"If you wish to live freely," the voice whispered beside her heart,
"then stand up—and do the very first thing your heart is telling you to do."
The girl slowly lifted her head.
Her eyes—once empty and numb—turned ice-cold.
She looked straight at the old man.
Slowly... steadily... she stood up.
The filthy Count still stared at her with lust-filled eyes, his lips curling in an ugly smile, as though she were nothing more than meat placed before him.
The girl said nothing.
Her trembling hand reached into her hair.
She removed a silver hairpin.
It was simple, old, and slightly worn.
Her mother's last gift.
Her fingers tightened around it until her knuckles turned white.
Step by step, she walked toward the Count.
The crowd froze.
Before anyone could react—
Slash.
The silver hairpin pierced straight into the Count's throat.
Blood sprayed into the air.
The Count collapsed, clutching his neck, his eyes wide with disbelief. His body twitched once... then went still.
Dead.
Silence swallowed the street.
Then—
"S—She killed him!"
"A murder!"
The women standing nearby screamed in terror.
The girl stood unmoving.
Her hair had fallen loose, scattered wildly around her blood-smeared face.
Her hand dripped red.
The silver hairpin gleamed, soaked in blood.
She did not scream.
She did not cry.
She only stood there.
Suddenly, armored footsteps thundered forward.
The Count's guards rushed into the crowd and grabbed her roughly.
The people shouted in panic, but no one dared interfere.
At that moment, her drunken father stumbled forward.
"Take her away!" he shouted desperately.
"Kill her if you must!"
He pointed at his own daughter as though she were a monster.
"This girl is a threat to the country! She has nothing to do with our family! Please, spare us—punish her instead! She will bear all consequences herself!"
The guards tightened their grip, dragging her away.
The girl did not struggle.
She only stared ahead, empty once more.
The Invisible Judge
From within the crowd, Bai-Xue watched calmly.
A soft smile curved her lips.
"So," she murmured,
"this is where the real action begins."
Her voice echoed through the street.
"Let the girl go."
Everyone heard it.
Yet no one could see who spoke.
The guards froze.
"Who said that?" one shouted nervously.
"If you have the courage, show yourself!"
A calm voice replied:
"Courage?
Are you certain that if I appear...
you will still have the courage to stand before me?"
A chilling pressure descended.
The air grew heavy—oppressive.
Sweat poured down the guards' faces.
"W-Who are you?" one stammered.
"What do you want?!"
"You didn't hear me clearly," the voice said coldly.
"I said—let her go."
The guards hesitated, still gripping the girl.
Then—
Thud.
Two guards collapsed instantly.
Their heads rolled across the ground.
Their necks—cleanly severed.
Their eyes remained open, frozen in terror.
Blood soaked the street.
The remaining guards screamed and backed away, releasing the girl as if she were untouchable.
Then—
Bai-Xue appeared.
She stood calmly before everyone.
In her hand was a shining silver killing card, still dripping with blood.
The moment the crowd saw her—
They fell to their knees.
"White Mask!"
"Greetings, Great Warrior—Master White Mask!"
The guards' legs gave out completely.
They knelt, sobbing, unable to even beg for mercy.
A Worth Found in Blood
Bai-Xue walked straight to the girl.
Gently, she brushed the tangled hair away from her bloodstained face.
"You are brave," Bai-Xue said softly.
"And bravery like yours... makes you perfect for me."
The girl stiffened.
She stared at the ground—until Bai-Xue's hand touched her face.
Then she looked up.
Tears suddenly streamed from her eyes.
"I... I am useful?" she whispered, voice breaking.
"Everyone said I was trash... useless..."
Her lips trembled.
"Am I... useful to you?"
Bai-Xue smiled faintly.
"Even discarded paper has value," she said.
"So how could a human life ever be worthless?"
The girl shook her head weakly.
"I have nothing to give you... nothing at all," she said through sobs.
"I killed someone. To them, I am a murderer."
Her shoulders trembled.
"They will lock me in a black cell. I will die there. That is my future... and no one can change it."
Bai-Xue sighed softly.
"Your first concern," she said calmly,
"is correct—you truly have nothing to give me."
The girl's heart sank.
"But," Bai-Xue continued,
"there is still one thing I want."
She leaned closer.
"I want your life."
The girl froze.
"The life you will live for me," Bai-Xue said.
"A life you are willing to sacrifice the moment I ask."
The girl's breath hitched.
"Now, your second concern—those people."
Bai-Xue glanced at the Count's corpse.
"The one you killed... was not a human."
"He was a beast wearing human skin."
"When a beast cannot be tamed, it must be killed."
"That is its destiny."
"So no—"
"You did not kill a man."
"You killed a beast."
The girl's trembling slowly stopped.
"And now," Bai-Xue said quietly,
And Your Third Question
"And now..."
Bai-Xue said softly, her voice calm yet terrifying,
"your third question."
She turned slowly.
Her gaze fell upon the girl's stepmother—the woman who had been kneeling on the ground, her forehead pressed tightly to the earth, her body shaking uncontrollably.
Bai-Xue walked toward her.
Each step echoed like a death sentence.
She stopped in front of the trembling woman and smiled faintly.
"Hm..." Bai-Xue said lazily.
"Who killed that old Count?"
The woman's body shook violently. Sweat drenched her face. Her lips trembled, but no sound came out.
Fear had stolen her voice.
Suddenly—
Bai-Xue's eyes turned icy.
She raised her voice.
"WHO KILLED THAT OLD COUNT?!"
The sound exploded like thunder.
The woman flinched violently.
Before she could even think, she spoke
"The girl standing there killed the Count in front of all of us."
The stepmother's eyes widened in terror.
She swallowed hard.
"Yes... y-yes..." she stammered weakly.
"I... I saw everything..."
"Oh?"
Bai-Xue tilted her head slightly.
"So you saw it clearly?"
The woman nodded desperately, hoping her obedience would save her life.
"...Very well."
In the next instant—
Bai-Xue's hand shot forward.
She grabbed the woman by the neck.
Crack.
A sickening sound echoed.
The woman's body went limp instantly.
Dead.
Bai-Xue released her corpse, letting it fall lifelessly onto the ground.
The girl's half-sister screamed in horror.
The people kneeling around them trembled even harder, terror flooding their eyes.
None of them dared breathe.
Bai-Xue then turned toward one of the guards.
She looked at him calmly.
"Tell me," she said softly,
"who killed your master?"
"And whom are you going to blame for his death?"
The guard's heart pounded violently.
He glanced at the girl.
Then he remembered the woman whose neck had just been snapped like dry wood.
Cold sweat soaked his armor.
He immediately bowed his head.
"My... my master drank too much wine," he said hurriedly.
"He stumbled and crashed into a shop. An iron rod pierced his neck. He died due to the accident."
His voice trembled.
Bai-Xue nodded slowly.
"Oh..."
"How tragic."
She turned her gaze toward the crowd.
"Did anyone here see anything else?"
Silence.
Absolute silence.
"No—No, Master White Mask!"
"We saw nothing!"
"Nothing at all!"
"Oh..."
Bai-Xue sighed lightly.
"That's unfortunate."
A New Future
She turned back toward the girl.
Her eyes softened—just slightly.
"And as for your future," Bai-Xue said quietly,
"I will create a new one for you."
The girl looked up slowly.
"I promise you," Bai-Xue continued,
"the only time tears will fall from your eyes again... will be the day I die."
She smiled faintly.
"And I do not plan on dying."
She extended her hand.
"So—take my hand."
"But first," Bai-Xue added,
"you must come with me."
"You must trust me."
The girl hesitated.
Her voice trembled.
"You... you won't beat me?"
"You won't sell me... like they did?"
Bai-Xue shook her head.
"No."
"I will give you the right to raise your head before the entire world."
"I will give you the right to live."
She looked directly into the girl's eyes.
"But first, you must choose."
"Live with me..."
"Or die here."
The girl clenched her fists.
Her breathing grew unsteady.
"I... I want to live," she whispered.
She paused.
Then lifted her head and looked straight into Bai-Xue's eyes.
"I want to live with you."
Her voice grew firm.
"I will serve you with my life."
"Even in death, I will protect you with my soul."
"I want to live—for you, for myself, and for my pride."
Bai-Xue smiled.
"Very well."
"But first," she said lightly,
"we need to shop."
"You need to clean yourself."
Rebirth
After some time—
The girl stepped out from the shop.
Her body was clean.
Her hair shimmered in a soft peach color, cascading down her back.
Her eyes—also peach-colored—were clear and bright.
Her skin was fair and flawless.
She was... stunning.
Bai-Xue raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
"You're actually quite beautiful."
She pricked her finger.
A single drop of crimson blood appeared.
Bai-Xue pressed it gently onto the girl's forehead.
Instantly—
Power surged.
Heat and cold clashed violently inside her body.
Her bones trembled.
Her blood roared.
The pressure around her grew heavier and heavier.
The girl gasped.
"My wounds...!"
"They're healing!"
"I feel... healthy!"
Her eyes widened in shock.
"I think... I think I'm—"
Bai-Xue smiled calmly.
"Silver Rank."
"Level Eleven Cultivator."
She looked at her with approval.
"From this moment onward..."
"You are officially my ally."