“... On that night, they were together for a long time. Dia Wu told him that he absolutely couldn’t give up hope, because he still had her. She would convince her family to try to find a cure for the Isrock Disease... however, before then, Isrock Disease had never been successfully cured before, and at most one had a few years to live. In order to give him more hope, she took out a long piece of red string that she had prepared earlier. She bound one end on Tian Ya’s pinky finger on her right hand, and bound the other end on her own pinky finger on her left hand.”

Ling Chen clearly saw that scene in his mind. He remembered that had happened on that night with absolute clarity... he would never forget until the day he died.

“This piece of red string is a symbol that the god of marriage has bound us together. One end is attached to you, and the other end is attached to me. Big brother Tian Ya, do you know what this means? Hehe... it means that from now on, I, Xuanyuan Dia Wu, has become big brother Tian Ya’s wife, from now till forever. Big brother Tian Ya is my husband, and we’ll always be together. No matter what happens, we’ll never be separated.”

Under the silvery moonlight, the young girl held the young boy’s hand, and closed her eyes, praying to the heavens, “I, Xuanyuan Dia Wu, am willing to become big brother Tian Ya’s wife. We were born on the same date in the same month and year, and I’m willing to die with him on the same date in the same month and year. This entire life, I’ll only belong to big brother Tian Ya. Heavens, please be the witness of everything I’ve said. If I go back on any of my words, let me suffer eternal punishment. Please bless big brother Tian Ya and myself so that no matter what happens, we can always be together.”

Just like this, the girl sincerely and earnestly made a promise and a wish, binding her life to this boy who was very likely going to die.

“... Tian Ya, who had originally given up all hope, once again had a strong desire to live. For Dia Wu, he continued to be strong, and was unwilling to die. This was because they were now bound together. On that night, they stayed at the creek until it was dawn. Dia Wu then carried him back to his room. The family’s security was usually extremely tight, and not even a fly could pass through without their detection. Somehow, when they were going out, or coming back, no one found out. When she was leaving, Dia Wu gently kissed him... it was the first time Tian Ya had been kissed by a girl, and it was also the first time he had kissed a girl. It was possible to transmit the Isrock Disease through saliva, so Tian Ya initially refused, but his weak body was unable to stop Dia Wu... after all, Dia Wu told him that no matter what happened to him, she would not reject him at all. She would even be willing to contract the Isrock Disease with him.”

“Dia Wu, she’s truly a good, kind girl.” Ling Shui Ruo said quietly. In her mind was the scene Ling Chen was describing. The more she listened to Ling Chen’s story, the more she wanted to meet that girl called “Dia Wu”, and thank her for being so kind to the boy called Tian Ya... just like how big brother refused to abandon her while she was still sick. The only reason she was able to survive for three years after contracting the Isrock Disease was because of Ling Chen.

“After Dia Wu left, Tian Ya was left in the darkness by himself. Tian Ya gritted his teeth, and resisted the feeling of strengthlessness in his body. No matter what, he wanted to live for as long as possible. However, ten or so minutes after Dia Wu left, the door was suddenly opened, and a few people charged in. Before Tian Ya even had the chance to make a sound, something was shoved into his mouth, and his body was thrown into a large sack.”

“Ah!” Shui Ruo, who was already very tense, let out a gasp.

“Tian Ya didn’t know what had happened, and he was unable to make a sound because of whatever had been stuffed into his mouth. He felt himself tightly wrapped in the bag, unable to move, and was carried away. After a while, he felt himself being thrown down, and lost consciousness. Just before he passed out, he heard the starting of a car engine.”

“Where did they take him? What were they going to do with him?” Ling Shui Ruo couldn’t help but ask anxiously, her hands covered in cold sweat.

Ling Chen continued to calmly narrate, “When Tian Ya woke up, he was once again thrown downwards. This time, he was thrown into a cold, dark place. Afterwards, he felt clumps of things falling down on him, which became heavier and heavier. It became harder and harder for him to breathe, and he realised what was falling on him was dirt. He was being buried in a very deep pit.”

Shui Ruo’s body began to shake.

“Tian Ya desperately struggled, but he was so weak that he could not budge the dirt at all. There was something stuffed in his mouth, and he couldn’t even make a sound. Slowly, he lost consciousness... he knew that he was going to die. He stopped struggling, and as he felt his last bit of energy disappearing, he thought back to the times he had spent with Dia Wu. He wasn’t afraid of dying, but he was afraid that if he disappeared, and Dia Wu couldn’t find him, she’d be completely heartbroken and devastated, because today she had become his wife.”

“Why would they do such a thing to him! He never did anything wrong, but those people were so cold, so cruel to him!! Why were they so cruel that they would bury him alive!” Streaks of tears travelled down Shui Ruo’s face, and she buried her head into Ling Chen’s chest as she sobbed.

Ling Chen tightly hugged her, and gave a long sigh, “Because as long as he existed, he was like a poisonous thorn to that family. Anyone who saw him would feel uncomfortable, and yet they couldn’t drive him out, much less hurt him. Especially to the young master, he was a ticking bomb that could explode at any time. As the young master grew up and became more and more intelligent and devious, this became more and more clear to him.”

“Why was this?” Shui Ruo raised her head as she asked.

“Why? Ah... the reason isn’t too important anymore. From that night onwards, they all believed that Tian Ya had died, and had thought up many reasons for his death. The reason behind all this is not too important anymore. From that day onwards, there was no longer any connection between Tian Ya and that family... and there never would be.”

“And then... what happened to Tian Ya?” Shui Ruo used her hands to wipe away her tears as she gently asked.

“Afterwards, just as he was about to release himself into death’s embrace, he heard some people talking above him... Although the voices were quite soft, he was able to hear clearly.”

“Is this really the right thing to do? After all, he’s...”

“Hmph, this is something the young master explicitly ordered. No need to waste your breath. Quickly erase all evidence and go. No one usually comes here; being buried here, he won’t be discovered for maybe 10 years.”

“Haha, young master’s so cunning at such a young age; he’s definitely got a bright future in front of him.”

Their words caused the strengthless Tian Ya’s eyes to fly open. Boundless hatred filled his mind, and waves like floodwaters crashed in his heart. He didn’t know where the energy came from, but he started to desperately struggle again, as well as tried to call out. The hatred within him caused him to be unwilling to give up and die. He wanted to meet Dia Wu again; he wanted to go and ask the young master why he would do such a thing; he wanted... revenge!”

“The sound of an engine starting sounded out, and the people who had brought him here left. His willpower was strengthened by his hatred, and he continued to struggle furiously... since he was born, he had been born into an emotionally cold and harsh environment. Perhaps he had always been suppressing his unhappiness and resentment, but in the face of such despair and stimulation, this was all released. At that moment, his desire was to kill every single person except Dia Wu...”

“... He didn’t know how much time had passed, but he knew that he had been buried for a very, very long time. Tian Ya didn’t know that still being alive after being buried for such a long time in his weakened state was already something incredible. Afterwards, he finally reached his limits. His consciousness began to fade, and began to draw nearer and nearer to death, but the hatred in his heart was still just as strong. Just as he completely lost consciousness, a deafening sound erupted above him, and he felt himself being grasped and raised up... he subsequently lost consciousness.”

“And then, and then... who saved Tian Ya? He was fine, right?” Shui Ruo’s voice was incredibly anxious and worried.

“Indeed, someone had saved him. It was someone who was just passing by. The reason for them saving him was because of the resent and hatred that he was releasing. What that person was trying to find was people who were filled with hatred and resentment- the type of people who were absolutely determined not to die. The person rescued Tian Ya, and took him to a faraway place... a place called ‘Heaven’.”