[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-journey-to-the-end-of-the-night":3,"chapter-journey-to-the-end-of-the-night-journey-to-the-end-of-the-night-chapter-11":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Journey to the End of the Night",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1715564,2193,"Chapter 11 - 11 11 The Small Tree by the Cold Pool","journey-to-the-end-of-the-night-chapter-11",11,"\u003Cp>11: Chapter 11: The Small Tree by the Cold Pool 11: Chapter 11: The Small Tree by the Cold Pool Baili An did not know why, but as he lingered on the edge of life and death, he suddenly felt less afraid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It made sense, after all, having been enveloped by the breath of death for two hundred years, how could he fear it now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He struggled to his feet, tucked away the small sword, and brushed off the pitch-black corpse ash from his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His expression suddenly froze, and his eyes turned vacant for more than three breaths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He suddenly clutched his chest with his right hand, his face filled with panic and unease, as if he feared missing something vital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was not an illusion…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just now…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>his desolate heart had actually thumped when he stood up!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no mistake!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath his chest was a cold void, quiet for too many years; such a sudden movement could not be misperceived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment of despair, new hope slowly began to sprout under nourishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eye sockets dry and gritty, Baili An thought that if he could cry at that moment, his tears would have flowed like a river bursting its banks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What is dawn?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It is a ray of light that suddenly descends from above one’s head amidst despair in the endless darkness of the Abyss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if that light is very faint and thin as silk, it is extraordinarily dazzling in the cold depths of the Abyss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if that light is very distant, and it might even scorch him, it does not affect the longing in his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Baili An believed that even in his current situation, he had never despaired.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he also did not enjoy being enveloped by darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That familiar heartbeat, did it mean that he was another step closer to transforming back into a human?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Baili An wore a happy smile on his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having just faced the threat of death a short while ago, he now laughed silently in this cave, the terrifyingly deep indentation on his neck only adding to the melancholic atmosphere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tap tap tap…” The hesitant hoofbeats sounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Baili An looked towards the cave entrance, only to see the deer that had left returning, its mouth bulging with something it was chewing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It looked at Baili An timidly, as if afraid that the green-haired corpse demon might suddenly jump out and attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A warm feeling grew in Baili An’s heart, and he weakly waved and said, “Come here, it’s gone now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, he realized how hoarse his voice sounded, rough as if it had been scraped by countless grains of sand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Baili An touched his twisted neck; several broken bones had pierced into his vocal cords, severely affecting his speech.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He smiled wryly to himself, having heard that corpse demons have a great ability to heal, and wondered if it could restore his appearance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Baili An’s words, the deer finally felt reassured and trotted over with quick, light steps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The deer’s goofy face was swollen from the contents of its mouth, looking quite comical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It even held Baili An’s blood-stained sleeve in its thick lips, making a gurgling sound in its throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Baili An could not communicate with it verbally, through their brief interaction, he could understand its intentions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wanted to give him something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Baili An opened his palm towards the deer, and it chewed for a while before spitting out a clump of damp, finely chopped herbal medicine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The herbs looked very familiar to Baili An; they were the same ones he had previously gathered to treat a wound on the deer’s bottom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His heart warmed, he had not expected the little deer to be so intelligent and perceptive, for he had only picked the herbs once, and it had remembered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching him hold the herbs in his hand, the deer anxiously nudged his palm, signaling him to hurry and apply the medicine to his wound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Baili An smiled gently, crouching down to apply the herbs to the wound on the deer’s rear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The herbs that had originally been on its body were long washed away by the rain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While applying the medicine, and looking down, he said, “I am a dead man, my body has long lost its vitality, these herbs are of no use to me, don’t waste them, better use them yourself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The deer seemed to understand his words, its eyes sorrowful, and it gave a dejected low moo before laying down by his feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After applying the medicine, Baili An watched as the light rain outside had suddenly turned into a violent storm, the wind howling as if ghosts and wolves were wailing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gazed out for a long while, then patted the small antlers on the deer’s head, saying, “Little deer, once the rain stops tomorrow, you should go back to the woods.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The deer nuzzled his cold palm with its fluffy cheek, its big round eyes filled with reluctance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Baili An’s body was extremely weak at this moment, so he simply sat on the dusty ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked at the deer and smiled, saying, “Although I would really like to take you wandering with me, I really can’t, I am not a living creature, I can’t live under the sunlight, and there may be many more crises like this in the future, I don’t have the ability to protect you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The deer’s bent hooves suddenly straightened, anxiously pawing at the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its thick lips began to move again, and it seemed unhappy and about to spit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before it could spit, the deer’s eyes suddenly brightened as if it sensed something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It then suddenly lowered its head, bit Baili An’s robe, and started walking towards the direction of the deep part of the cave where the green-haired corpse demon had come from.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Baili An turned to look, a breeze rolled out from the depths of the cave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The breeze was cool and carried a fruity sweet scent, invigorating anyone who smelled it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Baili An got up, looking curiously at the deer, “There…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>seems to be something over there?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The deer nodded, its eyes very bright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They passed through the dark, long cave, and at the far end where weeds and vines grew wildly, there was a naturally formed cold pond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cold pond was in the depths of the cave, which by all logic should have been so dark one couldn’t see their hand in front of their face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this place was incredibly bright, as if it were daylight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the center of the cold pond, a small silver-white tree grew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The species of the tree was indeterminable, but it was extremely beautiful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each leaf shone like the Star River, its bright luminescence illuminating everything around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Baili An was slightly moved, feeling as if he had suddenly discovered a bright village amidst the darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced around briefly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the side of the cold pond, there was a rectangular pit big enough for an adult, shaped almost like a coffin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, this was the resting place of the green-haired corpse demon not long ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Baili An found it somewhat strange; typically, corpse demons and other evil ghosts preferred to dwell in cold, damp, dark places.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet why was this corpse demon stationed in such a bright, glaring place?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gurgle…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, the grumbling sound from the deer’s stomach interrupted Baili An’s thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned his head and couldn’t help but laugh silently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The little deer was drooling profusely at the sight of the small silver-white tree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its hooves couldn’t help but continuously stamp on the ground, evidently very excited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing how much the small tree enticed the deer, Baili An also grew more interested, examining the tree that grew in the cold pond more closely.\u003C\u002Fp>",1302,"2026-06-06T15:16:24.199Z",1,"novelbin.me","f7c91a93c433d5fc17b3c329916dbafa5e6649de0df81fd346b348ee331eb0b8","journey-to-the-end-of-the-night-chapter-12","journey-to-the-end-of-the-night-chapter-10",1594,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fjourney-to-the-end-of-the-night-cover.jpg"]