4 CABIN

Amidst the sea of green, stood a house, crude and rustic, outfitted from twigs, branches, and bricks. The cabin nestled on the edge of the rain-soaked meadow, its roof glistened from the recent rain. Approaching the house with rugged steps was an average-sized man, his weary arms carrying an unconscious woman and an infant.

Caught in his thoughts, Jian Shen found himself cradled in a rather uncomfortable position. "If only I were in my original body, I would've dealt with this guy already," he muttered in frustration, though his words came out incoherently, resembling the babble of an infant. "To be carried in such a manner by a criminal, how humiliating!" Despite his inner rants, he managed to catch a glimpse of the house they were approaching.

"Huh, so this little f---er lives in this house? It's an impressive structure, but it looks so different from the farmhouses I used to know," Jian Shen thought to himself. "Where am I exactly?" As Shen observed the cabin before him, he couldn't help but marvel at its unique charm and architectural differences from the farmhouses of his time. Unaware of the true extent of time that had passed, he found himself in a completely foreign world.

The man finally reached the cabin's door, still carrying the weight of three. His weary hands struggled to position the woman on his shoulders and shift the infant to his other arm. With a sigh, he reached for the knob to open the door. Shen, still observing and appalled by the new environment, couldn't help but wonder, "What kind of latch is that?" He referred to the knob, which appeared strangely futuristic in Shen's eyes.

Astonished by the exterior of the house, he was even more bewildered as he caught sight of the interior. His mind struggled to comprehend the unfamiliar surroundings, as everything seemed new to him. The couch, tables, and various other furnishings perplexed him, as they didn't make any sense in his frame of reference. The unfamiliarity of this world left him in a state of wonder and confusion. "I've heard stories from those eccentric scholars about civilizations beyond the borders, but this is just absurd," Shen thought in his mind, contemplating the possibility of being in another state.

Shen was abruptly pulled from his thoughts as his infantile body was roughly tossed onto the bed. "I can't have you dying on me," Lan Wei stated, tending to Li Si, not out of kindness but due to his crude obsession with her. As Wei attended to Li Si, Shen observed with a mix of disappointment and frustration. "Look at him go. Why did he attempt murder when he was going to act so frantic? Is he stupid?" Jian Shen silently expressed his dismay, unable to comprehend Wei's erratic behavior. Deciphering the psyche of the deranged is truly a complex task. Wei hastily left the room to search for a solution to his predicament, leaving Jian Shen to grapple with the unsettling situation he found himself in.

Jian Shen carefully examined the situation. He was not one to let things unfold on their own, and he felt indebted to this lady, so he knew he ought to help her. From the severity of the injury inflicted by the shovel, he was certain it was grave. In his new body, he realized that executing the techniques taught by the martial masters of his past might be challenging, but he remained determined to try.

"I wonder if I'd still be able to perform the revered techniques. The body is different, but my soul is undoubtedly the same," he pondered. "Ah, to hell with it!" Jian Shen decided to enter a meditative state while controlling his breathing. He began practicing a cultivating technique called Shēntǐ Kòngzhì to enhance his body's motor skills, granting him precise control over individual body parts and muscles.

After a few hours of intense focus, Shen broke off his meditation. "It works! But only for a while. The technique is not perfected. Maintaining this technique for a long time reduces my lifespan," he realized with a sense of urgency. With a balance of haste and precision, he gathered his strength to crawl to the lady's side and perform a resuscitation technique. Drawing on his knowledge of Qi Liu Hexie, he directed his qi into the lady's body. Aware of the risks, he focused his qi with utmost accuracy, knowing that a wrong flow of qi could disrupt the vital energy balance and lead to grave consequences, including death.

"The lady's qi seems to have stabilized," Jian Shen calmly remarked, having performed this technique countless times before. However, with his juvenile form, uncertainty loomed over the outcome, making him feel a profound sense of relief when he found out that it had worked. As the morning light graced the room, Lan Wei returned home, wearing an expression of defeat and desperation. Instead of carrying a tool or medicine to help Li Si's condition, he clutched a knife in his trembling hand. "What on earth is he planning to do? Don't tell me... Well, here goes my last life—to the abyss I return," Jian Shen thought to himself, ready to protect the lady at any cost.

Contrary to Jian Shen's speculation, Wei wasn't intending to end Li Si's life, but rather his own. He pointed the knife to his own neck, attempting to slit his throat. However, his actions came to an abrupt halt when he noticed Li Si still alive and breathing against all odds. A strange mix of shock and relief crossed Wei's face.

He wasn't concerned about Li Si informing others of his crimes, as he believed a blind woman would have little power to take any action against him. Instead, Wei planned to keep Li Si trapped in his house, ensuring that she wouldn't have the opportunity to reveal his misdeeds to the outside world. He wanted to eliminate any chances of his neighbors discovering the truth about the heinous acts he had committed.

The knife in his hand was not meant for Li Si, but rather, a desperate tool to end his own life, driven by guilt and remorse for his monstrous actions. The sight of Li Si still alive brought a mix of shock and relief, as he realized that he had failed in his attempt to end his own life, leaving him to face the consequences of his deeds.

After a while, Li Si began to stir, her eyes fluttering gracefully as she slowly regained consciousness. Despite feeling dizzy and disoriented, she mustered all her strength to get up, her balance still eluding her. As she explored her surroundings with trembling hands, she relied on her sense of touch to recognize the familiar setting of her and Wei's house. Panic washed over her, and her heart raced as she called out for her baby. "My baby! Where is he?" she cried out, but there was no one there to answer. Wei was nowhere to be seen.

Meanwhile, Jian Shen, who was still awake, listened intently to Li Si's cries. Amidst her distress, he caught a word that sounded familiar, baobao(宝宝) which means precious baby in the language he knew. "Is she referring to this body as her precious baby?" he wondered, realizing that the only infant in the vicinity was him. Despite his current confinement in a baby's body, he exerted every effort to roll himself closer to her. Though his movements were limited, he felt a surge of empathy for the woman as he witnessed her tears and heard her desperate calls for her son.

As Li Si reached out, her hand touched a soft surface, and she instinctively clutched it. Relief flooded her when she realized it was her baby, Xin. "Xin, my baby! I thought he had taken you away from me again," she sobbed, holding her child close. "I love you, and I will do anything to protect you. I'm sorry for being so powerless, sorry that you were born into a world of violence, but I promise you, I will do everything in my power to keep you safe."

Jian Shen, now known as Lan Xin, still couldn't fully comprehend the woman's words due to the language barrier, but he could feel the depth of her love for this infant. He couldn't explain it, but he felt a connection to Li Si, as if he were her son. "Could it be that this body was her son? That would explain everything," he mused silently.

Shen could sense the love and protectiveness in Li Si's heart, and that resonated with him deeply. Perhaps it was because he never experienced the love of a mother in his previous life, but now, in this new existence, he felt a glimmer of happiness, knowing he was cherished and alive once more.

A few years later, the old cabin stood weathered and rustic, its timeworn frame bearing witness to the passage of years. The walls now displayed lines of experience, etched with the stories of time gone by. Yet, amidst the rays of sunshine and the brilliance of the sky, an air of melancholy and darkness clung to its very core.

The once-fresh twigs and branches that adorned the cabin had now embraced the patina of age, mirroring the weight that resided within the hearts of its inhabitants.

Inside the cabin, the atmosphere seemed to reflect the weight of the years gone by. The darkness within had not dissipated, and a somber aura still lingered in every corner. The furnishings, though once quaint, now bore the marks of time's relentless hand, their luster faded like the memories they held.

Amidst the aged surroundings, Xin stood in the center of the room, holding a broom in his tiny hands. As the years rolled on, everything in the cabin bore the marks of time's passing—weathered, aged, and transformed. Yet, amidst these shifting panorama, he remained an unwavering presence, standing resolute amidst the flow of time, with one exception—his appearance.

"It's been five years, and that wretched Wei kept us locked in here like prisoners all this time," Xin seethed in his mind, frustration evident in his thoughts. "That despicable man treats me like a servant," he lamented as he swept the floor with a broom much larger than his tiny stature.

Xin had been practicing his cultivation secretly during these past few years, just like muscle memory from his previous life. Many times, he attempted to strike back at Wei, but for some reason, he was holding back. "He even forces me to work in the fields," he recalled the toil and labor he did in the fields, countless opportunities to escape, but he couldn't abandon Li Si alone. "I'll f-cking kill him" he muttered darkly in ancient Lóngyǔ as he swept the dust.

The wooden door emitted a creak, revealing Wei's disheveled and scrawny figure as he entered the house with bloodshot eyes. "He's at it with those white powders again?" Xin remarked. Wei gravitated toward the kitchen, producing clatters of pots and pans that reverberated through the living room. "Li Si!!! How many times must I instruct you to prepare lunch!?" Wei's voice reverberated, even extending beyond the confines of the dwelling.

A frenetic rustling of feet on the wooden floor above escalated until it reached the staircase. "I apologize, dear. It seems that I've mistook the time again." Li Si said with a shaky voice as she descended, her grasp on the railing firm while her gaze remained averted from her own steps.

Wei's visage twisted in exasperation, his jaw clenching as he resolved to ascend the stairs. But before Li Si could complete her second step downwards, Wei intervened. "No, don't come down. I'll come to you," he declared, a sense of ill intent spurring his hastened climb. Li Si retreated in trepidation, yet her retreat was sluggish, and Wei intercepted her, barricading the door with his arms. Xin, perceptive to his surroundings, detected a recurring pattern.

"That son of a bitch" Xin muttered, dropping the broom and hastening upstairs. He confronted Wei just before he could force entry, extending his arms as a barrier. An amalgamation of emotions—fear, anger, disgust—etched across Xin's face as he recollected a memory.

Back then, Xin could barely walk, yet he bore witness to Wei's transgressions against Li Si. It extended beyond mere physical abuse; the memory elicited a shudder within Xin.

"It's you again. Must you always obstruct my path?" Wei sneered.

"Nevermind, it's more gratifying beating you up than defiling that skank" Wei scoffed, his arms poised to strike Xin. With a swift gesture, Xin canceled the sound surrounding Li Si using qi manipulation, as he had done numerous times before.

"Is everything alright? Are you there, Xin?" Li Si's voice quivered as she tried to open the door, yet Xin's qi pressure from the outside rendered her efforts futile, the door steadfastly resisting her push.

Wei's open palm connected with Xin's cheek, the resounding impact reverberating through the air, yet Xin's stance held firm, unwavering against the strike. Wei's grip then seized a chair positioned near the room's wall.

The chair struck Xin's upper body repeatedly until it shattered, its remnants splintering his skin and drawing blood. "This is why the amusement thrives in assaulting you!" Wei declared, his laughter echoing as he continued his onslaught, delivering kicks to Xin's gut.

"No matter how much I torment you, you won't die!" Wei's words carried a deranged mirth as his fists and feet rained upon Xin, the force of the blows causing him to cough up blood.

"If you think about it, Li Si deserved that miscarriage. There's no way you're my son. That bitch must have lain with a ghoul, birthing a monstrosity like to you!" Wei spat, an unbridled savagery propelling his assault on Xin.

The crescendo of brutality continued, until the distant wails of sirens shattered the air.

"That bitch called the cops on me!" Wei exclaimed in anger, bewildered that somehow the outside world had reached them despite his efforts to isolate Li Si from seeking help. He had gone to extreme lengths, even cutting off electricity, to prove how much of a paranoid and controlling man he was.

However, Li Si couldn't have possibly made the call, as she had been confined indoors for five years. It was the observant and concerned neighbors who noticed something was amiss, hearing the sounds of constant fighting, a woman crying, and a man shouting in anger. These disturbances were not limited to a single occasion; they occurred frequently, raising suspicions among the neighbors. At times, even gunshots echoed from the house, adding to the growing concern.

With the house being in an open space, the sounds easily traveled, catching the attention of the neighbors and prompting them to take action and report the disturbing situation to the authorities.

Wei's desperate attempt to flee failed as Xin's grip seized his arms, the struggle for escape proving futile against Xin's monstrous strength. "I've been waiting for this opportune moment all this time," Xin spoke aloud in ancient Lóngyǔ.

Xin had indeed been anticipating this moment; he could have killed Wei at any time, but he was aware of the consequences such actions might bring. With the police now present outside, Xin saw this as the perfect opportunity to execute his plan. He released Wei's hands, and in a panic, Wei fled in fear.

Wei had never experienced such terror before, feeling the ominous presence behind him, even more menacing than the devil himself. "I knew that child was strange the moment I laid my eyes on him. I should've just left him to die" Wei's thoughts raced.

With his opponent running in terror, Xin dashed towards Wei with an eerie speed, revealing a small knife from his pocket.

Wei, stunned, saw Xin's back before him, holding a bloodied knife in his right hand, and in that moment, he felt his consciousness slipping away. His vision blurred, and he saw blood spurting from his neck before darkness enveloped him.

He had long-awaited the chance to confront and eliminate Wei, intending to make it appear as though Wei had taken his own life out of fear of being exposed for his heinous crimes. Using his skill in sound manipulation through qi control, Xin meticulously crafted a convincing illusion, manipulating the sounds that the neighbors and police would hear.

Additionally, he shrouded every trace of evidence, including the knife left behind at the scene. With a subtle veil of qi, he concealed any incriminating traces, carefully placing it within Wei's grasp. His actions were precise and calculated, ensuring that the scene would point towards Wei's guilt.

"I thought I'd sworn off the path of taking lives. Seems like changing one's ways isn't as simple as turning a page."

"That's why, for a brief instance, I embraced the ebbing of my own life. It was a miracle, really, a fleeting moment where I tasted oblivion."