"What's the matter? Did you find anything? Ew, what's that?" inquired Ye Luo.
Su Xiao exited the house, hand running back and forth on his head: "Strange. He's not in there. I searched every nook and cranny. I even checked the odd spot but didn't find the man who framed us. I only found her."
Su Xiao pulled me over.
"A girl? I thought she was a boy when she had her head down."
"Yeah, she was hiding in the house. She told me that her dad went to see what happened. She hid under her bed after hearing someone break through the window. I, uh, found her under the bed after quite the search."
I was going to speak my mind, but Su Xiao turned to me: "Right?!"
I nodded frantically: "Yes, yes, yes."
Ye Luo: "He must've escaped. There's no need for us to give chase. We can't stick to the same approach for eternity if we want to catch him. Let's think of something else."
The reason my face was ashen as I followed behind the duo was because I didn't even have the chance to make sense of what happened. Thence, I couldn't tell if Su Xiao saw through me. I was going to move my head up to the bed to listen to what she was waiting for when I felt a chilly and thin breeze graze my nose. By the time I had a proper view, the blade was already several centimetres deep in the ground.
I heard Su Xiao swinging and shouting the style - I think. I heard, "Sl-Sleeve Ripper!" I don't know how in the world she managed to pronounce Wind and Cloud Splitter as Sleeve Ripper. Her swing looked weak, so I guess it would've only been enough to cut a sleeve. I guess that's where she got the naming from. Anyhow, contrary to how it looked, her breathing and swing were a perfect symphony. She split the bed in four! To be frank, I didn't expect to escape the same fate as the bed frame. Would anyone expect to?!
Anyway, she went berserk again. I hurriedly moulded energy to change my appearance since I was in my long-legged and lanky form, but the crazy slut was so fast. She slashed eight times by the time I went through three appearances. She chopped all the fake flesh, forcing me to abandon the fake flesh collection I had. When she finally decided to lift the bed and check under it, all that was left was me and my terrified expression.
I had to take several deep breaths to calm down. It's never easy to go back to normal after a close call with death. Sure, I like killing people, but I don't like being killed. Getting killed for the sake of a kill is another story. Getting killed when you take cover under a bed or something similar is just dying for no reason! Wretched motherflipping, motherflipped piece of dung! I swear I'll even the score! I'll mess the wench up! I was just biding my time. It was simple to kill the wenches in my new form.
Smiling, Ye Luo assured, "Missy, don't worry. We'll take you to your parents now."
See? People seldom keep their guard up against me for long because my appearance is forever changing. I have all sorts of methods for approaching my target to kill using the quickest and most ruthless methods.
"I feel a little light headed." I pinched my throat and, in a throat voice, elaborated, "I was so scared back there."
I used the puppy-eyes tactic, but the wench, Su Xiao, looked away…
Look at me! What are you looking away for?! Is your conscience bothering you?!
"Su Xiao, what's the matter? Why won't you look at her?"
"I… I…" Su Xiao covered her red face: "I thought the enemy was hiding underneath the bed, so I started swinging at the bed without checking first. I almost ended up hurting her."
You did get me! You got me lots of times! I would've died five times if I didn't transform in time!
"It's okay. It's okay. I'm just still nervous," I appealed, trying to look as innocent as possible. "Could you help me over to the alley over there so that I can catch my breath?"
I virtually never used the young girl disguise. It was the ace up my sleeve when I needed a last resort. Who in their right mind would throw away all of the flesh essence they tirelessly collected and be a little girl?! On the bright side, I don't recall ever failing when I used this form. Look no further. I just played the innocent kid to catch a bunch of young men. Once the female heroes drop their guard, they were next. You think I called it my ace for no reason?
"Miss, I feel so dizzy. Please help me," I pitifully bemoaned.
Su Xiao gave me a response I never would've conceived: "Call me 'brother'! I'm a male!"
… The hell are you on about, wench?
Su Xiao sternly admonished, "Hmph, don't go picking up bad habits at such a young age. Who told you I'm a girl?!"
The wench knocked me on my head with her scabbard. I don't know if she was strong or just livid, but it hurt!
"Why did you hit me, Miss…?"
Su Xiao scrunched her face up: "It's 'brother'!"
What has happened to this world? Am I ignorant about something?
"Xiaoxiao, don't be mean. You'll scare her. She doesn't know your mantra. Be understanding. Otherwise, you're just unreasonable."
How should I feel if a woman who tried to kill me saves me? Wench, I'll have you know I'm bristling with anger!
The two led me into the crowd where there were civilians and officials.
"I don't think we'll be able to find her parents in this crowd."
Su Xiao looked at me unapologetically and muttered, "Why… are you so dirty?"
I'm keeping record of every offence. I'll make sure you pay for them all! Don't touch me, wench! Get your dirty hands off me!
I stared the life out of the crazy wench, but she ignored me and lifted me straight up: "You're no longer a kid. Learn to stay clean. Let's go find somewhere brighter to wash the filth off you."
Filth? You referring to… the flesh essence you hacked before?! Cursed Wench, it's all your handiwork! That was two months' of work! You want me to wash with you?!
I tried to break free of Su Xiao's hold, but she placed me down and stood akimbo: "Girls shouldn't be so stubborn! If you don't listen, I'll spank you each time you're defiant. I'll spank you once for the first time, twice for the second time and three times for the third time. I've been overlooking it, but you owe me five."
Is your brain dead?! Once for the first time, twice for the second time and three times for the third time is already six, you dimwit! How the hell did you get five?! Did you learn maths from a dog?!
"I just hit you with my scabbard not long ago. Have you not learnt your lesson?!" righteously exclaimed Su Xiao.
I've had enough. I'll end you right now!
I had to off the crazy wench! She was an insult to women!
I drew a blade to my right hand. My weapons were two soft and thin metal blades that could be attached to skin. That's how I stored them in my sleeve. When using other flesh bodies, I'd conceal them in the flesh itself. Hence, they also acted as shields against blades. When I wielded them directly off my skin, I was able to attack more than twice as fast. Bai Laimu could try again, and I'd still end him in one slash.
Die, wench!
I reflected the sunlight off my thin blade, blinding the two girls. Ye Luo's visual prowess backfired on her, as it intensified the sensation. I hurled my blade straight at Su Xiao's neck, but I heard a faint sound. I think my blade hit something. Howbeit, I couldn't determine what the material was; it wasn't metal or iron for sure. My blade vanished with a trace after it made contact.
Su Xiao, recovering his vision first, asked, "What just happened?"
"I don't know. I think the sunlight reflected off something."
The two were visibly more vigilant. I, accordingly, raised my guard. The true adepts had left the town. Even the Qilin Guards and troops were departing. I didn't think there'd be anybody skilled left. I had to hide my weapons since there were so many people around.
I put more than eighty percent of my maximum power behind the attack - not to mention the inherent solidity of the blades. The best of the best in the pugilistic world should've died even if they shielded themselves with their energy. Evading it? That'd require a miracle.
Whoever thwarted my attack didn't use immense true qi or a strong deflect. It was a simple deflect using a weapon. The subtle difference was that I couldn't see the weapon. I neither knew who was behind it or how they executed it. I couldn't see anyone resembling an adept. I could confidently say there was nobody in disguise. Masks and whatnot were pitiful disguises; I was a professional at disguise, after all. I was left wondering where the individual was hiding.
"There are too people many here," expressed Ye Luo. "Take him to Dugu. We'll decide what to do next after we find her mother."
Following behind Ye Luo, I struck again when she wasn't paying attention. Again. I heard the same sound again despite me launching my attack without giving it away beforehand.
Who is it?! You've clearly seen through my disguise and are capable enough to protect my targets the same instant I strike. You think you can kill my momentum just because you're hiding? Hiding in crowds and waiting for the opportunity to strike is my exclusive trick. I'll show you, you pest!
I brought out two thin blades comparable to thin whips. Weaklings and ignorant fools wouldn't notice my weapon. Nonetheless, I had to switch up my strategy to account for the adept hiding in the shadows.
I silently stalked the two maidens with a simper on my face. I sneaked the two blades practically invisible to the naked eye toward their throats but heard that quiet sound again. The defender was able to match my rhythm and procedure exactly. Still unable to determine how they were doing it, I gulped. I never met anyone capable of doing anything so unbelievable. They showed no desire to counterattack, strangely. I hypothesised they couldn't be too far away. If they wanted to protect the two without leaving any traces, they would inevitably leave clues.
I'll find you.
I tried over and over, ramping up the intensity of each strike to lure the adept out but none of my blades could graze girls. The people around us changed as we moved along. To my frustration, I couldn't find the person in the crowd. None of the townsfolk could have been the adept, but their angle… I kept trying to calculate the angle of the defender. Surely they had to position themselves somewhere feasible to deflect my attacks. Look as I may, there were only elders, women and common folks!
Eventually, my hands started to feel numb enough to make holding my blades uncomfortable. I had a suspicion my blades were deflected back to me with some cold qi that gradually built up in my hands. I had to store my blades away and quit because they'd be able to tell I was flinging weapons once my attacks slowed down. Still, I couldn't figure out why my hands felt so stiff.
"It's cold poison left over on celestial spider silk. Without the base toxin, you won't last a single blow," someone suddenly stated.
I looked over my shoulder vigorously. He was a tall and thin old man. His wrinkly eyes were piercing. I questioned, "Who are you?"
"You… seem confident in your disguise skills," teased the elder, smiling with the excitement of a youth. He added, "You want to test your mettle against mine… little girl?"
Drats! He was using a disguise technique, too?!
Glossary
*Sleeve Ripper - Firstly, this is not an accurate translation behind the phrase because you would need a paragraph to translate it to English (elaborate explanation in next paragraph). This translation is to account for what it means and the context which it's being used.
Mountain Monster thought h-, sh-, Su Xiao mistook Sleeve Ripper for Wind and Cloud Splitter due to the context. "Sleeve Ripper" is actually a reference to a homosexual story. Wind and Cloud Splitter was what he thought he heard because it sounds more like an actual technique. Sleeve Ripper, after all, is the story of Emperor Ai and Dong Xian sleeping together.
The name derives from the story where Emperor Ai cut off his sleeve to allow Dong Xian to continue sleeping when he woke up and found his sleeve stuck under Dong Xian's head. The four character phrase, sometimes written as two, is the entire story (a more elaborate one than what I wrote in the single sentence). You can see why it's farcical to translate it for a single technique now.
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