Bai Fan looked at the pure Ethereal Crystal in her hand and felt as if she still hadn’t fully woken from a dream.
With the ability to purify this crystal, the debts left by her parents could soon be cleared.
She examined the Ethereal Crystal in her hand for a moment, then carefully put it away.
“What are you going to do with this Ethereal Crystal?”
“Sell it on the black market, of course. I need money, and I owe a lot of people.”
The Snow-haired Girl’s face showed curiosity.
“How much can it sell for?”
“I’m not sure, but with this purity, it should fetch at least several million credits.”
Seeing her excitement, the Snow-haired Girl swallowed her words and changed her approach.
“Get some good rest.”
“No need! My spirit is excellent!”
Having just succeeded in the experiment and discovered she could purify Ethereal Crystals, it was hard not to be excited.
“Is that so?” The Snow-haired Girl’s expression was meaningful.
Bang!
Suddenly, Bai Fan’s vision spun, her sight went dark, and she collapsed onto the table.
She held her head and lifted it slowly.
‘Pain… My vision is still blurred, my ears are ringing, and an indescribable fatigue surges from the marrow of my bones.’
She felt her head become unbearably heavy.
“What’s… happening to me?” Her voice was hoarse.
“You haven’t fully awakened as an Ascender yet. Using your Perception now will naturally drain your spirit.”
“Will it damage my body?”
“I won’t let you damage your body either. Rest for a while and your spirit will recover.”
Bai Fan breathed a sigh of relief. Good, it was just a matter of sleeping.
“Then I’ll take a shower and go to rest.”
“Evening news reporting…”
“Huh?” She turned her head and realized that her earlier fall had hit the power button on the TV remote.
The screen lit up, and the news broadcast filled the room.
“At around 3:00 PM today, a serious traffic accident occurred at the Waste Recycling Station on the outskirts of Lincheng City. A runaway freight truck crashed into the service road, colliding with the outer wall of a roadside building. The front of the truck was severely deformed, and the driver died on the spot.”
“According to reports, the driver of this vehicle was named Xiang Tao, 37 years old, and worked as a local freight driver. Investigations by relevant departments indicate that the driver was in poor physical condition, with red and swollen eyes, a thin figure, and suffered from mild delusions.”
“Preliminary inference suggests that the direct cause of the accident was driver fatigue. Fortunately, there were no other casualties at the scene. Further investigations are ongoing. The traffic department reminds all residents…”
Bai Fan stared at the TV screen, still holding the remote.
‘Was this the very accident that nearly happened to me this afternoon?’
‘What bad luck… I just narrowly escaped death, and fate seems unsatisfied with having stepped on me, needing to add another kick.’
‘But… since I’ve already hit rock bottom, no matter which way I go from now on, it should be upward.’
She slowly tightened her grip on the White Jade in her hand.
Her fingers touched the remote buttons, intending to turn off the TV, but paused without pressing.
“We interrupt this broadcast with breaking news. The deceased mentioned in the previous accident report, driver Xiang Tao, has gone missing from his body while being transported to the funeral home.”
“According to the escorts, there was nothing unusual during the drive, but when they arrived and opened the compartment, they found the spot where the body had been stored empty, leaving only unknown bloodstains at the scene.”
“Currently, the police have sealed off the scene and are conducting an investigation. This station will continue to follow up on this matter.”
After the anchor finished, the screen flickered slightly, as if affected by some signal interference.
Bai Fan stared at the subtitle “body goes missing,” a chill creeping up her back.
‘What exactly happened?’
She suddenly felt that the truck that nearly hit her might not have been just a simple accident.
But without more information, imagining things here was useless.
Bai Fan turned off the TV, grabbed her clothes, and walked toward the bathroom.
The fluorescent lamp hummed.
She looked up and saw the person in the mirror.
“No… How did I become like this?”
It wasn’t her fault for being slow to notice. She had just returned from Hell, nearly been crushed into noodles by a truck on the road, and then had to try to awaken her ability. When would she have had the time to care about what face she had?
Now, a young girl stood in the mirror before her.
An oval face, azure blue eyes that reminded one of a clear sky, snow-white long hair flowing past her waist, glistening with a cold luster under the light.
Her skin was almost translucent white, her collarbones exquisite as if carved.
Her waist was so slender it could be encircled by one arm; her legs were long, the curve from hip to ankle flowing like mercury.
She stared at the mirror, her face gradually turning red.
Not out of shyness—well, maybe a little.
But more than that, it was a sense of absurdity. This body seemed like a work of art meticulously crafted by the creator over a long time, while her soul seemed like something picked up casually from the roadside and forced inside.
Now, facing this fact again.
“This… is too ridiculous.” She heard her own soft voice, like a feather.
A figure silently coalesced behind her.
“Dear little sister, shocked by your own beauty?”
Bai Fan’s back stiffened. She spun around abruptly.
“Ah! Why are you again? You’re not allowed to suddenly appear behind me!”
The Snow-haired Girl tilted her head, smiling like a cat that had stolen a fish.
“Well, hasn’t dear little sister gotten used to this appearance yet? Need me to share some girl experience?”
Bai Fan felt her face burning. She subconsciously raised her arm to cover her chest.
“Go away! Peeping tom!”
“What’s there to be shy about.” The girl’s tone was light. “When you were little, you used to pester me to take baths together.”
Bai Fan’s brain short-circuited for 0.3 seconds.
‘A nonexistent image forced its way into my consciousness like a pirated disc—a little girl clinging to her waist, stubbornly insisting on bathing together.’
‘She’s making up random settings again!’
“Stop bullshitting me! Pervert, get out!”
The Snow-haired Girl sighed.
“You used to be so clingy. How come you’ve become so distant all of a sudden? Is it adolescent rebellion?”
Bai Fan’s face temperature continued to rise, heat spreading from the base of her neck to her ear tips.
“Come any closer, and I’ll… I’ll…”
She opened her mouth but found she couldn’t utter any threatening words.
The Snow-haired Girl looked at her, the curve of her mouth slowly softening.
Although teasing her felt good, she was already bristling. If she continued to ignore her feelings, she might really bite.
“Alright.” The Snow-haired Girl’s voice softened, her form fading like mist in the air. “I’ll go out and give you some privacy.”
Bai Fan stared at where she had vanished, suspicion still on her face.
‘She said she was going out, but who knew if she really had? Maybe she just changed angles and was hiding in the shadows, still smiling as she watched.’
“Are you really gone?”
“Of course.” The Snow-haired Girl carried a soft hint of laughter. “If I want to see you, I never hide it.”
On the surface, that sounded like pervert talk, but intuition told Bai Fan that she wasn’t lying.
She secretly breathed a sigh of relief and looked back at herself in the mirror.
Snow-white hair, blue eyes.
They looked very similar. If an outsider saw them, they might really think they were sisters.
‘Was this the reason she had always unapologetically called herself the older sister?’
Strangely, Bai Fan didn’t dislike this feeling.
But in her memory, there had never been such an older sister. She was genuinely an only child.
Then who was she?
Bai Fan didn’t continue thinking about it.
She looked again at the beautiful young girl’s body in the mirror. The feeling of flushed embarrassment had gradually faded.
To be honest, this body was very good-looking. It would be a lie to say she hated it.
But… She gently raised her hand, fingertips touching the cold mirror.
If they come back, will they still recognize me?
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