When someone’s luck turns sour, even drinking cold water gets stuck in their teeth.
Zanxing had always thought she wasn’t particularly lucky, but she’d always maintained an ordinary mindset about such things, never being too persistent.
Having lived for over twenty years, the first time she won anything was transmigrating into the book “Nine Heaven Summit” and stealing the male protagonist’s golden finger. But she never expected that forcibly defying fate would bring down heavenly punishment. Taking the protagonist’s fortune without having the protagonist’s destiny resulted in being trapped by the original story like this.
Hua Yue, who should have been Mu Cengxiao’s opponent, had become her opponent. That Night Vine branch, which, according to the original story’s setting, couldn’t be cut even with a knife, could inexplicably break in the middle just because the original story wanted her dead.
Her entire body was submerged in the swamp pool. Almost instantly, Zanxing’s figure was swallowed up.
On the shore, Hua Yue retreated under the tree and looked toward the center of the swamp. The whirlpool was still slowly flowing, and the person who had just fallen in was like a phantom, leaving nothing behind.
The miasma here was too thick. Staying too long made even him feel nauseous and cold. Yang Zanxing had fallen in and would lose her life in an instant – there was no way she could survive. Hua Yue took one last look at the black swamp, snorted coldly, said “serves her right,” and walked away.
The black swamp’s edge returned to tranquility, with only the tip of the Night Vine tree on the shore abruptly broken in the middle, bearing witness to the dangerous scene that had just occurred.
…
Underwater, Zanxing felt pain beginning throughout her entire body.
The sensation was like peeling someone’s skin and soaking them in chili pepper brine – every inch of skin felt a piercing, burning pain. This wasn’t all – the suffocating feeling in her chest grew heavier and heavier. Starting from her feet, gradually moving to her calves, then to her waist, it felt like she was turning to stone, as if something was grabbing her and dragging her deeper into the depths, never to see light again.
Having learned breath-holding in public classes, Zanxing tightly closed her eyes to prevent herself from suffocating on the rushing mud, while desperately trying to activate the Xiaoyuan Pearl within her body, crying out silently in her heart: Don’t play dead at a time like this – get up and work!
That Xiaoyuan Pearl had been quite lively and active before, but since the sect assessment, it had shown no movement. Zanxing even wondered if it had malfunctioned. Or was the original story now even restricting the golden finger, just to eliminate her?
Her body continued sinking deeper into the swamp. The petrifying sensation gradually spread from her waist toward her chest. Zanxing didn’t give up, repeatedly activating it with yuanli. She didn’t know how long she had been sinking when, just as she felt that stiffness beginning to creep toward her heart, the Xiaoyuan Pearl suddenly moved slightly.
This movement was very weak, like finally being called back to consciousness after a long slumber. Zanxing’s heart leaped with joy, and she hurriedly tried even harder to activate it. Unfortunately, she could now only exert force from her chest upward, her yuanli depleting much faster than usual. So this bit of yuanli was like a clay ox entering the sea, failing to make the Xiaoyuan Pearl emit the golden light it once had.
Just when she was almost in despair, a point of green light suddenly appeared before her eyes.
Zanxing’s eyes were tightly closed. Under this swamp pool, the mud was like thick ink – nothing could be seen. But guided by spiritual consciousness, Zanxing could see ahead of her a small green glowing dot. She hesitated for a moment. The Xiaoyuan Pearl in her chest swayed slightly, as if urging her to make a decision. Zanxing couldn’t worry about anything else – stealing her heart, since she was going to die anyway, she might as well treat a dead horse as if it were still alive.
Her body could no longer move, but fortunately, her hands hadn’t yet been petrified by the mud. Zanxing desperately stretched out her arms until finally, her fingertip touched that glowing green dot.
The moment her finger touched the green light, Zanxing immediately felt a cool sensation washing over her. All the foulness, damp heat, and stickiness were swept away, and she could move below her chest again.
It worked!
She cupped her palm and drew the green dot back. Before she could take the next action, the green dot seemed to gain self-awareness and suddenly flew toward her, flying into Zanxing’s lips.
Something cool and refreshing quickly slid down her throat.
To be precise, it was like eating a mint candy that dissolved instantly upon entering her mouth, turning into syrup. At the very moment this green mint candy entered her belly, Zanxing’s body suddenly became light and agile.
The surrounding mud seemed unable to affect her anymore, as if she were in clear water, able to swim easily. Zanxing swam upward with all her might.
At the edge of the black swamp, a Rakshasa Bird perched on the Night Vine branch, tilting its head to look at the whirlpool in the water. The whirlpool gradually slowed, then finally stopped moving. The Rakshasa Bird seemed to sense danger, shrieked once, spread its wings, and flew away.
“Splash—”
A hand suddenly emerged from the swamp, covered in mud. Then, a woman’s body rose from the swamp, bringing up the viscous black mud beside her. Moments later, the woman who had emerged from the swamp lay face-up on the shore, gasping heavily, enjoying the joy of surviving a disaster.
The vast sky was like ink, and countless stars fell like rain, illuminating the calm black swamp with mysterious and ethereal beauty. The miasma had somehow completely dissipated. In Gufeng Mountain at night, the paths were secluded with a delicate fragrance, tranquil and distant.
Zanxing watched for a while, then gradually frowned and sat up.
From when she fell into the black swamp until now, it didn’t feel like it had been very long. How had it become completely dark when she emerged?
Zi Luo’s words echoed in her ears: “You must leave before the sun sets. Otherwise, when the moon rises and the fierce beasts awaken, the mountain will be very dangerous.”
Zanxing: “…”
She raised her head to look at the moon overhead, round as a silver disk.
This was hopeless. When the original story set traps for people, it was one scheme after another.
…
On the open ground in front of Gufeng Mountain’s entry restriction, the new disciples who had entered the mountain emerged one by one. Some were in tattered clothes, disheveled and dirty, having suffered quite a bit inside. Others were bright and fresh, in high spirits, apparently having had quite smooth treasure-hunting journeys.
However, regardless of what state each person was in when they came out, when they took out the Qiankun Bags from their waists, their expressions were all filled with unstoppable excitement.
“I dug up an Absolute Silence Flower!”
“I found Lingxiao Seeds!”
“Hehe, I caught a seven-eyed fish.”
“Ah, senior brother, don’t seven-eyed fish have mouths full of sharp teeth and are extremely vicious? You dared to catch one?”
“Exactly right – my pants got torn up like this, and it almost bit off my family jewels.”
And so on. Zi Luo stood at the entrance, counting the returning cultivators. The sky was gradually darkening now, the last trace of sunlight falling behind the mountain peaks. Night was falling over Gufeng Mountain, and starlight fell into the valley embraced by distant peaks.
The young disciple beside her was watching and suddenly frowned: “Senior Sister, we’re missing one.”
“Missing one?” Zi Luo paused, her expression becoming serious: “Who hasn’t returned?”
Gufeng Mountain at night was when fierce beasts roamed and was extremely dangerous. Before leaving, she had specifically reminded all the disciples to be sure to return before sunset. How could…
“It’s Junior Sister Zanxing,” the disciple said, checking the names on the roster. “Yang Zanxing hasn’t returned.”