Late at night, one o’clock in the morning.
Qingzhou City, Qingda Square.
At the center of the square was a circular fountain. A huge curtain of water enveloped an area over ten meters in diameter. Under the flickering, multicolored lights surrounding it, the scene appeared somewhat fantastical.
It was already late into the night. Not a single person was in sight on the square. Apart from the gushing sound of the fountain’s water, there were no other noises.
At that moment, a crow suddenly descended.
It landed on the branch of a camphor tree on a street near the square. Its pitch-black eyes were fixed on the air above the fountain’s apex, as if something there had caught its attention.
Suddenly, the void above the fountain’s apex twisted, like glass hitting the ground, quickly developing spiderweb-like cracks.
Then, black mist gushed out from the fissures.
That ominous aura caused the surrounding temperature to plummet rapidly, becoming piercingly cold.
“Caw~ Caw~” The crow shrieked, flapping its wings in fear as it flew away.
However, not long after, the void fissure, influenced by some mysterious power, began to slowly repair and close.
The black mist grew agitated, surging out faster and faster, but it couldn’t outpace the speed of the fissure’s closure.
With no further supply, the black mist that had spread around the fountain quickly dissipated into the air, and the temperature gradually rose.
In a short while, everything returned to normal, as if nothing had ever happened.
But that night…
Near Qingda Square…
All the animals bizarrely tried to flee Qingzhou City.
Domestic pets howled, scratching at door frames. The cries of animals in the zoo rose and fell in succession.
The entire city of Qingzhou was in an uproar.
This also became one of Qingzhou City’s recent unsolved mysteries.
—
The next day, seven in the morning.
“Ahhh!!!” In an ordinary apartment in a remote residential area of Qingzhou, Chen Xiaoyan, wearing blue starry-night pajamas, jolted awake.
Her terrified eyes frantically scanned her surroundings. Seeing it was her own room, she finally let out a sigh of relief. It seemed it was just a dream.
She rested her right hand on her forehead, recalling the horrifying scene, utterly perplexed.
Lately, that nightmare of the Demon Soil World, where demonic creatures enslaved humans, had been occurring far too frequently.
Counting this time, it was already the second time.
This time was different from the last. In this dream, Chen Xiaoyan experienced it firsthand and could even resist.
But it was still useless. She was bisected at the waist, her intestines spilling all over the ground. That gruesome image still left her feeling lingering fear.
Knock knock
“Xiaoyan-jie, are you okay?”
Qian Renxue had a key to the outer door but not the inner room. Living next door, she had also heard Chen Xiaoyan’s scream and hurried over.
“I’m fine, Yaoyao. Just had a nightmare.”
“Alright, then I’ll go make breakfast.”
“Okay~”
Listening to the sounds from the kitchen, Chen Xiaoyan lay back down and pulled the covers over her face.
‘They are coming.’
The moment she closed her eyes, intending to go back to sleep, a familiar voice suddenly echoed in Chen Xiaoyan’s mind.
It frightened her so much her face paled.
“Who’s there?”
Chen Xiaoyan furrowed her brows, intently scanning every corner of the room. But after a long while, not another sound was heard.
She scratched her head in confusion.
‘Was it just my imagination?’
She thought for a long time but couldn’t figure it out, so Chen Xiaoyan decisively gave up.
She got out of bed to wash up, ready to enjoy a delicious breakfast.
However, the moment her foot touched the floor, a powerful urge to urinate immediately assaulted her nerves.
“Holy crap!”
Chen Xiaoyan’s face instantly turned ashen. Her eyes widened, she gritted her teeth, clamped her legs together, and hobbled towards the bathroom.
She couldn’t hold it much longer.
Entering the bathroom, she quickly locked the door, lifted the toilet lid, pulled down her pajama pants, reached down with her hand, and found nothing.
Looking down, her little face immediately darkened.
‘Well, well. Did I just get sent back to infancy?’
No choice. It looked like she had to change her method.
So she sat on the toilet and opened the floodgates.
Listening to the hissing sound of the water, no matter how thick-skinned she was, she couldn’t help but blush crimson.
‘This is so damn embarrassing.’
This method of urination was her first time trying it. It felt awkward, indescribably awkward.
But she had to admit, the experience felt quite novel.
‘If I completely become a girl in the future, will I get periods?’
‘I’ve heard periods are very painful, coming once a month, frequently alternating.’
Just thinking about such days in the future made Chen Xiaoyan wish she could die right then and there.
“Xiaoyan-jie, breakfast is almost ready!”
“I know!” After washing her hands, she quickly ran to the bathroom to wash her face, then happily went to savor Yaoyao’s delicious breakfast.
‘Die?’
‘That’s impossible.’
‘With such a good life, not enjoying it properly and choosing to die?’
‘That would be pure foolishness.’
—
Tianxin Pavilion, backyard.
Chong Chong logged in particularly early today. The moment Chen Xiaoyan came online, she dragged her to see Shen Qingqing.
“Xiaoyan-jie, why does Shen Qingqing suddenly want to see me?”
“I don’t know either.”
“Then tell me what you do know.”
“I don’t know anything.”
“Tsk~ So unreliable.”
Hearing Chong Chong’s disdainful tone, Chen Xiaoyan shot her a glare and ignored her after that.
Walking to the inner room’s door, she knocked gently.
It was a bit strange today. Normally, the door should have been open at this time.
“Shen Elder Sister, are you in?”
“Come in.”
Chen Xiaoyan pushed the door open. Unsurprisingly, the older sister was once again sitting cross-legged on a meditation cushion, cultivating.
“Shen Elder Sister, I’ve brought Chong Chong.”
Shen Qingqing opened her eyes, glanced at Chong Chong behind her, and gave a slight nod.
“Xiaoyan, you come in alone. You wait outside first.”
“Oh.” Chong Chong’s agreement wasn’t very willing. After sweeping her eyes over the inner room’s environment, she turned and left the room.
Shen Qingqing waved her hand, and the door closed.
Seeing this, Chen Xiaoyan gave a bitter smile.
‘I thought bringing that girl along meant I wouldn’t have to take the medicinal bath today. Looks like I was too naive.’
Without waiting for Shen Qingqing to bring out the wooden tub, she began taking off her clothes on her own.
“Why are you undressing?” Shen Qingqing inquired.
Chen Xiaoyan froze. “Aren’t we doing the medicinal bath?”
Shen Qingqing lightly covered her jade-like lips with a smile. “Not today. Once every three days. If you bathe every day, your body will collapse.”
Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaoyan was overjoyed and hurriedly put her dress back on.
“That’s good, that’s good. Finally, two days without suffering.”
Shen Qingqing gave a helpless smile. “You silly girl, I really don’t know what to do with you. Other disciples would beg me, and I still wouldn’t give it to them. Look at you, truly not knowing how fortunate you are.”
“Hehe.” Chen Xiaoyan sat on the edge of the bed, holding Shen Qingqing’s hand, grinning cheekily. “I know Sister Shen is the best to me. But the medicinal bath really hurts.”
“Endure hardship to become exceptional. What will you do if you go to the Endless Demon Domain for training in the future?”
Chen Xiaoyan’s expression stiffened. She stammered in reply, “This… I… I just won’t go then.”
As soon as these words left her mouth, Shen Qingqing’s face instantly turned cold.