# Chapter One
Fog enveloped the small village of Chi Yang like a heavy gray cloak, blocking the weak sunlight that tried in vain to penetrate the dense curtain. In a dilapidated hut on the outskirts of the village, a newborn child cried out for the first time, but his cry was unlike that of ordinary children. It was a muffled cry, as if it carried within it a thousand years of pain and suffering.
"It's a boy!" whispered the elderly midwife in a trembling voice, wrapping the child in a tattered piece of cloth. "But..."
"But what?" asked the exhausted mother, beginning to feel anxious from the old woman's tone.
"His hair... his hair is white as snow."
The father laughed sarcastically as he approached to see his son. "Is that all that worries you, old woman? Just the color of hair?"
But the old woman shook her head sadly. "This is a sign... a bad sign. Children born with white hair are doomed to a life of suffering."
"Old wives' tales!" the father shouted angrily. "My son will be the strongest man in this cursed village, and he will carry the Chen family name with pride!"
The old woman took the child in her arms and looked at him carefully. His eyes were unusually open for a newborn, staring into the void with a penetrating gaze as if he could see what others could not. "His name?" asked the old woman.
"Chen Lin," the father answered firmly. "His name will be Chen Lin."
***
Fifteen years passed.
"You wretch! Come back here!"
Chen Lin ran through the narrow alleys of the village, ignoring the shouting behind him. His long white hair fluttered behind him like a banner in the wind, and a mischievous smile played on his face. In his right hand, he held a small cloth bag, and the sound of metal coins jingled with each step.
"He stole my money! Catch him!"
But Lin was too fast to be caught. He turned right, then left, avoiding people and carts, until he reached a small forest on the outskirts of the village. He delved between the trees until he came to a giant tree, climbed it with the agility of a cat, and hid among its dense branches.
Moments later, a fat man passed under the tree, panting heavily, looking right and left in anger.
"Where did that white-haired devil go? I'll cut off his hands when I catch him!"
Lin laughed silently as he watched the man from above. He knew the man wouldn't find him here. He had used this hiding place dozens of times before.
When the man finally walked away, Lin opened the bag and began counting the coins. "Twenty silver pieces... not bad for one morning."
Lin didn't steal because he was poor. In fact, the Chen family was among the middle-class families in the village. But he stole because he enjoyed it. He enjoyed seeing the faces of his victims when they discovered their money was gone. He enjoyed the chase and escape. He enjoyed the feeling of superiority over others.
"Chen Lin!"
Lin quickly raised his head at the sound of his name. It was that girl, Yang Mei, standing under the tree, looking at him with angry eyes. She was the same age as him, with long black hair and wide brown eyes. She was the village chief's daughter, and the only girl who dared to speak to him.
"Come down from there now!" she commanded.
Lin sighed in annoyance as he put the coins in his pocket. "How did you know I was here?"
"You always hide here when you steal something," she said in a reproachful tone. "Did you steal from Mr. Wang again?"
Lin jumped lightly from the tree and stood directly in front of her. "And what if I did? He's a stingy, rich man. He won't miss a few silver pieces."
Mei slapped him hard across the face. "You fool! Do you think you'll escape punishment forever? One day, they'll catch you and they really will cut off your hands!"
Lin rubbed his reddened cheek and smiled sarcastically. "You care too much, Mei. Are you in love with me?"
Her cheeks turned bright red. "You... you're disgusting! I just don't want to see anyone from the village punished because of you!"
"Alright, alright." He raised his hands in surrender. "I'll return the money. Will that make you happy?"
She looked at him suspiciously. "Really?"
"Of course not." He laughed loudly. "I worked hard to get it. Why would I give it back?"
Mei sighed in despair. "You're hopeless, Lin. One day, you'll regret these actions."
"Maybe," he shrugged indifferently. "But not today."
Suddenly, they heard screaming coming from the direction of the village. Lin and Mei looked at each other with concern.
"What's that?" asked Mei.
"I don't know," Lin answered, beginning to feel worried. "Let's go see."
They ran together toward the village, and the closer they got, the clearer the screaming became. When they reached the edge of the village, they stopped in shock.
The village was burning.
Men wearing black armor and carrying long swords were running through the streets, killing everyone in their path. Women and children were screaming and running in all directions, trying to escape the massacre.
"Father!" Mei screamed in panic, and was about to run toward the village when Lin grabbed her arm firmly.
"No!" he shouted at her. "You'll be killed if you go there!"
"But my father! And my mother! I have to find them!" She was trying to break free from his grip, tears streaming from her eyes.
"Mei, listen to me!" He shook her hard to make her focus. "We can't help them now. We need to hide until these men leave."
"Who are they? Why are they doing this?" she asked in a trembling voice.
"I don't know," Lin answered honestly. "But we need to hide now. Come on!"
He pulled her toward the forest, but before they could reach it, they heard the sound of horse hooves approaching. They turned to find three horsemen in black armor heading toward them.
"There are two more!" one of them shouted. "Kill them!"
Lin felt fear creeping into his heart, but he didn't allow it to control him. He looked around quickly, searching for anything he could use as a weapon. He picked up a large stone from the ground and held it firmly.
"Mei, when I tell you to run, run to the forest and don't look back. Understand?"
"What about you?" she asked fearfully.
"I'll follow you," he lied to her. He knew he couldn't defeat three trained horsemen with a stone, but he could delay them long enough for Mei to escape.
The horsemen came closer, their swords covered in blood. When they were just a few meters away, Lin shouted: "Run!"
He pushed Mei forcefully toward the forest and threw the stone with all his might at the nearest horseman, hitting him directly in the face. The horseman screamed in pain and fell from his horse.
"You will die first, white-haired boy!" shouted another horseman as he swung his sword toward Lin.
Lin barely avoided the blow and ran in the opposite direction of the forest, trying to draw the horsemen away from Mei. His plan worked, as all three horsemen followed him, leaving Mei to escape into the forest.
Lin ran as fast as he could, but he knew he couldn't outrun the horses. After a few moments, he felt a sharp pain in his back when one of the horsemen's swords struck him. He fell to the ground, blood flowing from his wound.
"This is the end of your journey, boy," said the horseman as he dismounted and approached Lin, raising his sword for the final blow.
Lin closed his eyes, waiting for death. But the blow never came.
Instead, he heard the horseman scream, then the sound of a heavy body falling to the ground. He opened his eyes to see the horseman lying on the ground, an arrow piercing his neck.
"What the...?" Lin wondered weakly.
"Stay calm, boy," came a man's voice from behind him. "You're safe now."
Lin tried to turn to see his savior, but the pain was too intense. His vision began to fade, and darkness invaded his consciousness.
The last thing he saw before losing consciousness was the face of an old man with a long white beard looking at him curiously. And the last thing he heard was the old man's voice saying:
"White hair... sharp eyes... could he be the one the prophecy foretold?"
Then Lin sank into deep darkness.