Chapter 37

Liuli stood rigid, her face pale as a sheet, like a lifeless doll.

A hand gently rested on her shoulder from behind. The touch was exquisitely tender, yet it sent an inexplicable chill down Liuli’s spine.

The Mysterious Woman asked, “My dear sister, are you satisfied?”

Liuli: “…”

“Why won’t you speak?”

Liuli: “…”

The woman’s hand was smooth and cold, reminding Liuli of a vividly colored, venomous snake. She slowly traced her hand from Liuli’s shoulder, up her neck… brushing against Liuli’s face. Her crimson nails tapped lightly twice against Liuli’s cheek.

With an air of unnerving familiarity, she stepped around from the other side, half-embracing Liuli and pulling her into her arms. Under the shadow cast by her black cloak, Liuli couldn’t see her entire face, only a cold, fair, petite chin and unusually red, full lips peeking from beneath the hood. Liuli could feel two intensely piercing gazes fixed firmly upon her.

Her lips trembling slightly, Liuli shifted her gaze from the corpses strewn across the floor to Ye Zhenzhen and Lin Mengxian, who were watching her with a mixture of complex emotions and worry.

Shivering, Liuli stiffly raised a hand to press down on the Mysterious Woman’s hand, which was still toying with her face, and stammered, “I-I’ve just never seen a dead person before, and so… so many at once… it’s a bit shocking.”

The Mysterious Woman repeated, a playful lilt in her voice, “Shocking?”

Liuli’s speech gradually smoothed out: “Senior Sister, you’re so powerful. I’m truly, so very grateful you saved us. A great favor needs no thanks in words; if you ever need anything in the future, just say the word, and this sister will give her all!”

The woman scoffed, gently pulling her hand free from Liuli’s grasp. “Why choose a day when today is as good as any? A sister as adorable as you, I find you utterly charming. Why not come home with me as a guest and keep me company for a while?”

“Th-that’s not very appropriate, is it…”

A ruthless, mysterious mastermind who could orchestrate a mass slaughter without batting an eye—Liuli would have to be a fool to believe her words!

Grateful as she was for the rescue, Liuli was terrified that one wrong move might anger her and cost her her life!

Liuli tried to squirm out of her embrace.

Liuli tried to put some distance between them.

Liuli discovered she couldn’t move.

Liuli: “…”

So infuriating! A low cultivation base means no rights!

The Mysterious Woman patted her shoulder twice, her drawn-out tone laced with a hint of danger: “…Not very appropriate?”

“I mean,” Liuli swallowed hard, her words earnest, “…wouldn’t it be improper to intrude upon you so abruptly and empty-handed? You’ve done me a great kindness, Senior Sister. It’s only right that this sister prepares generous gifts and a silk banner of gratitude before coming to pay her respects.”

“A gift, hmm.” The woman murmured softly. Suddenly, she lifted her hand, and before Liuli could even react, she pinched a corner of the hair ribbon tied in Liuli’s hair between two fingers and gave a gentle tug.

Instantly, Liuli’s long, jet-black, glossy hair cascaded down her shoulders and back like flowing water.

The woman’s nimble fingers coiled around the dark red hair ribbon. After fiddling with it for a moment, the ribbon vanished from her grasp.

Liuli looked up at her, a bit dazed. Her hair, now free from the ribbon’s restraint, playfully fell to the sides of her face, swaying gently. A stray strand stuck to her lip. “…”

The woman tilted her head slightly, looking at her. Her crimson lips curved upwards into a smile so dazzling it was impossible to look away. She reached out and gently brushed the stray lock of hair from Liuli’s lips. “The sentiment behind a modest gift carries the heaviest weight. Let this hair ribbon be your gift to me, little sister.”

Liuli: “…G-good, that’s good.”

Wuwuwu, low cultivation base, no rights!

“Now, little sister, shouldn’t you come home with me as a guest?”

Liuli’s eyebrows drooped as she forced a fawning, fake smile. “Senior Sister, you are truly as beautiful outside as you are kind inside! You don’t even mind such a cheap gift. This sister’s grateful heart can barely be contained! Senior Sister, please, you must let me come visit and thank you properly!”

“…Heh.”

Only then did the woman release Liuli. She let out a sigh of relief, her shoulders slumping. She wiped her brow—at some point, her forehead had become drenched in cold sweat.

The woman spoke again: “Tang Shishi.”

At first, Liuli didn’t react. The other woman repeated the name once more, and Liuli jolted as if shocked, blurting out, “Present!”

After the automatic reply, she realized how overly tense she must seem—definitely not good. She quickly plastered on a smile, trying to appear calm.

“This is your name?” The Mysterious Woman seemed remarkably patient, asking her in a slow, deliberate tone.

Would Liuli dare say she had lied before? What if it angered her? She could only go with the flow. “That’s right, I’m Tang Shishi.”

For some reason, the woman’s tone carried a hint of strange amusement: “The Black Lotus Sect Hierarch’s little sister?”

“Yes, yes… that’s me.”

“Good.”

Liuli had braced herself for more interrogation, but the woman stopped asking. Completely unlike others, she showed no apparent interest in Liuli’s connection to the Black Lotus Sect.

Just what is this woman’s background…

Liuli probed cautiously, “Speaking of which, I still don’t know Senior Sister’s honorable name?”

“Oh.”

Oh?? What’s ‘Oh’ supposed to mean??

The woman smiled. “Come home with me as a guest, and I’ll tell you.”

What’s with all this secrecy and mystery?

Liuli laughed heartily. “No problem, no problem! Of course, of course!” Of course my foot!

Alas, under the weight of superior power, she could only endure it.

The woman then seized Liuli’s wrist with an unrefusable grip, smiling gracefully. “No time like the present. Shall we go now, then?”

Liuli opened her mouth, then seemed to remember something. Seizing the opportunity to test the woman’s attitude towards her, she put on a slightly troubled expression. “Sister, I just remembered, there’s something urgent I need your help with.”

Surprisingly patient, the woman acted utterly indulgent towards this little sister she’d picked up: “If my little sister has a matter, naturally this sister will help. Tell me.”

Liuli subtly tried to move her wrist, held in the woman’s grasp, but the grip was exceptional. She couldn’t break free at all and gave up, saying, “Some young friends of mine seem to have been controlled by these traffickers. But I don’t know where they are now. Could Sister help me find them?”

“Why waste the effort?”

With a gentle pull, the woman drew the stumbling Liuli towards the auction stage. Passing through the field of corpses, Liuli winced, her face pale, trying not to look. As they passed Ye Zhenzhen and the other girl, she secretly waved her free hand, signaling frantically:

Go, go! Get out of here now!

Yet the mysterious and terrifying woman, as if having eyes in the back of her head, said without turning back, laughing softly, “Since these two young ladies are my little sister’s friends, they should come along as guests to my residence too.”

Liuli had been hoping they could go back and bring reinforcements. Laughing awkwardly, she tried to negotiate: “Well, about that… they’re not like me. They’re from the righteous path, their families keep them on a tight leash. Maybe it’s better to just let them go home first…”

The Mysterious Woman stopped walking. She slowly turned around, her gaze falling upon Ye Zhenzhen and the other girl. Drawing out her words, she said, “Now, isn’t that inconvenient.”

“Eh?”

“Little sister is from the Black Lotus Sect. Sister here, like you, is also from the Devil Path. The righteous path is hypocritical. If I let them go back, might they not leak our identities?… Why not just let me kill these two today to spare my sister future troubles? What do you say?”

Liuli: “NO!!!”

With a jolt, Liuli threw herself forward along her captured wrist and grabbed the Mysterious Woman’s arm with both hands, shaking her head frantically. “Sister, show mercy! Please, hear me out!”

“Hmm?”

Liuli looked at Ye Zhenzhen and Lin Mengxian with a heavy heart: “To tell you the truth, these two… have already abandoned darkness for the light!”

Ye Zhenzhen / Lin Mengxian: “…”

“…Abandoned light for darkness?”

“…”

“Abandoned darkness for the light, abandon darkness for the light!” Liuli let out a choked sob. “They saw through the hypocritical faces of the righteous path and realized that converting to our Devil Sect is the only correct path! So much so that they betrayed their families to join my Black Lotus Sect!”

Liuli turned back, frantically signaling with her eyes: “Right now, they have no ties to the righteous path anymore! Sister, please, just let them go!”

The woman nodded. “If that’s the case, these two pitiful girls should also come along with little sister to my residence as guests, lest they be hunted by the righteous path.”

Liuli struggled, “Shouldn’t we ask for their opinion at least?”

Ye Zhenzhen / Lin Mengxian: “…”

The woman said, “I see they have no objections.”

Liuli despaired, venting her frustration at their lack of spirit. “F-fine then.”

Ye Zhenzhen kept her mouth shut, eyes blazing with fury: Ask our opinions, but maybe unseal our voices first!

.

Skipping past this interlude, the Mysterious Woman of the Devil Path pulled Liuli onto the high platform. True to her Devil Path nature, she actually forcibly extracted the auction host’s soul!

Liuli trembled with fear, watching the small blob of light desperately trying to fly away, yet trapped within the mere span of the Mysterious Woman’s palm.

“My dear sister, whatever you want to know, just ask him.”

Liuli wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. “Many thanks for Sister’s help…”

Liuli asked him about the little beggars. At first, the man feigned ignorance and begged loudly for mercy. The Mysterious Woman employed a small trick, and he immediately screamed in agony, the sound raising goosebumps all over Liuli’s arms.

Unable to withstand such torment, the host soon spilled everything he knew, like beans pouring from a bamboo tube.

It turned out that group of little beggars had been scraping by in Mulberry City since they were young. They had only recently been targeted by people from the Ghost Market Auction. They used a parasitic bug to control Qingxing, forcing the little beggars to help them abduct female cultivators for the auction.

The auction people would scout their prey even before entering the city. Once the prey entered the city, they’d notify the little beggars to run a scheme within a scheme, lowering the female cultivators’ defenses. Such an ambush allowed them to catch their prey with minimal effort.

Hearing this, Liuli burned with anger, wishing she could kill them all over again. After forcing him to reveal where the antidote for the parasites was, Liuli began the nauseating task of looting the bodies, trying hard to suppress her revulsion.

As she searched, Liuli discovered, hey… their storage pouches actually contained some decent treasures, huh…

Liuli stealthily reached out and hooked the storage pouch off a nearby corpse.

The Mysterious Woman looked down, watching her with a smile.

Liuli offered a sheepish grin. “This… protecting the environment is everyone’s duty. Recycling waste is good for conservation, you know.”

Seeing the Mysterious Woman say nothing, Liuli’s hands became swift as lightning. Swoosh, swoosh, she began looting corpses, not even bothering to check what was inside the storage pouches anymore, just stuffing them into her Storage Ring first. Ugh, this corpse has nothing on it… never mind, forget it. Right, those cargo crates backstage, grab them too!

Liuli looted to her heart’s content.

Killing people was truly excessive, but collecting treasures felt so good… a collector’s mania fully satisfied.

After a short while, the Mysterious Woman grew somewhat impatient. “My dear sister, isn’t that enough yet?”

“Almost done, almost done! Sister, just wait a bit longer!”

Man dies for wealth, bird dies for food! With treasures right before her eyes, Liuli’s reckless courage swelled—she actually dared to defy her!

From the corner of her eye, she saw the woman’s patience seemingly run out, her full red lips pressing downwards slightly. Liuli made a desperate flying leap, snatching the storage pouch of the last Golden Core cultivator. The next moment, Liuli’s body flew backward.

It was a black silk ribbon, sweeping up Liuli, Ye Zhenzhen, and Lin Mengxian together.

Liuli wept into the wind: “Why won’t you two talk?”

Ye Zhenzhen / Lin Mengxian: “…”

……

The Mysterious Woman’s cultivation was extremely high. In a short while, she had brought the three of them back to that dilapidated large courtyard.

The children saw goddesses descending from the sky—three of them targets they had conned before, and one dark, fierce-looking one clearly not to be trifled with. Instantly, they shrieked and scattered in all directions.

The courtyard was too rundown, the house even filthier.

The Mysterious Woman stood in the yard, her feet hovering a thin layer of air above the ground. She set the three down and smiled slightly. “My dear sister, go on now.”

Seeing Zhenzhen and Little Meng not moving, Liuli could only take the antidote and walk into the house alone.

Only four or five children remained inside. Qingmei was sitting on a wobbly, three-legged stool, staring blankly at Qingxing, who lay on a pile of straw.

Liuli crept behind her, stomped her foot with a loud bang for a prank, and clapped her hands right next to Qingmei’s ears. “Hey!”

Qingmei shuddered so hard she fell off the stool.

She looked up angrily, her expression freezing as anger turned to disbelief. “Y-you came back!”

Liuli sneered. “This sister is resourceful and powerful. No one can stop me!”

Qingmei: “…I’m sorry.”

Liuli: “…”

Such a straightforward apology from a little kid—she almost didn’t know how to respond.

“Speaking seriously.” Liuli’s expression turned stern. “The people who controlled you are all dead. But there’s no guarantee there aren’t some who escaped. I can give you the antidote for your sister’s parasite, but you must promise me that from now on, you’ll stay away from Mulberry City and never do evil again!”

Qingmei: “You have the antidote?! Really? Where is it? Give it to me, hurry!”

Liuli held a small bottle high. “Swear the oath first! Hey, hey, no grabbing!”

“I swear!”

Liuli first uncorked one small bottle, using the powder inside to drive away a poisonous centipede lurking in the straw pile. Then she opened another small bottle and placed it near Qingxing’s mouth. Soon, a plump, squirming insect crawled out of Qingxing’s mouth and into the bottle.

Afterward, she fed Qingxing a spirit pill to nourish her body and calm her Qi. The girl’s complexion gradually improved.

Liuli turned to leave, but Qingmei grabbed the hem of her robe. “Hey!”

“What? Something else?”

“My little sister never hurt you. Her talent is better than mine. You said before you would send me to the Heavenly Martial… Mmphh!”

Liuli quickly covered her mouth. “Shh, shh… I know, I know. Don’t say it aloud.”

Qingmei, having struggled to survive since childhood and adept at reading people’s expressions, cleverly guessed something must be wrong. She nodded. Once Liuli removed her hand, she continued, “Can you send my little sister there instead?”

Liuli raised her chin proudly and gave a cold snort. “Hmph!”

“Hey! I said I’m sorry!”

“Hmph!!!”

Qingmei grabbed her arm and shook it. “Even if you’re angry at me, my sister is innocent… Please, please!”

“Call me Sister once.”

“…Sister.”

So satisfying!

Liuli laughed: “Hahaha, no.”

Qingmei: “??? Are you messing with me?!”

“Did you really think I’m some kind of saint?” Liuli sighed. “I won’t send you there… nor can I. I have matters tying me down, can’t leave. However, I can tell you the location. Go there yourself. Whether you can stay or not depends entirely on your own abilities.”

Qingmei pressed her lips together. “Thank you.”

“No need to thank me.” Liuli said. “I’m just protecting minors. Everyone has a responsibility.”

Qingmei: “…”

Liuli bent down, shielding her mouth with her hand, and whispered the location of the outpost extremely quietly into her ear. She also secretly slipped her a sect badge torn from an Inner Sect disciple’s uniform.

Finally, she straightened up and said, “I’m leaving. Remember, this sister’s name—Tang Shishi!”

Qingmei: …

Isn’t your name Liuli? How did you become Tang Shishi!

Liuli dawdled, dragging her feet reluctantly towards the Mysterious Woman in the black cloak standing in the courtyard. “I’m done with my business.”

The Mysterious Woman stood with folded hands, her only visible features—those crimson lips—parted slightly. “The children here seem to have harmed my little sister. It’s truly infuriating. Why don’t I help you get some justice as well?”

Liuli: !!!

She immediately strode forward with purpose, her eyes brimming with tears of gratitude towards the Mysterious Woman. “I’ve already taught those little bugs a lesson myself! No need to trouble Sister for that! Making Sister wait so long already fills me with guilt and anxiety. Let’s hurry home!”

“…Heh.”