The monster is coming

North City Border, Forest of Miasma.

The swirling dense mist almost solidified, lending a damp, eerie atmosphere to the gloomy forest.

Occasionally, the massive body of a demon beast would pass by, stirring the mist into restless currents and startling a few pitch-black Nether-Corpse Birds, which let out piercing, unpleasant cries that drifted far away with the wind.

A hundred li away, within the town, Yun Ruo raised her head, looking towards the Forest of Miasma.

(TL Note: The Chinese unit of measurement “li” (里) primarily refers to a unit of distance, roughly equivalent to 0.5 kilometers or 1/3 of a mile. )

A gust of wind lifted the veil covering her head and face, revealing a pair of clear and bright eyes.

“Here, I’ve peeled it for you,” the small stall owner said briskly, placing the item into Yun Ruo’s bamboo basket. “Just steam it over a fire when you get home, or boil it directly.”

“Thank you,” Yun Ruo said, pulling out eight copper coins and handing them over, then glancing again towards the forest.

For some reason, she kept feeling as though the passing wind carried other sounds, making her feel a little uneasy.

The small vendor collected the money. Seeing Yun Ruo hadn’t left, he also looked towards the Forest of Miasma with her, smiling.

“Miss, you haven’t been in our North State City for long, have you? Don’t worry about it. It’s just very windy here, sounding like the wails of a demon beast, but our North State City’s protective barrier is top-notch! If a demon beast approaches, it will give an early warning. Don’t worry.”

Yun Ruo couldn’t help but smile, nodding to the vendor before picking up her basket and leaving.

Pedestrians around her gradually thinned out, and houses became sparse. It was nearing dusk, the setting sun dim, casting its light on the increasingly dilapidated ruins, creating a desolate, artistic beauty.

This was a semi-abandoned old district, almost deserted.

Yun Ruo entered a small alley, winding through it until she stopped before a house that was still relatively intact. She pushed open the door and stepped inside.

The small courtyard was kept very clean, yet it was also extremely simple.

Once inside, she removed the veil from her head, dusted it off, and hung it on the window latch. Only then did Yun Ruo let out a breath. She went to the courtyard to wash her hands, then returned to the house and took out a snow potato from her basket. Too lazy to steam or boil it, she took a direct bite. It wasn’t bad, so she ate two more pieces like one would an apple, placing the rest in two bowls and covering them for tomorrow’s breakfast.

‘What to do next?’ she wondered, resting her chin in her hand as she sat by the window.

Night was approaching. There was no light at all in North State City during the evenings, and stargazing, her only romantic pastime, was completely blocked.

In this world, devoid of phones and computers, far removed from modernity, it seemed there was nothing to do at night but sleep.

As the last bit of daylight faded outside the window, Yun Ruo climbed into bed.

Early to bed and early to rise was also good. She had been feeling very light these days and didn’t tire easily from work in the city, which must have been cultivated by her current healthy routine.

Lying in bed, she felt somewhat fortunate that she was still in North State City after her rebirth.

At least she had lived here for a period, so she wasn’t completely lost and had quickly found her current residence, avoiding homelessness.

‘What should I do next? I can’t keep living in this abandoned old district forever.’

During her three years at Xuan Yang Sect, she had never worried about such things.

Thinking of her days at Xuan Yang Sect, Yun Ruo blinked in the darkness, pulling the covers tighter around her. She pinched her own cheek in annoyance. ‘What am I thinking? It’s a miracle I’m even alive now.’

When she first transmigrated, she was in North State City, and not long after, she was taken in by people from Xuan Yang Sect.

At that time, Yun Ruo thought she was blessed with the luck of a koi fish, surrounded by fivefold fortune. Xuan Yang Sect, the head of the immortal sects! Soon she would be able to fly through the heavens, ride swords, and roam the world, fully embodying the spirit of a cultivation hero!

(TL Note: In the context of Chinese fantasy novels, particularly within the Xianxia genre, a “cultivation hero” refers to a protagonist who undergoes a rigorous process of “cultivation” to achieve extraordinary strength, supernatural powers, and often, immortality or even godhood.)

Unfortunately, reality hit her hard.

The body she transmigrated into showed no signs of spiritual awakening; she was just an ordinary person.

Fortunately, the Senior Brothers who took her back showed no disdain for her at all, treating her incredibly well, virtually spoiling her rotten.

The Grand Senior Brother, as profound and steadfast as a deep pool and towering peak, a favored son of heaven, was the Xuan Yang Sect Leader’s first disciple. He cared for her alone, remembering even her most casual remarks. All sorts of rare materials and exotic treasures, if she showed even a hint of curiosity, he would overcome all difficulties to find them for her.

The Second Senior Brother, a descendant of a renowned family, was refined and handsome, seemingly an ethereal being untouched by worldly affairs. Yet, he would take her down the mountain to buy all sorts of snacks. If a festival occurred, he would even secretly take her to release river lanterns and make wishes.

The Third Senior Brother was aloof and taciturn. When she first arrived at the sect, Yun Ruo was a little afraid of him. But when the Second Senior Brother secretly took her down the mountain to play in the water, causing her to catch a cold, the next day, when she woke up, it was the Junior Senior Brother who had been watching over her bedside the entire time.

…

There were too many past events; when she thought of them, memories surged uncontrollably.

Yun Ruo had once believed that being taken in by Xuan Yang Sect was her stroke of good fortune, but it turned out to be nothing more than a fleeting dream.

She was sealed within a jade coffin, her marrow cleansed and soul extracted. It was amidst this bone-gnawing, heart-searing torment that she learned the truth.

The favor and pampering she received were not because of her, but because of her body.

The body she transmigrated into possessed the world’s rare Phoenix Bone; any soul, as long as a single breath remained, could be gradually nurtured and restored within her. The Senior Brothers took her back merely to use her as nourishment to save their early departed white moonlight.

(TL Note: In Chinese pop culture, particularly in web novels, dramas, and even everyday conversation, “white moonlight” (白月光 – bái yuè guāng) is a metaphorical term used to describe a person who is an idealized, pure, and often unattainable first love, or a significant figure from one’s past.)

She thought she had transmigrated into a sweet novel where she was pampered by everyone, but it turned out to be a cruel story where she was a stand-in.

Even when Yun Ruo was in so much pain inside the jade coffin that she was semi-conscious, she managed to spare a moment to mock herself. She knew it; she, who only ever drew “thank you for playing” in raffles, couldn’t possibly be this lucky.

Taking in an ordinary person for no reason and having them instantly become the sect’s favorite—no matter how she thought about it, something felt wrong, yet she hadn’t delved deeper.

She really shouldn’t have been so greedy for beauty back then. It truly was infatuation that clouded her judgment.

However, that Phoenix Bone not only nurtured the souls of the Senior Brothers’ white moonlight but also nurtured her own soul.

After her soul was swapped, Yun Ruo didn’t die. She even returned to her own body, waking up in the outskirts of North State City, precisely where Xuan Yang Sect had initially taken her. She almost thought it was a time loop, but after inquiring, she learned that thirty years had passed since she was sealed in the jade coffin, hidden from the light of day.

Perhaps due to the previous nourishment from the Phoenix Bone and then her mind and body becoming one, her current state was much better than before. In Xuan Yang Sect, she was always falling ill, her constitution weak, but now she was as healthy as an ox.

The past is gone, no need to dwell on it.

On the first day of her rebirth, Yun Ruo silently bid farewell to Junior Sister Geng Sangruo of Xuan Yang Sect and reclaimed her own name.

Having died once, she no longer held any illusions.

Since she was here, she would make the best of it. As an ordinary person, she wanted to live well.

Yun Ruo drifted into a hazy sleep, but whether it was because she had recalled random things before bed or because the wind she heard in the evening was truly strange, her dreams were haunted by howling, wailing sounds that made her sleep restlessly. She sat up in a daze for a while, unable to fall back asleep.

‘Drat, it’s all because it got so dark today that I started reminiscing before bed, ruining my peaceful sleep.’

‘Xuan Yang Sect has truly harmed many.’

She simply got up and went to the courtyard to draw water and wash her face.

‘If I can’t sleep, I might as well make breakfast.’ She decided to try if the new snow potatoes tasted good steamed; she’d saved several days’ wages just to buy them.

‘After all, food is the primary concern of the people.’

The courtyard was pitch black, but Yun Ruo’s eyes had adjusted. Slowly, she went to the stove, started a fire, added water to the pot, and set the snow potatoes to steam before going to wash her face. The water in early April was still quite cold, but she didn’t feel it.

Using the water, she also washed the clothes she wore yesterday, hanging them on a bamboo pole to dry by the light of the kitchen fire.

The water in the pot boiled, bubbling and steaming, and the fragrant, soft scent of the snow potatoes wafted out.

Yun Ruo sniffed, thinking she had somewhat wasted the food yesterday.

Through the window, she lifted the lid; steam billowed out, and the aroma spread with it.

Yun Ruo picked up a chopstick and poked the snow potato; it wasn’t soft enough yet, so she planned to add more water and let it steam for a while longer. As she drew water, however, she felt something was off. She picked up a burning piece of firewood from under the stove and brought it to the well.

Below the narrow well surface, the water’s reflection caught the firelight, and faint ripples spread across the surface, glinting coldly.

The well water was vibrating.

Yun Ruo abruptly looked up towards the Forest of Miasma, but could only see the pitch-black night.

She stuck the piece of firewood into the well opening and, using several indentations on the mottled wall, agilely flipped onto the rooftop. Under the boundless night sky, a massive body, like a small mountain, was silently and slowly approaching North State City.

“—It’s a demon beast!”

At this distance, why was there no reaction from the Barrier Jade?

Yun Ruo had no time to think further. She flipped down from the wall, grabbed the still-damp veil hanging on the bamboo pole to cover her mouth and nose, and rushed out, running quickly towards the city’s guard post.

Demon beasts typically only live in places with miasma: gloomy forests, putrid swamps, sunless ravines… There are many types, most carrying poisonous miasma, feeding on all things. Some specifically prey on humans, while others merely dislike humans.

Whenever a demon beast invades a town, it spells disaster.

Therefore, every town is equipped with a Barrier Jade; if a demon beast approaches, it will warn and activate its defenses to protect the people within the city.

Yun Ruo ran quickly, weaving through streets and alleys, occasionally leaping onto a wall to check on the demon beast. The demon beast was getting closer and closer, the miasma it exuded almost visible to the naked eye, yet the city remained silent; there was no warning from the Barrier Jade.

‘Expired?’

Barrier Jades were typically purchased from the major immortal sects, and the guard post would regularly check for damage. This was a vital object for protecting the safety of the entire town; surely it couldn’t have broken without anyone noticing?

She speculated wildly in her mind, her pace quickening.

If she didn’t hurry, by the time that demon beast got close, it wouldn’t even need to enter the city; the mere infiltration of its miasma would be enough to kill thousands.

The guard post’s watchtower appeared close, yet it took Yun Ruo quite a run to reach it. Along the way, she cut through a courtyard, climbing over a low wall which was much more convenient than going around. This startled an old woman sleeping in the courtyard, who rubbed her eyes and got up to investigate, seeing a figure swiftly scaling the wall and slipping away, along with a phrase barely audible in the wind: “The demon beast is here.”

“Demon beast?”

The old woman was dazed for a moment. Finding nothing stolen in her courtyard, she shook her head, convinced she was just muddled by age, and went back inside to sleep.

‘How could there be a demon beast? The city’s Barrier Jade hasn’t even warned us.’

‘I’m old, but I’m not senile.’

Yun Ruo ran further, her ears pricked for sounds behind her. Finding no disturbance, she once again abandoned her plan of shouting along the way to wake people up.

People would trust the Barrier Jade more. If she woke people up now, she’d have to explain, which would inevitably slow her down. It was better to go directly to the guard post.

Several times, she climbed high walls to observe the demon beast. The colossal beast, like a small mountain, moved slowly, its body massive, yet it didn’t create an earth-shattering momentum. Apart from a slight tremor, the disturbance it caused was truly inconsistent with its enormous size.

‘It might be a Li Kun demon beast. Large body, light steps, prefers shade, exhales miasma when breathing—it’s poisonous, but it doesn’t like to eat humans.’

‘This type of demon beast is relatively easy to deal with, as long as you don’t get touched by its miasma.’

While Yun Ruo was thinking, she agilely scaled the last low wall, casually wiping her hand over the dusty top as she entered the guard post’s grounds.

Although called a guard post, it was essentially an old, empty courtyard located at the town’s edge, deserted just like the abandoned district where she lived. Now that the city had a Barrier Jade, the watchtower formerly set here had become largely useless, practically a mere decoration, yet it was still guarded.

As Yun Ruo ran further inside, she haphazardly smeared the black dust from her hands onto her face a few times, transforming her face into that of a calico cat or a beggar, with only her bright eyes darting around.

“Who’s there?” a guard, noticing the intrusion, shouted.