Ku Quan brought me back home, with those villagers trailing behind us in silence, yet I could feel the aura of hostility emanating from them.

Ku Quan exchanged a few words with the old man, then vanished into the vast night, leaving me wondering where he had gone.

Exhausted, I lay on the bed, drifting between sleep and wakefulness, when Qing Qing crawled into my blanket once again.

The presence of the girl beside me stirred my heart like a deer in a flurry, and I stuttered, "You... why are you here again?"

Qing Qing chuckled, "Hehe, aren't we husband and wife? It's normal for us to sleep together, isn't it?"

Being only thirteen, I didn't understand matters between men and women. I always felt uncomfortable sleeping with Qing Qing, as if my body would feel strange and uneasy, accompanied by an inexplicable sense of embarrassment.

I sat up and drew a line in the center of the bed. "This is the boundary line. I'll sleep on the left side, and you on the right. You mustn't cross over."

Qing Qing didn't seem bothered by my childish behavior. She asked, "Is the matter with Yin Hongyi still unresolved? You seem heavily burdened."

With a sigh, I felt a surge of frustration, a feeling of being choked up inside. I wanted to confide in someone, so I recounted the events of the soul summoning ritual to Qing Qing in detail.

After listening, Qing Qing was furious, her eyebrows furrowed. "These people are too selfish and ignorant!"

I sighed heavily, a phrase flashing through my mind: "The hearts of men are not ancient; the ways of the world are cold."

The next morning, I saw the old man repairing the fence in the courtyard. He made it much taller and wrapped it with layers of iron wire, even hammering nails onto it, making it look heavily fortified.

Curious, I asked what he was doing, but he urged me to hurry inside.

My parents pulled me into the house, warning me not to go out for some time, until the matter with Yin Hongyi was resolved. They were worried that the villagers might harm me, so they kept me under tight protection, cutting off my contact with the outside world.

Staying at home was undoubtedly the safest option. Those villagers couldn't possibly be crazy enough to come and kill me at home. Openly committing murder was beyond anyone's courage.

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I knew my family was trying to protect me, but these days were quite difficult to endure. It felt like I was under house arrest, with my daily activities limited to the house. Even going out to the courtyard to bask in the sun felt like a rare moment of freedom. It was no different from being in prison, and the boredom made me feel like I was going crazy.

Occasionally, villagers would come to the door to eavesdrop on news about me. Whenever the old man saw them, he would angrily drive them away.

That day, I saw the old man wield a knife for the first time. Several villagers stood outside the courtyard, demanding that the old man hand me over.

The old man stood at the door with his knife, pointing at the people outside. "Who dares to touch my Cheng'er will have to step over my dead body!"

Watching the old man's back, I felt an unprecedented sense of grandeur.

The old man's momentum scared off those people, bringing several days of peace. However, I knew those people hadn't truly given up on killing me. As long as I stepped out of the house, I might end up lying dead in the street.

I felt deeply saddened. I, Yang Cheng, never stole nor harmed anyone. I was a model student in school, excelling in both academics and character, never involved in anything shady. Why had I become a target for everyone to shout and curse at?

Sometimes, I truly wished I could take off that piece of Yin bone from the back of my head and see what kind of bone it was, causing me such misery.

These days, Mom has been shedding tears day and night. She blames herself, thinking that my peculiar destiny is all her fault, believing that she didn't give birth to me at the right time.

Dad also sighs heavily, not daring to go anywhere, spending his days at home guarding me. What used to be a good family is now shrouded in a heavy atmosphere every day.

My only source of amusement each day is waiting for Qing Qing to crawl into my blanket at midnight, and then spending the night chatting with her. We talked about many things, but I still didn't know much about Qing Qing's background. All I knew was that Qing Qing's true form was that little jade snake, and she hadn't disclosed any other details to me.

One afternoon, I leaned against the window sill, gazing out at the scorching sun.

The cicadas were chirping loudly, signaling that summer vacation was coming to an end. With the start of school drawing near, I worried whether I could continue my studies under the current circumstances.

Qing Qing seemed to have disappeared somewhere, probably finding a cool spot in the shade.

Qing Qing saved my life, and my family regarded it as a living deity. It could roam freely in my house, going wherever it pleased, with no one stopping it.

"Yang Cheng! Yang Cheng!" Someone outside the window was calling my name in a low voice.

Following the sound, I saw someone lying on the big tree outside the house—it was my best friend, Fatty.

I hadn't seen Fatty for several days. I didn't expect him to be so lively again, especially after that night when Yin Hongyi possessed him, which frightened me half to death.

Fatty shouted from the tree, "Yang Cheng, come out and play!"

These days, I was almost going crazy from being cooped up. I really wanted to go out for some fresh air, especially when my best friend came to invite me, I was itching to go out.

I frowned and said, "I'm afraid I can't. My family won't let me out!"

Fatty continued to "tempt" me, "Sneak out through the window, I'll take you to the back hill. We found a small pond there, many people are swimming and catching shrimp in it. If you're lucky, you might even catch a couple of fish and grill them on the shore. It's really fun! All our friends are there, and they asked me to invite you!"

Hearing Fatty's words, I couldn't help but be tempted.

Once a child's playful nature was triggered, no one could stop it.

I locked the bedroom door, changed my clothes, and climbed onto the windowsill.

Fatty was outside waiting for me. Using his weight to bend the tree branches, the branch just reached the windowsill.

I held onto the branch and flipped out of the courtyard wall, hugging the wall and running forward without looking back.

My heart was pounding nervously. This jailbreak feeling was really exciting.

In my mind, I had already made plans. I would only play at the pond for an hour or two and then come back. Unbeknownst to anyone, my family might think I was taking a nap.

The sun was scorching overhead, and the afternoon sun was intense, with few people on the road.

I ran as fast as I could, feeling the hot wind blowing on my face, but it felt refreshing because it was the wind of freedom.

I ran all the way to the back hill, sweating profusely.

I asked Fatty where the small pond he mentioned was. Feeling like I was burning up, I couldn't wait to jump into the pond for a swim.

Fatty panted and said, "Just a little further, it's in the woods ahead!"