Sludge suction system

After listening to the old man's words, Hua Yu was filled with doubt and a bit of fear. She thought to herself, "Could it be that my identity has been discovered, or that this expert has discovered Xiao Zha's existence?"

With a mix of trepidation and excitement, Hua Yu followed the old man into the woods. The woods were eerily quiet, save for the rustling of leaves in the wind. Unable to contain herself, Hua Yu asked, "Old man, what brings you here?" The old man merely smiled mysteriously and remained silent.

The old man slowly approached Hua Yu, his gaze deep as he said, “Young lady, I just observed your aura and sensed that you are extraordinary. Your soul is incomplete, as if you have lost important fragments of the past. Moreover, deep within your soul, there is a unique totem mark, which holds hidden mysteries and seems to be telling a story from a long time ago.”

Hua Yu looked alarmed and confused, and hurriedly asked, "Old man, what do you mean? Why is my soul incomplete, and how did I get that totem mark?" The old man shook his head slightly, his expression solemn: "Young lady, this may be related to your past and present lives. That totem mark may be a remnant of some kind of bond or mission from your past life. The incomplete soul may also be due to a great upheaval in your past life, causing damage to your soul and the dissipation of some memories and power. If you want to understand the truth, you may need to search for traces of your past life. Perhaps in some mysterious corner of this world, you can find the opportunity to repair your soul and decipher the mark."

Hua Yu's eyes revealed a hint of fear and confusion as she looked at the old man and said, "Old man, how should we explore our past lives? Where should we begin?" The old man pondered for a moment and said, "Young lady, the journey is arduous and unpredictable. You can start with ancient ruins and legendary sacred sites. Perhaps you can find some clues there and uncover the secrets deep within your soul."

"Ancient ruins, a legendary sacred land? Where am I supposed to find this totem fragment? What should I do?" Hua Yu muttered to himself, looking down. When he looked up, he found that the old man standing opposite him had disappeared at some point.

Hua Yu was even more puzzled at this point, so she had no choice but to call out to Xiao Zha.

"Little scum, little scum, I need your help!" A transparent panel appeared in Hua Yu's mind.

“Host, I’m here.” The panel suddenly lit up.

"Xiao Zha, what are you hiding from me? Why was I chosen by you? And what about the totem? Explain yourself!" Hua Yu was clearly angry.

"Host, don't get agitated, let me explain slowly." Xiao Zha patiently soothed Hua Yu in a mechanical voice.

"Host! In truth, you are no ordinary person, but a wondrous artifact spirit. Your past life was a renowned ancient artifact—the Xuan Tian Mirror! This Xuan Tian Mirror possessed extraordinary abilities, specifically designed to expose the demons and evil spirits hidden in the world. However, during that earth-shattering ancient war, it unfortunately encountered an unfortunate turn of events. An extremely wicked demon stole the Xuan Tian Mirror amidst the chaos and used its unique functions to wreak havoc. That despicable demon even used the Xuan Tian Mirror's ability to change its appearance to deceive innocent and kind women everywhere. The poor Xuan Tian Mirror, unable to endure such evil demonic corruption any longer, ultimately chose to perish with the demon! And I, in fact, am a wisp of the Xuan Tian Mirror's remaining soul." "Consciousness, oh. To find you, I went through countless hardships to transform into this 'Scumbag Absorbing System.' Strangely enough, when the Xuan Tian Mirror developed its own consciousness, just as it was about to be destroyed, it uttered a curse filled with resentment: only by completely severing the lies of all scumbag men in the world can the Xuan Tian Mirror return to the mortal realm. This is what led to the series of events that followed. As for how to awaken the sleeping Xuan Tian Mirror... well, we need to work together to collect twelve mysterious totem fragments! Only by collecting these precious fragments can we successfully awaken the Xuan Tian Mirror and complete this arduous yet important mission!" Little Scumbag rambled on, finally explaining the entire cause and effect of the matter clearly.

"Then how should I find this totem fragment?" Hua Yu asked in astonishment after hearing Xiao Zha's description.

"That depends on the host's luck. You'll only get clues if you complete the missions in this world," Xiao Zha replied coldly.

Hua Yu walked out of the woods dejectedly. Ning Yuan saw Hua Yu looking like she had lost her soul from afar and quickly went up to her, asking, "Yu'er, are you alright? What did that old man say to you?"

"No, it's nothing..." Hua Yu was clearly a little flustered. "The winter solstice is coming soon, let's go back and prepare for what's to come."

"Alright, I'll take you back first." With that, he escorted Hua Yu back to the Hua residence.

Hua Yu returned to her boudoir, lay on the bed, and tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She kept thinking about what the old man had said during the day. How could she solve the mystery of the totem? How could she return to her own world? She missed the food of her modern world so much. "I want to eat fried chicken, hot pot, barbecue..." Hua Yu murmured to herself as she drifted off to sleep. She was just too tired.

In that illusory and mysterious dream, Hua Yu vaguely felt a mirror emitting a strange light appear before her. This mirror looked quite extraordinary; could it be the Xuan Tian Mirror that Xiao Zha had mentioned during the day?

Filled with curiosity and doubt, Hua Yu couldn't help but reach out to touch the mysterious mirror. However, just as she was about to touch the surface, something unexpected happened—the mirror shattered instantly like glass, breaking into twelve fragments of varying sizes and shapes!

These fragments were scattered on the ground, each engraved with a strange totem, as if concealing some unknown secret. Hua Yu cautiously approached to examine them closely, and suddenly, her gaze was drawn to one of the fragments. On this fragment was a pattern of a huge fish, its body flowing and lifelike.

Looking at the giant fish totem, Hua Yu's heart skipped a beat: this was clearly the totem of the Great Fish Kingdom! Could there be some intricate connection between this totem and the royal family? Thinking this, Hua Yu eagerly reached out to pick up the fragment engraved with the giant fish totem and examine it closely. But just then, an even stranger scene unfolded—as if summoned by some mysterious force, all the fragments vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye!

Before Hua Yu could even react to what was happening, an incredibly powerful suction force suddenly struck, pulling her into a bottomless vortex. Hua Yu felt dizzy and breathless, with only the whistling wind in her ears. She struggled desperately to break free from this terrifying force, but all her efforts were in vain.

Finally, with a scream, Hua Yu abruptly opened her eyes, gasping for breath, her forehead already covered in fine beads of sweat. It turned out that everything she had just experienced was nothing more than a nightmare. However, despite this, the enigmatic mystery of the totem still lingered in her mind, leaving her utterly perplexed: "How can I uncover the secret hidden behind this totem?"