In the dream, someone was banging on the wooden door of that small house.  0

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! Whoever it was didn’t wait for an answer. The sound soon became the violent pounding of someone trying to force their way in.0

Inside, Yan Yu and Sheng'er watched the door warily. For a long time, it held fast—until suddenly, with a creak, it swung open. A thin line of darkness seeped into the room, and a peddler with a grotesque grin peeked around the door frame.0

Everything fell eerily silent.0

By the window, the white figure remained as before, back turned, unmoving.0

Then, all at once, the peddler slipped into the room, that unsettling smile frozen on his face. He dashed straight for Sheng'er, hands outstretched to grab her. Sheng'er raised her walking stick, trying to fend him off. The peddler caught hold of it, and in that moment, everything seemed to freeze in place.2

After a brief standstill, Sheng'er’s expression twisted in pain. She opened her mouth to cry out, but no sound emerged.0

Yan Yu could hold back no longer. She clenched her fists and swung at the peddler. Even before her blow could land, a suffocating aura of death rushed at her. Yet, she never made contact with him. Just then, the white figure intercepted, blocking her path and also stopping the peddler’s...1