Chapter 8: An Identity You Give Yourself

Meng Li looked at the rather alluring maiden before her, who was currently acting as if she was taking advantage of Meng Li’s loli body. Her hands continuously roamed over Meng Li’s figure, her fingertips gently brushing past Meng Li’s lower back. A strange sensation surged within her.

“Tell me quickly, where exactly did you get this thing!”

“Mmph mmph mmph!! Mmph mmph mmph!!” (If you want me to talk, let go of me!)

“Ah, sorry, I forgot you can’t talk right now…”

The maiden looked at Meng Li, whose mouth she was covering, and slowly lowered her hand. As the force restraining her body gradually faded, Meng Li couldn’t help but start gulping fresh air, then immediately faced the maiden before her with a vigilant expression.

“My stuff is mine. What do you mean, ‘where did I find it’?”

“So that means… could you be…”

Upon hearing this, the maiden was about to say something but suddenly caught herself. The words halfway out of her mouth stopped, and she looked at Meng Li with a cautious gaze.

“No, you’re lying. Who exactly are you!”

As she spoke, the maiden directly reached out and pulled open Meng Li’s clothes, trying to find some decisive evidence. The sudden action made Meng Li panic instantly, and she directly pushed with her hands forcefully.

The maiden clearly hadn’t anticipated the sudden resistance and was pushed back two steps by that tiny bit of strength. She was about to rise and continue threatening, but when she lifted her head, she saw Meng Li, who had just been pinned beneath her moments ago, now sitting on the bedside with an expression of utter fury.

“Insolence! A mere covert operative dares to lay hands on me!”

“!!!”

The sudden shift deflated the previously somewhat arrogant maiden. Watching Meng Li, who had been slightly delicate and weak moments before, now scrutinizing her with icy eyes like a superior, the maiden momentarily lost her footing. Yet she still cautiously inquired, afraid she had provoked some unimaginable existence. Meanwhile, Meng Li’s heart was panicking wildly.

“I am a covert operative, yes, but… what is your identity?”

“I’m pleased you thought to ask, but I don’t like your questioning attitude…”

As Meng Li spoke, she pretended to clench her fist, looking ready to launch an attack at any second. However, her current loli appearance held absolutely no deterrent power.

Even so, the maiden before her was still successfully intimidated. After all, many cultivators had underestimated their opponents only to be pinned to the ground and ruthlessly ground down—some even being killed on the spot and that was considered lucky. Thinking of this, the maiden’s words became respectful.

“Th-then… may I dare ask for your honored identity…”

“Hmph, you are not qualified to know my identity.”

Seated on the bedside, Meng Li crossed her legs, wrapped in white stockings, adopting an utterly insufferable demeanor. Especially her icy gaze, looking down on the other as if gazing upon an insect.

Meng Li had originally planned to contact the Devil Sect people after some time had passed. She never expected that taking one step out her door would lead her straight into one. Now, the arrow was already notched and had to be released. She could only put on the air of a powerful expert, hoping to intimidate the maiden before her.

“This disciple merely glimpsed the bronze seal in your hand, my lord, and thought another colleague had met with mishap. My anxiety caused me to offend you…!”

“This Seat understands. Had you known this identity, you wouldn’t dare offend me directly…”

As Meng Li spoke, she used her toes to slowly lift the other’s chin. Though she currently presented a loli appearance, she used those icy eyes. The maiden before her was successfully bluffed into stupefaction.

“Then my lord’s identity is…”

“Hmph, since you are so determined to know, don’t regret it. This Seat is the Right Protector under the Sect Master of the Soul Refining Sect~”

“!!!”

Meng Li had originally been thinking of how to fabricate an identity when she suddenly recalled the Right Protector mentioned in the game’s background story. In the game, anyway, the character had pitifully little screen time, usually wore a mask and cloak, and no one had seen their true face.

Having settled on her identity phrasing, Meng Li’s voice involuntarily rose. She thought, since no one had seen the true face anyway, if she borrowed an identity from the background story, could someone possibly follow a network cable to find her?

“Ri… Right Protector!!”

Upon hearing this title, the maiden’s body visibly began to tremble. The last vestiges of doubt were now completely transformed into fear. Her legs went weak, and she slumped directly to the ground.

“Mm? So you know of this Seat’s reputation~”

“The legendary Right Protector of the Soul Refining Sect, whose true face no one has ever lived to see!”

Watching the maiden’s utterly terrified expression, Meng Li hadn’t expected this title to be so effective. With a cold smile, Meng Li slowly stepped down from the bed, reaching out to pinch the maiden’s cheek.

“Aiya, no one has ever lived to see my true face. How do you suggest I deal with you~”

The maiden before her, with long purple hair and matching eyes, who had just been so domineering moments ago, was now sitting on the ground, her face full of terror—and the object of her terror was actually Meng Li herself.

Faced with such a scene, how could Meng Li possibly pass up the chance to stir things up? Her inner sadistic tendencies erupted. She wanted to properly teach this maiden a lesson. After all, though she was a Devil Sect member, she was still quite fetching.

“No! Don’t! I still have many uses! I’ll do anything!! Please, my lord, don’t kill me!!”

“You’ll do anything, you say~”

Watching the maiden’s delicate, weak appearance before her, and originally the character art in the game had been quite detailed, a wicked thought instantly arose within her. After all, ever since crossing over, she had been constantly terrified.

The maiden, however, saw the gradually intensifying fanaticism in Meng Li’s eyes and panicked even more, thinking the other wanted to use her as material for a Soul Banner. Then, under Meng Li’s gaze, a transparent liquid slowly trickled out from beneath the maiden before her.

“Mm? You…”

Watching the steadily spreading liquid, Meng Li hadn’t expected the identity she was impersonating to carry such immense intimidation. She had only wanted to teach the other a lesson, but before she could even start, it had come to this.

“Th-this disciple is an Outer Sect Disciple of the Soul Refining Sect!! I can also be considered part of the Right Protector’s faction!! Please, Protector, don’t refine me into a banner!!”

“Alright, alright, I won’t kill you. Go change your clothes…”

“Rea… really!”

Meng Li hadn’t expected the maiden before her to be so easily frightened and simply waved her off to change first. Seeing Meng Li’s dismissive gesture, the maiden’s original terror instantly transformed into joy.

“This disciple, Xi Miaoyi, thanks the Right Protector for their great mercy!!”

“Wait, what did you say your name was?”

“Xi… Xi Miaoyi…”

Upon hearing this name, Meng Li realized she hadn’t just randomly bumped into some small-time covert operative. She never imagined she would encounter such a big fish so quickly, and that the other had been living directly across from her the entire time.

“I knew it—as pretty as you are, how could you be an ordinary spy~”

Upon hearing the name, although Meng Li maintained a calm exterior, inside she was already thrilled beyond measure. She hadn’t noticed before, but watching the retreating figure go to change, in the game, Situ Xue’s black-stocking-clad beautiful legs had garnered countless fans.

But besides her, Xi Miaoyi was second only to Situ Xue and was also one of the rare, conquerable villain characters. She counted as an early mini-boss, even provided a defeat CG after winning, and was the mastermind behind the first major event, the Sect Turmoil.

“Do you really think you can escape my calculations~”

“I already have all your information at my fingertips~”

“You’re so weak—where do you get the confidence to defeat me~”

“Oh my, oh my, you don’t actually think you can beat me, do you~”

…………

In the game, Xi Miaoyi’s dialogue was entirely that of a bratty little imp, despite having the appearance of an older sister figure. Moreover, after her plan failed and she was captured, the sounds she made while locked in the room were even more exquisite.

Now, Xi Miaoyi had finished changing and walked back, but on the surface, she still appeared utterly terrified. In Xi Miaoyi’s perception, she had already confirmed that the Meng Li before her was the legendary Right Protector—bloodthirsty, merciless, and viciously cruel.

“Come now, let me further understand your next plan~”

“Ye… yes, my lord…”

…………

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