Chapter 2: It Hurts So Much
Ning Xuan remained still like a lifeless sculpture for several breaths.
In the next moment, he felt his heart being clutched.
Fortunately, he had experienced reincarnation before, and several possibilities flashed through his mind, such as “dream within a dream” or “encountered a ghost.”
His limbs turned cold, but his brain began to work.
‘If this is a repeat of the previous scene, the Bear Demon will likely not appear until dawn, so I need to descend the mountain tonight. But if it’s not a repeat, or if I didn’t hide well enough and the Bear Demon discovered me early…’
Ning Xuan recalled the pain of being gnawed alive.
Someone who has never been gnawed by a bear from the feet up could never understand this kind of pain that would drive one mad.
‘Why are there Demonic creatures? Why do such things as Demonic creatures exist?!’
Ning Xuan painfully clutched his hair.
He wanted to cry.
He had transmigrated sixteen years ago and lived in Xinghe County for sixteen years. He had sought martial arts and yearned for immortality, but he had never discovered anything extraordinary, let alone heard of Demonic creatures.
He absolutely, positively did not want to experience that kind of pain again.
‘Calm down, calm down. Since it has happened, I need to find a solution.’
Ning Xuan forced himself to calm down and not be swayed by this fear.
He was determined to choose a more accurate escape route.
He recalled the layout of the mountain villa.
In front of the mountain villa was a wide platform with two mountain paths on either side. The left path was paved with stone steps and was quite wide; the right path had simply had the grass and trees cleared, making it somewhat narrow.
But whether it was the left or the right path, both sides were covered in dense, dark forest. If a fierce beast were hiding within, his rash descent down the mountain would be suicidal.
Behind the mountain villa was a cliff. His master bedroom was built right on the edge of the cliff, and if he opened the window, he would see magnificent mountains and vast seas of clouds, truly a delightful sight.
Ning Xuan pondered for a moment and suddenly had an idea.
He tiptoed around the interior of the mountain villa, found no danger, and quickly went to the warehouse to retrieve a thick hemp rope and a relatively large wooden barrel. Gritting his teeth, he spent a considerable amount of time crafting a makeshift basket.
After testing its sturdiness, he quickly washed himself and changed into clean, odor-free clothes. He then threw two pieces of his sweaty clothing onto each of the mountain paths in front of the villa and tossed his sweat-reeking boots far down the mountain path.
Having done this, he quickly returned, rubbed his body repeatedly with dirt and leaves, and took a dagger from the guards’ room, cutting some branches with lush green leaves.
Then, he went to the back of the mountain villa, found an old tree, tied the basket to it, and slowly lowered it, not too deep, to avoid being unable to climb back out.
He tested it a few times, then climbed into the basket himself, placing the green branches around him and covering himself with them.
This was the best plan he could think of.
He didn’t need to escape.
He just needed to survive until dawn.
*Hoo.*
*Hoo.*
The cold wind was bone-chilling.
He remained motionless in the basket, waiting anxiously.
The sky slowly brightened.
Ning Xuan clearly saw the blazing sun rise between the mountains.
The pale sunlight was like the eyes of some terrifying giant, slowly opening.
He softened his breathing, suppressed his heartbeat, and tried to think of Xiaojie’s fair thighs and her snow-mountain-like chest to distract himself from the fear.
The sun rose higher and higher.
Even the mist on the cliff began to brighten.
Ning Xuan felt a sense of peace.
Suddenly, he felt a drop of rain fall from above.
*Pat.*
The rain landed to the left of his nose and quickly trickled down.
He smelled the scent of the rain.
It was fishy!
Incredibly fishy!
Utterly fishy!
He slowly raised his head, tilting it back, and saw a black bear about ten feet tall lying on the edge of the cliff, looking at him.
When their eyes met, the Bear Demon bared a mocking grin, then stretched out its claw and grabbed the hemp rope of the basket.
Unimaginable despair appeared in Ning Xuan’s eyes.
In the next moment, he gritted his teeth and clutched the dagger tightly.
This dagger was from the guards’ room, which he had used to cut branches earlier.
Now, he aimed the dagger at the hemp rope, applying pressure and cutting, then hacking frantically.
The dagger was fast.
The hemp rope snapped almost instantly.
He plummeted down the cliff with the basket, and he actually felt a sense of relief. As long as he didn’t get eaten alive by that Bear Demon, falling to his death was better!
He kept his eyes open, watching the rapidly receding cliff and the Bear Demon on the cliff above.
*Bang!*
Ning Xuan felt as if he had passed through something.
Then, he landed.
But the expected intense pain did not come because he… had returned to the mountain villa.
The moment he crossed a certain boundary, he was automatically teleported back into the mountain villa, onto his bed, along with the basket, as if caught in a ghost loop.
Just then, a thumping sound came from a distance. The sound was incredibly fast, getting faster and faster. It started like a distant drumbeat, but soon became thunder booming in his ears, “Dong dong dong!” The impact was so intense it felt like his eardrums were about to split.
He looked in horror and saw dust rising in the distance, with the sounds of houses collapsing. As soon as he got up, he saw the wall of his bedroom being smashed open by a colossal figure.
Heavy panting, a foul stench, accompanied by a shadow ten feet tall, reappeared in his vision.
“It’s been a while since I ate a human,” the Bear Demon grinned ferociously.
Ning Xuan’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He suddenly stood up, trembling, holding the dagger, and charged forward, weeping loudly, 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 Ning Xuan’s dagger, but instead let him weakly slash at its thick, armor-like body with it, then began to eat him slowly and elegantly.
“Wuwuwu!”
“Ahhhhhh!”
“It hurts!”
“It hurts so much!”
Ning Xuan’s tears flowed mixed with snot, and then his body arched and sprang.
*Bang!*
He sprang up and then pressed down again.
The wooden planks of the bed made a muffled sound.
He panted heavily, and after a long while, he finally calmed down.
The mosquito net hung quietly, the bedding was already soaked with tears, and the moonlight reflected on the wall. Pine trees rustled outside the window. Everything was so tranquil.
“Xiaojie…” he called out, his voice hoarse. As expected, the beautiful girl who always responded to his call did not reply because she wasn’t here at all.
Was he trapped in an almost cyclical Nightmare? Or was it a different kind of hell?
During his last death, he had actually tested many things.
For example, he could not leave this mountain villa at all.
“Maybe, maybe there’s an accident? Maybe it’s just that I’m not looking for the right exit.”
Ning Xuan abruptly got up. He quickly put on his shoes, picked up the dagger from the guards’ room with practiced ease. This time, he also equipped himself with a long saber.
He ran frantically towards the front of the mountain villa.
He ran down the wide mountain path on the left.
After running only ten-odd steps, he felt himself crash into something. In the next instant, the scenery changed, and he returned to his bedroom.
He continued to run out and headed for the dirt mountain path on the right.
Still after ten-odd steps, the scenery in front of him changed instantly, and he returned to his bedroom again.
He frantically tried exiting the mountain villa in various directions. He passed through gaps in the forest, and he jumped off the cliff from every angle.
He tried more than a hundred times, but without exception, as soon as he moved even slightly away from the mountain villa, he would be sent back as if caught in a ghost loop.
Until…
The sky dawned again.
The blazing sun, with its pale light, bore down on the desolate mountain villa.
The young man, holding a dagger in his left hand and a saber in his right, stood alone in the courtyard, his hair disheveled, standing in the sunlight.
He hung his head, his eyes squinting, but his gaze was no longer that of a pampered young master, but filled with bloodlust and madness.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of the wind.
The wind began to blow.
The wind came from behind him.
He spun around abruptly, brandishing his dagger and saber, and roared as he charged at the Bear Demon!
*Bang!*
He was sent flying.
He was pinned down beneath the Bear Demon.
The Bear Demon sat with its back to him and began to gnaw on his leg.
He frantically hacked at the Bear Demon’s back with his saber and dagger, but this only seemed to increase the Bear Demon’s excitement.
Unimaginable pain struck him in waves.
“It hurts so much…”
(End of Chapter)
