Chapter 143
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Chapter 143: Encountering Two Little Ones…
“Super, superpowered individuals?”
Shi Jin gulped, her mind struggling to process this sudden turn of events.
Was that truly a level she could attain?
Or could she really transform from an ordinary person into a superpowered individual?
“What should I do?”
“It’s simple, just repeat after Miss Fulan.”
“Okay.”
“Holy fire shines brightly, holy light radiates, all my disciples—
“Meow meow meow meow!
“Go and accept the gods’ trial!”
Fulan stepped forward and gently tapped Shi Jin’s forehead with her paw.
Shi Jin’s mind felt blank as she unconsciously followed Fulan, reciting the chant that sounded almost like a dream. Suddenly, she felt a warm sensation at the back of her head.
【Confirming Blessing】
—
Oh, my head hurts…
Shi Jin covered her head with her hand, slowly opening her eyes.
The bed beneath her was far harder than she had expected, the kind of poor quality material that wouldn’t even be used in a prison.
When Shi Jin finally opened her eyes, she was shocked to discover that it wasn’t someone replacing her mattress in the middle of the night, but that she was completely in a wild and desolate area.
“Whoa, did they steal the prison? Did they leave me behind?
“No, wait, where did the prison come from?”
Shi Jin rubbed her head, standing up and looking around, sadly realizing that this didn’t seem like a suitable place for humans to live.
She found herself on top of a barren hill, surrounded by wasteland without any signs of animals, just some scattered dry grass and long-dead trees.
The breath of life seemed to have long abandoned this land.
“Is this still Hope City?”
Shi Jin asked in confusion, while a larger question loomed in her mind:
What is Hope City?
She felt as if a part of her brain was missing, as if a mysterious force had erased her past memories and experiences.
But she didn’t become a blank slate; instead, she still retained some old habits and knowledge.
Her memories were like elusive mist; if she didn’t think about them, she could instinctively access some memories and skills, but when she tried to concentrate, she came up completely empty.
In this barren land, even the sight of wild animals felt like a luxury. Shi Jin’s survival instincts triumphed over the urge to give up and await death. She adjusted her clothes and casually picked a direction to explore her surroundings.
Layers of clouds swirled across the entire sky, and Shi Jin felt completely unable to identify direction or even grasp the basic passage of time.
The ground around was utterly barren, save for the hardened, scorched earth.
Shi Jin gazed toward a distant, bare mountain’s peak, thinking the view from a High Position might offer a broader perspective, and so she made her way there.
Upon reaching the mountain’s peak, she found herself beside a withered tree. Scanning the surroundings, she saw nothing of value.
She examined the dead tree more closely, only to be disappointed by the realization that its bark had long since fallen away.
Now, there truly was nothing to eat.
Just then, a crisp voice suddenly called out from behind Shi Jin.
“You’re late.”
A chill ran down her spine, and cold sweat broke out on her skin. Moments ago, she had surveyed the area and found no one—no living creature except herself.
So where had that voice come from?
Shi Jin turned her head nervously, her neck stiff like a neglected mechanical structure.
Not far behind her, a child in a white robe knelt on the ground.
The child appeared no older than ten, an age that should have been brimming with vitality, yet his face was paler than his robe.
About a meter in front of him, another cushion lay empty, waiting.
Shi Jin glanced around once more, confirming that the child was indeed addressing her.
Just as she prepared to step forward and ask for some basic information, another voice suddenly sounded beside her:
“Ah, here you are! I’ve been searching everywhere for you.”
Shi Jin was startled, but after her earlier experience, she didn’t react too dramatically.
She turned her head to see another child in a blue robe, jogging toward the child in white while calling out a greeting.
Compared to the kneeling child, this newcomer was far more lively.
He casually took a seat on the vacant cushion, and the two began chatting idly.
Shi Jin felt like an outsider. Not only did her clothing clash with theirs, but it seemed the two children couldn’t even see her.
Yet, these were the only two living beings here besides herself.
She tried to move closer to the robed children while listening to their conversation.
“Defeated, and you dare challenge me again?”
“Last time was just a single move; it hardly counts.”
The pale child, his tone calm, said nothing more. With a wave of his hands, a rumbling sound emerged from the ground between them.
A stone low table slowly rose from the earth. Shi Jin watched intently; the table was empty except for dozens of narrow grooves dividing its surface into small sections.
Shi Jin had never seen anything like it, but from their conversation and an inexplicable intuition, she sensed they were about to engage in a special contest.
With nowhere else to go, she stood quietly to the side.
As the stone table took shape, the child in the blue robe reached into the air before him and quickly grasped two wooden jars.
The jars were filled with black and white flat, round pieces.
He placed the jars in the center of the table and said with a smile,
“You choose first.”
The pale boy’s expression remained blank as he replied,
“Last time I took white, so this time I’ll choose black.”
Each took their respective jar, and Shi Jin suddenly felt the temperature around her shift dramatically.
The boy in white summoned cold winds that pierced her to the bone, while the other side seemed to bloom with the warmth of spring, each white piece radiating vitality.
“Then let’s begin.”
As the child in the blue robe spoke, Shi Jin suddenly interrupted,
“I’m sorry to disturb you, but could you tell me where this place is?”
This time, her voice reached the two children, and they turned to her as if noticing her for the first time.
“This is, of course, a place to play chess,”
the blue-robed child replied with a smile.
“Hurry and leave. Don’t disturb us,”
the pale boy said impatiently.
At that moment, Shi Jin felt both thirsty and hungry, her moral resolve weakening as her hunger grew.
