Chapter 2: So Bitter

Chapter 2: 2. So Bitter

Ning Xuan remained motionless for several seconds, like a lifeless statue.

The next instant, he felt as if his heart had been seized.

Fortunately, he had the experience of transmigrating, and several possibilities flashed through his mind, such as "a dream within a dream" or "having encountered a ghost."

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

'If this is a repetition of the previous scene, the bear demon likely won't appear until dawn, so I should leave the mountain tonight. But if it’s not a repetition, or if I didn't hide well enough and the bear demon discovered me early...'

Ning Xuan recalled the agony of being eaten alive.

Those who have never had their feet gnawed on by a bear could never understand this pain that drives one to madness.

'How can there be demons? Why does such a thing as a demon even exist?!'

Ning Xuan clutched his hair in agony.

He wanted to cry.

He had transmigrated sixteen years ago and lived in Xinghe County for sixteen years. He had studied 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 pain—he absolutely, under no circumstances, wanted to experience it again.

'Calm down, calm down. Since it has happened, I must find a way.'

Ning Xuan forced himself to calm down, refusing to be swayed by this fear.

He had to choose a more accurate path to escape.

He recalled the layout of the villa.

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

But regardless of left or right, both sides were flanked by dense, pitch-black forests. If a fierce beast were hiding within, rushing down the mountain like that would be suicide.

Behind the villa was a cliff. His master bedroom was built right on the edge of the precipice; as long as he opened the windows, he was greeted by the majestic mountains and the vast sea of clouds—truly a sight to behold.

Ning Xuan pondered for a moment, and suddenly, he had an idea.

He tiptoed around the villa to inspect it. Finding no danger, he quickly walked to the storage room, took some thick hemp rope and a fairly large wooden barrel, gritted his teeth, and spent quite some time crafting a makeshift hanging basket.

After testing its sturdiness, he quickly washed his body, changed into clean, scentless clothes, and then threw two of his sweat-stained garments onto each of the mountain paths in front of the villa, tossing his sweat-smelling boots far down the path as well.

Having done this, he quickly returned, wiped his body repeatedly with dirt and leaves, and took a dagger from the villa's guard room, cutting off some branches with lush green leaves.

Afterward, he went behind the villa, found an old tree, tied the hanging basket to it, and lowered it down bit by bit—not too deep, so he wouldn't be unable to climb back out.

He tested it a few times, then climbed into the basket, placing the green branches around his body and over his head.

This was the best plan he could think of.

He didn't need to run away.

He only needed to survive until dawn.

*Hoo.*

*Hoo.*

The cold wind was biting.

He sat motionless in the hanging basket, waiting in trepidation.

The sky slowly brightened.

Ning Xuan clearly saw the scorching sun rising between the mountains.

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

He softened his breathing, suppressed his heartbeat, and tried to think of Xiao Jie’s fair, shapely thighs and her snow-capped breasts to distract himself from the fear in his heart.

The sun climbed higher and higher.

The mist on the cliff began to brighten.

Ning Xuan felt a sense of calm.

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.

Fishy!

Extremely fishy!

Unbearably fishy!

He slowly tilted his head back and looked up, only to see a black bear, a zhang tall, crouching on the edge of the cliff looking down at him.

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

Unimaginable despair appeared in Ning Xuan's eyes.

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

This was the dagger he had taken from the guard room; he had used it to cut the branches earlier.

Now, he aimed the dagger at the hemp rope, pressed down, sawed, and then began to hack frantically.

The dagger was sharp.

The hemp rope snapped almost instantly.

He plummeted down the cliff with the basket. He actually felt a sense of relief—as long as... as long as he wasn't eaten alive by that bear demon, dying from the fall was fine!

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

*Bang!*

Ning Xuan felt as if he had passed through something.

Then, he landed.

But the expected, excruciating pain did not come, because he... had returned to the villa.

The moment he broke through a certain boundary, he was automatically teleported back to the villa, back onto his bed, along with the hanging basket—just like a ghost haunting a wall.

At that moment, a *thump-thump* sound came from afar. The sound was extremely fast, getting faster and faster. At first, it sounded like distant drums, but soon it became like thunder right beside his ears, the "thump-thump-thump" so loud it felt like his eardrums were about to shatter.

He looked on in horror as dust rose in the distance and the sound of houses collapsing echoed one after another. He had only just scrambled up when he saw the wall of his bedroom smashed open by a massive figure.

Heavy breathing, a foul, fishy stench, and the massive, zhang-tall shadow appeared in his field of vision once again.

"It's been a long time since I've eaten a human," the bear demon said with a hideous grin.

Ning Xuan’s Adam's apple bobbed. He stood up abruptly, trembling as he gripped the dagger, and charged forward, wailing and roaring, "Die!!!"

*Bang!*

He was knocked down by the bear demon.

The bear demon seemed to enjoy such a spirited prey; it didn't even take the dagger away from Ning Xuan, letting him feebly hack at its armor-like body with the blade, before it began to eat him slowly and elegantly.

"Wuwuwu!"

"Ahhhhhhh!!!"

"It hurts!"

"So painful!"

Ning Xuan was covered in tears and snot, his body arching and twitching.

*Bang!*

He jolted, then slumped back down.

The wooden bed frame let out a dull thud.

He breathed heavily for a long time before he finally calmed down.

The gauze curtains hung quietly, the bedding had long been soaked with tears, and the walls reflected the moonlight. The sound of the wind in the pines echoed outside the window; everything... was so tranquil.

"Xiao Jie..." he called out, his voice hoarse. As expected, the beautiful girl who was always at his beck and call did not respond, because she wasn't here at all.

Was he... trapped in a nightmare akin to reincarnation? Or perhaps some alternative Avici hell?

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

For instance, he was completely unable to leave this villa.

"Maybe, maybe there's an exception? Maybe I just haven't found the right exit."

Ning Xuan rose abruptly. He hurriedly put on his shoes, grabbed the dagger from the guard room out of habit, and this time, he also equipped himself with a long saber.

He ran frantically toward the front of the villa.

He ran down the wide mountain path on the left.

After only ten steps or so, he felt as if he had bumped into something, and in an instant, the scenery shifted, and he was back in his bedroom.

He continued running, heading toward the dirt path on the right.

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

He frantically tried to leave the villa in every direction. He passed through gaps in the trees and jumped off the cliff from every angle.

He tried over a hundred times, but without exception, as soon as he left the villa even a little, he would be sent back as if by a ghost.

Until...

The sky brightened once again.

The scorching sun, with its pale light, blanketed the deathly silent villa.

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

He hung his head, his eyes narrowed, but the look in them was no longer that of a pampered young master; it was filled with bloodlust and madness.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of wind.

The wind had picked up.

The wind came from behind him.

He spun around abruptly, brandishing the dagger and the long saber, and roared as he hacked toward the bear demon!

*Bang!*

He was knocked flying.

He was pinned beneath the bear demon.

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

He hacked frantically at the bear demon's spine with the saber and dagger, but this only increased the bear demon's excitement.

Waves of unimaginable, excruciating pain washed over him.

"So bitter..."

(End of chapter)