing intent, the Exquisite Sea in the small world also subtly changed.
The azure seawater took on a dark red hue, and ripples appeared on the calm surface. However, the crystal coffin swayed gently, like a cradle coaxing a baby into a sweet dream.
The sleeping person's fingertips trembled ever so slightly, as delicate as a butterfly flapping its wings. The long eyelashes cast shallow shadows on the pale face and slowly stirred.
The long-slumbering soul finally showed its first sign of awakening amidst the dark red seawater and gentle swaying.
