Chapter 1

The bone-chilling cold seeped through from the surrounding well water, taking away Wang Qi's body heat and causing him immense suffering.

"Is it this dream again?"

Wang Qi almost immediately realized something as he entered this scene, then lifted his head amidst the confusion and looked up at the sky above the well...

The flames cast a bright light on the night sky, and the sounds of battle cries and wails echoed loudly.

Suddenly, he felt a cold embrace...

In an instant, the surrounding scenery vanished, and he woke up from the nightmare that had plagued him for nearly a decade.

Before him was the scene of a dilapidated room, with a pale blue moonlight shining through the gaps in the wooden boards, allowing him to see everything in the room clearly.

This was Wang Qi's own room, and he was lying on his bed at the moment.

But when he turned his head, he suddenly saw a beautifully dressed woman sitting by his bedside, quietly and somewhat gloomily staring at him...

Wang Qi felt an overwhelming heaviness in his body, making it difficult for him to sit up.

He began to struggle, feeling as if his body was rapidly vibrating, trying to break free from some kind of restraint...

Fortunately, he had practiced this many times. After a moment of struggle, he suddenly sat up on the bed and said silently, "Auntie Yun, did you wait long?"

The beautifully dressed woman was Auntie Yun, his wet nurse.

Auntie Yun did not respond, but she lowered her head with a somewhat gloomy and gentle expression, seemingly unwilling to make eye contact with Wang Qi.

Wang Qi was not particularly bothered by this and asked again, "Where is Ah Bao?"

Auntie Yun remained silent, only pointing to a corner of the room.

Wang Qi followed her gaze and saw a six-year-old child, dressed in expensive clothes like a young master, seemingly doing somersaults in that corner...

"Ah Bao, come over here, closer to me."

Wang Qi called out.

The child named Ah Bao, hearing this, quickly ran over with his short legs... although he was obedient, he also kept his head down, unwilling to make eye contact with Wang Qi.

Looking at the two people beside him, a wave of sadness welled up in Wang Qi's heart.

He quickly suppressed his thoughts, knowing from experience that he must not have any emotional fluctuations at this moment; his mindset must be calm and peaceful.

Without hesitation, he sat up straight and began to recite the Heart Sutra, which he had brought from another world:

"Omniscient Bodhisattva, when practicing the profound Prajna Paramita, saw that all five aggregates are empty, thus transcending all suffering and distress...

"O Sariputra, form does not differ from emptiness, emptiness does not differ from form; form is emptiness, emptiness is form...

"Therefore, in emptiness there is no form, no sensation, no perception, no formation, no consciousness...

"No ignorance, no end of ignorance...

"..."

"Gate, gate,

"Paragate,

"Parasamgate,

"Bodhi svaha..."

As Wang Qi recited the Heart Sutra, many shadowy figures began to gather around him.

At this moment, Wang Qi's small room seemed to transcend spatial constraints, making it hard to imagine how so many people could fit inside.

But they came, one by one, with gloomy faces, trying to look directly into Wang Qi's eyes... but at this moment, Wang Qi avoided their gaze, quietly reciting the sutra that only he knew in this world.

After reciting the heart mantra 108 times, Wang Qi stopped.

At this moment, Auntie Yun, who had been sitting by his bedside, suddenly stood up as if to clean the room... but she swept away all the shadowy figures.

Wang Qi felt mentally exhausted and wanted to fall into a deep sleep.

At this moment, Ah Bao gently tugged at his hand and pointed upwards...

"Yes, I still haven't completed the tasks Uncle Da Shan assigned... I know."

Wang Qi responded, then with some effort, as if breaking free from the last of the restraints, he suddenly floated up...

He looked down and saw his body lying on the bed, sound asleep, while he had already passed through the roof and stood on the rooftop.

The first time he tried this, he was so scared that he immediately 'pulled back,' but now he knew that as long as his mind was free of sorrow and joy, he could maintain this state.

Thinking about this state of no sorrow, no joy, no thought, and no desire, it was a technique he had learned from the Heart Sutra.

At this moment, he could clearly feel that he had two bodies: one lying on the bed below, and the other standing on the rooftop, waiting for the first ray of sunlight of the day.

Suddenly, he felt a bright light from the heavens shine upon him, making him feel dazed...

Instinctively, he rolled to the side and fell straight down.

"Boom!"

Wang Qi, who had been lying down, suddenly opened his eyes. The surroundings were still his room, but the early morning light was seeping through the gaps in the wooden walls.

The birds were chirping, bringing a fresh morning scent.

At this moment, he felt as if his entire body was immersed in a hot spring, with a warm and comfortable sensation.

This made his muscles feel as if they had been massaged, and even his originally tired spirit was well-rested.

However, Ah Bao and Auntie Yun were nowhere to be seen.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

His small room door was being pounded on forcefully, making one worry that the door might break.

"Wang Qi, it's time to get up for morning practice!"

Wang Da Shan's rough voice came from outside, sounding very energetic.

Wang Qi, unwilling to interrupt the comfortable feeling, remained silent for about a minute... until the warm sensation quickly faded.

But in just a moment, the pounding on the door was about to turn into breaking it down...

Wang Qi quickly called out, "I know, Uncle Da Shan, I'll be out soon!"

He quickly got up... being a hunter in the mountains, he slept casually and didn't need to wash or tidy up much...

Thinking back, he used to be a clean and quality-conscious person, but now he had been taught by the harsh reality.

He opened the door to see Wang Da Shan, a muscular man in animal skins, waiting impatiently.

Seeing him come out, Wang Da Shan scolded, "You little brat, don't you know the importance of morning practice? The first breath of fresh air in the morning can nourish your primordial yang, which is crucial for your cultivation of the 'Shaoyang Qi.'"

Dressed as a mountain hunter, but speaking like a tutor from a wealthy family.

"I know, Uncle Da Shan!" Wang Qi retorted without fear, "You're in your forties, yet you still have such a bad temper. If you can't calm your mind and practice tranquility, how will you achieve the path through martial arts?"

"You little brat, don't talk back..." Wang Da Shan, looking exhausted, started to scold... being a rough man, he could only curse when he couldn't argue.

Despite their current confrontation, Wang Qi and Wang Da Shan had relied on each other for ten years, closer than father and son.

But Wang Da Shan's expression suddenly turned serious, and he stammered, "I felt a gathering of yin entities last night. Was it Auntie Yun and the others again?"

Wang Qi nodded seriously, "Yes, Ah Bao and Auntie Yun came, and they seemed to be doing well."

He had never hidden his special abilities from Wang Da Shan, as they were closer than father and son.

Wang Da Shan's expression was complex and conflicted, and he finally said, "You should do this less often. After all, the yin and yang realms are separate, and excessive contact with yin entities can harm your own yang energy."

But this time, Wang Qi did not respond. Instead, he went outside, took a deep breath, and leaped onto the rooftop, sitting cross-legged.

This was a familiar spot, as he had just left it.

Then he closed his eyes and began to meditate and practice, ignoring Wang Da Shan's angry stomping below, entering a state of cultivation.

Wang Da Shan could only shake his head helplessly, completely at a loss.

He had raised Wang Qi for ten years and had never hit the child, nor could he do anything with this overly sensible child.