At noon, Yichen and Qing Nianli walked side by side into a tranquil village.

　　Warm sunlight poured generously over the winding dirt paths, gilding the entire village in a gentle golden glow. The air carried the faint scent of hearth smoke, and everywhere there was peace and calm.

　　The two strolled leisurely, immersed in the serenity.

　　Suddenly, a childish cry pierced the stillness and rang sharply in their ears.

　　Following the sound, Yichen saw a small child who had fallen to the ground not far ahead, his tiny body sprawled in the dust, face flushed red as he cried.

　　Yichen hurried forward and gently helped the child up. “There, there, don’t cry. Come on, let big brother see where it hurts.”

　　As he spoke, he brushed the dust from the child and carefully checked for injuries.

　　The child continued sobbing, crystal tears rolling down his grimy cheeks. Yichen noticed a fallen rattle drum nearby, picked it up, and gently shook it.

　　Dong dong dong.

　　The clear, crisp sound rang out, like ripples spreading across a still lake.

　　The child was drawn by the sound. His tightly shut eyes slowly opened, blinking through tears as he looked curiously at the drum.

　　Yichen smiled warmly, softly shaking it as he spoke in a gentle voice. “Look, little one—how fun it is.”

　　That tender tone seemed to carry a magical power. Gradually, the child stopped crying and reached out with chubby hands, trying to grab the swaying drum.

　　Seeing this, Yichen immediately placed the drum in the child’s hands. The child broke into a smile and began playing happily.

　　From a distance, Qing Nianli took in the entire scene.

　　Her gaze followed Yichen the whole time as she watched him squat down patiently to comfort the child. A warm current flowed quietly through her heart, and a gentle smile appeared in her eyes.

　　They continued walking through the village. From time to time, Qing Nianli glanced at Yichen, the affection in her eyes growing ever more apparent.

　　Yichen, however, still seemed immersed in the joy of comforting the child, utterly unaware of her tender gaze.

　　“Yichen, I didn’t expect you to be so good with children,” she said at last, breaking the silence with a smile in her voice.

　　Yichen froze for a moment, then scratched his head shyly. “Haha, I surprised myself too. Seeing that kid cry made me anxious, and I just acted without thinking.”

　　She tilted her head, curiosity sparkling in her eyes. “And how did you know to comfort him like that?”

　　Yichen’s expression softened, as though memory had drawn him back into the distant past.

　　“When I was little, my master comforted me the same way. Whenever I cried, he would gently reassure me and find fun things to cheer me up. Those moments are my most precious memories.”

　　Qing Nianli nodded thoughtfully, her gaze growing gentler. “I see. Your master must have loved you very much.”

　　Yichen nodded faintly, a trace of nostalgia in his eyes. “Yes. He treated me very well.”

　　They walked and talked, the atmosphere growing increasingly warm.

　　Just then, a sharp cry rang out.

　　The child who had been happily playing was suddenly seized by a black shadow that moved like a specter. The figure was incredibly fast—like a bolt of black lightning—and vanished in an instant, leaving behind a trace of eerie aura.

　　“Not good!”

　　Yichen’s expression changed. He drew his sword in an instant and shot after the shadow, his figure swift as the wind as he clashed with it.

　　The shadow’s attacks were sinister and vicious, but Yichen showed no fear. With agile movements and exquisite swordsmanship, he engaged it fiercely. Sword light flashed, energies collided, and Yichen gradually gained the upper hand.

　　Seizing an opening, he slashed hard, forcing the shadow back, and snatched the child away.

　　“Nianli, catch the child!” he shouted, hurling the child toward her.

　　Qing Nianli leapt forward and caught the child securely, watching Yichen with deep concern.

　　Yichen’s aura surged like an enraged beast as he lunged at the shadow once more.

　　In the fierce battle, his movements were lightning-fast, blade gleaming coldly. Each strike tore through the air with a howl, colliding with the shadow’s weapon in showers of sparks and thunderous noise.

　　His gaze burned with intensity as he pressed the attack. The shadow grew increasingly strained, secretly shocked by Yichen’s strength, and thoughts of retreat arose.

　　“Hmph! You’re formidable today—until we meet again!”

　　With a furious shout, the shadow transformed into a cloud of black mist and fled toward the distance.

　　Yichen gave chase with sword in hand, but the escape technique was too strange. In the blink of an eye, the shadow vanished into the horizon.

　　Yichen stopped, brows knit as he stared after it. Who exactly was that? And why abduct the child?

　　Qing Nianli hurried over with the child in her arms. “Yichen, are you hurt? Where did it go?”

　　He shook his head. “It escaped. But if we meet again, I won’t let it get away so easily.”

　　At that moment, the child’s parents came rushing out of an alley, panic written across their faces. Sweat soaked their hair, which clung messily to their cheeks.

　　The mother’s eyes were red with tears; the father’s hands trembled with fear.

　　When they reached Qing Nianli, their frantic steps halted, panic turning instantly into gratitude.

　　The father clasped his fists and bowed deeply, his voice choking. “Young heroes, thank you so much! If not for you, we wouldn’t know what to do—this child is our very life.”

　　The mother carefully took the child from Qing Nianli, clutching him tightly and patting his back, sobbing. “My baby, thank heavens you’re safe—you scared me to death.”

　　Yichen stepped forward at once, waving his hand with a gentle smile. “No need for thanks. As long as the child is safe, that’s enough. It was only our duty.”

　　His gaze turned resolute as he looked toward the direction the fiend had fled, already devising countermeasures.

　　Turning to Qing Nianli, he said, “That fiend will surely cause trouble again. We must prepare in advance.”

　　She nodded. “How should we prepare?”

　　A spark lit Yichen’s eyes. “I have an idea!”

　　He began enthusiastically fiddling with a beast trap, clearly intending to use it to catch the fiend.

　　“Yichen… you’re not seriously planning to catch a fiend with a beast trap, are you? That doesn’t sound reliable,” Qing Nianli said doubtfully.

　　Yichen looked up and smiled. “Don’t worry, Nianli. When I was young, I used this very method to catch ferocious beasts far stronger than me. It works.”

　　She sighed helplessly. “Yichen, why are you still like a child? That fiend has intelligence—it’s not the same as wild beasts.”

　　Yichen merely chuckled and ignored her concern. He carefully concealed the trap with grass, then planted a small wooden sign beside it, scrawled crookedly with the words: If you’ve got the guts, come over.

　　After setting the sign, he busied himself with other arrangements nearby.

　　He scattered branches and leaves around the trap, seemingly at random, as if laying out a more hidden mechanism.

　　Then, not far away, he picked up a rake, toyed with it casually, and suddenly let go. With a loud clang, it fell to the ground.

　　Only then did Yichen clap his hands in satisfaction and turn to Qing Nianli. “All right. That should be foolproof.”

　　She shook her head. “Yichen, do you really think this will catch that fiend? I still don’t think it’s possible.”

　　“Nianli, trust me. Just wait and watch the show.”

　　With that, he pulled her aside to hide and quietly waited for the fiend’s arrival.

　　Elsewhere, the fiend—having taken on the form of a black shadow—was grievously wounded from the battle with Yichen. Every injury burned like fire, agony piercing to the bone.

　　Driven by desperation to survive, he fled under the cover of night, enduring the pain.

　　Like a gale of malice, he swept across desolate fields, hatred for Yichen blazing fiercely in his chest.

　　While fleeing, the cry of an infant drifted from a small house along the way, instantly seizing his attention.

　　A flash of greed gleamed in his bloodshot eyes. In a ghostly blur, he slipped inside and easily abducted the swaddled infant.

　　The baby wailed desperately in his arms, the sound like a piercing provocation to the fiend. He quickened his pace, soon returning to his damp, shadowy cave.

　　Upon entering, he casually tossed the infant onto the cold stone slab. The baby wailed louder. Annoyance twisted the fiend’s face as cruelty flashed in his eyes.

　　His withered, skeletal hand—fingers long and black-nailed—slowly reached toward the infant’s head.

　　Soon, the crying faded into the darkness, leaving only dead silence and a nauseating stench in the air.

　　“Damn that bastard—how dare he ruin my plans!”

　　The fiend flung the infant’s corpse aside, wiped the blood from his mouth, and clutched his bleeding chest as he cursed viciously. “Once my wounds heal, I’ll make you pay tenfold. I’ll make you beg for death and be denied it!”

　　“Those children are priceless nourishment. I won’t just give up.”

　　Images of villages and children flickered endlessly through his mind.

　　“I need a more discreet method. I can’t be so reckless again. Perhaps I can use the cover of night…”

　　The fiend laughed darkly, as if already envisioning his next success.

　　“Yes—start with the smaller, poorly defended villages. Once I’ve gathered enough strength, I’ll move on to the larger ones.”

　　The more he thought, the more excited he became, utterly indifferent to his own recent brutality, focused solely on acquiring more “delicacies.”

　　Within the dark cave, his evil thoughts multiplied like a spreading web, soon to envelop countless innocent children.

　　Night fell like an immense curtain of ink, shrouding the land.

　　Dim moonlight filtered through intermittently, barely illuminating a small patch of ground. All around was silence, broken only by the occasional insect call, deepening the sense of mystery.

　　Shadows of trees swayed gently in the breeze, as though dancing to some eerie rhythm.

　　Suddenly, a chill wind swept through. Wrapped within it, the fiend appeared like a specter.

　　His bald head gleamed strangely in the gloom, the hairless scalp glowing with a sickly green sheen, exuding a chilling aura.

　　His face was covered in coarse, tangled whiskers like thorny brush, greasy and uneven, lending his already vile features an even more ferocious and sinister air. His narrow, sinister eyes gleamed with cunning cruelty, like a venomous snake lurking in the dark.

　　Beneath his bulbous nose, his gaping mouth revealed jagged yellow teeth, exuding a nauseating stench.

　　Though hunched, his body seemed to contain immense power, ready to erupt at any moment. In this eerie atmosphere, he looked like a demon crawling up from the depths of hell, sending chills through the spine.

　　The moment he appeared, his eyes locked onto the sign Yichen had planted.

　　In the darkness, the crooked words If you’ve got the guts, come over stood out glaringly, radiating provocation even in the dim light.

　　The fiend sneered. “Hmph. These stupid villagers think they can fight me? Just a bluff.”

　　He straightened and strode forward arrogantly, as if nothing around him was worthy of notice, utterly unaware that danger lay in wait.

　　Crack.

　　The beast trap snapped shut like a ravenous predator, clamping down hard on his ankle.

　　“Ahhh!”

　　His shrill scream tore through the silent night, piercing to the scalp.

　　Pain twisted his features as he staggered backward. In his panic, he stepped squarely on the fallen rake.

　　The wooden handle rebounded like a spring and smashed squarely into his forehead.

　　He screamed again, lost his balance, and crashed face-first to the ground in utter disgrace.