20 Still Human

After the two children had left for the Golden Leaf Pavilion, Bai Lian, inwardly, let out a sigh of relief. 'I don't think I could have kept the voice in my signals gentle any longer.'

She had stopped absorbing from the spirit beast corpses inside the burrow. Rather, she couldn't bear to continue. Warnings of danger rang inside her head, triggering bursts of pain throughout her body. Her body urgently tried to warn her that she was walking too close to the path of no return.

Bai Lian had already been absorbing from corpses for more than a week, resulting in an abundance of dark qi gathering within her. When cultivating, she would gather qi of other elements which would help keep a balance of elements within her. However, this balance had tipped more, the less she cultivated. Recently, she had been spending more time with Lin Tao and Ji Yun, resulting in less time for cultivation.

'If I bear through this pain and continue absorbing from corpses, then my next evolution will be, without a doubt, on a much larger scale than usual. I will definitely gain a huge power boost. However, wouldn't I become a demon?'

An instinctive feeling within her told her that she could evolve into a demonic plant as long as she got through this obstacle.

A sinister temptation crept up on her, urging her to take action, 'I need to become stronger. Otherwise, those who had harmed me will get away. Now that I have the chance to become strong, I can't let it go…'

Conflicting thoughts whirled within Bai Lian as her reason fought against the temptations, 'However, there's no turning back after becoming a demon… My demonic aura will be more difficult to conceal. Perhaps I would be hunted down by experts. Perhaps those I love won't be willing to accept me anymore...'

Bai Lian hardened her resolve, 'No, I can't let myself become a demon. My top priority is not revenge. It is my own life. I can't let this life end up as a tragedy… Patience… I must be patient. That's right. How could I have forgotten? I need strength to protect myself. However, for my own revenge, there's no need for me to directly take action, putting myself in unnecessary danger. Mm. I just need to borrow someone else's knife to fulfill my revenge. I just need to follow through with my plans.'

Bai Lian's turbulent mind regained its calm, 'To balance out the qi within my me, I should absorb from the living while limiting my absorption of dark qi.'

Filled with determination, she scanned the areas of the forest within her roots' reach. 'It would be safest to absorb from plants. However, if I absorb from too many plants, suspicion may arise within those wandering within this forest and an investigation may be conducted. It would be too detrimental for my cultivation if there's an abundance of soul masters in the forest.'

Her attention was suddenly pulled by a particular automatic signal she received. Near her burrow, there was a boy who appeared to be around 16 years of age. 'His strength should be around that of a rank 6 spirit warrior. This boy's talent is lower than Little Tao and Little Yun's talent.'

Bai Lian searched through her database of past signals, 'I see. He entered this forest with his father, elder brother, and some guards, but they got separated after an attack by a pack of silver spirit wolves. The Zhou Clan… If I remember correctly, the Zhou Clan should be the maiden family of the Empress.'

The boy was picking berries from the thorned hucklebush that hid the burrow. Suddenly, a root from beneath the bush wrapped itself around his feet. Startled, the boy reached for his sword to slash through the root. However, he was too slow. The boy was thrust into a burrow by the root. The sudden action had caused him to release his grip around his sword.

The boy winced in pain when he fell hard of the ground inside the burrow. He scanned his new surroundings while looking for his sword. The boy noticed the ground was oddly wet. Although the burrow was dark, there was a ray of light shining from the entrance of the burrow. With this light, the boy noticed the ground was completely red.

Fear surged through him as he realized the identity of the liquid that covered the ground. He did not have time to notice he could not smell a trace of blood in the air. A thick root wrapped itself around his mouth and a wind blade shot out of the wall. He reflectively screamed in pain as he watched his legs fly through the air, landing away from him. However, the only noise that could escape from him was a groan. His legs were far enough from the rest of his body as well as the single ray of light that he could no longer see them inside this dark burrow.

More roots began to tie themselves around his body. Despite the force he exerted to pry off the roots, he could not budge them. 'How could these roots be as strong as iron…' The boy was still alive, but he was already mourning his own death. His strength was gradually being sapped away, but he did not think much about it.

Bai Lian stared at the boy who had already lost consciousness. Guilt gnawed at her insides. 'That boy can only curse his fate that he was born a relative of the crown prince and that he crossed paths with me,' she reassured herself that she was not in the wrong. However, the discomfort within her did not fade.

Bai Lian could not bear to look at the dying boy any longer and shifted her attention to those who came with the boy. 'They have all regrouped. The only one that is missing is that boy. So his name is Zhou Ming…'

'They're so worried for that Ming boy, but they won't ever find him…' Observing the anxious expressions of Zhou Ming's father and elder brother, Bai Lian was reminded of her own family who looked at her with worry when she went off to meet with the crown prince.

'I'm just giving them a taste of their own medicine… I'm not in the wrong…' Bai Lian tried to force down the regret within her, but she could not truly believe her own forced thoughts.

'...No, these people were not the ones who had harmed me, ' Bai Lian finally acknowledged, gaining a bit of closure. 'However, this is a cruel world where countless people die wrongfully. My apologies, Zhou Ming, but I can only hope your next life will be better.'

Although her regret and discomfort were still present, they had slightly lessened. 'This feeling of guilt and remorse… Perhaps this feeling is what it means for me to still be human…'