In the gloomy town of Blackwater, a small figure left the only inn.

She was dressed in patched-up robes and ran dirt through her hair and the exposed parts of her skin. She made a great effort to hide her fair skin, trying to look more like a beggar than she already did.

It was still late into the night; not a soul was walking down these quiet streets. Qin Yao weighed her options before ultimately deciding to stay in this town, she felt this inexplicable urge to complete her doll, and if the was one thing she knew, it was that she should trust her instincts.

Although Qin Yao was confident in her fighting abilities, she didn't have her weapons from her previous life, and in this life, she was still a kid; it was already hard for her to end one life, and she didn't want to die from her cockiness. All that awaited her after her death was literal Hell.

Luckily for Qin Yao, the reason she was here for her experiential journey; was the presence of an illness that only targeted the native citizens. The clan leaders thought it might be a weak-level curse, so they sent a 9th-level Qi Refinement Cultivator servant and a few kids to investigate. A weakened target makes a better victim, Qin Yao smiled.

As she walked through the town's dark streets, Qin Yao came across a sickly man leaning on a house's wall. His breath was slow and laboured; it appeared as though his very next breath would be his last. Qin Yao marvelled at her good luck and made a quick slit against his throat; after making sure there was no one around.

There was no pleasure to be felt by ending a life with no resistance, but as a weak-bodied thirteen-year-old, she would take what she could get.

Gurgle.

The man suffocated on his blood, his weak, emaciated arms trying to hold his skin together to no avail.

She watched as the life slowly seeped out of his eyes and let out a smile, "Better luck in your next life."

Though there was no pleasure to gain, she didn't feel any remorse.

She then continued her stroll around the town, ending three other lives before the sun rose, not forgetting to take a patch of their skin. Qin Yao then quietly blended in with other homeless and orphaned kids and took on begging.

She had never done this before and found it hard to understand why people relied on others' kindness.

The life of a criminal was at least fun; being looked down upon as dirty or disgusting without being able to retaliate was horrid.

The sun soon went from being in the east to rising high up in the sky and finally inching towards the west. After a full day of walking around, begging and stalking weak links: Qin Yao was famished. She entered the nearest shop; the shop belonged to a middle-aged woman that had a kind and genial smile. The people around her called her 'Shopkeeper Song, ' and it almost seemed they were all trying to hug her thigh. A big player? Qin Yao thought.

"May I have some bread?" Qin Yao asked, dumping all the change on the counter.

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"Of course, you may," Shopkeeper Song smiled, "Have a cup of milk on me too."

Qin Yao was startled by the shopkeeper's smile; the smile reminded her of her mother's, but she quickly shook off such thoughts. Regardless of how little everyone thought of her mother, she shouldn't compare her to a dingy little town's shopkeeper.

"Thank you for your kindness!" Qin Yao bowed gratefully.

"What a well-mannered young man."

Qin Yao sadly sighed as she ate her dry bread with the loose change she received from her activities. Though Shopkeeper Song kindly added a glass of milk, whether it was the food from her last life or her as a noble's daughter, this food was utter garbage in comparison. The money she got yesterday from her victims was enough to buy herself slightly better food, but it wasn't enough to look like a beggar; she had to act like one too. That was the best way for her to avoid suspicion.

At least her suffering wasn't for nought; shopkeeper Song, the woman Qin Yao bought her bread from, was a kind and soft-hearted woman. Qin Yao didn't doubt that if shopkeeper Song had better circumstances, she wouldn't hesitate to help those in need.

I should stay with her next night, thought Qin Yao.

The downside of living in a small town was that news travelled fast; though she killed less than half a dozen people, unease began spreading between the citizens.

Most of the people that died were either criminal; or low lives, so there was no reaction from the two cultivators yet. Between a missing young lady and the suspicious murders going around the city, her family's cultivator along with the Blackwater town's cultivator would start an investigation. Since there was no movement from the town centre, it was easy to guess that he was adopting a 'wait and see; ' approach.

Under the fretful gazes of the town's residents and Qin Yao's expectant look, the sun soon set at the end of the horizon, leaving Qin Yao to do what she did best.

Qin Yao followed the same path she used yesterday and found that no one was in sight. She was surprised by this development; even if the people here were cowardly, shouldn't there be some brave hot-blooded men or curious teenagers patrolling around the town?

After thinking about it for a bit between the curse-like disease, the fake immortals that abused rather than help them and now a mysterious murderer, it made sense for them to be so weak-willed. If the heavens wanted to destroy this little town, could they - as mere mortals - resist?

This development didn't bother Qin Yao much; she didn't spend all morning in vain; she had followed the loners and outcasts of this small town and decided to give them a visit.

A few murders later, Qin Yao used up all the places she had scouted this morning and decided to call it a night. She only had one murder left to complete her bunny, and she wasn't in any real rush. Qin Yao had all of tomorrow to complete her task, and even if she left, it was not like this was the only mortal town. She suddenly heard loud and clear footsteps inching closer to her; she quickly hid in a dark corner and concealed her breath.

"So that brat from the main family has indeed gone missing?" An older man in dark yellow robes asked. Qin Yao recognised this man; she met him when she first entered the city; he was Liu Jiayi. Liu Jiayi was the leader of this small town; he was also a practitioner at the 8th level of Qi Refinement.

"You shouldn't talk so irresponsibly, " the Qin family's servant, Zhong Xian, laughed, "regardless of how she came to be, her identity is still something. "

Liu Jiayi coldly harrumphed; his attitude made it clear that he wouldn't attach the slightest respect to her name.

"Regardless, do you think that personage would pay any attention to her?" Liu Jiayi retorted. It wasn't a secret that Qin Yao's entire life was a representation of her own father's weakness; her existence was a stain on his otherwise unsullied name.

"Let's find the miss, capture the murderer and restore peace." Zhong Xian smiled, not bothering to refute Liu Jiayi's words.

The noise of their footsteps slowly receded, and they were soon far past her hiding spot. Qin Yao had heard their conversation and couldn't help but smile bitterly. Whether it was in this life or her last, it seemed that she was fated to have a bad relationship with her family. She jogged off her unpleasant feelings and then found a place to spend the night.

A well-rested mind does great things, her late mother's words echoed in her mind.