In a church, a nun was praying.
A beautiful young girl sat cross-legged on a chair behind her, her posture ungraceful yet exuding a unique charm.
When the nun finished her prayer, she turned and walked to the girl's side, her voice soft and respectful, "My lady, you visit so suddenly, do you have any instructions?"
Xing Yuan frowned slightly, placed her legs on the ground, and rested her hands neatly on her knees. Her tone was casual, yet her words seemed to carry a deep affection, "To see you."
"My lady jokes, what is there to see about me?" the nun replied calmly, her eyes lowered.
Xing Yuan chuckled, glancing sideways at the nun, "Do you really consider yourself just a nun?"
Situ Ying curved her lips and bowed, "If my lady considers herself an ordinary guest, then naturally I am an ordinary nun."
"Tsk!" Xing Yuan sighed lightly, "It's been many years since we last met. I'm troubling you again this time; I need a new identity."
"This time, my lady should find someone else to help! For example, Zhang Can, he has always wanted to do something for you!" Situ Ying replied with a light smile.
"Him?" Xing Yuan frowned displeasively, "He likes to be the child of someone else's dog; I don't like that."
"Zhang Can was also forced into it. Moreover, he is one of the few who knows your secret, my lady. He regards you as a teacher, and he is close by, making him an excellent candidate," Situ Ying persuaded softly.
"How much did he give you to speak so highly of him?" Xing Yuan asked with dissatisfaction.
"Quite a lot! He promised to help me build three more churches. Since my lady knows, I will give you two of them!" Situ Ying said with a smile.
Years of self-cultivation had prevented her from being as impetuous as she once was.
Xing Yuan stared at Situ Ying for a moment, as if judging whether she was telling the truth. After a moment, she shook her head, "Forget it, churches are of no use to me! Give me his address; I'll go find him."
"Alright." Situ Ying became unusually prompt at this point.
As Xing Yuan made her way to find Zhang Can, she recalled her initial arrival in this world.
In this world, she was an exceptionally special existence. She was an immortal, almost indestructible.
She could be harmed by swords and even guns, but her lifespan was nearly infinite, and she would not die. She had even been burned to death as a witch long ago.
Yet, after turning to dust, she had reformed her body after a period and continued to live perfectly well.
Despite this world having no spiritual energy, she simply could not die, making her the most unique being in this world.
At first, it was fine. She even felt fortunate to possess such an ability. But as time passed, this ability, which she once considered a blessing, became a curse.
Everyone she knew died one by one, while her appearance remained almost unchanged, forever in the most beautiful phase of youth.
In this world, she had experienced everything, including love. Now, she felt there was nothing left that could truly capture her attention.
By chance, she discovered a peculiar rare book. Through these books and certain anomalies within herself, she learned the truth: she might be incomplete.
She had known for a long time that her emotions were very shallow, and she always felt a sense of detachment, as if she didn't truly belong to this world.
Initially, she didn't hide her secret. Many people had encountered her, and in their pursuit of the secret to her longevity, they had hunted her down repeatedly.
When she was young and ignorant, she had been confined in a cage, helplessly watching as people conducted various experiments on her.
Later, after dying a few times, she understood the principle that an innocent person is guilty for possessing a treasure.
However, she discovered that each time she resurrected, she paid a price.
Her emotions diminished further, and even her five senses weakened. Perhaps it was an unconscious choice made during her past suffering, but now, she had almost lost the ability to feel pain.
She finally understood a way to live well in this world.
She concealed her identity, faking her death every few years to assume a new one.
This was easy at first, but later her name appeared on the census, and people would collect her body. From then on, changing identities became difficult.
She gradually devised a new method: teaching.
Most people at that time respected teachers. Initially, she misjudged people and was betrayed several times. After resurrecting, she gradually figured things out and eventually developed a method of "brainwashing."
She no longer openly established schools and accepted students. Instead, she sought them out herself. She chose individuals who were either homeless orphans or children who, despite having families, were not favored. These children would not be older than eight years old.
When these children yearned for light, she appeared like a deity, showering them with unconditional love. Through daily interactions, she subtly instilled in them the things she wanted them to understand.
She made these children regard her as their utmost priority from the bottom of their hearts. Occasionally, if a child was inherently incapable of learning these things, she would quietly send them back to where they belonged.
Everything she did was out of her own selfish motives. How could mortals expect a high and mighty deity to cast her gaze upon them?
She did not fear death, for death was meaningless to her. However, with each death, she clearly sensed herself drifting further away from this world, and this was what she truly feared.
So, she made a decision: to use an ancient secret ritual to summon another version of herself from this world. Perhaps then, all the suffering of her life could finally end.
She made the decision and succeeded.
Because her memories were so vast, Xing Yuan took a full month to digest them, but she was influenced by the other self's habits and behaviors.
However, it didn't matter much. Xing Yuan thought, as she met Zhang Can.
He was not old, but strands of white could be seen at his temples. Since joining the puppet army, he was considered a traitor by the world, despised by everyone. The white hair at his temples was likely a result of this.
Upon seeing the two, Zhang Can excitedly rushed over. He nervously pursed his lips, wiped the sweat from his palms with his trousers, and stammered, "T-Teacher, it's been a long time."
Xing Yuan nodded slightly, "I heard you have a good identity here?"
During wartime, a higher status was naturally better, otherwise, survival in such times would be difficult.
Her principle had always been to act discreetly.
"Yes," Zhang Can replied in a low voice, "You will have to endure it for a few days, teacher. The identity I've prepared for you is a piano teacher who has returned from studying abroad."