Old Jack was scared when he first heard her voice. It was this deep, feminine, hoarse sound—like how a corpse might talk, even though he had never spoken to a corpse before. She was mumbling something he couldn't understand, as if he were talking to someone beyond recognition.
Then she finally stopped talking. Old Jack stayed as still and silent as ever, only staring at the ground.
After waiting for about ten minutes, he heard her voice again—but this time he could understand it. The voice was deep, feminine, and slightly hoarse, just like it should be now.
This caused Old Jack to compose himself again. He clearly heard: "City? City? To Suotuo? A fast way, like a carriage or something… a way to travel…"
Old Jack gulped and took a deep breath. "Pl-please… come along. I-I will help you find a ride to Suotuo City… a-actually, t-two of our youngers are a-also g-going to Suotuo City today, a-and they might be a great help for you, Your B-highness."
Old Jack didn't know how he should address this lady, but one thing was for sure: just by looking at her face, he could tell she was definitely one of that royalty he had heard soldiers and lower soul masters gossip about in the area.
Lili heard the old man's words. Inside his head, the system was doing its job, and he finally understood what the old man was saying.
"On youngsters? …Well, who cares. As long as I finish the mission… Anyway, with this old man's help, I'll definitely reach Suotuo. Hmmm… now that I think about it, the location is Suotuo, and coincidentally, someone would come and help me get there… Hehehe, look at this, Merzzy, such a scheme…" he muttered to himself.
Then Lili looked at the old man and said, "That would be a great help, Old Man… please lead the way," with her usual nonchalant expression.
Old Jack heard her and finally sighed with relief. She was easy to talk to, not like the others. He felt at ease but didn't dare ask questions or anything unrelated. He already knew she was the type to be direct and to the point.
"Oh… it would be my honor. Please… fo-follow me," Old Jack said.
♤
Old Jack was leading the way down to their village, and behind him walked a pretty corpse…
Yup. A corpse.
But instead of giving off a horrifying, scary vibe, it was more like a beauty beyond death—
an incarnation of ethereal elegance.
Lili followed the old man in silence. He was deep in thought, staring at Old Jack's back. He was sure he had seen this old man somewhere in the show before, but he just couldn't remember when—or even his name.
What was it again?
Back? Pack? Sack? Wack? Duck?
…Or was it Luck?
While his mind wandered around uselessly, he didn't even notice that they had already arrived at the village. Many villagers were staring at her, and every single one of them was thinking the exact same thing—
But Lili didn't notice any of it. He was still lost in thought.
Soon, Old Jack and Lili arrived at the entrance of the village, where Tang San and Xiao Wu just happened to be.
Coincidence?
No. That's magic right there.
"Oyyy, Tang San! Xiao Wu! Old f— I mean—" Old Jack called out loudly as he rushed toward the two. "I need to talk to you about something important!"
But Tang San and Xiao Wu weren't looking at Old Jack at all. Their eyes were fixed on the woman walking behind him.
Tang San knew exactly who she was. He had seen that purple hair and her back yesterday—it was easy to recognize her.
"So it's this bitch again… the one who ignored my Xiao Wu," Tang San muttered to himself.
Of course, his bunny recognized her too.
But this time, Xiao Wu was far more composed and stable. She had spent the whole fucking night thinking, trying to analyze everything that happened. In the first place, she was the one who suddenly appeared by the river. She had been ignored the entire time, yet she felt no malice or hostile intent toward her.
That meant her conclusions yesterday were wrong—wrong calculations, wrong reasoning. She had just been too shocked back then, her mind completely blank.
Now that she saw her again, she could finally see her clearly.
This woman was pale like a corpse. Her dark purple hair wasn't like that bitch who killed her mother. And her eyes—those eyes were different. Darker. Deeper. More devoid.
Xiao Wu stared silently at Lili.
Tang San, being the creep that he was, immediately noticed the change in Xiao Wu. His gaze darkened as he began analyzing the woman who had stolen his bunny's attention.
He felt nothing. Just like before.
But his senses were still tingling—like Spider-Man.
Hold your bunny, his instincts screamed.
That woman might steal your bunny, or else you'll get cheated on—
…Nope, kidding.
Just a warning that she was dangerous. Lol.
Old Jack had no idea what was going on between the two. When he finally reached them, he shouted loudly to snap them out of it.
"Oi! Tang San! Xiao Wu! What's wrong with you two?!"
The lovebirds finally tore their eyes away from the woman and looked at Old Jack.
Tang San spoke first.
"Old Jack… why did you bring her here?"
Old Jack raised an eyebrow. "You've met her before?" Then he waved his hand. "That doesn't matter. She's royalty who passed by and got lost. Now you two will help her. She also wants to go to Suotuo."
His tone became serious. "Be respectful. She's a soul master like you—and royalty. Tang San, remember this. Just help her get to Suotuo. That's where she's headed."
"What—?!"
Tang San and Xiao Wu were shocked. Not because she was going to Suotuo, and not because she was a soul master—they already knew that. Only soul masters could summon meat like that.
They were shocked because she was royalty… and she got lost?
That raised even more questions for the two.
But they had no choice but to accommodate her. If what Old Jack said was true, then she had a powerful backer. Tang San remembered his master's words—about the truly strong individuals who ruled this world.
Don't act rashly. Analyze first.
Tang San took a deep breath.
"Don't worry, Old Jack," he said calmly. "I'll help her get to Suotuo."
He deliberately said I, not we.
Because there was no way he was letting Xiao Wu get involved with this bitch.
Not because he was jealous or anything.
Yup.
One hundred percent not jealous.