Roter Satin

Kapitel 9

In the continued darkness, Zhou Lingli thought of a qigong magazine she had read in her spare time, and remembered a technique called "Turtle Breathing Exercise." After careful consideration, she lay face down on all fours, assumed the correct posture as required, inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, and tucked her neck in and peeked out. Sure enough, this temporarily suppressed her hunger and cold.

Soon, under her guidance, people began to practice the Turtle Breathing Technique; the nine people crouching and peeking out looked quite comical, but in the darkness, no one could see anyone else, and there was no need to worry about being seen or laughed at.

But how long can the Turtle Breathing Technique last?

When they were so hungry they were dizzy and on the verge of unconsciousness, everyone seemed to have a blurry vision: as if there was a flat cave in the distance, with water dripping and pooling into a small spring the size of a tabletop in front of it. Inside the cave was water, but in the water was an indistinguishable object, resembling a person, but without a head.

There was a faint light emanating from the center of the object, which was a serrated dagger.

People climbed up to the "thing" and broke through the thin ice.

No one thought about what it would be, or what it might be. But everyone knew one thing for sure: it was edible.

It can sustain life.

---Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [32]: Chapter 3 The Tomb Master Adin

Author: Wind in the Clouds

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I. The Beginning of Life II. The Awakening from an Unfortunate Dream III. Purple Flowers at the Bottom of the Ravine IV. Resonance V. Searching High and Low VI. The Bitter Answer ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ I. The Beginning of Life "Are you determined to betray us and participate in the competition?"

Yes. Merciful Lord.

Are you confident you can defeat your opponent and become the sole winner?

Yes. Almighty.

Do you know how cruel war is?

It would be an exceptionally tragic war, with all participants being their own kind. To become the victor, one must ruthlessly run to the forefront and assassinate any competitors who might hinder one's success.

If your opponents are trapped in a difficult situation, do not go to their aid.

Saving it will only add another opponent to your ranks and increase your chances of destruction.

※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ "You will face millions of outcasts, but you only have one choice. Are you confident you can find the right one?"

Don't you think that I'm the most promising success story here?

"Finding that one and only outlier and gaining their approval is very difficult. Can you succeed?"

"I am so strong, I am so physically gifted, I know how to deceive and use any means necessary, I know that I will do anything to succeed—how could I possibly fail?"

"When you become one, you will become another life form and face even more severe challenges. Are you mentally prepared?"

During our growth, we need a lot of energy to sustain life. We will enjoy supreme treatment in a warm palace. In order to become a new life form and learn more perfect fighting methods from them, we must not hesitate to do everything we can, even if it means destroying the natural environment that gave us life and nurtured us, to meet the requirements of our own growth.

※ ...

"Yes, Wise Lord."

In order to learn more advanced methods of deception, I must strive to adapt to the dry air and harsh environment, eat their food, transform into their form, endure the bodies of other species, recall the tenderness of my homeland, and become a wanderer who can never return, drifting in their space.

"Do you know that after this, you will never be able to hear my teachings again, and will only be able to remember me in the depths of your heart many years later?"

Yes, Lord. If my future is not ideal, I will only continue to remember you and cherish your memory; if everything goes smoothly for me, I will completely forget your existence.

"Why won't you answer me? Have you forgotten that I am the omnipotent, benevolent, wise, and authoritative decision-maker/master?"

(No. I haven't forgotten. But I've learned everything I needed to learn, and you're no longer omnipotent—at least, you can't stop my mutation.) ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ The stream emitted soft, crisp sounds as the mysterious ice gradually crackled and melted. A gentle breeze swept across the entire mountainside, as if Ding Da, frozen in ice within a crystal coffin, had opened his eyes. He couldn't move, nor could he see anything. But countless sounds were converging on him from all directions.

※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ "Sister Rong will live forever in our hearts."

"We will never forget Sister Rong."

"She is the one who saved us. She is the one who gave everything."

"Life is great; it is like a second parent to us."

"She is our deity, our source of strength."

"We must get her out of here alive and never let her suffer any more harm."

"We must take her selfless dedication, perseverance, and courage in fighting evil as our role models, and vow to follow her to the death and protect her!"

"We do not ask to be born on the same day, month, and year, but we ask to die on the same day, month, and year."

...

"Then, let's begin..."

—In the darkness, there was a series of creaking sounds.

(They're everywhere.)

※ ...

Among the mysteriously circulated martial arts aimed at killing, there are three categories: Essence, Qi, and Spirit. The Qi category primarily focuses on strengthening the body through qigong and martial arts, emphasizing blood circulation and aiding in longevity and immortality. The Spirit category focuses on special abilities and mental techniques, encompassing witchcraft and magic, as well as the qigong practiced in the Zhuyou branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Of the three, the Essence category is the least widespread and unfamiliar to most people. This is because China has historically been influenced by Confucianism, and Buddhism and Taoism have also opposed the Essence category, adhering to the moral concept that lust is the root of all evil, abandoning the ancient, primordial inhumanity to distinguish it from wild beasts. Therefore, the Essence category, based on the union of Yin and Yang, naturally cannot stand in the face of modern change.

Ding Dada's demonic cultivation belongs to the Jingmen sect.

When people abandoned the unified division of "essence, qi, and spirit" and instead used astrology—such as the Ziwei constellation, Nangong constellation, and the Big Dipper constellation—to differentiate cultivation methods, the seven main stars of the Big Dipper constellation transformed into seven categories: "human, ghost, god, immortal, illusion, demon, and truth." Demonic qi, demonic skills, and demonic power are products of the combination of ghost, illusion, and demon. Those suited to cultivate demonic skills must first be rejected by the world, possessing stubbornness, willfulness, and a split personality. Only then can they exhibit characteristics of ghosts and demons. Furthermore, if they also possess talents such as a love of fantasy or dexterity, they have met the basic requirements.

However, in any case, the demonic arts are still related to the essence gate.

The Jingmen, also known as the Yin Jingmen, worships the Taiyin star and shares some similarities with Islam. It adopts the Taiyin calendar, which has twelve months in a year, with odd-numbered months having 30 days and even-numbered months having 29 days. The cycle is 30 years, with 11 leap months, totaling 32.

Six years is one year in the Gregorian calendar. Legend has it that the Moon and the Sun are opposites, and the Moon is the deity that rules over darkness. Those who cultivate the Essence Gate technique cannot see the light of day. However, in daily life, even the darkest night does not mean there is no light; it is just that the light of the stars is difficult to distinguish. Therefore, it is extremely difficult for cultivators to achieve great success, which is another reason why the Essence Gate technique was lost.

To cultivate demonic arts, one must possess demonic nature. However, this demonic nature clashes with A Ding's worldview, which is why he has always struggled to succeed in cultivating it.

But at this moment, Ding Dada had already forgotten about the existence of "A Dong".

He knew his name was Ding Dada.

It's Ding Dada.

Everything that happened while he was unconscious foreshadowed the impending tragedy. He had no other choice!

※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ The last meal was a sumptuous one.

After the meal, the leader fired a glowing grenade. The grenade emitted a cold light, which did not harm their eyesight much, and the light illuminated the ice wall that had been carved through.

Before us was a downward-flowing ditch filled with water, and wisps of cold air seeped outwards. But the adage "water flows downhill" proved true here, as the water was still and not moving.

"Don't panic—it might be from running cold water."

The eldest brother threw a piece of ice into the water. After a slight cracking sound, the canal froze over—from top to bottom, it became a solid ice surface.

Huang Zilan suddenly thought of the "Path to the Underworld".

(How similar that road is!)

(That road led people to ruin and despair; what about this one?) The leader nodded slightly and fired another fluorescent bullet. After careful observation, he said, "Indeed. It's clear that the mechanism's effectiveness has turned to life. We've adapted to everything now; events will no longer be strange, they'll conform to everyday phenomena."

Before he finished speaking, Wei Yiyi and An Yingying suddenly vomited. Everyone looked over, only to see that the two vomited for a long time without expelling anything. What was truly alarming was that their abdomens suddenly swelled considerably.

Of the eight people, seven were terrified, but the leader was stunned.

He paused for a moment, then asked An Yingying, "If something is compressed and its volume decreases, will its mass change?"

An Yingying looked at her stomach with a mixture of shock and fear, but she couldn't refuse to answer her boss's question. "No...no," she said in a trembling voice. After calming down a bit, she hesitated for a moment and added, "That depends on what it is. How it's compressed."

"For example, a gas," the eldest brother said.

"Won't."

The eldest brother nodded and then asked, "What about the time?"

“Time has no quality, nor can it be compressed.” An Yingying answered without hesitation, as if the answer was already on her lips, but then suddenly paused, “You mean… I, we…” The eldest brother sighed. Suddenly, he said, “Er Gou! Xiao Dao! From this moment on, you must do everything in your power to protect their lives!”

"Why?" Er Gou and Xiao Dao were stunned.

"No reason. It's because I said so." The leader said calmly, then continued, "We can only slide down. Chen Xing, you go first; Er Gou, Xiao Dao, hold onto your women and slide down. Xiao Chan, catch up, Huang Zilan, follow behind Xiao Chan."

"—Should I skate first?" Chen Xing asked, bewildered.

"Is that not allowed?" the leader said, somewhat angrily. "Everyone has to go down! Even if it's dangerous, we'll stay together. You all know better than I do how high the friction coefficient is on the ice. None of us can stop the flow!"

Chen Xing quickly said, "That's not what I meant. I meant... well, I should skate for a while first, and then you guys skate. Uh, doing it this way, firstly, it's less likely to get injured, and secondly, it can also prevent some collisions, right?... Well, I don't mind, but Wei Yiyi and An Yingying can't be bumped anymore."

The last glow of the fluorescent bullet went out. In the darkness, the leader was still looking in the direction where Chen Xing was. A sudden thought struck him—such a smart person, cough!

---Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [34]: After the oath, the Self-Strengthening Alliance was officially established.

The full name of the "Self-Reliance Alliance" is the "Self-Reliance Alliance Cult". Its leader, spiritual leader, and pillar of support is Tong Rong, also known as Sister Rong, who is fearless of violence, fair and just, self-reliant, and determined to fight to the end, a true role model for women.

The leader of the alliance is Wu Xiaohui, and the deputy leader is Zhu Qian; the head instructor is Zhou Lingli, the left protector is Zhang Dawei, and the right protector is Yan Kaixin. The guardians of the east, west, south, and north are Guan Wen, Yu Bing, Yang Yang, and Leng Momo.

In other words, each of the nine members of the "Self-Strengthening Alliance" has a position.

Nine people, in the dim and indistinct light, ate the food and drank the water bestowed by heaven, recalling the martial arts skills they learned in physical education class. Starting with calisthenics, disco, breakdancing, ballroom dancing, and women's self-defense, they integrated and diligently practiced the basics, gradually recalling fragments of Shaolin martial arts, Wudang qigong, Tai Chi, swordsmanship, Southern and Northern styles of kung fu, karate, taekwondo, Muay Thai, boxing, judo, free fighting, insurance, and one-hit kill techniques… The harsh and difficult environment forced them to make various efforts to resist the cold and for their own future survival. Of course, their efforts were by no means in vain.

While the leader successfully broke the ice, the Self-Reliant Alliance also consumed all the "food bestowed by heaven."

Holding the short sword that could emit a faint light as a torch, Wu Xiaohui led eight self-reliant individuals to explore the path.

At this moment, the lucky Du Liu and Xu Fangfang are encountering misfortune.

II. The Unfortunate Awakening

The misfortune was that I awoke from the dream.

The water had drained, and Xu Fangfang woke up.

There is a faint light.

In the dim purple light, she found herself completely naked, and she also found herself frantically making love with another completely naked person.

That person is Du Liu.

The person she has loved for a long time.

※ ...

However, this led to four other misfortunes.

The first misfortune was that she had "woke up," but Du Liu had not. She no longer experienced any physical pleasure, while Du Liu's desires grew even stronger and went on endlessly.

The second misfortune was that she was so weak that she seemed to have lost the strength to speak, while Du Liu seemed to have just taken an aphrodisiac and had just eaten and drunk his fill. She no longer felt that she was having sex, but rather that she was being raped. Du Liu became even more frenzied and actually raped her in a perverted way by scratching and biting her.

The third misfortune was that this led her to relive a terrible conjecture, and she happened to find an item among a pile of clothes that terrified her.

The fourth misfortune is the most unfortunate one.