《Reincarnated Assassin loves the fool! (Xianxia kinda)》 1. Reincarnation of the assassin?! In the cover of the night sky''s darkness, a shadow cloaked in dark clothes quietly sneaked around the city lord''s estate. Quieted steps and not a single disruption within the winds¡ª the one who advanced amidst the shadows was surely a well-trained individual. However, even then, there were things they couldn''t control... "Uh..." In front of the entrance to a certain building, two bulky guards stood rather lazily. "This job is so tiresome..." "Shh...!" To the first guard''s comment, the second, with a scarred forehead, warned him hurriedly. "If the ''lord'' heard you, we''d both be punished!" "I don''t think ''lord'' would be so harsh..." The first guard grumbled quietly, but his coworker heard him loud and clear. "Even then yo-" The second guard began... However, both of them halted as they looked toward a certain place. *Ghashak...* "Who goes there?!" The first one questioned, while the second moved towards the bushes from where the sound came, as the one with the scar held firmly onto his spear, ready to assist his companion if needed. "There''s nothing here..." He found nothing and decided to return to his original position. However, even then, he remained cautious, as this was a trap often used by assassins. Yet, he was able to return safely without any troubles. "Nothing, huh?" The scarred guard inquired, looking at his sworn brother and coworker. To which the other shook his head. "Nothing there. Must''ve been the winds." However, unbeknownst to either of them, a certain shadow had climbed atop the palace''s wall and entered it through a window on the second floor. ... ????????????????????¡ã???¡ã????????????????????? ... ''Well, that was easy.'' The "shadow," Li Feng, had entered the palace rather easily without many issues other than the two guards, and even they were not much trouble. ''Well, I guess that''s to be expected from such a "primitive" bunch.'' Well, in a way, she was correct to think so. After all, this world''s cultural and technological advancements were definitely bland and most surely paled in comparison to her homeland. ''Now then...'' She quietly ventured into the palace, with her every step measured. ''...Where''s that bitch?'' She searched the first floor, not finding much except for a bedroom with somewhat disheveled sheets, with no signs of what she sought, and decided to descend to the lower floor. Li Feng was correct in assuming that this land''s technology was lackluster... However... "Which mutt has wandered into my home this late?" ...She had yet to understand how deep this world''s darkness went. A being clouded in shadows, a voice deep and powerful, and a presence unlike any human. Facing such a being, Li Feng froze for a moment, but she wasn''t a former world-renowned professional for nothing and soon sprung into action, throwing a small bag of chili powder mixed with some easily available poisons and herbs onto her opponent in an attempt to escape. "Stop right there!" In response to those words, Li Feng''s trusty companion, the shadows themselves, shifted to hold her as a prisoner. As the being of darkness approached her, Li Feng''s heart began to drum loudly... She was certain that this was the end, and that made her almost laugh self-deprecatingly. ''First by that bastard and now by the dark itself... Am I destined to die by betrayal?'' ... ????????????????????¡ã???¡ã????????????????????? ... That night''s air was alive with the thrill of escape as Li Feng, the renowned assassin, wove effortlessly through the twisting alleys of the city. Her laughter rang out, carefree and wild, as she danced on the edge of danger. "They''re gaining on us!" her subordinate panted, his voice tinged with panic as they raced through the shadows. Li Feng glanced back at him, her grin unwavering even as a flicker of concern danced in her eyes. "Let them try," she called back, her voice laced with a hint of defiance. "We''ll lose them soon enough!" This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. But fate had other plans. In the blink of an eye, everything changed. Her subordinate''s footsteps faltered, his face contorting with a mixture of fear and desperation. Without warning, he lunged forward, a glint of metalic nature flashing in the moonlight. Li Feng''s heart plummeted as she turned to look towards her subordinate only to receive a knife to her heart. Pain exploded in her chest as the blade found its mark, stealing her breath and sending her crashing to the ground. Even her body modifications and nano machines didn''t help... As darkness threatened to claim her, her trusted subordinate loomed over her, his eyes haunted yet mocking. "Forgive me," he murmured, his voice strangely light and free. "You made too many enemies not putting others in your eyes... I couldn''t help." "You..." Li Feng spoke with much struggle. "Damn... Dog." A grin plastered onto her face. "YOU!!" Annoyed by that face that still grinned even now, not putting anyone into her eyes, he stomped onto Li Feng''s head! That night, the feared queen of darkness was swallowed within the night. ... ????????????????????¡ã???¡ã????????????????????? ... "Urg...! This?!" Li Feng gasped, her voice choked with disbelief as she found herself gasping for air, the pain from her previous wound still fresh in her memory. But as she struggled to make sense of her surroundings, she realized that this was no afterlife she had expected. Not that she believed in any God or religion. Instead of the darkness of death, she found her body being weighed down by her own weight, her limbs weak from malnourishment and her eyes heavy from weariness. Li Feng blinked, trying to make sense of her situation with the memories of her past life as a fearless assassin. "This... this can''t be happening," she muttered to herself, her mind racing with confusion and disbelief. But as she scanned her surroundings, a small puddle of water came into her vision amidst the land filled with mud. She dragged her weak body to the puddle, what reflected in the puddle wasn''t "her" appearance which had warped due to her "thousand face arts" instead it was a young girl of seemingly 15 years of age, perhaps older but her malnourished body could have stunted her growth and her dirt-covered body made it hard to see her face clearly. "It''s... it''s me?" she whispered, her voice barely audible in the silence of the muddied alleyway. And as if waiting for those words, a searing pain spread throughout her head as if stemming from her very soul. She opened her mouth to scream, yet her parched throat couldn''t even do that... And all faded to black. ... "Urgh..." Weakly opening her eyes, Li Feng was met with the same muddied alleyways albeit in the dimmed lights of the evening. If there was a difference from before then it was that a surge of recognition washed over her like a tidal wave as she looked at the reflection within the puddle. The one within the puddle was Li Feng, an orphan who was once the treasured daughter of a merchant, now a bottom feeder. For reasons unknown to her, she, the world renowned assassin had been reborn into a world that bore a striking resemblance to the medieval world of ancient tales. Going through her memories another strange familiarity caught her eye. In the girl''s possession used to exist a jade pendant hanging around her neck, a keepsake from her dead mother... A pendant all too similar to the target of her last heist... Somehow, she had taken on the identity of a girl who shared her name and possessed an relic eerily similar to one she had once coveted. However, that in itself was a great clue as to what had happened to her. ''That relic...'' Surely, that relic must be related to her current situation or perhaps this was all an illusory simulation. However, the nanomachines in her body would have ended her if that was the case... Moreover, it was simply too "real" to be a simulation. Then there was only one thing that could''ve happened. ''Possession?'' However, even with that fictitious presumption, there was one problem... The world she was in was simply too primitive, unlike her own where towering skyscrapers and medical miracles existed. But, it was not like she was completely clueless! There was still the relic. As for where the relic in question was? Well... She didn''t have it. Moreover, to add insult to injury, the one who stole the relic was also the one who caused her body to be in such a haggard condition. Her body was filled with bruises because of that person! "I... have... to get it..." With her throat still parched, she couldn''t even speak properly. She needed water... For anyone else, it might have been a difficult task. However, for someone like her who had been an orphan living on the streets herself, she didn''t hesitate at all as she drank the somewhat muddy water of the puddle on the ground nearby. She knew full well of when to let go of her pride. Even those who had pridefully declined to drink dirty water would lick the moist ground greedily once their body demanded it of them. ''Now, I just need to rest for a bit...'' She decided to gather her strength for a while and rest as she had to prepare to "scavenge" for food later. From her memories, she could tell that the shops and houses would throw their wasted food out at the time just after the sun had set. Which made sense as this primitive place lacked electricity and an easily available source of light at night. As for detrimental effects to her health from such food and the water. She could easily use her "arts" to take care of that. To begin with, she wouldn''t have been able to move at all if she hadn''t used it at all. And from her memories, she could tell that there were some similar things like arts in this world as well. ''They were called martial artists, I believe?'' As for how they compared to the arts users from her world... Well, considering that arts were developed through ancient times and refined via technology, the answer was as clear as it could get. With this, she finally closed her eyes and circulated her healing arts to fix herself... ... About 15 minutes after she had begun her "rest," Li Feng grew wary as a set of steps approached her. Even as they got closer, she didn''t open her eyes as she would have to attempt a surprise attack to aim for the person''s vitals if they threatened her... However, the steps halted just a bit away from her. ''Damn it, was I found out?'' But, thankfully not the case as a voice responded within the alley. "A-are you alright?" A worried and troubled voice. The person then hurriedly approached her and, finding that there was no hidden killing intent, Li Feng slowly raised her head to look at that person. However, due to the dimmed lighting and the fact that the person was wearing a hood, she couldn''t see his face. And as she examined him, he reached for the inner section of his clothing to take out something. In response, she prepared herself just in case, even though the chances were less than likely. Then the person took out something wrapped in leaves of some kind and a small vial of some sort. He carefully opened the leaves to reveal two moderately sized dumplings. "Um..." With shaky hands, the person spoke hesitatingly, as if not sure about what to say. "I only have this on me, so please eat this and then use the medicine on your bruises." The person was strangely timid in his demeanor, seemingly as if he truly was worried about her. Of course, she knew that this world, just like her past life''s, was not such a sweet place. ''Trying to feel good about themselves through such actions...'' This thought of hers wasn''t baseless, as both her and the girl she had possessed knew full well of how cold people''s hearts truly were. Even when helping others, people would desire something from them. Be it gratitude or a desire to fulfill their pride. However, even as she thought all this, she ravenously devoured the steamed buns, and it was only after this that she looked towards the man. "Than-" she began, however, the person before her cut her off. "Urgh!" He clutched onto his chest in pain. "I-I will be leaving now!" He hurriedly got up and turned to leave. "Make sure to use the medicine!" Before he left completely he turned to tell her this. This left Li Feng befuddled, but she is a professional assassin... at least she was one, so she recovered from her bewildered state quite quickly, and her eyes looked towards the small vial. ''Maybe, I should sell it...'' A reasonable idea, as her healing arts could bring her to a somewhat workable state. But... ''I guess it''s better to use it...'' This was, in a way, the first act of kindness directed towards her and the girl she had possessed. So, even though she didn''t wish to admit it... She couldn''t help but cherish it... ... Day 2 of Li Feng''s new life+ ... "It was worth it!" She spoke as she stretched her body, the difference between her body''s condition now and yesterday was like heaven and earth. She could freely move around, albeit limited by her body''s weak state. But even then... "This is more than enough." With this, she can now start her plans, but before that... *Grumble...* ''Let''s do something about food first...'' 2. Lin Feng?!
  • Day 2
After stretching out her body and testing her condition, Li Feng wandered off into the morning markets as a crowd of people bustled around. "Huh?" One face amidst the countless within the market crowds grew worried as he patted down his inner pockets. "Where did my satchel go?" However, this didn''t concern Li Feng as she returned to the alleyways merrily with her satchel placed safely within her grasp. ... "Now then..." Having hidden her ''savings'', Li Feng decided to leave the city walls. "Since there are no real dangers outside aside from some small animals, it''s better to be there than in the place where I almost died." The fact that the person who had brought her near to her second death was in this city brought her great discomfort. As an assassin she always remembered to pay back all her debts twice fold. Moreover, it would be hard to even buy some food with "her" money, as anyone would think that she had stolen it as she was a child from the slums. But that also meant she couldn''t leave through the city gates either, as she''d need to pay the toll. ''Filthy bastards trap you in the slums... Haha... Just like my world...'' To keep the bottom feeders at the bottom and never letting them rise... That was how the overlords of her past life''s world maintained their rule. Something that she felt disgusted by. However, there was another way to bypass the toll fee, the slum''s hole. In the slum''s depths, there was a hole in the wall, a small exit that was often used by slum dwellers to gather certain wild fruits and "herbs" outside... Anyways, she planned on using this as a means to gather resources and get her body to the most optimum condition. ''With my knowledge of poisons and medical herbs, I should be able to gather everything needed...'' ... "Yea..." A certain realization dawned upon Li Feng as she stood in the forest lands outside the city walls, "This isn''t the world I know of..." After continuous hours of scavenging, she realized she could not tell what was poisonous or not. This was because this world''s vegetation was far too different from her own''s. In hindsight, it all made sense. Fortunately, she had tried the herbs on a small animal she captured before consuming it... "Uh... I wont be able to eat it now..." Even in her body''s memories, there were only a few edible grasses and fruits. Nothing more than that. Well, there were also some "special fruits" that the older people of the slums asked kids to gather. As for what the fruits did... Well, it''s quite obvious, isn''t it? Drugs. They were drugs. Regardless, Li Feng was quite troubled by her current predicament. Either way, she knew what to do now. To eat well and put some muscles on her bones! "But..." Even then, it wasn''t much of an easy task. All she had with her were the rags she wore, a rusted old knife, and her bony, weak body. "Well, at least I can move freely!" Hyping herself up, Li Feng began to walk towards a certain direction. She had a direction in mind, a small trail formed due to the regular commute by the slum''s people. Halfway through the trail, Li Feng quietly wandered off away from the trail. There was one "safe place" here that her body''s previous owner used to stay at. A small opening within the dense forests and a giant red leafed tree at its center. One day when she had lost her way, the previous Li Feng had wandered to this place and took shelter from the rain within the giant tree''s tree hollow. To her, it was a safe shelter. However, now standing before the tree hollow, Li Feng felt skeptical. "Is it poisoned?" There were no insects or any living creature on the tree''s dark trunk, which made her wonder if it was poisonous. However, even then it was unnatural as usually the animals or moss around a tree should''ve adapted to its poison. "Well. it didn''t poison me when the other me was scratched by the tree, so it should be fine..." Without much hesitation, she climbed onto the tree and seated herself onto one of its large branches. "Hup!" In a single burst of movement, she slashed at the tree branch with her knife. "Ack!" The knife bounced back while the branch only had a small wound. However, Lin Feng''s wrist now hurt quite a bit... "Tch!" Clicking her tongue in annoyance, she reached for one of the thinner branches and began to cut it. At the same time, she channeled all her focus into using one of the countless arts she had learned in her past life. "Haa... Haa..." Her task was successful... However, she was out of breath and visibly tired, so much so that both her knife and the branch she had cut off had fallen to the ground, and she barely held herself in place by hugging the tree. ''It''s too taxing to use this without the body modifications, nanomachines, and inner energy refinement... Damn it! How annoying!'' She cursed at the frailty of her her body.
  • Day 5
After a couple of days spent in the forest, Li Feng''s tree hollow home had undergone a transformation. What was once a simple shelter had become a makeshift abode, with bundles of leaves serving as bedding and various branches fashioned into tools and weapons. Surprisingly, the tree leaves she had used hadn''t wilted, retaining their vibrant red color and soft texture. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. As the sun rose on the fifth day of her new life+, Li Feng set out into the forest once more, her rusted knife strapped securely to her side and a dark wooden spear in her hands. She moved through a new path leaving behind marks to return, her senses sharp as she searched for signs of edible plants or some small animal to hunt. Amidst the rustling of leaves and the chirping of birds, a distant sound caught Li Feng''s attention. It was a gentle rumble, like a distant roaring torrent, "This!" With her hopes high, Li Feng quickened her pace, weaving through the dense vegetation until she reached the source of the sound¡ªa magnificent waterfall cascading down into a crystal-clear river below. The sight took her breath away, its beauty a stark contrast to the overgrown vegetation of this forest. For a moment, Li Feng simply stood in awe, her eyes tracing the arc of the waterfall as it glittered in the morning sunlight. "Water!" This was rather great for her as other than some puddles, sap or morning dew on leaves she hadn''t been able to find much water. That day Lin Feng was finally able to take a bath after days and now she could even have an easier time formulating her "revenge" plan.
  • Day 6
''Heavens have blessed me!'' Lin Feng thought as she rushed through the forest towards her home base with some random man''s clothes in her hands... She felt not a smidgen of guilt as she stole someone''s dignity, their clothes by the water reservoir that she found this morning... even going as far as calling it a blessing... Now, that someone will have to travel naked... Though, to be fair he shouldn''t have taken ''em off if he was afraid of losing them! ... Reaching her base, Lin Feng sat in her "bed" within the tree hollow which was now graced with some bed sheets. She sat in a special position with her legs crossed as she gathered the outer energy and refined her inner energy. This had become a daily process as unlike her past life, this was the only thing she could rely on to get stronger. The process felt a bit odd compared to her past life... However, it showed great results, so Lin Feng continued anyway. The results, in fact, were way better than in her past life. And so, as she meditated, she fell into a reveri- *Raawghh!! A thunderous roar disturbed her concentration as she opened her eyes to look at the bear who had appeared out of no where. She called it a bear but was the size of an elephant, with brown fur and a golden horn on it''s forehead.
The bear charged towards Li Feng with incredible speed, its massive claws extending outwards, Li Feng swiftly leaped to the side, narrowly avoiding the bear''s attack. With lightning-fast reflexes, she drew her wooden spear, readying herself for the fight. Seeing that Li Feng had survived, the bear let out a deafening roar. Li Feng on the other hand, ignored the ringing in her ears as she used "Thousand eyes art" and with that she focused on her opponent, her senses sharpened to the extreme as she assessed the creature''s movements. Scanning through their "battlefield", Li Feng found a simple yet effective way to victory as she repositioned herself. Soon the bear launched itself towards her as it saw her escaping. With a powerful swipe of its paw, the bear sent Li Feng who had barely managed to block the bear''s attack with her spear, tumbling backwards. She quickly scrambled to her feet, her body aching from the impact, but determination burning in her eyes as she once again ran. The bear, enraged by Li Feng''s resilience, dashed once again, its massive claws slicing through the air with deadly force. Li Feng dodged and got out of its way as the bear crashed into the giant tree due to it''s momentum. Shaking it''s head, the bear came back to it''s senses as it looked for Li Feng. Soon it''s instincts began to scream at him! It looked upwards only to see Li Feng plunging down at him from the giant tree with her spear in her hand. As the spear reached its head, the bear quickly turned its head avoid Li Feng. However, the Spear still buried itself within the bear''s neck. The bear wildly swung its head in panic in an attempt to get rid of Li Feng who hung on the bear''s body through the spear. Rather than loosing grip and falling off, Li Feng jumped and threw her body towards the bear''s head. With her rusty knife and her "Meteor axe" arts, she slashed at the horn with all of her might. The horn, surprisingly brittle, broke and the panicking bear headbutted Li Feng launching her away. As she rose to her feet, Li Feng kept her gaze locked onto the bear who reciprocated her gaze. Despite her injured state, Li Feng smiled ferociously and the bear had finally understood that this one was no mere prey... It was a predator. "COME AT ME!!" That day battle ensued till night, with one life consuming the other.
  • Day 7
As the sun began to set, the Azure Moon city gates stood tall and imposing, appearing as a giant shadow in the dimmed lights. The guards stationed there, clad in armor and armed with spears, kept a not so vigilant watch over the city entrance. And when they expected none to enter, a boy approached the city gates, his clothes worn and his demeanor relaxed. As he drew nearer, the guards stepped forward, their eyes narrowing in scrutiny. "Halt! State your business!" one of the guards commanded, his voice firm and laced with suspicion as the city was quite isolated and most travelers would not arrive on foot. The young man paused, offering the guards a friendly smile as he adjusted his clothes. "Good evening, sirs. My name is Feng Lin," he replied, his tone respectful yet confident. "I am a martial artist traveling to hone my skills and train my body." The guards exchanged a skeptical glance before one of them gestured toward the broken wooden pole slung over Lin Feng''s shoulder. "And what happened to your weapon?" he asked, his tone still laced with suspicion. Lin Feng''s gaze followed the guard''s gesture, a wry smile playing on his lips. "Ah, unfortunately, this child met an untimely demise during my journey," he explained, chuckling softly. "But thankfully, I am still favored by the heavens for I have come across a grand city like this! Now I can procure a new weapon and even sleep in comfort for a while!" The guards eyed the eccentric youth warily for a moment longer before nodding in begrudging acceptance. "Very well, you may enter," one of them said, his tone rough. "But first, the toll." Without missing a beat, Feng Lin reached into his clothes and withdrew a coin, tossing it casually toward the guards. As it landed with a satisfying clink, he flashed them a charming grin. "Thank you, gentlemen," Feng Lin said, his voice carrying a hint of mischief. With that, Feng Lin strode through the city gates, his spirits high and a tune on his lips. For him, this was just like another one of the usual things from the past.
  • Day 9
As Feng Lin, or rather Li Feng, strolled through the bustling markets of Azure Moon City, she enjoyed the sights of the bustling morning markets that surrounded her. Ah, by the way, Feng Lin was actually Li Feng, which might be hard to believe, but trust me when I say that they are the same person. Li Feng had cut her hair short and donned the newly acquired clothes she had "borrowed" from the poor guy who probably had to wander the woods naked. Moreover, she had purposefully damaged the garments so that the long sleeves and oversized clothing wouldn''t give her away as a thief. She even entered the city at evening times, to hide the details within the dark. Anyways, the torn and battered garments she had worn when entering the city two days ago were long gone, disposed of in a manner that left no trace of their existence. Now, she looked every bit the part of a young martial artist, her demeanor confident and her movements fluid. If there was one issue, then it was the inability to use her disguising abilities to the fullest, ''The thousand face arts can''t be used without the body modifications...'' But, even that wasn''t much of an issue as she more or less was indistinguishable from her prior dirt-covered and bony state. As she navigated through the waves of people, Li Feng kept a careful eye on her surroundings, ever vigilant for any sign of fresh information. Her senses, honed by years of training and survival in harsh environments, were keenly attuned to the slightest shift in the crowd. Occasionally, she would pause to inspect a particularly intriguing item being sold by one of the vendors, exchanging a few words and perhaps striking a deal if the mood struck her. Despite her carefree fa?ade, Lin Feng was always making sure to fulfill her "role" and gather information while remaining in "character".
  • Day 10
"Found her~" Lin Feng had finally found her target. 3. A hundred?!
  • Day 9
"You fools!" Someone was quite angry today. "You couldn''t even do one thing properly! Now give me the jade pendant!" A luxuriously dressed young lady yelled loudly as she reprimanded her entourage of guards and a maid. Snatching a box from her guards, she entered the mansion in front of her, which was within the city lord''s estate. As she entered the mansion, the guards from her entourage talked to the guards in front of the mansion and later left to have some food. "So this is that bitch''s house..." Li Feng mused as she saw all of this happening from a random-ass giant tree in the middle of the city. It was a terrible design considering that it could easily be used to observe people in the city lord''s estate. And even considering the fact that Li Feng had used "primal eye arts" to enhance her senses, this was just godawful design. "Sigh... This is just embarrassing even for primitives..." But at least she now knew for sure that this was her target''s residence after all. Why else would the guards leave her to herself while in another''s house? Moreover, she entered without her maid, which according to her body''s memories, no lady would ever do! ... Three hours had passed, and Li Feng was now sure. She left her place on the giant tree and began to ready her preparations. After all, she can''t have an embarrassing "first night"... ... She sneaked through darkness past the guards, into the mansion... Which brought her to her current situation of being imprisoned by darkness. And now as the being of shadows took off the cloth wrapped to hide her face, perhaps due to the surety of definite death or perhaps it was due to her not having had a meal since noon because of her information gathering, her stomach grumbled from hunger. At that moment, the shadows disguising the being in front of her dissipated in an instant. Maybe from such humiliation or perhaps because of the person''s inhumanly beautiful face, Li Feng''s face reddened instantly. However, she wasn''t a world-renowned assassin for nothing as she quickly subdued her embarrassment and noticed the odd reaction from the person in front of her. ''Could it be...'' "Uhh..." She lowered her head and let her face blush as wildly as possible. She made sure to look like an innocent young girl, embarrassed from her actions. As for something like pride? What even is pride? Why is pride? Who is pride? Between the loss of pride and being killed by the rather beautiful monstrosity in front of her, she chose to let go of what she treasured less than her life. ''It''s working!'' The man''s expression visibly changed as he looked at her, and the hostility was now gone completely. As for what the man held in his mind regarding this... ''Ah... So this is the end... It was a rather short life...'' He was preparing for his definite death. ... A few days ago, on Li Feng''s "New Life Day-1," A man donning a cloak obscuring his face, weaving through the crowded market streets, walked with a subtle yet definite grace. In between his walk, he turned to a place and approached a certain stall. "I''d like four of these steamed buns." The old lady selling the steamed buns quickly packed the buns into two big-ass leaves each containing a total of 2 buns. "Here." The man took out a coin from his pocket and gave it to the lady. "Thank you for the food." With a smile, the man took the buns and left, leaving behind the old lady with a confused expression. It was not often, or rather it rarely ever happened, that someone would thank her for such a thing... "Mm~" sinking his teeth into the bun and savoring the juicy fillings, the man walked with a pleasant smile, still unaffected by the crowd. "So, what is this place?" The man questioned no one in particular as he walked. He had no clue who he was, what he was doing, or anything about this place. Yet, strangely he was able to do everything quite naturally... "Quite flavorful compared to the bland hospital food~" The man remarked as he took another bite. "Hm? Hospital food?" He did not recognize what he himself had spoken. He mulled over the words for a moment as an image of a pure white room with a white bed and strange devices appeared within his mind. In such a room, a boy sat before a bowl of bland-looking, colorless, liquidy food accompanied by a few fruits. "Ah... yeah, hospital food''s bland indeed~" The man continued walking without a care... ''Wait a minute! This ain''t normal!! Why do I know of that? Wait, why can''t I remember a thing?!'' The man was lost. His mind couldn''t remember much, yet it understood everything. At times, images would flash by as he remembered some distant memories. The man wandered aimlessly, lost in his psychological turmoil, buying this and that every now and then, till.... The man was lost... physically lost. He didn''t know where he ended up. The sun had begun to set, but he could see everything clearly even in the dimmed lights. He hadn''t noticed it before, but the distant places always seemed shrouded by some kind of fog... Which was definitely strange as everything close to him had always been clear. Anyways, because of that fog he had trouble finding his way. "Hm... where do I go now?" As he wandered like that, a rather peculiar thing was noticed by him... A muddied corpse on the ground. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. "A-are you alright?" Approaching the corpse, he asked worriedly. The aforementioned "corpse" then raised her head to look towards him, and he took a breath of relief, taking out the buns he had left from before and alongside it a medicine vial he bought today. "Um..." He felt a bit worried as he only had the buns on him... Giving such a thing to someone who appeared ill was a bit... "I only have this on me, so please eat this and then use the medicine on your bruises." The former corpse looked at him and took the buns, eating them rapidly, causing a smile to appear on his face... ''Maybe I should give her some mone-'' "Urgh!" His head pulsed with pain, and his vision flared up, and as he looked at the girl before him it only worsened. He hurriedly got up and turned to leave. "Make sure to use the medicine!" ... "But where do I go now?" Lost yet again, he wondered where he should spend the night, and an image flashed by accompanied by a name. "Gongsun Haoren." He could tell that this was "his" name, and so he let his body take him to the place that should be "his" place. ... ""Welcome back, Lord!"" Two guards welcomed him, to which he simply nodded coolly, not concerning himself with the two, and entered "his house". Inside his house, outside of everyone''s gaze, he let himself relax completely as he sat on the floor with his head in his hand. "So, what do I do now?" He, Haoren, questioned himself in hopes of getting an answer through the memories that appeared every now and then. But to his dismay, there was no such thing. "Well, at least I don''t feel tired at all from all the walking. Couldn''t have imagined that back in the hospital!" And it was then that a memory appeared, a boy seated in complete darkness, with flashes of colors appearing now and then, and a distant voice haunting him... }"He couldn''t even walk properly since birth, and now he has even lost his sight! There''s no reason to concern yourself with him!"{ "Haa..." Letting out a sigh, he instinctively moved towards a certain section of his house. In front of a mirror, he stood, staring at his reflection or rather the lack of any. Yet, despite not being able to see anything within the mirror, he could perceive himself, a man in a dark cloak with fair hands and a lean body, yet his face was obscured by darkness. However, one could clearly see something demonic within the darkness, it was ominous, cruel, apathetic, and evil. Looking at himself for a few moments, he closed his eyelids yet the "reflection" still remained in his vision. "Haha..." He laughed bitterly. "Still blind, huh?" The person in whose body he is, just like him, was also blind. It was just that this person had found a way to bypass this restriction of nature. As for how? "Haoren" wasn''t sure but had an inkling. "Let''s leave the complicated stuff to the me from tomorrow!" Proclaiming his procrastination, Haoren climbed the stairs to the second floor and made his way to his room. "Pretty bland." The room was pretty simple with not much in terms of luxuries, which was strange considering the other room right by this one was more better looking. "Suspicious..." Anyways, he decided to sleep in the plain room. After all, it would be a shame if there was some kind of trap in there. Maybe it would even be difficult to sleep in such an unfamiliar environment. ... "Haa..." He slept like a log that night. At noon, he stretched his body, as he felt something around his chest. "What''s this?" Within his chest pocket on the inner side of robes was a crudely made earthen vial. "Didn''t I give this to that girl from yesterday?" Was it an illusion? A dream? Or a duplication glitch? Nope. It was a "mistake". "Shit..." The thing that he had given to the girl was a soul-mending elixir... Although, he wasn''t sure about what this elixir truly was, but from the name it sure looked like the thing that transmigrators took to fix their memories and stop the eventual collapse of their souls. ... "Not here, huh?" Back at the alleyway from yesterday, Haoren found that the girl was long gone... "Guess, it can''t be helped... Ugh!!" With a sharp pain assaulting his head and memories continuously pouring in, he understood that his life would be limited without the elixir. "I have to get that otherwise..." Indeed, if he didn''t use the elixir, he would not even be able to live for a mere 100 years! "...A hundred''s good enough! Rather how long-living was the other me to think of 100 years as mere 100 years." Haoran wandered around again, aimlessly buying wares of the hawkers and enjoying his life. ...
  • Day- 4
Today, Haoren had sneakily left the city walls for a little outing! He used the city gates to leave normally like all others. Leaving the city, he entered the forest area wandering around for a while he found a suitable place with a giant rock with a flat surface. Before doing anything else, he decided to attempt something he was quite excited about. He stretched his arm above his head and closed his eyes... "Hap!!" He brought down his hand and alongside it came dark wisps enveloping his hand. Tendrils made of shadow stretched out from the ground and more and more tendrils came into being ahead of Haoren, until it reached the giant rock.. *DATHAKK!!! The tendrils twisted and drilled into the rock trying to crush it. Although the rock itself wasn''t completely destroyed but, the rock now had a small cave inside of it and Haoren had stars in his eyes. He had learned of this power of his body from some of the flashing memories and thus, sneaked out to practice them outside the city just in case anyone got suspicious of him using weird techniques... "Oh my god!!" He felt like a kid once again! Not that he was all that old back when he was in the hospital... "But, why is this so much weaker than the attack from my memories..." ...That day Haoren continued doing this till evening hoping he''d get some more memories out of this. Alas, none of that happened as he returned to city disappointed. ...
  • Day -6
Yet another pleasant day for Haoren. He didn''t have any work to do as he just lazed around as the city lord''s guest for years... As for why Haoren was treated so well? Nobody really knows, not even Haoren at this point. Well, the city lord probably knows, lol... "Ah... This is what life''s all about~" Today, Haoren had once again sneaked out of the city walls and was taking a soak in a river with crystal clear water. He had found this place as he was looking for a new cool place to "practice". Nature''s symphony surrounded him¡ªthe gentle buzz of insects, the melodious rush of water. Each ripple whispered something as Haoren sank into the cool embrace. Under the canopy''s shade, time slowed, granting respite from urban bustle. "This is great~" Haoren enjoyed himself. However, it''s the rule of the universe that if everything''s going all too well... something''s gonna go bad. "Huh? Where''re my clothes?" That day he ended up staying in the forest naked and afraid till evening until he learned of a rather unique ability of his. ... ????????????????????¡ã???¡ã????????????????????? ... "Rarghghhh!" A thunderous roar shook the forest grounds, causing countless ripples to appear in the waters. Haoren prepared to flee as he heard the bestial roar. Yet, as the beast, a horned bear towering at a height similar to that of a small two-story house, showed itself, Haoren simply stared at the beast, not moving to flee. Soon his "senses" shifted to his own self. Haoren''s reflection that he perceived was a twisted outline of a man instead of the demonic shadow veiled entity. This was most likely because of the bear''s perception as Haoren''s own perception relies on others. "RAWRGHH!!" The beast rushed at him with its claws spread out. Haoren back-stepped out of the water and escaped the bear''s attack. His body''s instincts guided him as he avoided every attack of the enraged bear. The strange thing was that he could somehow feel that the bear was simply enraged and not hunting. It was most likely due to Haoren''s special perception but, he decided to think about this later as he was currently busy avoiding his death. Finally, seeing that the attacks were not working, the bear backed away and instead stood on its hind legs as its horn pointed to the heavens. "RAAAAGH!!" Lightning crackled and began to gather around the horn as it glowed a golden hue... *Bzzt! The blinding light covered Haoren''s body, yet the bear did not relax. Rather, it tensed up as it sensed that something was wrong. A ball of darkness... or rather a bud-like structure was now placed where the lightning had struck. As the bud unraveled, Haoran was standing there, his eyes closed. "Hold!" Those words escaped Haoran''s mouth as countless shadows followed his command, imprisoning the bear into his grasp. He stepped forward to finish the bear... ... ????????????????????¡ã???¡ã????????????????????? ... Using the shadows to wrap around his form as clothes, he safely returned home. He Naturally, he came to love this new ability of his! ... ????????????????????¡ã???¡ã????????????????????? ...
  • Day 9
At nighttime, Haoren felt a bit afraid as he walked back and forth in his house, ''Who''s breaking into my house?!'' 4. Gongsun Haoren! Haoren quietly sneaked downstairs as he felt he needed to prepare himself mentally before facing the intruder. While he knew he was strong, he wasn''t sure how strong he was comparatively. Who knows if the intruder was stronger than him? ''Not an assassin... Maybe?'' The intruder did not attempt to find a person, but instead entered all the rooms, scouring for something. ''A thief? Well, hopefully, this guy just leaves after taking whatever they want...'' Alas, hopes and dreams do often perish and the intruder climbed down the stairs to where Haoren was. ''This isn''t good! What do I do?! Let''s calm down... Let''s just try to negotiate and ask why they are here!'' "Which mutt has wandered into my home this late?" ''Ah, crap! Noo!!'' This was yet another weakness that Haoren had discovered¡ªHe had an innate arrogance. It was likely the residue of whoever was the real Haoren before him... The intruder threw something like a small bag with some kind of powder inside of it towards Haoren. Thankfully, the shadows around him swept it away from him. However, Haoren couldn''t help but appreciate the convenience of these shadows for long as he saw the intruder turn to flee. "Stop right there!" The shadows once again moved and imprisoned the intruder easily. Funnily enough, the shadows could help him with his vision by feeling around the area... the shadows that once claimed his vision had now become his vision. This was different from his other way of perception which, while truly useful and discreet, could be unreliable as it was affected by other''s emotions. This was also the reason why Haoren often appeared as an esoteric demonic being as people who knew him knew him as a being who was powerful but never revealed anything about himself. Haoren stepped towards the intruder and took off their mask! After all, he had to know the person''s face so that they weren''t able to sneak attack him later on. *Grumble...! The intruder had turned out to be a girl with short black hair and brown eyes... Her face reddened, perhaps from her stomach making such a noise. She was definitely really cute. However, Haoren had "seen" the girl before... Haoren''s perception worked through the residual emotions and memories of other beings. If someone saw a place, there would be residual emotions or memories left regarding the place which Haoren could use to create a picture within his mind. Of course, these could be warped due to a person''s own perception of something, but it was great for finding out the origins of a thing. So, as he stopped using his shadows to "look" at the world and instead used the more "annoying" perception, he realized the girl was the same as the one to whom he had given the "life-saving" soul-mending elixir... ''How? Wait a minute... I know this from somewhere!'' Indeed, Haoren could somewhat remember reading and listening to certain stories where a character would go from a cripple to a genius in a few days. ''Formerly weak, check. Gained power within a short span, check. Has the skills of a professional, check! Assassin, check(?)!!'' All the shadows clouding his existence dissipated as Haoren looked at the person before him. Face reddened(?) from anger, a frown creasing her brows, gaze turned downward in shame and her teeth gritted in frustration... ''She''s basically the reincarnated assassin who rules the world!!'' This was a novel he had listened to in the hospital, a story about a world-renowned assassin who had been betrayed and then died, only to be reborn in a world of swords and magic. The girl before him had reddened from rage, frowned with frustration, lowered her gaze in shame, and gritted her teeth in anguish... ''Ah... So this is the end... It was a rather short new life...'' Haoren held no hope of winning against the protagonist of the world itself! ''I must have lost the soul-mending elixir because of me being a villain too! It''s always like this, the villain gets weaker and then the MC uses the opportunity to kill them! Even if I tried to kill her, her soul or something would escape and kill me later on!! What do I do? What do I do? what do I-!'' Breaking him out of his mental breakdown, a rather interesting detail made itself apparent to him. His usual perception of himself shifted from a monstrous demonic deity to a handsome young man with deep dark eyes and long silver hair... A bit too handsome in fact, with a slightly evil-esque look, he even had a beauty mark under his eye! ''Wait a minute! Maybe...'' Yet, another delusional thought passed through Haoren''s head, ''...Am I one of the "boy toys"?'' All reincarnated female assassins have a few conveniently placed boy toys, such as the prince, the demon lord, the merchant who''s hiding a secret, and a monster hiding in plain sight. All of these exist for the female MC who''ll be able to easily rise in power through their influence. ''I''m a lot like a demon lord guy or a monster in hiding! Urghh... But I don''t wanna ruin my peaceful life!! Let''s just try and negotiate for real!'' ... ????????????????????¡ã???¡ã????????????????????? ...
From Li Feng''s side, the silence of the "beautiful" man before her was one that brought hope as well as fear¡ª In case the man tried to get rid of her, she had to prepare her last-ditch efforts. She wasn''t the world''s greatest assassin for no reason¡ª she knew how to and when to escape. Finally, the man broke his silence and turned away, stepping away from her. ''Wait, Is this bastard gonna leave me like this?'' Thankfully, that didn''t happen as the man halted after about six steps and turned towards her. With one fluid motion, he lowered his body as the shadows gathered behind him, and he was now seated upon a throne of shadows. "Hm..." With a single dismissive motion from the man, the shadows around Li Feng dissipated as she fell from their hold. She was able to land quietly on her feet, but her gaze remained glued to Haoren. She had even forgotten her plans to act cute or flee. She had but one desire. ''I want it...'' One of the reasons why Li Feng was so feared as an assassin was that unlike others she''d often leave behind a mess, dismembered limbs and other signs of her little "games," ''That power!'' This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Obsessed with the idea of power, she''d often take apart her opponents and use her various arts to learn her opponent''s secrets¡ª From body modifications to energy vein flows, she learned everything with her skilful eyes. This was also how she became who she was. And now she wished for the strength in front of her, the idea of controlling shadows like one''s limbs to overpower any opponent, if she could develop such a power til she reached her prime abilities she would become the strongest even in this world! Meanwhile, Haoren also kept looking into her eyes, ''As expected of a protagonist, never willing to lower her head!'' Now that he had created some distance and his opponent no longer seemed as "displeased," Haoren finally had the time to admire the protagonist in front of him. After all, to him who had seen the world through stories, such an event was honestly quite exciting. Now, he just had to dissolve the situation by talking his way out of this, but... ''How do I begin the talk? Urgh... Do I just get straight to the point or do I say hello? No, saying that at this point would just seem sarcastic... Let''s just do some pleasantries.'' "Sure is a wonderful night for a night walk, isn''t it?" His words came out to have a slightly sarcastic tone to them¡ª However, something surprised Haoren so much that he didn''t pay any attention to his terrible speech-craft skills. ''The words aren''t being warped by the previous Haoren''s pride...'' Usually, whenever someone was aware that they were talking to "Haoren," Haoren''s words would change to fit "his" arrogant self. "..." Seeing that the girl remained silent, Haoren knew his inexperience in socializing had messed him over. But he had to continue despite his embarrassment, "Well, mind telling me the reason for your visit this late?" Li Feng had made up her mind¡ª Others might consider her crazy, but she knew what she wanted and how to get it. "My name is Li Feng," Haoren''s eyes widened as he heard this¡ª this was something he most definitely did not expect, and Li Feng was satisfied with this reaction of his. "I-I came here to retrieve my late mother''s memento that was taken from me!" Li Feng decided to put some effort into her act¡ª Otherwise, she might come off as a suspicious individual. "And why does that bring you to me?" Haoren was stupefied¡ª He had no memory of such an event where he stole something. From as far as he could remember, there was no one else who lived here, and he was not in possession of any kind of keepsake. ''But there was that other room upstairs maybe...'' "I-It was the lady who visited this place today!" Li Feng answered calmly, trying to appraise the man''s expression. "Ah..." Haoren recalled the girl who had waited for him at his place and almost gave him a heart attack due to her "surprise visit". ''I believe it was Xia Fen...'' The girl who was the city lord''s daughter had "known" Haoren since childhood and had even seen his face. Of course, like most others, she too only gets to see his masked self now. However, she had seen his face when they were younger. As such, her perception of Haoren was based on his younger self... That was also how he found out that she had known him for a long ago. Anyway, she annoyed him a lot as she waited for him in his house to return and scared him when he entered his house leisurely, only to find that someone had invaded his safe place. "...Haa..." Haoren sighed and then gestured with his right hand, and shadows grabbed a small box and brought it to him, "Is this your mother''s keepsake?" The tendrils-like shadow then pried the box open to reveal a jade pendant that he had received from Xia Fen. "Y-yes!" Li Feng''s answer came out louder than she had expected, perhaps because of her body''s influence, but she truly felt relieved at seeing the pendant. ''She seems a bit too nervous to be an assassin queen... Was I just overthinking it? That''s embarrassing... No No! I have to confirm first!'' "Did you... harm someone while entering this place?" There was no way a normal girl who had "somehow" gained power instantly wouldn''t feel some form of guilt upon taking a life! "I did not harm anyone on my way." "Huh?" The answer from Li Feng left him baffled, "What about the two outside?" "About that..." Li Feng began, explaining her rather simple commute till now, causing Haoren to facepalm himself... "Ha...." He sighed while clutching his forehead. "..." Li Feng remained silent, however... ''Cute...'' She found his actions to be rather adorable. "You can take the pendant with you..." Li Feng stepped forward to take the relic¡ª However, as she stepped forward, it receded backwards. Frowning from this trickery, Li Feng looked towards Haoren, demanding an explanation. "You can take it with you, but I''d like you to give up on harming the one who stole it from you." Li Feng''s face crumpled for a moment as she felt actually annoyed by this. She was someone who paid back her debts tenfold no matter what. Seeing this, Haoren sighed. While his body seemed to dislike Xia Fen, at the same time also seemed to care for her as if she was his little sister... Moreover, he didn''t want to let harm happen to a child like that. }''I''ll take care of my brother as I have till now!''{ The memories that he could vaguely remember from the hospital were ones that he found to be difficult to understand. But, he could tell that he looked up to the person who cared for him. Even though, he didn''t remember who that person was... He wanted to be like that person... "I''ll be sure to make her understand her wrong, so please forgive her!" Haoren planned to lower his head yet, his body stopped him from doing so, this ended up becoming a half-hearted gesture. Li Feng didn''t like the fact that she might have to let go of this matter, but she also realised it wasn''t like her to be so fixated on such a thing. ''Let''s just relax, even if she''s dark-hearted... She''s just a child. Instead...'' Thinking this Li Feng turned her gaze to the man in front of her, ''...let''s have him make it up to me!'' "I will give up on revenge but," Li Feng made sure to keep her eye on the man''s expression as she might need to change her approach if needed, "Can I ask for something from you?" The man''s brows furrowed as he heard this, "I''ll consider it." ''Tch! How stingy! But he does seem to be an arrogant man... I can use this!'' Even though, her thoughts were like this Li Feng kept her composure and asked in a voice that seemed to be one filled with admiration, "Can you teach me how to use those shadows like you do!" Hearing this the man fell silent, with his hand upon his chin as he mulled over Li Feng''s request. As for his thoughts on the matter... ''How do I even do that?'' He had no clue, rather than a true technique his shadows were like a part of his body. He controls them just like a limb. "The shadows are an innate ability of mine," He spoke whatever came to his mind, "It is not something I can teach you." "Is that so..." Li Feng''s head drooped as she heard him, it was really sad that she couldn''t learn this ability. Moreover, since the man was so powerful, she couldn''t even try to open up his body to learn his secrets. Seeing this reaction, Haoren who did not know of Li Feng''s inner thoughts felt relieved. ''There''s no way such an adorable child can be a ruthless protagonist!'' Haoren felt like he understood Li Feng. After all, he himself also found the idea of a special ability to be cool as hell! Although he didn''t know how it worked, it was still really cool. He decided to help the girl just a bit... "Anyways, now that-" However, his words were cut short as a thunderous noise resounded! *GRUMBLE!!! It was Li Feng''s stomach that had made that sound that resembled the cries of a dying dragon... Li Feng''s initial reaction to this was... ''Damn, I really need some food...'' However, that soon changed as she heard a mocking sound, "Pfft..." It was Haoren, who was barely holding in his laughter. ''F*ck you!'' Li Feng basically glared at him, now that she knew that she couldn''t learn anything from him and she felt like her life was out of danger her fa?ade was somewhat slipping away. Although it was mostly due to her immature body''s influence, it was still quite unthinkable for the former world-renowned assassin to act in such a manner. "Here." To such a Li Feng, Haoren tossed something wrapped in a packaging of leaves towards her or rather he was about to but, then as if remembering something decided to use the shadows to deliver it to Li Feng properly. ''Can''t be disrespectful to food!'' This was one of the many things that Haoren did not let go of. He never disrespected food no matter what! Especially the tasty food! However, unknown to him, Haoren''s actions came out as rather clumsy and... ''Cute?'' Li Feng seriously wondered what was the deal with the man before her. He had an aura of superiority yet, he acted clumsily and did really silly things! Anyways, Li Feng took the thing that the shadows handed to her and it was two dumplings. "Thanks?" Li Feng thanked the man who despite his rather arrogant way of speaking seemed to be someone who cared(?) about others. "Go ahead and eat." As Li Feng ate the dumplings, Haoren wondered what to do next. He should probably introduce himself to the girl or rather he should''ve done that long ago but he felt a bit intimidated by the fact that she might be a protagonist-like being. But, not introducing himself is unacceptable! One has to always introduce himself properly, it''s basic manners! But giving her his real name was a bit... To begin with, everyone here only knew him as "lord Gongsun"... ''Maybe, Gongsun Ran? or Ranli?'' Making up his mind, Haoren nervously opened his mouth, "My name is..." As he began, Li Feng raised her head looking away from the dumplings as she looked toward him quizically, "...Gongsun Haoren!" He declared proudly, ''Why now?!'' Yet, in his mind, he screamed at his prideful "self". "Anyways..." His mind began to run at extreme speeds as he attempted to look as natural as possible, "You should take your leave..." Looking at the girl in front of him, he realised yet another problem. ''Does she even have a place to stay at?'' To begin with, this girl was not a protagonist from some poorly written web novel but just a normal girl with some skills. So surely she had made plans to flee from this place after she had attempted her theft. ''She probably doesn''t...,'' Haoren felt convinced as he saw that she didn''t turn to leave after he asked her to leave. What he didn''t know was that the girl or rather the former assassin was formulating plans to steal his secrets one way or another. Instead, he began to feel pity for the "poor" girl... "...I hardly believe you have a decent place to stay! So, just stay here for now and leave tomorrow morning." ... ????????????????????¡ã???¡ã????????????????????? ...
5. Bloody Idiot! That night, Haoren had a dream. It was a strange feeling as he had yet to have dreamt even once ever since the beginning of his life in this body. The dream was filled with darkness, but he could feel furiously fast winds pass by his body as a loud boom responded around him. It all continued till he felt an impact accompanied by an even louder noise, something akin to an explosion. After that, everything went silent till a set of steps began to approach me. "Ho~ a child? This sure is not something you see every day!" Whoever this person was, carried me in his arms and I fit in there easily as if I were an infant. "Such a meeting... Surely, this must be the fate of some sort." The man rambled on, "You don''t seem to have any keepsakes or a name, huh? But a life must possess a name..." "Haoren. That should be a good name. Make sure to become someone others will look up to! As for my name..." The man began to walk as he paused for a moment. "...Gongsun Jiang... It''s Gongsun Jiang." His voice was low and his words hushed, but they were ones that I''ll never forget ... ????????????????????¡ã???¡ã????????????????????? ... "..." Haoren sat on his bed lost in his own thoughts. The dream still remained within his mind as he recalled memories from "his" past. "Ha..." He closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "Gongsun Haoren... Huh?" He now understood why he couldn''t lie about his name, it was simply that precious to "him". A life must possess a name, and he had taken away that name as well as that one''s life... To take another''s life for sustenance was one thing but to take away a name, the very thing that defined one''s existence? It was simply evil. Haoren rose from his bed and began to walk away as the shadows took off his clothes brought new clothes and dressed him. The shadows now seemed to be far more dexterous and worked rather skillfully. "Hm.. Not here?" Exiting his room, Haoren noticed that the lavish room right by his room was now empty and the bed sheets had been tidied. "Downstairs?" Feeling the presence of someone downstairs Haoren climbed down the stairs realizing how the house seemed strangely bright today. "Huh?" His jaw fell from surprise as he saw warm food set up in front of him at the table he never really used. His mouth salivated as he looked at this, and he only looked away when he sensed someone approach. It was Li Feng who held a pot with a steaming aroma of deliciousness leaking out of it. ... Last Night, back in Li Feng''s room, ... After having been guided to the lavish-looking bedroom, Li Feng was on full alert! After all, there''s no way that someone as arrogant as Haoren would stay in that humble-looking place while letting her stay in this room. To begin with, such a bland room was usually left for the servant of the master! "No signs of use..." The room was in a rather pristine condition, other than some dust there were no signs of anyone having lived in it. ''A trap! That must be it!'' And so, Li Feng did not sleep at all as she meditated while refining her inner energy. But... Nothing happened. ... ''Is he just one of those naive people who treat their guests well? Or one of those who act all pretentious while saying they enjoy the mundane style of life?'' As she grumbled in her mind, Li Feng thought of another little plan... She would try and find out Haoren''s secrets! It doesn''t matter whether it was an innate ability or an esoteric power, Li Feng held the confidence to be able to unveil the secrets behind it to strengthen herself. Moreover, her intuition told her that there was something to be gained from Haoren, ''Even that oldie used to complement my intuition!'' The "oldie" in question was her teacher and the person who "taught" her the ways of society''s shadows. All this brought Li Feng to her current situation of cooking food in Haoren''s kitchen! The process of making a meal was quite simple, his kitchen was decked out with a bunch of spirit tools ranging from simple fire runestones used for lighting a fire to a freezing compartment which was basically a refrigerator, which according to her body only the real rich guys had. ''Fucking rich fuckers... Well it makes my job easier, I guess.'' As for how Li Feng learnt how to cook? It was her teacher... No, he didn''t teach her, that fellow didn''t know how to cook himself, how the fuck would he have taught her? He just forced her to cook for him and she had to learn it herself. Li Feng could now even cook a delicious dish in a fucking wilderness! She was good at almost everything she tried and the same went for cooking! As for her reasoning for cooking? She needed to get Haoren to hire her so that she could observe him up close. The ability to control shadows simply held that much value to an assassin like her. Even if all she could accomplish was to be able to counter that ability, that would still be a great boon. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ... ????????????????????¡ã???¡ã????????????????????? ... "Li Feng?" Haoren asked as he looked at Li Feng who was holding a pot of steaming food. "Um..." Li Feng slightly lowered her gaze, and after a moment looked nervously at Horen with upturned eyes, "I made this since I woke up early..." Saying this she lowered her gaze once again. "Is that so?" Haoren''s voice was unamused. ''Tch! What a prick!'' And Li Feng''s thoughts were annoyed. Without any words spoken, Haoren sat down by the table and began to have his meal. Li Feng also followed suit as she took some food as well. ''Mmh~ As expected of my skills~!'' Li Feng enjoyed herself and with how delectable these works of art were, Haoren would have relished them as well if the current matters did not weigh so heavily upon his mind. "You..." Putting down his chopsticks, Haoren spoke addressing the girl who had made this "feast", "I recall you asking me to teach you about my shadows?" "Yes?" Li Feng answered a bit unsure yet, surprised as Haoren''s gaze felt a bit hollow to her. It was hard to feel almost as if did not exist and it caught her off guard. "While my own ability is not one that can be taught, I can teach you some other techniques..." Li Feng was surprised even more by these words as this was definitely not something she expected to happen. "However, I belong to no orthodox lineage or school so I can not take you in as a disciple, Nor can I adopt you as my child." Horen continued as Li Feng retorted in her mind, ''I am not dying to call you father either!'' Not knowing any of this, Haoren continued, "Therefore, it''ll be an employment contract. You''ll be taught by me while you work under me. Is that acceptable for you?" ''What the...'' Li Feng was flabbergasted, this was what she had planned to get from Haoren but, to think she got it so easily?! ''Something''s fishy...'' However, Li Feng wasn''t a coward so, she decided to snatch the opportunity before her instantaneously, "I''d be glad to!" As for why Haoren mentioned this, it was because "his" memories had somewhat recovered after that dream. He knew full well of what had happened to him, what had prompted this sudden rush of memories. His soul was being healed as he remained close to Li Feng. He could now feel it, the slow but definite process of regeneration... But how? The best explanation he could think of was a special physique of some sort, an innate ability like his own. He wanted to know more about the other Haoren and so, he had to keep Li Feng close to him and it just so happened that his soul''s recovery brought about memories of "his" own youth''s education. As Haoren began to eat his food, ''This is delicious~'' Haoren felt his soul heal... ... As Li Feng looked at Hao who had continued his meal, she realized something, ''His gaze... it''s unfocused.'' Even as he ate his food, although he looked in its direction he didn''t focus on it nor did his eyes show any movement. "Your eyes..." Li Feng spoke without realizing it, a bad habit she gained from her body. "Hm?" Haoren simply tilted his head inquisitively, not understanding what she meant. To which, Li Feng began to panic trying to gather her words. Looking at this Horen realized what she meant. "Ah..." He held his hand over his eye, "My eyes lacked vision since birth." "Ah... That was rude of me..." Li Feng had fumbled, this kind of matter was most certainly a sensitive topic for someone prideful like Haoren. "I don''t mind it." Saying this Horen continued his meal. Li Feng also did the same as an awkward silence enveloped them. And then they fucked! Well, not now, but eventually they did like trust me they did! ... ????????????????????¡ã???¡ã????????????????????? ... "Under the heavens grace and the earth''s nurturance, the spiritual qi of heaven and earth blesses all under heavens." He walked back and forth with measured steps as he spoke this. "Yet, this "blessing" is not ubiquitous. To absorb and refine spiritual qi one needs to possess talent, a talent that manifests itself in the form of a spiritual root." His gaze turned to Li Feng as he continued, "If one doesn''t possess a spiritual root they can not hope to progress their strength." Hearing this Li Feng raised her hand, "What?" Haoren questioned, his tone clearly annoyed from being interrupted. "Is there really no way for someone without a spiritual root to get stronger?" "Hm..." As Haoren fell into his thoughts, Li Feng looked at him somewhat expectantly, "There are some, changing one''s body by consuming some heavenly treasure, by making one''s body and soul forcefully absorb grand quantities of Qi, to become a new life form... But all of these except for the first will cause damage to one''s soul and mind...." "Ah..." Haoren continued as he recalled something, "One can also implant or steal another''s spiritual roots, but of course, such a thing will have its own consequences. So, make sure not to do such a thing, alright?" "Mhm!" Li Feng nodded as she began to get bored of the lecture. "Anyways, I will examine your talent before we begin the next lessons." Haoren snapped his fingers and tendrils of shadows brought a small crystal ball out of the house like a conveyer belt. ''They seem a bit stiff...'' The shadows were not as dexterous as before, even though they sat in the canopy of a tree, the courtyard was simply too bright in the day for the shadows, ''Hoh~ So, they have such a weakness...'' Li Feng took note of this within her mind, as this would definitely be a handy little thing to use. "Place your hand on the crystal and meditate while attempting to absorb the ambient qi of heaven and earth." As the ball reached before Li Feng, Haoren spoke to her. "Think of the things that make you feel the most comfortable, feel the wind flowing right at your body and the sound of every passing moment..." However, even then Li Feng did not feel anything, To begin with ''what the fuck''s with this spiritual Heaven and Earth bullshit?!'' She did not get what the fuck he was talking about But... ''Maybe...'' She was not completely clueless as she began to absorb outer energy into her body using one of her "arts"... "Hm?" Haoren who was standing by her side noticed the odd flow of spiritual qi as the crystal began to glow a faint hue... The glow grew a bit brighter and fluctuated till it formed a pattern... "You may open your eyes now." As Haoren''s voice reached her ears, Li Feng opened her eyes. Her eyes widened as she looked at the crystal before her. A spider''s web-like pattern covered it, it was radiant yet held a familiar glint to it, "Metal?" In response, to her whisper, Haoren, stepped forward, "Indeed," He took the crystal in his hands, "The elemental attributes are wood and metal. However, instead of being separate roots, it''s a singular root with a mix of both attributes." "Does that mean it''s good?" Not caring much about the esoteric shit, Li Feng wished to skip the info dump and asked the real questions. "Well... It is passable." Haoren was entirely unimpressed. "And what does that mean?" Li Feng spoke with a barely maintained smile as she felt a vein pop on her forehead. "Hah..." Haoren sighed helplessly further annoying Li Feng, "Our bodies are made of the five elements¡ª Fire, water, wood, earth and metal. Most possess one of these elements within their spiritual roots as they are what we are most familiar with. But at times there would be a mutation which will cause one to have an irregular element." "And mine is like that?" Li Feng interjected, to which Haoren nodded. "Yes, however, yours is a combination of two elements that simply do not mix well. Metal cuts wood and thus, the quality of your roots is simply too poor." "So much so, that it''s a waste of my time to even teach you." Saying this Haoren turned away from Li Feng. No words were spoken yet, Li Feng understood the intent... ''How long has it been...'' This was just like the past, in the cold streets that remained dark and damp despite the colourful flashing lights of the main roads... Those people would frown, gaze coldly, mock and turn away hoping to forget the "filth" they set their eyes on. In their eyes, we were all worthless, worse than a stray dog. Clenching her teeth, Li Feng glared at Haoren. She got up and turned to leave, there''s nothing that guy can or will teach her. "Where are you going?" As she was about to leave, Haoren''s voice called out to her. "..." To which Li Feng simply glared at him. "While It is a waste of my time, I never said that I wouldn''t do such a thing." he turned to her, his dark eyes still unfocused yet, they definitely settled themself onto her, "I will not go back on my words so easily after all." After this, Haoren''s image in Li Feng''s mind was somewhat along the lines of arrogant, narcissistic, annoying, rude, pretty and a bloody idiot. 6. Bath?! Haoren had taught Li Feng a Qi gathering cultivation method that originated from the Buddhist mantra and was modified by "his parent" by combining it with various scholarly techniques as well as his own special cultivation technique. Of course, the version that he gave Li Feng was a different one, a lesser version. To begin with, his cultivation technique was created for his use and could not be used by others. The one Li Feng was now using was one that could be used by everyone. Although it will have to be replaced later on it was great for beginning one''s cultivation journey. But, as he watched Li Feng absorb the spiritual qi Haoren felt some matters weigh upon his heart, ''Was this really the right thing to do?'' Haoren had doubts, While it was apparent in the test that Li Feng''s aptitude for cultivation was quite trashy... However, that was not exactly true she had at least above-average talent and that was what worried Haoren. Li Feng''s ability to heal souls was barely noticeable as of now, but once she increases her strength... It''s safe to say that there would be countless beings willing to harm her for the sake of using her ability. ''Well, it''s better if I let her grow stronger while she''s with me rather than letting her wander around and die out there and it''s good for me too.'' Haoren continued to observe Li Feng, looking out for any possible complications. ''This is...'' With the passing of time, a thought passed by in his mind, ''...really boring.'' ... ????????????????????¡ã???¡ã????????????????????? ... As she opened her eyes, Li Feng could feel an all-new vitality flowing within her, "Hm..." Her mind was clear and her body rejuvenated. "Urgh!" But she couldn''t admire this change for much longer as a painfully bad stench assaulted her nose and the source of the stench, seemed to be... herself! Her body was covered in dark sticky grime and her clothes were completely ruined. "Go take a bath." Haoren''s voice calling out to her made her look towards him and that soured her mood even further. ''This bastard!!'' He stood in the distance as far away from Li Feng as possible with his index finger and thumb pinching his nose close with an all too natural-looking expression of disgust. "There''s a well over there and a place to take baths over there." Quickly pointing out the places, Hoaren left and entered the house. "..." Li Feng quietly stared at the leaving Haoren and as he left, "Fuck you!" She flipped him off. ... ????????????????????¡ã???¡ã????????????????????? ... "Hah!" Now alone within the house, Haoren let out a light laugh as he "saw" Li Feng''s actions, "How childish~" Saying this, he walked towards his room while humming merrily. ... *Splash! "Cold..." Li Feng remarked as she poured water onto her body. "Damnit that bastard! if he knew this was gonna happen, he could''ve at least Warmed some water for me or just warned me!!" It wasn''t that unreasonable of a demand from Li Feng''s end as the bathroom also had spirit tools to heat water... She punched at the water in the bucket which only splashed back onto her face, further angering her, "Damnit!" Just then the door to the bathroom creaked open, ''Wait! That fucking bastard!'' Li Feng realized Haoren''s motives behind hiring her, ''No wonder he didn''t talk much about the "employment"'' Li Feng prepared to kick the bastard in the nuts as a hand sneaked in through the barely open door, "Clothes." The hand dropped some clothes onto the ground. "I hardly believe a thief brought some spares alongside her, so wear these" The monotonous voice seemed to be looking down on her, "Unless you want to wear those filthy rags with the stench of the sewers." Saying this, the hand receded and the door closed, "Of course, if you plan on wearing something like that then do remain outside like a wild mutt." "..." As the voice beyond the door grew distant, Li Feng quietly stretched out her both hand''s middle finger bidding her "boss" farewell, ''Fuck off.'' ... *Bathunk! If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Hitting a table, Haoren groaned. "Urgh..." In the day''s light, he could not use his shadows reliably enough to navigate and as for his other "vision", he avoided using it since if he used it now... "Hah..." Haoren sighed, the tips of his ears reddened from embarrassment He had by mistake seen... "Haa..." Haoren sighed again... *Bathumk! He hit a wall. ... ????????????????????¡ã???¡ã????????????????????? ... Li Feng, having changed into the new clothes provided by Haoren, found him in a cloak, seemingly preparing to leave. She approached him, towel in hand, still drying her hair. "Where are you going?" she asked him, her words filled with curiosity. Haoren glanced at her, his expression unreadable beneath the hood. "A few places," he replied curtly. Li Feng frowned, feeling a surge of annoyance rise within her. "Can I come with you," she insisted. Haoren shook his head. "No, I don''t have any plans of babysitting for today." "Then I''ll go on my own!" Li Feng declared, crossing her arms defiantly. "..." Haoren stared at her and his gaze met Li Feng''s stubborn gaze as they stared at each other for a while. "..." Haoren hesitated, weighing his options, "Ha..." Finally, he let out a resigned sigh. "Do whatever you want," he relented. With a triumphant grin, Li Feng stepped beside him as they made their way through the market which was not as crowded as it usually was in the mornings. Haoren navigated the crowded streets with ease, his senses quite helpful for passing through crowds. As they passed by various stalls selling goods of all kinds, Haoren stopped every now and then to purchase things. First, he purchased a lot of fruits, then he bought dozens of dumplings and then meat skewers. The entirety of a moderately large bag was filled with his purchases. ''How much does this guy eat?'' Li Feng watched him curiously, marvelling at the sheer quantity of food that Haoren bought, ''He also had dumplings on him last night...'' She couldn''t help but feel a bafflement at his obsession with dumplings. Once Haoren had finished his purchases, they continued on their way, the bag of food swinging lightly as they walked. Li Feng kept pace beside him, feeling a bit bored as she expected to find out some of Haoren''s secrets but this... Together, they made their way through the market, Haoren leading the way. After a few minutes of travel by foot, Li Feng noticed the place they were heading to, it was a place she was familiar with. "Where are we going?" Haoren halted in his steps as he turned towards Li Feng with a slightly inquisitive look, "The slums, why do you ask?" "Ah... no reason in particular." "Is that so..." Haoren answered, with a curious voice, "Weren''t you also a resident of here?" "Yes..." Li Feng answered as they continued to walk ahead. After a moment of silence, Haoren asked another question, "So, is there anyone who knows you here?" "Not really." She spoke while recalling her body''s memories, "I am an outsider who came to this place from another city, so I don''t really have any friends or acquaintances here. But, there might be some who could recognise me..." Saying this, she also added, "Not that they''d be able to recognise me now..." "Mhm," Haoren nodded in agreement while he continued walking. ''What?! You haven''t even seen me before!'' This somewhat pissed off Li Feng. ... ????????????????????¡ã???¡ã????????????????????? ... As they reached, the main slum area Haoren stopped and Li Feng could feel multiple sets of eyes upon them or rather mostly on Haoren. But, there didn''t seem to be any killing intent within them. As Li Feng wondered what to do next, a shadow crept up towards them and lunged at Haoren. However, Li Feng didn''t do anything... "Food Mister!!" The assailant was a child about 9 years of age, "I''m not "mister food", you brat." Haoren responded in a rough tone. "Food Mister!" The little girl paid no mind to his tone and instead wished to admonish him for getting the title she granted upon him wrong. "Ha..." Haoren just sighed as he let the girl who was barely hugging him do as she pleased for the 6th time to date. "Where are the others?" At this point the girl let go of Haoren and turned to the other side taking in a deep breath she yelled, "Oy you idiots stop being cowards and come out!" There was silence for a few moments till a few kids stepped out of the broken run-down houses... and then a few more did. "Haoren looked towards the one that seemed to be the oldest and raised his brows. "W-well..." The girl who seemed to be around 14 years of age answered with an awkward smile, "We thought you were busy..." She glanced at Li Feng as she said this. Seeing this Haoren realized that Li Feng was wearing his clothes which were of high quality, which probably made the kids wary. He just shook his hand, "This is my subo... friend, Feng Lin, he will not be a problem. Go ahead and have the food, you are already salivating like dogs anyway." And then, the kids rushed at the food till the older ones scolded them to line up. Looking at this Haoren smiled, in the kids'' perception he appeared to be a man with their favourite foods as his head... Which just showed how simple these kids were. Li Feng watched all this with her jaw dropped, ''This fucker smiles?!'' She was in absolute shock, this was the last thing she expected from him, ''What''s he planning?!'' She just couldn''t accept that the cynical man she knew would act as such, smiling while helping kids! ... ????????????????????¡ã???¡ã????????????????????? ... After playing a few simple games with the kids for a while, Haoren left alongside Li Feng. Their next destination took them to the city gates where they quietly let Haoren pass, "This guy''s with me." Hearing this, the guards looked at Li Feng a bit enviously as well with a hint of admiration. After that, they entered the forest and went to a river that Li Feng was all too familiar with, Haoren hunted dozens of fishes instantly with his shadows and carried them within a basket made of shadows and went on deeper into the forest. They entered a large cave with a gigantic black bear with a golden horn... ''This...'' Li Feng prepared for trouble. However, Haoren simply closed in and Bear noticed him, "Grr..." To the bear''s growl, Haoren stepped forward, "Brought food!" Hearing this, the bear brought its head closer and opened its jaws. "Here!" Haoran threw the fishes into the bear''s mouth. The bear closed its mouth and receded its head. The bear then moved its body to reveal a little life... an infant bear. "Hoh! So, the kid''s born huh?" Haoren smiled as he looked at the "little" bear, the size of a boar. "Does it have a name?" "Grr...!" "That won''t do, names are important... they are necessary!" "Gr..." "Then... How about Tai?" "Grr..." ... The conversation with the bear continued and Li Feng remained silent till they left. As they were walking back, Li Feng spoke up, "You can talk with bears?" Haoren gazed at her strangely and then he answered, "It''s related to my ability." "How do you even know the bear?" Li Feng asked another question. Haoren crossed his arms as he recalled the memories from a few days ago, "A few days ago, I was attacked By that bear... But, since it was bearing life I decided to spare its pathetic life and since it had lost its mate, I decided to feed it for a while" At the end he also, grumbled quietly, "Someone even stole my clothes that day..." "Huh?" Li Feng halted in her steps, Haoren looked back to check on her yet, she didn''t move... She couldn''t process the situation at all... Indeed, Li Feng.exe had stopped responding. 7. Peeking?!
  • Day-10
Their dinner that night was quiet... unbearably so. Moreover, Li Feng''s glances only worsened this. "What is it?" Finding it unbearable to keep ignoring the glances, Haoren asked with a frown. "..." Li Feng remained silent as she met Haoren''s frown with her gaze, after a moment of pause her lips parted, "...Do you often do things like charity?" "Charity?" Haoren''s frown deepened, "I just feed them every now and then if I feel like it, there''s nothing more to it." Although his words were altered by his body, Haoren still believed that what he did was no charity. Rather, on the contrary, he had a lot of fun doing this. Playing around, running in a game of tag and having conversations... These were all things he couldn''t have even hoped to possess in that dark hospital room. "Well, since the lives of slum dwellers here are much easier than in other cities..." Haoren was surprised by Li Feng''s words but, then he realized that he himself knew nothing about the lives of the slum dweller. Most of his memories came from the hospital room and even they were scarce... Moreover, Li Feng continued this statement with yet another one, "It''s good that you only do that every once in a while, it would be troublesome if the others grew envious of the kids... Moreover, there are a lot of menial chores that everyone relies on the slum''s children for." "Is that so..." Saying this Haoren lowered his gaze and continued his dinner. ... ''I feel tired...'' Haoren thought as he lay down on his bed. "Fortunately, the outing went surprisingly well..." Haoren was afraid that Li Feng would get in trouble if they went out so he wanted to avoid that... Or rather that was the excuse that he was trying to make himself believe in! In fact, he was still feeling awkward after having accidentally "peeked" on Li Feng... He didn''t want to look at her right now as he felt immensely guilty. "Ughh...! Should I apologize? B-but, How?" Haoren was a young boy both in body and in mind, despite how he looked he was in fact only 16 years of age. As for his mind... Let''s just say it was a bit younger than that. Moreover, as he was always inside of the hospital room he never really interacted with the opposite gender and that caused him to not really know how to process this kind of situation. He rolled around in his bed like a... a... a maiden in love? I''m not so sure who does this kind of thing... As he stopped doing that, Haoren''s mind wandered off to the other event that happened today... ''I almost caused a lot of trouble didn''t I?'' He didn''t know anything about the slum''s system... In the worst-case scenario, the kids could''ve been harmed because of his mistake. ''She''s really knowledgeable, huh...'' Despite being of a similar age as him, Li Feng seemed to know so much more... It was something that truly surprised him, to some extent he admired how cool she could be when it seemed like she knew everything... In comparison... ''Always causing trouble...'' }"¨€¨€¨€¨€ Don''t worry about it! It''s not your fault... You just didn''t know"{ He had always been like this... ''Damn it..'' With a bitter taste spoiling his mood, Haoren fell asleep. ... ????????????????????¡ã???¡ã????????????????????? ... ''I feel tired...'' Li Feng grumbled while on her bed, today''s events had been mentally taxing for Li Feng. From learning the cultivation method to meeting the bear, a lot has happened. And a specific detail weighed heavily on her mind, "That bastard''s nothing like what he seems!" Li Feng had till now assumed Haoren to be a rich idiot, a potential pervert and a cynical demon, but... Today, she saw him play around with kids, feed them, help a mother(bear)... ''Then why does he have to act like a mid-boss level villain?! Ah! Damnit!'' Li Feng felt ashamed, till now she assumed the worst possibilities regarding Haoren but, all of that was wrong. She felt like a fool. But she did not want to apologise as it would require her to admit that she made such foolish assumptions. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ''Maybe he''s one of those ''tsunderes'' I''ve heard of!'' She skillfully deviated from the direction of her thoughts avoiding the idea of apologizing. ''But that bear''s mate is probably...'' The bear Li Feng killed was most likely the mate of the female bear... She had taken the life of the bear yet, he had not only spared the bear''s life but also helped it. Her words changed to accommodate others and his were always rude no matter what, yet it was he who helped others and she simply did not do anything that didn''t provide her merit. They were like the very opposites of one another. ''Damn it...'' With a bitter taste fouling her mood, Li Feng fell asleep. ... ????????????????????¡ã???¡ã????????????????????? ...
  • day-12
"As you gather spiritual qi within your body you will feel it travel your body through certain pathways and gather at a certain place..." Haoren spoke the words that Gongsun Jiang had once told him when he taught ''Haoren''. "Can you tell where it is?" "Mhm..." Li Feng nodded with furrowed brows as she traced the faint thread of energy flowing within her. "The abdomen?" "Indeed." Haoren nodded, "But where exactly?" "..." Li Feng''s frown deepened as she remained silent... "How about now?" Li Feng felt a cold yet soft touch on her forehead, "Can you feel it now?" "The cold sensation spread from her forehead to the entirety of her head bringing a sense of calmness to her mind... Her senses sharpened as he could feel the strands of qi within her body, they flowed towards her lower abdomen... "Lower abdomen..." Haoren''s voice once again resounded within her mind, "Focus on it... try to see through the veil of mortal vision and find what that place is like..." Usually, Li Feng would''ve complained about the uselessly mysterious wording of Haoren, but currently, she understood everything as she instinctively focused on her lower abdomen... Within the darkness of closed eyes, slowly, a feint veil appeared, "It''s like mist..." Li Feng stated. "Good, that is your Dantian..." Haoren''s voice was calm, "Your Dantian is where your spiritual qi is stored and refined. The mist form of qi is proof of you being in the mist-gathering stage, after this will come the cloud-forming stage, then rain condensing stage and finally Spiritual sea stage. These all accumulated together will be your first step in the journey of cultivation." After saying this, Haoren fell silent, "..." "..." The silence remained for a few minutes as Li Feng just sat there waiting for Haoren''s instructions. "You may open your eyes now." Finally, Haoren spoke and Li Feng opened her eyes. ''He''s still like that?'' Li Feng thought as she saw that Horen was standing with his back facing her. Even yesterday morning he was the same, not looking towards her and avoiding her. "Do you have any questions?" Haoren spoke with his back towards Li Feng. ''Well, of course I do!'' Li Feng felt annoyed but, she decided to take out her annoyance later, "How do I enter the next stage?" "Your meridians, the pathways that lead spiritual qi to your Dantian must be refined. As you refine qi within your Dantian, you''ll be able to use it to refine your meridian. Once it has been refined, the quantity of qi you possess as well as its quality will improve and once you''ve refined all 9 of your meridians, you''ll have formed your Spiritual Sea." Li Feng nodded till she realized something, "...You mentioned this being the first step into cultivation, does that mean there are stages beyond this?" "We''ll talk about that once you reach that stage." ... ????????????????????¡ã???¡ã????????????????????? ... Haoren was in a rather troubling situation, he needed to apologize but, he didn''t know how. He never had any experience regarding something like this. Moreover, he was afraid of how his words could be warped by his body. The guilt ate away at him and since he hadn''t told Li Feng about this, he had to discretely be prepared for when she might be bathing or changing clothes and then go completely blind for a while. ''AARRGGHHH!! I can''t take it anymore!!'' Having hit a literal wall yet again, Haoren was at his limit. The mental burden was too much, he had to get it off his chest and apologize. ... Yet another quiet dinner, Li Feng didn''t really mind the silent meals at first but now they''ve begun to bother her because of the awkward mood around Haoren. Finally, Haoren who had just finished his meal got up and with his hand on the table spoke up while looking at Li Feng, "I need to talk to you about something." "What?" Li Feng wasn''t exactly sure about what Haoren planned to ask her but it probably had something to do with the awkward mood that enveloped him the past two days. "You must''ve wondered how I am able to navigate through my day-to-day life despite being blind, right?" Haoren asked with a slightly strange demeanour. Li Feng nodded, she was indeed a bit curious about this. "Well, I can see through an ability of mine which lets me see through the world in a different way... which is not limited by my eyes... and..." Haoren''s voice quietened and turned to mere mumbles that didn''t even reach Li Feng''s ears, "What did you say?" Li Feng asked. "What I said was..." Haoren paused for a while as his gaze turned downwards. Finally, after gathering his courage he met Li Feng''s gaze, "I''d like you to let me know when you''re taking a bath beforehand so that I can avoid accidentally peeking!!" Within a single breath, he yelled it all out, leaving Li Feng stupefied for a moment, "Wait... Does that mean... You saw?" Haoren''s head lowered instantly, "...I am sorry..." His shoulders drooped and his voice grew quiet. ''Cute.'' Li Feng remarked as he saw the Haoren before her, his ears reddened like tomatoes, ''Is this what they call the charm of a tsundere?!'' Looking at such a Haoren, she decided to tease him a bit more, "I guess my lord is truly a "young" lord~" Haoren''s face reddened even further and Li Feng continued, "But, to think you''d peek at me... Tsk! Tsk! Such a thing can''t be excused just cause you''re young~" As he was continuously being bombarded with such teasings, Haoren finally snapped, "Well at least I didn''t steal someone''s clothes!!" "How did you know about that?!" ''So, it was you?!'' During their first outing, When Haoren passed by the city gates the guards looked at Li Feng and the image that surfaced in their memories was a "boy" with tattered clothes. Haoren who had seen those memories, recognised these tattered clothes... They were his. But he couldn''t talk about that at the moment since Li Feng might find out about his abilities... But now he was too irritated to care about that. "Are you sure you didn''t take a peak back then?" Haoren continued his attack on Li Feng who yelled back in response. "Don''t turn this on me!" ... After this, both grew closer than before... I think. 8. Sword?!
  • Day-14
"Here''s your tea, my lord~" "You didn''t have to bother with making tea this early in the morning." "Oh, how could I not even do such a thing when you''re always helping me out and teaching me about cultivation." A harmonious scene played about with Li Feng and Haoren being rather appreciative of one another. Truly a testament to their relationship that had grown deeper from their bickering and acceptance of one another, right?! Well actually... Kinda not really... They are currently in a silent war, the night before yesternight after having used all their ammunition against each other, the two of them moved on to using petty personal attacks. Their arguments turned to slanderous comments that an 8-year-old would yell aloud while crying as his opponent, who hurled shit at him. As for how exactly that led to this... ... "Hah?! You''re the one feeling all shy and embarrassed after peeping on me!!" "I am not embarrassed!!" "Oh, is that so? Then why are you red like blood?!" "I AM NOT!" "YES YOU ARE!" "NO, I AM NOT!" "Hah! I guess it can''t be helped that you''re so shy... You''re so "pure" after all" "You...!" "If you weren''t "pure" then why would you be so flustered from just an accidental peek?" "I was not flustered! I just felt a bit guilty and had to let you know!" ... Well, this and that led to one thing and another, and now they are trying to show each other that they do not care at all. Pretty childish, I know. But, they are technically in a way children. One was a child, the other''s body was that of a child and the vessel influences the spirit moulding it into the shape of the vessel. And thus, Li Feng had grown childish. Extremely so. Haoren on the other hand was just discovering these kinds of things, getting angry, throwing a tantrum and acting like a little brat. However, as you might have guessed, pretending they don''t care also means that they can''t show that the other does in fact care. With that being the case, one shifted their strategy to one of "being nice" to the other and the other one just reciprocated. Honestly, it''s pretty stupid. ... ????????????????????¡ã???¡ã????????????????????? ... Amidst the vast expanse of the mist within the darkness, a single drop of radiance itself was condensed. the drop rotated and whirled as the mist gathered around it being devoured by it with impurities being expelled spontaneously. With a single thought from Li Feng, the drop flowed and traced the paths that led the mist towards the great expanse. The little drop flowed swiftly through the mist reaching a place that offered great rejection, one that could only be termed as a blockage. The drop absorbed the impurities at the blockage, rapidly refining the impurities to remove the blockage... However, it soon collapsed as it dissipated into a faint mist of impure spiritual qi. And with that Li Feng''s eyes shot open, a searing pain in her body originating from her Dantian influencing her entirety. "Calm down," Her ''teacher'', Haoren spoke as he closed in towards her, "Relax your breathing, control your thoughts and your qi will follow suit." "Hu..." Li Feng wanted to yell out loud ''Yea, let me just tell this deadly pain to chill the fuck out!'' But, she couldn''t do that. Not because she was in any danger, she had understood enough about this "Qi" that she could survive such a thing, rather it was her "battle" with Haoren that made her swallow up those words. "It seems like you''re having more trouble than expected Li Feng." Haoren''s voice was light as he simply did not seem troubled at all. "Indeed." Li Feng, although quite annoyed did not let it show on her face and answered with a fake helpless smile. "Let me check your meridians for myself, just in case." Haoren calmly approached her without any hurry or emotion on his face, however, beneath the surface he was somewhat troubled, ''Does she not know?'' Haoren had really begun to wonder if Li Feng did not know about "that"... ''That smile...'' The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Li Feng''s smile was slightly crooked, seemingly evil and filled with malice. Haoren knew that there was no actual malice behind it but, it was a bit... odd? ''Should I put that mirror in her room...'' Haoren thought of something that seemed extremely rude unfortunately he was about as oblivious about his faults as Li Feng was about her smile. "Hm..." With his index finger over Li Feng''s forehead, Haoren let his Qi enter her body as he sensed her meridians. Soon he frowned, "Troublesome..." "???" Li Feng looked at him inquiring for answers without saying any words. Haoren let go of her forehead and began, "It seems like your meridians are slightly blocked." "Does that mean... I can not cultivate?" Li Feng asked with a frown, she didn''t like the idea of having any more trouble to deal with. "No, it''s nothing serious..." Haoren looked into her eyes as he paused for a moment, "It seems to be the after-effect of consuming some kind of poison... As long as you take your time condensing your qi and don''t rush it, you should be fine." Haoren felt a bit worried, he knew that Li Feng surely had some kind of past but... the poison affecting her was about a decade old, to think someone would poison a child so young... Haoren felt a bit sorrowful. ''No wonder she grew up to be so double-faced...'' Hiding one''s weaknesses with lies and maintaining a smile through the sorrows, was something Haoren knew quite well of. After all, someone close to him often did that. Never letting him know of the troubles and the burdens that he brought to that person... "I''ll be going out for now." ... ????????????????????¡ã???¡ã????????????????????? ... Haoren was at the slums right now, looking over the children playing. He had wanted to go alone but Li Feng more or less forced him to bring her. So, he decided to bring her to this place, however, this was not the place that he meant to visit. The place where was going was not one where he could bring Li Feng, to begin with, it was too far away and bringing Li Feng would only slow him down. And even if he somehow gets past that problem, there was the fact that the place was one that could be dangerous for even himself let alone Li Feng who hadn''t even passed the first step of cultivation. "Li Feng," Haoren called out to Li Feng who was standing by the girl who was the oldest amongst the slum children, Xiaoli, "I will be going for some ''personal'' matters for a while so take care of the house for me." With a twitch of her brows Li Feng began, "I want to¡ª" "It seems like you care too much about me to let me just wander alone..." Haoren had a slight, barely visible smile. But Li Feng could tell that it was a smile of mockery! She had fallen into a terrible trap. If she still tried to follow Haoren it would be the same as agreeing with his statement and if she did not agree she''d not be able to find out what he was planning. Also, it was kinda infuriating as this was probably what Haoren had intended from the beginning. "Do not overthink it, it''s not like I''m worried about you or anything." Li Feng realised she had messed up, her words from just now were something that a tsundere would say! ''...Not that this guy would know what a tsundere is.'' ... ????????????????????¡ã???¡ã????????????????????? ... ''A tsundere?'' This was the first thing that popped up in Haoren''s mind as he heard Li Feng say "Do not overthink it, it''s not like I''m worried about you or anything." However, he decided to amuse that thought later and left for his next destination. ... Haoren was in the forests outside the city, running by the river he was familiar with. Climbing the waterfalls with a single leap and following the river, he traced it back to its origin. As for the reason why he was going there? It was because he needed something from the being that resided at the origin of this river... "It was nearer than it looked..." Haoren commented looking towards the peak where he was going. It was a rather tall mountain with a snow-capped peak. "It''s about time as well..." The sun had begun to set and Haoren who took note of it began his climb towards the peak. His powers were at their height at night when his shadows could guide him, guard him and act as his limbs. ''This would be the strongest enemy I''ve faced...'' Till now Haoren hadn''t faced any truly strong enemies, as "his" memories continued to return, he realized that the mama bear wasn''t even close to the strongest beings this body had faced. ''And those beings themselves are just lesser beings on the grander scale...'' A slight tremble within his hands showed his weakness. However, his hand happened to touch upon something by his side An ordinary yet pristine-looking sword sheathed and tied to its scabbard. The reason for it being tied was that Haoren did not plan to use the sword at all. Just looking at the blade brought peace to his mind and memories flowed to him... Memories of the blade and its original wielder. ... "You will not be able to utilize intent in your entire life." Although the world was still veiled in darkness, I could tell where the person before me was. "..." "Your talent with the sword is already heavenly. It''s just ... hard for you to develop an intent that is the manifestation of one''s will. Even if you aren''t able to use intent, with just the techniques I taught you, you''ll be able to stand at the pinnacle of the world. Moreover, this sword isn''t the only weapon you possess is it?" Intent... a materialization of one''s will, something I was incapable of performing. The person in front of me, however, was someone whose will was beyond ordinary. Even I could sense him as a radiant, unsullied sword despite the darkness that surrounded me. "..." "Do you feel sad not being able to wield the blade like me?" His existence was radiant, completely unlike the only other person I had been able to "sense" till then. I idealized that radiance. "..." "You are, huh? Well then, here." I felt something touch upon my hand, a cold inorganic object placed into my hand. "???" "This is my treasured weapon, although it might not be the best weapon but, it''s important to me! Keep this with you as a good luck charm and hopefully, it will lead you to fortune and hope." ... A smile appeared on Haoren''s face as he held the sword''s hilt. This was a sword, "he" never took to battles. For it was something that should not be sullied with his own selfish battles. But, this battle was different and perhaps that was why his body guided him to the blade before he left... With his mind calm and gaze focused, Haoren moved through the darkening world. It was time to hunt. ... ????????????????????¡ã???¡ã????????????????????? ... At the time when Haoren had left, Li Feng was preparing to leave as well. After all, there wasn''t much of a point in sticking around at the slums for no reason. However, as she was about to leave, one of the older girls amongst the slum children called out to her. "Ummm! I wanted to ask you something something!" "Yes?" Li Feng answered mindlessly to the nervous girl twiddling her thumbs. "Uh... I... heard that you live with mister..." "Yes, I began learning under him a few days ago and lived in his house for that reason." Li Feng again answered wondering where this was leading up to... At least she did until she realized something, ''Is she maybe into that guy?! But she hasn''t even seen his face!'' According to Li Feng, Haoren''s greatest quality was his face... which to be fair, was most likely true as he was really too pretty some might even say a bit too pretty. ''Wait a minute, then does she think that me and Haoren are...!'' As Li Feng''s thoughts ran wild, the girl named Huan continued, "Then do you know if he has... uh.. someone he likes?!" Li Feng took a minute to process this and then she realized... ''They don''t know I''m a girl.'' 9. My win~ The crunching of snow under his foot was all Horen could hear as he leisurely climbed the path or rather, the glacier leading up to the mountain peak. "A fine night," Words flowed on their own matching his calm demeanour, "Neither the moon nor the stars are here to disturb the solace of shadows..." As he spoke these words, he soon reached the peak almost instantaneously avoiding all the pesky critters that would''ve blocked his way. The peak of the mountain was a gigantic crater, filled with what seemed like an eternal solace of ice, a frozen lake, the origin of the river... "Trespasser leave, this is no place for a human like you to step foot in!" ...and the residence of a demon. Demons, beasts who''ve consumed life and blood, risen in power and grown into fearsome monsters. In a way, they can be considered as beasts who have unlocked their spiritual wisdom. The mama bear can be considered a beast who has unlocked spiritual wisdom and has become capable of greater intelligence. However, this world lacks the Qi to grant her a proper ascension... ''Meanwhile, this one''s...'' "Oh demon from beyond the skies, give me a few drops of your blood and I''ll leave." Haoren continued his walk, leaping down into the crater... Landing upon the hard, cold surface of the glacier. "Hmph, how presumptuous! You think too highly of yourself, human." The voice reverberated through the surroundings yet, not a soul was in sight. "Presumptuous? I believe I ask not much of you." Haoren stopped in his steps as he relaxed his form, seemingly not caring much about the deep voice of the demon. As Haoren stood his ground on the glacier, the air around him crackled with tension. The demon''s presence grew more palpable, its power sending shivers down Haoren''s spine. But he remained calm, his focus unwavering as he prepared for whatever comes next. Suddenly, the glacier beneath him began to tremble and shake violently. Haoren remained calm, and with a swift movement, he leapt into the air just as the ice beneath him burst open, revealing a monstrous maw of a fish with rows of razor-sharp teeth. "Behave," Haoren commanded with authority, his voice cutting through the loud winds. Shadows coalesced around him, twisting and swirling into dark tendrils that bound the giant fish smashing it into the icy surface of the glacier, forcing it to lower its head and close its gaping maw. Haoren descended gracefully onto the back of the subdued creature, his movements fluid and precise. he sat upon his newly acquired "throne" ignoring the murderous intent that surrounded him. "Why hide behind such pawns instead of facing me yourself? Or are you perhaps afraid?" "Measly mortal, you dare?!" The demon''s voice boomed once more, filled with fury and frustration at Haoren''s defiance. The entire glacier cracked as from the very centre a gigantic head rose from it. Jewelled scales reminiscent of ice, long whiskers like that of a dragon and a titanic body that made Haoren and the "little" fish seem like ants. In other words, a huge fat carp with cool scales. "..." On the other hand, Haoren was slightly troubled he wanted to attempt to negotiate peacefully but that failed before even becoming a possibility, "his" pride didn''t allow him to do so. ''If it can''t be done through peace, how about fear?'' This brought him to another problem... How does one spread fear? He was always there in that hospital room, his interactions limited to a few people. The fears he felt slowly disappeared, he wasn''t afraid of the dark since eventually that was all he ever saw, same went for ghosts as he often had hallucinations after he lost his vision. It was a bit hard for someone like him... so he did something that no one should ever do. He decided to use the stories he once read and listened to as a reference. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. "Quite the arrogant one aren''t you?" Haoren began, his gaze dripping with unbridled contempt, "When you''re nothing but a frog in a well..." Haoren''s plan was to show himself as a confident and strong cultivator and scare the Carp demon... Unfortunately, the Carp did not know of the idiom Haoren had just spoken of. So, to the demon living in a crater who heard this, it felt like Haoren was calling her a frog... "HOW DARE YOU!!" With this final declaration, the battle began. Shards of ice coalesced to form countless lances surrounding Haoren, there was a limit to the distance as well as the quantity to the shadows Haoren could spread out so he had to wait till they were closer to making sure that the lance didn''t pass through his defence. "Hak!" Of course, the demon did not let go of such an opportunity as one of its whispers whipped at Haoren and despite using his shadows to guard against it Haoren was thrown off. "Rawwr!!" One of the children of the Carp demon took this opportunity to attack Haoren with its jaws, Its fate was similar to its brethren from before being tied down by shadows and used as cushioning for Haoren''s landing. Feeling the odd movement of wind against his backHaoren looked towards the carp demon. "Wha-?" A baffled voice barely left his mouth as the carp demon who ravenously sucked in the winds into its inflated body closed its mouth. "Stop!" Haoren''s shadows approached the Carp demon as the dark tendrils jutted out of the glacier, wrecking the icy floor seven kins of the Carp demon also came out of the glacier blocking the shadows but they were grabbed by the tendrils and thrown yet, they delayed the shadows enough that the Carp demon had prepared whatever it was trying. Haoren hurriedly gathered the shadows to shield himself but he was late by a moment. "ROOOOOAAAAAR!!!" The thunderous roar reverberated through the mountain peak. The glacier that had scars from today''s battle now had cracks throughout its whole surface. As the roar subsided, a bud of darkness unfurled to reveal Haoren, warm blood flowing from his left ear and his robes slightly tattered. *Bathump, Bathump! His chest seemed to roar aloud with the beating of his heart, droplets of sweat clung to his skin and a slight tremble of his hands brought along a feeling quite foreign to him. "Fear?" He muttered. Three of the Carp''s kin shot out a breath of frost at Haoren. In response, he leapt into the sky to dodge, however, as that only made him a predictable target the fishes turned their breath towards him. "No..." Still muttering to himself, Haoren used his shadows to create a platform mid-air to jump off of. After getting away from the frost breath of the fishes, Haoren landed quietly and let his shadows take care of the fishes. His right foot was slightly frozen from the breath but, he did not care much as he felt his face with his hand... "Smiling?" It all became clear to him then, he was having fun. In a way, this was like some game wasn''t it? Playing around was always fun. He rushed towards the Carp demon, the drumming of his heart all that he could hear. The demon spoke something but he did not hear what it was. He simply rushed at it, the demon''s whiskers attacked him almost trying to pierce his body but his shadows formed tendrils that parried the whisker. However, the whiskers receded and attacked again. This time enveloped within a pure white aura, they easily tore away the shadows as they reached Haoren. "Haha!'' A joyous laugh chimed through the icy battlegrounds, shadows gathered forming a blade within the man''s hand as he recalled the memories of when he was with the person who was most precious to "him" and the one who taught "him" everything he knew. The blade danced with a dark hue that seemed to resemble an intent but was most definitely not an intent. "Tree." The blade met the whisker barely competing with it before being crushed and turned to shadows. The whisker grazed Haoren''s shoulder yet, he did not stop. A second whisker followed right after, this time Haoren did the same and created another blade. However, his stance seemed more polished, more sturdy... more dangerous. "Rock." The blade met the whisker, this time, however, it was a fairly even match and the blade although damaged, was able to deflect the attack completely. ... The Carp demon had begun to grow anxious. The mere ant that it thought of as nothing but a nuisance seemed to grow stronger with each passing moment. ''This is not how it''s supposed to be!'' The carp demon was originally a small carp but, it had chanced upon a dragon''s blood essence. However, demons that were far stronger than it, tried to eat the carp that had yet to absorb the blood essence. However, the heavens treasured the carp as it fell to this lower realm through a spatial crack instead. And when it thought it''d die in vain, it discovered a Millenium ice jade crystal. It had ruled this place for centuries and had reached the pinnacle of this world... but it was never able to leap through and ascend as a dragon for the world did not possess all the energies required for such a transformation and the ice jade only had Yin-ice essence. But it had nurtured its'' soul quite a bit. Yet, despite its draconic roar that was also a soul attack, the human male did not falter against it. And after its whiskers failed... the carp no longer held back, it let out a frost breath much like its kin. But this one enveloped the whole crater. ... Haoren covered his face to guard against the frost, the mist now covered his entire vision. With a slash of his blade, he made the mist disperse yet not a soul except for the kin was in sight. "Huh?" Just then he realised something. His gaze snapped upwards, and there it was a fat glowing carp diving down towards him... He steadied his blade as he smiled in anticipation. "Mountain." In between its descent, the carp began to halt almost as if it hit something... Its body felt crushed by what seemed like a mountain and then... the pressure disappeared and it fell helplessly. In front of its gaze was the reaper, here to take its life with that accursed dark blade... The reaper''s hand reached out and it flinched, finally what hadn''t happened before would happen this time as it would deprived of all of its possessions. *Tak But all it heard was a light sound and as it opened its eyes it saw the human male, smiling as it flicked its head, "My win~" 10. Shoujo Manga male lead The door creaked open as Haoren entered with hushed footsteps. There was only a little time left until dawn, so he sneaked in quietly, not wishing to disturb Li Feng, who was probably sleeping. The idea of being out all night seemed a bit... wrong to him. He felt nervous at the thought of having to explain himself, not that he was going to... but still, it felt wrong. As he tiptoed inside his house, he found a certain someone sitting at the table near the entrance. Haoren couldn''t exactly see the person, but the shadows divulged it was Li Feng. From her relaxed demeanour, Haoren knew she was asleep. It seemed that she had fallen asleep while waiting for him. Just a few days ago, she would stay awake at night, but now here she was, sleeping more or less peacefully. ''She must be tired...'' A smile graced Haoren''s face as he moved his hand to wipe the drool off Li Feng''s face with his sleeve. "I''m back..." ... ????????????????????¡ã???¡ã????????????????????? ... "Do you know if he has... uh... someone he likes?!" Yesterday, after parting with Haoren, Li Feng was confronted by such a question from one of the older kids in the slum. ''They don''t know I''m a girl.'' Li Feng had been wearing Haoren''s clothes for a while now. She had been repeatedly borrowing his older clothes. He didn''t really care, and Li Feng repeatedly forgot to buy her own, so they both ignored the clothes issue. To begin with, in her past life, Li Feng wasn''t someone all that interested in clothing and such. No matter how much she tried, she was never able to recall how her face looked. All that was left was a warped face affected by countless modifications. Moreover, that bastard of a teacher of hers couldn''t even keep a single photograph from her childhood! To sum it up, she found such things pointless and had gotten used to ignoring them. Since she kept changing her very self often, she wasn''t someone who cared much about clothes, at least not as much as she cared about strength. Li Feng soon realized that she had been silent for too long. "Uh..." She pondered her response and decided to give a safe one. "I don''t know for sure, but there''s a great chance that there might be." Li Feng did not want to give the girl false hope. After all, there was someone who liked Haoren, someone who entered his house without any of her entourage, and someone who almost caused Li Feng''s second death just to give Haoren a gift. "I-is that so... I guess that''s to be expected." The girl lowered her gaze and attempted to hide her teary eyes behind her long bangs. This sight was pitiful to behold, but Li Feng couldn''t sympathize with the girl. The concept of romantic feelings or longing was foreign to Li Feng. Her ideology was based on being self-centred and living in the present, something that actively went against the concept of longing for another. "Hm?" Forgetting about the sorrowful girl, Li Feng''s gaze moved to something else as she noticed a commotion in the corner of her vision. "Stop it!" The voice belonged to the oldest girl, who was more or less the leader of the children. Her wrist was grasped by an unkempt man, seemingly in his middle ages, with a pot belly. Behind him were two more men, both similarly unkempt. "Huh?! You bitch, shouting so loud!" The man, most definitely drunk, slurred his words as he yelled aloud, "Just fucking give me the mone-!" However, his words were cut off mid-sentence as a sharp kick assaulted his knee, causing it to bend in a completely unnatural way. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. "Y-you!" The other man tried to speak but was punched in the stomach, and the third also suffered a similar fate. "Huh..." Li Feng, who had just gotten rid of the ''trash,'' sighed aloud. ''What a clich¨¦d bunch.'' Li Feng, someone who had lived her life through killing, felt disappointed at her current abilities. Even though she had a strong body, her skills seemed rusty. But again, this was more or less just a way for her to release her stress, and Li Feng had no intention of killing the men. "Are you alright?" Turning to the oldest girl in the group, Li Feng asked as gently as possible. However, the girl seemed to panic even more. "A-ah! I''m fine! B-but this man''s-!" ''Those guys must''ve been related to the group managing the slums. Then...'' It wasn''t all that hard for Li Feng to guess what had happened. After all, with the system of collecting herbs to make drugs, beggar associations and "protection" fee gatherers, the slums had a well-defined structure. It was only natural for there to be people maintaining the system within the lawless slums. "Don''t worry about it, I''ll do something about it." Li Feng smiled reassuringly and reached out to pat the girl''s head. However, her hand stopped midway as she quickly took a stance, turning towards her back. "That won''t be necessary." Li Feng glared at the newcomer, a man wearing shady-looking cloaks with a carefree playful voice that seemed to scream suspiciously. "And who might you be?" In a rather haughty voice, Li Feng asked while still on guard. The man remained quiet, but his lips, visible under his cloak, raised into an arc. "I can be considered the superior of ''that''." He pointed toward the now unconscious drunk men in a playful manner as if amused by the condition of the drunkards. "And so?" Li Feng responded in kind, taunting the man with a disdainful grin. "Don''t tell me you''re here to do something as silly as avenging that thing?" "Oh, not at all!" He continued in a nonchalant manner as if this was just a game to him. "It''s an off day for me today, so I was just wandering around and saw this~" "..." Despite the man''s claims, Li Feng did not stop glaring at him. "Haha! It seems like you do not trust me, but that''s understandable. My name is Zhu Li. What about yours?" "..." A few moments passed in silence as Li Feng did not respond. "...Li Feng." "Li Feng..." Zhu Li muttered, pondering over it. "Li Feng? Li Feng?!" His body shook abruptly as he stared at Li Feng. "Um... Do you perchance happen to reside within the city lord''s estate?" "Yes?" Li Feng''s answer came a bit unsure as she wondered how this guy knew. ''Is he someone related to an information-gathering group?'' "Ah...! I-is that so? Haha! W-well, I''ll be having someone pick up those guys later! Well then!" Saying this, Zhu Li soon left in a hurry as if escaping from his greatest horror. And to some degree, it was exactly that. ... ????????????????????¡ã???¡ã????????????????????? ... "Does he have some relation with the slum''s group?" Li Feng muttered as she recalled the face of the annoyingly stoic guy who had earlier just left her at the slums without telling her where he was going. "Haa..." She sighed as she stirred the food cooking in the pot with her ladle. "Damnit! Always so annoying!" The movements of her ladle grew more rash as she cursed at her "employer" Haoren. "...Is he like a boss or something?" Seeing how Zhu Li, who seemed to be a rather high-ranked guy within the slums, was so scared, it was likely that Haoren was to some degree in control of the slums or at least was known by those who controlled it. "Hmm..." As she pondered this, an image of Haoren dressed as a mafia boss with a cigar in his mouth popped into Li Feng''s head. "Haha! So stupid! It really doesn''t suit him~" "Rather than that, he''s more like..." Memories passed by in her mind, from their first meeting to their bickerings, from his petty side to his surprisingly caring side. Someone who holds more than enough power to single-handedly kill her, yet she doesn''t fear him in the slightest. In the past, just the thought of someone stronger than her left her paranoid as she spread out her web, planning their demise and eventually succeeding in getting rid of such a person. "Scary, a bit awkward, but secretly kind... he''s more like a shoujo manga male lead..." Comparing an actual person to a fictional character wasn''t something she enjoyed, but she found this quite amusing. "It''s kinda hilarious~" Putting Haoren in fictional scenarios created some rather hilarious images, as she couldn''t help but find it odd for him of all people to be a "male lead" character. "As for the heroine..." Her gaze fell towards her hands that held the ladle... "Yeah, definitely not me~" She continued cheerily, as she was simply the very opposite of a naive heroine. "Maybe one of those from the slum, but aren''t they too young? Hm... How old is that guy, anyway?" She didn''t know much about Haoren. He wasn''t one to talk much, and she didn''t really inquire either. ... "Tsk! How long is that fucker going to take?!" Li Feng grumbled as she sat at the table somewhat close to the entrance. ''Damnit! I wanna throw boiling stew to his face!'' Yeah, she definitely wasn''t a shoujo heroine... As she waited for him, she slowly drifted to sleep. Perhaps it was because she was always on guard, perhaps because of her weak body, or perhaps it was because she was finally alone, but she fell asleep completely relaxed and off her guard. 11. Ill omen Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. 12. Darkness and realisation *Step Step Step... The sound of measured, deliberate steps echoed through the oppressive darkness, each step a reminder of the menace approaching. The flickering light from a swaying bulb cast shadows across the cold, concrete floor, highlighting the forms of two captives whom "I" had finally been able to capture. "You know..." ''My'' voice, soft and childish yet imbued with a chillingly unique quality, sliced through the silence, "...I consider myself a rather reasonable person. So, Mr. Joseph, what do you think about my proposition?" My steps came to a halt, the echoes of my shoes against the hard ground slowly fading away. I turned to face Joseph, who was likely kneeling, trembling on the cold, hard floor. With calculated precision, I placed the tip of my cane on his chest, feeling the rapid thump of his panicked heartbeat against the wooden tip. "Fuck o-!" Joseph attempted to show his defiance, but his words were abruptly cut off as I twisted the handle of my cane. The concealed mechanism inside activated, sending a jolt of electric agony through his body. His muscles spasmed, and a sizzling sound filled the air, mingling with the pungent smell of burnt flesh. "It¡¯s truly fascinating," I mused, my voice remaining calm "They say that an injured beast, when cornered, can bring great harm through it''s reckless attacks, but humans are no beasts, are they? Possessing intelligence beyond any beast, there is simply no way that a human will charge at another without regard for their own life." I turned to my left, staring into the familiar abyss of the surrounding darkness, my blind eyes unable to catch the faintest glimmer of fear in the other captive yet, i could feel his fear, "What do you think they''d do?" "..." "No answers? Well, that''s quite alright, I won''t hold it against you. The answer is they''d set traps. Now, I''ve been setting this trap for years and have finally caught two little rats, the perfect baits to feed the prey or perhaps a tool for my hunt?" "..." "Still silent? You know, I am not quite fond of being given the cold shoulder. Sigh... Amanda, let''s ''greet'' Mr. Wang''s family as well. Perhaps they might even have a little get-together with Joseph''s family later on~" *Thud!* The sound of something heavy hitting the floor reverberated through the space, breaking the silence. I didn¡¯t need to guess what had happened, the familiarity of the situation told me everything. My grandaunt, my sister''s ex-fiance, his father, the boss of a crime syndicate, and many others had done a similar thing. They had knelt and begged for my mercy for their precious ones. "Please..." Mr. Wang''s weak and trembling voice faded away into the darkness as the darkness of the dream slowly dissolved, giving way to the cold reality of the waking world. ...
Haoren felt the urge to throw up as memories surged through his mind. "Hypocrite," the word echoed relentlessly, attempting to drown his very existence. With strings of saliva leaking from his lips, he feebly crawled into a fetal position, hugging his knees tightly, seeking solace in the darkness of his own mind. ... ????????????????????¡ã???¡ã????????????????????? ... "Urgg..." Li Feng groaned atop her bed as she barely opened her tightly shut eyelids. "Damn it..." Li Feng had barely gotten any sleep last night as she squirmed atop her bed, remembering what had happened yesterday. After their breakfast yesterday, Haoren had led her to practice, and afterward, she had to cultivate without rest until night time when Haoren once again prepared a meal and even went as far as preparing a bath for her. Well, it wasn''t the first time he had done that, but it was still quite considerate of him. Also, the dinner looked slightly (very slightly) better than the breakfast, and it even seemed to taste better. As Li Feng joyfully enjoyed her meal, the corners of Haoren''s lips slightly raised upwards. Let me reiterate this, the corners of his lips were lifted by a very extremely slight bit, that under any circumstances would not be considered a smile. His satisfied expression¡ªif it could be called that¡ªkept flashing through her mind. Maybe it was because she had become quite perceptive of his micro-expressions, or perhaps it was his good looks, or maybe it was the allure of his contrasting yet charming nature. Whatever the reason, she couldn¡¯t get him out of her mind. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. It was a strange feeling, similar to the excitement she felt before a grand theft when she desired a treasure within her grasp that left sleepless. But this feeling was different, more unpleasant, bordering on frustration. Whenever she recalled Haoren¡¯s faint smile, she¡¯d feel a brief happiness, but then negative thoughts would pour in, causing her face to crumple into a frown. This cycle had continued throughout the entire night. ¡°He¡¯s not here?¡± She looked around downstairs, unable to find Haoren. As for upstairs? She didn¡¯t bother checking since she couldn¡¯t sense any signs of breathing earlier. ¡°Did he go som¡ª!¡± Suddenly a terrible sense of unease screamed into her mind, its source being upstairs from her employer''s room. "Ha..." Even her breathing became laborious as her instincts screamed to run away, to escape. But even then, her body moved towards the room upstairs. Li Feng rushed upstairs, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. Every fiber of her being screamed for her to turn back, to flee from the oppressive aura. Yet, the image of his faint, almost unnoticeable smile flashed in her mind, propelling her forward despite the mounting pressure that bore down on her body. She clung to that smile, the one she had come to cherish, and it gave her the strength to push on. Each step felt heavier than the last, her legs trembling as if wading through quicksand. She reached the top of the stairs, her hand trembling as it gripped the doorknob. With a deep breath, she forced the door open, bracing herself for the origin of the terrifying aura. Darkness had engulfed the room, an unnatural void that seemed to swallow all light. It was still morning, but the sunlight that should have streamed through the windows was completely absent, consumed by the inky blackness. The air was suffocating bereft of any life, and as she stepped inside, Li Feng felt her Qi being sapped away, her strength waning with every passing second. Her vision blurred, her mind growing faint under the oppressive force that filled the room. Desperation clawed at her, urging her to retreat, but she bit down hard on the inside of her cheek. The sharp, bitter taste of blood flooded her mouth, jolting her senses and maintaining her to consciousness. She couldn¡¯t afford to lose herself now. She staggered deeper into the room, her eyes scanning the darkness for any sign of him. She called out his name, her voice barely more than a whisper in the void. ¡°Haoren... where are you?¡± Just when her strength seemed about to give out, she noticed a faint outline on the bed. Haoren was curled into a fetal position, his figure fragile and lonely. A sense of urgency gripped her heart, and she moved towards him, a golden glow settled within her eyes yet, she remained unaware of this radiance. She climbed onto the bed, her arms encircling Haoren¡¯s trembling body. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m here... Don¡¯t worry... You¡¯re not alone...¡± Her voice was soft yet firm, filled with a compassion that pierced through the darkness. The darkness recoiled, retreating and letting the sun''s radiance fill the room. In Li Feng''s embrace, Haoren¡¯s body was tense at first, his breath hitching in his chest, but as the warmth of Li Feng¡¯s body seeped into him, he began to relax. The oppressive aura that had pinned Li Feng down lifted, and she collapsed onto Haoren''s body. Li Feng couldn''t lift her body, but her consciousness still remained. "Hu... Hu..." She breathed laborious breaths, her chest heaving as she tried to calm her racing heart. The oppressive force that had filled the room moments ago had left her drained, her entire body covered in sweat. She could barely move, her limbs feeling like lead, but her mind began to settle, allowing her thoughts to wander. "Huh, this..." She noticed the faint, unnoticeable yet pleasant scent emanating from Haoren''s body. It was subtle, almost elusive, but it lingered in the air around them. Mixed with the slight sweat on his body, the scent became even more tantalizing, enveloping her senses. The scent brought to her mind the image of his barely noticeable smile, and her face began to burn up in a crimson hue. Her chest heaved and her heart raced again for entirely different reasons from earlier. She found herself drawn to him. She felt his broad chest, and his muscular physique while her eyes traced the way his silky silver hair fell across his forehead and his long lashes. Each detail stirred something within her, deepening the crimson hue on her face. After a few moments of battling with her inner devil, Li Feng managed to gather some strength. With great effort, she rose from Haoren''s body, her legs trembling as she stood. She stumbled out of the room, her thoughts a chaotic mix of embarrassment and tiredness. "Uh..." She paused at the doorway, as she looked back. She couldn''t just leave him like this. Taking a deep breath, she returned to Haoren''s side and carefully moved his body into a more comfortable position on the bed while trying her best not to feel or see anything that might deepen her heart''s turmoil. ... Later, having prepared a light meal, Li Feng carried a bowl of porridge up to Haoren''s room. As she entered, she saw that his eyes were open, staring blankly at the ceiling. Relief washed over her at the sight of him awake. "Here, I made some porridge." Li Feng tried her best to remain nonchalant, though her heart still raced from the earlier ordeal. Haoren''s eyes slowly shifted to her, "Li Feng?" His voice was soft and a bit dazed. "Yes, it''s me." Li Feng answered, her voice a bit stiff. She approached the bed, setting the tray on the nightstand. "You need to eat something. It''ll help you recover." Haoren struggled to sit up, and Li Feng quickly moved to assist him, her hands gently supporting his back. The proximity made her heart pound, but she focused on steadying him, ignoring the fluttering in her chest. "Haha." Haoren''s sudden laugh startled her. "What?" She looked confused at his strangely expressive laugh- this was the first time she saw him being this expressive. "Nothing," Haoren smiled, his eyes seemed cloudy and his voice slightly intoxicated. ''Is he half asleep?'' Li Feng wondered as Haoren continued. "It''s just that this is just like our first meeting except the roles have been reversed." "???" Question marks seemed to appear above Li Feng''s head as she heard his remark. ... ... ... Having fed Haoren, Li Feng was just going back to check on him as she continued to mull over his strange words, "It''s just that this is just like our first meeting except the roles have been reversed." "What did he..." Suddenly, she recalled a memory from back when she had just arrived in this world. When her body was barely functioning on the brink of collapse through starvation. "He..." As if the last puzzle piece had fit into an elaborate puzzle, her heart began to pound wildly, feeling a strange heat within. Li Feng rushed into her room and locked it up. She stood against the door, trying to calm her beating heart yet to no avail. At that point, her gaze moved to a mirror that was recently placed in her room. In that mirror was a woman with reddened cheeks and ears, with a crooked smile showing pure bliss. Seeing that, her blush only deepened. "Could it be..." she whispered to herself, her voice trembling with realisation. "Could it be that I''ve... fallen for him?" 13. Reliable? Haoren silently stared at the ceiling of his room, a staring contest he''d been engaged in for the past ten or so minutes since waking up. His vision was wobbly, and so was his mind. The incident leading to his current predicament was born from a simple mistake¡ªhe had started to believe he was "Gongsun Haoren." This person... Gongsun Haoren was a man who, though indifferent to most, did not commit any wrongdoing and never took a life without meaning. As his other set of memories unfurled, he felt the stark contrast between the two. "He" who had voraciously sought to pour out his hatred onto the world and "Haoren" who had lived by his master''s teachings could not be more different. "He" had violated one thing semi-sacred to "Haoren"¡ª family. "He" did not hesitate to use others'' families against them, even torturing them. "He" did not take lives to preserve his own but simply to fuel his hatred. To the new Haoren, who had yet to fully uncover that part of his memories, he believed himself to be someone who was once a sickly boy spending his life helplessly in a hospital room and a boy raised by his master. Recalling his bloodied path, he more or less had a mental breakdown. "..." Haoren continued to stare at the ceiling of the somewhat opulent room. He disliked living in this room. He used to reside in the servant''s room right next door but began staying here after Li Feng''s arrival. Although he wasn''t sure before, now he knew¡ªor rather, remembered why. This room had belonged to his master. Even though she had never been here and had passed away long before Haoren had even set foot in this place, Haoren aimply couldn''t let go of her. He wanted to hold onto any traces of her, no matter how disgracefully or unsightly it seemed. "Master, what color is that?" "What color does Master like?" "Does Master like swords?" "What about that?" "Master..." "How about..." "This..." "That..." He created these traces, decorating and setting the room as his master would have liked. He never used this room because that would have been sacrilegious, and yet, now here he was. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. He felt awful. If he had simply forgotten all these memories or had them from the very start, he wouldn''t have felt this way. But now, these recovering memories only seemed to create a sense of unease. Would the Haoren of tomorrow be the same as the one of today, changing suddenly because of a simple memory? It was terrifying. "..." He continued to stare at the ceiling, unable to think rationally. The irrational fear propagated through his unease. What even was he? Nothing but an illusion that began to bud in the absence of the true selves, something that took the place of the two incomplete selves. Once that place was no longer empty, when the selves were no longer incomplete, would he simply fade away? Would he even have an afterlife, when he wasn''t even a true soul but just a mirage? Just as his thoughts steered towards the greatest fragilities of his mind, he heard the door creak open. "Here, I made some porridge." It was Li Feng, entering with a bowl of porridge. Her presence brought a vibrancy to the room. Emotions such as embarrassment, worry, and sorrow flowed through the room, all gathering towards Haoren. Somehow, these emotions seemed even more vibrant today. "Li Feng?" he asked for no particular reason, the words seemingly leaked out of his lips. "Yes, it''s me. You need to eat something. It''ll help you recover." Saying this, she helped him sit up, her hand behind his back. Seeing the concerned Li Feng bringing him food, Haoren was reminded of a scene from just a few days ago. "Haha." He laughed. It seemed so amusing to him. "What?" Seeing the puzzled expression on Li Feng''s face, Haoren''s smile deepened. "Nothing... It''s just that this is like our first meeting, except the roles have been reversed." "???" Li Feng''s puzzled expression seemed like the greatest entertainment Haoren had had in a long time. ... ????????????????????¡ã???¡ã????????????????????? ... "Haa..." Li Feng sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time today. After falling asleep again yesterday, Haoren had yet to wake up. She had tried a few methods to wake him up, but none really worked. And now that she just had to wait for him to wake up, her mind wandered off to a certain matter. Specifically, to the matter of her liking Haoren. ''Well, it''s not like I am sure that I like him...'' After a momentary pause, she saw her blushing reflection in the mirror ahead of her. "Tsk! Who am I even fooling with that!" She ruffled her hair in frustration and looked back at her reflection. The girl who stared back at her wasn''t exceptionally beautiful but had some lovely features. Her short black hair and brown eyes made her seem warm and approachable. While she wasn''t exactly unattractive or average-looking, when compared to her "target" Haoren... "Damn it!" Another idea popped into her mind¡ª seducing him. But... "Small..." It hadn''t been long since Li Feng had barely escaped death by starvation, so her body wasn''t exactly the most developed. She was even mistaken for a man while wearing Haoren''s clothes. Moreover, recalling yesterday''s event when their bodies touched, her face reddened even more. ''Rather than seducing, I''d be the one getting seduced, damn it!'' "Urgh...!" Groaning in annoyance as nothing went her way, Li Feng left her room and went to the courtyard to practice for a while. Thanks to the mysterious stew(?) from the other day, she was able to unlock two meridians in one go. Although she felt like she could go on, her instincts told her to let her progress stabilize. Moreover, Haoren had advised her to do so as well. So, she simply practiced her arts learned in her past life and attempted to utilize Qi alongside them. ... After an hour or so of failed experimentations, Li Feng halted her efforts and turned to sit under a tree''s shadow, only to find Haoren standing there looking at her. "..." She fell silent at this sight, her body stiffening completely. "Get ready, we''ll be leaving for the market." "Why?" She asked without really thinking much, and the answer that came took her by surprise. "To buy clothing for you. We can''t have you wear mine forever, can we?" Afterwards, everything was a blur. She didn''t know how or when she had reached the marketplace, but there she was, and ahead of her was a broad back that seemed strangely reliable today. Meanwhile... ''Where do we get clothes?'' ...The back wasn''t really all that reliable. 14. Auntie Lin "Mnh..." Haoren slowly stirred from his sleep. Even as he sat up, his body was crouched, and his head was lowered as if he might nod off at any time. "Mmhh..." He groaned slightly, feeling hair tickle his face. "Uhhh..." He shook his head from side to side in an attempt to get rid of the uncomfortable feeling, yet to no avail. His silver hair, usually well-kept, were now messy and puffed up like a strange cotton ball. The sight of him performing such actions was truly... interesting, to say the least. "..." He slowly opened his heavy eyelids, blinking a couple of times before staring at his room for a moment. The room had various adornments, mostly of the color red, furnishings made of wood that had a calming scent, and a few swords placed neatly in a corner. It was a room that held great meaning. It was¡ª "...?!" All of a sudden, Haoren''s body jolted awake as his eyes opened wide. "...!" He mentally let out a silent scream, creating a scene of him with his jaw completely agape, which was quite a hilarious one. Both his hands covered his face as memories came pouring in. "Ah... ah... What have I done?" "It''s just like our first meeting..." "Haha." "Ah~" The memories of his dazed-self acting "cutesy" made him cringe in embarrassment. He even tried to do an "Ah~" to get fed by Li Feng! Thankfully she didn''t notice. "..." A thought ran through his mind... What if she had noticed... What if she... "Here~" An image of Li Feng carefully bringing up the spoon to his mouth while smiling came to his mind. *THAK!* A sharp slap landed on his face as he tried to erase that thought from his mind. ''WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!'' His cheeks reddened from the slap, and soon the redness spread to his ears. "Urk!" He committed to a tactical retreat to the white blanket that had been covering him, wrapping around himself until only thing that was left was a white caterpillar. Minutes passed with the caterpillar twitching every now and then with a groan until it finally broke through the cocoon to emerge as a completely new self. "Ha...." A teenager who has realized that he has created his own dark history that will haunt him till death or at least a year. Truly a marvelous growth! With his head finally exiting the cocoon, Haoren, with his tomato-like red face, looked towards the door of his room. His shadows stretched out and locked the door before he finally fully emerged from his blanket cocoon. "Phew, let''s calm down first..." Letting out a breath, he sat up. "Okay, so first things first, I have to say thank you to..." His face instantly reddened, and he shoved his face into the bed''s surface as he recalled the face of the person he needed to express his gratitude to. Her dark hair was the complete opposite of Haoren''s silver hair, and her brown eyes reminded one of autumn leaves. A face that was not exceptionally pretty but was still attractive. While she wasn''t the type to smile all the time, and most of her smiles were fake and strangely crooked (which she herself didn''t seem to be aware of), but when she let out a genuine smile, she looked... "Beautiful." *Thak!* Haoren smashed his head into the bed. The cushioning made the sound muffled, but it was still quite loud because of the sheer force behind it. "Damn it..." His muted grumbling spread throughout the room. Even though his head was buried in the bed, his blood-red ears were all one needed to know the current condition of his face. "Ah..." Haoren wasn''t some dense rom-com protagonist, he could somewhat tell what was going on but... "B-but what if it''s not that?" He stuttered. It was quite strange. He''d had (relatively) great control over his emotions ever since he became Gongsun Haoren, but there were times when he lost control, and it was always somehow related to her. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. "Let''s just do what I need to do right now and try to confirm it for now." Even if he possesses two sets of memories, both of them don''t exceed the age of 17, and neither had any romantic relationships. One was obsessed with his revenge, and the other, while not seeking vengeance, also drowned himself in his past. Moreover, the previous Gongsun Haoren simply never felt the desire for a relationship. "Hm..." Just as he wondered about his next move, his eyes moved towards an unassuming cabinet that seemed to be nothing special. That was where Haoren hid his greatest treasures¡ªhis master''s belongings. Robes, her sword, her hairpin, and other ornaments. His master''s presence was well imbued within each of them. Even now, after so much time, he could still feel her existence through these items. "Maybe I should get her something... She does still wear my clothes..." *Thak!* Once again, Haoren crashed his head into the bed as he imagined her in feminine clothing. "Damn it..." He mumbled, his voice barely audible, yet it held a strange warmth to it. ... ????????????????????¡ã???¡ã????????????????????? ... And all that brought us to the current situation. ''Where do we get clothes?'' Haoren had never purchased any clothes here. If he wanted anything, he''d just ask the city lord, who''d gladly answer his demands. After all, Haoren was more or less like a guardian deity in the eyes of the city lord. There was no way he''d feel bothered by something like this, or at least he wouldn''t show that he was bothered. ''Ha... why can''t I just think straight? Even if I did fall in l-love, isn''t this still too sudden?!'' He internally complained as he still couldn''t understand this sudden influx of emotions, but even as much as he grumbled, he was having fun, just walking together with Li Feng. Yet, he didn''t wish to admit this fact. Anyways, to not make a fool of himself, he discreetly made use of his abilities to find a place where he could get "good clothes," and that ended up being a shop that sells cloth, not clothes, just simple cloth. ''I guess that makes sense...'' In a world without mass production of goods and standardized sizes for ready-made clothes, it was only natural that the cloth had to be purchased and then tailored into the clothing that would be worn. "Can you show some cloth for her that would be appropriate for a woman? The price isn''t a concern." As Haoren spoke this in a voice that did not resemble his inner restlessness, Li Feng seemed somewhat "troubled," whereas the shop owner, the middle-aged man who had a stern expression until a second ago, now had a warm smile as he looked at the pair before him with an expression that seemed to be reminiscing about his sweet past. "???" ... ????????????????????¡ã???¡ã????????????????????? ... ''Did I buy too much?'' Haoren truly wondered so for a moment, but then he shook his head. ''No, are only only a few clothes. Moreover, she would also need some for when she''s cultivating and some for sleeping... Next time, let''s buy some more comfortable clothes!'' Haoren had gotten a bit carried away while buying the cloth. While this wasn''t the same as those romance novel chapters where the female lead changes into different clothes and the male lead buys them all, but the different cloth with different colors and embroidery caused Haoren''s imagination to run wild, and he bought a bit more than he had planned. Now, he was just convincing himself that this was necessary. Meanwhile, Li Feng was having a slight panic attack from the cost of all these. But Haoren just paid for it all without any trouble. And while he was given a pretty good discount, even without the discount, he''d not even need to worry about spending this much. His wealth had accumulated quite a bit over the years, especially since he never really spent most of the money the city lord "gifted" him... "Do you know any good place to get her clothes tailored?" Haoren decided to just ask the man instead of wandering around, to which the shopkeeper smiled and said, "Just right by this shop, there''s a seamstress who''s quite famous in the entire city." The man''s expression was a bit strange. It was as if he was boastful, and there was a hint of pride and joy in the air, but Haoren decided to ignore it. "Thank you." He lightly bowed his head and left, carrying his purchases. ... "I want clothes to be tailored for her." Upon Haoren''s bland voice, the seamstress looked towards the feminine cloth with flowery embroidery that Haoren had handed her and then to Li Feng, who was in men''s clothing. "Ah~" Then, as if she understood everything, she looked towards Li Feng with a smile. "You must have arrived here from somewhere far, right?" "Yes?" It was true that Li Feng had originally been from another city a bit far from here, but she didn''t understand how this woman knew that. "Why might you be asking that?" "Hoho~" The seamstress chuckled as she had a nostalgia-filled look on her face. "The grumpy old man from the next shop is my husband. Back when we were young, we were traveling merchants, so I understand your situation quite well." "???" This only fueled Li Feng''s confusion. Looking at the confused Li Feng, the seamstress let out another chuckle. "We ran off from our families who opposed us being together, all so that we could be together. Back then, we had to travel around a lot, so I had to dress as a man to avoid trouble... I get your situation quite well. Don''t worry! This city, while a bit isolated, is quite safe! Even if things get tough, as long as you rely on each other and trust each other, everything will be great! Ah, to be young again~" "N-no, we¡ª" Li Feng tried to clear the misunderstanding but couldn''t as a certain someone intervened. "That''s wonderful." "???" Li Feng looked at him as if asking, ''What the hell are you saying?'' However, Haoren who didn''t notice any of that continued calmly. "To be able to travel together, and even now work in a way that''s intertwined with one another, I think that''s truly wonderful." The seamstress was shocked for a moment, however, she soon broke out in a wide smile as she laughed. "Haha! You sure are more of a romantic than you look! If you ever need any advice, just look for this Auntie Lin of yours!" And thus, Haoren found the person who he''ll bother soon enough to learn more about his feelings, his first love. 15. Failed Traps While returning from their little "shopping trip," Haoren was feeling pleasantly surprised. Usually, whenever there was someone who was aware of Haoren, whether through knowing him or seeing his face, Haoren would only be able to act stiffly with them. Yet now, even though his face was bare for the seamstress and Li Feng to see, he did not act all that stiffly. Rather, he acted quite openly regarding his emotions, expressing himself properly even though his expression didn''t change much. His words were definitely different. ''Is this how it is to fall for someone?'' He truly wondered for a moment only to shake his head dismissively, ''It''s most likely related to my "outburst" from yesterday...'' Countless explanations passed through his mind in an instant, but there was only one that stuck with him, ''I''m absorbing the remnants of other''s emotions instead of just sensing them...'' It wasn''t just a random guess; this was something he was somewhat aware of. But, until now it wasn''t noticeable, ''It''s like I''m filling in the gaps that are present within the character named Haoren... The emotions I lack are being filled into my soul as it heals to become whole again.'' ''As for why the same didn''t happen for the past Haoren? It''s probably because he was whole already. It wasn''t that he had lost some of his emotions; he simply didn''t have them to begin with. Whereas I am a damaged soul, having lost memories and certain parts of myself. So, as my soul heals through the help of Li Feng''s physique, the remnants of others are being melded into my soul. Remnants of anger melding with an enraging memory, remnants of sorrow melding with my grieving memories...'' "Haa..." Haoren sighed. He somewhat realized how absurd his guess was. No matter how one thinks about it, souls are far too complex to be healed in such a way... "Are you alright?" Haoren turned to his side to see Li Feng, who was walking by his side, looking at him with a worried expression. "Yes?" He answered, yet it somehow sounded like a question. "It''s just you seemed to be lost in thought... I was a bit worried..." "Ah..." Haoren couldn''t gather his words. He felt like there was something different about Li Feng today. ''Maybe it''s just my view that''s changed but...'' He couldn''t help but notice many details he had never noticed until now, from how she had to look upwards when she looked at him to how she would occasionally bite her lower lip when she was frustrated. How her hair that she had recklessly cut short had begun to grow longer and would soon reach her shoulders... How she, who used to always remain on guard while facing him, now even showed worry towards him... ''Uh... wait, what were we talking about?! Oh no! I forgot!'' "Hey! Are you really alright?!" This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Li Feng who had already begun to drag him by his arm to a less crowded place asked him hurriedly. "..." There was light sweat on her forehead, a frowning expresiion as she bit her lips slightly. ''She''s worried about me...'' "...I am fine." Haoren finally answered, looking away. "Hah!" Li Feng let out an irritated laugh, "Look at me when you say that!" "Urgg!" Haoren groaned. He really didn''t think that he could look at her right now, ''My expression should probably still be blank as usual, but...'' He could feel his face burn up, ''If she sees this it''s over for me.'' After concluding this, Haoren called upon all his wisdom to make the perfect move, "L-Let''s go already!" He ran off like a little kid... ... ????????????????????¡ã???¡ã????????????????????? ... "..." "..." The silence during the dinner felt a bit stifling yet oddly satisfying. There was a charm to such a mundane yet warm-filled experience. However, the hearts of the two who were dining were in turmoil. ''I messed up...'' They both thought. ''I shouldn''t have closed the distance so suddenly...'' ''I shouldn''t have run away so suddenly...'' Li Feng and Haoren thought respectively, as they drowned in regrets. ''But...'' They looked down towards their hands as a slight frustration welled up within them. ''How can he be so unfazed when I''m so close?!'' ''How can she be so unfazed when we were like that?!'' Surprisingly, they were quite similar and so were their conclusions. A direct approach, magical words that would elude most rom-coms and shoujo genre story characters, a mythical method through which one can evade all kinds of misunderstanding that would greatly lengthen the story and perpetuate content. In other words, a confession. However, with the determination of confessing came great fear. What if they got rejected? What if it all ends just like that? For Haoren, this was a first. He didn''t know what to do. But, Li Feng had already begun to formulate a plan. That''s right, Li Feng has experience in confessing(to women). As a former assassin who had undergone multiple bio-modifications and used mystical arts to change her form, she had used her ever-changing "appearance" and deep understanding of human beings to seduce young ladies of prestigious families. As for why the hell did such a person not have any experience with men? The reason for that was quite simple, her bio-modifications left her with a broader body frame and disguising herself as a woman (even though she was one) was not feasible. That and she had developed a complex regarding the fact that even she herself didn''t know her true face. No matter what she did she would always be a fake... Anyway, the point is that Li Feng had an idea regarding what she must do. "I have to pressure him into accepting my confession..." This was the conclusion she decided upon while lying atop her bed. ''I have to make him more conscious of me... make it so my absence makes him feel empty and then when he is at his worst, let''s do a proper proposal to pressure him into accepting!'' "Ah, maybe I should act as if I will be leaving soon, ''I have some regrets, I must resolve in my birthplace.'' or something like that?" Not a noble strategy or rather a scummy one that drives the other person into a corner and forces them into accepting her confession, but if it works it works. After all, everything is fair in love and war(except for war crimes probably... and also kidnapping...) ... ????????????????????¡ã???¡ã????????????????????? ... The next day... "...where did it all go wrong?" ...Li Feng''s plan failed before it even began. ... About half an hour ago ... As the pair finished their breakfast, Li Feng looked towards Haoren with a sly smile, "I have something to do, so I''ll be going out later on today." "Hm?" The initial reaction was great. Haoren raised his brow in question. However, the words that came next crushed all of Li Feng''s hopes, "Well, take care. I''ll be going out to meet an acquaintance." "..." and then he left ... "Haa..." Li Feng sighed for what felt like the millionth time today as she looked towards the place where Haoren liked to sit around. At this time, he''d be drinking tea. ''That stoic bastard doesn¡¯t say it outright, but he loves my tea. That time when I forgot about the tea, he kept looking towards me awkwardly trying to remind me... And even though he likes it that much, he can''t even brew it himself...'' Thinking this, the corners of Li Feng''s lips ascended on their own. "Cute bastard..." And thus she fell for her own trap. ... ????????????????????¡ã???¡ã????????????????????? ... Meanwhile on Haoren''s side... "Auntie Lin, how do I make her know that I love her?" "Just tell her that you love her!" ''BUT HOW?!'' Haoren was also within his own struggle 16. Sudden Chill Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ????????????????????¡ã???¡ã????????????????????? ????????????????????¡ã???¡ã????????????????????? 17. Sacrifices were made ... few hours into the past after Haoren had left to seek advice ... "..." My brows twitched constantly as I attempted to concentrate. "Fuck..." My attempts weren''t quite successful as I soon opened my eyes in annoyance. No matter what I did, it was all useless. I couldn''t focus on anything, even if I tried to rid myself of all emotions. His words¡ª that he was going to meet an acquaintance kept echoing in my mind. "Damn it, Li Feng! Get a grip over yourself!" No matter what I did, the congested feeling in my chest did not go away as I worried over whether this "acquaintance" was a female. His existence was like a slow-acting addictive poison, though admittedly, it worked too quickly on me. "Ha... Let''s just eat something and rest for a while..." Rest, a word that did not often grace my lips, yet today, I felt strangely lethargic, wanting nothing more than to just fall asleep and do nothing. Just as Li Feng had finished eating, she heard the sound of footsteps approaching the entrance. They were footsteps that did not belong to Haoren. Her expression grew cold as she saw the intruder¡ª a woman. "You! Peasant! Where''s Lord Haoren?!" demanded the ''young lady'' who caused annoyance to Li Feng just from her presence. She even felt a strange desire to punch the said woman Li Feng maintained a smile. "My lord left a while ago. He said that he would be late." She tried to shoo the woman away, but she continued to pester like a fly. "Have there been any women close to Lord Haoren lately? Did he ever mention me... Xia Fen? Could it be, does he have a lover?!" Li Feng, who had had enough, finally said, "The Lord mentioned that you were like his very own sister." She hoped this would cause the woman''s expression to crumple, but instead, the woman blushed and smiled shyly. So Li Feng added something more extreme, "And the Lord might be interested in men." The woman''s face turned crimson, and her eyes widened in shock. Li Feng''s smile widened imperceptibly as she watched the woman struggle to compose herself. The young lady¡¯s shock quickly turned into disbelief. ¡°You¡¯re lying! Lord Haoren would never¡ª¡± Li Feng raised an eyebrow. ¡°Why would I lie? The Lord has been very close to me, his personal guard, lately. We''ve been spending a lot of time together. Alone.¡± The woman¡¯s face paled. ¡°His...personal guard? B-but someone as strong as him doesn''t need a..." "Exactly." Xia Fen''s face paled even further as she realized the implication. Li Feng nodded. ¡°Yes, He even sneaked a peek at me while I was bathing, and later on, he kept blushing... He most definitely has a special preference. But you didn¡¯t hear any of this from me." The young lady seemed to waver, uncertainty clear in her eyes. ¡°But...but he¡¯s always been so kind to me.¡± ¡°Of course he has,¡± Li Feng said, her tone sweet but her eyes cold. ¡°As any brother would be to his dear sister.¡± The woman¡¯s shoulders slumped, and she bit her lip, clearly conflicted. Li Feng could almost see the wheels turning in her head as she tried to reconcile this new information with her own desires. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ''LESSSSGOOOOO!!!'' Li Feng inwardly celebrated as she downed a rival with just a few words... well, technically she had downed another one if you count the girl from the slums... However, Haoren''s sexuality did have to take one for the team. ''Wait, why is it that all the women trying to approach him are teen`s, like 16 or 17?'' And now even his morality was being questioned. "Um, Lady Xia, do you know how old¡ª" Li Feng attempted to ask, but before she could, she saw Xia Fen with tears in the corners of her eyes and a crumpled expression. Before Li Feng could say anything more, the sound of more footsteps echoed as Xia Fen ran off. ... Back to the present ... "The lady called Xia Fen had visited... She seemed to have wanted to meet you." When Haoren heard this, his body immediately stiffened his gaze a mix of guilt and fear. "..." "..." I... felt afraid when I saw that averted gaze. My heart pounded fiercely within my chest. Yet, unlike usual when it pounded while thinking about him, this time it hurt with every beat. I could feel my vision getting clouded as my eyes began to warm. "Are you... alright?" Haoren asked, yet his gaze still didn¡¯t settle on me. "W-why do you ask?" My voice came out a bit choked as I felt it hard to even articulate my words. "Well..." His voice, filled with guilt, further worsened my anxiety, "She did beat you till you were half-dead, after all...." "Huh?" "SORRY, That must have been a bit insensitive!" "Ah..." For a moment, my mind went blank, and then I remembered... "THAT FUCKING BITCH?!!" I finally remembered why Xia Fen felt a bit familiar... Xia Fen was the woman who almost got me killed right after my transmigration. It was odd how Li Feng forgot her face so easily, however, she didn''t notice any of this as all she could do was feel relieved and joyous. And then I realized... I had just cursed in front of Haoren. From my vast experience (in dating women), doing such a thing in the initial stages is always bad. As expected, Haoren was stunned as he looked at me with wide eyes. "..." "..." ''Shit...'' What should I do now? I did not know, but I knew I had to do something. And as I continued to wrack my brain... "Pfft..." "Huh?" "Hahahaha...!" He burst into laughter. "Wait, why are you laughing?!" It annoyed me to hell, though it was kind of cute... But that''s beside the point! "Haha... Ah... Sorry, it''s just... You always try to keep your emotions hidden... But to think you''d have such an outburst... Haha!" "Stop laughing!" ... ????????????????????¡ã???¡ã????????????????????? ... Li Feng woke up the next morning, her mind still foggy with sleepiness as she recalled the events of the previous day. She blinked several times while sitting on her bed, frowning as she realized her memories of Xia Fen, the woman who almost killed her, suddenly became clearer. "What the..." she muttered, puzzled by the sudden clarity. Finding no answer, she decided to think about it later as she went downstairs, washed her face, and started preparing breakfast. As she was cooking, Haoren came down the stairs. The awkwardness from yesterday still lingered, but irritation sparked within her when she remembered his annoying laughter. Determined to confront him with confidence, she turned to face him. "Good morn... what happened to you?" Her words trailed off as she saw his face. Haoren''s usually pale complexion now seemed even more sickly, and dark circles loomed under his eyes. "Nothing," he replied, but his answer was unconvincing. "You..." Li Feng started to put the pieces together. The sudden recovery of her memories, Haoren''s haggard appearance¡ªit all pointed to something. She remembered his unique ability and also tracing back to it, she realized her "memory loss" might have occurred during one of his outbursts, and now that she had "recovered" her memories, Haoren had become sickly all of a sudden. "...Did this happen because of me?" she asked quietly. "I don''t know what you''re talking about," he responded dismissively, his tone devoid of emotion. A few days ago, she might have missed it, but now she could tell he was forcing it. "Look me in the eye and say that!" She moved closer, her voice firm. "It has nothing to do with you!" Haoren spoke a bit too harshly, to even his own surprise. He hurriedly looked at her and saw her eyes welling up with tears. "Wait, I¡ª" Before he could finish, she grabbed his collar, her voice trembling with anger and worry. "YOU BASTARD, DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED I AM?!" Haoren remained silent, taken aback by her outburst. "D-do you know how I feel..." Li Feng''s voice broke as her emotions overwhelmed her. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "Li Feng, I..." Haoren spoke gently as he placed his hand on her back, attempting to comfort her, but... "KYAAA!!" A sudden shriek from an intruder echoed. Both turned to look towards the newcomer and found Xia Fen, who screamed while pointing at them. "NOOOOOO!!" She then proceeded to run off while screaming. "..." "..." Haoren and Li Feng looked at each other¡ª disheveled clothing, reddened faces, and within each other''s embrace. "..." "..." Looking at Li Feng''s nervous expression, Haoren asked, "...What did you tell Xia Fen yesterday?" Li Feng averted her gaze stiffly like a machine needing to be oiled. 18. Abomination ,"Li Feng..." Haoren probed, his voice laden with suspicion. "..." Meanwhile, Li Feng kept her gaze averted, not answering at all. "Ha..." Haoren sighed, holding his head in slight frustration before speaking up, "Fine... You don''t have to tell me." "Really?" Li Feng looked towards Haoren, her eyes welling with hope. "Yes, but I will do the same regarding your inquiry." "..." Her body instantly stiffened upon hearing this, and as she processed it, she glared at Haoren. "..." Haoren faced her glare head-on. This was something he didn''t wish to back down on. "...Fine," Li Feng was the first to concede. Seeing this, Haoren relaxed, but it was a momentary relief as Li Feng soon continued, "I''ll tell you what I told Xia Fen, so you explain everything to me as well!" "...A-are you sure?" Haoren stuttered. He truly did not want to speak of that matter, or rather he was afraid to. After all, if he explained his situation, this daily life that brought him joy and comfort would end. "..." Without saying anything, Li Feng just held onto Haoren''s sleeve as she firmly looked into his eyes, "Please." It was a single word, yet it was teeming with determination, so much so that it even affected Haoren. ''Should I lie?'' Such a thought passed through his mind, but, ''No, I can''t continue to be selfish. It is what I "must" do.'' "My ability to navigate through the world despite my lack of vision... It utilizes the method of sensing ethereal remnants of memories and emotions that have been attached to an object... or rather, that''s how I used to think it worked." Haoren smiled bitterly as he took a moment to resolve himself, "In truth... My body constantly absorbs these memories, these echoes of the soul to form this vision... no rather this vision is just a side effect caused by incomplete subconscious absorption. This ''ability'' of mine... It doesn''t just sense them but completely absorbs them. I am sure you also realized that your memories regarding certain events had been... wiped out. The cause of that memory loss was the sudden ''outburst'' I had. I had eaten away at a part of your memories as well as a part of your soul." "..." Silence. That was Li Feng''s response, but again, it''s not unusual. "A soul is resilient yet a fragile thing. Once damage accumulates, there will be no saving it." "..." Silence again, but the understanding of the concept of the soul is quite uncommon here, so it''s understandable. "This realm lacks in terms of soul-healing elixirs or treasures." This is true. Even I barely managed to procure a single such elixir with reasonable potency. "..." "My very existence is a threat to your life... no, to your existence, for once your soul perishes, there shall be no reincarnation nor any afterlife." "..." Death is scary. So, of course, her response was silence. That''s right. This is how it should be. "It is... better that you leave..." The words came out with much greater difficulty than expected, ''Ah... Yeah, that''s right. This is how it should be... This is how¡ª'' "No." "...?" Bafflement. That was the first reaction. "I won''t leave." "Did you listen to anything I just said?" Disbelief. That was the secondary response. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. "And do you think I care?!" "Well, you should!" Anger. How can she still say this after I resolved myself? Such a train of thought brought anger. "Why should I?!" "YOU...!!" "WHAT?!" "Hmph! DO WHAT YOU WANT!" Joy. What was felt was joy. Relief brought about by the fact that he will not be abandoned, accompanied by a wild beating of his heart. "I WILL!" . ... ????????????????????¡ã???¡ã????????????????????? ... Abomination. That word was how "Haoren" would describe himself. A cursed birth to an accursed being. Abandoned by even his own birth mother. But of course, the abomination did not blame its ''parents'' after all, who would wish to keep such an abomination close? However, if there was one thing he did not understand, it was why they did not just "end" the abomination upon its birth. But, with time, it understood the reason why it was not killed upon birth. Karma¡ª His parents did not wish to taint their own hands with ill-fated karma by killing their own kin. Moreover, they were afraid of the abomination, the calamity in the shape of a human. Immeasurable immortal desolation. An immense cloud of dark mist flowing mindlessly across the myriad realms. Whatever is touched by this evil abomination nears its end; land grows barren, skies turn gray, and even lifeless corpses turn brittle and become mere dust. The abomination understood their reasons and simply did not yearn for acceptance from its parents. After all, that was simply a nonsensical wish. A wish that somehow did come true in a way. In this world, there was someone who cared for such an abomination. Gongsun Jiang... his master... she was always kind. She did hold some apprehension towards the kind of being the abomination was, but did not let that affect her judgment or love for it. This was true acceptance, not the deluded foolishness of an idiot who thinks that everyone is good, but someone who knows evil and can still see the good despite all that. Even though he was an accursed abomination, Haoren truly cherished his master. So, he wished to return the pain the world had inflicted upon his master tenfold back to the accursed world. To rip apart those who wronged her, those who brought her to her deathbed, and bring ruin upon all that those ''evil'' people held dear. But he couldn''t. Why? He was bound. "Ren''er, don''t bother with vengeance." She did not let him. "What kind of master... no, what kind of parent would I be if I let my dear child dirty his hands for me~" Even while wilting, the flower was still incomparably more beautiful than the barren lands. And when it all turned to dust, when nothing was left of that brilliant flower... A sin was committed. Not out of its own will, but the abomination committed the greatest sin and was punished ''justly'' for it. The echoes of the flower''s soul were devoured by the filthy abomination. To even not let it rest in death... to desecrate the dead. Even if it had happened without its will and only due to its innate nature, a sin was committed. And a fitting judgment was served. "Aaaarrrghhh!!" The filthy abomination screamed as it relived the anguish of its loved one. ''How could the world be so bereft of warmth?'' It wondered, being unable to face her sorrowful remembrances. ''Why? Even though they are the same human?'' It could not accept this. The abomination that never sought acceptance nor understanding for the first time felt wronged. For the first time, it truly felt blinded by its own self and lost within the cold, dark world. ''Such a race... does it even deserve to exist?'' As its rage began to settle, he questioned. Not seeing any good within the race known as humanity. ''A race that would even wrong its own young... No, even the young aren''t free of sins. I of all understand it best... Evil even within the young heart...'' And yet it couldn''t do anything. It was bound by her words. Itt would not take revenge. It would not stray from its path. It would not dirty his hands. And thus, all that was left within the abomination was cold hatred. And the unresolvable hatred brought anguish. Yet, it did not harm others. Not because it was righteous but because it was a bound beast. ...Till one day, when it could no longer stand it. It could not die as its master wished for it to live. It could not live as the constant anguish was worse than any torture it could receive. And so it made a choice. One that would end its anguish yet let it live. To kill a part of itself. Destroy part of its soul and replace it with the memory echoes of others to forget the hardships its only family went through. How it reached such a conclusion, it... didn''t truly understand it either. Yet, a miracle happened. "That''s right. It was you." Me? "That''s right, you murderous filth." You can be a bit kinder with your words. "To think a fiend like you would be my saviour. Haa... what has the world come to?" You can be a bit more grateful, you know? "Why? Why should I be grateful to you who killed me, just like how you killed all those innocent souls?" Shut up, you abomination. "Since we''ll be gone soon enough, let me ask you something." ... "Did you truly not feel anything as you tormented and killed your own kind? As you took the lives of the innocent?" Shut up, you monster. "Ah... I guess it was a foolish question. Joy. You felt joy, didn''t you? You monster." ... ????????????????????¡ã???¡ã????????????????????? ... And with that I woke up. 19. Drunk Haoren woke up in a daze, his memories slowly piecing together like a badly edited film. Memories ''inherited'' from his master also flooded back¡ªher pain, her sorrows, her suffering. It screamed within him, a call for him to visit her. He needed to go. It was that time. But he couldn''t bring himself to leave ''her''. So, he had to somehow make her come with him. Or at least confess. And maybe build a relationship. Haoren sat up, feeling the weight of the memories and emotions pressing down on him. He looked around the dimly lit room, his eyes landing on Li Feng, who was still asleep beside him. Her face was serene, a stark contrast to the turmoil brewing inside him. He quietly slipped out of bed and moved to the window, gazing out at the first light of dawn breaking over the horizon. He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. ''How can I ask her to come with me? How can I confess everything to her?'' The thought of her reaction filled him with dread. Would she accept him, knowing the truth about his existence and the dangers he posed? Or would she turn away... "Wait a minute... Huh?" "..." "Why''s she in my bed?!" "Calm down, me! Calm down! There must be something... Fuck!" Haoren cursed, he wasn''t one to use profanities... rather it might have been his first using such profanities without having even a moment of remorse. "Hu... Let''s see... last night..." Clutching onto his throbbing head, Haoren tried to recall the hazy memories of the forgone day. ... ????????????????????¡ã???¡ã????????????????????? ... After their little ''fight,'' both Haoren and Li Feng remained quiet all day. The awkward mood made it so neither found a way to talk about basically anything. Even throughout their daily activities, such as Haoren guiding Li Feng''s cultivation and having lunch together, they barely spoke a word or two to one another. The reason for the awkward silence was the momentary rapid closing of the distance between the two. Until now, they kept their true thoughts to themselves, never revealing much to the other. But in the unrestrained expression of emotions that morning, both no longer knew how to handle the other''s presence. Awkwardness pervaded through their meal at night until Li Feng brought a certain something after their meal. "Alcohol?" Haoren frowned instantly as he realized what lied within the jar brought by Li Feng. "Yeah. What? Can''t handle a drink?" Li Feng asked teasingly, trying to lighten the mood. "I simply do not like such a thing," Haoren replied haughtily. He truly did dislike alcohol. The very concept of a substance that ruined one''s mind disgusted him. "Ah~" Li Feng began with an amused smile, "I guess the ''young'' lord can''t handle this measly wine, huh?" The word "young" echoed through Haoren''s mind as he slammed the table. "Hah?! Who says I can''t handle some wine?!" It took Haoren a moment to realize his folly. As he momentarily calmed, he followed up with another statement. "Rather, isn''t it so that you, yourself, cannot handle your alcohol?" Unfortunately, Haoren''s little provocation did not faze Li Feng at all. She was quite confident in her tolerance, there had not been a single person to outdrink her! "Well then, I suppose you''ll also be having some wine?" "O-of course!" With false valour, Haoren agreed readily, spelling his own doom. "Urgh...!" His frown deepened as he felt a small sip of wine burn up his throat. ''When did I become so petty as to pretend like this...'' As the alcohol went down his throat, yet another thought passed through, ''Neither Haoren nor he were like this...'' Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Haoren simply never cared for such childish things. Being far from pettiness, the emotions he displayed were limited to a few. Meanwhile, ''that guy'' simply did not care if others considered him childish. He knew he looked like one¡ª no matter how much time passed, he always remained as one and he used it to his benefit, that''s all there was to it. So, the only explanation for such a foreign emotion was, ''It''s mine.'' An emotion borne of the twisted being birthed from the corpse of the abomination and the fiend. An unsightly emotion that brought warmth to the twisted existence that did not possess anything of its own. As such thoughts passed by, his heart warmed as if he even forgot the unpleasant scent of the alcohol that burnt his throat. Meanwhile, on Li Feng''s side... ''Lesssgooo!! He drank it!'' She too was in a joyous mood. And why? Well, for that, we will have to discuss her thoughts from a while ago... As Li Feng saw Haoren''s frown, she couldn''t help but muse, ''That''s pretty rare...'' Seeing Haoren blatantly display his displeasure was not something that she saw often. After all, he wasn''t one to show extremities of himself often. Which made him appear as a pleasant person to be around, but that also meant... ''I don''t know anything about him.'' ...He showed not even an ounce of his ''true self''. Suddenly, it felt as if there was a large crevice separating her from him, and if she turned her back for even a moment, he''d disappear, leaving not a single ''truth'' to remember him by. And thus, she concocted a plan to interro¡ªhave a heartfelt conversation with Haoren. Li Feng''s initial plan was simple¡ª get Haoren drunk and see if she could uncover more about him. She was curious, desperate even, to understand the person who had such a strong hold over her heart. She poured yet another glass and slid it over to him with a teasing grin. "Come on, Haoren. Have one more drink. Or are you afraid you can''t handle it?" she coaxed, her voice dripping with playful mockery. Haoren raised an eyebrow, not one to back down from a challenge. "Afraid? Of this? Please," he scoffed, downing the drink. The burn was familiar now, but no less unpleasant. "Y-you''re just trying to avoid admitting you can''t keep up." Li Feng smirked¡ª she had always had a strong tolerance for alcohol as her body was immune to many poisonous substances. So, she took another sip from her own glass. "Keep up? With you? Don''t make me laugh," she replied, her tone competitive. "I''ve seen you wince at every sip. Admit it, you''re a lightweight." "I''m not the one turning red," Haoren retorted, pointing to her flushed cheeks. "You look like you''re about to pass out." "Me? Pass out? Ha!" Li Feng laughed, smiling at Haoren''s cute little attempt at psychological warfare. ''Ha! There''s no way that I''d be... I''d be... huh...'' She felt a strange warmth spreading through her body. Still, she continued to pour drinks for both of them, determined to prove her point. As the night wore on, the alcohol began to take a stronger hold on Li Feng. Her confidence in her tolerance proved to be a misplaced belief as her vision blurred and her thoughts became jumbled. She giggled at nothing in particular and often spoke utter nonsense which included but was not limited to nuking the moon. "You''re... not as tough as you think," she slurred, pointing a finger at Haoren, who looked at her with a mix of amusement and concern. "And you... are drunk," Haoren said, his words clearer but tinged with a growing haze. He felt an unusual drowsiness creeping in, something he couldn''t quite shake off. "Why did you want me to drink so much, anyway?" He might have been petty enough to fall for her tricks but wasn''t stupid enough to not realise that he had fallen for her trap. But her desire to have him drunk truly puzzled him. Li Feng blinked slowly, trying to focus. "Wanted to know... more about you," she mumbled, her head lolling to the side. "You always hide... yet see through others... it''s not fair~" Haoren chuckled softly, shaking his head. "That''s quite the way you see my blank thoughtless stare... it''s not seeing through anything..." he said, though his own eyelids felt heavy. The effort of maintaining his composure was becoming increasingly difficult. ''Why am I feeling so...'' He hadn''t yet realized that he was getting drunk. This should have usually been impossible. As his body would devour any substance and turn it into pure energy, rendering the effects of poisons or elixirs null. Of course, this ability was not nearly as good as it sounded since that meant a healing elixir didn''t heal him properly, an elixir for purifying qi didn''t help, and so on. But currently, his soul which had just ripped a part of itself to return Li Feng''s memories was in a state of starvation, absorbing all emotions to recover itself. His ability was now absorbing Li Feng''s drunken state of emotions, pulling him down with her. "You... should sleep," he said, his voice trailing off as he carried Li Feng to the room upstairs. "Don''t wanna~" "Just go... to... slee¡ª" And with a blurred vision, Haoren fell onto the bed as well. ... ????????????????????¡ã???¡ã????????????????????? ... Haoren held his forehead as the murky memories that were like fragments of a dream left him puzzled. Somehow, he could even recall a memory of discussing nuking the moon and how it would not be possible. Surely, a dream that he was now confusing with reality. "BUT WHY ARE WE NAKED?!" Haoren, who could not remember anything beyond that, couldn''t help but ask, even though there was no one else to answer. Or was there? Li Feng, the origin of the whole alcohol fiasco, had just woken up, now pretending to be asleep. Why? One might ask. Well, because her memories are a bit different than Haoren''s... Her memories consisted of her doing this and that... to Haoren. "...!" Haoren turned around almost instantly as he sensed that Li Feng was awake. But he didn''t know what to do. He was a virgin, no, even worse, he had been ''innocent'', as innocent and pure as one can be until just a while ago. And now he woke up with a naked woman in his bed and did not remember anything! However, his emotions were not filled with much strife and confusion as a slight joy and relief sparked within his broken soul. ''...There is no disgust or rage...'' As he sensed Li Feng''s emotions, while he could not tell perfectly, he could tell that there was no true disgust or grievance. In other words, what lay within her heart was acceptance... to some degree. And with that, Haoren decided to hasten up his prior ''plans''.