1236 That Year

Bai Xiaochun felt like he was being prodded awake from a deep sleep. He opened his eyes, and it was as if his soul had lost access to all of his previous memories. He had no idea who he was, and only knew that he felt very cold....

White, fluffy snowflakes fell from above, completely obscuring the sky, and also covering the ground, making even the distant mountains a pale white color.

Bai Xiaochun found himself in a forest of withered trees. In fact, the trees were covered with so much snow that many of their branches had already snapped. The scattered branches that remained intact seemed like spots of black within the wider world of whiteness.

"Do not fall asleep, Little Chen," someone said. "Stay awake...."

Bai Xiaochun felt like he had been dreaming, except he couldn't remember what the dream had been about. Now that he was awake, everything was all a blur.