A few hundred li away from Spider Web Village, a shrill cry echoed through a desolate forest, sending birds scattering into the sky.

  Inside that eerie forest, a young boy wearing a green Daoist robe stood in front of a petrified girl, his expression indifferent as he wiped blood off his cheek.

  Turning back, he looked toward the black-haired girl who had tried to attack him earlier, his vision shifting to the corpse below him. Thinking for a moment, he glanced at his robe and frowned.

  “Sigh… Why did this have to happen as soon as I entered through the gate? Tsk. Now I need to hurry up and find a stream to wash this.”

  “P-please… s-spare me! I-I didn’t mean to come after you, I swear! I-I’m sorry—it was all my cousin’s idea, not mine!” the young girl pleaded, her eyes meeting the boy’s gaze.

  Her lively face before stepping into the gate was now replaced with one of fear.

  She had never been in a situation like this and truthfully, it wasn’t her fault; it was her cousins persistent nagging that brought them here. But now they were stuck— she was stuck.

  He looked at her. “You didn’t mean to come after me?”

  He raised his hand, streaking it across his blood-stained chin. Raising it, he felt his face. A new wound had been made. A fresh cut marred his right eye, blood still trailing down.

  "So, what's this?" he asked, trailing his finger down his right eye to his cheek.

  Ah... erm. Not knowing what to say, the girl kept quiet.

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  It was true they had chased after him to get the map leading to the sect, but that had been her cousin’s idea.

  Now that she was faced with this question, and given how Shi Heng Yi was injured, she didn't know how to respond. She hadn't even considered fighting him, especially after seeing her cousin fall at his hands. So what was she supposed to do?

  Looking at her cousin's corpse, she quietly clenched her fists, not wanting to end up the same way as her.

  Thinking for a moment, Shi Heng Yi met her gaze with an eerie smile while raising his sword.

  “You said you didn’t want to die, right? You said you wanted to live, didn’t you?”

  Pointing his sword at her chest, he paused for a moment, moving closer.

  “Give me your clothes.”

  The girl froze. “W-what?”

  “I need them. Take them off,” Shi Heng Yi said, his tone as indifferent as if he were asking for directions.

  The girl flinched, clutching her robes tightly. Her breath hitched. She had assumed the worst.

  Not hearing an answer, Shi Heng Yi sighed. He took a step forward. “Or would you rather I take them?”

  “Wait!”

  The girl trembled, her knees nearly buckling.

  “I-I’ll do it… just, please…” she stammered, her voice cracking.

  Tears burned at the edges of her vision as she unfastened her pink robes, her fingers fumbling with the fabric. The white undergarments beneath clung to her, her small frame trembling.

  Her hands hovered over the final layer.

  Shi Heng Yi frowned. “That’s enough.”

  The girl looked up, confused.

  Ignoring her reaction, he strode over to the corpse of her cousin . With practised ease, he wiped his blade clean on the dead girl’s robes before crouching to rummage through her belongings. Finding a pouch, he tied it to his waist.

  Satisfied, he turned back to the half-dressed girl and pointed his blade toward her.

  “Pick them up.”

  Still stunned, she hesitated before bending down to retrieve the bundle of discarded clothing.