Chapter Forty: The Peculiar Girl

The elderly cultivator in the Foundation Establishment stage handed over a storage pouch and quietly squeezed out of the crowd. The eyes of those in the crowd followed the hand receiving the spiritual herb, but several of them still set their sights on the young vendor. After tidying up his wares, the vendor pushed his way out of the throng, soon trailed by more than a dozen pursuers, with Dao Sansheng among them.

The marketplace was teeming with people, shoulder to shoulder, and just like that, the youth vanished into the sea of humanity. He had clearly been shoved into a shop moments before, but when the dozen or so pursuers followed him inside and came out again, the youth had disappeared without a trace.

Their pursuit revealed itself as futile, and frustration drove them to stomp their feet in anger, but Dao Sansheng did not stop. Instead, he followed a little girl all the way into an alley.

The girl turned to him, feigning fear, tears welling in her eyes, wiping her nose with her hand. "Please, let me go. My parents died young. If you want money, I can give it to you. I’m ugly, and I’m sick. Please have mercy on me."

Since she was so invested in her performance, Dao Sansheng decided to play along. “Not only do I like those who are ugly, I prefer them sickly, and all the more if they are orphans. After saying this, Dao Sansheng himself felt a bit perverse, but acting required conviction; otherwise, this seasoned trickster would surely see through him.

The girl, seeing he would not relent, pulled out a pure bottle from which a poisonous smoke drifted. The smoke had been seeping out for a while, only now brought forward, having been clutched in her hand behind her back the whole time.

"You’ve already inhaled my Soul-Extinguishing Smoke. Now your spiritual power is gone—prepare to die!" As she spoke, the bell on her wrist flew off, shooting toward Dao Sansheng’s spiritual sea and releasing a soundwave meant to shatter his consciousness.

This method had claimed many lives and never failed her before, but against Dao Sansheng, it was destined to falter. The moment he saw the girl’s tear-stained face, he sensed it was not so simple. Instantly, he communicated with the Fire Fiend Gourd. The skull inside immediately sensed the poison and quietly sucked it into the gourd.

The bell’s soundwave reached Dao Sansheng, but the gourd opened, releasing a jet of black fiendish energy that swallowed the bell whole. In moments, the bell ceased its trembling and fell to the ground.

The gourd then turned its spout toward the Soul-Extinguishing Smoke and inhaled, drawing in the remaining fumes from the air.

"This... This is impossible! Who are you? Who sent you?" The girl was now frantic, lunging at Dao Sansheng. He hadn't expected this and was caught off guard, knocked flying by her surprising strength.

After hitting the ground, Dao Sansheng got back to his feet. The girl lay there, eyes filled with despair, clearly resigned to her fate. Dao Sansheng wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, surprised by her physical power. Fortunately, the yin-yang fish in his dantian had dissipated most of the force, though he was still slightly injured.

As Dao Sansheng approached, the girl shut her eyes, as if surrendering. He squatted beside her, placing his hand on her cheek, feeling the texture of her skin—it was indistinguishable from that of a real person.

It was the first time her face had been touched like this by a stranger, and she flushed, her heart pounding faster. But Dao Sansheng was oblivious, his hand roaming her face with the utmost seriousness, as if he might discover something extraordinary.

After a while, the girl could no longer endure it and shouted angrily, "You lecher! Haven’t you had enough?" She bit his hand, making him cry out in pain—a sound so loud it echoed through the marketplace.

"What are you, a dog? You bite that hard!" Dao Sansheng grumbled, clutching his nearly maimed hand.

The girl, unreasonable to the end, lunged for his other hand. Fortunately, Dao Sansheng dodged in time, or he would have been bitten again. Yet, despite her aggression, her ferocity made others wary of approaching.

"I just want to see if you’re wearing a mask. You often change identities, and I wondered if you wore some kind of artifact to alter your appearance. I was just curious."

At his answer, the girl’s tone softened. "How did you know I change identities? I haven’t told anyone. How could you tell?"

Her heart trembled. The art of altering appearance, body, and cultivation was a secret legacy of her family, known only to a few kin—all of whom had died young. She believed no one else in the world could know, yet now her secret was laid bare.

"I possess a unique secret art that allows me to see through disguises. That’s how I noticed. When you were selling goods at the marketplace entrance, I followed you. I found it quite remarkable."

Dao Sansheng explained his story, convincing the girl at last. Though half-believing, the mention of secret arts made her wary.

"I’ll tell you this: my family’s technique to change appearance and cultivation is only passed to family members. It is never shared beyond our bloodline."

Dao Sansheng thought to himself that she was full of fabrications and not to be trusted, but he could not ask her for the secret directly.

"Very well then. My name is Dao Sansheng. May I know your name? Perhaps I’ll need your help one day. Leaving some contact information wouldn’t hurt."

Seeing how persistent he was, and knowing she couldn’t overpower him, the girl revealed her real name, not daring to use an alias—Dao Sansheng would surely recognize her in a crowd, no matter her form.

"My name is Hu Qin. If you ever need anything, come find me at the marketplace—I’m often around here. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave."

With that, her eyes darted about, and suddenly she sprang up, dashing away into the alley and vanishing around a corner.

Dao Sansheng gave chase, but she was gone in an instant. He searched the area but found no trace of her. Her ability to disappear was truly remarkable.

Judging from her words, her name was probably genuine, and since this was their second encounter, she likely frequented the market. If fate willed it, they would meet again. There was no need to press the matter.