The Portal of Wonderland

Shi Mu's heart was filled with joy.

He had a feeling that the light door before him represented the end of the Enchanted Road challenge.

This was not a misleading illusion but intuition from the deepest part of his heart.

He took a deep breath and made a big stride toward the light door. However, the scene changed once again.

When his consciousness returned, he found himself standing on a vast shore.

"Is this the last illusion?" Shi Mu glanced around with a relaxed smile across his face.

He did not worry much about anything and was full of confidence.

His experiences may have only been a few moments to the outside world, but for him it had been a ruthless ordeal.

His mind had not only been made tougher than ever but pure as the icy snow. He was sure that he would be able to break through any illusion coming his way.

"No… This is..." Shi Mu looked around and his face changed.

Not far from him was a small village near the seashore. Several dilapidated fishing boats were parked by the sea. With the breeze of the sea, several rows of big trees were planted at the entrance of the village as the sea breeze made a squeaking sound.

Everything seemed somewhat familiar to him. It was none other than the hometown he grew up in - the small fishing village.

Woof woof woof!

A bulldog ran out of the village and began to bark intensely.

"Jack…" Shi Mu muttered to himself. He looked closer at the bulldog as his eyes blurred.

This was the dog from his next-door neighbor whom he was close to.

The bulldog opened its mouth wide with its tongue sticking out, seemingly excited to see Shi Mu once again as it ran toward him. It did not hesitate to plunge into Shi Mu's arms. It jumped up and placed its two front paws on Shi Mu's chest, sniffing him and licking him from time to time.

Shi Mu squatted on his knees as he patted the bulldog softly.

He heard a gentle female voice in front of him.

"Shi Mu, where did you go this time? It's a little late."

Shi Mu looked up and his head banged a little. The blood rushed right into his head in one go, making him somewhat confused and disoriented.

Not far ahead, a young woman in the plain dress came over.

She looked like she was in her twenties. Her appearance was not outstanding but she gave off a gentle and beautiful feeling. Seeing her gave one great peace of mind.

"Mother..." Shi Mu slowly stood up. His emotions were all over the place as he called out for her.

"Shi Mu, what's wrong?" The young woman walked over to Shi Mu as she gently stroked his head.

Shi Mu was shocked as he realized he was now only the height of the young woman's chest. He quickly looked at his hands and saw they were small, like a child's.

He quickly walked to the edge of the pond nearby and looked at his own reflection. He had reverted back to when he was only a mere child.

"I'm a kid again... This is a fantasy..." Shi Mu muttered to remind himself.

"Shi Mu, what's wrong with you? Are you sick?" The gentle young woman quickly grabbed onto Shi Mu and placed her hand on his forehead, checking if he had fallen ill.

Both Shi Mu's mouth and nose smelled a reassuring scent. This was indeed the smell of his mother. He stood still and was held tight in the arms of the young woman. He was so satisfied that he could not help but hope that this moment became eternal.

"You might have caught a cold. Come home with me now. The weather is getting chilly." The young woman finally let out a sigh of relief as she was assured that Shi Mu did not have a fever. However, she still insisted that it was time for them to return home together.

Shi Mu was a little embarrassed and confused but still willingly followed her back into the village. Most of the villagers were busy preparing for dinner. As the two of them returned, the villagers greeted each other.

"Brother Hei Yu… Da Zhuzi… Ninth Uncle..." Shi Mu looked at all these familiar faces and voices and he could not help but feel blessed.

Both Hei Yu and Da Zhuzi were children as well. Ninth Uncle on the other hand was a healthy young man.

The young woman then took Shi Mu into a room located in the small courtyard.

As soon as the two of them entered the yard, a strong-looking man appeared.

"Wan Jun, you're finally back? It's late."

This person had a dark complexion and good facial features. His eyes were full of spirit.

"Father..."

Shi Mu looked at the man in front of him. He was so shocked that he could not believe his eyes.

Based on what he knew, his father had left the village when he was young to pursue the fighting arts, so he had only some vague memory of his dad.

However, the blood bond between a father and son was thicker than water. As soon as they crossed paths, he was able to recognize him immediately.

"I went to look for Shi Mu. He was playing by the beach."

The young woman looked at the man in front of her with eyes full of tender love.

"Shi Mu, you're not allowed to play outside when it gets dark. Don't leave your mom worried. Plus, playing along the seaside is dangerous. You aren't allowed to go anymore, do you understand?" the man said sternly with a furrowed brow as he looked at Shi Mu.

Shi Mu looked at the strong man in front of him and his eyes flickered.

This was quite inconsistent with his memory. He seemed to be seven or eight years old when his father had already left the fishing village. There was no way he could be here now.

"Did you not hear what I just said?" The strong man saw Shi Mu did not respond and frowned before pressuring him once more.

"Stop it. Shi Mu might be sick today. Stop blaming him already."

The young woman quickly stepped in front of Shi Mu to protect him from his father's wrath.

As soon as the strong man heard this, his face showed a nervous demeanor and he quickly held Shi Mu's hand. In an instant, hot air began to infiltrate his body.

"What? He's sick? Did you bring him over to Wu's place and get it checked out?"

Shi Mu's expression changed for a while. His father was strict but his concern seemed genuine. It was completely different from the memory he had of his father.

After the three of them had their dinner together, the strong man immediately walked to the village to look for a doctor. The young woman on the other hand had made hot water and showered Shi Mu.

After everything had been done, both of them took a rest.

Shi Mu lay in bed and looked out at both his parents who were asleep outside.

His mind turned to countless thoughts as he wept silently.

He had left his hometown to study art. Everything was for his mother.

However, his dream had always been to have a warm family, parents' love. Unfortunately, this desire had become nothing but a distant hope when his father left.

Shi Mu finally understood that everything in front of him was but a mere fantasy. Though this was just another beautiful illusion, he could not bear to destroy it.

He looked out as his eyes flickered. After a while, he finally let out a sigh and closed his eyes.

...

Time flew by and in the blink of an eye, Shi Mu had been in the village for more than a dozen days.

My father would be out early in the morning to fish. In his spare time, he would instruct Shi Mu in fighting techniques. On the other hand, his mother would be doing housework to keep everything in order.

For a family of three, it was not an ideal living condition.

Shi Mu was immersed in it, and gradually embraced his childhood to enjoy every single moment of it.

On this particular day, Shi Mu was sitting in front of the door as he did some laundry work in the courtyard. His eyes flashed as if this scene should be deeply recorded in the depths of his mind.

His father went out fishing in the morning but till now, he had yet to return.

Dum dum dum! fr𝚎e𝙬𝚎𝚋𝚗૦ν𝚎𝒍.c૦m

A rush of footsteps came from outside his house. It was from a young man he did not know of. However, what stood out was the anxious expression across his face.

"Madam Shi, something bad has happened! Brother Shi met an accident at sea. The ship was wrecked by a sea demon and he's badly injured! He was rescued by the Zhu family but…" the young man said in a rush.

As soon as Shi Mu's mother heard the news, her face changed greatly. She was caught off guard and even knocked over the tub without any slight feeling of pain.

"How? Where is he now?"

"He's by the sea. You need to go now…"

Before the young man could finish his sentence, Shi Mu's mother had already rushed out of the yard toward the beach.

"Shi Mu, follow me quickly. Your dad might not make it…" the young man said to Shi Mu who was sitting on the threshold before following.

Shi Mu sighed as his eyes flashed as if he had already made some sort of decision. He quickly walked toward the beach without hesitation.

When he finally arrived, there was a large group of people. Among the crowd, he could hear the cries of his mother clearly.

Shi Mu squeezed through the crowd and stood in front of his father.

His father was lying on the ground. His face was gray and there was no trace of blood.

There was a terrible wound on his lower abdomen where fresh blood kept rushing out. Next to him stood an old man who hurriedly applied some herbs to the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. Sadly, there was no effect.

Shi Mu's mother held onto the father of her child, her husband, and cried. Her tears were full of agony, despair, and sadness.

Those around him mourned their loss as well, and some of the women could not help but shed some tears of sorrow.

"Little Shi Mu..."

The father saw Shi Mu and there was a glimmer of color in his eyes. His body twitched a little as he tried to raise his arm over Shi Mu.

Shi Mu's eyes moved and walked over beside his father.

"Shi Mu, I can't hang on anymore. It's your responsibility to take care of your mother now… You are the man of the Shi family so promise me you will take good care of your mother…" his father begged in a weak tone.

Shi Mu looked at his dying father and suddenly sighed. His eyes flashed and raised his hand up high.

A golden sword of light flew out of his hand and in a flash, it pierced right into his body. Even his mother who was hugging his father tight was pierced by the golden light sword.

"Upon being run through by the golden light sword, his dying father's eyes glanced before immediately losing his last breath."

"Shi Mu, what are you doing..."

His mother's body was stiff and blood began to pour out from her mouth. She looked at him, hurt, angry, and confused at the same time.

Shi Mu's eyes looked a little complicated as he slowly stood up.

"Stop pretending. You have a good eye for noticing how my mother that my biggest weakness. However, my mother is already dead and there's nothing you can do about it. The dead can't be resurrected. What I can do now is to live up to my mother's wishes!" Shi Mu said.

His mother's body swayed before turning into black gas. There was a scream as the black gas dissipated, disappearing without a trace.

Everything around him collapsed, turning into nothingness. fre𝙚𝓌𝒆𝚋noѵel.c𝚘m

Shi Mu's sight blurred once more before reappearing on the black crystal path. Half of his body was now in the door, shining in the white light door.

At the moment, Shi Mu's state of mind was completely unsettled. All eighteen enchanted illusions flashed through his mind, and his heart felt weighed down by a boulder. There was a sense of enlightenment, a breakthrough on his part.

He took a deep breath with a calm smile on his face as he walked into the door of white light.