Chapter 2 So Bitter

Ning Xuan remained as still as a lifeless sculpture for several breaths.

In the next instant, he felt as if his heart had been tightly gripped.

Fortunately, he had the experience of transmigrating, so several possibilities flashed through his mind, such as a dream within a dream or running into a ghost.

His hands and feet were ice-cold, but his brain began to work rapidly.

“If this is a repeat of what just happened, that bear demon likely won’t appear until dawn, which means I need to head down the mountain overnight right now. But if it isn’t a repeat, or if I didn’t hide well enough and caused the bear demon to find me early…”

Ning Xuan recalled the agony of being eaten alive.

Anyone who had never been gnawed on by a bear starting from their feet could never possibly understand this maddening pain.

“How could there be demons? Why do things like demons even exist?!”

Ning Xuan pulled at his hair in anguish.

He wanted to cry.

He had transmigrated sixteen years ago and lived in Xinghe County for sixteen years. He had inquired about martial arts and sought out immortals, but he had never discovered anything supernatural. As for demons, he had never even heard of them.

And that kind of agony, he absolutely, positively never wanted to experience again.

“Calm down, calm down. Since it has already happened, I have to figure out a way.”

Ning Xuan forced himself to calm down and not be swayed by this terror.

He had to choose a more surefire escape route.

He recalled the terrain of the mountain villa.

In front of the villa was a broad platform with a mountain path on both the left and the right. The left path was paved with stone steps and was quite wide. The right path was merely cleared of weeds and trees, making it somewhat narrow.

But whether it was the left or the right, both sides were flanked by dense, pitch-black forests. If there were vicious beasts hiding within, recklessly heading down the mountain like this would be courting death.

The back of the villa leaned against a cliff, and his master bedroom was built right on the edge of it. As long as he opened the window, he could take in the towering mountains and the vast sea of clouds, which was truly a feast for the eyes.

After a brief moment of thought, Ning Xuan suddenly had an idea.

He tiptoed around the interior of the villa to investigate. Finding no danger, he quickly entered the storehouse, grabbed some thick hemp rope and a fairly large wooden bucket, gritted his teeth, and spent quite a bit of time making a makeshift hanging basket.

After testing its sturdiness, he quickly washed his body and changed into clean, odorless clothes. Then, he threw two pieces of his sweat-scented clothing onto both the left and right mountain paths in front of the villa, and tossed his smelly boots far down the path.

Having done all this, he swiftly returned, repeatedly rubbing his body with dirt and leaves. At the same time, he took a dagger from the villa guards’ room and chopped off some leafy branches.

Afterward, he went to the back of the villa, found an old tree, tied the hanging basket to it, and lowered it bit by bit. He did not lower it too deep, lest he be unable to climb back up.

After testing it a few times, he climbed into the hanging basket himself, placing those green branches all around his body and over his head.

This was already the best method he could think of.

He did not need to escape.

He only needed to survive until dawn.

Whoosh.

Whoosh.

The cold wind pierced to the bone.

He remained motionless in the hanging basket, waiting in anxious apprehension.

The sky slowly brightened.

Ning Xuan clearly saw the blazing sun rise from between the mountains.

The pale white sunlight was like the eye of some terrifying giant, slowly opening.

He lightened his breathing, suppressed his heartbeat, and tried hard to think of Xiaojie’s fair legs and her snow mountain-like bosom to distract himself from the terror in his heart.

The blazing sun rose higher and higher.

The fog over the cliff lit up.

Ning Xuan felt a sense of peace.

Suddenly, he felt a drop of rain fall from above.

Plop.

The rain landed on the left side of his nose and quickly trickled down.

He smelled the scent of that rain.

Foul!

Very foul!

Incomparably foul!

He slowly raised his head and looked up, only to see a ten-foot-tall black bear lying on the edge of the cliff, looking down at him.

Upon meeting his gaze, the bear demon revealed a mocking smile, then reached out a paw and grabbed the hemp rope of the hanging basket.

Unimaginable despair appeared in Ning Xuan’s eyes.

In the next instant, he gritted his teeth and tightly gripped his dagger.

This was the dagger he had taken from the guards’ room, the one he had used to chop the branches earlier.

Now, he aimed this dagger at the hemp rope, pressing and slicing, and then began to saw at it frantically.

The dagger was very sharp.

The hemp rope snapped almost instantly.

As he plummeted down the cliff along with the hanging basket, he actually felt a sense of relief. As long as… as long as he wasn’t eaten alive by that bear demon, falling to his death was fine too!

He kept his eyes open, watching the rapidly receding cliff and the bear demon atop it.

Bang!

Ning Xuan felt as if he had passed through something.

And then, he landed.

But the expected agonizing pain did not come, because he… had returned to the mountain villa.

The moment he broke through a certain boundary, he was automatically teleported back into the villa, right onto his own bed, along with the hanging basket, just like being trapped in a ghostly loop.

Right at this moment, a thumping sound came from afar. The sound was extremely fast, getting faster and faster. At first, it sounded like distant drumbeats, but it quickly turned into thunder roaring right next to his ears. The thumping blasted so loudly it nearly tore his eardrums apart.

He looked over in horror, only to see dust and smoke rising in the distance. The sound of buildings continuously collapsing rang out. Just as he scrambled up, he saw the wall of his bedroom being smashed open by a massive figure.

Heavy panting, a foul stench, and a massive ten-foot shadow appeared in his line of sight once again.

“It has been a long time since I ate a human.” The bear demon revealed a hideous smile.

Ning Xuan’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He abruptly stood up, trembling as he gripped the dagger. Wailing at the top of his lungs, he charged forward and roared, “Die!!”

Bang!

He was knocked down by the bear demon.

The bear demon seemed to greatly enjoy such a vigorous prey. It did not even disarm Ning Xuan of his dagger, instead allowing him to feebly slash at its thick, armor-like body while it began to eat, slowly and elegantly.

“Wuwuwu!”

“Ahhhhh!!!”

“It hurts!”

“It hurts so much!”

Ning Xuan was covered in snot and tears. Then, his body arched and jerked.

Bang!

He sprang up, then fell back down heavily.

The wooden boards of the bed let out a muffled thud.

He panted heavily. It took a long time before he finally calmed down.

The bed curtains hung quietly, the blankets were already soaked with his tears, the walls reflected the moonlight, and the rustling of pines echoed outside the window. Everything was so tranquil.

“Xiaojie,” he called out, his voice hoarse. Sure enough, that beautiful girl who was always at his beck and call did not respond, because she simply wasn’t here.

Had he fallen into a nightmare akin to an endless cycle of reincarnation? Or perhaps some alternative form of the Endless Hell?

During his last death, he had actually tested many things.

For example, he absolutely could not leave this mountain villa.

“Maybe, maybe there is an exception? Maybe I just haven’t found the right exit.”

Ning Xuan suddenly stood up. He hurriedly put on his shoes and familiarly picked up the dagger from the guards’ room. This time, he also equipped himself with a long saber.

He ran madly toward the front of the villa.

He ran down the wide mountain path on the left.

After barely a dozen steps, he felt himself crash into something. In the next instant, the scenery shifted, and he was back in his bedroom.

He ran out again, heading for the dirt mountain path on the right.

Again, after just a dozen steps, the scenery before his eyes instantly changed, and he was back in his bedroom once more.

He frantically tried to leave the villa from every direction. He squeezed through the gaps in the forest; he jumped off the cliff from various angles.

He tried over a hundred times, but without exception, as long as he left the villa even a little bit, he would be sent back like he was trapped in a ghostly loop.

Until…

The sky brightened once again.

The blazing sun, carrying its pale white light, bore down upon this dead, silent mountain villa.

The young man, gripping a dagger in his left hand and a long saber in his right, stood all alone in the courtyard under the sunlight, his hair disheveled.

He hung his head and narrowed his eyes. His gaze was no longer that of a pampered young master, but one filled with bloodlust and madness.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of the wind.

The wind had picked up.

The wind came from behind him.

He abruptly turned around, brandishing his dagger and long saber, and roaring as he slashed at the bear demon!

Bang!

He was sent flying by the impact.

He was pinned beneath the bear demon.

The bear demon sat with its back to him and began to gnaw on his legs.

He frantically hacked at the bear demon’s back with his saber and dagger, but this only added to the bear demon’s excitement.

Waves of unimaginable, agonizing pain washed over him.

“So bitter…”

(End of Chapter)