Days and nights passed.
In the boundless sky that stretched as far as the mortal eyes could see, seven Suns and seven Moons displace each other in turns.
For little Myah, he temporarily falls into a period of repetitive sequence.
Life proceeds ordinarily.
Nonetheless, Little Myah has never felt that his days are dull and uneventful. Instead, it was rather enjoyable.
Sometimes when the snow fell, little Myah would go and listen to the Old Fei's adventurous stories. They weren't just nonsense but are precious bits of knowledge and life experiences for him to absorb.
Then, he would go and build snowmen with Pickle and the other children in the village.
But most of the time, Myah would dedicate himself, spending his days practicing the Dance of the Moon Goddess and cultivating under the apple tree.
His strength was gradually progressing, and, yes, there were also the harrowing experiences of the medicinal bath every day together with his best friend Bumpkin.
As time passed, the bond between little Myah and his adopted grandmother, Mu Suyin, grew stronger and stronger by the day. Her presence was the light that has guided him through the gloomiest time of his life.
It was unknown when but they have truly become a family.
Moreover, the blindness has no longer bothers little Myah.
Well, not in the way of his daily physical life but mentally. Because every night, little Myah would be immersed in a dream, a very long dream of himself living another life.
Everything felt extremely real in the dream world, and sometimes, it even made him question reality. However, Myah could only passively observe and watch from the first-person perspective without intervening in anything or making his own choices.
It's kind of like a story.
In that dream world, time flew very fast, from the day when Myah was born with a foreign but happy family to the time where everything was destroyed by a "car" accident.
From there, everything started to change as time flowed.
Six years old
...
Seven years old
...
Then, Myah was eight years old inside the dream world.
At that point, the time flow inside the dream world started to slow down drastically as Myah reached his limit because the amount of information he underwent was too much.
With everything below his head rendering useless, Myah lived out his life lying on the bed, motionless. Besides the ability to slightly open his mouth to eat and his eyes to see, Myah could do nothing else.
Although it was a dream, Myah was fully conscious.
He could feel it, the familiar yet distant feeling. 'It' can only be described in one word, 'Hope!'
Lying on his bed, Myah was always watching the outside world through the glass window, his bright eyes full of yearning.
That version of him wants to move! He desired to be able to walk again, or perhaps only to lift his finger.
Having lived in that dream, the experience of being an almost vegetative person was always vivid in little Myah's mind whenever he wakes up to reality.
'Hope!'
It grants him strength, the strength to move forward and embrace his weakness.
...
Unknowingly, half a year has passed, with the heartless winter closing the curtain to its final performance.
On the few giant trees and green bushes which adorned the village, the birds are chirping and the insects singing, a new spring season took the stage and made itself known under the spotlight.
Accompanied the fresh and gentle spring breeze was the countless seeds of the dandelion flowers. They bloomed and flew beautifully with umbrella-like extensions.
Mystical nature covered the entirety of the Dandelion Village in a blanket of green and gold. To many of the passing adventurers, it was admittedly a fantastic scene to behold.
...
It was another afternoon.
The sunray was warm and bright, totally different from the coldness of winter.
In the backyard of his house, Old Fei was leisurely sitting on a stool. While looking at Blackie chopping the pile of firewood, he took a sip of the newly brewed Dandelion Wine and revealed a gratified expression.
"Can you feel it, Dan?" Old Fei spoke with his old and dry voice. "A new spring and a new year, I'm getting older and weaker..."
Saying so, the old chief smiled, revealing his few remaining yellowish teeth.
After sealing the gourd filled with Dandelion Wine and tying it to the wooden cane, Old Fei looked at his pair of worn-out hands. The fingers were crooked. They are mostly just bones and wrinkled skin full of aged spots, so thin and fragile.
"Out of everyone else in our small village, you are the strongest and are also the most respected by the other. When the time comes, it's up to you to lead them and protect this place, our home." The sweet breeze of spring blew as a hazy glow flickered in the Old Chief's eyes. "Don't let me down, alright?"
"Old man, what are you even babbling about?" Dan, who was sitting on a large block of lumber not far away, creased his thick brows and frowned at Old Fei's acceptance face.
Dan couldn't accept it. His fatherly figure was looking so defeated...
"You are still strong. Who knows, when you break through to the next star of the Elite Realm, there wouldn't be any problem living for a decade more." Looking at Old Fei, Dan feels a little annoyed. "Being dispirited like this is not your style at all. What happened to the past when they called you Maniac Fei? Have you forgotten it already?"
"Tsk, what nonsense..." Old Fei smirked slightly. Then, he ignored the earnest gaze Dan was giving him.
Reminiscing about the past, the old chief opened his gourd and took another sip of Dandelion Wine. Having lived in this small village for several decades and watched many of the village's children grow up, Dan was also one of the many.
Old Fei treated them all as his own.
He was getting older and weaker, and it was the undeniable truth.
The winter is heartless.
Not long ago, when the severe blizzard used to dance unrestrained and the cold wind howls, it has taken away the lives of two elderly and one three-year-old little girl of their village. Everyone was left heartbroken.
As for the old chief, if it were not for his superior strength as an Elite, he probably might not have made it due to his old age.
Standing up and stretching his limbs, Old Fei asked Dan casually.
"Anyway, have you seen the kids? I hadn't seen them this morning. Skipping training and being so sneaky. I will have to reprimand them later."
Appeared somewhat distracted, Dan replied, "I saw them grouping a while ago, probably playing somewhere near the field. The adventurers have cleared the surrounding. You don't have to feel worried for them."
Suddenly, Old Fei waved and spoke, "Come, I have something good for you."
Noticing the hunched figure of Old Fei walked back into his house. Dan shakes his head and followed behind while feeling helpless.