Ayan was dead.
Ayan died when she was just 14 years old.
The moment she closed her eyes and bid farewell to the world where the strong reigned supreme, she used the last bit of her awareness to briefly look back on her short life.
Looking back, perhaps she could be regarded as a decent person.
She didn't have parents, nor was she given a name. She began to wander around the moment she could crawl and walk.
She had passed through the mountains and rivers of Cloud Continent, having fought against hungry wolves and wild dogs over food.
She had slept in alleys, using only tattered rags and mats to keep her warm. She had just been grumbling about how life was unfair, worrying about which guesthouse she should ask for food from the next day when she ran into an eccentric old man.
The old man was dressed in black, with two tufts of beard growing under his lip.
Under the night sky, she looked at him from a close distance. He seemed like a skinny turtle to her.
As soon as the man saw her, he said, "Little girl, I can see that you have innate talent and you have a great aptitude for cultivation. You are a rare talent in the world. How about this? I'll take you as the Last Disciple and you can follow me back to Mystery Valley to cultivate."
Cultivation?
Ayan had never studied before; she did not understand the word. She only asked, "If I go with you and be the Last Disciple, will I get to have steamed buns?"
The old man was taken aback momentarily by the unexpected question. He answered immediately, "Yes!"
Ayan touched her flat belly with her dirty hands. She smacked her lips and asked, "Will the steamed buns be moldy or spoiled?"
The old man stroked the two beards at the corners of his lips and said, "No."
She replied decisively, "I'll go with you."
......
Therefore, Ayan had followed the old man all the way to Mystery Valley for steamed buns and meals.
Later on, she became the greatest disciple of Mystery Valley because of her extraordinary physique and abnormal talent. At the age of thirteen, she had succeeded the Clan Leader's position of Mystery Valley.
However, sleep became an elusive luxury since she set foot in Mystery Valley.
Ever since the old man forced her to leave Mystery Valley to train at the age of ten, she had been pursued day and night.
The dangerous life lasted for four years.
Four years.
She didn't sleep well throughout the years.
The most comfortable time she had spent was with a boy who was several years younger than her.
That was the most pleasant period of her life.
She had thought of staying there with the boy, but this was before she received the letter from Mystery Valley and before those people started coming after her.
Ayan had never had a peaceful day after taking over Mystery Valley. She was hounded by other sects every day.
On the first day she stepped into Mystery Valley, the old man had told her that the best way to avoid future troubles was to kill everyone who was after her.
Ayan did just that.
She killed more and more people, yet more people still traveled thousands of miles to kill her.
Initially, those who came after her were mere disciples of a certain sect. Eventually, the guardians of those sects followed suit. It was not long before the head of the Eight Main Sects started pursuing after her too.
Then, the heads of Four Grand Clans were alerted.
This time, she went against the four Clan heads single-handedly. Unfortunately, she was at a big disadvantage and the opponents she faced were much more powerful than her.
After retreating and living in seclusion for half a year, everyone said that she was bloodthirsty and would become a dangerous presence in the future.
In the end, Four Grand Clans decided to send their respective Grandmasters to fight her.
However, she had been injured before the battle.
She ended up being dead outside Mystery Valley after fighting against the four Grandmasters.
Ayan thought that she could finally have a good sleep.
However, she was not asleep on a tree on a mountain peak, or on a roof covered with green tiles, or in some unknown cave this time. She was lying in a coffin, lifeless instead.
Her last thought was that if she still had her sense of smell, she should be able to smell the fragrance of the wooden coffin and the smell of the mud covering it.