Bai Xifeng felt a surge of genuine excitement as she navigated the bustling streets. Everywhere she looked, the grandeur of an ancient Chinese civilization unfolded before her eyes. While she was logically aware that this was a fantasy realm and not the historical China of her own world's past, the aesthetic was strikingly similar to the lavish set designs of the wuxia dramas and period movies she had once binged on her laptop.
As a dedicated anime fan, she knew all too well that the "isekai" or transmigration genre had exploded in popularity recently. Titles like Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime had been staples of her weekend watchlists. She had just finished the first seasons of both before her life took this unexpected turn.
'Now, I'll never know how their journeys end.' Bai Xifeng thought, letting out a heavy, melancholy sigh.
She felt a sharp pang of regret for not reading ahead. She knew the light novels for Mushoku Tensei were already finished and available. Now, those spoilers were forever out of her reach.
'Why are you sighing again?' Baishe's voice echoed in her mind, sounding slightly exasperated by her mood swings.
'It's nothing, don't worry about it.' Bai Xifeng replied mentally, shaking her head to clear the intrusive thoughts of unfinished plotlines.
She told herself to stop dwelling on the impossible. She needed to embrace this second chance. That "Handsome King Yama" had granted her a new lease on life, and it would be a waste to spend it mourning digital media.
This was her very first excursion since arriving in this body, and the experience was intoxicating. The air was remarkably crisp and sweet, completely devoid of the heavy industrial pollution and exhaust fumes she had grown accustomed to in the city.
However, she could not afford to linger too long. She needed to pick up her pace. Her primary objective tonight was the Shanghai House. Obtaining the information regarding the rare herbs needed to purge the toxins from her system was her only ticket to true freedom and power.
...
High above the street, perched on a shadowed balcony, a man wearing an intricate mask suddenly went still. "I can sense the distinct aura of a beast nearby," he murmured to his companion.
"What? A beast aura?" The other man startled, scanning the dark corners of the alleyways. "Where? I don't feel anything at all. Are you certain?"
The masked man didn't bother to answer. Instead, he leaned over the railing, his cold gaze fixed on the sparse crowd below.
"Oh... how very interesting." The masked man said, his lips curving into a slow, intrigued smile behind his porcelain guard.
"What is it? What do you see?" The companion followed his gaze, looking down at the few pedestrians wandering the midnight streets.
"I find myself wondering how she managed to suppress the beast's aura so effectively." The masked man mused.
"She?" The companion looked around in confusion, squinting at the figures below. "I don't see any women down there, Master. Only a few merchants and a couple of night owls."
"The one dressed in white." The masked man clarified, pointing a gloved finger.
"What? That's a woman?" The companion blinked in disbelief. "Master, that is quite clearly a young man, a boy, to be precise. His gait, his clothes... everything suggests a male scholar."
"It is illusion magic." The masked man explained, his eyes never leaving the figure in white. "And a very high-level one at that. Only someone at my cultivation level would be able to pierce through a veil of that quality."
"Illusion magic of that caliber?" The companion's tone shifted from confusion to genuine respect. "She must be exceptionally talented."
In this world, illusion magic generally manifested in two forms. The most common was through the use of a physical relic or enchanted artifact, a tool anyone with money could buy. The second, far rarer method was for a practitioner to cast the illusion through their own internal energy and willpower.
The companion realized then why his Master found the girl so fascinating. She was not just wearing a disguise. She was projected a flawless magical identity, likely without the help of any relic at all
***This novel is a contracted work with w e b n o v e l. c o m. If you do not read this novel on w e b n o v e l. c o m, that means it has been stolen. It breaks my heart when someone steals my hard work. Can you consider reading it on the original website for those who read my novel on another website besides w e b n o v e l .c o m, as your support to me? Thank you, from, your shameless author, ZerahNeko***
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