Chapter 1 - An Encounter of Fate

Yi Ling was curled up in the corner of an abandoned shed. His hands and feet were bound tightly with a considerable amount of rope. The shed had walls on all four sides, with only a door locked shut and a small air vent about half a foot in size. The air vent was close to the roof, and hints of a starry sky could be seen through it.

The summer heat hadn’t subsided with the day yet, making the poorly-ventilated shed feel like a proper oven.

Yi Ling’s hair was drenched in sweat already. Strands were sticking to his forehead and cheeks. His handsome face was also tainted red from the heat. He struggled to move, only to find himself feeling weak.

Heaving, the amber orbs that were his eyes stared at the faraway vent.

At that moment, how much he wished he could turn into a bird, able to break free from his restraints and fly out that little window.

While he struggled, the rope dug into his wrist, causing a burning sensation. The pain brought about a stifled grunt and involuntary tears.

It was at this time that a crow landed on the outside air vent sill. It tilted its head and stared at Yi Ling’s tearful eyes unblinkingly. Its gaze was intent, as if having found something precious.

It tilted its head to the left, staring at Yi Ling’s amber eyes. After a while, it tilted its head to the right and continued to stare at his eyes.

Yi Ling was of mixed parentage, making his face more chiselled. His leisurely lifestyle meant his slender body lacked distinct muscles. Having yet to grow into his features, the adolescent looked somewhat androgynous.

Overall, his irises looked amber, but there was a touch of blue on the inner circle. Anyone staring closely into his eyes would feel like they were sinking into a lake.

Everyone agreed that Yi Ling’s eyes were exceptionally beautiful and seemed to have the power to draw people in. Yi Ling knew that as fact.

Interestingly enough, the crow on the air vent sill seemed to agree. It tilted its head left and right, apparently enthralled with them. Even though it was just an unintelligible little bird, its eyes shone with fascination.

This weird little crow had Yi Ling’s full attention.

He, too, stared straight back at it.

A moment later, the little crow unexpectedly pried open the vent that hadn’t been locked in place and walked in little strides. It stood on the inner sill for some time, its beady little eyes staring straight into Yi Ling’s big eyes.

Then, it flapped down to Yi Ling’s feet, still staring at him.

It seemed enthralled by the beautiful, distressed youth. Or, more specifically, by the youth’s unique amber and blue eyes.

Having been stared at for so long by this crow that seemed to have intelligence, Yi Ling somehow pleaded to it. “Little crow, can you help me untie these ropes?” He extended his bound legs, then tilted to his side to show the hands tied behind his back that had already become bloody from the abrasion.

People sure think of wild things in desperation. Who knew what got into his head to see a saviour out of a crow?

The little crow tilted its head and looked at him with confusion.

Yi Ling: …

“I’m an idiot.” He leaned back onto the wall, shaking his head with a wry smile.

Just then, the little crow made a move. It flew at Yi Ling. Its sharp claws aimed at his eyes and slashed down hard.

Thankfully, Yi Ling reacted fast. He immediately lowered his head to hide his face.

Attacked by a sharp pain, he let out a cry. The little crow had cut his scalp. Blood was trickling down his ear and neck, quickly staining his white t-shirt.

If he hadn’t dodged that attack just now, the crow would’ve taken his eyeballs already. To think its little claws were so powerful, on par with an eagle’s.

Yi Ling, who had rested hope of breaking free on the little crow, fell into a deeper despair. It seems that aside from humans, animals can’t be trusted either.

The little crow circled about his head, looking for the perfect opportunity to launch another attack.

Then, the door on the side suddenly opened. A burly masked man walked in. Seeing the crow and the bloodied boy, he immediately figured out what had led to the screaming earlier.

He snatched a wooden stick lying in the corner and swung at the little crow.

The little crow clearly knew how to pick its fights. Dodging the wooden stick being swung at it, it flew out the vent window.

The burly man had saved Yi Ling, but Yi Ling became even more anxious. The man was one of the kidnappers.

“Screaming like a girl with such a small cut!” The burly man grabbed Yi Ling’s chin, turning his head side to side to examine his wound.

Yi Ling struggled free from the man’s grasp, his eyes burning with fury. He lifted his face and looked at the man expressionlessly. In a calm voice, he said, “How much money to release me? Name your price.”

Even in such a hostile environment, he didn’t let even a bit of his fear show.

The kidnapper grabbed his chin again, more forcefully than before. He sneered, “No wonder that guy wants you dead! Your expression makes me want to punch you. I couldn’t take it either if I saw it every day. I’d want to screw you over, too!”

The threatening words did nothing to scare Yi Ling. Instead, he caught an important detail from them.

Saw his accursed expression every day? That meant the one behind his kidnapping must be someone close to him, or else where would the “every day” come from? Plus, once these people caught him successfully, they got rid of anything on him that had a tracking chip embedded. They wouldn’t have known such intimate information without a leak from an insider.

Before Yi Ling could think further, the burly man unbuckled his belt and unzipped his pants. “But the way I want to screw you is a little different. You want to have a go?”

Seeing the man’s unrestrained obscenity, Yi Ling suddenly realized what he was about to experience.

He quickly inched himself backwards, but the wall blocked his retreat. He wished he could stand up and run or flail his arms about in defiance, but he could do neither.

He was merely a sitting duck.

The man said while panting, “Don’t worry, we won’t kill you. I’ll just torture you senseless and send you back. I’m sick, you know? The thing that starts with ‘A’. How will a little young master like you live after you get sick just like me?” 

“Oh, right, do you do drugs? Do you want a hit? We’ll take you back after. You’ll still be the successor of the Yi Corp. We won’t take your life, isn’t that good news?”

The man spoke of his devilish plans in an upbeat voice.

Yi Ling’s face paled as he curled into the corner. Nausea hit him in waves. He finally realized the mastermind wasn’t after his family’s money. Instead, it was his pride, honour, dignity… everything that combined to create the person that is Yi Ling, what was at his core.

If he lost those things, he wouldn’t be Yi Ling anymore. He would be destroyed. Completely.

The Yi family would never tolerate a disgraced family member. He would become a stain on the family after he went back. He would be chased out and live out his days in endless pain. Wouldn’t that be killing him off in another sense?

The mastermind’s intentions were downright vile!

Yi Ling kept retreating, but he was stuck in a corner. There was no escape.

As the kidnapper reached for his pants, the little crow that flew away circled back. It slipped into the shed through the air vent and clawed hard at the kidnapper’s head.

“Ahhhhhh…”

The gut-wrenching scream shook the roof, making dust rain down. The little crow swooped around. From its unclenched claws fell a piece of bloody scalp with hair still attached.

The scalp fell to the floor with a splat. The kidnapper was holding his gushing head, kneeling on the floor, screaming nonstop. He never imagined such destructive power from a mere crow.

Yi Ling stared wide-eyed at the incredulous scene unfolding in front of him.

The little crow hovered midair after a successful attack, finding opportunities to launch sneak attacks in succession. The kidnapper could only pitifully dodge while holding his head. Soon, lashes appeared on his hands, arms, and back. His clothes were also in tatters.

Lucky for him, he had an accomplice who quickly pushed open the door to check on the screaming. He was still holding a freshly used syringe in one hand. Clearly, he was doing drugs outside.

The accomplice grabbed the wooden stick and swung it about, but the little crow dodged every attack nimbly.

“Quick, grab the gun!” Yelled the kidnapper, holding his head in the corner.

The drugged-up kidnapper dashed outside looking for their gun.

The little crow, as if able to comprehend what they said, immediately slipped out through the air vent and flapped away. Who wouldn’t run when faced with certain defeat?

With this incident, the two kidnappers weren’t in the mood to torture Yi Ling anymore. They locked the shed and rushed away in their car to get their wounds treated. Surely, having such a large piece of scalp torn off would make that man bald in the future.

Yi Ling strained to listen to the sounds outside for a while. He only relaxed in a heap after he heard the engine noise growing distant.

The panic in his eyes had vanished, leaving only flickering thoughts.

He began thinking about who would despise him so much and was eager to destroy him. What would they get out of this?

His thoughts landed on his stepmother. She was several months pregnant, and a recent checkup revealed that the baby was a boy. His eyes flicked, and his expression grew cold.

Just then, the little crow had returned once more. It slipped in through the air vent and landed softly in front of Yi Ling. It crooked its head left and right, staring obsessively at his brilliant eyes.

Yi Ling realized his earlier thoughts weren’t that ridiculous. The little crow was indeed unusually smart.

He suppressed the urge to cover his head and used the softest tone he could, “If you gouge out my eyes, they would become grey and rot. You know what rotting does to things, right? They’re ugly and they stink!”

He must’ve gone mad. Why else would he be trying to talk reason into a crow?

However, he could understand the little crow’s obsession with his eyes.

Almost every crow seemed to be interested in shiny things. Thanks to this tendency, they would pick up cigarette butts and collect them into their nests. This had led to forest fires. They would also sneak into people’s homes and steal expensive jewellery.

After appealing to its logic, Yi Ling stared nervously at the little crow.

The little crow lifted one wing to cover its nose. It seemed to have remembered the stink of rotting matter. This meant it understood Yi Ling’s words.

The tension in Yi Ling relaxed. He was exhilarated.

He tilted his body and said, “How about this, let’s make a deal. I have a marble in my left pants pocket. I’ll give it to you. Can you help me untie these ropes?”

If there was anyone outside the shed at that moment, they would think Yi Ling had gone insane. How could a crow understand human speech? 

But in reality, not only did the little crow understand, it even complied with his demand. It waddled over to Yi Ling’s side with prideful strides. 

Yi Ling had a corgi with a round butt. The way it walked was really cute.

And this little crow was cuter than the corgi. It could waddle. Its walk even looked delicate, as if it could start dancing on its toes if someone put a little dress on it.

Yi Ling closed his eyes, thinking he had gone mad. That thought was just too ridiculous.

The little crow reached its head into his pocket and took out a marble.

Yi Ling felt the world had gone madder than himself. To think a little crow could be this intelligent.

It placed the marble on the floor, poking at it with its claws to make it roll around. Its beady little eyes were rolling around with it.

Yi Ling trained his eyes on the little crow anxiously. He bought the marble somewhere abroad. The main orb was navy, with specks of silver inside. Some of the silver specks formed the shape of Ursa Minor, making it appear as a mini universe.

It was beautiful, even more so when light shone through it to cast stars on the wall.

“Put it under the light, stars will come out.” Yi Ling tried to inform the crow.

This sentence was more complex than all the ones before. He didn’t know if the little crow would understand. No matter how intelligent a bird was, there had to be a limit, right?

Yet, something even more miraculous happened. The little crow flew to the roof holding the marble in its mouth. It grabbed the wires to hang upside down on the overhead lamp. Then, it covered the entire lightbulb with its wings.

It became dim in the shed, then, countless silver stars could be seen cast on the walls. This cramped, hot, rundown scene of a crime suddenly seemed romantic.

Yi Ling was dumbfounded. He never imagined this little crow to be so intelligent. It understood everything he said and acted on his words in its own way!

He looked at the little crow, flabbergasted, and uttered, “You must be a crow spirit.”

The little crow hung upside down from the lamp, gazing at the stars with full obsession. It was finally satisfied after two or three minutes and descended. Placing the marble on the floor, it cawed twice at Yi Ling. Then, it placed its right claw on the marble and puffed up its chest, looking like a bona fide scoundrel.

Yi Ling started to panic. He suddenly remembered how infamous crows were within the animal world. They loved pranks. Be it defecating on people’s heads, swooping down to pull on a cat’s or a dog’s tail, stepping on other animals with their claws, or pulling out their fur for their nests…

Crows were known to do all these things. So, it wasn’t impossible that the little crow would forget about their deal after taking the payment.

Yi Ling asked with a dry throat, “Do you like the marble? If you like it, can you untie the ropes for me?” The last question was a shaking plea.

The little crow tilted its head, staring at the helpless, pleading eyes without moving.

Even though the marble was beautiful, it was far from the beauty of Yi Ling’s eyes.

A few drops of cold sweat rolled down Yi Ling’s forehead. His lips had turned pale, too. The kidnappers could be back at any moment and unleash their anger onto him. If he didn’t run away now, what awaited him was a mucky abyss.

Persuasion tactics flew through his head. He even considered offering an eyeball in exchange for freedom.

But the little crow strided to Yi Ling’s feet without further ado. A clean swipe with its claw was all it took to break the ropes encircling his ankle. Then, it waddled behind Yi Ling and cut the rope on his wrists the same way.

It honoured their deal faithfully.

It even flew out the air vent, around to the other side of the shed, and helped Yi Ling open the door that was locked from the outside.

Yi Ling almost burst into tears at the sight of a wide-open door and the silvery moonlight pouring in.

“Thank you, little crow! I’ll definitely buy the most beautiful marbles in the world for you once I get home.”

The little crow flew ahead at low height, guiding the way. Yi Ling made that promise from the bottom of his heart as he stumbled behind the bird.

“Caw caw.” The little crow made a cry, as if in reply. Or, maybe it was farewell. It flew higher and higher, disappearing amongst the stars that litter the night sky.