The Eyeless Man

Splash!

Clear water streamed down the edge of the bucket, forming a thin, elongated column that slowly fell to the ground.

The young kumquat tree, standing just over a meter tall, "greedily" absorbed the water soaking into the soil. In mere moments, the tree's roots had drained the ground dry.

Placing the bucket down, Gu Ning'an chuckled. "You sure drink a lot. Aren't you afraid of overdoing it?"

Rustle... rustle!

A gentle breeze swept through, causing the tiny green buds on the tree to sway along with its branches. It seemed as though the tree was gesturing, asking for another bucket.

Boom!

Feeling a strange sensation, Gu Ning'an's palm suddenly warmed, and a vision emerged before his eyes—a figure hunched over, sanding down a log of wood.

Amidst the vague image, he could hear Carpenter Zhao's hearty laughter: "My craftsmanship is the best in the world!"

Clenching his palm, Gu Ning'an guided the newly formed Worldly Qi back into his body. He turned to walk toward the inner room, muttering to himself with a smile, "That drink was worth it..."

...

"Redtail Fish, how many times has it been now?" Hu Shi lowered the sheet of rice paper in his hands slightly, revealing two round, wide-open eyes. [The fish still has no name, so I'll just officially name him as Redtail Fish.]

Blub, blub, blub!

"I… lost… count!"

Hearing this, Hu Shi frowned deeply. "Oh no, what should we do? The teacher said it must be recited nineteen times a day. If we've lost track, what if we've overdone it?"

Redtail Fish wriggled its body, spitting out a few more bubbles. "Maybe… ask teacher…"

Hu Shi shook his head repeatedly. "That won't do! It's already so… so late. Teacher must be resting..."

Blub, blub!

"Then… shall we stop here for today?"

Upon hearing this, a deep sense of disappointment welled up in Hu Shi's round eyes. Carefully folding the rice paper, he tucked it into his chest pocket and said softly, "Big Fish, I'm sorry. I'm just too dumb…"

Redtail Fish quickly swished its tail and spit out bubbles in response: "You… smart!"

"Take me home," Hu Shi said dejectedly, hanging his head as he waved at Redtail Fish.

Seeing its friend so disheartened, the fish hesitated, unsure how to offer comfort. It slowly moved closer to the boulder, allowing Hu Shi to climb onto its back.

"Nineteen recitations... you're three short," a raspy voice suddenly rang out, startling both Hu Shi and Redtail Fish.

Following the sound, Hu Shi turned around. Atop the boulder, behind him, stood a tall, lanky man whose eyes were covered with a strip of blue cloth.

The man's rough clothing looked even coarser than sackcloth, wrinkled and worn.

"Who are you?!" Hu Shi shouted. Before he could finish his sentence, Redtail Fish suddenly erupted in a frenzy. Its massive tail arched out of the water, curling like a fan to scoop Hu Shi up. With a sharp twist, the fish spun around and sped away!

The once-calm river surface churned violently in its wake.

"Why are we running?" Hu Shi asked, bewildered, as he was carried just above the water's surface by the fish's tail.

Redtail Fish spat out bubbles as it swam rapidly: "Hidden watcher… scheming… bad intentions!"

Drip!

The crisp sound of water droplets echoed as they hit the river's surface.

Redtail Fish's body stiffened. In its line of sight, it realized that it was gradually rising—slowly lifting away from the river!

A massive water sphere appeared out of thin air, enveloping the large body of the Redtail Fish and forming a "water prison" that suspended it in midair. The only part left outside the water sphere was the fish tail, which still held Hu Shi.

Hu Shi, already slow to react, couldn't comprehend what was happening. With a blank expression, he simply stared at the blindfolded man walking through the air. When the man reached him, he pulled Hu Shi from the fish tail with one hand and placed him back on the riverbank.

"Kid, could you let me take a look at the scripture you were reciting earlier?" The blindfolded man smiled warmly, exuding an air of kindness.

Hu Shi, finally snapping out of his daze, clutched his chest and shouted, "No! Let Big Fish go!"

The blindfolded man smiled even more deeply. "If you don't let me see it, I'll kill the big fish. How about that?"

"No! You can't!" Hu Shi waved his hands frantically, then added, "The white paper belongs to Mister Gu, and he's stronger than you!"

"Oh?" The blindfolded man raised a finger. Instantly, a thin gash appeared on the belly of the suspended Redtail Fish, and crimson blood began to trickle down.

"I don't take kindly to threats," the man said coldly before his tone softened. "But I'll give you a choice. Either give me the paper, or you die, or the fish dies. What will you choose?"

Hu Shi, trembling with fear, couldn't make any response at first. It felt as if a heavy stone was lodged in his throat. After struggling for a long moment, he finally managed to force out two words: "I'll die!"

The blindfolded man's smile widened, and he leaned in closer to Hu Shi. "Why choose your own death?"

"I'm a fool. It's worth it!" Hu Shi replied swiftly and without hesitation.

"'Worth it'... What a response!" The blindfolded man burst into laughter, dropping to the ground with a thud as he yanked off the blue cloth covering his eyes.

Underneath the cloth, there was nothing—no eye sockets, no eyelids, no eyelashes. The area was completely flat, as though the man had been born without eyes.

Hu Shi had seen blind people before, but he had never encountered someone with no eye sockets or eyelids. This man seemed to be missing an entire facial feature.

His face wasn't grotesque or terrifying, but it exuded an unsettling, bone-chilling strangeness.

Hu Shi's pupils quivered as he asked in a low voice, "Why don't you have eyes?"

The eyeless man touched the area where his eyes should have been, pointed at the dark sky, and said calmly, "Ask him why I don't have eyes."

Following his gesture, Hu Shi looked up but saw nothing except a few drifting dark clouds.

"Are you still going to kill me?" Hu Shi asked quietly, his nervousness evident.

The eyeless man lowered his head slightly. Despite his lack of eyes, Hu Shi felt as though he were being scrutinized.

After a long silence, the eyeless man finally spoke slowly: "You've saved your own life."

Hu Shi looked at him in confusion but didn't dare to ask further. Instead, he pointed at the suspended Redtail Fish. "Can you let Big Fish go now?"

"No rush, no rush," the eyeless man replied, pulling Hu Shi down beside him and causing him to fall into a sitting position. "We seem to share some fate. Sit and chat with me for a while."