Transformation

Yun Xian hesitated for a moment, then slowly raised her hand and pressed "Yes."

In the next second, the screen flickered, and a brand-new marketplace interface appeared before her eyes. The design was simple and clean, with categories clearly marked.

The marketplace was divided into several sections, but most of the slots were grayed out. Yun Xian’s gaze landed on a few items that were lit up:

• [Body Strengthening Elixir] (35 points)
• [Basic Weapon: Crossbow] (40 points)
• [Basic Recovery Solution] (25 points)

Tentatively, she clicked on the “Body Strengthening Elixir.” Immediately, a detailed description popped up on the screen:

[Body Strengthening Elixir]
• Function: Expels toxins from the body, comprehensively enhances physical functions including agility, strength, and endurance.
• Usage: Must be diluted with water and soaked for two hours.
• Side effects: Severe pain during use.
• Price: 35 points

Yun Xian stared at the item description, silently weighing her options for a long while. Finally, biting her lip, she pressed the exchange button.

[Exchange Successful!]

A prompt appeared on the screen as a faint glow floated in front of her. Then, a bottle of green potion materialized in her hand out of thin air.

She stared blankly at the potion in her hand, her fingertips gently caressing the smooth surface of the bottle, half doubting that it was real.

After a moment, the marketplace interface retracted, the transparent screen gradually faded away, and the elevator returned to silence.

---

Yun Xian lowered her eyes, fixated on the potion in her hand. The halo of light reflecting from the bottle danced in her pupils. She tightened her grip slightly, but her thoughts surged like a tidal wave.

A soft “ding” sound shattered the silence, snapping her back to reality.

Her body trembled slightly as she looked up toward the slowly opening elevator doors. The scene before her froze her in place—it was the very spot where she had met with the car accident, captured in a single frozen moment.

The car that had struck her remained parked there, its headlights fixed in the rain without flickering. Pedestrians in the distance were motionless, caught mid-stride in their hurried pace. Raindrops hung suspended in the air, crystal-clear and scattered like shattered glass before her eyes.

Standing at the elevator threshold, Yun Xian felt her throat tighten. She clenched her fists, hesitated briefly, then slowly stepped out into the rain.

The instant her foot touched the ground, the world seemed to press the “play” button again. Rainwater suddenly poured down, pattering loudly on the pavement and splashing countless tiny droplets.

The engine of the car roared abruptly, and the vehicle that had hit her began to move slowly. The driver frowned deeply, as if just coming to from a daze. He scratched his head in confusion, adjusted the steering wheel, and drove off directly.

The surrounding pedestrians resumed their movement, hurrying through the rain. No one noticed Yun Xian standing abruptly in the middle of the street. Occasionally, a few puzzled glances swept over her, but they quickly passed.

Yun Xian glanced back; the elevator had vanished. She looked down at herself—her clothes were drenched, raindrops quietly trickling from the tips of her hair.

She took a deep breath, quickened her pace toward the roadside, crouched down, and picked up the umbrella she had dropped earlier.

The handle was cool to the touch, yet it seemed to retain a trace of her former warmth. Her gaze unconsciously fell on the green potion in her hand. The bottle radiated a faint heat, making it hard for her to distinguish whether what had just happened was reality or a surreal dream.

The evening breeze carried the rain with it, causing Yun Xian to shiver involuntarily. She opened the umbrella and stepped briskly toward her rented room.

Yun Xian lived on the top floor of an old residential building in the urban village—a cramped, makeshift room constructed with corrugated metal. The slippery stairs and rusty handrails were like a microcosm of the city's outskirts. The hallway was cluttered with debris, emitting a musty odor.

She pushed open the door to a room so narrow it felt suffocating: a thin iron bed squeezed into a corner, a few scattered trinkets on the bedside cabinet; in the center stood a square table piled with towering stacks of old books and bills. The only window was patched with several pieces of transparent tape, through which the wind sneaked in, stirring the grimy curtain.

There was no bathroom inside. Carrying a plastic bucket, Yun Xian went downstairs to the outdoor faucet. Cold water dripped from the rusted spout, splashing rhythmically against the bucket’s side, the chill creeping up her wrist to her fingertips.

Back in her room, she closed the door and gripped the potion bottle tightly, her fingertips whitening.

Standing by the bucket, she fixed her gaze on the bottle, her expression laden with complexity. After a moment, she exhaled deeply and slowly unscrewed the cap.

---

She poured the green liquid into the bucket, blending it with the clear water. A faint medicinal aroma wafted up, mingling with the damp scent of rain, creating a strange smell that made her frown.

Hesitating, Yun Xian stared at the water in the bucket, her fingers curling at her sides, unconsciously twisting the edge of her shirt. Finally, she bit her lip, shed her soaked clothes, closed her eyes, curled her frail body, and slowly lowered herself into the bucket.

The biting cold touched her skin first, followed by a piercing agony that struck like countless needles stabbing deep into her marrow, or like scorching flames spreading through her flesh and blood.

She clutched the bucket’s rim tightly, curling into a tight ball as cold sweat dripped from her forehead into the water. “Ah...” she murmured softly, striving to suppress the pain deep in her throat.

Her body trembled violently in the cold water, her consciousness growing hazy. Fragmented images surfaced in her mind: her childhood, the car that hit her, the eerie elevator, endless fleeing, until her parents’ faces gradually appeared clearly in the depths of her memory. She bit down hard, her gaze growing ever more resolute.

Time passed sluggishly. The searing pain slowly subsided. Yun Xian slumped in the bucket, breathing heavily, her body utterly drained and weak.

Yet at the same time, an unprecedented strength quietly surged within her, like a trickling stream swiftly spreading to every limb and sinew.

Grasping the bucket’s edge, she slowly stood up. The icy liquid slid down her skin and dripped onto the floor with faint sounds.

Taking a deep breath, Yun Xian felt an unparalleled lightness and comfort flow through her entire being. The long-accumulated soreness and fatigue deep within her body vanished, and she felt as if reborn.

Raising her hand, she was astonished to find her previously rough skin now smooth and fair. The small scars on the back of her hand had mysteriously disappeared.

Looking down at her body, the coarse calluses on her elbows caused by constant friction had smoothed out as if new. Most incredible of all, the small pigmented spots left by allergies on her waist had vanished completely.

Her breath quickened involuntarily. Her gaze fell on the small round mirror on the table. Hesitating, she picked it up. The face reflected in the glass stunned her instantly—

It was her face, yet somehow, it was not.