CHAPTER 417: CHAPTER 217: THORNS AND BEASTS, PURIFICATION AND PLEAS

I never dared to recall the scene that night in "Fengxi Village".

Broken corpses and collapsed houses, crimson blood pooled on the ground like maple syrup.

"Did I do this?" I kept asking myself this over and over in my heart.

But the shredded flesh between my fingers, and the nauseating yet deliciously sweet blood in my mouth, already gave me the answer.

I had become a monster.

...

It’s like that maple forest behind the village, even though I entered it at the break of dawn, by the time I looked up again, the sun had already set.

The days in the forest always passed swiftly.

I probably know what happened to me.

So after that night, I rarely interacted with others.

I spent my days wandering in the depths of the mountains, only occasionally venturing to nearby towns in the brightest noon sunlight to exchange for necessary supplies with the residents.

But it never lasted long.

The murmurs echoing in my ears, and the increasingly rampant beastly roars in my heart consumed my consciousness on those nights when the moonlight was as bright as daylight.

No matter how far I escaped.

When I woke up, I was still covered in blood.

In front of me, there were always more or less a few corpses lying around.

I gradually started to get used to it.

I even stopped resisting the beast lurking in the depths of my heart’s shadow.

The time I spent on all fours grew longer, and the days I walked on two legs grew shorter.

Memories of once being human became increasingly blurred, I even forgot my own name.

Many times, it truly felt like I was just a cold, cruel beast.

Until that day, I met a powerful adventurer.

He seemed to have seen the blood at my claws, and that glow more intense than the sun injured me severely.

My consciousness became even more blurred, with no idea where I fled.

As I lay under the tree, thinking I was about to die like this.

Reine appeared.

Even today, I still remember how she looked at that moment in my eyes.

The piercing sunlight shone from behind her, as if enveloping her in a gentle holy light, flowing through strands of her bright golden hair, rendering her appearance extraordinarily sacred.

She wore a pure white robe, with a thorn necklace dipping into her collar, only partially visible, and from her fair palms emanated a life-filled green light, so warm and soothing.

Thanks to it, my wounds recovered.

As if sensing the unnaturalness in my demeanor, and the anxiety and pain in my heart.

Before parting, Reine gave me a small bunch of wild mint she had gathered nearby.

She said, "Mint grows in unremarkable corners, yet possesses a crisp fragrance, dispelling filth and bringing peace."

"The grace bestowed by the Divine, sometimes is like this bunch of mint, small and resilient, offering comfort when needed."

"Resilient vitality, small acts of kindness, purification and hope."

For some reason, even though I’ve forgotten my own name, and memories of being human are as hazy as clouds, I always remember these words of hers.

And that bunch of mint, with its cool, faint fragrance, truly seemed to calm my heart.

I dared not approach the town where Reine lived.

Because I feared that what happened in "Fengxi Village" might replay upon that town.

Yet the inexplicable emotions surging within me still led me to secretly hide in dimly lit alleys during the most stable moments each month, just to catch a glimpse of her from afar.

Watching her tend to the knee wounds of mischievous children, dispel the illness of a pallid-faced wife in her husband’s embrace, recite eulogies for the deceased at funerals.

Unlike myself, Reine was the most beloved person in the entire town.

I thought the days would just pass like this, until one day I truly gathered the courage, or perhaps found a way to suppress the beast within me.

But even I knew, with bloodstained hands and a burdened conscience, I did not deserve such a peaceful life.

Reine left, with two unfamiliar adventurers.

I sincerely felt joy for her finding her path, and genuinely wished her to walk the path of an adventurer.

But the sharp perception from the beast allowed me to smell the gloomy stench emanating from those two adventurers.

The unease welling in my heart caused me to secretly follow them.

And what happened afterward was the first time I felt grateful for possessing the beast’s strength.

I rescued Reine’s body from those two adventurers.

She was not afraid of my beastly body, nor was there any disdain in her eyes.

Her injuries were so severe she could not speak, only in her dying moments, she tightly grasped that necklace always buried under her collar, handing it to me.

The necklace was beautiful, woven from thorns, with a crystal stone emitting green light hanging at the bottom, reflecting Reine’s pale face.

Those two adventurers were very strong, even the beastly version of me was no match for them.

Constantly fleeing.

Perhaps it was the anger in my heart, the desire for revenge and strength, I found that my mind was gradually clearing.

The beastly instinct roaring within, and the whispers echoing in my ears seemed to dissolve into the mane trembling with my running.

Inexplicable knowledge surged in my mind as if instinctively, I began to control the beast deep inside me and grasped the abilities to manipulate thorns and command beasts.

But these alone were completely insufficient against those two experienced Senior Adventurers.