The crisp sound of an egg cracking was swallowed by a deafening roar. The old man's burly body shuddered, and he passed out from the pain on the spot.
However, Yan Xiaoyi had no intention of stopping there. With one hand steadying the tractor handlebar, she executed a magnificent drifting turn. From head to toe, she gave him a repeat performance.
And then...
Four wheels in front and eight in the back, rolling over him back and forth.
Five across and four down, let's go another round.
Crushed from foot to head, even Hua Tuo would walk around if he saw him.
She ran the old man over a full ninety-nine times.
Had the system not warned her that her remaining lifespan was insufficient and her Spirit Stones were nearly exhausted, she still would not have stopped.
The old man beneath the tires had long since been reduced to a blur of pixels, impossible to even gather up.
"Cough, cough—pfft!" Blood poured endlessly from Yan Xiaoyi's mouth, and she felt entirely weightless, as if she had been hollowed out.
She had intended to send Ye Qing on his way as well, only to find that fellow had already vanished.
"Consider yourself lucky. If I ever run into you again, I'll let you taste a CEO's methods!" A ruthless glint flashed in Yan Xiaoyi's eyes. She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and drove the tractor back the way she came.
Not until she had completely disappeared did spiritual fluctuations ripple across a tree, and a figure slowly materialized.
It was none other than Ye Qing, who was now left with only half his life.
He swallowed hard, patted his chest, and said with lingering fear, "That was close! If not for my ancestral divine armor and this invisibility talisman, I certainly would have perished here! What kind of monster is this? Too terrifying!"
The black smoke was simply too thick; let alone the driver up top, he hadn't even caught a glimpse of the tractor's true form.
Therefore, he merely assumed he had been attacked by a monster, never once suspecting this was someone's frantic revenge.
"I must report this to the Sect as soon as possible!" Not daring to pursue, Ye Qing dragged his broken body and limped back toward the sect.
***
"Cluck, cluck, cluck..." With her Spirit Stones depleted, the tractor slowly came to a halt on a hillside a few miles outside the Yan Clan estate.
Looking at her ride, Yan Xiaoyi felt a bit troubled. Pushing it all the way back would probably work her to death!
If she left it here, what if someone stole it?
At that moment, the system prompt sounded: "You can store items inside the System Space. It only consumes one year of lifespan per item per year—quite a bargain, dear."
Yan Xiaoyi couldn't help but complain, "This costs lifespan too? What kind of trash system is this? Have you got any human decency at all?"
The system replied, "Hey now, you've got it all wrong! There's a reason for all our fees. When it comes to safety coefficients, if we claim second place, nobody dares claim first."
"You expect me to believe that?"
"No! You can always trust the System. Anything placed inside is absolutely safe! Even if someone strips you down to the bone and rips you open, they won't find a thing!"
After hesitating for a long time, Yan Xiaoyi finally stored the vehicle inside the System Space and asked offhandedly, "Can you check my remaining lifespan balance?"
"Just deducted one year, there's still fiv—"
"Five hundred years?"
The system retorted, "You dare dream! Do you think you're a turtle?"
Yan Xiaoyi frowned. "Fifty years?"
The System fell silent.
"No way!" Yan Xiaoyi cried out in shock. "I'm a blossoming young maiden, and I only have five months left to live?"
The system's voice dropped. "No, it's five months."
Fiv—five months?!
Yan Xiaoyi's mood plummeted instantly to the absolute bottom. "Meaning I won't even live to see New Year's Eve?!... This is completely unaffordable!"
The system chimed in, "Why don't you reflect on whether you just haven't been working hard enough?"
Reflect my foot! I just got here, okay?!
Yan Xiaoyi curled her lip and stopped communicating with it. She washed her face in a nearby ditch, slumped her shoulders, and trudged back under the glow of the setting sun.
After walking for an hour, she finally arrived outside her home.
From afar, she spotted a weathered middle-aged man pacing back and forth.
It was her father, Yan Dahu.
Just by his name, you could tell he was a ruthless character.
Don't let the word "tiger" in his name fool you; in reality, the man... could indeed be quite fierce at times.
Case in point: right now, he pulled Yan Xiaoyi straight into his embrace, his two hands locking onto her like iron pincers. "My precious baby, where have you been running off to?"
As his grip grew tighter, Yan Xiaoyi could only feel a suffocating lack of air, her eyeballs feeling as though they might pop out of their sockets.
"Baby, why aren't you saying anything? Are you just too excited to see your old man?"
Rolling her eyes, Yan Xiaoyi managed a strained reply: "I can't... breathe!"
"Ah!" Yan Dahu hurriedly released her, scratched his head, and let out an awkward chuckle. "Sorry! I got too excited. Are you all right?"
"Cough, cough—" Yan Xiaoyi waved a hand, offering no reply; right now, all she wanted was to take a few deep breaths of fresh air.
Once she caught her breath, Yan Dahu asked gently, "I heard that fellow Ye Qing came over to call off the engagement today?"
"Mm," Yan Xiaoyi nodded.
"That scoundrel!" Yan Dahu flew into a rage, punching a nearby jujube tree in half as he roared, "My precious baby is drop-dead gorgeous and gentle as water, yet he dares to pull such a humiliating stunt while I'm away!
Just you wait, Daddy's going to march right over to the Taixuan Sect, tie that bastard up, and bring him back so you can vent your anger!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Don't!" Yan Xiaoyi hurriedly grabbed him. "I'm not interested in him anymore."
It wasn't that she had grown suddenly kindhearted and wanted to let the guy off; rather, storming into someone else's sect to grab people was, to say the least, a bit reckless.
"You're serious?" Yan Dahu tilted his head, his eyes filled with suspicion.
Yan Xiaoyi pointed a finger at the heavens. "If I'm lying, may I turn into a dog."
"Haha! Good precious, I've always said that brat wasn't good enough for you!" Yan Dahu was overjoyed, throwing an arm around her shoulder. "Come on, let's get inside. Daddy has good news to share with you!"
"What good news?"
"The thing you asked me to handle for you—it's all sorted!"
"Huh..." Yan Xiaoyi froze. "What thing?"
"Look at you, child. Did you lose your memory or something?" Yan Dahu affectionately patted her head. "It's about you joining the Cold Moon Sect!"
"Ah?? What did you say?! Joining... the Cold Moon Sect?!" Yan Xiaoyi's expression shifted drastically, startling her so much she nearly jumped.
The Cold Moon Sect was one of the Six Great Sects.
If she remembered correctly, the female lead of the book, Leng Qingxue, was the direct disciple of the Cold Moon Sect Master!
Just how many years of cerebral thrombosis had the original owner suffered from to willingly throw herself right into the woman's path? Wasn't this pure suicide?
Oblivious, Yan Dahu mistook her reaction for overwhelming joy and grinned. "That's right! Weren't you crying and making a fuss earlier about how you had to join the Cold Moon Sect? Your old man had to pull all kinds of strings just to persuade them..."
"Um..." Yan Xiaoyi lowered her head, poking her index fingers together. "If I said I don't want to go anymore... would you... beat me?"
"Now why is that?" Yan Dahu felt quite puzzled; he had the distinct feeling that after taking this trip out, his precious baby had changed a lot.
Why else?!
Preserve life, stay away from the female lead.
When other people transmigrated into a book, their very first priority was distancing themselves from the female lead and running as far away as possible—and here she was, delivering herself right to the doorstep!
"I just want to slack off and wait for death..." Seeing her old man's face darken slightly, Yan Xiaoyi hurriedly changed her tune. "Another sect is fine too!"
"Another sect?" Yan Dahu's gaze deepened, his expression complicated. "Baby... have you forgotten everything you've done out there over the years?"
What on earth have I done?
Before Yan Xiaoyi could unearth the original owner's memories, her cheap father flicked his sleeve, and a stack of scrolls materialized out of thin air.
Opening the scrolls and reading the contents, Yan Xiaoyi broke out in a cold sweat:
[Year 250 of the Immortal Calendar, January 13th: Yan Xiaoyi instigated others to beat up mountain-guarding disciples, showing a vile attitude and refusing to mend her ways despite repeated admonishments. Following a deliberation by the Elder Council, she was expelled from the Wenjian Sect, never to be readmitted!]
[Year 250 of the Immortal Calendar, March 8th: Because she was reprimanded by an elder, Yan Xiaoyi harbored a grudge and retaliated by pouring nightsoil all over the elder's immortal cave under the cover of night, and was caught red-handed! Her character was utterly despicable and appalling! Expelled from the Heavenly Sound Sect!]
[Year 250 of the Immortal Calendar, June 9th: While drunk, Yan Xiaoyi set fire to the sect's spiritual botanical garden and spoke insolently, insulting the sect's Founding Patriarch—unforgivable! Expelled from the Kongming Sect!]
[Year 250 of the Immortal Calendar, September 7th: During the sect tournament, Yan Xiaoyi spent a fortune bribing her opponent to throw the match. After being reported, she stubbornly refused to repent and threw a public tantrum, severely corrupting the sect's morals. Expelled from the Piaomiao Sect!]
[Year 250 of the Immortal Calendar, November 1st: In a secret realm, Yan Xiaoyi disregarded the lives of her fellow disciples and fled alone. She was cowardly and utterly unfit to remain in the Jiudao Sect!]
[Immortal Calendar...]
...Twelve rolls of military records, and every single scroll bore her name!
One shocking crime after another left Yan Xiaoyi's vision going dark, nearly causing her to faint.
She had to hand it to the original owner—she really knew how to court death to perfection! The fact that she had lived this long was nothing short of a miracle!
To roughly summarize her life: a local bully who oppressed the weak, a prodigal who spent money like water, a selfish little green tea bitch, and... a half-witted, completely brainless moron!
"Sigh—" Yan Dahu let out a long sigh. "Baby, do you know how the outside world evaluates you now? The tumor of the Cultivation World! Not a single sect is willing to take you in anymore!
Just to secure this chance for you to enter the Cold Moon Sect, your old man has exhausted the vast majority of our family's fortune! Can't you stop acting so willful now?"