Shi Yi

"Doctor, can my eyes ever become normal again?" The slightly subdued voice came from a young man in his twenties.

Dressed in ordinary casual clothes, he sat perfectly upright, his hands resting naturally on his thighs. His bangs were so long that they completely covered his eyes; even the ophthalmologist sitting across from him could not see them.

However, after looking through the examination report in his hands, the ophthalmologist understood his patient's condition.

He considered for a moment, then answered, "Shi Yi, correct?

You have an extremely rare congenital eye disorder, medically known as double pupils, paired pupils, or double-pupilled eyes.

With current medical technology, it is unlikely that we can make your eyes look normal.

I've checked your vision, and this congenital condition hasn't affected it, so you don't need any specific treatment. If your vision deteriorates because of the double pupils later on, it won't be too late to treat the symptoms then."

After hearing the ophthalmologist's assessment and advice concerning his congenital eye disorder, Shi Yi nodded mechanically. He picked up his medical card and examination report, thanked the specialist, then turned and left.

When he stepped through the hospital doors, he finally raised the head he had kept lowered all along and looked up at the sky. His long bangs slid to either side of his forehead, revealing a pair of eyes unlike those of ordinary people.

An ordinary person had only one pupil in each eye, but Shi Yi had two. They looked both mysterious and eerie, possessing an inexplicably uncanny quality.

"Double pupils..."

He gave a bitter chuckle, the sound filled with resentment.

Ever since birth, Shi Yi had suffered deeply because of his double pupils. His parents had been disparaged by the villagers for giving birth to a son with such eyes, and he had been regarded as an embodiment of ill fortune. At school, his classmates had isolated and ostracized him because of his double pupils. Although he had made some genuine friends who did not look at him strangely, that could not change the fact that he was treated differently.

He had thought things would improve after graduation, once he left school. Who could have imagined that, after entering society, Shi Yi would still repeatedly lose jobs because of those eyes?

The reasons were plentiful: he frightened customers, damaged the company's image...

This time, he had come to the country's best eye hospital to see whether this disorder could be cured so that he could return to a normal life. Unfortunately, Heaven refused to grant his wish.

As he walked, Shi Yi thought of many things concerning double pupils and could not help drifting into a daze.

In the distant past, there had been Cangjie, the sage who invented writing; Yu Shun, the leader of the Huaxia tribes; Chong'er, Duke Wen of Jin; and Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu... without exception, they had all possessed double pupils. Each had shone brightly in his own era, leaving a bold, richly inked stroke in the history books. Their deeds had always inspired him.

Of course, there had also been eras when double pupils were considered a mark of heresy. Those who possessed them in such times had met utterly miserable ends. Compared with them, the injustices Shi Yi had suffered because of his double pupils amounted to nothing. At the very least, he was still alive.

Suddenly, Shi Yi stopped in front of a shop, staring blankly at the dazzling assortment of merchandise inside.

It was a cosmetic contact lens shop. Everywhere he looked, shelves displayed all manner of cosmetic lenses for customers to choose from.

It was not that he had never tried wearing cosmetic lenses to conceal his unusual eyes. Strangely, however, no matter their pattern, style, or color, none could hide his double pupils. Instead, they made his eyes look even more uncanny. Even dark sunglasses produced the same result.

Shi Yi did not understand what caused this, but now he had no other choice. He could only turn his attention to a cosmetic lens shop once again.

"Perhaps it's the material. A different, newer material might work," he muttered to himself.

Yet just as he was about to enter the shop and ask for advice, a piercing, shrill blast of a horn approached from afar, rapidly growing louder and dragging Shi Yi back to reality.

He turned to look behind him, his body instinctively tensing as he tried to dodge. Unfortunately, the car behind him came too fast, like a bolt of lightning, leaving him no time to react.

In the final moments of his life, Shi Yi heard the sounds of his own bones cracking and blood spraying.

He could not help sighing. He was far too unlucky-even standing on the sidewalk, he could be struck from behind and carried off by a speeding car that appeared out of nowhere. It seemed Heaven meant to destroy him.

The next instant, his consciousness blurred, and his vision sank into deep, unending darkness.

It's so dark. Is this the so-called underworld?

The thoughts in Shi Yi's mind had not abruptly ceased; they continued to turn.

Suddenly, something extraordinary happened. Brilliant beams of light descended from the heavens, shooting down and radiating blazing light that dispelled the darkness before Shi Yi's eyes. The silence here was shattered as well, with explosions and roars ringing out from the sky above.

"Ziling, things have already come to this. You should stop now. We know Hao'er has suffered an injustice. Please believe that we will certainly compensate him."

It was an aged voice, followed immediately by a powerful, furious roar.

"Ancestor, have you forgotten our clan's ancestral teachings? For the sake of a little wolf cub who harmed his own kin, you would cast aside the clan's very foundation and soul?"

"No matter what, Yi'er must not come to harm. He is the future of our Martial King Manor, the future master of this vast land," another aged voice declared.

"Today, I insist on cutting him down and purging this rotten horse from the herd."

"How dare you!"

"Who is the one overstepping?"

Boom!

A tremendous roar reverberated through the clouds, making everyone's ears buzz. Meanwhile, sacred light and dazzling treasured techniques danced across the sky, leaving onlookers' eyes swimming.

"Yi'er, what's wrong? Did forcibly using the Supreme Bone just now cause something to go wrong with your body?"

Suddenly, a voice reached him, snapping Shi Yi out of his stupor.

Before him stood an old man drenched in blood, nearly half his body a mangled mess of flesh, looking at him with concern.

Just moments earlier, this old man had carried Shi Yi on his back and drawn on the power of his double pupils to battle the frenzied Shi Ziling. Although he had caught Shi Ziling off guard at first, his actual strength still fell short of his opponent's. Even when the Supreme Bone in Shi Yi's chest unleashed its power, they remained no match for him. Had four ancestors of the clan not come to their rescue, their opponent would already have slain them.

Now, seeing the brief loss of light in Shi Yi's eyes and the momentary, violent fluctuation of vitality within his body, Shi Li disregarded his own injuries and focused all his attention on him.

Faced with an unfamiliar old man dressed in ancient clothing and bearing horrific injuries, Shi Yi, who had only just arrived in this world, was so shocked that he could barely speak.