gentle beast

2

The sky was still bright one second, and the next, it was night.

Ji Xiao Ou raised her head, and there were bright stars scattered across the heavens above. Every star in the sky was clear and incomparable.

A radiant meteor streaked across the sky, then vanished at the edge of the horizon. Beautiful as a fairy tale she had read as a child.

It was a pity Ji Xiao Ou wasn’t in the frame of mind to appreciate this kind of beauty, her entire heart still stunned to the core.

There was no transition whatsoever between day and night, the sky turned black abruptly.

Could it be that there was no sunset here? No dusk?

There was not enough time to ponder these questions, Ji Xiao Ou forced her shock down to the bottom of her heart. Borrowing the sparse starlight from overhead, she found a large tree that wasn’t short or thin.

Groping about for half the day, Ji Xiao Ou removed a carabiner and climbing rope from her backpack. This ought to be the belongings of Sports Committee member, Chen Bin. Ji Xiao Ou remembered that he had traveled before and said he used to go mountain climbing. Now that they had appeared in her bag, Ji Xiao Ou owned Chen Bin the five flavors.

Because, thanks to these two things, Ji Xiao Ou could climb the tree smoothly and spend the night safe and sound.

The temperature was somewhat lower at night, but luckily Ji Xiao Ou’s space contained both a blanket and a sleeping bag.

Ji Xiao Ou deliberately set her alarm clock to 5:30 A.M. because she wanted to confirm that yesterday evening was not an illusion.

There was no sunset, would there be a sunrise?

With eyes wide, she waited until 5:59, but everything before her was still pitch black. However, when the minute and second hands struck 6, it was as though large hands tore open a heavy curtain. There wasn’t the slightest sign of dawn.

Sunlight suddenly leaked through the thick leaves and sprinkled over Ji Xiao Ou’s head.

Ji Xiao Ou sat stunned on the tree branch, her eyes narrowing into a squint at the piercing pain of adapting to the sudden light

Opening her eyes again to gaze at the sun-illuminated forest, Ji Xiao Ou turned this mystery over for a very long time.

This place really was baffling, from yesterday to now, she still had several doubts. Ji Xiao Ou tried to compel herself to think deeply, but with this scene before her, how could she tell herself to be calm?

Where on earth was there a place without dusk or dawn?

Where does the day and night alternate as distinctly as the Jīng River?

Was she ignorant, or had she come to another world?

This idea flashed through her mind, and Ji Xiao Ou’s body stiffened.

An early morning breeze danced along the treetops and rose goose bumps along her arms.

If that were true. . .