The cave entrance led into a long winding tunnel that seemed to stretch on forever. Even so, Zhao Yunxiao did not rush, taking each step only after carefully analysing his surroundings.

Just like the entrance, there were torches hanging on both sides of the cave walls at regular intervals, ensuring that the entire path was well-lit. The floor was flat and smooth, the walls straight and even. No matter how one looked at it, this place was devoid of the usual uneven textures of ordinary caves.

Yet even in this unnaturally consistent environment, Zhao Yunxiao made sure to remember every little detail.

From the distance between each torch to the intensity of the flames, from the height at which the torches were positioned to the gradient of each turn, or even how many torches there were before each turn – he made sure not to miss anything.

As he carefully memorised each and every detail, Zhao Yunxiao continued to move forward until he eventually found himself arriving before a door.

It was a lattice door, made of light brown pinewood and cream-coloured paper – looking completely out of place as it stood at the very end of the stone tunnel.

Zhao Yunxiao dared not open it carelessly, making sure to examine it carefully to make sure that there were no strange traps or arrays in the direct vicinity. It was only after a few rounds of inspection that he finally mustered the courage to push open the door with his halberd.

He had braced himself for all sorts of danger, but beyond the door was nothing but a simple room.

It was a small square room, no more than three metres on each side, with the same wooden planks used for the floor, ceiling, and four walls. There were only three things in the room – a calligraphy painting hanging on the furthest wall, as well as the two burning torches that illuminated it.

With nothing else to focus on, Zhao Yunxiao's attention naturally fell upon the calligraphy painting. Similar to the verses at the entrance, the words on it were written in archaic characters.

[A simple boy born to merchants, meant to lead a life of trade. A thoughtless action born of innocence, destined to turn the gears of fate.]

Just as he finished reading, the characters suddenly started to emit blinding rays of intense white light, devouring the colours of his surroundings and throwing him into a pure white world.

***

Zhao Yunxiao blinked his eyes in confusion.

The white light was gone, but his surroundings were no longer the same as before. If the warm rays from the sun above were not enough proof that he was no longer in the small room, then the soft sensation of grass beneath his feet definitely was.

He was currently running along on a lush field, with his cloth shoes unable to completely keep the blades of grass from tickling his ankles.

"Ming'er, be careful! Don't wander too far!" the tender voice of a young lady could be heard from behind him.

"Yes, yes, you have said that a hundred times already, Mum!"

Hmm? Did he just say that?

And... Ming'er?

It was only then that Zhao Yunxiao realised he had not been in control of his body.

No, that was not quite accurate either.

This was not his first time experiencing something like this, so he managed to figure things out rather quickly this time. It was not that he had not been in control of his body, but because this was not his body in the first place.

He was currently seeing the life of someone else – be it comprising mere illusions or actual past memories.

Right now, he was residing in the body of a young boy, running freely through an open field of grass.

Unbeknownst to his mother, his eyes were locked in on a hare ahead, chasing after it with the determination to turn it into dinner. Under the cover of the tall grass, it would be nigh impossible for his mother to see the hare.

Thankfully so.

He had read plenty of stories in which the main characters roasted hares over campfires, and had always wondered how that would taste in reality. Now that he had finally gotten to leave the city and play in the wilds, he definitely had to give it a try while he had the chance!

Stop running and let me catch you already!

But how could the hare possibly stand still for him?

Every time he approached, it naturally sped up to put more distance between them. He did not give up though, continuing to chase after it while clumsily bashing through the tall grass that reached up to his knees.

From time to time, he would trip over an exposed root that was obscured by the tall grass. Fortunately, he was athletic enough to always recover his balance after stumbling a few steps, never truly falling to the ground.

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One ran. One chased.

Eventually, the duo arrived at the edge of the field, where the ground turned into a steep slope downwards. There, a protruding tree root emerged from the ground and stretched into the air, extending metres away from the edge of the field as though it were a branch of the ground itself.

The hare did not hesitate, immediately leaping onto the exposed tree root and running to the far end before coming to a sudden stop.

Standing at the tip of the exposed tree root, the hare finally turned around to look at him.

It was unknown if the hare had given up on running, or if it was simply confident that he would not be able to follow it onto the exposed root.

He stopped dead in his tracks, standing motionlessly at the edge of the field from which the tree root emerged from the ground. He stared at the hare that was standing just a few metres away, slowly contemplating his next move.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

He stopped moving. The hare stood stationary. Even the wind ceased blowing.

The world had come to a complete stop.

Hmm? What's going on?

Just as Zhao Yunxiao was wondering that, illusory words started appearing in the air above the hare.

[A simple boy born to merchants, meant to lead a life of trade. A thoughtless action born of innocence, destined to turn the gears of fate.]

These were the same words that were on the calligraphy painting earlier.

Right after they appeared, time seemed to flow naturally again.

Hah! Looks like you've got nowhere else to run!

He did not hesitate, immediately starting to climb the same root that led towards the hare.

It was at this point that Zhao Yunxiao understood. Those words on the calligraphy painting were referring to none other than this boy.

Judging from his attire, he was also a son of merchants. As for what he was doing, that could definitely be considered a display of thoughtlessness.

No matter how one looked at it, this exposed tree root would never be able to withstand his weight. Only a kid like him would think otherwise.

"Ming'er, what are you doing?! Get down now!" the same tender voice of his mother sounded out from behind. This time, though, her voice sounded a lot more anxious, perhaps even fearful.

Shit, Mum noticed! I need to hurry before she gets here!

He picked up the pace, which also meant that his movements became a lot rougher. This inevitably added to the strain on the exposed tree root.

What happened next was just as Zhao Yunxiao had expected.

Snap-!

The exposed tree root gave way under his weight, breaking into two.

He widened his eyes in disbelief as he fell, too shocked to even scream. His vision quickly lost its lock on the hare and moved upwards to face the clear blue sky.

Damn it, I should have listened to Mum...

Thud-! Thud-! Thud-! Bang-!

The boy rolled down the uneven steep slope in an uncontrollable manner, but he never got to see the end of it all. Even before he could come to a stop, he struck his head against a protruding rock, which ended up knocking him out cold.

***

Rumble-!

The loud clapping of thunder gave him a rude awakening. Opening his eyes to see a stone ceiling, he quickly sat up in shock, only to find himself in a strange stone cave.

And as if that was not enough, he was not alone.

Coiled up just a couple of metres away from him was an enormous snake – one that was probably more than fifty metres in length. Its head rested lazily on its coiled body, but its eyes were peering right at him.

Their gazes matched, and he instantly felt the blood drain from his face.

It's over.

It's all over.

He had no idea what happened while he was out cold, or why he ended up here in this cave. What he knew was that there was absolutely zero chance of him escaping this snake.

Right now, his fate relied entirely on the whim of this giant snake.

Tears started to stream down his cheeks as countless memories flashed across his mind – happy memories of his family... of his parents. He originally had a long life ahead of him, a life that had already been planned out by his parents.

He was supposed to learn and inherit his parents' business, live a life of trade, marry a beautiful wife, and provide for his adorable kids. But with a single thoughtless action, all of this had vanished like ephemeral bubbles.

Now, he would be lucky just to die a painless death.

"What? Do you think I am going to eat you or something? Is it because I'm a snake?" the giant snake suddenly said. "Tch! You humans and your biases! I'm sure you wouldn't be afraid if I were a rabbit instead!"

Huh?

With just a few words from the giant snake, he felt all those depressing thoughts from before vanish without a trace.

This big snake could talk?

And... was it not going to eat him?

"If not for me, you would already be dead!" the giant snake snapped. "Follow me if you are done acting all shocked for no reason. There is food in the next room!"

The giant snake slithered off without waiting for his response, leaving the chamber that they were in through one of the many connected tunnels.

"W-Wait for me! I'm hungry!" he called out after a moment of hesitation, quickly scurrying after it.

The untethered do not refrain from making friends, all lives are equal as long as our values are aligned – this was a famous quote of the ancient cultivator Jiang Taiming.

At this moment, Zhao Yunxiao could not help but feel like he might have gained a slightly better understanding of what the Untethered Sage truly meant when he said that.

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