Consciousness gradually began to blur.
There was no light, no sound, and even the concept of time had become indistinct.
Falling, falling continuously, until being swallowed by the void.
This was the second time Wu Yan (Yan) had experienced this sensation.
This was the taste of death.
In a trance, the world of this life gradually merged with the neon-lit metropolis of her previous life.
Everything around her began to distort, twisting into a sky full of snow.
***
The city where Wuyan lived was not friendly to children without parents.
Expired food in convenience stores was recycled under the supervision of dedicated personnel, and food left on the side of the road was quickly taken by other homeless adults.
Just as he was about to starve to death, a Scavenger Old Man found him.
The old man was a man of few words, with a long scar across his face and his left arm.
He would always share half of the warm naan bread he bought with Wuyan, and he would also help others living in harsh conditions.
The Scavenger Old Man didn’t actually make much money from picking up trash, so Wuyan thought of some tactics that street wanderers usually used.
But when Wuyan suggested these ideas, the old man stopped him.
He stroked Wuyan’s head with his calloused hands, his eyes filled with an emotion Wuyan couldn’t understand: “Kid, living cleanly is better than anything else.”
Later, he realized that the old man’s emotion at that time was repentance.
When the old man was young, he was a thug who had done many bad things, even indirectly causing the destruction of a family.
After being released from prison, the old man could never escape the judgment of his conscience.
For all these years, he lived like an ascetic monk. Most of the money he earned from scavenging was sent to the victims of those years, leaving only a little for his own survival.
This was the first time Wuyan had met such a strange person.
Cause and effect circulate; retribution is never missed.
That winter, a rare snowfall began in the city, making the tin shack where he and the old beggar lived grow freezing cold.
He was counting the money earned from selling trash with the old man when the door was pushed open.
The visitor was a young man in his twenties, wearing a down jacket and holding a bulging envelope.
The old man could tell at a glance that this was a member of the family he had victimized years ago.
The young man did not kick or punch the old man, nor did he curse him.
He simply returned the envelope in his hand to the old man: “Don’t send any more in the future. I will never forgive you.”
The old man seemed startled, but after taking the envelope, he suddenly gave a smile of relief.
“Kid, take this money and live well.”
After saying that, the old man walked out of the small shack. Wuyan wanted to follow him, but the old man stopped him: “Don’t come over. This is what I deserve.”
Just as the old man had said, that was his sin, and he had to make amends.
The boundless snow swallowed the old man’s thin figure.
After that, Wu Yan (Yan) never saw the old man again. He chose to end his life, full of both sin and redemption, in that winter.
Afterward, he built a cenotaph for the old man. After all, to him, the old man was an absolute good person and deserved to be treated well.
The scene shifted, the snowy ground shattered, and then reconstructed into a bizarre Cultivation World filled with rich Spirit Chi.
Opening her eyes again, Wu Yan (Yan) found herself in the body of a newborn baby.
Wu Yan (Yan) could not control this body and could only be a bystander. This was because the body already had an owner, and the owner’s name was Wu Yan (Inner).
The first five years of Wu Yan (Inner)’s life were undoubtedly happy, with her parents by her side and total freedom.
Unfortunately, the good times did not last. Afterward, Wu Yan (Inner) always appeared in mass graves and deep alleys, fighting until she was covered in blood just for half a steamed bun.
That wretched, helpless appearance reminded Wu Yan (Yan) of her own self in her previous life.
Except there was no one like the old man by her side; there was only Wu Yan (Yan).
“There will always be a way.”
In a corner where Wu Yan (Inner) could not see, Wu Yan (Yan) would always comfort her like this.
And the story did indeed reach a turning point.
At the very least, Wu Yan (Yan) remembered that in the previous life, Wu Yan (Inner) was supposed to be a complete lone wolf.
She would bite the throats of wild dogs to drink their blood because of hunger, smash a beggar’s head with a stone for a steamed bun, and completely close off her heart amidst endless malice.
But in this life, there were some subtle differences.
Whenever Wu Yan (Inner) felt cold, a warm current would mysteriously emerge from her limbs; whenever Wu Yan (Inner) felt pain, a phantom sound of nursery rhymes would ring in her ears, carrying a magical power that made her calm down unconsciously.
She could feel that she was not alone. Every time despair descended, an inexplicable force supported her, preventing her from falling completely into the dark abyss.
Because of this companionship, the Wu Yan (Inner) of this life had a bit less ferocity in her eyes and a bit more of the clarity and tenacity she should have at her age.
Until that day, when heavy snow blocked the mountains.
A pack of starving wolves surrounded Wu Yan (Inner) as she went up the mountain to gather herbs.
She picked up a sharp stone from the snow. Although her legs were trembling, she did not run. Instead, she stared deathly at the alpha wolf, assuming a very immature but determined defensive posture.
It was precisely this courage belonging to a human, distinct from a beast, that drew the person who came walking through the snow.
A dazzling sword light descended from the sky, splitting the snow-filled air in two and slaying the wolves.
A woman dressed in magnificent clothes sheathed her sword and slowly landed on the snow.
At that time, Xia Lingshuang had just successfully reached the Nascent Soul Stage and was in high spirits.
She looked at the little girl before her who, though dressed in rags, refused to yield while clutching a stone. The surprise in her eyes turned into admiration and tenderness.
“Little girl, do you want to come back with me to practice cultivation?”
Through Wu Yan (Inner)’s eyes, Wu Yan (Yan) watched as Xia Lingshuang took her back to the Piaomiao Sect and accepted her as the only Core Disciple.
The following years were a dreamlike period of wonderful times.
Wu Yan (Yan) saw that everyone in the Piaomiao Sect did not discriminate against the little girl Xia Lingshuang had brought back.
Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters would secretly give her candied fruits, and Elders would pat her head and praise her for having extraordinary natural talent.
And the person who loved her most was always Xia Lingshuang.
Xia Lingshuang taught Wu Yan (Inner) how to write and practice swordplay by hand, tirelessly correcting her grip and posture.
When Wu Yan (Inner) reached the Foundation Establishment stage, Xia Lingshuang stayed awake all night guarding the door to protect her.
Xia Lingshuang would even secretly take her to the market in the Mortal Realm to buy a string of crystal-clear tanghulu just to coax a crying Wu Yan (Inner).
Sharing the same body with Wu Yan (Inner), Wu Yan (Yan) naturally experienced these things. It was a happiness Wu Yan (Yan) had never experienced in her previous life.
All of this differed from the memories of the Demon Venerable Wu Yan (Inner) that Wu Yan (Yan) had seen.
But history seemed full of inevitability. At some point, Wu Yan (Inner) seemed to become a different person.
She began to become violent, greedy, and unreasonable, bullying her fellow disciples by relying on her Master’s favor and snatching the medicinal pills of her Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters.
She could only watch helplessly as this body committed one evil act after another, seeing the disappointment in Xia Lingshuang’s eyes grow deeper and seeing the friendliness in her fellow disciples’ eyes turn into fear and disgust.
Until that irrecoverable disaster descended.
It was a mission to suppress Demonic Cultivators.
Wu Yan (Inner) had placed a colorless and odorless Spirit-Dispersing Powder into Xia Lingshuang’s Spirit-Stabilizing Tea.
It was simply because the day before, Xia Lingshuang had scolded her for bullying a fellow disciple.
During the battle, the effects of the drug kicked in. Facing the killing move of a Demonic Cultivator, the Spirit Chi within Xia Lingshuang’s body suddenly stagnated.
Wu Yan (Yan) could only watch helplessly as her Master, who had treated her and Wu Yan (Inner) so well, chose to use her physical body to block a fatal strike from the Demonic Cultivator to protect the accompanying disciples.
It was at that very moment that Wu Yan (Inner)’s consciousness suddenly fell into a deep sleep, and Wu Yan (Yan) thus obtained dominance over the body.
The moment she held the blood-covered Xia Lingshuang in her arms, Wu Yan (Yan) understood how the old man from back then felt.
She and Wu Yan (Inner) were ultimately one and the same.
—
Splash—
A warm current jolted Wu Yan (Yan) from the deepest layers of her consciousness.
She snapped her eyes open, gasping for breath.
What met her eyes was a simple, ancient room. She was currently soaking in a giant wooden tub filled with a medicinal liquid that had a pungent smell.
Wu Yan (Yan) remembered this place; it was Lin Wan’er’s small hut.
“Yo, you’re finally awake? Your life force is certainly stubborn!”
A round, pretty face suddenly leaned in close to Wu Yan (Yan).
The girl wore her hair in double buns and was dressed in a goose-yellow short jacket and skirt, her large eyes sparkling with excitement.
Wu Yan (Yan) subconsciously tried to retreat, but she was inside the wooden tub with nowhere to go.
“Don’t move around.”
Lin Wan’er extended a finger and smilingly poked Wu Yan (Yan)’s forehead: “You just woke up. If you move carelessly, be careful not to fall back asleep~”
“Come, Senior Sister Wu, it is time for your medicine.”
Lin Wan’er picked up a bowl of purple-black medicinal soup that was still bubbling with unidentified bubbles from the side: “This life of yours was truly snatched back. If not for that stalk of Soul Shaping Grass you guys brought back from the Secret Realm, even if I rubbed my hands raw, I wouldn’t have been able to save you.”
Wu Yan (Yan) was slightly stunned.
“Also, that little accountant from the Tianyan Sect—ah, no, Bai Zhiqiu—was generous enough. When we asked if she was willing to give up the Soul Shaping Grass to save you, she actually agreed without a second thought.”
Speaking to this point, Lin Wan’er glanced toward the door and lowered her voice: “Tell me quietly, has she fallen for you?”
“But then again, even if the entire Soul Shaping Grass was used, there was no way to make you recover completely; it might even have caused an adverse reaction. So, I only used eighty percent to treat you, and I used the remaining twenty percent for your good Junior Sister whose soul was similarly damaged.”
“At first she refused to take it, and she only reluctantly agreed after I explained the pros and cons to her.”
Lin Wan’er sighed, looking at Wu Yan (Yan) with some pity: “Her soul should be able to recover fully after taking the pill made from those twenty percent of the Soul Shaping Grass, but as for your injury… I’m afraid you’ll be stuck with a chronic condition for the rest of your life.”
“Forget it, let’s not talk about that.” Lin Wan’er held the medicinal soup to Wu Yan (Yan)’s lips. “The only thing you need to do now is hurry up and drink this bowl of medicine to get better.”
“Where is Qingyao?”
“Her? She fainted after taking the pill, but don’t worry, that’s a normal reaction.”
Outside the corridor separated by a single wall.
Xia Lingshuang stood silently.
She did not push the door open, nor did she make any sound.
“It’s good as long as you’re alive.”
In the end, she did not walk in.
Perhaps it was because the experiences of her previous life made it impossible for her to face Wu Yan (Inner) without any resentment; or perhaps it was because she felt that entering now would only break this hard-won tranquility.
Xia Lingshuang took a deep look at the figure soaking in the medicinal tub before turning around and leaving quietly.