Chapter 2: The Vermilion Youth

  The oriole chirped, and the leaves rustled as it flew out from among the branches. The slender twigs that stretched out below shook constantly. The flower stems trembled lightly, causing the clusters of flowers at their tips to scatter and flutter about in a riot of color, accompanied by the buzzing of bees and the dancing of butterflies - a sight too lovely for words.

  A petal of pale pink fluttered down, gently falling onto the forehead of a young girl lying under a tree. The sunlight was good, casting fine golden rays through the leaves. A gentle breeze rustled the grass, bringing warmth. Ruan Ci felt a numbness between her eyebrows, slowly opening her eyes, dazedly sitting up from the grass, looking around blankly, and finding herself in a forest, with the red sun low in the west, already near dusk.

  "Little sister, did you sleep well?"

  All she heard was a gentle voice behind her, Ruan Ci was startled and quickly turned around. In front of her eyes was a vast expanse of deep red, she looked up to see a thirteen or fourteen year old boy in crimson clothes standing upright like jade, one step away from the grass thicket behind her.

  At a glance, Ruan Ci was slightly stunned. In front of her, it seemed that only the large area of deep red and the outline of the soft jade color remained, with a pair of eyebrows and eyes that were slightly longer, just like the ink plum blossom painting that Father liked the most, but more dense than the two black dots on the rice paper.

  The young man in red seemed to smile slightly and leaned over to say: "Recently, the mist on Chao Lake has been strange, don't go to the center of the lake to play again."

  Ruan Ci came back to her senses, her face slightly red as she retorted: "It's not a game! On the lake... there was a strange whirlpool that swept our boat away. I wasn't paying attention and... right, Mother, and Seasonal Mother, and that big brother who was rowing..." As soon as she recalled the thrilling moment before she fell into the water, she became flustered, her voice already trembling with tears, and involuntarily grabbed onto the young man's clothes, her eyes full of inquiry.

  The young man in red saw that his words had brought tears to Ruan Ci's eyes, and he slightly furrowed his brows, comforting her: "Little sister, don't cry. When I rescued you, I didn't see anyone else in the water, so your family should be safe." He looked up at the sun again and said, "It was still early morning when I brought you to the forest, but now it's already evening... Little sister slept very soundly."

  Ruan Ci put down her guard and couldn't help but let out a giggle: "Others were thinking of going home last night, they were so excited that they didn't sleep well... You keep calling others 'little sister', are you very old yourself?" She burst into laughter, with tears still glistening in her eyes, looking even more pitiful and adorable. The young man in red clothes looked at her and smiled slightly again.

  Ruan Ci now knew that she had been rescued by the big brother in red, and her heart was filled with gratitude. She tugged at the young man's sleeve and smiled: "Hey, although my father often says that a girl's name shouldn't be casually told to others, but since you saved me, I'll secretly tell you... My surname is Ruan, and my mother calls me Ah Ci, so you can call me that too!"

  The young man in red attire pursed his lips, and with a smile that imitated hers, said: "Since you've told me your surname and given name, I'll quietly tell you mine... My surname is Shen, Mother calls me Bailian, just like the 'Bailian' of Bailianzhou, the big island in the middle of the lake."

  Ruan Ci recalled the boatman's fearful tone when he mentioned the "mysterious island" in the middle of the lake, and thought to herself: So that mysterious island is called Baiyingzhou, what a nice name... This Shen brother seems to know it clearly.

  Although she was young, she had followed her parents out a few times and understood some worldly things. Her father often said that one should repay kindness, and this red-shirted Shen brother had saved her, so he had great kindness towards her. Ruan Ci thought about it, and in the tone of an opera, said: "Brother Shen has saved Ruan Ci's life, and even if she becomes a cow or a horse in the future, she should repay him. But I don't know where your home is, so I can go there to thank you?"

  Shen Bailian smiled and shook her head, saying: "You're so young, where did you learn such strange words? I just happened to be passing by and helped you onto the lake shore. Why are you talking about oxen and horses... It's getting late, you should go home early, your parents must be worried sick."

  Ruan Ci stretched out his hand and shook Shen's hem, saying: "Shen Gege, you come back to Shouyang City with me. Although my father looks like a wooden bench, he is actually very kind. I'll get him to thank you properly!"

  Shen Bailian's smile slightly faded, and she shook her head: "No. My... my mother doesn't like me going too far, let alone to... uh, Shouyang City. From here, walking for just a moment will get you to the official road, and usually there aren't any fierce beasts or bad people, so you don't need to be afraid."

  Ruan Ci pouted and said, "I often sneak out of the city gate with those kids to play, I'm not afraid at all!" After a pause, she continued, "Then you tell me where you live? You don't want to go to Shouyang City, so I'll come find you instead? I'll even bring you delicious pastries made by Seasoned Mother!"

  Shen Bailian hesitated for only a moment before nodding in agreement: "Alright. I'll wait for you here tomorrow. My home... uh, my home is by the lake in the woods, and I'm usually around this area."

  Ruan Ci reluctantly took a step forward, and after walking for a while, she saw the official road. She stood in the middle of the road, looking back at the way she came from, only to see the gentle breeze blowing the strong grass towards her direction. Under that distant flower tree, the young man in red seemed to have noticed something, and he waved his sleeve from afar.

  The sunset's glow is scattered, splashing on the surface of Chao Lake, breaking into thousands of golden ripples. The red clouds are like brocade, dyeing the lake's surface with large pieces of colorful beauty. Only a slender figure can be seen in the middle of the lake, about ten feet away from the shore, with the lower half submerged under the water's surface. The scarlet sleeves seem to have crossed over a layer of gold, floating aimlessly on the water, as if they are about to merge with the reflected glow of the sunset.

  As the sky turned dark, a white mist began to spread across the lake. A wisp of thin fog curled up and swept across the young man's face, and his eyes, like black jade, were rendered even more lustrous and dynamic by the hazy mist - it was Shen Gege, that person Ruan Ci had mentioned.

  Shen Bailian gazed silently at the western sky, not withdrawing his gaze until the red sun had gradually disappeared behind the distant mountains. He floated on the water, clearly with nothing to rely on beneath his feet, yet he did not sink, only gently rising and falling with the ripples of the lake, completely at ease.

  "Ruan Ci... Ah Ci, what a nice name." After a moment, a hint of a smile flashed across his face as he recalled the little girl who had bid him farewell half an hour ago. "Humans... humans aren't as scary as Mother said they'd be, she even called me... Shen Gege, huh."

  After savoring for a while, the mist had gradually covered the entire lake surface, and the water had also become cold. Shen Bailian took a light breath, held her breath, and slowly submerged her head into the water. A moment later, ripples appeared on the spot, and there was no one left on the lake.

  In the depths of Chaohu Lake, dozens of feet deep, the water was already a deep blue, and as one went deeper, it became a murky layer of dark green. A figure in blue swam like a fish, slapping its legs, familiar with the route, straight into that layer of dark green.

  Beyond the thick layer of green mist, the sunlight that was originally blocked by the dense and emerald-green lake water suddenly became unobstructed, shining brightly on the rooftops of the rows of houses spread out at the bottom of the lake.

  Only the lake bottom algae thrives, with countless bronze human-faced statues standing in the mud and sand. There are also many ancient green bronze tripods, fish darting back and forth, shuttling through them. This is where the Nest Country resides, and it's also Shen Bailian's home.

  Shen Bailian paddled the water towards the northeast corner of the ancient city, his red clothes fluttering behind him like a swallow's tail or a fish's fin. A few fish swam after him, gently pecking at his cheeks and exposed arms. Bailian didn't mind, lightly scooping up the fish with his hands and sending them to one side, a faint smile still on his face.

  Suddenly a faint sound was heard, and the fish were startled and scattered in all directions, disappearing from sight.

  It turned out that someone in a nearby room had pushed the window open halfway. A slender hand, which was leaning against the windowsill, hesitated for a moment before revealing the face of the woman behind it. Her eyebrows were like distant mountains and her eyes contained autumn water; her raven-black hair was casually tied back on her head, making her an extremely beautiful woman. However, there was a hint of sadness between her eyebrows, and in an instant, her delicate complexion was covered with a layer of icy coldness.

  Shen Bailian stopped in his tracks as soon as he saw the woman, and his sleeves fell down slowly like a defeated flag. He called out softly: "Mother..."

  The woman snorted and said, "You've been gone for half a day, where are the herbs you were supposed to pick? You're always playing around!"

  Shen Bailian hastily reached into her bosom and pulled out a purple grass, saying: "There isn't any, my son searched for a long time but only found one... However, this sprig of lavender looks like it's growing very vigorously, just right for making medicine."

  As they spoke, Shen Bailian had already entered the house. He brought over a small bronze tripod and carefully placed the purple daphne inside, covering it with the lid to prevent the fragrance from escaping. After finishing these tasks, he finally felt at ease, but when he turned around, he saw his mother, Shen Danqing, standing behind him with an ashen face.

  "......A Niang?" Shen Bai Ling said in puzzlement.

  Shen Qing glared at him for a while and said: "Tell me honestly, where else did you go today besides collecting medicine?"

  Shen Bailian was taken aback, hastily shaking his head and saying: "No one, just by the lake's edge in the woods... not a single person was seen." But he was naturally kind-hearted and wouldn't lie, the more he spoke the more uneasy he became, his voice involuntarily lowering.

  "Hmph, you can't even come up with a decent lie! You said you didn't see anyone, so why do you reek of human stench? Did you go to Shouyang City?" His tone had turned severe by the end.

  Shen Bailian furrowed her brow and said, "No, Mother didn't let me go to the human settlements, so I've never been there." Seeing Shen Qing was still angry, he had no choice but to tell the truth, "Today... today I saw a little girl fall into the water, it was really pitiful, so I rescued her and brought her ashore."

  "Save him?" Shen Danqing said angrily, "Why should we save? You see that it's a human child and think it's pitiful, but do you know that humans are accustomed to disguising themselves, pretending to be likable, when in fact they're more venomous than snakes and more ferocious than tigers. They'll stab a knife into your heart when you least expect it!"

  Shen Bailian knew that her mother truly hated humans to the bone, so she didn't dare argue anymore.

  Originally, Shen's mother and son were the two demons in this Nest Country, but they did not live here from the beginning. Shen Bailian had heard the elder of Nest Country, Ao Xuan, say that nineteen years ago, a strange whirlpool appeared on Lake Nest, just like now. Unlike humans, demons knew that the whirlpool was just a floating demon island like Bailian Island passing by, causing abnormal changes in the lake water. The whirlpool appears every nineteen years and disappears after a few days, so they have become accustomed to it. However, whenever this happens, many human beings are accidentally sucked into the whirlpool, so the young male demons in Nest Country spontaneously form the Nest Guard Team to patrol under the lake water and push the fallen humans back to the shore.

  It was nineteen years ago that a woman in red fell from the sky and plunged into the heart of the lake. The elder's nephew, Yue, rescued her, thinking she was a member of their tribe, but unexpectedly, she turned out to be a demon. It wasn't until Yue pushed her onto the shore of Baiying Island that he discovered the beautiful woman had a swollen belly, indicating she was pregnant. Perhaps due to the intense changes she experienced, the woman's labor was induced, and after waking up, she gave birth to a child. Since the child was born on Baiying Island, they named him Baiying. From then on, the child lived with his mother in Ju Chao Country, growing at an extremely slow rate like other young demons in the demon kingdom, still appearing as a small boy even after more than ten years had passed.

  Before Shen Danqing fell into the lake, she had been seriously injured. Although she didn't mention anything about her past, Shen Bailian vaguely guessed that her mother must have been hurt by humans and therefore deeply hated them, never forgetting it for many years. The serious injury from giving birth to Shen Danqing brought great harm to her body, and she was bedridden with illness for many years. Fortunately, Shen Bailian followed her mother in learning the art of making fragrant medicine, often picking herbs to make medicine for her mother to take, which managed to sustain her all these years.

  He was just a cold and eccentric person who not only hated humans extremely, but also didn't allow his son to interact with them. Today, he merely caught a whiff of human scent on Shen Baiying's body and flew into a rage. However, despite her attempts to suppress it, Shen Baiying seemed to have an innate affection for humans and yearned for life among them.

  At this moment, Shen Bailian began to prepare the medicinal herbs she had picked from the forest during the day under her mother's scolding. However, in her heart, she was thinking about tomorrow's appointment with Ruan Ci. As for Shen Danqing's warnings, they were just going in one ear and out the other, and she didn't pay much attention to them either.