"Right here!" Exclaimed a voice. Some were other disciples in different outfits representing their sect, while others were rogue cultivators seeking to be a part of the cultivation world. The disciple used a sword to chop through the vines and shrubs to allow passage forward easier for the other people behind him to follow. "It had shifted a couple of times before, and my team had seen what I had seen." As they were led deep into the jungle nearby Jue Di Gorge, the disciple recounted everything. The Immortal Alliance Conference started a few minutes ago... but only the disciples experienced a delay because their attention was drawn away from their aim to follow a disciple and see an unusual scene.

A huge ball of what looked like grapevine was in front of them, bound together securely by two large trees and their branches on either side.

"Should we inform our superiors of this?" Someone inquired.

"This might cause a lot of problems..."

"It could potentially be harmful."

The young disciples were shocked as they readied their swords, guards up, and postures down when the grapevine ball moved a little with the creaking of the wood.

"Someone get a sect leader, hurry!" One exclaimed as a few ran back out to inform a leader or two of their findings...

============================================

"Sure, he's not without flaws! But there was nothing wrong with anything he did! I'm not sure why it's so aggravating to simply.... just!! Argh!" Shen Yuan yelled, pounding a throw pillow to release his rage while his two elder brothers did their own thing and listened to him. One was preparing food, while the other was typing on his laptop, which he had brought with him. "Even if Shen Qingqiu's past was not mentioned, that doesn't negate the fact that everyone may readily assess him based on minor details in his past!"

"Don't judge a book by its cover," as the phrase goes. "I'm more astonished that you would stand up for this individual than the so-called major character you said," his first elder brother added.

"Yes, but he's unique! Shen Qingqiu may have been his master and had to put up with a lot of brutality and hardness from him... which I don't like, but that's beside the point! Luo Binghe didn't even bother to try to comprehend him." Shen Yuan reported that as he sat up on the couch, he removed his glasses and irritatedly pinched the bridge of his nose.

"What's the matter with you and this novel's villain?" The second older brother inquired as he appeared to have completed what he needed to do. "You make it sound like you personally know the guy."

Shen Yuan's train of thinking came to a halt when his second brother stated those words. It was strange that he would defend the novel's adversary when he had no personal knowledge of Shen Qingqiu... yet he knew... he simply knew... It appeared as if he was closer to the wicked Shen Jiu and that he knew him better than anybody else. "It's simply a sense," he stated as he ate dinner with his two brothers at the dining table before they had to that night.

His siblings, however, made a recommendation before they left that could and might assist Shen Yuan to relax after finishing the work. "Why don't you make a wish? I heard this year's meteor shower is going to be magnificent," his older brother stated, "with the festival being planned for the next three days."

A wish, you say? Shen Yuan was not the type to wish upon a star or anything else since he found it difficult to believe. "I suppose I could give it a shot, not that it's likely to happen." He answered his brother as he took the two of them out the door. "Bring your own coat next time instead of borrowing mine; you know it's smaller than your actual size!!" He yelled out to his older brother, who merely responded by waving his hand in the air. Shen Yuan closed his door as he watched his older brothers stroll down the street to their car and then disappear.

Alone again once more. Since deciding to reside in his own condo, he'd felt lonely for quite some time. Sure, he gets frequent visits from his siblings and, on rare occasions, his parents while they are not at work. They were too preoccupied with work at other times to pay a visit to their only son, who had yet to find work, but that didn't concern them in the least. Despite the fact that he is now an adult, his parents continue to raise him and his siblings as children.

Mostly him.

And they say parents don't have a favorite child.

Despite the fact that he has had such a loving family since infancy, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was.... missing. He's had this feeling since he was a kid. What was missing from all of that? A loving family, great and fun siblings, parents who look after them at all times... what was lacking from all of that? Could it be that he was in need of greater love? Finding a significant other, perhaps... That couldn't be it; he'd never been on a date before...

So what could that missing feeling be?

He climbed up the stairs to his bedroom and over to his laptop, where he opened the novel's website, "Proud Immortal Demon Way." Shen Yuan grumbled to himself as he typed on his keyboard on the novel's discussion board's remark area. "Stupid author, stupid novel. It's possible that the villain may have been handled differently." He typed and sighed slightly as he sat back in his chair. He's one of those folks who would criticize different authors in different novels if the ending was horrible or just plain cringy. He closed his eyes for a brief while before hearing a huge explosion outside. It appears that people were indeed preparing for the Meteor shower festival since they were trying out a handful of pyrotechnics outdoors right now.

A few people are taking part in the celebration and have even volunteered to help set up the fireworks. Those of his neighbors, in particular. "All of this pondering and wondering about what I'm losing out on is making me anxious. I could go outside for some fresh air... and maybe obtain a refund for the novel I bought in paperback... but where did I put my receipt?" He stood up and looked through his drawers, cabinets, and even the pockets of each pair of pants he wore the day he went to the bookstore to buy the book. He couldn't find the receipt because the worst has happened, therefore returning a lost cause of a book is now worthless. "Do the gods truly despise me that much?" He whined a little. At an idea, he quickly straightened up. Perhaps the receipt can be found in one of his jackets in the linen cupboard downstairs. Hopefully, his brother's coat didn't contain the receipt. He shut off his computer and gathered his belongings, including keys, wallet, jewelry, and so on, in preparation for his departure.

Shen Yuan checked the time on his phone and even turned on his navigation system so that it would be ready to use when he got into his car. "At this hour, the bookshop should still be open. I've got to-" He began before he felt as if he had missed a step while descending the stairs. He was wearing socks, and the stairwell floorboard was polished wood, so it's understandable that it was a little slick... As he tumbled the rest of the way down the stairs, he hoped it could still be comprehended.

COMPREHENDED MY ASS!!

It was headfirst before the body when he hit the ground, and he quickly blacked out. He lost all feeling in his body and was replaced with numbness and silence, not sure if he passed out or died. Even so, his mind was racing, and for a few minutes he could tell his brain was running out of oxygen and his thoughts were blank... that is, until his senses came back to life, and white noise filled his ears, shortly to be replaced by the sound of many people shouting. All of his five senses were gradually returning, She Yuan could feel himself in the arms of someone while he spoke, but he couldn't direct his body to move a single muscle. Next came the sense of smell, which filled his nostrils with fresh dew scented leaves, which seemed to give him a boost to his wake-up call. Then came his sense of taste... yet there was nothing to taste but his own saliva. So there's nothing new here. The sense of sight was the final sense... As previously stated, he is currently unable to move a single muscle in his body. All he could think about was being as limp as a ragdoll and listening to the conversations around him.

"DO NOT TALK TO ANYONE ABOUT THIS SITUATION. I shall not hesitate to go to each of your sects and cause a ruckus in front of any of you. Do you follow me?" As the rest of the voices faded away, leaving only the older voice to speak, a stern voice remarked.

"How is this possible?" Another person spoke up. Shen Yuan has a feeling it's the one who is currently holding him in his arms. He comes across as apprehensive, concerned, and tense.

"I-Is he really breathing, Mu-Shishu?" The first person said.. huh, he kind of sounds just like Shen Yuan... if he even knows what his own voice sounds like. "Are you certain this isn't some type of hallucination? Spells? Illusions?"

"You can clearly see Shen-shixiong that Zhangmen-shixiong can grasp him and even feel his weight because his pulse is here." Another voice remarked as Shen Yuan's wrist was softly pulled up and his sleeve was pushed back a little to have two fingers rubbed against his wrist where the pulse was located. "You can verify this doctor's claims for yourself if you don't believe him. For the time being, he does not appear to be in good shape. He has to get medical help right soon."

"Give him to me, Qi-ge. His clothes were already dirty and tattered from his time in the grapevine ball. I don't want your dirt to get into contact with him." The guy who was named Qi-ge, according to the person before him, was quiet for some time. Before he was handed over to the person who spoke, Shen Yuan could feel the person's tense grip on his leg and upper body. "Please, Mu-Shishu, don't tell anyone else about this. I'd prefer to go unnoticed."

Shen Yuan was filled with so many questions, frantic ones at that, that his body began shaking uncontrollably. The other seemed to have noticed this action. "A-Yuan...!" The voice said with concern...

...How in the world does this person know his name?!

In response, he coughed out blood as he was trying to, or at least force himself to, speak but nothing other than a cough, wheeze, and grunt came out. Once again, the ringing in his ears returned and his mind drifting away in to consciousness.

"A-Yuan hang in there! Brother's here, brother's got you..." The voice said before he finally passed out and let the darkness consume him into another deep slumber.