Chapter One: Heaven's First Floor

  From dawn till dusk.

  From dawn till dusk.

  The vast and somber sky, in the flow of time, wind blows clouds away, light and shadow intersecting and changing, surging forward without desire or emotion. On the vast and broad earth, countless human beings under the towering blue sky are like tiny ants, rising with the sun and resting with the sunset, performing all sorts of joys and sorrows in the mortal world.

  Some say there are immortals and Buddhas in heaven, some say the countless stars in the sky are all immortal positions, but what kind of Tao is being cultivated, what kind of immortal is to be achieved, yet no one has ever told young Shen Shi.

  This day feels very long, very long.

  He followed the tall butcher out of the house, first going through a hidden passage deep underground, and after walking for a while, he came out to find himself in a completely unfamiliar corner of Xilu City. The butcher took him to an ordinary carriage that had been waiting for them, and inside the carriage, he took out two sets of old clothes and let Shen Shi change into the smaller one.

  Then, with the rumble of the wheels, this unremarkable horse carriage, under Shen Shi's heavy heart full of worries, left the city in such an ordinary and mundane way, heading north.

  Apart from the narrow path they took at the very beginning, the entire process of escaping from Xi Lu City was ordinary and left one speechless. Even though Shen Shi still worried about his father who was still in the city, facing this seemingly insecure situation where they could be surrounded and killed by the suddenly appearing Xuan Yin Gate disciples at any moment, Shen Shi's heart was always on edge. At the same time, he had deep doubts about the ability of this family of famous gods to get things done.

  It was just that the imagined, murderous aura of the Xuan Yin Gate pursuers did not appear after all. This ordinary and unremarkable way had unexpectedly carried these two people away safely. As the city where they had lived from childhood to adulthood for twelve years gradually receded into the distance behind them, growing smaller and smaller, as night fell and the stars began to twinkle, that towering mountain range finally disappeared into the darkness, no longer in sight. When Shen Shi slowly curled up his body in the still-moving carriage, hiding himself in the dark shadows.

  He had never felt so clearly before that he was cut off from his past.

  In the shadows, he clenched his teeth and suppressed the anxiety and fear that churned in his heart. The future seemed as endless and dark as the night sky at this moment, leaving him feeling lost and cold to the bone. The only thing that could bring him some warmth was a small hourglass clutched tightly in his hand, its hard jade surface seeming to still hold the warmth of his father's palm, as well as the faint scent of his mother, who existed only in his imagination.

  The butcher who had been sitting silently on the other side of the carriage turned his head in the darkness and took a look at the young man.

  The wheels rolled slowly but ceaselessly, even in the dead of night, this ordinary-looking carriage showed no signs of stopping.

  It wasn't until the next day that Shen Shi, who was preoccupied with his heavy heart and thoughts, began to notice that there was a third person on the horse carriage besides him and the butcher, which was the coachman.

  He was an emaciated old man with wrinkles all over his face, looking like a person who had been oppressed by the hardships of life and could hardly breathe. He seemed to be without any vitality, and except for driving the carriage, he didn't have much reaction to anything else. His eyes looked as if they would fall at any moment. However, this old coachman drove this ordinary horse-drawn carriage, carrying Butcher and Shen Shi, for three days and three nights without a moment's rest.

  Three days passed, and the old carman looked as if he had not changed at all from his appearance on the first day. He still wore that wretched and emaciated look. By this time, Shen Shi had naturally come to realize that this seemingly ordinary old carman was obviously no ordinary person, but rather a powerful and mighty god with great abilities, only it seemed that Butcher did not have any intention of introducing him, and in these three days, Butcher hadn't even said a word to the old man. Therefore, in this somewhat subtle atmosphere, Shen Shi also kept silent, suppressing the curiosity in his heart, ignoring the old carman.

  When they got off the carriage, Shen Shi's gaze, apart from inadvertently sweeping a glance at the old coachman, also deliberately took an extra look at the thin horse harnessed to the carriage... Having walked for three days and nights, this thin horse looked like it was just as nonchalant as its owner, standing there.

  Shen Shi had a faint feeling that he seemed to have caught a glimpse of a small corner of another strange world hidden outside his past life's field of vision.

  They traveled north for three days, and Shen Shi was already far away from Xi Lu City. At this moment, he had arrived at a small city that was less than half the size of Xi Lu City. The ordinary horse carriage stopped in a quiet corner of the car, the butcher jumped off the carriage, let Shen Shi continue to stay on the carriage, and then left with big strides.

  Shen Shi felt a little uneasy in his heart, but he knew that he had no room for choice and could only quietly stay in the carriage, gently placing the hourglass in front of him.

  Fine sand flows silently and soundlessly. When the sand has all fallen from one end to the other through the narrow neck, an hour has passed.

  Shen Shi gazed silently at the flowing fine sand, and as time passed, his heartbeat began to slow down.

  Fortunately, this worry ended when the fine sand had flowed for about a quarter. The tall figure of the butcher reappeared here, he simply nodded to the old car owner and then returned to the carriage.

  Rumbling and rumbling, the wheels started rolling again, moving forward once more.

  In the carriage, Shen Shi looked at Tu Fu, and Tu Fu was also staring at him. After a moment, he said, "There is no news, in other words, it's still unknown whether that matter has been done or not."

  The muscles on Shen Shi's cheeks twitched slightly, and he slowly lowered his head, then picked up the small hourglass that had been placed on the ground and grasped it tightly in his palm.

  The same dull days repeat, with only the eternal sound of wheels echoing in my ears every day. In the swaying carriage, there is always a quiet and slightly stiff atmosphere.

  All the way north, all the way north.

  Leaving behind the city filled with his childhood memories and the only relative in this world, further and further away.

  Three days later, they arrived at another small town in the northern part of Yinzhou. This time, the horse carriage did not enter the city and stopped somewhere outside the city. The butcher got off the carriage and entered the city alone.

  When Shen Shi was quietly staying in the carriage, looking at the hourglass flowing smoothly for a whole time, he heard the butcher's returning footsteps.

  The horse carriage started again, still heading north. In the carriage, Butcher furrowed his brow and met Shen Shi's somewhat expectant gaze, saying somewhat stiffly: "No news."

  Shen Shi sat silently, without saying a word.

  The wheels rolled on, and after two more days, they had been traveling for eight days and were now approaching the northern border of Yinzhou. The distance from the southwestern border of this Hongmeng territory seemed to be within sight.

  The horse carriage stopped outside a desolate small town not far from the border of Yinzhou. The butcher left for the third time and walked into the town. As usual, Shen Shi quietly stayed in the carriage waiting, occasionally glancing at the hourglass on the ground, watching the flowing sand; while the old carman would take this opportunity to jump off the horse carriage to stretch his body, then fetch some clear water and food for the thin horse to eat.

  It was just those provisions stuffed in a certain old leather bag, which looked nothing like the ordinary fodder for horses to eat, but rather resembled chunks of meat with some blood on them.

  This time the butcher returned faster than last time, roughly only after half of the sand had flowed through the hourglass, which was about half a time unit later, he came back from that desolate small town.

  His face looked a bit unsightly, and he seemed to be in a bad mood. After seeing Shen Shi, he didn't even want to talk much, just frowning and shaking his head.

  The gaunt old carter seemed oblivious to the somewhat dull and eerie atmosphere in the rear carriage, his old eyes fixed only on the emaciated horse. After patting the horse's back affectionately and feeding it what appeared to be its last piece of food, he climbed aboard once more, the wheels rolling as they continued onward.

  On the ninth day, they crossed the border of Yinzhou and entered Lanzhou, which is adjacent to Yinzhou.

  On the tenth day, the horse carriage arrived at Tonghe City, the southernmost city of Lanzhou.

  This time, the horse carriage did not hide outside the city again, but instead entered Tonghe City directly. Perhaps because they had left Yinzhou, even though the Xuan Yin Gate's influence was not small, it was still very difficult to reach another state, so Butcher and others' actions were also more open.

  The old carter was clearly familiar with the city, and he drove the horse cart through the streets and alleys, taking seven or eight turns before bringing Shen Shi and the butcher to a secluded mansion.

  A two-entry courtyard, square and tidy, doesn't look big but still clean. The butcher led Shen Shi down from the carriage and walked to a room in the inner yard. Behind them, the old carter looked at them with an expressionless face, his gaze lingering on the young man's back for a moment before moving away, falling back onto his old partner, the thin horse, gently patting its head, hoarsely chuckling to himself and saying:

  "Work hard for now, don't worry, maybe later there will be fresh meat to eat..."

  Inside the house in the courtyard.

  Butcher An settled Shen Shi down, but didn't leave immediately. Instead, he lingered in the house for a moment, his eyes fixed on Shen Shi, with an unusual expression flickering in his eyes.

  Shen Shi quickly sensed something and looked up at him.

  The butcher fell silent for a moment before saying, "I'll go to the City God Temple to gather some information."

  Shen Shi didn't say anything.

  The butcher looked at him, seemingly hesitant to speak, but after a moment finally said: "As per the agreement before leaving, the tenth day is the final deadline, success or failure, it's all up to today."

  Shen Shi's hands tightened unconsciously and he nodded slightly.

  The butcher was silent for a moment, then said: "I'll go now. If things succeed, I'll come back and take you to Haizhou, fulfill the promise made by the immortal to your father and son, give you a chance to join the Lingxiao Sect; but if things fail, you won't see me again..."

  Shen Shi took a deep breath, his hand tightly grasping the jade sandglass, and said, "If things don't go as planned, what will happen to me?"

  The butcher slowly turned around, no longer looking at him, and walked out of the house. At the same time, his dull voice still came over clearly: "If things don't work out, I won't come back again. As for here, someone will come... to dispose of you."

  The footsteps gradually faded away, and the door was locked before he left. The simple house suddenly fell into an unspeakable silence.

  What does disposal mean?

  What kind of action will it be?

  A heart, in his chest thumping away, suddenly Shen Shi's mind had a strong urge to scream wildly, he started gasping violently, feeling the air around him seemed to be getting hotter and harder to breathe. This room, in his eyes, seemed to have turned into a terrifying cage instantly, and he himself was like a desperate beast on the verge of being slaughtered.

  In a daze, he suddenly remembered those days when he followed Butcher Zhang and slaughtered livestock again.

  Those sharp wails, that one streak of icy and resolute knife light, blood splashing everywhere, cruel and merciless.

  The boy's hands began to tremble, and the endless fear seemed to be a tidal wave, rushing in from all sides, almost drowning him, almost driving him mad...

  Until then, in his peripheral vision, he suddenly saw that small jade sandglass again.

  The fine sand was white and smooth, flowing silently down, grain by grain, thread by thread, strand by strand. Shen Shi stared blankly at the grains of sand flowing like water, slowly sitting down at the edge of the table.

  An hourglass stood on the desktop, motionless. The young man placed his head on the desktop and felt a thread of icy chill.

  Everything seemed to have quieted down again, except for the flowing sand. There was nothing else in his eyes, and he waited silently like that.

  The fine sand flows and falls, turning over once and then again, time silently passes by without a sound, without anyone coming.

  At last, when the sand in the hourglass was about to drop for the third time, a faint sound of footsteps suddenly came from outside the house, getting closer and closer until it finally stopped at the door.

  Shen Shi slowly got up, only to feel an extreme dryness in his throat, and his body involuntarily trembled slightly, for himself, as well as for the father who had lost contact for ten days.

  Suddenly, he gritted his teeth and strode forward, yanking open the door.

  The bright light outside suddenly poured down, making his eyes momentarily dizzy from the strong light, and he slightly narrowed his eyes, then saw the figure standing at the door.

  That was a thin and withered old man who had driven that carriage for the past ten days, bringing him all the way north to here.

  The old man looked at the young boy by the door, his wrinkled and withered face suddenly cracked open, revealing a few white teeth, with a hint of eeriness, and smiled.