Chapter 42: Life is Like a Dream
Boundless darkness and silence.
This was the scene that greeted Luo Xue when she opened her eyes. She seemed to be suspended in mid-air, her feet not touching solid ground.
Was she dead again?
…Why did she say “again”?
Luo Xue vaguely remembered being killed by a black-clothed assassin whose combat power was equivalent to the Spirit Condensation Realm, and he had said a lot of strange things.
“The target is only me, he won’t harm A’Ling?”
“And he had to kill me in an ‘accident’?”
“What was his purpose…”
“Wait, an accident?”
Thinking of this, Luo Xue’s pupils constricted.
She realized something.
After all the adults in the settlement had left, there were originally more than ten children left, besides her and Ling Ling.
Moreover, the supplies in the cellar were enough for them to reach adulthood and gain the ability to hunt.
But after several minor disasters, the originally ample supplies in the cellar were inexplicably depleted by more than half.
This situation directly led to the children having to go out hunting earlier than planned.
The older children in the camp formed a team to go to the small forest, but in the end, less than half returned.
The terrifying specter of death loomed over everyone.
But even so, for the sake of survival, everyone had no choice.
Eventually, after repeated sacrifices, only Luo Xue and Ling Ling remained in the entire camp.
All along, Luo Xue and Ling Ling had thought these were just accidents.
But now… could they really be accidents?
Could even Luo Xue’s previous death also be an accident?
It seemed that an invisible hand was manipulating everything in the settlement.
But what value did Wastelanders have, to make this unknown force go to such lengths?
It couldn’t be just for their sick amusement, could it?
“Could it be for A’Ling?”
Luo Xue’s eyes narrowed. From the words of the unknown assassin, she could only come to this conclusion.
…She couldn’t let them succeed!
Whether it was for Ling Ling or for her deceased companions…
However, she needed more strength.
Being able to send an assassin equivalent to a Spirit Condensation expert, this mysterious force was definitely not something Luo Xue could contend with now.
At least, she couldn’t even defeat the assassin they sent.
She had to become stronger.
And the only way to become stronger now was in the dream.
After sorting through all of this, Luo Xue composed herself and began to pay attention to her surroundings.
It seemed to be a space of consciousness.
Luo Xue tried to summon the system, but the red text that appeared was no longer her personal panel, but an option.
[Do you want to enter the dream?]
[Yes/No]
Of course, she would choose yes. Choosing no would probably mean going back.
Now, Luo Xue was completely outmatched by the assassin. Going back would just be sending herself to her death again.
Speaking of which, would she come back and choose again if she died?
Also, did the condition for entering the dream have to be death… or was losing consciousness enough?
Maybe… she should try knocking herself out next time?
Luo Xue’s thoughts wandered, but she still focused her mind on “Yes.”
In an instant, a door opened before Luo Xue, and white light dispelled the surrounding darkness.
But before Luo Xue could take a closer look at her surroundings without the cover of darkness, she had already thrown herself into the white light.
[“Life is like a dream, sleeping is also a dream, waking is also a dream.”]
A soft whisper seemed to echo in her ears. The next moment, several blurry and unfamiliar voices sounded.
“This child… is born with white hair…”
“I wonder if it’s a good omen… or a disaster…”
“Since she has a head of white hair, let’s name her Luo Xue, nicknamed Xiao Xue.”
“Xiao Xue.”
It seemed to be a very pleasant and gentle voice.
…
“Master, can the dead be resurrected?”
“The soul has dissipated, the person is gone.”
“If the soul dissipates, can it enter reincarnation?”
“Reincarnation will not accept it, and heaven and earth will not tolerate it.”
“But… Master, I still miss her very much. I always feel like she will come back.”
“You have asked me three thousand times, and I have answered you three thousand times,” the beautiful woman in the purple dress slowly opened her eyes. In an instant, even heaven and earth lost their color in her presence. “Since you already have your own answer in your heart… why do you keep asking me?”
“Over the years, your appearance hasn’t changed. Isn’t it because you’re afraid she won’t recognize you when she returns?”
The girl didn’t speak, sitting alone on the coffin.
Only silence.
The woman in purple looked at her for a long time, then closed her eyes again.
“Yao’er, instead of being trapped by your inner demons, why not go out and see the world?”
“The world is very boring. It’s rare to find a few people you can get along with. I don’t want to lose another one.”
The girl remained silent, but she stood up and kowtowed three times to the woman in purple.
Then, she left, carrying only a broken blade and a coffin, from the sea of blood.
Not long after, news spread from the Demon Abyss.
The inheritance of the Underworld Phoenix, which was thought to be completely cut off, had found a new successor, who was accepted by the most forbidden place in the Demon Abyss, the Temple of the Nether Spirit, as their new Holy Maiden.
Within a few years, the Holy Maiden challenged all the demon talents within a jiazi of her age in the Demon Abyss.
She was undefeated.
***
A “jiazi” (甲子) in the traditional Chinese calendar is a cycle of 60 years.
“Within a jiazi,” it means “within a 60-year period” or “within a 60-year age range”
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