X
‘Huh? Where is this place? How did I get here?’
Observing his surroundings, Liu Xingluo couldn’t help but ponder these questions.
His familiar city had vanished, replaced by an endless expanse of towering mountains… or were they mountains?
Even Liu Xingluo himself felt uncertain if the mountain-like formations encircling him were truly mountains.
Their shape and size suggested they were mountains, yet he had never before witnessed entirely red mountains, nor had he seen any so barren, utterly devoid of plant life, presenting a desolate landscape.
The sky, too, was a vibrant red, adorned with shimmering auroras that floated above, casting an eerily beautiful glow upon this strange land, captivating Liu Xingluo for a considerable time.
After all, for someone like him, who had spent their entire life in the city, auroras were sights only glimpsed online.
Opportunities to witness them firsthand, like this, were exceedingly rare.
The crimson mountains and sky, the auroras impossible to behold in a city, and the fact that his breathing remained unaffected despite the absence of oxygen-producing plants.
All these elements intensified Liu Xingluo’s curiosity about this peculiar place and, more pressingly, how he might possibly escape it.
‘[Perhaps I should try walking back the way I came? Maybe I can leave this place.]’
If he had found a way in, then retracing his steps in the opposite direction might just lead him out.
With this thought, Liu Xingluo headed in the reverse direction from where he had seemingly arrived.
*Thud!*
“Ah, that hurts. What is this? A transparent wall?”
He had barely taken a few steps when Liu Xingluo’s head collided with something hard, eliciting a cry of pain as his hand met an invisible yet undeniably solid barrier blocking his path.
He knocked on it twice with force, but it yielded absolutely no effect.
It seemed breaking this wall with brute strength was certainly beyond his capabilities.
Yet, a wall that was completely invisible to the naked eye existed—what exactly was this space?
Was he trapped here, with no way out?
Would the remainder of his life be spent confined within this very space?
‘[No, it’s too soon to give up. I’ll search for another way out. If there was a way in, there must be a way out.]’
Having calmed himself, Liu Xingluo moved along, tracing the transparent wall with his hand.
If it was indeed a wall, then by continuously searching, he was bound to find an entrance or exit to this space.
Once he found a door, he could finally leave.
“Ah!”
“Huh? What was that just now?”
Just as Liu Xingluo was diligently searching for an exit, a piercing scream suddenly echoed through the space, perhaps amplified by its enclosed nature or the surrounding mountains, even generating an eerie resonance that drew Liu Xingluo’s attention, prompting him to immediately move towards the source of the cry.
A scream meant there was someone else in this space besides himself.
If he could find them, he might glean information about how to escape this place.
Moreover, if their injuries weren’t severe, he could offer first aid and then they could leave together.
In any case, in such a bizarre environment, two people were always better than one.
However, this hopeful thought shattered the moment Liu Xingluo saw the other person’s condition.
Their condition was dire; they lay motionless on the ground, with a shockingly large wound on their abdomen, from which blood continuously welled forth.
At first glance, it was impossible to tell if they were dead or still clinging to life.
With such grievous injuries, survival seemed impossible, and he possessed no means to treat such a critical wound.
Nevertheless, to confirm if the person was still alive, Liu Xingluo approached them, hoping that if they were, he might obtain the information he sought.
“Hello, excuse me…”
Just as Liu Xingluo offered his greeting and prepared to question them, he was stunned by their appearance.
It wasn’t that the person was someone he knew, but rather that their beauty was extraordinary.
So beautiful, in fact, that Liu Xingluo truly understood the meaning of the word ‘beauty’ for the very first time.
Even his older sister, Liu Ruyan, a fashion model herself, couldn’t compare to a thousandth of the beauty of the young girl before him.
In his mind, Liu Xingluo had already envisioned a complete, blissful life with this girl: falling in love, marrying, having children, and living a happily ever after.
“Ah… you…”
Liu Xingluo’s voice had caught the other’s attention, causing them to turn their head and look at him standing beside them.
“Oh, you’re still alive. My apologies.”
Realizing the person was still alive, Liu Xingluo quickly apologized, though he wasn’t sure if he was apologizing for presuming them dead or for his earlier, unbidden fantasies.
Noticing the dying girl trying to speak, Liu Xingluo knelt down and leaned his ear close, straining to catch whatever she was trying to convey.
“Run… quickly…”
Run quickly? Could the entity that had inflicted such injuries upon this girl still be nearby?
If that were the case, his current situation was indeed dire, and he needed to leave this place as swiftly as possible.
Even if he couldn’t find a way out of this space right now, he had to avoid being discovered at all costs.
As long as he remained alive, he would eventually find a way to escape.
Unfortunately, it was already too late to prepare his escape.
Liu Xingluo had already been discovered by the master of this space.
*Schick…*
Just as he stood up, Liu Xingluo was impaled from behind by a greatsword, run through completely.
“Ah…”
The attack was so sudden that Liu Xingluo himself, even as he was impaled, froze, opening his mouth to speak but finding himself utterly speechless.
Even if he had wanted to say something, his grievously wounded body would no longer permit it.
“I had intended to leave, but then I detected traces of someone else having trespassed. I thought it might be another sister, but it turns out to be a mere rat that snuck in.”
“Though I don’t know how you entered my domain, now that I’ve found you, death here is your only outcome.”
With that, the assailant pulled the sword from Liu Xingluo’s body.
Without the sword obstructing it, Liu Xingluo’s blood immediately gushed forth, spilling onto the ground around him, mingling with the girl’s blood.
Having lost a significant amount of blood in such a short time, Liu Xingluo instantly lost all bodily support, collapsing limply to the ground.
“What a pity, little sister. If this human could have taken you out, perhaps you might have been saved and lived. But I won’t grant you that opportunity.”
“Only I can become Father’s Bride.”
“And I will absolutely not allow you, who could potentially threaten me, to survive.”
“You may obediently await your death within my domain, my dear sister.”
Whether she believed her actions sufficient, or perhaps sensed other intruders in her domain, remained unclear.
After dealing with Liu Xingluo, the assailant departed without delivering a finishing blow.
After all, what kind of trouble could two dying individuals possibly stir up, and what need was there for a finishing strike?
‘[This is it, I feel like I’m losing even the strength to breathe. I’m truly going to die if this continues.]’
‘[Please, adrenaline, give me some strength now.]’
‘[I just barely passed my interview today; my life was just beginning. How can it end like this?]’
‘[If I die here, my sister will be all alone.]’
Though a hundred regrets churned within Liu Xingluo’s heart, he found himself utterly powerless to make his grievously wounded body move.
All he could do now was, like the girl beside him, feel his lifeblood drain away as he awaited death.
Unless some miracle occurred, his life was destined to draw its final curtain here.
“There’s no other way. I have to do this. Your body, I shall borrow it for a while.”
In the fleeting moment before he lost consciousness, Liu Xingluo seemed to hear such a voice.
What followed was a wave of pain a hundred times more excruciating than stubbing one’s big toe violently against a cabinet corner.
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