Xiao Man looked at the unfamiliar streets, a hint of doubt in her eyes. The streets here were rather rudimentary, suggesting a remote town. The people here wore gentle smiles; though their lives were somewhat meager, it didn't hinder their happiness.
"Run! The cultivators are attacking! Run!"
A group of people stormed into the small town, wielding their swords like demons, killing indiscriminately. Everyone fled in disarray. The once peaceful streets were suddenly filled with panic and terror. A child, clutching a dirty doll, stood on the deserted street, his innocent eyes filled with bewilderment.
"Dad, Mom, where are you?"
"Chen An, hide quickly." Xiao Man rushed over, urging him to hide. However, her hand passed through Chen An's body, not touching him. Xiao Man looked at her hand. Was she seeing Chen An's memories?
In a moment, the attackers stormed into the town, while Chen An remained standing there, frozen.
"Chen An, hide quickly!" Xiao Man was anxious. These people were clearly hostile, and if Chen An fell into their hands, he would likely meet a grim fate.
Yet, Chen An, like a startled fawn, remained rooted to the spot, his face contorted in terror as a group of people surrounded him.
"Senior brother, we've caught a stray little rabbit." A man looped a rope around Chen An's neck and dragged him to the ground. Chen An, terrified, clutched at the rope around his neck, unable to cry out. He was dragged everywhere by the group. Stones scraped through his clothes, tearing his skin. Blood gushed out, staining the flagstone road. Yet, the men showed no mercy.
Xiao Man was enraged. "Let him go!"
However, neither her roars nor her attacks had any effect. She could only watch helplessly as they tortured Chen An, locking him in a cage like a dog and tormenting and humiliating him to their fullest extent.
Xiao Man watched this scene, filled with immense anger, yet utterly powerless. She could only witness Chen An being tormented by so-called righteous cultivators, becoming a "poisonous person," and being thrown into a deep pit. The pit was filled with the bodies of the murdered. These were Chen An's clansmen, perhaps even his parents.
Chen An lay in the deep pit, his eyes gazing at the small square of sky. The sky then was blue, the clouds drifting across the small expanse white. He even saw stars, twinkling like jewels. So, he had once seen such a beautiful sky, with white clouds and stars.
But the last glimmer of light in his eyes vanished. Everything around him turned into a gray sky. Xiao Man opened her eyes again and found herself back in the desert. The gray sky was just like the color in Chen An's eyes at his final moment. This was a world constructed by Chen An.
"Sister, no one is waiting for me outside anymore. All my clansmen are dead."
"Besides your clansmen, there must be others waiting for you."
"No one! They are all dead!" Chen An clutched his head, shaking it incessantly. "There won't be, never again!"
"There's me!" Xiao Man hugged Chen An, gently patting his back, soothing his frantic heart. "Don't worry, there's me."
Xiao Man's comfort seemed to work. Chen An gradually calmed down, nestled in Xiao Man's embrace, and fell asleep. Xiao Man looked at Chen An's sleeping face and couldn't help but sigh. They were both pitiable souls who had experienced their families and clansmen being slaughtered. She had moved past her hatred, but Chen An had not.
In the Land of No Law, a sleeping figure suddenly opened his eyes. The thick iron chains let out a piercing shriek as he awoke, preventing the prisoner from breaking free. No matter how much he struggled, he could not shake the chains that bound him. After a long while, the struggling figure fell back into slumber.
"Sister." Chen An sat up and looked at Xiao Man.
"Awake."
"Yes. Sister, will you abandon me?" Chen An asked uneasily. "Will you leave me here alone?"
"No." Xiao Man knelt before Chen An, gesturing for him to climb onto her back. "I'll take you out with me."
Chen An lay on Xiao Man's back. Her back was not broad or strong, even a bit thin, but it made him feel safe.
"Sister, if I become a great villain, will you abandon me?"
"No."
"If I'm captured, will you save me?"
"Yes."
"Why do you save me?" Chen An asked like a curious child.
"Because I promised you I would take you out to see the blue sky, white clouds, and sparkling stars." Xiao Man's steps were steady. Even though the sandstorms were relentless and the end was out of sight, her expression remained unwavering.
"Sister, don't go anymore, we're here." Chen An's voice sounded. Xiao Man stopped, reaching out and indeed touching an invisible wall. This was the end of the barrier. After a moment, a door appeared before Xiao Man. Passing through this door, they would leave this desert.
"Are you ready to go out with me?"
Chen An hugged Xiao Man's neck, pressing his head tightly against her back. "I'm ready."
"If you're ready, let's go out and see the sky." Xiao Man took a step forward, and the scenery instantly changed. Outside, it was night. The sky was filled with stars, like gemstones, emitting a dazzling light.
"Chen An, look, so many stars." Xiao Man gently set him down.
"Sister, there are really so many stars. I haven't seen stars for such a long, long time." Chen An reached out his hand towards the sky, but could touch nothing. His body gradually became transparent. Xiao Man watched Chen An's body slowly vanish, a flicker of pity in her eyes. Chen An was merely a wisp of a soul trapped in the desert. She wondered who was so cruel as to scatter his three souls and seven spirits.
"It's a pity I couldn't let you see the blue sky and white clouds."
"I will. I know you won't abandon me." Chen An's voice was full of trust. "Sister, I'll wait for you to bring me out, to take me to see the blue sky and white clouds."
"Alright, I promise you. I will find you, I will rescue you, and take you to see the blue sky and white clouds, and the resplendent galaxy."
Chen An transformed into a streak of light and entered Xiao Man's body, resting steadily within her dantian, as if he had never existed.
Xiao Man looked at the small black dot that had appeared in her dantian. She tried to circulate her true qi and found that it could flow normally. She breathed a sigh of relief. "You clever little thing, hiding in my dantian to use my true qi to nourish your damaged soul. But where are your remaining soul fragments? And who are you? Where should I look for you?"