Chapter 236: Ah, This... How Stimulating!

"Help! Let me go! Help me..."

"Go on and scream. No one will hear you, even if you scream your lungs out."

What do you do when you pick the wrong starting zone in a game?

You’re screwed.

The wilderness was desolate, shrouded in darkness.

As a first-time ghost, Xiao Li was a little clumsy, barely managing to propel herself forward.

But while other ghosts were humanoid, Xiao Li was just a ball. She was conscious but had no body, like a brain flying around on its own. It was ridiculously difficult to control.

After drifting through the night for what felt like an eternity, she finally spotted a light. She had just floated over when she heard the conversation.

’This intense?’

Xiao Li wasn’t a gossip. Not at all...

She just *happened* to stop on a treetop to rest, *happened* to be able to see a lit-up cave across the way, and *happened* to see a woman with a smoking hot body pinning a delicate-looking man to a pile of grass, tearing at his clothes while making arrogant, triumphant threats.

’Ah, this is... so thrilling!’

RIIIP! RIIIP...

The man desperately tried to shrink away, but the woman had a firm grip on his clothes and was tearing them to shreds.

He clutched his chest in alarm and begged for mercy. "You can’t do this... This is an affront to decency... You’re shameless..."

The woman tossed aside the scraps of fabric, her tone domineering and saucy. "I’m a bandit. I don’t give a damn about ’decency.’ You were the one who said you didn’t care about looks, praised my kind heart, and even agreed to come back with me to my mountain stronghold. If that’s the case, what are you running from?"

Mortification and disgust flashed across the man’s face, but he quickly concealed it and said with sorrowful indignation, "I do not find your appearance disagreeable, miss. However, a marriage requires the consent of one’s parents, the words of a matchmaker, the three letters and six rites, and a proper wedding procession. We are not yet wed. How can we engage in an illicit union without a go-between?"

"Why don’t you let me go home, miss? Once I inform my parents, I will immediately send a matchmaker to propose marriage."

The woman sneered. "I know you scholars are clever, but do you take me for a fool?"

"I’m a bandit, and my father is a bandit. What kind of scholar would marry a bandit’s daughter? Not to mention, my face is ugly enough to make ghosts turn and run. Yet you, this little pretty boy, came sniffing around so eagerly, as if you were afraid I *wouldn’t* know you had ulterior motives."

She reached out and pinched his cheek, chuckling coquettishly. "I don’t know what you’re after, but this face of yours is truly handsome. The little brats we make will definitely be beautiful."

Cowering in a corner, the man trembled with rage. "You want to have children before we’re even married? You’re utterly shameless! I will absolutely not allow a child of mine to come from your womb!"

The woman let out a cool sneer. "Just admit it, you’re disgusted by me. But that’s fine. As long as I’m not disgusted by you, that’s all that matters."

She cracked her knuckles, raring to go, the very picture of a female bandit about to molest an innocent young man. "I suggest you cooperate. Otherwise, you’re in for a world of hurt."

With that, she pounced like a hungry wolf, pinned him down, and immediately started pulling at his pants.

"Let me go... Let go... Help... Somebody, help me..."

The man was clearly no match for the woman. His desperate struggles were useless against her demonic clutches. Seeing that his pants were about to be stripped off, all he could do was roar for help in despair.

The more she pulled, the more excited the woman became. "Go on and scream! Even if you scream your lungs out, no one is coming to save you!"

’Xiao Li had her horizons broadened today. This sister was fierce and tough—truly a role model for our generation.’

Seeing his chastity was about to be lost, the man finally showed his true colors. "Ah... You bitch! You ugly monster! Let me go! I won’t let you get what you want..."

He suddenly grabbed the woman and bit down on her arm, sinking his teeth in so hard that he immediately drew blood.

"AH!"

The woman cried out in pain and her grip loosened. He seized the opportunity and scrambled away, straightening his clothes while cursing wildly, "Shameless! Ugly hag! How dare you covet me! Ptooey!"

As he ran, he staggered and plunged right off a cliff, his screams echoing behind him.

"AHHHH!"

The birds that had been resting in the forest were startled into a flurry of motion. Thankfully, the screams stopped after a moment. It was impossible to tell if he had hit the bottom or if he was dead.

Perched on the tree branch, Xiao Li was dumbfounded, utterly gobsmacked. Even though she didn’t have a single facial feature at the moment, it didn’t lessen her shock.

’What a show. Truly spectacular.’

’The girl was hard to judge, but she clearly had a good head on her shoulders and wasn’t easily fooled. The man, on the other hand, didn’t seem like a good person at all.’

Just then, the woman slowly turned around. From the back, she had a strong physique, but her waist wasn’t thick—the kind of healthy, powerful build. But the moment she turned to face front, she was instantly all surging waves and exquisite curves.

Xiao Li’s attention was fixed there for quite a while before moving up. ’Not jealous. Not jealous at all.’

From their conversation, it was easy to tell the woman wasn’t considered attractive. Xiao Li had been wondering just how ugly she could be. It was just a birthmark.

A black, palm-sized birthmark covered the upper right quarter of the woman’s face, surrounding her right eye socket and extending to the bridge of her nose. It was, admittedly, a bit of an eyesore.

But if you ignored the birthmark and looked at her features, she wasn’t ugly at all. She had the sharp, defined features of a wild, heroic beauty.

And that body... it was the kind that would make even another woman’s blood boil.

While Xiao Li was sizing her up, the woman tore off a piece of ragged cloth, wiped the blood from her arm, and then wrapped the wound. The crude treatment made even Xiao Li wince.

She hesitated for a moment, then grabbed a torch and walked toward the spot where the man had fallen.

The grass was trampled flat, leading down a rather steep slope.

"He didn’t really fall to his death, did he?"

With an agile leap, she jumped down, holding the torch as she descended. Following the trail of crushed foliage, it wasn’t long before she found the man lying prone on the ground. She checked for a breath—he was still alive—and immediately hoisted him onto her shoulder and started climbing back up.

"Jiuhua! Jiuhua..."

Soon, several torchlights approached.

A tall, burly middle-aged man leading three others with torches came over, his calls filled with worry.

The woman heard him and quickly shouted back, "Dad, I’m over here!"

"Jiuhua..."

"Where are you?"

"Down this slope!"

The middle-aged man was built like a bear; his every step seemed to make the ground shake. At first glance, he looked terrifyingly fierce, but his face was filled with worry.

Once they pinpointed her location, the four men hurried over. They lit the way and helped pull the woman up, only then noticing she was carrying a person.

They quickly took the person from her. "Jiuhua, what are you doing all the way out here? You scared your dad to death! And who’s this? Are they alive?"

Jiuhua said uncertainly, "Probably."

She checked again. "Not dead."

Before the middle-aged man could speak, she quickly said, "Dad, this person is really shady. He doesn’t look like a good guy. Let’s take him back and give him a proper interrogation."

The middle-aged man put on a stern face, feigning a scolding. "Don’t change the subject. You can’t come out this far by yourself anymore. What would you do if you ran into a wild beast?"

Another, smaller middle-aged man circled him with a torch. "Strange. He doesn’t have any injuries on him. Why are his clothes torn to pieces like this?"

Feeling guilty, Jiuhua quickly covered for herself. "He just fell from up there. The branches probably snagged his clothes. Dad, Second Uncle, let’s get going. I’m starving."

The five of them left with their torches, the lights growing more distant until they finally vanished into the darkness.

Xiao Li watched them go from where she was. The moment the last flicker of light disappeared, she decided to follow.