Under the cover of the late night sky, a gentle breeze rustled along with a light drizzle.
The wind carried the scent of rain as it rushed through the open window, while a young boy stood looking out with a cold expression.
Wei Wushang had medium length, midnight-black hair that framed a face etched with sharp angular features. His once naturally fair skin had been tanned by the sun's rays which spoke of countless hours spent toiling under its merciless gaze.
Though his body was on the leaner side, it bore the markings of a young man with defined muscles that were hardened and honed by relentless physical work from an early age.
And despite his otherwise ordinary appearance, he possessed a pair of pitch-black eyes that nurtured a sense of cold indifference toward all who dared to peer into those pools of darkness.
Presently, Wei Wushang was lost in thoughts of the past as he silently gazed at the falling rain.
Fourteen years ago, Wei Wushang's journey began in a nameless village. For many generations, his ancestors had been farmers in this very village. Both his parents and Wei Wushang himself continued in this way of living.
A simple but honest way of life.
The day Wei Wushang came into this world, he unwittingly exchanged his life for his mother's.
His mother had blessed him with the nectar of life and he repaid her by inadvertently taking hers.
Robbing a mother from an infant, a cruel joke by the heavens.
A joke that would become a source of tremendous shame and agony the boy would have to carry in his heart for the rest of his life.
Furthermore, it was on this fateful day that the village was struck by a devastating storm, leaving loss and destruction in its wake.
A truly an gut wrenching welcome party organized by the heavenly powers themselves.
Misery and grief had engulfed the village with its devilish reach. Now the superstitious villagers already down in spirits were starting to get uneasy about the arrival of this new human.
A child of misfortune, that's what they soon thought of him.
Life was tough for Wei Wushang as he grew up, not only due to the heavy burden of solitude but also because of the clear discrimination he faced from the villagers.
Their acts of exclusion and cold shoulders acted as a daily reminder of his status as an outcast.
The hushed whispers of his rumored ill omen were like bloody torns stabbing to his young soul. How many times did the boy try to befriend other children, only to be shooed away like a dog and be insulted.
And as the years went by, the superstition of these villagers only grew stronger.
The boy was now forced to always keep his head down in public and was never permitted to look anyone in the eyes. Many believed his gaze could steal away their good fortune and bestow them with misfortune.
If by some devil's unholy grace, someone were ever to look into his eyes then they would be required to take a bath immediately and make a sacrifice to the village guardian spirit to cleanse themselves of negativity.
Naturally, Wei Wushang didn't like this and it showed in his actions. Many times he tried to defy these unjust restrictions. But whenever he did something considered to bring bad luck, he would be pelted with stones and spat upon.
Despite facing such unkind treatments, the poor boy didn't blame any of them much. He only felt deep sadness and pain.
And when the boy eventually turned nine, his depressed father finally succumbed to the hardship of life, further cementing the villagers belief that Wei Wushang was a cursed child.
The days spent were long and nights cold. For a brief period in his life, Wei Wushang even believed he was cursed.
For a young child all by himself in this unrelenting world, it was a terrible belief to hold onto.
One can only imagine how many times he blamed himself for being a curse to his parents, an eyesore to the village.
But even a unfortunate soul like him had a friend, Zi Chen, who made Wei Wushang enjoy the bliss of childhood from time to time.
Though those moments were fleeting, and Wei Wushang cherished them like sliver and gold.
However, after Wei Wushang's father died, Zi Chen's parents grew apprehensive and forbade their son from further interacting with Wei Wushang.
They were afraid for both themselves and their son.
It wasn't just that, in their fear they had gone as far as to beat Wei Wushang nearly to death to warn him to stay away from their son.
Had Zi Chen not desperately pleaded his parents to spare his friend's life, Wei Wushang might have found his resting place within the earth's silent embrace long ago.
Heaven and earth weren't particularly kind to Wei Wushang. But that is way of the world, indifferent to its core.
During those days of isolation, Wei Wushang would often reflect on the wisdom his old man had left behind. One such quote was, 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘌𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘺. 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭.
Out of all the 'wisdom' his ill-tempered drunkard father had left behind, this quote particularly struck a chord with Wei Wushang.
Why?
Because it led to an easy escape from all this pain.
Suicide.
Wei Wushang had grown tired of leading such an aimless life. Previously, even though he suffered from discrimination by the villagers, he still had a reason to live. To grow up and take care of his old man.
Following his father's passing, it felt as though someone had ruthlessly dug out his heart, leaving behind an unbearable void of emptiness in his chest that just couldn't be filled.
Everyone needs a purpose to live, especially when times are hard. But now for Wei Wushang, his purpose was no more.
To have the one thing that gives your miserable life some kind of meaning be heartlessly taken away.
Oh, how awful it must feel!
Sure enough, this overwhelming feeling of emptiness soon became a sickness of his spirit.
Despised by others and hated by himself, Wei Wushang finally decided to put an end to this misery called life.
Far from the village, Wei Wushang stood beneath a towering tree, his ragged clothes clinging to his dirt-streaked skin.
Layers of sweat mingled with tears, leaving trails down his cheeks. The boy had just finished digging a pit, which he then half filled with tons of dried leaves and a handful of wood soaked in lamp oil.
He planned to burn himself to death.
One might question why he would choose such a painful way to end his life when there were less agonizing alternatives.
Initially, Wei Wushang had intended to bury himself alive beside his parents.
However, the idea of troubling them in their afterlife crossed his mind, leading him to choose self-immolation as a way to end his life, ensuring no further harm would befall them.
This was Wei Wushang's way of showing filial piety.
There was also another pitiful rationale behind Wei Wushang's actions. In his nameless village, an old saying prevailed: those who perish by turning their bodies into ash cleanse their souls of impurities and rid themselves of negative karma.
Somewhere in his heart, the foolish boy hoped that in his next life, he would be free from the curse of loneliness and be able to live happily with his family and make numerous friendships.
Alas, there's nothing quite like the naivety of a child.
Wei Wushang tossed the torch into the pit, and quick enough the orange flames began to soar from the burial ground.
Wei Wushang looked on with no particular expression, the tears had already turned dry and his pure black eyes had turned a shade darker.
The heat from the flames was washing over his face, but he felt no warmth whatsoever.
"I have already left behind some evidence to let the villagers know, this should make them feel happy. Once they find out I'm dead, the village head might even throw a feast..." Wei Wushang forced a smile for a moment before slowly undressing himself and neatly placing his clothes under the massive tree.
Returning to the pit's edge, he glanced at the flickering flames and felt an unfamiliar sense of serenity.
He closed his eyes briefly, sighing woefully. "This is going to be painful, and pain I have never liked it, but... I must do this. For a better life, for a happy life, and for a life filled with love!"
Then he opened his eyes, which were now filled with resolve.
He raised his right leg forward and the edges of the flames made contact with the soles of his feet. Wei Wushang instantly winced in agony as blistering pain shot through him.
The skin on his feet began to sizzle and blacken, but he gritted his teeth and pushed himself to plant his feet futher deep into the burning pit!
With a cry of pain, Wei Wushang prepared to take another step, moving closer to his own demise.
Before he could proceed any further, a thunderous cry that shook the very earth resounded from the sky.
"Ah! what was that?" Wei Wushang was taken by suprise, he hurriedly raised his head and turned his gaze toward the source of the sound.
What met his eyes left him utterly stupefied. With bulging eyes Wei Wushang stared at the massive figure hovering right above the center of the village with pure astonishment.
A terrifyingly huge, purple scaled serpent boasting two pairs of bat-like wings coiled itself menacingly in the vast sky. With every flap of its giant wings, it swept away the clouds in the vicinity, resembling a monstrous titan wielding a celestial fan!
But what left Wei Wushang more speechless was the fact there stood a tiny humanoid figure on the serpent's head, standing upright and arrogantly gazing down at the world with his hands casually tucked behind his back.
This old man exuded an aura that was even more tyrannical than the giant creature itself!!
The humanoid figure exerted a bit of pressure from his feet, and the giant serpent let out a animalistic roar before obediently descending into the village square like an domesticated pet.
Then all was quite.
Wei Wushang who had watched the entire scene unfold had already taken two steps back from the pit of fire.
His once-open mouth had now closed, his dark eyes gazed absentmindedly at the dancing flames.
The stare down didn't last long, Wei Wushang soon took a step forward and ran towards the village!
His burnt feet throbbed with pain, but the boy ran and ran, stumbling and falling, rolling through mud here and there. Yet, there was no stopping him. At least, not until he finally reached the village.
"Huff, huff, huff..." Wei Wushang hadn't even calmed his breathing when the scene that met his eyes shattered his worldview.
In the center of the village stood the old man from before, appearing divine and immortal. Surrounding him, the villagers looked upon him with expressions of reverence, friendliness, flattery and jealousy.
But most of all, their eyes yearned for even a fleeting look of acknowledgment.
Wei Wushang instinctively observed these changes, which reminded him of his own longing to connect with the villagers and to earn their acknowledgment.
But then his eyes snapped away from their faces as he noticed the expression on the old man's face. In an instant, as if struck by lightning, Wei Wushang's entire body shuddered.
To his greatest shock, he recognized that look on the old man's face all too clearly.
It was a look of...
"Utter rejection," Wei Wushang staggered back nearly losing his balance.
It was exactly the same expression the villagers always had towards someone like Wei Wushang. And for the life of him, Wei Wushang dreaded and loathed that look with every inch of his being.
But...
But!
For some strange reason that Wei Wushang couldn't quite comprehend, the boy felt an unprecedented sense of ecstasy when seeing that very expression on the old man's face.
"My heart... It doesn't feel so empty now," Wei Wushang muttered softly to himself, pressing his tiny hand against his chest.
For a moment, Wei Wushang stood utterly still. His eyes closed, focusing solely on the rhythmic beat of his heart.
Something deep within Wei Wushang was shifting and transforming. Suddenly, he opened his eyes, a torrent of conflicting emotions washing over him. Without a moment's hesitation, he turned sharply on his heel and began to run. Tears streamed down his face and laughter escaped his lips.
Not long after, he stood once more at the edge of the burial pit.
The only difference this time was the smile gracing his youthful face, it was a genuine heartfelt smile.
"Atonement," he said softly, "Return to ash by purifying the body and soul through the holy act of self-immolation..." Wei Wushang was still grinning when he said these words, but then his expression turned ferocious as he shouted, "Why don't you purify this!?"
Wei Wushang ruthlessly grabbed his little carrot and began urinating on the raging flames.
Pissshh~!
"Purify this, you lousy piece of shit!!" Wei Wushang laughed manically as a warm sensation flowed onto the flaming pit.
This urine was not ordinary. It was an act of rebellion against the heart of victimhood!
It was a defiance of fate!!
A declaration of war!!!
At last, Wei Wushang had finally found a reason to live.
••••• •••• ••• •• • •• ••• •••• •••••
Years continued to pass, with time Wei Wushang learned to find calm in his solitude.
The naivety of a child had died and now the maturity of youth could be felt from the young man.
The nights were dark and lonely, while days were filled with hardship for food. But nothing new for the boy, was it?
The farm plot his father left behind was sufficient for him to sustain himself through the years.
So over the years, having grown more self-reliant, Wei Wushang gradually turned indifferent toward outside opinions.
The human heart is truly fascinating. There was a time when Wei Wushang wanted to be accepted by all the villagers, constantly yearning for their love and acceptance.
But at this moment in his life, whether they accepted him or not, Wei Wushang truly didn't care.
What really mattered was that every five years, a representative from the Desolate Harmony Sect would visit this village to recruit new disciples.
The last time an Immortal cultivator had visited this humble mortal settlement, Wei Wushang was only 9 at the time and hadn't reached the approved age for cultivation, which was 13.
But now at the age of 14, he was eligible and had even slightly surpassed the ideal age for cultivation. So there was a slim chance that he might prove to have cultivation aptitude and be recruited to join the Desolate Harmony sect.
However, if that didn't work out, Wei Wushang had already made the decision to leave this nameless village in search of immortal opportunities in the world, even if it meant facing certain death out there.
As the dust of memories were carried away by the winds of today, Wei Wushang collected himself together and faced the night rain outside the window.
His brows slightly furrowed, "The limitless sky and the boundless earth, amidst the winds of suffering and the insignificance of fate. When will I achieve a life of freedom, soar freely through heaven and earth?"
Wei Wushang heaved a deep sigh. Despite barely making just enough to eat every day, he tightly clung to his wild dreams.
Wei Wushang breathed in the fresh, cool air of the village before closing the window shut and made his way to the bed.
"It's been five years since that day. When will the immortal arrive?" Wei Wushang lay on the bed, the soft blanket pulled up to his chin.
As the rain drummed softly on the window, his body relaxed and his eyes slowly closed. With each gentle rise and fall of his breath, his exhausted body drifted into the land of sleep.
He saw a dream.
In his dream, he was an Immortal soaring through the clouds and chasing after the stars. His heart was free from pain and suffering, filled only with joy and wonder.
It was a beautiful...
...Dream.