“Burn the witches!”

“Chop their bodies into pieces and feed it to the ferocious beasts!”

“Kill them!”

The crowd of people was boisterous and rowdy with their ear-deafening cheers. A high platform was set up in the middle, while below, people were cursing and screaming, one was louder than others as if they were upholding justice on behalf of Heaven.

Not long after, a group of soldiers arrived. With their galloping horses and gallant armors, they parted the sea of crowd in the middle. Their horses were tied in a string of thick rope, and the end of it was five women.

Their conditions were truly pitiful. Ragged clothes, tattered and torn, their feet shackled and wounded, their hands tied up in front, hair disheveled and bodies colored in crimson blood and bruises. As they were dragged inhumanly through the throng of crowds, some people even threw rocks and rotten vegetables at them.

The woman at the end of the line couldn’t even be considered mature yet. Her build was smaller than others, she was so skinny that her bones stuck to her skin. Messy hair covered her face, some strands were bloody and stuck to her skin. Her breaths were shallow and weak as her gaze lingered on the back of the woman in front of her, never once straying aside.

The five of them were lined up on the high platform. Their knees were struck heavily with rods, rendering them helpless of any struggle as they could only kneel obediently. Soft sobs escaped from one of them, followed by another, and another…only the woman at the end didn’t make any sound.

In the face of death, her face remained calm, her eyes like a pool of undisturbed spring water, cool and even.

The executioner stood behind them, carrying a very large, long cleaver which was stained with half dried blood. With only a heavy swing, one head was neatly chopped off, it rolled through the platform, followed by the fall of the headless body. Blood flowed like a stream of river, dripping down to the ground.

The cheers grew more and more buoyant, the excitement and exhilaration on those faces were nauseating.

The scent of blood thickened as the second, third and fourth women were beheaded one by one.

And finally, it was her turn…

She closed her eyes, accepting death with absolute peace.

Unfortunately, her wish wouldn’t happen, at least, not today.

The cheers of the crowd was broken by the sharp horn of signal from the nearest gate. Everyone knew what that signal meant. Panic and fear struck them as they scattered away like a headless fly. A large boom sounded nearby, and the wall surrounding the city was broken down and trespassed by another group of soldiers. It was a completely different group of soldiers, their armors were pitch black, and the glaring sun glistened the sweat and blood dripping through it.

Chaos befell the people.

Screams full of despair pierced through the sky. One moment they were cheering as they watched the women’s execution and the next moment, they pleaded for their lives under the swords and spears of others.

The scene in front of her was dyed in a bloody red color, it was unnerving and horrifying, yet she remained motionless in that high platform, her eyes in daze. Corpses accumulated below her, and she composedly witnessed how the crowd of people that were cheering for her death died one by one, slashed easily like tofu, the bodies created a stack of small hills.

“General, the mission has succeeded!”

“We have captured all of the remaining fugitives and killed all who struggle!”

“Tie all of them,” A deep voice answered. “Bring the rest back with us.”

“Yes, General!”

A pair of black boots appeared in front of her. She lifted her head up, but her hair obscured her sight so that she couldn’t see clearly. Under her blurry sight, she squinted at the man’s appearance which was shadowed by the glaring sun behind him.

It was the scene that she would never forget all her life.

“Why are they trying to kill you?” His deep voice travelled, the sound echoing and suppressed all the noises around.

She didn’t answer.

He cut the ropes tying her hands and freed her. She regained her movement again, yet she remained in her kneeling position. The deep and accented voice remained patient at her silence.

“Are you the infamous witch of the dark forest?”

This time, she blinked.

Then, her head shook gently.

The man’s fingers grabbed her chin and lifted her head higher. “Look at me.” The harsh wind blew, and this time, she could see his face. A pair of deep and cold black eyes, jet black hair, high nose and thin lips. A huge scar ran from his left cheek up to his temple, tarnishing the perfect edges of his contour. She gave nothing but a blink.

“Are you the infamous witch of the dark forest?” he asked once again.

She shook her head.

He frowned. “Open your mouth.”

She found herself unable to resist his imposing and commanding tone. The man gave off a very dangerous and dark aura, the heavy air of blood emanated from within. Surely, for all her fifteen years of life, she had never met someone as precarious as him.

Her chapped and pale lips parted obediently, and inside, a piece of mangled and chopped tongue was seen. Blood still trickled down from it, coloring her jaw crimson. The wound was nearly infected as it hadn’t been treated for quite long.

The creases on his forehead deepened.

“General, we are ready to go!”

The man hummed in agreement and gave a series of commands to clean up the area.

He turned back to her. Their gazes met in midair. One was as cold as everlasting snow, and the other was calm and unperturbed like a sturdy mountain.

To her surprise, he asked, “Are you not afraid of death?”

She was stunned for a moment before shaking her head again. What was she scared of? Death was just another release from the hell that she had been living on these past few months. She was ready to welcome it with open arms.

She saw his lips curled up into an indiscernible smile, but when she blinked, it had disappeared as if it was never there.

“Very well.” He straightened up and offered his hand.

She stared at his bloody palm in astonishment.

“Come with me.” He said. “What do you say, witch of the dark forest?”

This time, her expressionless face rippled. Her lips thinned and there was a faint annoyance between her brows. I am not a witch of the dark forest, she muttered inwardly.

Under the brilliant sunshine, the scent of blood permeated through the air and soaked the ground crimson. He stood nonchalantly in front of her with his hand stretched out. His eyebrows raised, but his cold expression gave nothing away.

She gingerly placed her palm on him.

It felt unexpectedly warm.

He pulled her up and cut the shackles on her ankles off with his sword. “Right, what is your name?”

The question put her in a stupor. Then, she shook her head.

“What? Do you not have a name or are you reluctant to tell me?”

She shook her head again, this time harder. A trace of frustration flashed through her eyes and he chuckled.

She lifted her head and stared at him.

“Alright.” This time, she saw it as clear as day. His smile. The long scar didn’t diminish his beauty even one bit. “Then…”

***

Beep—beep—beep.

Her eyes fluttered open and the glaring light made her squint. There was a faint commotion around her. A feminine voice exclaimed. “Doctor, the patient of room 505 has regained consciousness!”

She tried to take a deep breath and found that her face was covered in an oxygen mask. The heavy scent of antiseptic assaulted her nose. Her head was muddled, and her memory in chaos. She tried to recall anything but a sharp pain shot through her head.

The door opened hastily, followed by a pair of footsteps and a face of elderly man appeared above her.

She blinked in befuddlement.

“Can you hear my voice?” He asked, then shone a flashlight through both of her eyes. “Vitals normal. Heartbeat normal.” The nurse beside him took notes enthusiastically. The doctor raised another question. “Can you tell me your name?”

She tried to answer, but her throat was so coarse and dry that she ended up in a fit of weak coughs. Her oxygen mask was removed and the nurse slowly fed her a sip of water and dabbed her lips with wet cotton. Her eyes drank in her surroundings and the doctor asked once again. “Can you tell me your name?”

Her eyes were blank as countless pieces of memories and images floated in her mind. Her lips opened, but before she could answer, a deep and velvety voice rang inside her head, the sound resonated with her soul.

“Then, from this day on, your name will be Shi Nian.”