It Is Said That I Have Been Crushed By Dimensionality Reduction (Quick Travel) - Chapter 11

A heavy silence suddenly blanketed the area.

Only the anguished cries and furious shouts from the Zhao family cut through the quiet.

Bai Yuan’s pale eyes were unreadable, his voice calm and cold:
“Don’t make me angry.”

Humans seemed to hold written contracts and severance papers in high regard — they were bound by these formalities — yet these same people were still clinging to moral guilt to manipulate his original parents.

He had more patience with humans now.

That wasn’t always the case.
When he first came into being, if someone dared speak to him with such hostility, he would’ve devoured them on the spot. But over time, he realized more would follow, trying to hunt him.

So he learned — instead of killing them outright, he’d make it so they couldn’t live nor die, turning them into examples that would horrify others of their kind.

Eventually, the stories grew wilder.

In their retellings, he had become some hideous, towering creature, capable of crushing anything with ease.

And then, the harassment stopped.

He wasn’t fond of killing.
He preferred beautiful things.

Not everyone in the village deserved harm. Many were merely weak humans, not malicious. The true culprits who led to the tragedy were Brother Lin and a few others. The rest were complicit, but not directly responsible.

Still, death was too lenient a punishment.

True retribution meant suffering — fear and pain without end — until death became a release.

These people were fragile beings, yet they used their strength to harm those even weaker.

That disgusted him.

. . .

Brother Yuan stood there, white hair cascading down and pale eyes reflecting light — but there was nothing monstrous in his expression. He wasn’t grotesque, not like the beings from their nightmares.

In fact, aside from the striking features, he looked like any other child from the village.

Yet the villagers knew, deep in their bones — he wasn’t the same.

Some looked at him with quiet dread, others with regret, and a few still bore resentment and hate. But mostly, they were simply scared — of the unknown.

The Zhao family had stopped their cursing.
Pain silenced them briefly before they howled again under the lashing of the tree branches.

“Brother Yuan, we were wrong! Please make it stop — it hurts!”

Brother Lin had it worst — his body a canvas of bleeding welts. His sobs made people wince.

Yet no one dared plead on their behalf.

After all — Brother Yuan had nearly died because of them.

Bai Yuan paid them no attention. With one hand, he hauled the wild boar he had just hunted from the mountain and walked calmly forward. The villagers watched in stunned silence.

Then, he effortlessly tossed the beast onto the wooden cart.

A collective shiver passed through the crowd.

That small fist of his… could probably end a life as easily as snapping a twig.

They glanced at Zhao Ping’an and Lin Cuiniang. It was hard to tell why — curiosity, perhaps — but they wanted to see if the couple felt fear at all when they saw the child now.

And then —

To their disbelief — they smiled.

Lin Cuiniang beamed with pride.
“Our son is amazing! At his age, already strong enough to wrestle a wild boar. You’ve worked hard, Brother Yuan.”

Zhao Ping’an added, his eyes glistening,
“When I was your age, I was still just playing in the mud. You’re far more mature than I ever was.”

The villagers: “……”

Their brains couldn’t process it.

The fact was — even adults couldn’t drag a boar like that. And these two… weren’t the least bit disturbed by their child’s supernatural strength?

Then, Brother Yuan, still calm and composed, looked up and replied earnestly,
“It wasn’t hard. It’s something I should do. I’ll hunt again next time — we can sell the meat and buy good food.”

The villagers: “…..”

He may be a monster, sure.
But he was filial, well-mannered… and could literally support his family.

Their hearts began to waver.

Monster or not — what’s so bad about a kid like that?

Suddenly, they understood why the couple wasn’t scared. If anything, they must be overjoyed.

Of course, Zhao Ping’an and Lin Cuiniang were putting on an act. They had been shaken by the display, terrified that the villagers might see through Brother Yuan’s nature.

All they could do now was keep up the facade — praise him, highlight his good traits — and hope the villagers softened.

And it seemed… it worked.

As the villagers watched with mixed awe and envy, Zhao Fu writhed in pain on the ground, regret flooding in.

If only he had spoken up for the child back then.

Yes, maybe Brother Yuan was cursed or inhuman — but he could bring wealth, security, even prestige. His family could’ve left the village, enrolled Brother Lin with a scholar, reached the capital…

Zhao Fu blurted out,
“Brother Yuan, Grandpa was wrong, I…”

He didn’t finish.

Bai Yuan glanced over, his gaze ice-cold.
“You’re still thinking of yourself.”

The branches lashed harder.

Zhao Fu screamed, bloodshot eyes bulging, humiliated and in agony.

In that moment, a dangerous thought entered his head — every misfortune he had suffered… somehow led back to this child.

Maybe his wife was right all along.

This child really did bring misfortune.

Zhao Ping’an clenched his fists.

He had never expected Zhao Fu to try and reconcile — just because of money?

What about the pain Brother Yuan endured?

He couldn’t bring himself to harm his parents, so he signed the severance. But Brother Lin? That family? They would not be forgiven.

Lin Cuiniang tugged her husband and smiled toward Bai Yuan:
“Let’s go home, Brother Yuan. We’ll be back soon.”

Bai Yuan nodded, and together they walked away, with all eyes watching.

Zhao’s matriarch, once fierce, now begged pitifully — her strength nearly gone.

People were relieved but also nervous. What if she died?

But just then, the branches dropped them gently, and the tree returned to its ordinary appearance.

Still, no one dared walk near it again.

The village chief sighed deeply.
“Better watch your words from now on.”

Brother Lin, still bleeding and terrified, sat trembling.

The chief didn’t say anything. That child was rotten from the root. Words would be wasted.

Zhao Ping’an and Lin Cuiniang didn’t look back. They simply pushed the cart away.

The villagers, now back to themselves, stared longingly at the boar on the cart — worth a small fortune.

Even those who had once eyed the couple with greed or malice now wouldn’t dare lift a finger. The fear of being punished like the Zhao family was too great.

As they left the village, Zhao Ping’an’s expression turned grave.

“Cuiniang… let’s save our money. I’m afraid someone might go out and hire a priest or exorcist.”

He had noticed those spiteful glances.

Cuiniang nodded.

Though anxious, the two kept walking. The town was still a long way off — hours at least — and they were prepared to endure the hardship.

But something was strange.

The wooden cart… felt lighter.

They exchanged confused glances, a startling thought creeping in.

Could it be… the Monster King?

Zhao Ping’an hesitated, then called out softly,
“My Lord?”

The silence around them felt heavy.

They had never seen this being, only sensed its goodwill — how it hadn’t dragged them or Liu Ermei into those dreamlike punishments.

That gave Zhao Ping’an the courage to speak.

Elsewhere in the forest, Bai Yuan paused.

Before they left the village, he had imbued the cart with energy — a part of himself that could observe and protect from afar.

He hadn’t expected Zhao Ping’an to try speaking with the “Monster King” himself.

Maybe this… was the chance he needed.

Closing his eyes, he channeled the energy and mimicked the voice from their dreams.

“It is I.”

The couple stopped dead, faces turning pale with awe and fear. They bowed deeply.

“Great King… I am Zhao Ping’an. This is my wife, Lin Cuiniang. Thank you for saving our son, Brother Yuan.”

It was only afterward that they realized — Brother Yuan had been feverish and near death, but suddenly recovered.

Surely… it had to be this King’s doing.

But the child had survived, and gained power.

That could only mean one thing: the Monster King had done far more than just save him.

Bai Yuan stayed silent for a moment.

He had to warn them — prepare them for what he would become.

They waited nervously, unsure if they had said something wrong.

Just when Zhao Ping’an was about to speak again, a deep voice echoed in their minds:

“It was not I who saved him… but he who saved himself.”

“So don’t fear any Taoist or monk. No one on this earth can harm my good friend.”

Their heads buzzed with pain — some of the words seemed too powerful for human minds.

But the message was clear.

They stood frozen, eyes wide with realization.

Wait…

Did the Monster King just say that Brother Yuan… would quell chaos… and purge evil?