Black thorn trees and Night Owl Birds cawing.
Li Mu Yang trudged through the marsh, one step deep and the next shallow. Looking up into the distance, he couldn't see the end of that dark, eerie expanse.
The trees cast dense shadows, and the river reeked of blood and fish.
The lower half of Li Mu Yang's body had long since been soaked through. His boots stomped through the murky water with loud cracking sounds.
His face and body were smeared with mud. His clothes were tattered, and his face was filthy, making him look as though he hadn't bathed in ages.
Caw, caw, caw—
A flock of Night Owl Birds flew noisily over his head, scattering clumps of airborne mud.
Just then, Li Mu Yang suddenly stopped.
His expression became extraordinarily strange, and his brows knitted tightly together.
He twisted his hips, and his right leg turned slightly.
Then, with a puzzled look on his face, he bent down and reached into the pitch-black, icy river.
When he lifted his hand, a white object that was still struggling and writhing desperately was clutched in the middle of his palm.
A white snake!
A snow-white white snake, hideously ugly from head to tail!
Snap!
The white snake suddenly broke free of Li Mu Yang's grip, opened its mouth full of sharp teeth, and viciously lunged at his face.
"Ah!"
Li Sinian suddenly sprang up from the bed.
Only when she saw the gauze canopy overhead did she realize that she had just had a nightmare.
Hearing the commotion, Luo Qi came in carrying a lamp. Seeing Li Sinian sitting dazed in the corner by the wall, she asked with concern, "Sinian, what's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"
"Mother, I dreamed of Brother." Li Sinian looked at her mother earnestly.