Whoosh—
The faint sound of friction, nearly imperceptible, echoed in the room.
It was so quiet that even such a tiny noise was heard clearly.
The room wasn’t large; white mist had saturated the air, leaving everything damp and glistening.
The door was closed and carefully bolted before the black-haired youth walked slowly toward the center.
She scanned the surroundings, sensing for any lingering presence.
Only after confirming she was alone did she breathe a sigh of relief.
This was her habit; she had become exceptionally cautious ever since acquiring dragon blood.
This world was not tolerant of other races; it was, in fact, xenophobic to the point of extremity.
The human race demanded pure blood; anyone not of their kind was viewed with inherent hostility.
If an outsider was spotted, they were targeted ruthlessly.
Elves were an exception, as were certain beautiful women of other races, who fetched high prices as “exotic playthings.”
Shuyue didn’t want to find herself drugged one day, only to wake up powerless and treated as a toy.
That future was simply too terrifying to contemplate.
Thus, she worked hard to hide her Silver Dragon lineage.
She hadn’t even told Anna or Mondo, whom she trusted most.
In her “Silver Dragon Princess” state, she was stunning—surely worth a fortune.
Shuyue unfastened her clothes and dispelled the Floating Stone Armor spell.
Without the support of the earth and stone, her frame instantly became slender and delicate.
The broad shoulders and thick waist of a male disappeared, replaced by the graceful curves and aesthetic arcs of a girl.
Removing the last layer of her inner shirt, she revealed her undergarments—her chest was bound tightly with wide white cloth bandages.
Fortunately, her “little bunnies” weren’t very large, so the forceful compression didn’t cause pain, only a bit of chest tightness that was well within her threshold of endurance.
Below, she wore a pair of boy-shorts.
To hide her identity, she hadn’t told Anna that she had turned into a girl, so she still didn’t own any proper female clothing.
It wasn’t comfortable, but she had no choice.
Shuyue couldn’t exactly go out and buy women’s clothes.
Wait…
I could buy them secretly, she suddenly thought.
She could have gone last night.
Buy them secretly, wear them secretly, and wash them secretly.
As long as she wasn’t caught, she was still a boy!
“I really am a genius!”
Shuyue praised her own cleverness.
The boy-shorts didn’t even require her to bend over; with a little wiggle of her hips, they slid down.
Her pale, dainty foot hooked them and tossed them onto a nearby chair.
She walked to the large basin and stepped in.
The warm water stimulated her delicate, snow-white skin, which instantly flushed a soft pink. The temperature was a bit high.
But it didn’t matter; to her, it was merely lukewarm.
The basin was about a meter deep and oval-shaped—more of a large wooden bathtub than a basin.
It was big enough to fit three Shuyues, or even an adult man holding a woman.
Perhaps that was its original intended purpose.
Shuyue stepped in with her other leg, the ripples pushing aside the flower petals and shimmering with the reflection of the magic lamps.
She sat down slowly, savoring this rare moment of comfort.
Normally, several young, beautiful maids would be waiting on her, scrubbing her back, chest, arms, and feet.
Shuyue would only need to lie in the water while they meticulously cleaned her entire body, even the most private areas.
However, Shuyue refused to let them in.
They weren’t even allowed within twenty meters of the bathroom.
She disliked being seen naked, even if they were all girls, and she certainly didn’t want to be touched.
This had been her preference even before she became a girl—likely a psychological scar from being the apprentice of that mangy alchemist and having her body used for experiments.
Shuyue closed her eyes, feeling the temperature of the water.
Everything was peaceful and serene—until a sudden, sharp change in the air temperature occurred.
Her eyes snapped open.
She lunged out of the wooden tub in an instant.
A second later, the entire basin froze solid.
A frigid chill spread rapidly; the mist in the air turned into ice crystals and fell, refracting the magic lamp’s light into a hazy, shimmering glow.
Shuyue snatched a curtain and wrapped it around her naked body.
“You dodged it?”
A clear, elegant female voice whispered in surprise.
It seemed the intruder hadn’t expected Shuyue to react so quickly.
The moment she heard that voice, Shuyue’s pupils dilated.
She hurriedly performed two evasive maneuvers.
Behind her, deep gashes from a slashing attack appeared on the wall where she had just been standing.
The curtain opposite her was shredded, but the ice crystals in the air diffused the light, making it impossible to see the situation on the other side.
Ice crystals condensed out of thin air, forming jagged spikes aimed directly at Shuyue, who was wrapped in the silver-gray curtain.
Shuyue narrowed her eyes.
She knew what this was: high-level magic.
Not only could the intruder use wind elements, but they could also manipulate ice.
This was advanced elemental sorcery, and the opponent’s rank was clearly very high.
Trigger her bloodline…
Or run?
She hesitated for less than half a second before choosing the latter.
Using her bloodline here was not wise, and her clever little brain told her that even with it, she might not win.
She chose to flee, but the moment she moved, an ice spike appeared at her side.
Danger!
Shuyue felt the magical energy within the spike.
This wasn’t a simple physical attack like her own Stone Piercer.
It had a secondary effect!
Shuyue’s reaction was fast, but even as she retreated, it was almost too late.
The magic inside the ice crystal exploded, generating a massive block of ice that surged toward her.
Thanks to her speed and the newfound flexibility of her female body, she managed to dodge with a precarious bridge-bend.
She turned to run in another direction.
However, the other spikes had already arrived.
She was forced to twist and turn amidst a flurry of ice.
And yet, not a single one hit her!
Her joy was short-lived, as she soon realized the path was being blocked.
Fed by magic, the ice crystals continued to grow, sealing off her escape routes.
The woman who had spoken earlier appeared like a ghost, blocking the final exit and forcing Shuyue into a corner.
An ice sword lunged toward her.
Shuyue didn’t dodge or close her eyes, because she realized the opponent had no intent to kill.
From the moment she couldn’t sense the other person’s presence, Shuyue had no room to fight back.
The gap in rank was too large; she suspected the woman might be a Third-Rank powerhouse.
If it were the Second Rank, Shuyue could attempt to resist by triggering her Silver Dragon bloodline to boost her strength and speed; she might even escape a peak Second-Rank opponent.
But a Third-Rank warrior would crush her in both power and speed even with her bloodline active.
Her lineage was simply too thin; though she could transform into a Dragon Princess, she didn’t possess a single usable bloodline spell.
Shuyue felt the cold edge of the ice sword against her neck and bit her lip.
“I surrender…”
Her defeat was inevitable.
Her opponent had a crushing rank advantage and had ambushed her while she was bathing; Shuyue stood no chance.
By now, she could see clearly who it was.
Despite the classic black hooded robe, Shuyue remembered the face beneath the hood very well.
Because this was the same person who had walked in on her bathing last time!
Her name was…
Justitia?
Yes, Justitia—the lecher who had watched her bathe in her Dragon Princess form and even got into the water to hug her!
Shuyue tried her best to keep a straight face, pretending not to recognize her.
Justitia studied Shuyue’s current appearance with deep, pensive eyes.
She kept the ice sword steady, its bone-chilling frost making Shuyue’s blood feel sluggish.
Finally, she withdrew the blade.
Shuyue, wrapped in the silver-gray curtain, slumped to the floor.
The room was now covered in white frost, a byproduct of Justitia’s power.
Shuyue looked up at her and spoke in a strained, neutral voice.
“I can’t beat you. Do whatever you want with me.”
“…”
Justitia narrowed her eyes, watching the submissive Shuyue on the floor as if calculating something.
Her grim expression shifted slightly, and she muttered something strange.
“Truly miraculous. Even though Lear is dead, the thread of destiny has bound itself to another person.”
“You…”
Hearing the name Lear, Shuyue’s eyes widened, and a flash of panic appeared in her amber pupils.
Justitia teased her with interest, “I killed Lear White. You took over his identity; I thought you’d try to keep up the act a bit longer.”
“No… I can’t beat you, so there’s no point in pretending.”
Shuyue lowered her head, avoiding eye contact.
She felt as though Justitia’s eyes were special, capable of seeing things ordinary people couldn’t.
Was it some kind of blessing or divine grace?
She finally understood why she had met Justitia that day.
This woman had killed Lear White and was being hunted by a mysterious powerhouse when she happened upon Shuyue bathing.
Later, after hiding for a while, she likely returned to the scene of the crime, found the body missing, and traced it all the way to Ashpine City to find her.
Shuyue noticed a hint of exhaustion on Justitia’s face; it seemed she had traveled through the night.
Shuyue gave a bitter mental smile.
She should have left earlier.
She had greedily stayed an extra day to see if she could get more dragon blood and liquidate her assets, only for the killer of the man she was impersonating to catch up to her.
Ugh, I’m doomed.
Suddenly, a hand reached out and pinched Shuyue’s chin…