Reborn as a Human Cauldron, But I'm the Top - Chapter 101

Chapter 101: Crisis – No Breathing

It was still at the main peak of Tai’an Sect. The peak had a slightly dilapidated house. A girl with a white hairband was sweating in the snowy weather. She tirelessly swung her sword over and over until she could no longer lift the blade.

The Qingyi Daoist, wearing a bamboo hat, wiped the sweat from her forehead with his sleeve, his smile melting the wind and snow.

Song Yin sat on a tree on the peak, watching it all, watching her other self, who was also full of happy smiles.

The immortal crane spread its wings. The Qingyi Daoist took the girl’s hand and descended the mountain. Song Yin watched them leave.

The peak was left with only the howling cold wind. Amidst the singing of the leaves, Song Yin noticed an uninvited guest.

She did not look back. “Get out!”

The creaking sound of a wheelchair rang out. Su Zhao emerged from behind the tree, slowly moving toward Song Yin.

The next second, a sword light rested on Su Zhao’s neck.

Su Zhao bent down, picked up her severed head, and put it back on. Just as she was about to speak, Song Yin interrupted her.

“Put away your hypocritical face. My patience is limited.”

Su Zhao sighed. She gave a stiff smile. “A trade. How about the Venerable taking the Sword Venerable and leaving, surrendering this world to me?”

There were pastries on the table in the courtyard, all handmade by Shen Yirong. A jar of wine was placed under the table, a gift from Liu Qianfeng, along with many other scattered gifts from various people.

The Master in the dream said this was to celebrate her successful foundation establishment.

Song Yin watched the pastries on the table become covered with a layer of white frost from the snow. She thought it must be very sweet.

But in her memory, she had never tasted such a pastry.

She thought her Master was originally just like this in the dream: someone who would wipe her sweat, make pastries, and tolerate all her little thoughts, not the cold, harsh person who was full of distaste for her.

Song Yin closed her eyes. When she opened them again, they were crimson. This dream belonging to Song Yin began to twist. With just a raise of her hand, Su Zhao was lifted into the void. “You seem to have forgotten that we still have unresolved grievances. I am different from Master; I only have hatred for you.”

The faint sound of thunder and lightning was audible near her ears. Su Zhao was not flustered. “Heh, is the Venerable sure that I will be defeated?”

Song Yin tightened her grip slightly. Those crimson eyes became the coldest things in this winter.

Su Zhao hated winter, hated everything in winter, including Song Yin before her.

Song Yin said mockingly, “If you were truly confident, why risk trading with me?”

As Song Yin tightened her grip, the air Su Zhao could breathe became less and less, yet her smile remained, showing no sign of distress.

She smiled elegantly. “It seems the negotiation failed.”

Su Zhao simply withdrew from Song Yin’s consciousness. She thought she would return to that lifeless world, but it couldn’t snow in her world.

The feeling of snowflakes landing on her face was quite repulsive, but a person’s warmth rushed into her embrace.

“Mom, where did you go? I couldn’t find you anywhere.”

The girl’s voice was no longer immature, carrying a gentle hint of dissatisfaction. She continued to complain, “I won’t learn divination anymore. Can you promise not to wander off?”

Su Zhao felt her icy body was about to be melted by the other person. She trembled as she reached out, carefully hugging the girl. She asked uncertainly, “Is that Wanxing?”

The girl’s breath warmed her face, which had been stiffened by the wind. “Yes. Mom, what’s wrong? Don’t scare me!”

Su Zhao tore off the mask of her fake smile. She hugged the warmth even tighter, suppressing her sobs. “Mom had a very scary dream, dreaming that you couldn’t withstand the erosion of the resentment in your body and left me in the winter.”

The illusion named Su Wanxing nestled dependently in her arms. Su Zhao couldn’t see that this daughter was just a faceless, humanoid black shadow.

The tree hadn’t disappeared. Song Yin sat on the tree, looking down from above.

Su Zhao was merely pulled into another dream, a dream that tempts one to sink into it.

The black shadow knelt on the ground, burying its face in Su Zhao’s lap for comfort. “No, I’m always here. I won’t learn divination anymore. I just ask that Mom stays by my side.”

Su Zhao felt a little confused. “Stay here?”

“Yes, stay here. We won’t worry about the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion or anything else. We’ll run away to a place where it’s just the two of us.”

Su Zhao’s expression grew more bewildered. She couldn’t distinguish between dream and reality.

She clearly knew she was trapped, but in her mind, reality was gradually becoming dreamlike, while this dream slowly started to feel real.

The weaker her struggle, the clearer the illusion’s appearance became, even developing rudimentary facial features.

The illusion drew on Su Zhao’s inner desire, its body slowly turning into black water to envelop Su Zhao.

Su Zhao was unaware of this. This tempting option made her panic. She always felt her hands were stained with blood. In alarm, she let go and fiercely wiped her hands with her sleeve.

Her violent action was stopped by the illusion. “Why are you doing this?”

Su Zhao was speechless. “Because I am very wicked, so wicked that I would use the entire world as the price to write a new possibility for you.”

“But as a wicked person, I am also useless, only able to manipulate my former friends to achieve my goal.”

Su Zhao’s voice began to tremble. She wanted to trace her daughter’s face with her hand, but she drew it back. “I can’t even see what you look like now.”

Not hearing her daughter’s voice for a long time, Su Zhao’s heart slowly sank to the bottom.

“Is Mother willing to stop for my sake?”

“… Mother can’t turn back now.”

The illusion hugged her tighter. “You can. Don’t make the same mistake over and over. Just for me, okay? We can atone together.”

“I don’t want Mother to become this way for me. This is not what I want.”

“Stop now.”

If Su Wanxing were still alive, she would definitely say the same thing, perhaps not even so gently.

Su Zhao listened to the other’s voice, feeling the warmth of the other, and opened her arms, craving a hug.

The illusion stood up, giving her a response.

Su Zhao’s expression looked somewhat helpless. She leaned close to the illusion’s ear, her arms tightening around it. “But, I need you to be alive.”

“And you are not her.”

The illusion was crushed and shattered by her chokehold, and blood seeped from the corner of Song Yin’s mouth.

There was no expression on Su Zhao’s face. She brushed off the remnants of the illusion on her lap. “The Venerable is also anxious, trying to influence me in reverse. What a pity, you are not skilled at it.”

Song Yin looked down at her. She smelled anger and a sense of danger.

Su Zhao sighed, her face looking grim. “Before coming here, I asked the Heavenly Dao what the result of this journey would be.”

“He said I would die here.”

Su Zhao sneered. “What a ridiculous fate. I don’t believe in fate.”

Song Yin felt the other’s vitality slowly draining away, her cultivation slowly rising, and the dream slowly slipping out of Song Yin’s control.

Everything in the dream was destroyed. Song Yin stood still amidst the churning storm.

But her eyes grew more solemn. “You want to self-destruct? You seek death.”

Su Zhao laughed maniacally. “To drag you to death with me is also a beautiful thing.”

Su Zhao’s mind was becoming unclear. She clutched her head, laughing hysterically.

She no longer maintained her false facade, grinding her teeth as she said viciously, “You are too arrogant, thinking you could make me change my mind like this. Was it to reduce casualties? Heh, when did you become so indecisive?”

While she was speaking, Song Yin felt her body changing. She looked down at her hands.

It was her soul. Su Zhao had actually pulled out her soul.

Only at this moment did Song Yin look directly at the other person. “What good would killing me here do?”

Su Zhao chuckled. “The Sword Venerable is severely injured and hasn’t recovered. The others in the cultivation world are insignificant, and I never intended to survive from the beginning. I am also one of the sacrifices.”

“My negotiation with you was merely to hold on until the end, to witness my daughter’s rebirth, but whether I see it or not is irrelevant now.”

Cracks began to appear on Su Zhao’s body. She was completely unconcerned.

“Farewell, Song Yin.”

After Song Yin fell asleep, Bai Yuzan fussed over a few more things that needed attention. Shen Yirong listened quietly, and after she obediently finished her medicine, Bai Yuzan hurried out.

Given the current chaos, everyone was busy, and Bai Yuzan had more patients than just the two of them.

After taking the medicine, Shen Yirong felt the spiritual energy circulating more smoothly in her body, and the stabbing pain in her heart had lessened significantly.

The fragmented blue miniature sword in her sea of consciousness buzzed with a sword cry, seemingly happy for her.

Shen Yirong clenched her fist and looked at the sleeping Song Yin again.

She was smiling, a smile that was slightly different from the ones in her memory.

Shen Yirong sat properly by the bed, looking at her faded lips with some worry. She had lost another part of her memory, but fortunately, the memories related to Song Yin had not been lost too much.

But Su Zhao was not someone who gave up easily. Shen Yirong asked, “Do you still have my memories?”

Shen Shuci’s voice was still listless. “Host, if you use them now, since you’ve lost too many memories, shoving them back will cause you to be unconscious for two days.”

“It doesn’t matter. Give them to me first. Perhaps I can discover something from them.”

Shen Shuci hesitated, but she still handed over the memories.

Shen Yirong didn’t act rashly after receiving the memories; she safely put them away.

While she was organizing her spiritual ring, Shen Shuci’s farewell suddenly came. “Host, I need to leave you for a short period.”

Shen Yirong was startled. She didn’t approve much. “You can’t be too far from me in your current state.”

“I can temporarily travel using a body made for me. Bai Yuzan can do it.”

But Shen Yirong was still uneasy. “What are you going to do?”

Shen Shuci’s voice was very calm. “There should be no one more familiar with the Heavenly Dao than me in this world. I’m going to find Him. Heh, He still owes me a piece of candy.”

The candy was just an excuse. Shen Yirong knew the other just wanted to help.

“Don’t worry. I don’t have a life; I won’t die.”

In Shen Yirong’s memory, the System rarely expressed what it wanted. Now, having reawakened, the other had emotions, joy, sorrow, anger, and pleasure, becoming very much like a person.

Shen Yirong sighed. “Be safe. Come back soon.”

“Mhm.”

It was an overly brief farewell. After Shen Shuci left, Shen Yirong’s heart felt empty again.

She unconsciously held Song Yin’s hand, pressing her forehead against the other’s palm. It was a gesture that made her feel safe.

Spiritual energy surged steadily. Shen Yirong suddenly noticed that Song Yin’s spiritual energy began to become restless.

The space inside the room was twisting and shattering inch by inch, and this time, the anomaly seemed to originate from Song Yin herself.

Shen Yirong strenuously tried to contain the space. A gust of wind lifted the stray hairs on her forehead. Along with it came a surge of frantic unease in her heart.

While trying her best to maintain the situation, Shen Yirong also sent a message to Bai Yuzan and used her free hand to check Song Yin’s nose.

No breathing.

After a while, the chaos gradually subsided, but the broken space did not recover.

Shen Yirong’s mind was blank. She tried again with her hand; still no breath.

When Bai Yuzan rushed into the room, Song Yin was lying quietly on the bed. Shen Yirong picked up the recording stone from the long table.

The recording stone showed a photo of her and Song Yin—Song Yin helping her when she almost stumbled.

The image of her in the recording looked very shy.

Song Yin treasured this object. Only this recording stone was on that long table. Although there was space on the table, the books were placed beneath it.

Shen Yirong felt her hands couldn’t get warm no matter what she did, making her wonder if she would get chilblains this way.

If she got chilblains, would Song Yin wake up and buy medicine for her?

Bai Yuzan couldn’t feel Song Yin’s breath. Her pupils contracted, and she immediately ran over to take her pulse. She was somewhat disbelieving. “This…”

Shen Yirong heard Bai Yuzan’s voice and woodenly raised her head.

Bai Yuzan was at a loss for comfort.

Just then, Qi Wu rushed in from outside. Seeing everyone there, Qi Wu quickly said, “The number of surging evil spirits has increased dramatically. Tai’an Sect’s situation is the most critical; contact with Tai’an has been lost.”

Shen Yirong’s whole body shook. “What about Sect Master Liu and Senior Sister Mei?”

Qi Wu’s face grew even more distressed. “Sect Master Liu is unconscious. Now only Venerable Mei is holding on, but she’s about to collapse too.”

Shen Yirong’s expression didn’t change, but her face turned pale.

She looked up at the fractured space.

Countless evil spirits descended from the space. Mei Xin was protecting the unconscious Sect Master Liu.

She couldn’t even manage to cover her wounds, vigilantly watching her surroundings.

The sect’s barrier could still protect them for a while. They were resisting at the mountain gate.

The scenery before her eyes became increasingly blurry. Mei Xin felt very sleepy.

She forced herself to stay awake, noticing someone familiar among the group of ghosts. Before she could clearly see the long-haired evil spirit’s face, a putrid smell directly reached her brain.

Goosebumps rose on her neck. Mei Xin dodged sideways and finally saw the evil spirit’s face clearly.

She gasped in shock. “Grand Master.”

But this attempt at familiarity was useless. The evil spirit rushed at her again.

Mei Xin was already injured and found it difficult to fend off the powerful enemy.

She was kicked hard in the abdomen by the evil spirit and flew backward.

Mei Xin spat out a mouthful of blood and used her sword to prop herself up, but the hand holding the sword was trembling.

Before she could look up, her leg was swept.

Mei Xin quickly regained her balance after losing it, but at this moment, it was enough.

She heard her Grand Master’s cold words, “How can you, in such a state, be worthy of being my Tai’an successor?”

The response was prolonged silence.

Mei Xin could no longer hear. Her ears were filled with chaotic ringing. She could only see the evil spirit’s mouth seemingly opening and closing.

She couldn’t muster any strength, and her spiritual energy was depleted. Behind her was the unconscious Sect Master Liu.

Mei Xin struggled to grip the sword hilt.

The surrounding evil spirits were increasing, dark and dense like thunderclouds.

The multitude of evil spirits surrounded Mei Xin and the other person. They came closer and closer, so close that the stench could suffocate them both.

Mei Xin was naturally affected. She held her breath. Facing so many enemies, Mei Xin put her thumb across the front of her neck and then arrogantly slid it across.

Although Mei Xin was expressionless, her gesture was infuriating to witness.

“Incompetent scum, bring it on.”

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