Rain poured from the sky, drenching the ground. Leaves bent under the downpour as the forest swayed violently in the wind.
The path was muddy from the rain, making it very difficult to traverse.
Even so, soone was running on the path.
The small figure was covered in a coat and a veiled hat. The person looked back occasionally, as though afraid that soone was chasing after them.
A wind blew past and parted the veil a little, revealing Shangguan Yuting’s face. Her face was dripping with rainwater by this point.
Several black tentacles extended out from her clothes to wipe off the rain.
“Hahaha…”
Hearing the laughter behind her, Li Sui felt a surge of panic.
“Shit! Hahaha! After all these years of trying to be a scholar, luck finally smiles on ! To think I’ve stumbled upon a Strayed One!”
The person’s laughter was rough and dissonant, as if it could be seen through wood.
The sound of bell chis could be heard as a strong wind blew past. A massive tree fell in front of Li Sui, blocking her path.
Li Sui turned around and saw the man chasing after her, his form covered with excess flesh. He chuckled. “It’s useless. You’ve taken my drug—you can’t use your techniques as a Strayed One.”
The scars on his scalp betrayed his past as a monk, but the tufts of hair now sprouting from his head revealed he was no longer one.
More importantly, if he were a monk, he wouldn’t be holding onto a butcher’s blade right now.
“Damn, you have a good face! I never played with a Strayed One before.”
“Go away! Don’t co here!”
Li Sui's cries of panic only fueled the man’s excitent.
With a flash of steel, he cut both of Li Sui’s arms off. Blood flowed out as she cried in pain.
“Hahaha! Shout louder! The louder, the better!”
The man chuckled, grabbing Li Sui’s legs and pulling them apart.
However, just as Li Sui’s skirt parted ways, a dense layer of tentacles surged out and enveloped the man’s face.
The man roared angrily as he tore off the tentacles, but Li Sui had a good hold on his face. All the man did in the end was tear his own flesh away.
After traveling alone for so long, Li Sui wasn’t the sa helpless girl she once was.
Although the man was grievously injured, he refused to fall. Murderous intent radiated from him as he raised his butcher’s blade and swung it at Li Sui.
Li Sui swung a dark golden-colored rod to block the blade. As she did, she used another tentacle to paste a silver talisman onto the man’s forehead.
The man’s skull cracked open, and the silver talisman slipped into his skull. The man’s bones beca bloated, and his joints locked.
The man froze due to the talisman. He couldn’t move a single joint in his body.
Li Sui quickly swung a dagger and cut down the man’s ears.
She wasn’t done. She revealed ten more tentacles, each holding onto a bladed object. She shaved the man down little by little.
She worked until nothing remained but a bloody skeleton. Finally, she drove a dagger into his heart, ending his life.
Li Sui nodded with satisfaction at her handiwork. She took a piece of the man’s heart and ate it.
As she was savoring the taste, she saw her bloody surroundings and suddenly panicked. “No… This isn’t ! This isn’t .”
Li Sui spat out the heart and ran.
She ran for four divisions straight. By the end, the rain had stopped, and the blood on her coat had been washed clean.
Li Sui cald down and continued to travel.
The more people she assimilated, the more she felt she was changing. Ever since she’d assimilated the first person, a lingering question haunted her: Would she lose herself completely?
Would she cease to be Li Sui?
Would her father still recognize her?
However, her safety was more important. She had to protect herself and had no choice but to assimilate people. The Surveillance Bureau of the Qi Kingdom had sent out warrants, and everyone was looking for her.
Zuoqiu Yong publicized the information that she was a Strayed One, enticing people to kill her.
This made it difficult for Li Sui to work with anyone. Now, anyone she encountered could be hunting her down. It wasn’t just the Surveillance Bureau she had to be wary of anymore.
To stay alive, she had to grow stronger. Assimilation was her only path. By taking their mories, she could glean information about the Bureau’s movents.
I wanted to head back to the Liang Kingdom, but it seems that’s impossible for now. I need to find a way to hide my identity as a Strayed One, just like my father did. It’s too annoying. But how? I don’t have the bronze coin veil or the black spindle.
Li Sui was still trying to figure out how to proceed.
Her mind churned with ideas as she trudged forward. Eventually, she spotted a village through the morning fog.
She was tired. She used her techniques to scan the village and found nothing unusual. She braced herself and walked into the village carefully.
At the entrance, a boy was playing with a ball.
Li Sui changed her face from Shangguan Yuting’s to a kind-looking middle-aged woman.
“Who are you? What are you doing here?” the boy asked, clutching his ball. “Are you a perforr? Or... a kidnapper?”
“I’m neither. I’m just a facial hair trimr[1]. I’ve been walking in the rain, and I’m cold. I’d like to rest in your village if I may.”
Li Sui revealed a kind and welcoming expression with her new face.
This was one of her identities. She’d changed her identity multiple tis and assimilated multiple abilities to evade her pursuers.
1. An ancient occupation. Soone who threads on a bride-to-be so that her facial hair is well grood. ☜
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