EBE Chapter 1 A Twist of Fate
Chapter 1 A Twist of Fate
Parallel worlds, unrelated, don't relate, empty your mind.
[Ding ding ding!!]
Congratulations!
[Congratulations, host, on winning the grand prize in this round of the 3,000 parallel worlds' 60-year lucky draw!]
Ning Xiaoxi felt a wave of dizziness and her head was spinning. She struggled to open her eyes and looked around, only to find herself in a terrifying execution ground.
She was surrounded by rows of people dressed in various ancient costumes, their faces filled with despair and fear, and low sobs could be heard from them. She was also kneeling with her hands tied behind her back, and the awkward position caused her wrists to ache.
In the distance, the executioner raised his blade and brought down heads one after another, gushing hot blood onto the ground, the heavy stench of blood filling the air, and everything in sight was red.
Ning Xiaoxi stared in horror at the severed head that had rolled in front of her. The spray of blood irritated her nerves. The dead man's unclosed, terrified eyes stared straight at her. An indescribable fear surged into her heart, her teeth chattered uncontrollably, and her stomach churned.
This...this is the grand prize?! The reward is for me to immediately become a victim of the blade? And under such a shocking visual impact? She seemed to understand somewhat how the original owner of this body had died.
"Xiao Xi, no, no, don't be afraid, no, no, don't be afraid~" A pale-faced woman kneeling beside her on the execution ground murmured repeatedly, trying to hold back her tears. It was unclear whether she was comforting herself or Ning Xiao Xi.
If your voice wasn't trembling so badly, I would believe you weren't afraid. Ning Xiaoxi forced a smile, but couldn't manage to manage it.
"Snap, puff puff~"
"Bang! Bang... Bang! Bang..."
The head was severed from the neck and fell to the ground, the sound of it rolling echoing through the air.
The heart-wrenching cries emanating from the entire execution ground also reached Ning Xiaoxi's ears. Cries of injustice, shouts of cursing, and wails resounded through the sky, as if stimulated by the rolling heads, finally making these people understand what they were about to face.
A cold wind blew by, and scattered snowflakes fell from the sky, slowly covering the ground with a layer of white.
Ning Xiaoxi could see that the woman kneeling on the left was muttering incessantly but hadn't broken down or cried out. The woman kneeling on the right was a petite girl with a burly build and loose hair, clenching her teeth tightly and closing her eyes. She was clearly afraid, yet she was trying hard not to tremble. But this suppressed fear was more contagious, making people shudder even more.
【System, come out here, I won't hit you!】 Ning Xiaoxi ground her molars.
[System upgrade in progress.........]
Ning Xiaoxi almost spat out a mouthful of blood. Damn it, are you kidding me?!
"Imperial decree has arrived~" Just as Ning Xiaoxi was complaining in her heart, a sharp voice came, and the sound of light footsteps quickly crossed the square and arrived at the executioner's side.
"Imperial Edict: Upon investigation, Ning Shi, Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Zhao Yao, Imperial Physician, Feng Yuliang, Compiler of the Hanlin Academy, and Zhou Liangwu, Assistant Minister of the Military Equipment Academy, were found guilty of accomplices in a crime. Their three clans (paternal, paternal, and paternal) are hereby exiled to Fufang County, north of Youzhou. For three generations, these three clans are forbidden from holding official positions."
The sudden imperial decree caused everyone around to collapse to the ground. Ning Xiaoxi was stunned for a moment, then unconsciously let out a long breath. This... this means she doesn't have to die.
[Ding ding ding]
[Congratulations, host, on winning the grand prize in this round of the 3,000 Parallel Worlds Sixty-Year Lucky Draw! Please accept your prize gift package!]
A cheerful voice rang in Ning Xiaoxi's ears, accompanied by Ning Xiaoxi's favorite cute little voice.
Ning Xiaoxi chuckled softly, ignoring the foolish system.
The voice reading the imperial edict continued beside the execution platform, but Ning Xiaoxi stopped listening. She was the legitimate daughter of Ning Shi, an official in the Ministry of Rites, and was among those pardoned from the death penalty.
The tears that had been welling up in the woman's eyes finally fell. "Xiaoxi, we don't have to die. It's alright, it's alright."
Ning Xiaoxi looked at her, and finally managed a smile, but when she saw the two bold black characters "Your Mother" above the woman's head, her smile vanished.
"Mom, it's alright." A few words were squeezed out through clenched teeth, followed by a continuous grinding sound. The moment Ning Xiaoxi called out "Mom," the two bold characters slowly disappeared.
The shrill voice reading the imperial edict finally stopped, and squads of sword-wielding guards walked in from the edge of the execution ground, heading towards the rows of kneeling prisoners.
The wailing, which had temporarily ceased due to the reading of the imperial edict, erupted again in an instant. Some who had previously held back their tears and cries broke down in sobs. Families who had not received the edict continued to line up to be beheaded; they had lost even their last shred of hope.
Ning Xiaoxi dared not listen carefully to those sounds, nor did she want to be thankful that she had escaped this beheading disaster, after all, the real suffering was just beginning.
Who knows who will be lucky?
"Ning Shi, Zhao Yao, Feng Yuliang, Zhou Liangwu and their families, come over here." Hearing Ning Shi's name amidst the chaotic shouts, Xiao Xi's mother stood up and lifted her up by the shoulder, "Quick, Xiao Xi, get up, get up."
With her hands tied behind her back, it was difficult for Ning Xiaoxi to get up. She stood up with her mother's help, but her legs, which were numb from kneeling, almost made her fall down again. She stumbled before regaining her balance.
Two men, one tall and one short, came over to the woman. "Wife, Xiaoxi, are you alright? We'll come over quickly."
Above the tall man's head were also bold black characters that read "Your Dad".
Above the short man's head were also bold black characters: "Your Brother".
Ning Xiaoxi was too exhausted to complain about this damn system, and quickly followed her parents to the bailiff who called their names.
Soon, the four families, numbering several dozen people, gathered around the constable. The constable, after checking the official documents in his hand and counting the heads, shouted, "Follow me!"
The families exchanged glances and then silently followed the bailiffs out of the execution ground.
Ning Xiaoxi followed behind her mother, listening to the continuous wailing behind her, and could only quicken her pace, not daring to listen to the "plop plop" sound anymore.
After leaving the execution ground, the guards walked along the street, where crowds of people pointed and whispered as they watched the procession of prisoners emerge.
Along the way, more and more constables joined the procession with their men. Gradually, the number of people increased, yet all remained silent. There were no heart-wrenching cries or wailing; everyone seemed to have tacitly accepted their crimes, and regardless of age or gender, they all tried their best to maintain their last shred of dignity. Occasionally, a child would burst into tears, but these were quickly suppressed.
The snow was falling heavier and heavier; it was truly remarkable that the people gathered on the street still had the leisure to watch the spectacle amidst the heavy snow.
At first, Ning Xiaoxi hadn't recovered from the fear of the execution ground. After walking for a while, she started to feel uncomfortable. She was just an ordinary, unremarkable person who only wanted to live her uneventful life quietly, nothing more than lying in bed and sleeping in. Who on earth had such unique eyes that they chose her from among the masses?
February in the capital was still bitterly cold. As a daughter of an official family, she should have been enjoying a warm indoor space, sitting by the fireplace, sipping tea and reading. The sudden raid on their home caught the Ning family completely off guard. Ning Xiaoxi hadn't even had time to have her maid put on a thicker outer garment before her hands were bound and she was pushed to the execution ground. Recalling her original owner's memories, she felt she was the most absurd of all her transmigrated friends.
A light yellow brocade jacket with a front opening, paired with a lake-green pleated skirt, is a fresh and elegant outfit indoors, but outdoors it's beautifully freezing.
The embroidered shoes had no thick soles, and they quickly became soaked with snow as she walked in the snow. The cold dampness seeped into the shoes, and Ning Xiaoxi's feet slowly became numb and lost all feeling. Now, she couldn't feel anything when she put her foot down; it felt as light as if she were walking on wood.
Ning Xiaoxi hunched her shoulders, trying her best to keep her teeth chattering. Looking at her mother in front of her, she was relieved to see that her mother was wearing a large coat meant for guests. Although it wasn't very thick, it had at least a cotton lining that could protect her from some of the wind and snow.
Because Ning Xiaoxi had ignored the foolish system, she only received some of the original owner's memories. For a thirteen-year-old daughter of an official, all her memories were of learning to read at five, studying etiquette and music at six, embroidery and numerology at seven, playing the zither and tea ceremony at eight, painting and managing household affairs at nine, and adding horseback riding and archery at ten. Now at thirteen, she was already proficient in all the arts—zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting—and the rest was just a matter of constantly honing and improving her skills.
Reflecting on this series of tasks, Ning Xiaoxi couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement. Was this something a human could do? For someone like her who had already won a million-dollar lottery prize, interest was the essence of life; working herself to the bone was unreliable!
It seems the Great Xia Dynasty is relatively lenient towards women; at least her father is attentive to her education. However, she's far too timid. It's also possible the system didn't even consult the original owner's opinion and simply forced her to abdicate.
Looking up at the dim sky, she saw snowflakes fluttering down her face, landing on her cheeks and quickly melting into icy water, gradually numbing her face.
Ning Xiaoxi quickly lowered her head, tears streaming down her face.
[Ding ding ding]
[Congratulations, host, on winning the grand prize in this round of the 3,000 Parallel Worlds Sixty-Year Lucky Draw! Please accept your prize gift package!]