Baili An did not know why, but as he lingered on the edge of life and death, he suddenly felt less afraid.
It made sense, after all, having been enveloped by the breath of death for two hundred years, how could he fear it now?
He struggled to his feet, tucked away the small sword, and brushed off the pitch-black corpse ash from his body. His expression suddenly froze, and his eyes turned vacant for more than three breaths.
He suddenly clutched his chest with his right hand, his face filled with panic and unease, as if he feared missing something vital.
It was not an illusion...
Just now... his desolate heart had actually thumped when he stood up!
There was no mistake!
Beneath his chest was a cold void, quiet for too many years; such a sudden movement could not be misperceived.
After a moment of despair, new hope slowly began to sprout under nourishment.
His eye sockets dry and gritty, Baili An thought that if he could cry at that moment, his tears would have flowed like a river bursting its banks.
What is dawn? It is a ray of light that suddenly descends from above one's head amidst despair in the endless darkness of the Abyss.
Even if that light is very faint and thin as silk, it is extraordinarily dazzling in the cold depths of the Abyss.
Even if that light is very distant, and it might even scorch him, it does not affect the longing in his heart.
Baili An believed that even in his current situation, he had never despaired.
But he also did not enjoy being enveloped by darkness.
That familiar heartbeat, did it mean that he was another step closer to transforming back into a human?
Baili An wore a happy smile on his face.
Having just faced the threat of death a short while ago, he now laughed silently in this cave, the terrifyingly deep indentation on his neck only adding to the melancholic atmosphere.
"Tap tap tap..." The hesitant hoofbeats sounded.
Baili An looked towards the cave entrance, only to see the deer that had left returning, its mouth bulging with something it was chewing.
It looked at Baili An timidly, as if afraid that the green-haired corpse demon might suddenly jump out and attack.
A warm feeling grew in Baili An's heart, and he weakly waved and said, "Come here, it's gone now."
As he spoke, he realized how hoarse his voice sounded, rough as if it had been scraped by countless grains of sand.
Baili An touched his twisted neck; several broken bones had pierced into his vocal cords, severely affecting his speech.
He smiled wryly to himself, having heard that corpse demons have a great ability to heal, and wondered if it could restore his appearance.
Hearing Baili An's words, the deer finally felt reassured and trotted over with quick, light steps.
The deer's goofy face was swollen from the contents of its mouth, looking quite comical.
It even held Baili An's blood-stained sleeve in its thick lips, making a gurgling sound in its throat.
Although Baili An could not communicate with it verbally, through their brief interaction, he could understand its intentions.
It wanted to give him something.
Baili An opened his palm towards the deer, and it chewed for a while before spitting out a clump of damp, finely chopped herbal medicine.
The herbs looked very familiar to Baili An; they were the same ones he had previously gathered to treat a wound on the deer's bottom.
His heart warmed, he had not expected the little deer to be so intelligent and perceptive, for he had only picked the herbs once, and it had remembered.
Watching him hold the herbs in his hand, the deer anxiously nudged his palm, signaling him to hurry and apply the medicine to his wound.
Baili An smiled gently, crouching down to apply the herbs to the wound on the deer's rear.
The herbs that had originally been on its body were long washed away by the rain.
While applying the medicine, and looking down, he said, "I am a dead man, my body has long lost its vitality, these herbs are of no use to me, don't waste them, better use them yourself."
The deer seemed to understand his words, its eyes sorrowful, and it gave a dejected low moo before laying down by his feet.
After applying the medicine, Baili An watched as the light rain outside had suddenly turned into a violent storm, the wind howling as if ghosts and wolves were wailing.
He gazed out for a long while, then patted the small antlers on the deer's head, saying, "Little deer, once the rain stops tomorrow, you should go back to the woods."
The deer nuzzled his cold palm with its fluffy cheek, its big round eyes filled with reluctance.
Baili An's body was extremely weak at this moment, so he simply sat on the dusty ground.
He looked at the deer and smiled, saying, "Although I would really like to take you wandering with me, I really can't, I am not a living creature, I can't live under the sunlight, and there may be many more crises like this in the future, I don't have the ability to protect you."
The deer's bent hooves suddenly straightened, anxiously pawing at the ground.
Its thick lips began to move again, and it seemed unhappy and about to spit.
Before it could spit, the deer's eyes suddenly brightened as if it sensed something.
It then suddenly lowered its head, bit Baili An's robe, and started walking towards the direction of the deep part of the cave where the green-haired corpse demon had come from.
As Baili An turned to look, a breeze rolled out from the depths of the cave.
The breeze was cool and carried a fruity sweet scent, invigorating anyone who smelled it.
Baili An got up, looking curiously at the deer, "There... seems to be something over there?"
The deer nodded, its eyes very bright.
They passed through the dark, long cave, and at the far end where weeds and vines grew wildly, there was a naturally formed cold pond.
The cold pond was in the depths of the cave, which by all logic should have been so dark one couldn't see their hand in front of their face.
But this place was incredibly bright, as if it were daylight.
In the center of the cold pond, a small silver-white tree grew.
The species of the tree was indeterminable, but it was extremely beautiful.
Each leaf shone like the Star River, its bright luminescence illuminating everything around.
Baili An was slightly moved, feeling as if he had suddenly discovered a bright village amidst the darkness.
He glanced around briefly.
By the side of the cold pond, there was a rectangular pit big enough for an adult, shaped almost like a coffin.
Clearly, this was the resting place of the green-haired corpse demon not long ago.
Baili An found it somewhat strange; typically, corpse demons and other evil ghosts preferred to dwell in cold, damp, dark places.
Yet why was this corpse demon stationed in such a bright, glaring place?
"Gurgle..."
At that moment, the grumbling sound from the deer's stomach interrupted Baili An's thoughts.
He turned his head and couldn't help but laugh silently.
The little deer was drooling profusely at the sight of the small silver-white tree.
Its hooves couldn't help but continuously stamp on the ground, evidently very excited.
Seeing how much the small tree enticed the deer, Baili An also grew more interested, examining the tree that grew in the cold pond more closely.