Stowaway

Dropping her clothes by the riverside, she walked into the cold water, fully submerging herself in the river. She stayed there for a bit, closing her eyes and letting the water flow through her body. Bit by bit, the dirt and grime washed off before she emerged from the water, feeling refreshed.

Washing herself clean, Xue Lan stepped out and dried herself before dressing back up.

She then turned her attention toward the deer. Putting on the finger guards, she used them to skin the animal, even butchering it without using a knife or cleaver.

"How strange, was cutting meat always this easy?" she wondered.

And after cutting it, the woman just ate it raw, all of it. It was a strange sight to see, her carving away at the deer and eating its flesh piece by piece. With the last bite, she felt her body warming up as the spiritual energy within her absorbed all of the energy from the deer.

"Mm, that wasn't quite enough, I think."

Looking down at herself, Xue Lan felt somewhat unsatisfied.

"I need more since I've recently awakened."

She took out the manuals from her spatial ring, picking a specific one to read through again. It was in decent condition and had over a hundred pages. The title of it was simple, "Cultivation, the Righteous and Evil."

Starting from the first page to the last, Xue Lan read it in its entirety, trying to understand the book. But in the end, there was only a confused look on her face.

"What is this supposed to mean?" she asked herself.

{Cultivation is two sides of the same coin, the difference is what is on each side. The path of Righteousness is different from that of Evil but the result is inherently the same, power. To attain strength is to harness the power of the world itself or take it from those who reside in this very world. The difference stems from morality and circumstance. To be righteous is to do good and to uphold ones ideals and ethics. To be evil is to forgo all of it, to tread the path for one's own desire, no matter the cost.}

Flipping through the pages, Xue Lan closed it in frustration.

"Why is it all so philosophical, it barely explains anything!"

Taking out the other books, she started reading through them once again, trying to understand her current situation.

"Alright, so cultivation has stages by the looks of this. This requires someone to be at the Second Stage, this is the Fourth Stage, First Stage, First Stage.... Hm, since there are more of those, then the First Stage must be the starting point, which is where I am at. What else is there? Is it all just techniques for fighting? That can't be it, shouldn't there be something more?"

Looking over her belongings, Xue Lan noticed a small and very plain book with no title at all. ABove all else, it was very damaged.

Despite having no noticeable features, that in itself caught her eye.

"What could this be?"

Opening it, she began to read the contents bit by bit.

"Hmm, is this a method of cultivation? No, it seems more like someone's journal but it's so damaged, how can someone read this?"

Indeed, the book was practically uncared for, the pages were falling apart while the writing inside was faded or ripped up.

"To go on... path of Evil... there should be no rules.... no limits... Feed on negative emotions... the lives of others... Thrive on... misfortune... Take what you want... kill those that try to stop you... Have... no regrets."

That was the first line on the very first page and when Xue Lan read it, she felt something click in her mind.

She was quiet, turning towards the remains of the deer she had just devoured. Things began to connect with one another as the realization settled in. The image of Shen Yuan's shriveled corpse flashed into her mind.

"If I'm going to become stronger, then I'll need to kill more...", she thought, "But how would I know when I've gone from one stage to the next?"

Wondering this, she looked back into the book, trying her best to decipher the garbled words. Alas, it was far too difficult for her.

"Hah, damn it."

In the end, she gave up, putting the book away, and sat by the river, looking at the setting sun.

"What should I do next? I barely know anything about this, who would I even go to help? No one would help a cultivator on the Evil Path and to ask another Evil Cultivator... risks death. What to do?"

Still watching the darkening sky, the woman's eyes narrowed as she noticed something in the sky.

"Smoke? Are there people there?" she wondered.

"No one would help an evil cultivator but a lone woman... they wouldn't abandon someone like that, would they?"

Mulling over this thought, she stood up, making her decision. Taking off the nail guards, she headed straight for the rising smoke.

Coming closer, one could hear voices as well as the sound of horses and carriages. Xue Lan made no effort in hiding, stepping on twigs and grass. Suddenly, she could hear the ring of swords being unsheathed as a voice suddenly echoed from where the fire was.

"Stand ready! There could be a beast nearby!"

It was a somewhat rough voice, loud but brimming with confidence. There was a group of seven people wearing matching blue uniforms. All of them wielded swords and wore small brass badges on their chests.

Forming a circle around the fire, they looked forward, pointing their swords towards the rustling leaves. The sound of steps grew louder and louder until a woman suddenly emerged from the brush.

She was a beautiful woman with striking red eyes. Although she was dressed quite provocatively, her face was full of fear as she flinched and took a step back upon seeing the group pointing their swords at her.

"Stop! It's just a woman!"

One of them suddenly raised their hand to the others while sheathing their weapon. It was the same man that spoke earlier.

"Must be their leader."

Xue Lan took notice while pretending to cower in front of them.

As the other six put their swords away, the man walked forward, bringing out the best smile he could.

However, it was a difficult feat with his appearance.

Wearing a blue bandana on his head, the man had a rather scary look, resembling more like a bandit than anything. His hair was somewhat messy and unkempt, tied into a ponytail with a ribbon. With a square jaw and bushy brows, what made him seem even more fearsome were his eyes, sharp and pressed together. It was as if he had a permanent look of anger on his face.

"Are you hurt?"

He spoke very gently, holding his hand out to help Xue Lan but she just looked at him in fear.

"Who are you?", she asked him, "Where is this? Where am I?!"

Her eyes darted from one direction to the next, looking at the other six people before looking behind them. Aside from them and the fires, there was a horsedrawn carriage, it wasn't holding a person but rather cargo it would seem. There were blue flags,

"They must be guards, some sort of caravan", she realized.

Her eyes then went back to the leader, who tried his best to seem as friendly as he could.

"Do not worry, we are a caravan group, the Azure Flags! You're in the forest of Chuan Mountain, east of here is Si Xiang City", he said to her.

"What? Why are you telling her this?! She could be pretending! Why would there be a lone woman here, one without memory either?!" said one of the other members.

The others also shared a similar sentiment, not hiding their suspicion in the slightest. Indeed, it was strange for them to encounter someone like her, there were too many things that just didn't seem right.

Alas, their leader thought differently, looking at them over his shoulder.

"Mm, even then, is it within our morals to abandon someone that needs help. Besides, do you think that someone like her could really endanger us all?" he asked.

Hearing his words, their expressions became one of hesitation.

"You're right but still... what if she is not who she seems to be?"

They all looked at her when the question was asked and the leader soon answered.

"If that is indeed the case, then she shall be dealt with swiftly."

Gazing at her, there was a cold look, one devoid of any pity that he had before. That itself caused her to shudder just a bit.

But that cold look lasted just a second as he returned to his friendly attitude.

"Well, as you can see, I am the leader of the Azure Flags, Hu Zong, and my comrades here are all strong experts! You do not have to worry about a thing! We'll bring you back to the city and get you sorted out", he said.