Awakening

Night. All around him, darkness swallowed everything.

A tiny orange flame, no bigger than a bean, burned quietly in the dark.

It seemed to be the only light in the world.

The flame flickered and swayed, so fragile it looked as though a single breath could blow it out.

In its feeble glow, a pale young man with bloodshot eyes sat quietly nearby.

He looked about fifteen or sixteen. His features were ordinary, unremarkable. He lightly bit his lower lip, which was almost bloodless, as if he had recently lost a lot of blood.

His long, fine hair was jet-black, tied behind him in a simple high ponytail like a girl's. He wore a gray-brown cotton robe fastened with knotted buttons, which reached his knees and covered most of a pair of plain trousers in the same color.

Knock, knock, knock.

Suddenly, a faint knocking came from somewhere in the darkness.

It was the sound of knuckles tapping on thin wooden boards, especially clear in the stillness of the night.

Knock, knock, knock... The sound came again.

The man beside the flame shuddered but made no sound. He had clearly heard it, yet showed no intention of answering.

"Are you asleep?" A sigh came from outside the door. It was the voice of a middle-aged woman, somewhat advanced in years. She hesitated, then turned and slowly walked away.

Only when her footsteps had faded completely did the man by the flame let out a small breath of relief.

He held his hands gently around the flame, feeling its faint warmth against his palms. His expression relaxed slightly.

"Xiaohui, you shouldn't have lit a lamp." A hushed voice came softly from behind him.

"Lighting one will attract things that shouldn't come. Night isn't like daytime!" The voice drew closer. Then a weary woman's face, strikingly similar to the man's, slowly emerged on the other side of the flame.

She gazed at him with concern.

"What's wrong? Couldn't sleep again? You've been waking up in the middle of the night these past few days. Did something happen during the day?"

"Mother, why are you awake too? I deliberately kept the lamp low so I wouldn't wake you all." The man sounded apologetic. "I've just... been having trouble sleeping lately."

At that, the middle-aged woman sighed and gently patted his shoulder.

"It's your mother's fault for being useless, for not being able to move us into the Inner City... Otherwise... you wouldn't have to..."

She didn't finish. The worry on her face only deepened.

"Never mind, Mother. Go back to sleep. I'll sit for a little while, then I'll go back to bed." The man forced a smile to show that he was all right.

"All right... Your father has to go supervise the workers at dawn. I need to get some more sleep, or I won't be able to get up in time." The middle-aged woman nodded, then went to the doorway to check that the doors and windows were shut. In the darkness, she accurately felt around for the purple-black stone hanging on the wall beside the door and gave it a squeeze.

Only after confirming that the stone was fine did she turn and rustle into the inner room. Soon, the wooden bed creaked as she climbed in, followed by the grumbling sounds of an older man turning over.

The room by the flame fell quiet once more.

The man remained sitting alone, but scenes from the past few days drifted through his mind like a dream.

He dreamed every day. Perhaps they weren't dreams at all, but another life he had once lived.

In that life, the world was full of towering buildings, cars, and airplanes. Humanity ruled the planet and was racing toward the stars. Ordinary people had enough to eat and drink, and most passed the time on their phones and computers.

It was nothing like this, where life was so difficult.

The man reached out with his index finger and lightly wrote two characters on the dimly lit floor: Lin Hui.

That was his name, and the only mark he had in this life.

He wiped away the trace, let out a soft breath, then stood and carefully moved away from the flame. He went to the window.

Through the thin window, he found a few tiny holes and peered outside.

The Lin Family lived in a large compound, with dozens of people in the extended family. They were one of the biggest and most populous families in the surrounding area.

What met his eyes now was a square, traditional Chinese courtyard.

The courtyard had a rock garden, a pond, large trees, and a pavilion—everything one could want.

But a thin, gray-white mist shrouded it all.

This was called the Mist.

The world Lin Hui lived in now was fraught with trouble.

Or rather, "trouble" wasn't the right word. It was dangerous.

By day, all sorts of strange, misshapen creatures roamed outside the city. At night, the Mist descended, and every kind of eerie, terrifying threat drifted around.

Here, people relied on the city's high walls to keep out monsters, wild beasts, and disasters during the day. At night, they used Tuyue Jade Talismans issued by the Inner City government offices to protect their homes, and didn't dare venture outside.

These were the things Lin Hui had pieced together from his memories after coming to his senses over the past few days.

And that wasn't even the strangest part.

Hiss.

Lin Hui carefully widened the hole in front of him with his finger, hoping to get a better look.

What he saw in the courtyard outside was completely different from the Lin Family's own compound during the day!

Yes, completely different!

The Lin Family was well-off, but their compound wasn't so lavish. Its decor and upkeep were merely enough for daily life. This courtyard, on the other hand, had the extravagant style of a wealthy family.

A pond, a rock garden, a pavilion—these were luxuries that needed people to maintain them constantly just to keep them clean. How could the Lin Family afford such things?

And yet, through the thin mist, everything Lin Hui saw was so clear, so real.

Gulp.

Lin Hui swallowed involuntarily.

He was terrified.

Before awakening the memories of his previous life, seeing this familiar nightly scene wouldn't have frightened him so badly.

But after awakening, he had finally understood what these things before his eyes meant.

This was one of the world's great mysteries.

Every night, under the spreading Mist, the scenery outside one's home changed.

People weren't allowed outside at night. Besides the mysterious threats that roamed around, this was the biggest reason.

Every night, after the Mist shrouded the windows, it would first grow thick, then slowly thin. The scenery people could see afterward was different every time.

By now, Lin Hui had seen at least dozens of strange courtyards from different styles right there at home.

Sometimes they repeated, but most of the time, they changed.

All kinds of traditional Chinese courtyards from ancient times came and went. They were all old and dilapidated, clearly left untended for a long time.

Standing by the window, Lin Hui watched the scene outside without moving, as still as a statue.

Only after the mist outside gradually thickened again, then thinned once more over an hour later, did it return to the Lin Family's original courtyard.

Everything quietly returned to normal.

By then, dawn was slowly breaking in the east. The entire courtyard seemed as if nothing had happened, restored to normal.

Only after seeing this did Lin Hui let out a long breath, slowly back away, and return to the oil lamp.

Pfft.

He blew out the lamp with a single breath.

As the white light of day slowly poured through the window and brightened the room, he faintly heard his parents getting up and dressing behind him.

He knew a new day of work was about to begin.

The Lin Family lived in the Outer City of Tuyue City.

Tuyue was the name of their city, an enormous urban area divided into two main parts: the Inner City and the Outer City.

The Inner City was the prosperous heart of the city. It was safe to live in, and supplies were plentiful. They said it was a No Fog Zone, an absolutely safe place where the Mist never appeared, even at night.

The Outer City was where they lived. It wasn't one single district, but a vast area made up of countless tiny towns built around Tuyue's Inner City.

Between the towns were broad stretches of farmland, vegetable plots, orchards, and all kinds of processing workshops.

The town where the Lin Family lived was called Xinyu Town. To outsiders, they were still Tuyue People, but among themselves, they could only be considered people from the outskirts of the outskirts.

"Why are you still standing here?" In the inner room behind him, his father, Lin Shunhe, was pulling on a gray-white jacket. He fastened the knotted buttons on his chest with one hand and held a dark-brown wild boar hide vest in the other. It was meant to be worn on top for warmth.

"I couldn't sleep, so I'm having a look." Lin Hui turned and forced a smile. He didn't want his parents to worry.

"Ah..." Seeing him, his father seemed to think of something. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but stopped himself.

He had a plain, stolid face, dark skin, and a sturdy build. His hair was gray. He worked as a supervisor at the town's oil-processing workshop. His wages weren't high, but they weren't low either, more than enough to support a family of three.

In a normal world, theirs would have been a decent life. But the world they lived in was anything but normal.

Lin Shunhe sighed without saying anything, put on his vest, unlocked the door, and left.

"Ah He, haven't you eaten?" His mother, Yao Shan, called after him.

"I'll eat at the workshop. I'll scrounge up a meal there." Without looking back, Lin Shunhe waved and crossed the courtyard. He opened the gate and walked out, soon disappearing from sight.

The courtyard had returned to its original appearance.

There was a white-stone well, two crooked, blackish trees, and a gray stone table and stools. Faintly visible on the tabletop were the lines of a chessboard and a few scraps of black writing.

Uneven earthen walls surrounded the courtyard. A pile of firewood, old furniture, and farm tools lay in one corner.

Lin Hui watched his father leave, then picked up a jacket and slowly went outside too.

His mother followed and pressed a vegetable bun into his hand. It was piping hot and smelled faintly of vegetable oil. He stuffed it into his stomach in just a few bites.

"If you've got nothing to do, go outside and get some sun. I have to go to work soon too. I'll be back a little later this afternoon." Yao Shan had changed into a bright white cotton dress, put on her sleeves, and slung a small shoulder bag over her back. She was getting ready to leave.

Lin Hui remembered that she worked at one of the town's garment workshops. She was a veteran there, and had been working for more than ten years.

"The master's daughter is coming to inspect the place today. I'll find a chance to bring up your situation and see if there's any hope. Don't rush things yet," his mother reminded him carefully.

"Mm." Lin Hui nodded.

Before awakening his memories, he had already reached the age when he was supposed to go out and earn a living.

But he hadn't learned any skills. He'd wasted his time in a daze until he was old enough to work. Only then had his memories awakened and brought him back to his senses, but by then it was already a little late.

His parents had been busy lately, making arrangements for his future employment.

Seeing his nod, his mother glanced around, then leaned close and lowered her voice mysteriously.

"When I said not to rush, I wasn't just trying to comfort you. Your father took a private job a while back. Don't let it slip. He finished it yesterday, and the other party promised to secure you a really good position..."

"A private job!?" Lin Hui's expression changed. If they got caught, they'd be in trouble.

"Just don't tell anyone and it'll be fine. Don't worry; lots of the workshops around here have done it." His mother was clearly used to this sort of thing.

Lin Hui said nothing more. It was already done, and there was no point talking about it now.

There were more than a dozen workshops of all sizes in town. If anyone really looked into it, probably plenty of supervisors had done the same thing. If they started arresting people, they'd have their hands full.

He was only worried about the risk... His father worked at the town-owned oil workshop. If they were discovered, the consequences would be much worse than for a private job at a privately owned oil workshop. He might even be sent off to reclaim wasteland as cannon fodder.

"Your father should be able to bring back word today. Just wait patiently. If you've got nothing to do during the day, you can walk around nearby and loosen up. Just be sure to come back as soon as you hear the bell," his mother continued.

"All right... I understand..." Lin Hui's thoughts were a mess, and he could only nod.

He had been hit by a flood of memories over the past two days. He had no concrete plans for himself or his future. He could only take things one step at a time.

He watched his mother quickly comb her hair, pin in a pea-pod jade hairpin, and head out.

Lin Hui followed her into the courtyard and stood at the gate, looking outside.

A wide, horizontal dirt road stretched beyond the gate. Sparse green grass dotted its edges, and the surface was uneven, with puddles in a few places. It had clearly rained not long ago.

Houses lined the dirt road like sesame seeds scattered along a curve, stretching into the distance in the direction of his gaze.

Some houses were large, others small. Some were earthen, while others had stone courtyards. But they all had one thing in common: high walls.

There were already plenty of people and vehicles on the road: carts hauling goods, ox carts, carriages carrying passengers, children driving out chickens and ducks to graze, and, most of all, people leaving their homes to go to work in the town center.

Lin Hui stepped outside. Smelling the faint, earthy tang of the mud, he followed the road toward town.

Between the houses on either side lay broad fields and vegetable plots. Some people had already gone out to work in them.

"Xiaohui, have you been sleeping badly lately, or what? Why's your face so pale?" An old man with a white beard looked up from weeding nearby and called to him.

His name was Li Quanzhong. He lived to the right of the Lin Family Compound and had been their neighbor for years. He had an only son who worked as a barber in town.

"Yeah, I haven't been sleeping well lately... I've had a bit of a headache." Lin Hui came up with an excuse.

"Then you'd better take care of yourself. Drink more hot water when you get home. If that doesn't work, go get some Wanfu Meat to eat. You'll get better quick enough." Li Quanzhong chuckled.

Wanfu Meat...

Lin Hui's thoughts stirred.

The population of the Tuyue City District was enormous, and the outlying towns held the most people. Given the primitive level of production in this era, maintaining such a huge city should have been incredibly difficult. But the strange thing was—

The city government offices regularly distributed something called Wanfu Meat.

It was a kind of meat that smelled and tasted delicious. No one knew what creature it had been cut from, but everyone received a large slab weighing more than ten pounds every month.

That wasn't even the main point. Besides filling your stomach, Wanfu Meat could cure every illness!

No matter what was wrong with you, all it took was a small piece. Before long, you'd be cured. You didn't even need to see a doctor.

Lin Hui came back to himself, chatted casually with Old Man Li for a few moments, then continued down the dirt road.

He hadn't gone far when he saw a crowd of townspeople gathered outside a small courtyard beside the road.

A few cousins from other branches of the Lin Family were there too, watching the commotion. When they spotted him approaching from a distance, the boys scattered in a flurry, pulling faces and sticking out their tongues at him. One particularly bold one even spat toward him from afar.

Lin Hui pretended to charge at them, frightening the boys into running off.

His branch of the family was nothing special among the Lin clan. The reason the boys disliked him so much was that, before his awakening, he'd achieved nothing. He had no ability and no looks. Compared to the others his age, Lin Hui had been a good-for-nothing idler who spent all day lying around at home without lifting a finger.

In an age when everyone, young and old, had to work to make ends meet, someone who lounged around at home living off their parents was looked down on.

After chasing the boys away, Lin Hui walked closer and stood at the edge of the crowd, rising onto his toes to peer inside.

As he looked, he vaguely heard several people to his right muttering about Mountain Ghosts, Peach Tree Spirits, and revenge.

A few women to his left moved their lips softly, chanting a prayer in unison.

Farther inside, two tall, burly constables in black uniforms stood like a pair of walls, holding knives and blocking the townspeople who had gathered to watch.

The two of them chatted quietly as if no one else were there. They spoke in some town's dialect that Lin Hui couldn't understand at all.

Lin Hui looked farther in and glimpsed the courtyard gate standing open. Faint traces of blood stained the ground.

A leg, chewed until the flesh was a bloody mess and the white bone showed through, was clearly visible from the entrance.

"Still looking?" A bare-bottomed little boy craning his neck to see was grabbed by the ear from behind by his mother and dragged away.

"See that? That's what happens when you don't replace your Jade Talisman in time. I told you not to touch it again!"

"Let go! That hurts! I won't do it again, I promise!" the child wailed as he was dragged away.

Lin Hui watched the mother and son leave. In his gray robe, he was utterly inconspicuous among the crowd dressed in the same style.

"This has nothing to do with the Jade Talisman," a woman's low voice suddenly said nearby.

Lin Hui turned and saw a tall woman in a gray robe and black trousers. He didn't know when she had come up behind him.

Her face was somewhat similar to his. Her hair was simply tied into two buns. She held a jar for soy sauce, apparently just back from the shop.

"Come on, stop looking. This happened because of a Door-Breaking Ghost during the day." The woman was Lin Hongzhen, the eldest daughter of the Lin Family's main branch and Lin Hui's cousin. She was a year older than him.

"Door-Breaking Ghost..."

Lin Hui repeated the name, his expression turning grim. It was a general term for all the monsters and wild beasts that attacked humans during the day, not an actual ghost.