Mutated Tao

The child’s eyes lit up with excitement upon hearing that Li Sui was a facial hair trimmer.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

“Really? Can you do that? My sister’s about to get married, and my mother has been searching for someone to help her. Can you do it? With that, my sister will finally get married, and I’ll get to have some wedding candies!”

“Sure, but my price is expensive. I need at least half a Dou[1] for fresh rice.”

Li Sui pretended to be very careful when it came to money.

“I have rice at home, and my future brother-in-law is a landowner! He has a lot of rice in his house! Come with me.”

Still holding his ball, the child brought Li Sui to his house.

Li Sui tried to get some information from the child and learned more about the village. The child was called Chen Junyu, and the village was Chen’s Family Village. The closest county was roughly a hundred Li away, so it was quite remote.

Based on what Li Sui had learned, she deduced that the Surveillance Bureau’s spies hadn’t reached this area yet. Knowing she was safe, she relaxed a bit.

“Little lady, sit on the stool. I need you to take a seat so I can help you clean your face.”

A tanned lady pinched her daughter’s arm. “She’s calling you to sit over there. Are you deaf?”

Once the girl took her seat, Li Sui took out a small bundle from her robes, pulling out a wad of cotton and some fine powder. She dabbed the cotton lightly in the powder and tapped it against the girl’s face.

Then, Li Sui took out a thin thread and crossed it, holding the ends with her thumb and index finger. She held one end with her left hand while biting the other end with her mouth.

As her right thumb moved, the threads glided lightly across the girl's face, neatly removing the fine hairs along with the powder. Soon, the girl’s face looked bright and clean.

The mother’s eyes sparkled with joy as she saw her daughter’s transformation. “Wow! Your handiwork is amazing. Half a Dou of new rice isn’t expensive at all!”

“Dear lady, could you give me an empty room to rest in? I’m tired from traveling and would like to stay here for a night. You can keep my rice payment as the young lady’s bridal gift. “

“Alright!”

Overjoyed at not needing to pay, the mother cleaned one of the empty rooms. Letting a stranger stay for one night was far cheaper than forking out money to buy half a Douof rice. It was a deal even an idiot wouldn’t refuse.

After the woman left, Li Sui tried to gather some information from the young girl. Unfortunately, she was younger than her brother, so she didn’t know much either.

Li Sui licked the threads and started to trim the young girl’s eyebrows. “Little lady, what kind of brows would you like? Crescent brows or a consort’s brows?”

“Anything is fine…” the girl murmured, her voice barely louder than a mosquito.

“Since you’re going to get married, I will give you a consort's brow.”

As she worked, Li Sui continued her gentle questioning. Although the girl didn’t like talking and sometimes ignored Li Sui, the scraps of information she shared further reassured her that the Surveillance Bureau hadn’t reached this remote village.

It was safe here, and she could finally rest before she started traveling again. Nearly two weeks had passed since she'd last had a good night's sleep. Fearing the Surveillance Bureau would track her down, she’d opted for several short naps rather than one long sleep.

After trimming the hair on the little girl’s face, Li Sui did her hair too.

Like that, Li Sui finally earned a night of good rest in one of the empty rooms.

Li Sui opened the bedsheets and dug out the straws. She placed them in a pile before taking off her skin.

Li Sui slept in the middle of the straw pile while holding onto Li Huowang’s clay figurine.

She didn’t like beds. She preferred the feeling of being buried in warmth.

“Father, I am doing fine. I’ve lived here for three years. Another 177 years more before I can meet you again.”

Li Sui stared at Li Huowang’s clay figurine from inside the stack of straw.

She then took out a clay figurine of her mother and murmured her frustrations, “Mother, I’ve assimilated too many people. I can barely keep them under my skirt. What should I do if I can’t hide them anymore?”

The figurines couldn’t respond, but talking to them brought her some comfort.

She could only remind herself that she was Li Sui by talking with the clay figurines.

She was about to hug the clay figurines and go to sleep when the wooden door was slowly pushed open.

Li Sui quickly threw her clothes and skin into the straw pile and patiently waited to see what was happening.

She was already clutching her weapons in case of an ambush.

A young girl cried in the dark room, saying, “Madam, please take me with you! I will learn how to trim facial hair from you! I don’t need money. I just want some food when we travel together, that’s all!”

Li Sui peeked out from her pile of straw. She saw that it was the young girl whose facial hair she had just trimmed off. Thankfully, it wasn’t the Chief of the Surveillance Bureau.

The young girl was groveling on the ground with several bronze and silver pieces in her hands. She was offering them to Li Sui.

“Madam, please help me! I can’t get married right now. If I do, I will die!”

Li Sui appeared out from the pile of straw after listening to the young girl. “Little lady, what are you doing? Tell me everything.”

Li Sui consoled the young girl as she explained everything.

Her name was Chen Zhaodi. Her mother was trying to marry her off to an older man. However, it was more of a transaction than a marriage. The man had previously married five wives, but all of them died.

No one knew how they died, but the young girl was sure that if she married the man, she would also die soon.

Li Sui didn’t know what to do after hearing the story. She couldn’t even protect herself right now. It would slow her from escaping next time.

Just then, the girl’s mother yelled from outside, “Where are you, stupid daughter of mine? The pigs in the sty are already calling. Can’t you hear them? Quickly go and feed them!”

Li Sui didn’t move, and the young girl’s eyes died down as if her soul had been lost. She turned to leave the room.

“I’m sorry, Madam. I will hang myself soon.”

Staring at her back, Li Sui couldn’t bear to see someone so young die. “Wait, let me think about how I could help you.”

In the end, Li Sui chose to help. While her situation wasn’t ideal, she was sure her father would have helped the young girl.

“How about this…” Li Sui looked at Chen Zhaodi's eyes, filled with renewed hope. “Go and feed the pigs. Come find me again late at night.”

1. A measurement unit for grains ☜