Within the water screen, a distressed woman appeared on Taihao's inevitable path.
The woman was dressed in rags, sitting by the roadside and weeping. She said bandits had robbed her, leaving her penniless and homeless.
Yet she was beautiful, slender-waisted, and light-footed. At a glance, she was clearly no ordinary member of the Human Race.
What ordinary Human Race woman possessed such bearing?
Nuwa narrowed her eyes.
Taihao helped bandage her wounds and gave her half of his rations.
The woman thanked him profusely and said she wanted to travel with him so they could look after one another along the way.
Taihao firmly remembered the travel precautions written in the Jade Slip distributed by the sect.
"Anyone of unknown origins who is determined to get close to you—if you sense even the slightest thing amiss, stay away from them."
He refused.
His reason was straightforward.
"I'm traveling to cultivate. Taking you along would be inconvenient."
The woman's expression twisted for an instant, but she quickly resumed her pitiful appearance.
She tugged at Taihao's sleeve, her reddened eyes making her look especially pitiable.
"Sir, I'm truly scared alone. Could I travel with you?"
But no matter how weak and helpless she acted, Taihao remained unmoved. He pulled his sleeve from her grasp.
"Sorry, I'm used to traveling alone."
Taihao had already sensed that something was wrong. This woman's behavior was almost exactly the same as one of the illustrative recorded videos in the Jade Slip.
Moreover, the way she looked at him was far too enthusiastic—enthusiastic enough to make his skin crawl.
The woman's face stiffened. Just as she wanted to say something else, Taihao directly summoned an Auspicious Cloud and flew away.
The woman stood where she was, her expression twisting for a moment.
Nuwa watched everything through the