Xi Xi was silent for a long time.
There was no wailing, no heartbreaking sobs, not even a single tear.
She just stared blankly at the Sea God Lake outside the window for an entire day, without eating or drinking.
At this moment, she wasn't even in the inner court's infirmary, but the outer court's. She, an inner court disciple, no longer even had the right to be in the inner court.
"Heh..."
Xi Xi grinned, her dry lips cracking open. Thick blood oozed from the cuts and flowed into her mouth. She ignored it, letting the sweet, metallic taste spread in her mouth, staining her white teeth a terrifying red.
This was the taste of blood, and it was a bloody lesson.
Shrek...
It was truly difficult to comment on.
Xi Xi left. She left Shrek that very day, without telling anyone. Alone, leaning on a crutch, she limped away from the place where she had once poured all of her heart and soul.
The academy she had once considered her home.
Only a lonely and disgraced figure disappeared through the Shrek city gate, seen by a few people but remembered by none.
Yes, she was a disabled person with one hand and one foot gone. What good was her Soul King cultivation now?
For an agility-type soul master, losing one hand was still acceptable. Even with only one hand, they could still become a feared assassin. But if they lost a foot, Xi Xi's proud speed was completely gone.
Now, it was not an exaggeration to call her a stray dog.
There was no place for her in this cold and heartless place anymore.
Even...
"Can this world really still accommodate me?"
The crutch was casually discarded beside her. Xi Xi knelt by the river, propping up her upper body with one hand, looking at her reflection in the water. A self-mocking smile appeared on her lips.
Being chosen as a member of the main team for the Soul Master Tournament at a place like Shrek was enough to prove Xi Xi's excellence.
If that wasn't clear enough.
A single class of new students had about a thousand people, so five classes made five thousand. Xi Xi was the most suitable among these five thousand new students to become one of the Shrek Seven Monsters.
One of seven out of five thousand.
Furthermore, not just any soul master was qualified to enroll in Shrek. Adding this condition, it was no exaggeration to say that Xi Xi was a once-in-a-million genius in the soul master world.
She didn't shine in the original story simply because she was surrounded by even more genius and overpowered players. That didn't mean she herself was weak.
Falling from a genius soul master admired by all, an inner court disciple of Shrek, to a cripple with one arm and one leg missing was like falling from heaven to hell. It had crushed her spirit completely.
Initially, Xi Xi had indeed thought about returning home to be a freeloader for the rest of her life, just living and waiting to die.
But for some reason, as she walked, she came across a wooden sign.
[Fifty li ahead is the Star Dou Great Forest, where soul beasts roam]
Looking at the sign in front of her, Xi Xi, who hadn't cleaned herself for days and looked extremely disheveled, smiled again. Then, leaning on her crutch, she walked determinedly toward the Star Dou Great Forest.
Her steps were slow, and she often fell because she wasn't used to not having her hand and foot. But each time, she would get up and walk resolutely toward the Star Dou Great Forest.
If I die... then so be it.
Her five soul rings were all obtained from the Star Dou Great Forest. She, Xi Xi, had never owed anything or carried any burdens in her life. The only things on her shoulders were these five soul rings and the lives of the soul beasts killed during the hunt.
"Since I'm already useless, I'll return this life to you all," Xi Xi murmured softly, a smile on her lips, her heart filled with a desire for death as she ventured deeper and deeper into the Star Dou Great Forest.
"If there is a next life, if I can have the power to overturn everything, my grievances, my anger..."
"Shrek!"
I'll make you all pay!!!
But things did not go as planned. Perhaps it was because she had no murderous intent from hunting when she entered the Star Dou Great Forest this time. Or perhaps it was because she hadn't cleaned her body in too long. No matter how deep she went into the Star Dou Great Forest, no soul beasts came to sniff her.
Even when she saw a soul beast and wanted to go die, she couldn't keep up with its speed as it ran away.
"Am I... not even worthy enough to be fed to a soul beast?"
Xi Xi didn't know how long she had been walking. The last trace of soul power in her body had been completely depleted, and the crutch she had been leaning on had broken beside her. Her hair was dry, and her face was pale.
She sat down under a tree, looking at the rising mist in the ravine in the distance, and her vision gradually faded into darkness.
"It seems... wanting to return my life to you is also a luxury."
...
When Lin Yun arrived, he happened to hear Xi Xi's last two murmured sentences.
At first, he didn't even recognize this former inner court senior, because Xi Xi's current appearance was just too pathetic and disgraced.
Not only had she lost an arm and a leg, but her once smooth, medium-length hair was clumped together with mud, tangled into a mess. Her clothes, stained with various tree resins and fruit juices, were no longer recognizable.
Even her face was extremely haggard, with sunken eyes and thin cheeks.
Lin Yun honestly couldn't believe that the person in front of him was the somewhat graceful and lively Xi Xi he had first met at Shrek.
"It looks like I need to change my mind..." Lin Yun crouched down, extended a finger to lightly check Xi Xi's breathing, and said with a smile.
The Shadow Leopard, which had been glaring from behind, snorted in confusion and simply sat down.
The leopard had originally wanted to eat a human to pass the time, but when it saw Xi Xi's dirty appearance, it immediately lost its appetite. It was a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, after all. When had it ever eaten such a shabby meal?
Besides, his Lord didn't seem to have any intention of acting, so it wasn't a matter for a leopard to worry about.
Time to watch the show!
Lin Yun, on the other hand, after examining Xi Xi for a while, extended his left hand. Blue and golden dragon scales slowly emerged from under his skin, and a large amount of water elements gathered under his control.
The Ice Dragon King's left arm bone didn't just control ice; it was also formidable in controlling water.
It was a simple matter to just control the water to give Xi Xi a good wash.
After cleaning Xi Xi, Lin Yun extended his hand and a rich, emerald-green light merged into Xi Xi's near-depleted body, causing her flickering flame of life to burn brightly again.
As for her severed arm and leg, they weren't impossible to restore.
However, that would depend on whether she was a wise enough person.
"Senior, we meet again!"
(End of Chapter)
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