Aberration

Zhang Tie was deeply regretful now. He regretted coming here to watch the excitement. Great—if things went wrong, he might lose his life here.

Just as Zhang Tie was convinced that they were about to meet with disaster and would have no choice but to fight desperately,

he saw the Black Figure suddenly fling a Black Sphere behind him. Before the sphere even reached the Bandits, a deafening boom rang out as it exploded. In an instant, thick black smoke billowed everywhere.

At the same time, the Black Clad Man threw a Jade Box toward Zhang Tie and the other's direction with his other hand. The box had a warm, lustrous sheen and was clearly worth a great deal.

Then, without even looking back, the Black Clad Man sped away like the wind in a direction away from Zhang Tie and the other.

At that moment, the Bandit Leader charged out of the smoke, his eyes wide with rage. He cursed, "You bastard, don't run!" With that, he moved like the wind and gave chase after the Black Clad Man.

Zhang Tie and his elder brother Zhang Jin lay flat on the ground, not daring to make a sound or move a muscle.

Though they were immensely curious about that White Box, they knew full well that the situation was critical. They understood what was important and what was urgent—nothing mattered more than their own lives.

They continued lying there silently, watching helplessly as the Guards on the road were slaughtered one after another by the Bandits.

Even the young girl in the Pink Skirt who had tried to flee at the beginning was struck across the neck by a single blade. Her head rolled straight to the ground, blood spraying several feet into the air as she died on the spot.

The remaining Bandits took the box from the young girl's hand, then searched the Guards' bodies before mounting their horses and riding away.

As the chaotic hoofbeats gradually faded into the distance, the entire mountain forest slowly fell silent. If not for the corpses and bloodstains left on the ground, it would have seemed as though the bloody battle had never happened.

Only then did Zhang Tie and Zhang Jin shakily rise to their feet. They were drenched in cold sweat, their clothes soaked through and clinging tightly to their bodies.

Zhang Tie steadied himself and quickly ran to the edge of the grass, where he found the White Box.

Without wasting time thinking, he stuffed it into his clothes without even taking a look and said to his elder brother Zhang Jin, "Big Brother, we can't stay here. Let's hurry home."

"Alright, let's go!" Zhang Jin nodded.

Both of them were exceedingly curious about what the box contained. After all, those Bandits had clearly come prepared with a definite target. Otherwise, they would not have killed everyone to silence them and cleaned things up so thoroughly.

Nervous and afraid, the two hurried along without stopping. The road beneath their feet seemed much longer than usual.

As Zhang Tie walked, he kept glancing back from time to time, afraid that something else might happen. Zhang Jin wore a terrified expression and remained silent the entire way, only lowering his head and pressing onward.

"Big Brother, what treasure do you think is inside this box that made those Bandits go to such lengths?" Zhang Tie could not suppress his curiosity.

Zhang Jin panted heavily. "I don't know either, but it must not be anything ordinary. We ran into something like this today. Who knows whether it will bring fortune or disaster?"

"No matter what, let's get home first."

They quickened their pace, wishing they could grow wings and fly home at once.

"We're finally home." Zhang Tie breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the Blacksmith Shop.

Zhang Jin also sighed in relief, a smile of survival after disaster appearing on his face.

After entering the house, Zhang Tie and Zhang Jin put away the firewood they had chopped on the mountain and went together to the room where they slept.

"What do we do next?" Though Zhang Jin was the eldest son of the family, he was still only a twelve-year-old child with little knowledge or experience.

On the other hand, after spending time with his younger brother Zhang Tie recently, especially after what had happened today, Zhang Jin vaguely felt that this little brother was extraordinary. Though he was only seven, he was calm and composed unlike an ordinary child. Zhang Jin could not understand why, and in the end, he attributed his younger brother's behavior to having attended school.

Zhang Tie pondered for a moment. "Don't tell anyone for now. Let's first see what exactly is inside the box."

With that, Zhang Tie took the White Box from his clothes and placed it on the table. Zhang Jin also gathered close, and both of their gazes focused on the mysterious box.

Zhang Tie gently opened the box. Inside was a crystal-clear Emerald Bead, engraved with strange patterns and symbols. But that was all; there was nothing particularly special about it.

"This bead looks very valuable." Zhang Jin stared at it with shining eyes.

"Don't tell anyone else about this for now. Leave it with me." After thinking for a moment, Zhang Tie added, "I think that Black Clad Man must have noticed us back then. That's why he threw this thing in our direction. He'll probably come back later to look for it."

Zhang Jin nodded in agreement, feeling that his younger brother's words made perfect sense.

Over the past two months, ever since a thread of cool airflow had appeared within Zhang Tie's body, he felt that not only had he become more energetic, but his mind had also become sharper. He was no longer as foolish as before.

Seven days passed in a row, and everything remained peaceful and uneventful.

That night, the moon hung high in the sky, its silver radiance spilling across the ground. As usual, after his family had all fallen asleep, Zhang Tie quietly went to the woodshed. Familiar with the routine, he sat cross-legged and prepared to cultivate the Everlasting Spring Technique.

Though he had persisted in cultivating this technique every night these days, the threads of airflow within his body were like his peaceful life—there had never been any significant change.

Still, the technique was not without its benefits. Every time he cultivated through the entire night, he would wake the next day not feeling sleepy at all. Instead, he would be full of vigor, as if he had enjoyed a wonderful night's sleep, his whole body brimming with energy.

That night, Zhang Tie was once again immersed in cultivation. Just as he was concentrating fully, the Emerald Bead suddenly flashed through his mind. Thinking of it, he gently stood up and stealthily crept into the room, carefully taking out the White Box containing the bead.

Returning to the woodshed, Zhang Tie gently opened the White Box beneath the moonlight. Under the moon's glow, the Emerald Bead gave off a faint, eerie radiance. He held it in his hand and examined it carefully, his eyes filled with curiosity. Yet after looking at it for a long time, he noticed nothing unusual.

Zhang Tie frowned slightly. Those people went to such great lengths to seize this bead. How could there be nothing strange about it? After pondering for a moment, he stopped thinking about it and casually held the bead as he continued cultivating the Everlasting Spring Technique.

Unexpectedly, the moment he began cultivating, a sudden aberration occurred!

The threads of airflow he had painstakingly accumulated within his body instantly lost control and rushed into the Green Bead in his hand. Immediately afterward, the bead flashed with green light, and a shadow of light flew out from it in an instant, plunging into Zhang Tie's brow with lightning speed before disappearing.

Zhang Tie felt a sudden stab of pain in his head. The pain came so swiftly and violently that he did not even have time to cry out. In an instant, the world spun around him, everything before his eyes blurring as though the entire world were collapsing.

Before he could react in any way, Zhang Tie toppled to the ground. His body twitched slightly, his face twisting in pain as cold sweat poured out like rain, instantly soaking his clothes.

After an unknown amount of time, the piercing pain gradually eased, and Zhang Tie slowly regained consciousness. He opened his eyes little by little, his gaze filled with confusion. The sudden incident from earlier still left him deeply frightened.

Zhang Tie got up, leaned against the wall of the woodshed, and took several deep breaths. At that moment, his head felt muddled, and his spirits were low.

"What exactly happened? What was that shadow of light?" Zhang Tie muttered, his voice carrying lingering fear.

He steadied himself and tried hard to calm down, attempting to recall every detail from before. However, the sudden change had been too abrupt and too bizarre, leaving him unable to make sense of it.

Zhang Tie took a deep breath and once more sensed the state of his body. To his surprise, the familiar threads of airflow had vanished without a trace, as though they had never existed. As for any other abnormalities, he found none.

"Could all of this have been caused by that bead?" He picked up the bead that had fallen to the ground and frowned as he looked at it, his eyes filled with both confusion and a trace of fear.

The bead had not changed at all. It still looked exactly as it had at the beginning, as though everything that had just happened had been nothing more than an illusory dream.

Zhang Tie gritted his teeth and decided to try cultivating the Everlasting Spring Technique again to see whether anything unusual would happen. He adjusted his posture once more, closed his eyes, and slowly guided the breath within his body.

But this time, no matter how hard he tried, he could no longer sense that familiar airflow. His body seemed utterly still, without the slightest movement.

A wave of unease rose in Zhang Tie's heart. What is going on?!

Just as he closed his eyes and sank into recollection and thought, an extremely tiny Green Light Spot appeared in his mind without warning.

Startled, Zhang Tie hurriedly opened his eyes, but there was no sign of the Green Light Spot before him.

Filled with doubt, he closed his eyes again. The sesame-seed-sized Small Green Light Cluster appeared clearly once more. Looking closely, he saw that the cluster was slowly rotating, covered in densely packed symbols or words. They were like heavenly script, and Zhang Tie could not recognize a single one.

He furrowed his brow, sat properly again, and tried hard to adjust his state. He focused completely on sensing every part of his body. Aside from feeling slightly tired from what had happened earlier, he truly found nothing unusual.

Zhang Tie pondered for a moment, feeling that what had happened tonight was far too strange for him to understand for the time being.

Having made up his mind, he put away the Green Bead, stood up, and slowly walked toward the room.