“Father?”
Li Sui, already half-dissolved, raised her head to see Li Huowang standing amidst the bloodbath.
Through the haze of pain, she recognized the familiar bronze coin veil and blood-red Daoist robes. Tears stread down her face. Her father was here. She was safe.
It was really him! Her father had co to save her! The pain coursing through her body confird it wasn’t a dream—this was real!
Li Sui cried and shouted to Li Huowang, “Father! I missed you!”
Li Huowang consoled her while killing the people from the Surveillance Bureau, saying, “Don’t worry! Suisui, I am here! No one can bully my daughter when I’m here!”
The enemies retreated. None of them could fight against Li Huowang.
Li Sui was on the brink of safety when one of the enemies suddenly detected sothing amiss. It dawned on him that Li Sui was employing her abilities as a Strayed One, so he attempted to interfere.
“You damned monster! That’s not your father! He’s fake! You conjured him! If he was your father, why didn’t he help you years ago? Why is he appearing only today?”
Strayed Ones were strong and weak at the sa ti. It all depended on what they believed.
Li Sui froze up as she carefully thought about it.
It was a fatal mistake. Li Huowang slowly changed, and Li Sui’s unease increased as she entertained the thought that the Li Huowang in front of her was fake.
Li Huowang slowly turned transparent.
She panicked and tried to convince herself. “No! He’s my father! He’s really here to save ! My father is real! He’s not sothing I’ve conjured myself!”
It took Li Sui too long to realize what they were trying to do. She tried to convince herself repeatedly to ensure the Li Huowang in front of her was real. Even if her father were fake, it would be sufficient if he could help her this ti.
However, all she could do in the end was lie to herself. A fake was a fake. No matter how hard she tried to convince herself, the Li Huowang in front of her ultimately disappeared.
The people from the Surveillance Bureau closed in, and they were angry. They had suffered losses, and now their vengeance was personal.
Li Sui was in danger again.
One of them spat on Li Sui. “I hate Strayed Ones! Don’t you have a good imagination? Don’t you think you can escape? Go ahead! Try again.”
A sharp blade flew past, severing several tentacles. “Aren’t you able to conjure your saviors? Go on, then! Show us again!”
Pain wracked her body as they attacked relentlessly. Yet, this ti, Li Sui didn’t cry. She had realized that she had been ignoring one of her powers.
Her father was a Strayed One, and she was a Strayed One as well. He had used the powers of a Strayed One to save himself many tis in the past. Now, she had the opportunity to do the sa. This was her last chance to save herself.
She only needed to think about what she could do to rescue herself.
Still, self-deception was no easy task. The powers of a Strayed One relied on genuine belief, so she had to convince herself completely.
As her injuries worsened, her consciousness faded again. On the brink of collapsing, she suddenly recalled the reflection in the water she had once seen! It was a Siming, Ji Zai. It was the Siming that her father had constantly talked about.
“My father is Ji Zai! A Siming has no past nor future! As long as I believe that Ji Zai is real, my father will co and rescue !”
It was both a lie and the truth. She didn’t know which was which.
All she needed to do was believe. She needed to survive.
Li Sui murmured over and over. Her consciousness slowly turned blurry, but she didn’t stop. The situation only changed when her life was on the brink of being snuffed out.
Nothing happened, but for so reason, everyone looked confused and dazed. It was as if everyone had forgotten what they were doing.
“Ji Zai! Ji Zai was real even one hundred and eighty years ago!”
Li Sui shot up in excitent. She was saved! She would survive until her father appeared again!
This was a perfect opportunity for her to escape, as everyone around her was still confused. Taking advantage of their distraction, Li Sui managed to drag her injured body away and flee.
She didn’t know how long Ji Zai’s powers would last, so she escaped desperately. After half a day, she finally stopped running and confird she was safe.
This ti, she tried her best to avoid inhabited places.
She took over the cave of a bear as a temporary resting spot. The bear ended up becoming her dinner.
After feasting, Li Sui slept in the cave peacefully. She could finally rest here.
Once she had rested enough, Li Sui started to plan for the future again.
She suddenly recalled Ji Zai and ran out to pick up a log. She shaved it into a praying tablet using a small knife and carved several words on it.
“Ji Zai, the Siming of Bewildernt.”
Li Sui placed the tablet inside the cave and lit up three pine needles before praying. She stuck the three lighted pine needles in front of the tablet.
Then she kowtowed and prayed.
“Since the others could pray and obtain the powers from their respective Simings, I shall pray to you from today onwards. I will be your disciple, Ji Zai.
“If I’m your disciple, will you impart so knowledge and techniques to ? I don’t need anything strong for now. Just sothing to protect myself. I just need a technique to hide my identity as a Strayed One!”
Li Sui had just finished her prayer when she noticed the tablet softly flashing. It was then that she realized a technique had been bestowed upon her, its knowledge now embedded within her mind.
After checking it, she realized it was an illusory technique that could conceal her identity.
She felt warmth in her heart. Her father had not forgotten her. He was still helping her even though he had beco a Siming. As long as her identity as a Strayed One wasn’t discovered, she would no longer be hunted down on sight.
That ant she didn’t have to assimilate the others constantly. She could finally wait for the day to reunite with her father again. She wouldn’t have to turn into soone else.
Li Sui smiled happily. Her future finally seed a little brighter.
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