Coiling Dragon - Book 21 – The Peak - Chapter 21 – Outside of One’s Expectations

Her step-sister just died three months ago. Now, she insists on marrying Chu Lui, who is supposed to be her future brother-in-law, the mind behind the Chu Enterprise. The world is sure that she, the new bride-to-be, had caused her step-sister’s death in order to seduce him.

Even her own mother says to her cruelly, “Don’t call me ‘Mom’. I don’t have a daughter as vicious as you.”

- Description from Novelupdates

After dying unexpectedly, she was reborn as a ten-year-old little girl in an ancient farming family, with barely a few rooms in her house and even fewer acres of land, not to mention a household of the old, weak, sick, and disabled.Fortunately, the elders in the family were kind and honest, her brothers loving and good-natured, and the neighbors harmonious and friendly. For Yang Mengchen, who had suffered from her relatives' torment and endured all sorts of mockery and scolding since she was young, this was truly a blessing from heaven.To support the family she loved, she resolutely took on the heavy responsibility of providing for them. If she, a modern corporate CEO who had once dominated the business world, couldn't feed a family, then who could?Pharmaceutical recipes, building greenhouses, opening storefronts... Not only did her family start living a comfortable and prosperous life, but she also led the surrounding villages in creating a magnificent pastoral scene!With money and fame, as she grew up, Yang Mengchen decided it was time to choose a husband, and thus, young talents from around the world began to flock to her.Who knew a grim-faced god of death would be blocking the entrance to the Yang family's home?“You're too tall, you're too short, you're too fat, you're too skinny, you're too dark, you're too pale, you're uneducated, you're deceitful and sly... All eliminated!”In a moment, the entrance was empty, and Yang Mengchen was instantly furious, “Prince, you've driven everyone away. How am I supposed to choose a husband now?”“I would like to see who dares to marry you. I wouldn't mind sending him to the Underworld as a groom!”Yang Mengchen...A certain Prince counted his merits on his fingers: “I have power, prestige, and substance, no concubines, no secret love affairs, no gallivanting— I embody the standards of a husband's three obediences and four virtues... In short, only I, this unparalleled good man, am worthy of you!”The guards: Oh wise and valiant Prince, is it really good to be so lacking in your role as a husband?

“Nine Heavens cast down the Undying Tree, from the tomb the Immortal's bones were fetched;Taoist Venerable tut-tutted as they drank blood plasma, Old Buddha relished in the chew of meat;Beasts and livestock rang the Dharma Drum, city foxes and hole-dwelling rats boiled in the pot;In the Immortality Wine, the resentful spirits were fishy, at the Killing Banquet, the Dao Fruit was bitter!”In this world where Daoist Skill manifested, countless Sect Cultivators, Side Door Magicians, princes and scholars, officials of high rank and nobles all coveted immortality!Owl God Tomb, stealing heavenly secrets, Pearl Gathering Skill, Holy Infant Pill, bone effigies, Yin God Shrine, human-transformed monsters, Undying Elixir, Red Line Poison, Blood Immortal insects, Mermaid Meat, gold-threaded robes, Five Poisons Primordial Spirit, Seven Star Life Extension...They killed and harmed life only to steal the “Killing Dao Fruit” borne upon that Undying Tree!Until... a sly “Fishing Man” came to this world.Wang Yuan, born with the Small Book of Life and Death, had but a simple and unadorned dream:Amid bustling strings and smoky vistas, on a night bathed in moonlight, in peace and quiet did I lean on the rail, savoring the wind, toasting to the stars.With his “Bride in bridal clothes,” watching the sunrise at Taishan in the morning, admiring Qionghua in Luoyang at noon, and drinking under the aurora by the North Sea in the evening.“But you all smell so incredibly fragrant!No more, none shall escape, for today I shall crowdfund Cultivating Immortality! Please... my treasure, turn around!”The blood-red veil of the Bride abruptly fluttered to the ground.

Ethan's head throbbed violently as he opened his eyes, his vision hazy and unfocused. A dull ringing filled his ears, drowning out his thoughts.“What’s happening…?” he thought, his mind sluggish, struggling to catch up with reality. One moment, he was asleep—or at least, he thought he was—and the next, searing pain forced him awake.His vision swam, shapes blurring together in a disorienting mess. But then, muffled noises filtered through the haze—frantic, panicked sounds. Someone was trying to scream, their voice smothered, choked by something.A cold shiver ran down his spine.As his sight gradually sharpened, Ethan's breath hitched.He was on all fours, looming over someone. A girl.Her body twisted and writhed beneath him, ropes biting into her wrists and ankles. Her mouth was gagged, muffling her cries. Her wide brown eyes, brimming with fear and fury, glared up at him.Ethan's body locked in place, his blood running cold.“What the…?” His mind reeled, thoughts slamming into each other in chaotic disarray. “What kind of bizarre dream is this?”Panic clawed at his chest. His breath came in ragged, uneven gasps as he scrambled backward, only to realize his limbs felt sluggish, uncooperative, like they didn’t belong to him.“Is this… is this some kind of twisted fantasy I never knew I had?” A sickening thought slithered through his mind, making his stomach churn.The girl's frantic squirming slowed for a moment, her gaze flickering with confusion as she took in his expression—his trembling hands, his wide, horrified eyes. But the fear returned just as quickly. She struggled harder, her body arching, her muffled screams rising in pitch.Ethan wanted to speak, to say something, anything, but before he could force out a word, a glowing blue window materialized before his eyes.His breath caught.A translucent, hovering screen?“What…?”Lines of glowing text scrolled across its surface.---[System Activated…][Host Confirmed.][Simulating Previous Data…]Ethan awakens in a mysterious world, shackled by a curse that clouds his judgment and drives him toward choices he never wished to make. Burdened by guilt and responsibility, he must navigate the fallout of his actions while unraveling the truth behind the curse—and his place in this enigmatic new reality.