Chen Zhe always considered himself unlucky. On that night, misfortune seemed to follow him around. He wanted a quiet night in the old, run-down building with nothing but peace and solitude away from the weird things that began spiraling around him but soon enough, his solitude was broken by the sound of footsteps. The half-broken door creaked open and a group of travelers entered.

They were just ordinary folks, none of them had an aura of cultivators or anything special. They probably had spent the day on the road in search of a place to stay. They entered the broken building and soon saw the firewood around and started making a fire with crackling flames that cast dancing shadows on the walls.

Chen Zhe still kept to himself sitting at a pillar in the corner. He had leaned his body into the stone so that the entire weight settled onto his body; placed the bag across his thighs, pulled back further to stay hidden. Not really interested in speaking with people present. The group settled into the fire, their voices rising in easy chatter. He closed his eyes in the hope that they mightn't see him.

Well of course, they did. One of them, a bearded huge fellow was telling a story in a loud merry voice. He told how he had spent too much money on a trifling trinket sold at inflated price. He got himself into a shop, his eyes wide with excitement and somehow overpaid for something that wasn't even worth a fraction of what he paid. The shopkeeper had even been speechless, as if he was surprised by the man's ignorance.

The group burst into laughter. It was that kind of laughter, light and free, the kind that came so easily when life was uncomplicated. Chen Zhe couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy. How long had it been since he had laughed like that? How long had it been since his life felt that simple?

He shifted uncomfortably. The warmth of the fire reached him, but did little to ease the weight in his chest. His mind slipped back beyond the recent troubles to when life had not been so unkind.

He remembered the childhood. It hadn't been perfect but it had been full of happiness. They had a family, a small house and fields that stretched across the horizon. They had strived but together but then came the droughts. The weather was relentless and crops began to wither away. Three years of drought took everything away from them.

It was around those years that Chen Zhe learned the meaning of hardship firsthand. He saw how debts had mounted so high that no family could repay them. He and his siblings continued working from dawn to dusk but could hardly keep up. Other families were in similar situations. The drought had transformed a peaceful village of quiet desperation.

His mind drifted back to the long nights spent by candlelight, his parents mumbling about the debt, the creditors, the worry in their voices. It was a constant cloud that hung over their home. Chen Zhe had been too young to understand the full gravity of it back then but now he knew.

The sounds of laughter came back. They were back to teasing one another, getting lost in these everyday joys. Chen Zhe could not help but feel alienated. How can they when the world around is so callous? Not that it gave a damn about living or dying.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath pushing those thoughts away. It wasn't their fault that his life had turned out this way. He tried to focus, to clear his mind. He needed to train to center himself. It was the only way he could find peace. His cultivation wasn't anywhere near where it needed to be safe but he had to keep trying.

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Chen Zhe reached within himself finding his qi. He concentrated on it, how it moved within him. It was a weird feeling, as if he were feeling a submerged current in the river. Not really under his complete control. For now, he needed to quiet his mind. The skull’s voice echoed in his mind: "Strength is the key, boy. Strength is the answer." The words, a distant order somehow did ring true in some way.

He did not fully trust the skull, though. How could he? A talking skull was not something you just accepted. But there was something in the skull's words that went deep within him. Maybe it was right. Maybe strength was the key to surviving whatever lay ahead.

It felt like it had been an eternity since Chen Zhe sat there in silence. His body finally relaxed and the moment was gone. His thoughts started racing again and he quickly opened his eyes. The fire was still burning bright, the travelers still laughing and talking. He rose from his seat quietly so as not to disturb them. He had to keep moving. He had to continue his journey.

The night dragged on so slowly but when morning came the tourists hadn't even noticed he had already sneaked out before dawn. The crisp morning air brushed against his skin as he stood outside. He had to go. There was no choice. The way to his village lay ahead,\ and he must be there.

The road was long but he moved forward with his legs moving automatically, one step after another. The sun was rising as he walked along the familiar road. He hadn't eaten anything but he wasn't hungry. His mind was too focused on what lay ahead.

He halted in his step the moment he got to the river. He once found it hard crossing over the other side. The recollection was all too fresh - when he was a little fellow, the river really seemed strong in currents threatening and fearsome, even more during the rain storms. MORTALS avoided that place in rain season as not to get themselves swept by that river at some point without caution.

However, now the river was no longer scary. His qi made him stronger and he could even feel the flow of water in his bones. Full of confidence, he reached out for the rope tied between the two sides of the river and crossed it with ease, steady and sure in his moves.

When he came to the opposite bank, a little piece of pride swelled in him. The river was not terrifying anymore. It was just one of the obstacles he had overcome. He moved on with the village behind him, his home in front somewhere over the horizon.

Approaching the edge of his village, he could clearly hear his sibling’s laughter, their voices cut through the fields. His heart started racing upon hearing it. They were just playing, he told himself as they had every time. In that moment, he allowed himself to believe it all would get back to how things were again. That time went by awfully fast though and he fell back to reality.

When Chen Zhe came closer to his house, he felt it was too quiet. Precisely, too quiet. His parents were nowhere in sight, yet the smell of food wafted inside. He stepped into the kitchen without knowing what was in store for him. Instinctively, something was telling him that this was not normal.

And then, he saw it. He had prepared more food than usual almost as if his body had known what was needed before his mind could catch up. His family returned just as he finished the last of the preparations, their tired faces lighting up at the sight of him.

"Chen Zhe!!" His mother’s voice was filled with warmth and surprise. "You’re back!"

He smiled faintly but his heart felt heavy. He had come home but he wasn’t the same person who had left. His life outside, the things he had learned had changed him. Could his family still see the boy they once knew?

His mother embraced him. "You’ve prepared so much food after returning today. What’s the occasion?"

Chen Zhe couldn't find a way to explain it. He felt as though something from outside himself was pulling him made him do stuff, through his actions. He smiled. He clung onto something that was faintly familiar: home. It was not perfect but that was something for now.

It would be difficult to proceed but for now, he was home. And that was small consolation.