At first, he was really just a rich kid without any scheming, pampered by his family, and knew nothing except for the art he was interested in.

Now, Yu Xing recalls, he almost wants to cry at his own innocence back then.

The performer said he wasn't smart, and he really was foolish. He had let someone with impure motives stay at home for so long, and foolishly treated the other person as a friend, even as a mentor in experience.

He trusted without any doubt, and was defenseless when the betrayal came.

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Fortunately, Yu Xing eventually learned how to be clever in the long years that followed.

A person's character is pieced together in scenes of memory. Only after experiencing the good, do they understand what it means to be cheerful; only after experiencing pain, do they understand what it means to be indifferent; only after experiencing betrayal, do they understand what it means to be dark.

Every result has its cause, and every madness has its beginning.

Perhaps Yu Xing's transformation came about like this. After losing all his support, he was forcibly taken away and became the performer's experiment. When he escaped, his mind was completely twisted.

He realized that the performer had turned him into a monster, something that looked beautiful but actually carried all the darkness and negativity.

After the initial outbreak of this distortion, Yu Xing hid it within himself, pretending to be a person who met society's expectations, and unwillingly and diligently trying to regain his kindness.

The performer wanted him to become something corrupt, but Yu Xing refused.

The dream continued.

The voices of people holding guns were shouting and commanding each other at the top of their lungs. Yu Xing's body in the dream was full of holes and bullets, with blood flowing like a river, staining every step he took.

But as the researchers said, he was already unable to die.

Yu Xing felt the power within him at this moment, dark, cold, and terrifying. He had never felt such a strong sense of being dominated by ferocity.

In the end, he killed all the people with guns, casually took a blood-stained piece of clothing, and fled into that bright door, riddled with holes.

After going out, he didn't know how much time had passed.

In the dream, Yu Xing had his own clear consciousness, but most of the time, he couldn't control his actions and always empathized with the emotions of his dream self.

He used his fingers to dig out all the bullets embedded in his flesh, just as he had actually done before, with a cold expression.

The wounds had already started to squirm, healing, constantly reminding Yu Xing that he had now become a monster.

When will this dream end? He was a little impatient.

After walking a distance, a jungle appeared ahead, and then a small village came into view.

It was the village where Old Zhang lived.

Yu Xing was somewhat dazed: So that's how it is, this is how I got injured.

But here... it seems like I've been here before... I remember that after this, it seemed like there was a river, and in the river—

The dream abruptly stopped at this moment, and all his consciousness suddenly stagnated.

...

The sunlight shone on his face, bringing a wave of warmth. Yu Xing furrowed his brow and woke up exhausted from the chaotic dream of the night.

He sat up in one go, rubbing his throbbing temples with his hand. "Dreaming is really tiring..."

But this dream was not in vain. He had remembered a lot of things.

Birth, growth, change, capture, escape.

This part of his memory had returned.

However, when he saw what happened after the village, it was as if something didn't want him to know, forcibly interrupting his memory. He could only confirm that everything he had experienced since yesterday seemed to be a kind of reenactment.

He had clearly moved away from these things, so why was he back here now?

Yu Xing checked his physical condition and thought somewhat strangely: And, it seems like I've become much weaker...

His mind raced at lightning speed, and he quickly organized a timeline of data.

He guessed that his real experiences should have been a long time ago, so for now, he considered the real time as 10.

And the things that happened in this village probably only counted as 5.

Something must have happened at the point of memory loss in 6789, which caused him to return to the timeline of 5 for reasons he temporarily couldn't understand, and relive the experience.

Hypnosis?

Illusion?

Rebirth?

Encountering some kind of terrifying specter?

Or did the curse planted in him by the performer's laboratory erupt, leading to an unknown result?

Based on the information he had, these were the only possibilities Yu Xing could think of. However, rebirth was the least likely, because this village now had too many irrational things, such as the rapid alternation of day and night, and Old Zhang's house becoming desolate overnight.

This place was likely not the real world, and he should find a way to break free from this illusion.

Based on his past experiences with encountering ghosts, in order to escape from a supernatural place, he had to find a breakthrough point to realign his consciousness with reality.

So, what he needed to do now was to find this point.

"Hmm, I wonder how I grew up in the future, what kind of person I became. From what I can see now, I've caused so much trouble, so I must not have been very well-behaved... I wonder if the performer is dead?" Yu Xing murmured to himself, his eyes filled with anxiety. He just said it casually, not dwelling on these questions, and got up from the bed.

Outside, the daylight was abundant, and Granny Li was making breakfast. Yu Xing specifically went to the main hall to take a look, and all the bloodstains on the floor had been cleaned up.

Seeing him, Granny Li smiled and said, "Good morning, Mr. Shi Wei."

"Good morning." Yu Xing nodded politely, and then his eyes flashed.

Shi Wei.

The name given to him by the shaman might be a clue.

As for the village, he didn't remember much from his dream. He only remembered a river. After finishing breakfast, Yu Xing took the opportunity to ask Granny Li if there was a river near the village.

There must be one, and he already knew the answer before asking, because it was normal for a village in the mountains to be built by a river.

He just wanted to know the specific information.

Granny Li said, "Yes, there is a river to the west of the village. When my grandson was still here, he often went to that river to catch fish."

"To the west of the village..." Yu Xing lowered his head in thought. "Can I go take a look?""Of course, you can. However, the witch just came by and told me not to disturb your sleep. She said once you wake up, you should have breakfast and then go to her place to change your dressing," Granny Li earnestly advised. "You should go first; the witch is concerned about you."

Yu Xing: Alright, this Granny Li really does put the witch first in everything.

He was just thinking about seeing what exactly the witch wanted to do to him. After finishing his meal, he leisurely made his way to the witch's home.

The witch seemed to be doing some embroidery. Hearing footsteps, she looked up with a smile in her eyes: "Shi Wei, you've come."

"Mhm," Yu Xing said, "I'm here to change my dressing."

The witch had already prepared the medical kit. She asked, "How did the medicine feel yesterday? Is your wound any better?"

Yu Xing pretended to assess his condition and then replied, "I don't know why, but my wound is healing quickly. Today, I hardly feel it anymore."

No sooner had he spoken than he saw the witch staring at him intently, her tone oddly excited: "It's already healed?"