"Help!"
That slender hand caught Xin'er's clothes. Instinctively, Xin'er flung the person away, putting distance between herself and the hand's owner. "Who are you?"
She frowned and looked at the person who had fallen to the ground.
It was a woman in tattered clothes.
The woman's face was filthy, her skin bronze. The first word that came to Xin'er's mind was "beggar."
Had she just called for help?
Xin'er watched her warily. "Who are you?"
"I, I..." The woman trembled, as though terrified of something. She lunged at Xin'er and clutched the hem of her skirt. "Miss, save me, save me!"
Xin'er frowned slightly. She wanted to shake the woman off, but the clarity in her eyes made Xin'er hesitate. "What exactly happened?"
She crouched and helped the woman up. The woman promptly hid behind Xin'er and said fearfully, "Inside, someone inside is killing people!"
"Killing people?" Xin'er glanced into the depths of the alley. Even in broad daylight, it was pitch-black in there, and she could see nothing.
"Killing people in public? Has the world really become this lawless?" Xin'er muttered under her breath. Several green vines suddenly sprang from the ground. The woman jumped in fright. "Y-you're a Soul Master?!"
She trembled all over as she spoke.
"You could say that." Xin'er glanced at her, noticing that the woman seemed very afraid of her.
"Is the killer a Soul Master?" she asked.
"Yes," the woman answered. She pursed her lips, then added, "They don't just kill people. They eat them, too!"
"What?" Xin'er's brows twitched. "Eat people? What do you mean?"
"It's..." The woman seemed to recall something horrifying. Her eyes widened, and her body shuddered. Then she let out a sudden scream and bolted out of the alley. Xin'er tried to catch her, but her hand closed