Heroines, I'm Really not the Devourer
Chapter 36: No mistakes

Chapter 36: No mistakes

Then I disappeared just before impact.

A burst of shadow erupted to his left. BaiShe barely had time to react. A dagger sliced through the air, aiming for his flank. He stepped back, tilting his torso to avoid the blade, but instantly, shadows burst from the ground, attempting to ensnare him.

He propelled himself backward with a burst of Qi, chaining several acrobatic flips to break free from the attack.

The shadow dispersed for a moment.

But I was already on him.

Dagger in hand, I lunged like lightning.

BaiShe felt the icy bite of my blade graze his throat.

He reacted with instant brutality. His Qi exploded in his arms, releasing a titanic shockwave.

The ground shattered under the pressure. A wave of raw energy surged in all directions, tearing me from the ground and hurling my body through several stone pillars.

I crashed to the ground, rising into a defensive stance, gasping.

Behind me, the shadow twisted, its essence wavering under the impact.

BaiShe absentmindedly wiped the trickle of blood running down his cheek.

"It’s amusing to be betrayed... You save someone, and they stab you in the back."

"You! Shut up! You’re annoying me!"

"Oh, I miss the whiny Zhulan ~"

His smile touched his lips, a provocative glint in his eyes.

My gaze hardened.

"Do you think I have a choice?"

’ Why am I so angry?’I clenched my teeth. Emotion roared within me, uncontrollable, foreign.

"We always have a choice."

I slowly rose. My daggers trembled slightly in my hands.

"I don’t..."

Shadows crept along the ground, moving like hungry serpents.

They burst forth without warning.

Black chains shot out, wrapping around BaiShe’s wrists and ankles, anchoring him to the ground.

I stepped forward, my steps heavy, my gaze locked on him.

"I’m sorry..."

The words barely escaped my lips. Not for him. For myself.

Since childhood, all the things I didn’t want to do but did to survive...

They disgusted me.

I disgusted me.

Was a human without freedom still human?

No.

I was a killing machine, shaped by Father’s desires.

My fingers tightened on my daggers.

BaiShe stared at me, his face expressionless, but something in his gaze unsettled me.

And I thought back to that day.

The day I accepted this mission.

...

The moonlight bathed the courtyard of Cherry Blossom Manor in a pale glow, casting shifting shadows on the polished cobblestones. A towering cherry blossom tree dominated the scene, its branches heavy with pink petals trembling in the night breeze. Beneath the tree sat a towering figure, barely visible in the dense shadow of the foliage.

His crimson eyes gleamed in the darkness, piercing like infernal flames. His mere presence exuded an overwhelming power.

Father, the ultimate assassin of the cultivation world.

The master of Cherry Blossom Manor, an underground organization specializing in selling information and assassination. His influence stretched into the farthest corners of the great sects and ancestral families.

And I, kneeling before him, waited in silence.

Succubus, my codename.

"Here I am, Father."

"Lately, you’ve completed your missions brilliantly. You’re one of my most cherished children."

"Thank you for your praise, Father."

"Which is why I’m entrusting you with this mission."

With a fluid motion, a scroll cut through the air. I caught it without hesitation and opened it with a precise gesture.

[Target: Hu BaiShe, son of Matriarch Hu Sijin.

Age: 21.

Description: Long silver hair, silver eyes, 6’7". Bandaged left arm with monk beads sealing a wound.

Personality: Arrogant, cowardly, self-absorbed. No morals or ethics. Enjoys carnal pleasures, particularly strong-willed women.

Cultivation: Spiritual Refinement Stage.

Risks: A protector may be by his side.

Primary Objective: Eliminate him in the Eternal Ruins without Matriarch Hu tracing our involvement.

Secondary Objective: Retrieve the Golden Jade Elixir from a cave in the heart of Celestial Mountain, a relic of the ancient Qilin Empire.

Deadline: One month.

Failure: Banishment.

Client: ...]

"Do you think you can accomplish this task alone, or do you need help from your siblings?"

"No, I’ll handle it, Father. He’s just a lustful waste. Seducing him before killing him will be enough."

"I recognize you well, Succubus."

I nodded, though the name disgusted me.

A title that clung to me, forged by my methods. Seduce the targets. Lure them into my trap. Then kill. Regardless of the target’s gender, the outcome remained the same.

"But remember... In case of failure—"

"There has never been, and there will never be. You can be certain of that, Father."

His piercing gaze lingered on me for a moment before he handed me a talisman. A golden glow pulsed softly on its surface.

"This talisman will help you locate the elixir."

I gripped it firmly before disappearing into the shadow of the courtyard.

Failure was not an option.

If I tarnished the Manor’s name, it would stain our reputation with clients. The punishment would be immediate. Banished. Then hunted and killed. Other assassins would be sent to complete my mission.

The golden rule of Cherry Blossom Manor.

"No mistakes."

...

*Eternal Ruins*

I easily changed my appearance using the technique Father had taught me: Shadow Face.

A play of illusions and energy that altered my features, voice, and gait. A new identity, malleable at will.

But BaiShe remained elusive.

Neither among the group from the Immortal Tao Academy,

nor with the ancestral Hu family.

I paused my hunt and shifted to my secondary objective.

Destination: Celestial Mountain.

The Golden Jade Elixir awaited somewhere in a cave, in the heart of the Qilin Empire’s ruins.

The journey was arduous.

The higher I climbed, the more monsters appeared.

Fierce creatures, strengthened by the ancient energy of the ruins.

Armored birds, their sharp talons tearing through the wind, their metallic feathers ricocheting off my sword. They were powerful, resilient. And the *Shadow Face* technique consumed too much of my energy.

Every second, my body screamed with fatigue.

I’d have to abandon my disguise if I wanted to survive.

And that’s when he appeared.

At first, I thought he was a lost cultivator or maybe someone trying to play the hero.

"Do you need help?"

His voice was calm, steady.

I obviously needed it. But showing weakness to a stranger was out of the question. He could attack me from behind.

"I can handle it alone."

That’s when I saw him.

[Long silver hair, silver eyes, a bandaged left arm adorned with monk beads.]

There was only one person who matched this description.

Hu BaiShe, my target.

But... something was off.

’Is someone else impersonating him?’

The BaiShe I’d been described was supposed to be a coward, a self-absorbed man incapable of any feat. Yet, the one standing before me showed no sign of weakness. He dispatched the monsters with disconcerting ease, his movements imbued with absolute mastery. His cultivation level far exceeded the Spiritual Refinement Stage.

I furrowed my brows.

Even though the idea of an imposter had crossed my mind, I almost immediately dismissed it.

It was impossible to mimic the sacred aura emanating from those monk beads.

Impossible to perfectly replicate that bandaged wound, identical to the description.

It was him.

And now, he stood before me, scrutinizing me with an unreadable gaze.

"What are you doing here?"

His tone was neutral, almost disinterested, but I knew he expected an answer.

I immediately recalled the information I’d received. BaiShe liked strong-willed women.

I’d give him what he wanted to see.

"It’s none of your business!"

My voice snapped in the air, laced with defiance.

But at that precise moment, a wave of weakness hit me full force.

My Qi collapsed abruptly.

’Damn... If I lose consciousness here...’

I tried to resist, to gather my strength, but my vision blurred.

"Shi..."

Darkness engulfed me.