The savage wilderness had no moon or stars, no telling if it was day or night. It was independent from the 6 realms. The west side was a desert, south was a marsh, the north was the arctic, and the middle was a foggy forest. All realm’s prisoners and dead souls were banished here. No spells or magical instruments can be used here. All the prisoners used the most primitive way to survive.
It isn't easy to enter the savage wilderness. Not a lot of people knew how or where the entrance was. Escaping the savage wilderness was absolutely impossible. Even the most powerful immortal cannot escape if exiled here.
Her surroundings were dark; she can feel a faint light from her left eye.
She isn’t blind, she just couldn’t see. Hua Qian Gu tried to console herself.
Her feet were tied up, and she was being dragged by someone like a dead prey. Her back bloodied from the friction on the ground, and her head constantly bumped into rocks. She can still feel pain, which means she wasn't dead. She cannot die.
She clenched her teeth together to stay conscious, but her head knocked into a boulder and she fainted.
She woke up in pain, couldn’t see anything, but she could hear laughter. A group of people continuously kicked and stomped on her, a foot stepped on her hand.
How long has she been in the savage wilderness?
A month? A year? Or has it been a hundred years?
She didn't remember how long she’s been in the dark; all she can do is live day by day. She hadn't healed from her wounds and now she’s been captured by demons and fallen immortals. This time, the odds must be against her.
“Where did you find this? Is it … a human?” she heard a woman’s voice, obviously scared of her scarred face.
“I was hunting for rabbits, didn’t think I would have such a big catch.” a rough masculine voice said.
“Is it a man or a woman?” another man said.
A big hand stretched out and ripped her clothes off. She couldn’t resist. All she could do was grit her teeth and endure the humiliation.
“It’s a woman.” an excited voice said. “Old rules? Share after she is roasted?"
“Too bad it’s just a thin and frail girl, just skin and bones. Messing with her will put me in a bad mood and eating her will give me no appetite.” Ptui! This person spat saliva on her.
Another kick and she rolled over.
“Is she dead or alive? Why doesn’t she make any noise?”
“Looks like a mute.”
“Never seen her around here before, probably hasn’t been here long. She’s so young, I wonder what crime she committed. Is she an immortal or demon?”
“Looks like an immortal, her nerves are all broken and her body is covered with scars from Xiao Hun nails, she’s also blind and mute.”
“Xiao Hun nails? Huan Xiang, you’re talking about the Xiao Hun nails from Chang Liu? This kid is exiled from Chang Liu?” The girl knelt down to take a closer look.
“That’s my guess. Search her body and see if you can find anything.”
They searched her and found her Gong Ling (Bell) gripped tightly in her hand.
When they tried to take her Gong Ling, she finally showed some resistance but in the end, they still grabbed it from her.
“Gong Ling? What crime did a little disciple from Chang Liu commit to be sent here? It’s too bad she’s mute or else asking her what’s happening outside would be nice.”
“Snort, so what if you knew what was going on the outside? Do you think you’ll have a chance of getting out?”
“Rubbish, you don’t want to leave?”
“Why are you guys arguing? I don’t care how you guys are going to handle this, but I want the chest meat.” the woman said.
Hua Qian Gu shivered, grabbed onto the leg of the person beside her. Gong Ling, all she wanted was her Gong Ling.
The person kicked her aside. “Have you guys ever seen a Gong Ling this color?”
“What color? My Gong Shi (stone) has always been green.” another person said.
“Why is hers transparent and has 7 colors?”
“Transparent? Seven colors? Is your eyesight bad?” The person came over to see and was left baffled.
“Who cares what color it is, I’m hungry. Stop talking so much and let’s eat her.”
“I want the organs, no one fights me for the heart and liver.” a demon came toward Hua Qian Gu.
Hua Qian Gu pulled at his robe, whimpering. All she wanted was the Gong Ling her teacher gave her. She didn't have anything anymore, Duan Nian sword was gone, and the Gong Ling was all she had left.
She was pushed down and stepped on, slim sharp nails dug into her left shoulder. She no longer felt pain, all she wanted was her Gong Ling.
Her small hands still grasped onto the person's robe. Huan Xiang liked the Gong Ling, why would he give it back to someone about to die. He took out a knife to amputate her hand since she would be cut into pieces anyway and besides, he liked roasted human hands.
Suddenly strong winds started blowing, dark sky rolled in, batting up sand all around. The sound of a beast running and roaring can be heard.
“Shoot!” Huan Xiang took a few steps back.
“What is that?”
“Snorting Beast, everyone move to the cave to avoid being eaten.”
Everyone fled in panic. Of all the magical creatures and beasts in the savage wilderness, Snorting Beast was the most brutal one.
Hua Qian Gu‘s face lit up.
In a blink of an eye, a huge beast as tall as three people showed up in front of them. Its body was covered in white fur that stood up like needles, four legs and the tail were red like fire, and its neck had a red flower pattern.(Snorting Beast looked like a fox.)
Without any mercy, it caught a few demons and split them into two.
Huan Xiang turned around and stabbed the beast with a sword, but this didn’t hurt it. Snorting Beast stampeded toward them and turned them into meat paste.
Everyone ran in fear, Hua Qian Gu was thrown onto the ground. Snorting Beast approached her, lowered its head and sniffed her, and then licked her blood with its tongue.
Hua Qian Gu felt like her head was splitting, she reached out and held its mane and forced a smile.
– Lucky you came in time.
Snorting Beast licked her face, its tongue was wet and hot. She regained a little bit of consciousness and fumbled on the ground.
– Gong Ling, my Gong Ling.
Snorting Beast carried the Gong Ling with its mouth and placed it in her hand. Hua Qian Gu shakingly held tight onto the Gong Ling and held it to her cheek. As if Bai Zi Hua was by her side.
– Snorting Beast, did you kill people again? Scaring them is good enough. Next time don’t take anymore lives. They only wanted to survive.
Even though she couldn’t speak, Snorting Beast and her understood each other.
Ever since she arrived in the savage wilderness, she fell into danger over and over again, if it wasn’t for Snorting Beast by her side, she didn't know how many times she would have died.
She did not blame those who tried to eat her. Everyone here had been cast away from the world, she was too. There was no comparison as to who was more miserable.
– Snorting Beast, you must’ve been scared when you couldn’t find me back there. Have you found anything to eat? Why don’t we go back?
She used strenuous strength to stand up, grabbed onto Snorting Beast’s white mane and climbed on its back. Her impression of Snorting Beast was of a chubby little pig that eats anything. When in rage, it would change into a long-haired big fox.
Her coughing became more severe; she wrapped her raggedy clothes tighter to fight against the cold, clinging closer to Snorting Beast to feel warmer.
Snorting Beast started moving speedily, dizzy and light-headed, Hua Qian Gu felt as if she was flying on her sword freely in a dream.
She didn't understand if what she was experiencing now was a dream or what happened in the past was a dream. She can’t walk, everywhere she went she needed Snorting Beast to assist her, protect her, help her look for food. She can’t see, can’t speak, just a disabled person, living in hell, no hope and no future. She wanted to know why she was trying so hard to live on.
She never had the guts to think back to the moment Teacher held theDuan Nian sword, never thought Teacher would punish her this harshly. Why send her to this place? If he didn’t want to see her anymore, isn’t it easier to kill her instead? Maybe what she had done cannot be forgiven with dying. Only suffering like this can repay her crimes.
Since it had come to this, then might as well try her best to live on and use the rest of her life to compensate for the crimes she committed.
Her head was dizzy, she didn't know how long they’ve been running.
– We’re still not there?
Her wounds continued to bleed onto Snorting Beast’s white fur.
Snorting Beast continued to run into the depth of the forest looking for herbs that will stop her bleeding, but Hua Qian Gu couldn’t hold on any longer. Her hands loosened and she fell off. Luckily, there was a cabin in front of them.
Snorting Beast stopped and used its nose to push her. She was unconscious.
Snorting Beast felt like someone would come out of the cabin, its fur stood up and it looked majestically toward the door.
The cabin’s door opened, a man covered in scars came out and saw a person and a beast, he narrowed his eyes and took a step back, and closed the door.