Chapter 1: Soothing Him

Jiang Liwu traveled back twenty years into the future.

No one knew that before the world restarted, humanity faced the threat of extinction. Six world-ending villains, each consumed by nihilism, unleashed a terrifying virus that swept across the globe. Water sources became polluted, flora and fauna mutated, and humans were parasitized into monsters. Jiang Liwu’s parents perished in the catastrophe.

To change fate, Jiang Liwu reversed time, journeying back two decades to save the world. Her mission: eliminate the six doomsday villains while they were still weak, and end the apocalypse.

“Something’s wrong! The master is having another episode!” A frantic, urgent voice rang out, and chaos quickly erupted around her.

Freshly returned, Jiang Liwu was shoved from behind, nearly falling, but someone caught her arm and steadied her.

Her rescuer, calm and composed, issued orders, “Take the master to the quiet room, restrain him, but don’t hurt him—and don’t let him hurt himself. Fetch Miss Qiao; only she can help with the master’s condition.”

Jiang Liwu pressed her temple, forcing her eyes open through the darkness. As light touched her gaze, the innocence in her eyes hardened, transforming into a serene, steely resolve.

She looked up at the man who had helped her—a middle-aged figure whom she heard others call Uncle Wang.

Uncle Wang met the girl’s piercing, obsidian eyes and paused, struck by an intangible pressure and a faint sense of familiarity. Still, there was no time for reflection. Concerned about the master’s symptoms, he grew even more grave and instructed the servants, “Bring them along as well.”

Only then did Jiang Liwu realize she was among a group of young women. Uncertain of the situation and her place in it, she chose to observe quietly and follow.

From a distance, she heard women’s voices raised in protest.

“I’m not going in to calm him! He’s a devil! Stop forcing me!”

“Miss Qiao, you know only you can soothe the master,” the servants pleaded.

Qiao Yiran covered her ears and stamped her foot, glancing at Jiang Liwu’s group with sarcasm in her eyes. “Only me?”

Uncle Wang’s gaze was sharp and stern. “The master is highly unstable now. The sedative did nothing. If you refuse, I’ll have you escorted in by force.”

At his words, Qiao Yiran’s expression darkened. Seeing the guards stirred, she bit her lip and, humiliated, surrendered. “Fine. I understand.”

A guard swung open a heavy iron door. Reluctantly, Qiao Yiran stepped forward.

The quiet room was fashioned into a massive iron cage, shrouded in darkness like the mouth of hell. The air was thick with the stench of blood and violence. From within came the sounds of fists striking flesh and anguished cries.

Jiang Liwu folded her arms, her gaze calm and probing.

Qiao Yiran held her breath, heart pounding wildly, her eyes filled with fear and tension. The most immediate reason she refused to soothe the terrifying man inside was simple—she was truly afraid.

No sooner had she entered than a bloodied, bruised figure crashed against the iron bars beside her, making her freeze in terror.

A savage, heavy breathing echoed nearby.

Qiao Yiran’s skin prickled. Bracing herself, she looked up and met a pair of beast-like crimson eyes filled with hatred. Unable to hold back, she screamed, retreating as the man reached for her, tears streaming down her face. “No, please, don’t come near me!”

“Wei Xifeng, you’re a lunatic! A demon! A brute! A monster, neither man nor beast!”

Wei Xifeng?

At this name, Jiang Liwu suddenly straightened, her arms falling to her sides, her eyes sharp.

Qiao Yiran sobbed, pitiful and helpless, yet stubbornly shouting like a cornered kitten showing useless claws.

Anyone witnessing her plight couldn’t help feeling sympathy, but Uncle Wang’s voice was icy and warning. “Miss Qiao, you’re here to calm the master, not provoke him.”

“Regardless of me, you’d find someone else to soothe Wei Xifeng anyway.” With that, Qiao Yiran ran off without looking back.

“Little Feng?”

Uncle Wang was about to send someone after Qiao Yiran when he heard someone dare to call their master by such a name and was stunned. Everyone present was equally bewildered—even the battered subordinate raised his head in surprise.

Who dared address him so boldly?

The man’s familiar features matched those of the little boy he once was.

Wei Xifeng was one of the world-ending villains, the fourth by age. When Jiang Liwu traveled twenty years back, this doomsday demon was only six years old. Rather than killing him outright, she chose to correct his twisted worldview and obsessive nature while he was still young and malleable.

“Little Feng.” Jiang Liwu approached.

The name was old, unspoken for twenty years, carrying the weight of dust.

Wei Xifeng’s manic crimson eyes moved mechanically, and as he looked at her, a flicker of clarity and disbelief returned.

But sanity was quickly swallowed, for that person had died in front of him two decades ago, leaving nothing behind. The memory flooded him with agony, and Wei Xifeng howled in rage and grief, losing all control, destroying everything within reach.

He lashed out, even sending guards flying as they tried to subdue him.

Jiang Liwu, unfazed, reached out and grabbed him.

Wei Xifeng instinctively withdrew his strength, afraid to hurt her.

“Little Feng, what’s wrong? Calm down, look closely—it’s me.” Jiang Liwu cupped his face, holding his head steady so his eyes could not escape hers.

The impact was tremendous, the touch so real.

Wei Xifeng covered Jiang Liwu’s hands, rubbing his face against her palms. In moments, tears fell. “Teacher…”

“Yes.”

“Teacher.”

“Yes.” Jiang Liwu replied patiently.

“Teacher!” Wei Xifeng wrapped his arms tight around her waist, as if longing could be etched into his bones.

Feeling the dampness of tears against her neck, Jiang Liwu sighed, reaching up to rub his head. “Such a grown man, still crying like a child.”

Wei Xifeng’s shoulders shook, unable to speak, his tears only flowing harder.

Uncle Wang and the others watched in stunned silence, unable to express their shock.

She had succeeded.

She was one of only two who could pacify the master.

And even more effective than Qiao Yiran—while Qiao Yiran’s efforts could never truly calm him, Jiang Liwu brought him complete peace.