Chapter 192: Chapter 192
Disheveled long hair, pale green fangs, a mouth continuously spurting blood, and pupils that suddenly enlarged right before her eyes...
Accompanied by the creaking sound of a wooden door, an icy chill blew past as continuous eerie giggles echoed around her...
Wait, what the hell is this? The moment An Ning opened her eyes to this terrifying sight, she instinctively squeezed them shut again...
Ignoring the drafty thatched hut around her, she lay stiffly on the hard little bed, not daring to move a muscle as goosebumps covered her entire body.
Taking a deep breath to calm herself, An Ning began absorbing the memories of this body.
At dawn, occasional rooster crows could be heard in the small village. Outside, Old Lady Zhou was yelling her usual morning tirade, interspersed with the timid responses of her daughters-in-law.
Only at sunrise did the commotion finally cease.
With another creak, the old wooden door opened to reveal the gaunt, sallow face of a middle-aged woman.
The woman appeared to be around thirty, wearing a faded gray-blue cotton jacket. In her hands were a half-sized corn bun and a small bowl of sweet potato porridge. Carefully placing the food on a rickety table about a meter away from the bed, she rubbed her hands nervously before speaking in a dry voice:
Without even glancing at the girl curled up in the corner of the bed, she hastily retreated, vigorously brushing off her clothes as if afraid of catching some contamination.
Chewing the tasteless, dry bun while lying in bed, An Ning continued sorting through the memories.
This body belonged to Chen Anning, just seven years old - originally an ordinary village girl from Xiaxi Village.
Well... "ordinary" wasn't quite accurate. Not counting this body's exceptionally special constitution, the little girl had already lived through four lifetimes, including this one with An Ning.
Yet misfortune followed her every time.
Xuanzhen Continent was a world where one could cultivate immortality.
In her first life, the girl successfully joined a cultivation sect. Though her triple spiritual roots weren't remarkable, qualifying her only as an outer sect disciple, it still meant escaping mortal life to become an exalted cultivator.
Surprisingly, despite average aptitude, her cultivation speed surpassed expectations, nearly matching the inner sect geniuses even with mediocre techniques.
By twenty, she was approaching Foundation Establishment.
After an outstanding performance in a sect competition, she caught a elder's attention and was exceptionally accepted as a direct disciple within months.
Yet misfortune struck - the night after finally forming her golden core, she was mysteriously kidnapped by a masked stranger. Not only imprisoned, but by morning her dantian was emptied, all her hard-earned cultivation gone...
Worse yet, her flesh was eventually thrown into an alchemy furnace as premium cultivation materials.
In her second life, awakening from endless agony, she thought she'd reached heaven - only to find herself back at age seven again, at this very timeline where An Ning arrived.
Learning from past mistakes, she became extremely wary of everyone, including her master. Mastering the "art of laying low," she deliberately blended in among outer disciples, suppressing her advancement even when ready for Foundation Establishment.
Only after most peers had succeeded did she begin her breakthrough.
Despite such caution, she still met the same fate as before.
Opening her eyes to a third life.
After two cycles of excruciating memories, the girl developed trauma towards sects and cultivators. When Xuqing Sect came recruiting, she feigned illness to avoid selection.
Following past memories and techniques, she cultivated alone, not daring to stay near home, hiding in a remote town rarely using any magic.
For extra safety, she even disguised her appearance.
Though harder, compared to village poverty and previous lives' horrors of losing her body, she was content.
The town life was peaceful.
Just when she thought herself finally safe to enjoy life, history repeated itself the day after forming her golden core... again.
Three lifetimes, same outcome. Before another cycle could begin, the original soul had completely broken down.
Even An Ning, merely receiving these memories secondhand, felt her primordial spirit waver momentarily from the accumulated agony.
Now she understood why her system had been so evasive earlier.
"Ahem... Host, you okay there?"
After prolonged silence, the teacup dog in her consciousness, having curled into a ball fearing its host's wrath, timidly poked its head out:
"W-well, the mission's already here, not like we can control that right?"
"But Host, what's your plan now?"
Basically every possible path had been tried - all led to certain death.
And they didn't even know who the killer was!
Enemy in shadow, they in light - and clearly outmatched.
Within half a day, the already sparse-furred system nearly scratched itself bald.
"Host, Xuqing Sect's disciple selection is in few days. Maybe we could flee far away, or try joining a stronger sect?"
Its answer was the host's resigned sigh.
"Never mind, A-Tong..."
Wait - was the Host doubting its wisdom?