This Life's Song: The Genius Rune Master

Legend has it that at the edge of this world lies the Boundless Continent. There, mountains surround lush greenery, and all sorts of strange and wonderful animals run and leap freely.

If someone were to come here now, they would see ancient trees scorched, beasts dead, and mountains and rivers collapsed—a scene of the apocalypse.

At the bottom of the collapsed mountain, an old man with white hair and beard, dressed in a long blue robe, stood wounded and weeping bitterly at the sight of countless corpses around him. "Heavens, are you trying to annihilate my race? Why...?"

Suddenly, the old man caught a glimpse of a woman's belly wriggling out of the corner of his eye. The woman was already dead, her body riddled with countless knife wounds, but her belly was still well protected. The child inside her was moving incessantly, driven by the will to live.

The old man was overjoyed. He used a knife to cut open the woman's stomach and took out the baby. The child was covered in bruises. If it had been any later, the baby might not have survived. He wiped the filth from the baby's mouth and gently patted its bottom. The baby cried out loud.

He shouted to the sky, "Heaven is still kind to our people!" Another loud noise came from afar, making the battle seem even more difficult.

"It is enough to leave behind the bloodline of my clan. I have no regrets in dying." As he spoke, the old man took out a red dot-like object from his bosom, muttered some incantations, and then touched the red dot with his index finger and placed it on the baby's forehead. It visibly turned into a small red mole, giving the baby a more enchanting and eerie look.

Then, reaching into his robes, he produced a purple-gold talisman, which he tossed into the air. Instantly, a black hole appeared. He wrapped the infant inside and placed it within, then with a flick of his wrist, the black hole vanished, and the infant disappeared without a trace. "Child, live well; there's no need for revenge."

He spat out a mouthful of blood, his expression was listless, but the smile on his face was touching. "The light of hope for life will change everything," the old man murmured to himself, before fading into darkness.

This is a small town called Hualuolicheng, where spring is here all year round and flowers and plants are everywhere, with the Youlan Zidiehua (紫蝶花) being the most prominent. This flower is shaped like a butterfly, with dark blue stamens and yellow pistils. Its branches and leaves are thick and strong, and the leaves resemble ghost faces. The leaves are purple in color, hence the name.

Upon entering the city gate, one can see the plaque "Flowers Fall and Leave the City," and the outer perimeter of the wall is filled with orchids and purple butterflies. The fragrance of the flowers is particularly pleasant and not cloying, but rather refreshing and not addictive.

Upon entering the city gate, vendors selling all sorts of clothing lined both sides of the main street, selling calligraphy and paintings, writing letters home, sculpting clay figurines, clothes and jewelry, and a dazzling array of food. The sight was delightful, giving the impression that this place was a paradise on earth.

The bustling scene was replaced by darkness. Someone exclaimed that the sun had been eaten by a celestial dog. After a moment of surprise, they didn't even care about their stalls and ran back into their houses. The streets were silent, and people trembled with fear inside their houses.

About fifteen minutes later, the sun gradually appeared, and people came out, still shaken. Curiosity overcame their fear, and they began to whisper among themselves about what had just happened.

There is a small river about 100 meters away from the main street. At this moment, a baby has appeared in the river and is sleeping soundly.

"Ah Da, please don't be angry, okay? I really didn't mean it."

The girl spoke nervously, while the boy, called Ah Da, just walked forward without responding. Both the boy and girl were only about seven or eight years old, and it was clear they were having some disagreements.

"Ah Da, I was really wrong, you forgot..."

"Hey! Look, Da Da, what's that on the river?"

"Let's go over and take a look," finally, Ah Da spoke.

"How can there be a child? It's so small," the girl said, bewildered.

“Yes, how could anyone leave their child here?” Ah Da chimed in.

"Why don't we take him back?" the girl said timidly.

"But our family isn't well-off, how can we raise a child?" Ah Da hesitated.

"Let's take it back and ask Mother first," Ah Da said hesitantly.

"Hmm, I'll ask my mother if we can go then," the girl nodded in agreement.

After walking forward for about half an incense stick's time, a small thatched hut finally appeared ahead.

In the courtyard, a woman was drying herbs, with various medicinal materials neatly arranged on a bamboo winnowing basket.

There were about six or seven chickens and ducks behind me, chirping and chattering as if they were singing.

"Mother!" Ah Da cried out.

"Yes, you're back. I'll cook for you as soon as I finish preparing the medicinal herbs," the woman said without turning around.

"Mother, look, I've picked up a child," Ah Da said hesitantly.

After hearing this, the woman put down the medicinal herbs and turned around. She saw a porcelain doll-like baby sleeping soundly in swaddling clothes. As she approached, she saw that the baby was very pleasing to the eye. Not particularly beautiful, but the kind of baby that grows on you. A cinnabar birthmark between the eyebrows made the baby even more endearing.

"What's going on? Where's the child's mother?! You've taken the child away! The mother must be frantic with worry! You child!" The woman said, turning around to grab a rattan cane and preparing to hit Ah Da.

"We found the child in the river, but we didn't see any of her relatives, Aunt Meng," the little girl hurriedly explained, grabbing the woman's hand as Ah Da was about to be hit.

“We found him in the river. Sigh, this child is pitiful, but our family isn’t very wealthy and can’t afford to raise him. His father passed away early, and I can’t raise him alone,” the woman surnamed Meng said hesitantly.

“Mother, didn’t you always teach me that saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda? We can’t just stand by and watch someone die,” Ah Da bravely said.

"Then let's take him in for now. It'll be time for me to deliver the cinnabar to Yunlian Mountain soon. We'll see if Venerable Ye is willing to take him in then, poor child." As soon as he finished speaking, the child burst into tears.

"Ah Da, go and fetch some animal milk; he must be hungry," the woman instructed.

"Okay, Mother, I'll go right away," Ah Da hurriedly left.

"Wait for me." The girl followed her away.

After a while, Ah Da returned with the milk. The baby had eaten and stopped crying. Looking at the baby's swaddling clothes, Chu Shi frowned. It was a pink swaddling cloth, made from adult clothes, somewhat dirty and messy, with some dark brown stains on the clothes that were hard to distinguish from the color of the clothes or...

They hurriedly found Ah Da's old swaddling clothes, gave the child a hot bath, gently wrapped him up, and the child drifted off to sleep again.

"Mother, shall we give you a name?" Ah Da said excitedly.

"What name do you think would be suitable for this child? We can't choose the formal name, so let's start with a nickname," the woman surnamed Meng asked Ada.

"I have nowhere to express my sorrow, but my heart is filled with stars." The gentleman often muttered this to himself. Although I don't understand its meaning, I find it beautiful. Why not name it Xing'er (Star)? Ah Da said excitedly.

Although Ah Da didn't understand the poem's meaning, she knew it was a poem about longing and unrequited love. But since the child was happy, it was alright if it wasn't the full name. "Alright, then we'll listen to Ah Da," the woman replied with a smile.