Lin Yi had been reincarnated.
He had successfully arrived in another world.
Before Lin Yi could even sigh with emotion,
a line of text suddenly appeared before his eyes.
[Reincarnation successful. You have not forgotten your past and were born into this world knowing your former life. Those who know their former life shall know Heavenly Fate. Those who know Heavenly Fate can turn misfortune into fortune, seek good fortune and avoid disaster, defy Heaven and change their fate, and awaken the Destiny: Know Heavenly Fate.] [Successful reincarnation. Reward: 5,000 Destiny Talisman Coins.] [Destiny: Know Heavenly Fate] [Effect: You can foresee good and bad fortune in advance, see the Aura of Fortune surrounding the fortunate, and spend Destiny Talisman Coins to actively activate the Destiny ability [Strong Luck].] [Current Fortune: Great Misfortune] [Great Misfortune: Hatred from your birth mother] [Your biological father took no responsibility beyond siring you. After tricking your mother into bed, he ran off.] [Your mother possesses a rare Destiny called [Molting Jade Cicada]. A woman with [Molting Jade Cicada] will have her first child draw upon her talents, thereby giving birth to a new Destiny of its own.] [At this moment, your mother hates you to the bone.] [The agony of having her talents stolen, along with the deception of your biological father, has turned all her seething hatred toward you.] [Survive at your mother's hands.] [Reward: 10,000 Destiny Talisman Coins]
"???!"
"What the hell?"
The room was dimly lit, and Lin Yi could barely open his eyes.
Through his blurry vision, he could make out his mother, her face as cold as frost.
He quietly took stock of his body, which was sluggish and moved only by instinct—a baby's body.
Heh...
Lin Yi smiled.
He was laughing out of sheer frustration.
Wasn't this supposed to be a pressure-free experience?
And now they'd made the very first challenge this hard.
His stress was already through the roof.
Was this a joke?!
He'd only just been reborn, and now he was already about to start over?
"Miss, look, it's a boy..."
Xu Chan's face was deathly pale. Her eyes were vacant, half-lidded, and she glanced at the baby with detached indifference.
"Gurgle..." The baby babbled. He looked perfectly healthy.
So this was her child?
Xu Chan's lips curled slightly. There was little warmth in her smile; instead, it held a hint of self-mockery.
The old midwife was touched by the sight, and soon began chatting away.
"What a lovely baby. I've been delivering children for over twenty years. I've delivered at least eight hundred, maybe a thousand, and most come out all wrinkled, like little old men... But this one's as pretty as a carved jade doll..."
"They say boys take after their mothers. Miss, you're so beautiful, so this baby is sure to grow up striking as well..."
"Give him to me..."
Before the old midwife could finish, Xu Chan interrupted her.
The old woman assumed Xu Chan's maternal instincts had kicked in and she wanted to see her child as soon as possible.
So she carefully handed the baby over, reminding her as she did, "You've just given birth, miss, and you're weak. The baby's just been born, too, so you should support him properly when you hold him..."
Xu Chan showed no reaction. Propping herself up, she took the child directly from the woman.
The child's eyes were bright and lively, black and white clearly defined.
Xu Chan took the child.
Their eyes met.
Her tired, lifeless gaze met the lively eyes of the newborn.
Unfathomable emotions surged in both their eyes.
Lin Yi looked at his mother. She appeared exhausted, her skin was pale, and yet nothing could conceal her celestial beauty.
Of course, it would have been better if there hadn't been hatred in her eyes.
A fierce anger and unwillingness surged in Lin Yi's heart.
He wanted to live...
"The Destiny [Know Heavenly Fate] can activate [Strong Luck] by consuming Destiny Talisman Coins..."
"Perhaps this is my only chance of surviving." Lin Yi thought to himself.
He glanced at the 5,000 Destiny Talisman Coins remaining on his panel and didn't hesitate.
He activated the Destiny [Strong Luck].
I want to hear the echo of Strong Luck!
[Activating [Strong Luck]. Destiny Talisman Coins -10]
Ten coins?
That wasn't so bad. He could handle that.
[Destiny Talisman Coins -10]
Huh? Had his cheat glitched?
Only when another deduction notification appeared did Lin Yi realize what was happening.
This thing charged by the second. Ten coins every second!
At ten coins per second, his 5,000 Destiny Talisman Coins would last less than nine minutes!
If you see an ad asking, "Are you a True Person?" just ignore it and close it. Do not scan the code or send a text message!
Damn, that was fast!
But Lin Yi clearly couldn't worry about that right now.
A baby's nervous system was naturally fragile; he needed to sleep to grow. After being awake for just this short while, Lin Yi's eyelids were already starting to droop.
He'd leave it to fate.
With that final thought, Lin Yi promptly fell asleep.
One breath.
Two breaths.
Three breaths.
Time passed as their gazes remained locked, until Lin Yi slowly closed his eyes.
The scene grew awkward for a moment.
The old midwife noticed that something seemed off, too. She smiled ingratiatingly and said, "Miss, isn't the baby adorable..."
"Heh... yes..." Xu Chan gave a faint laugh, her delicate face deathly pale.
Then Xu Chan moved. Holding the baby in her arms, she raised him high. Her once-lovely face turned utterly icy, and a hint of vicious delight showed through.
The next second, she slammed the baby in her arms toward the ground with all her strength!
The ingratiating smile on the old midwife's face froze.
Terror abruptly overtook her wrinkled face!
"Ah!!!"
The old woman let out a piercing scream and stared in terror at the woman on the bed, whose beauty was like that of an immortal. Her body trembled as she backed away, her fingertips quivering as she stammered,
"Y-you're insane!"
She had never heard of such a thing!
Even the fiercest tiger didn't eat its own cubs!
What kind of mother would throw her newborn child to his death?
The old woman didn't dare turn around.
She couldn't bring herself to look at the baby, who must have been crushed into a pile of flesh and blood.
But the next moment, the vicious delight on Xu Chan's face abruptly vanished.
A look of shock flashed across her face. She cried out, "Who is it?!"
The old midwife shakily looked toward where Xu Chan had just thrown the baby.
The beautiful, doll-like baby was safe and sound.
He had somehow come to a strange, complete stop less than ten centimeters above the ground.
The old woman's heart eased.
Boom!!!
The door was suddenly thrown open.
"A newborn child, blessed with such a heaven-given [Destiny]—wouldn't it be a pity to kill him just like that?"
A middle-aged man strode inside, dressed in a gray-white Daoist robe and wearing his hair in a Taiji knot. The left half of his hair was black, the right half gray-white, and his handsome face had an eerie, bewitching quality.
The middle-aged man had barely stepped inside
when, with a boom, a massive fireball slammed down behind him, blasting a huge crater into the ground.
The middle-aged Daoist glanced at the enormous fiery crater behind him, his thoughts complicated.
"Today, I was originally tracking this Meteorite Iron behind me, intending to use it as fine material for refining a weapon."
"But for some reason, just now, this Meteorite Iron suddenly changed course and came crashing down on this little courtyard."
"My fortune is good today. I didn't expect such an unexpected windfall."
"According to my Aura-Observing Technique, this child is surrounded by golden light, and his Aura of Fortune rises like a dragon straight into the heavens. There's no doubt he's awakened a powerful Destiny."
"My body was already nearing the end of its lifespan. I recently obtained a Possession Pill, and now an excellent vessel has come right to my door. Heaven truly is helping me!"
The middle-aged man stared fixedly at the baby floating less than ten centimeters above the ground, greed flashing in his eyes.
"Who are you?" Xu Chan frowned, pulling her clothes around herself.
With a lift of her hand, the Cyan-White Jade Sword hanging nearby flew straight into her grasp.
The middle-aged man chuckled. "Corpse Puppet Path, Jiang Mingsi."
Xu Chan's pupils contracted.
Jiang Mingsi, a sixth-rank Corpse Puppet Path cultivator, was notorious for his strange methods. In the demonic sects, he was known as the "Corpse-Dissecting Daoist," a powerful figure whose fame had risen rapidly of late.
Under ordinary circumstances, Xu Chan reckoned she wouldn't fear him. But she had just given birth, and all her cultivation and talents had been poured into this wretched child... Right now, she was probably no match for him.
Jiang Mingsi saw her apprehension, too. He raised a hand and drew the baby toward him, and the child instantly floated into his arms.
"Give that wretch back to me!" Xu Chan cried furiously.
Jiang Mingsi chuckled, speaking lazily.
"Don't worry. Since you want the child dead, I'm always happy to help. No need for you to go to the trouble—I'll do it for you."
As he spoke, he gently prodded the baby's cheek with a fingertip. "Tsk, tsk. Little one, your mother wants you dead. You can't blame me for that..."
When he finished, Jiang Mingsi looked at Xu Chan. "Miss, I'll grant your dearest wish. But first, you'll have to go ahead of him. After that, I'll send the child down to keep you company. Don't worry. We seekers of the Dao value honesty and keeping our word above all else."
Jiang Mingsi was no righteous cultivator, so naturally he made a habit of wiping out every last trace.
As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his hand. A streak of blood-red True Qi shot from his sleeve straight at Xu Chan.
Crack!
A crisp shattering sound rang out, and the roof above the room broke apart.
A clear sword cry followed, and a moonlight-like True Qi swept through the air, forcibly cutting off the streak of blood-red True Qi.
"Elder sister, I've finally found you."
A light, icy voice came from the hole in the roof. A woman stepped through the air toward them. Her skin was smooth as jade, her face exquisitely beautiful, and her features carried a wintry elegance. Her white dress lent her the air of an immortal.
It was Xu Chan's younger sister, Xu Shuangshuang, who had come looking for her.
Seeing her, Xu Chan ignored her own weakness and hurriedly shouted up at her sister, "Quick! Get that wretch back first!"
Xu Shuangshuang froze. She glanced toward the doorway, only to find that Jiang Mingsi, who had been standing there with the baby in his arms, had already disappeared.
Before you continue