She changed her old name to Ruan Shi Ying, her current identity.
Looking at her reflection in the water, her long hair was beautiful. However, it was something she no longer needed. Using a metal rod to flatten it, she cut off her long, black hair as short as possible.
This hair had once been something she cherished; her parents always said it was thick and silky. Now, it was an obstacle preventing her from acting easily.
Holding the cut hair in her hand, the warmth at the back of her neck was gone, replaced by a gentle breeze that made her shiver slightly. She braided it neatly.
Huli hugged Shi Ying's hair, heartbroken, and burst into tears, because her mistress's hair was what Huli believed represented the beauty of womanhood.
How could Huli not be heartbroken if her hair was cut off now?
"Come on, don't be so tearful, my hair will grow back." - Shi Ying.
"You say it so easily! You look just like a man!" - Huli.
Hearing this, Shi Ying gently rubbed the spot where her long hair used to be, now bare, and giggled.
"Oh, come on, don't be sulky. If you want my hair, just keep it. It'll feel like my hair is still long and intact, okay?" - Shi Ying.
"You really have no femininity at all!" - Huli.
"Isn't that good? At least in this day and age, people generally find men more trustworthy than women" - Shi Ying.
"Hmph! What shallow thinking!" - Huli turned her head away.
Continuing the journey, her younger sister, now named Ruan Shi Cao, sat on the cloud horse while she held the reins, leading the horse across the green plain. They stopped at a small river nearby to fetch water. The horse readily lowered its head to drink.
"Sister, when will we arrive?" - Shi Cao
"If we cross a few more mountains and two more rivers, we'll be there." - Shi Ying
"That far?" - Shi Cao
"Well, we'll just have to endure it. Besides, we have to avoid danger as much as possible, otherwise, accidentally encountering demons or monsters would be disastrous." - Shi Ying
She began bending and shaping pieces of metal that flew out of her bag. Whenever she had free time, she habitually played with this piece of metal. After many attempts at molding, she successfully created an iron buffalo.
"Interesting, isn't it?" - Shi Ying
"It's nothing special, nothing particularly interesting." - Huli
"Who asked you?" - Shi Ying smirked teasingly
"What did the fox say?" - Shi Cao
Besides Shi Ying, no one else could hear what the fox was saying. Her younger sister, being childish, was curious to know what her sister was talking to the fox about.
"This fox said you have to be well-behaved or you'll encounter demons." - Shi Ying
"Really?" - Shi Cao gasped.
"Yes, demons are very scary, especially cunning ones, like this fox." - Shi Ying
"Hey!" - Huli
The fox raised its tail and hissed angrily at Shi Ying.
Before them was a forest, shrouded in a thin layer of mist.
_________
Screams, the sound of flesh being torn, the cracking of bones—the scene before her was horrifying, corpses everywhere, submerged in a pool of blood. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't surface.
Looking down, she saw the eyes of the dead, clinging to her and pulling her deeper.
Waking up from the nightmare, she gasped for breath, unconsciously clutching her body and trembling.
Several days had passed, but the nightmare was terrifying; every time she closed her eyes, she dreamt of that scene again. It made her think about her actions.
Looking down at her clean hands, she still remembered the sticky feeling and the foul smell of blood.
Unable to bear it any longer, she ran out of the cave to a nearby river. As soon as she jumped in, the cold water enveloped her body; though the cold was on her skin, she felt warm inside.
When she cried, her tears mingled with the river's water; when she screamed, bubbles filled her mouth with her cries. When the bubbles rose to the surface and burst, only silence remained.
Floating above the water, she gazed at the starry night sky dotted with scattered clouds.
A gnawing unease tormented her, a pain like sharp needles piercing her heart.
Recalling what she had learned, demons were creatures of darkness, wicked and insidious, born from unfulfilled, heavy obsessions. That was why they needed to be destroyed.
But she had never been taught about dealing with those who had been corrupted. They were corrupted, and she could do nothing but kill them like other demons.
Wasn't that the same as killing real people?
As she exhaled, her body sank into the water, the cold enveloping her once more.
Her mind wandered, her body relaxed, letting itself drift with the current.
Then a strange object touched her fingertips, gradually moving to grasp her hand. Her skin glowed with golden patterns as someone touched her. Her eyes opened slightly, revealing a blurry figure; the cold had numbed her, making it impossible to tell if the hand holding hers was male or female.
All she knew was that the person was pulling her up from the water, and everything plunged into darkness.
_________
She felt something pressing down on her, making it difficult to breathe. Slowly opening her eyes, she saw a white fox lying on top of her, its mouth uttering a faint greeting.
"Hey." - Shi Ying
"Hey? Hey?! Is that all you can say after I pulled you out of the water? What the hell are you doing?!" - Huli
The fox's scolding brought Shi Ying back to her senses, and she turned to sit up. Her body still felt heavy because her clothes were soaked and clinging to her body, making movement difficult. It was nighttime, so the temperature was naturally cold, causing her to sneeze lightly.
"See? You've caught a cold. What were you doing running out in the middle of the night?" - Huli
"...." - Shi Ying
Seeing that she didn't say anything, the fox sensed something ominous around her.
"Hey, I wasn't going to scold you. I was just worried about you." - Huli
*Drip*
A hot drop of water fell onto the fox's nose. Tears welled up in Shi Ying's eyes, and her mouth opened slightly, letting out a soft murmur. Huli, startled and confused, raised her front paws to wipe the tears from the child's face.
"Oh no, stop crying. I'm sorry for scolding you, don't cry anymore!" - Huli
Amidst her sobs, Shi Ying stammered, her voice choked with emotion.
"No... I'm not crying because you scolded me... but because... but because..." - Shi Ying sobbed.
Shi Ying hugged the fox and wept, resting her head on its head.
"I don't know what to do... I don't know if what I did was right anymore!" - Shi Ying cried out.
Hearing this, Huli was stunned.
It seemed even the fox had forgotten that her owner was just a young child, who had recently been separated from her parents and was now facing demons and those possessed by evil spirits.
That alone was enough to terrify Shi Ying.
Huli nuzzled her head against Shi Ying's body so the child could hold her tighter.
"Okay, go ahead and cry. These things are too much for you" - Huli