Wild grass, a lonely grave.
The setting sun was red as blood.
A boy emerged from the wild grass, blood staining his clothes. Expressionless, he approached the lonely grave and cleared the weeds from its mound. After a while, he sat down before it, took out a flask of wine, and poured it onto the ground. "Old man, I've come back to see you."
"A year has passed before I knew it. My words became a prophecy-that joke we made back then came true. I really did go to Shrek Academy. There were a few twists and turns along the way, but at Shrek Academy, I met new friends and new teachers, and my studies have been fulfilling. Honestly, I've been very happy this past year, so you can rest easy down there. If reincarnation really exists in this world, you should hurry along to your next life, too. I wonder whether people really do begin a new life in another world after they die..."
"Oh, right. Widow Wang at the village entrance remarried. I think her husband is a butcher from another village. She doesn't sell wine anymore, either, but that's all right. I brought back a flask of truly good wine from the Eight Treasures Tower. You never got to enjoy it while you were alive, so now that you're dead, you might as well have a taste!"
Jiang Hai gave a bitter chuckle, grabbed the flask, and took a swig. He rarely drank, but at times like this, he always shared a few cups with the old man. As the wine seeped into his sorrow-laden gut, a glint of coldness flashed through his eyes. He said to the lonely grave, "Old man, do you remember? Last time, I told you I'd spent three years traveling this country.