There was no doubt that the small tribe Sū ěr had encountered viewed him as an insurmountable God.
Whether it was the tall bamboo hut—built in a way they couldn't fathom—his imposing stature, his clean and tidy clothes, his handsome features, or his noble hair color, purer than the sky and radiant as the sun.
Even a bold glance at his silhouette felt like a transgression to them. Standing over six feet tall, Sū ěr appeared to these little people as a literal god out of legend.
Expressionless, Sū ěr watched the little people finish their ritual. They prostrated themselves and crawled backward in supplication before departing. He glanced at the offerings they left behind: some unknown poultry and a beverage with a strange, unidentifiable odor, likely fermented. Sū ěr chose to pour the drink into the fields behind the hut as fertilizer, though the meat was still edible.
How should he put it? Despite his constant grumbling, Sū ěr didn't truly regret his decision to show mercy and protect these little people from the attack of a monster—let's call it a Yōkai for now.
Regardless, it was hardly any trouble for him.
Shaking his head to clear these rambling thoughts, Sū ěr filled a basin with fresh water and placed the unknown poultry inside to soak; it would still need a thorough cleaning and "disinfection" later.
This peaceful life had persisted for about several months. While he had constantly yearned for a safe and quiet existence during the war, now that he had arrived in such a world, Sū ěr... couldn't help but feel bored.
Perhaps he was just a glutton for punishment.
Back in the gaps between worlds, what he had most wanted was to go to a world that had developed into a modern society with Think. A world with abundant resources and endless entertainment facilities—it would be hard to feel bored living there. That kind of retirement could be called true retirement. Unfortunately, they couldn't go; Tet power was nearly exhausted. If they had been too picky, they likely would have perished in the void.
Out of necessity, Sū ěr and Think had to settle in this boring world—well, it seemed this world might not be that boring after all.
He turned around calmly. He calmly looked at the beautiful face outside the bamboo hut window, calmly examining every corner of that countenance. Sū ěr didn't feel startled in the least... he truly wasn't.
The lovely face was without blemish. There were two faint flushes of pink on the fair cheeks, and a fine, peach-fuzz-like down that glowed with a healthy radiance under the sunlight, appearing slightly translucent.
"May I come in?"
She spoke.
There was no reply. Sū ěr simply crossed his arms over his chest, his other hand rhythmically stroking his chin. For some reason, the more he looked at this face, the more familiar it seemed. It was like a close acquaintance he saw every day...
"May I come in?"
Having not received Sū ěr permission, the beautiful figure standing outside showed no sign of impatience, merely repeating the question.
[Can't you tell yet? Why don't you go look in a mirror?]
The voice finally echoed from the depths of Sū ěr heart, sounding as if it couldn't stand it any longer. It was a light teasing, devoid of any real mockery.
Sū ěr suddenly had a realization—Wait, isn't this ME??
Add an Adam's apple to the neck, change the long hair to short, narrow the brows slightly, and make a few minor adjustments to the cheekbones—wasn't this exactly his own likeness?!
Stunned into silence for a moment, Sū ěr didn't know what expression to make. In all his years, from the past until now, this was a first.
"...Miss..." Suppressing the urge to complain, Sū ěr said with a twitching brow, "While I appreciate your taste, could you at least pick a different reference point? This look isn't exactly up for grabs."
"May I come in?"
The beautiful figure outside the window acted as if she hadn't heard a word he said, repeating herself mechanically.
"You don't understand human speech, do you?" Sū ěr sighed at yet another irritating event in his day. "Fine, fine, fine. Come in, come in. Do you want some water? Sweet or salty?"
The moment Sū ěr said the words "fine, fine, fine," the beautiful figure outside, who had maintained a faint smile, finally changed her expression. It was a look of genuine joy, yet it carried an enchanting, malevolent quality.
To be honest, seeing such an expression on a feminized version of his own face was highly unsettling. Yet, even he had to admit the face was exquisitely crafted—just don't do it again.
"Then... I'm coming in~" Her voice trailed off with a flutter of delight, and the figure outside finally ceased to be "human." Instead of walking a few steps to the left to enter through the bamboo door, she simply stretched her neck and extended it through the window. After seeing those beautiful white collarbones connected to a long, serpent-like neck, Sū ěr mood soured even further.
Like bait on a fishing line, the head attached to the elongated neck whipped through the air toward Sū ěr. With every inch it advanced, the expression on its face grew more wanton; with every inch, that originally beautiful face became more monstrous.
Two sharp fangs pierced through the delicate skin. No blood flowed from the torn flesh. Instead, pale green scales were finely embedded beneath a thin layer of skin. A nauseating, fishy stench wafted toward the tip of Sū ěr nose as the mouth opened to its limit, the jaw nearly unhinging—he felt like vomiting.
"Finally, fin—"
BAM!!!
Before the thing—which was clearly not human—could finish its sentence, Sū ěr delivered an uppercut to its head at a speed it couldn't possibly react to. The supposedly hard bone was instantly smashed into fragments. Purple-black blood, mixed with pinkish flesh, sprayed toward the ceiling, only to freeze in mid-air just before impact. Then, it rapidly contracted, condensing into a sphere of gore.
Sū ěr had intended to let it blather for a few more seconds, but the smell was so foul he decided against it. There was no need to suffer that much.
Frowning, he used telekinesis to carry the sphere of flesh out of the bamboo hut. Beside the window now lay the massive carcass of a snake, thicker than a man's arm. Gurgling snake blood soaked the edge of the bamboo platform, and the headless body was still twitching slightly.
A wonderful day begins with the death of an uninvited guest. With a stoic face, Sū ěr picked up the snake carcass by the tail and walked toward the back of the bamboo hut.
He had no appetite for it; might as well use it as fertilizer.