Chapter One, the wasteland behind the village

You old thing, when will this end? The child is so small, yet you are so heavy-handed. If you break anything, I will not let this go.

From then on, Feng Bingwen no longer spoke to others about the matters in his dreams, yet these dreams continued to occur intermittently.

Able to travel a thousand miles in a day, yet without a horse-drawn carriage, possessing a steel bird that can carry hundreds of people, and even capable of swallowing thousands, a steel giant snake that traverses mountains and valleys... Undoubtedly, the one who speaks of these things was immediately regarded by the villagers as possessed.

I have told you many times not to go behind the village, yet you refuse to listen

The old woman watched as the old man endured several lashes in silence, without shedding a tear. A child, with a concerned expression, inquired with a look of distress on their face.

I also do not wish to go to the back; originally, a group of people was playing in the village, but as we played, we ended up there.

The elderly woman, who was originally standing aside, could no longer remain passive. She hurriedly stepped forward, closing the distance in two strides, and positioned herself in front of the old man, shielding the child who was being punished by kneeling behind her.

The old man looked up at the outside of the house; the sunlight had already turned slightly yellow, the sun was setting in the west, and dusk was approaching

The child scratched his head, feeling quite puzzled.

The old woman spoke as she extended her calloused and wrinkled hand, intending to pull down the child's pants for a glance.

The old man holding the rattan stick, his thick and bushy eyebrows trembled even more, showing no sign of retreat; instead, he became even angrier

I have taught countless students in the private school, and it is difficult to keep track of the numbers. The approach varies in intensity, but it is precisely because the children are so young that they need guidance and education

I have been hit in my dreams

It is precisely because every time he is beaten, you protect him, preventing him from learning his lesson. Today, he actually dared to take a few of the younger ones from the village to play in the back.

The children suddenly resembled frenzied cats, calling out in a hurry, pulling up their pants, tightly covering themselves, with expressions of both embarrassment and anger on their faces

Grandma, I am fine

Kneel properly

When he was younger, he once shared his dreams with the adults, but as a result, he was subjected to three days of incantation water by a Taoist priest invited by the elders in the family

The angry old man threw down the rattan stick in his hand and stormed back into the side room

Why did you go to the back? I have told you and your grandfather many times not to go to the back

Feng Bingwen looked at the kindly-faced, gray-haired elderly woman in front of him and quickly shook his head

He does not understand why these two elderly people in the family are so apprehensive about the wasteland behind the village. He has observed it from a distance many times and has not discerned anything unusual; it is merely a piece of land with slight undulations, overgrown with weeds.

Safety? Let's discuss it again after tonight!

Wen'er, stop kneeling, come down for dinner

The old woman looked at the old man with a reproachful expression

Hmph

The old man did not feel at ease because his old wife pleaded for mercy; the rattan he held in his hand once again struck the child's bottom, producing a crisp sound of flesh hitting flesh

If he is not given a few more hits, he will not learn his lesson

The rattan was fiercely struck against the buttocks, followed by a wave of searing pain. Feng Bingwen's rosy little face instantly contorted, yet she managed to hold back.

Among these incidents, there was an occasion where he was beaten for running around recklessly, and it was not just a single instance like his; rather, he was beaten three times at different intervals.

I have had similar dreams

Come, let me see how it turned out, Grandma

Hiss!

Do not go there again next time

Feng Bingwen's small face was filled with displeasure; he had put in a great deal of effort to earn the right to sleep alone in a bed. Unlike many children his age, he had never liked sleeping cramped together with others.

Grandma

There is no need for that, I have already grown up

Feng Bingwen's small face suddenly contorted; since he could remember, he had been having bizarre dreams every few days. Some of these dreams resembled his current life, but many more depicted scenes that he could not comprehend

However, although he was beaten, there was a peculiar feeling in his heart. It seemed as though he had experienced something similar before, yet he searched through his memories and realized that this was the first time he had been hit.

After seeing the two elderly people leave, Feng Bingwen's tense little face suddenly contorted, and he gasped, cautiously reaching out to touch his little bottom

Feng Bingwen recalled the scenes from his dream and suddenly discovered something rather horrifying. As a child, if one ventured into those remote places, one would often encounter...

You must sleep with me tonight; after tonight, whether you sleep horizontally or diagonally, no one will care about you

I remember going to such a place that seems to ... ...

Once the soreness and numbness in his legs subsided, Feng Bingwen took the initiative to arrange the tables and chairs, waiting for the meal to begin

At dusk, wisps of smoke rose from the chimney, and the child, who had been punished to kneel, heard a call from behind him. His thoughts were suddenly freed from the memories, and he was allowed to rise. Then, with a sour expression, he got up from the bamboo chair, stumbling slightly as he got to his feet

Touching the already red and swollen striped whip marks on his buttocks, Feng Bingwen grimaced in pain

The old man's tone brooked no doubt

They have all returned safely, why are you still getting angry

Although he estimated that his already swollen and painful backside had been beaten to a pulp, since he had already endured the pain, why should he make his grandmother worry, especially since this matter was indeed his fault

This old fellow, how could he be so heavy-handed, I will go settle the score with him

A stern voice echoed in the ancient and dilapidated hall, as the children quietly raised their heads. An elderly man, dressed in a plain gray shirt and holding a rattan cane, had his thick eyebrows quivering, revealing the anger he felt at that moment

At the dining table, the old man, holding a cup of murky wine and occasionally taking a sip, looked at his grandson who was devouring his food. Feng Bingwen, upon hearing this, looked at his grandfather in astonishment.

It hurts so much

Arrived

It seems that I have experienced something like this before, and Feng Bingwen's attention was completely diverted from himself. After making an effort to recall, he finally remembered where he had encountered a similar situation

"Wen'er, does it hurt?"

The old woman paid no attention to the child's embarrassment; instead, she began to complain about the elderly, picking up a rolling pin from the side and storming into the room.

If we are to speak of danger, it is rather the Wulong Lake behind the wasteland. The lake is vast, spanning hundreds of miles, yet it is quite self-aware; none of the little ones playing together were allowed to enter the water, nor were they permitted to approach the lake's edge.

Seeing the old man pick up the rattan stick and prepare to strike, the elderly woman who was mending shoes beside him could not help but intervene

Alright, alright, you have already typed so much, it's enough, Wen'er has already remembered, and will not go there again next time

Tonight, you will sleep with me