**Chapter 168: The Yellow-haired One Bathed in Sunshine**
Most relay stations are built in remote wilderness, so you can bet your bottom dollar that wild beasts like to roam around, and occasionally, monster beasts like to make a grand entrance.
But fear not! Relay stations usually have their own security team. Plus, every so often, they shell out some cash to the nearby town’s Immortal Alliance branch to post monster hunting missions, so generally, the area around the relay station is quite safe.
“Help! Aaaah!!!”
A wretched scream echoed through the forest.
Enter Su Xiaoxiao, a tall girl with black hair, sprinting like a madwoman. Her giant white rabbit, which had been shyly hidden by her slouched posture until now, was bouncing up and down in a desperate bid for freedom.
And we’re talking about a size that would make even avid gamers gasp in awe!
The one crying for help was none other than Su Xiaoxiao herself. She hadn’t intended to disturb anyone; she just wanted to clear her mind, but somewhere along the way, she got hopelessly lost.
And if that wasn’t bad enough, when she tried to retrace her steps, her signature bad luck kicked in. She slipped and tumbled headfirst into a cave filled to the brim with thousands of crows, waking the sleeping avian horde in a panic.
Suddenly, she found herself being chased by a bunch of crows that reeked of bad omens.
Each crow was roughly the size of a large dog, but she sensed no cultivation from them. Just a bunch of ordinary, mutated birds!
However, when Su Xiaoxiao decided to fight back with her spiritual energy, she quickly realized her attacks were about as effective as throwing marshmallows at a wall. In mere moments, she, a newly-minted Foundation Establishment cultivator, was ruthlessly trampled.
She was not only pecked and bruised, but her spiritual energy was rapidly depleting.
At this rate…
She was going to d*e here!
Realization hit, amplifying her despair.
Since she was little, she had felt cursed, always losing those close to her. In Suzhou City, she was nothing but a target for ridicule, living a life overshadowed by gloom and doom.
But she didn’t want to give up. She had endured so much just to gain a qualification entry into the Xuantian Sect, thinking she’d finally turn her luck around, only to find herself in this predicament.
Was entering the Xuantian Sect just a setup for her to be doomed instead?
Dying on the way? Could anything be more pitiful?
Su Xiaoxiao felt like a walking joke.
She didn’t want to d*e being torn apart by evil birds while chasing after her dreams!
Her heart was filled with determination. As thoughts of her parents flooded her mind, tears flowed uncontrollably, resulting in yet another slip.
With a whoosh, she rolled down a small slope, lacerating her face on who-knows-what—a little rock? A stray branch?
Ouch! Why must she always suffer? Why was she always so unlucky? Why was she… always so lonely?
All alone in the forest, even if she died here and her bones turned to nutrients, no one would likely even notice.
This was Su Xiaoxiao’s pathetic fate as a comedic tragedy.
“Dad… Mom… Why was I born into this world? Why is my life so miserable? I don’t understand… it’s not fair…”
Seeing the relentless crows close in on her, Su Xiaoxiao’s survival instinct kicked in. She was unwilling to just give up and d*e here. With the last of her dwindling spiritual energy, she funneled it into the ground.
Green vines burst forth explosively from the earth, wrapping around her like a snug basket, defending her from the onslaught.
But the crows wouldn’t let up, quickly mashing the vine shield into a black ball, their sharp beaks penalizing the gaps as they aimed for Su Xiaoxiao’s flesh.
Curled up on the ground, she wrapped her arms protectively around her head, but her skin was being shredded, revealing bone underneath.
It hurt so much! But no one was coming to her rescue. With time slipping away, Su Xiaoxiao felt her bl**d draining and her temperature dipping.
Soon… she felt no pain.
Her consciousness started to fade!
“Hahaha…”
As the crows swarmed in to devour her, Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but twist her lips into a bitter smile.
Her life truly was a comedic joke.
Maybe being killed by a monster beast was the perfect ending for her.
She was destined to be alone.
Family, friends, lovers… those were luxuries she could never afford.
As her awareness blurred, she couldn’t help but pray in her heart.
If she got reincarnated, may it be as a better person.
At least like most people, she’d have parents who were alive and kicking. She couldn’t stand her current streak of bad luck!
With that thought in mind, Su Xiaoxiao closed her eyes in resignation.
The next moment…
A bright light suddenly shot into the cave, hitting her eyelids, and she felt a flicker of brightness in her darkening vision.
Slowly, she opened her eyes and saw the cawing crows, now under some mysterious assault, falling one by one.
Wh… what was going on?
Su Xiaoxiao was taken aback. She had already resigned, but now life decided to flip the script?
Whenever she tried to fight against fate, it always kicked her into a pit, but as soon as she decided to give up, fate was now lifting her back up?
Of course, she didn’t dare let herself hope too much, fearing this was just a hallucination before d*ath.
After spending too long in darkness, even a glimmer of light or warmth could feel like a double-edged sword, potentially causing her more pain.
But… it didn’t really feel like a mirage…
“Good thing I made it in time.”
A calm voice drifted in from outside, smooth and melodious, with a refreshing quality to it.
While it felt somewhat distant, for Su Xiaoxiao, it was like a burst of sunlight—full of warmth and hope that made her heart flutter.
Could it be… true?
Was someone really here to save her?
Whoosh—!
Whoosh—!
Whoosh—whoosh—!
Sword qi flew through the air, and with every slice, another crow plummeted from the sky, joining the ranks of the fallen.
The gaps widened, allowing more light to penetrate the wooden cage.
Before long, all the crows had been dispatched, and then a sword cleaved through the cage.
“Are you alright?”
A pair of fair, slender hands reached in, extending a helping hand toward her.
A golden-haired boy stood before the cage, backlit by the evening orange sunlight, looking tall and handsome, especially with his dazzling golden hair sparkling like the sun itself.
It was none other than Yun Zhonghe!
Su Xiaoxiao stared, her heart racing as if someone had sprinkled a filter over her vision.
Yun Zhonghe was strikingly handsome! He was undoubtedly the most attractive person Su Xiaoxiao had ever laid eyes on!
…
Meanwhile, over on the other side.
Mu Jixue and Lin Zhongyu were engaged in battle, but there were just too many crows, making things tricky. They could only gradually retreat to a spot with their backs against the rock wall to clear them out bit by bit.
“Xiaoyu, did you send the message? Has Yun Zhonghe arrived yet?”
“Already sent. Brother Yun said he sensed something off a while ago and is on his way. But I have no idea where we are, so I can’t give him pinpoint directions.”
“Hasn’t he reached the mid-stage of Initial Understanding? Surely he should be able to locate us from below, right?”
Mu Jixue exclaimed with frustration. Her spiritual energy was already low, especially after that long duel with Qin Hongye on the spirit boat.
At this point, she was regretting things. Was this the price of her impulsiveness?
