Chapter 12

Beaten Scum

Si Huang was reminded of a sulky child when she heard its tone in the last part of its sentence. She sniggered. The danger in her eyes disappeared too. However, she was determined to power up.

Once Si Huang made a decision, no one could stand in her way. Wu Bao was well aware of this. After a fruitless round of persuading, it gave up and went along with Si Huang’s wishes.

Before the power-up, Wu Bao reminded Si Huang, “Your first power-up sets up your foundation, Your Highness, so it’s very important. You must hold on for as long as you can… Even if it hurts.” Wu Bao had no idea how painful it would be. It had never experienced it itself, so it had no way of understanding how painful it would get.

Si Huang was amused by the way Wu Bao continuously called her “Your Highness” in its naive little voice. She did not discourage its thirst for knowledge either. Wu Bao kept imitating anything related to Si Huang online after being introduced to the wonders of the internet.

Si Huang gave Zhao Limei a call, telling her not to come over tomorrow just to avoid any unwanted accidents. Si Huang was glad that she had taken precautions before the time came for her to endure the transformation, as it would be really agonizing.

Initially, the warm sensation that entered her body felt like candy seducing her to approach it. Before she could taste it, she was overcome by a piercing agony that made her feel like her bones and flesh were rearranging themselves. This was probably the feeling of her bones suddenly growing, her blood and flesh flowing backward, and her blood vessels bursting and rebuilding themselves. This made Si Huang collapse on the ground and convulse. Soon, her back was drenched in sweat.

However, Si Huang did not cry out. To her, mental torture was more unbearable than physical pain. It made her completely forget about opening her mouth to scream in pain. There was a growling wild beast hidden in the deepest recesses of her soul.

Time passed slowly, and she lost track of it. Wu Bao’s encouraging voice echoed in her mind, but it gradually blurred out as time passed. Finally, Si Huang actually smiled.

This agony was terrifying. So terrifying that she felt masochistically carefree. She remembered the numb hopelessness that she had felt just before her death. It was as though a large, empty black hole had made everything in front of her burst along with her sensory organs and kept growing bigger and bigger. This agony soon turned into a sweet form of torture, giving Si Huang a clear sense of hope that stemmed from the very core of her being.

Si Huang had no idea when she had passed out. By the time she woke up, it was night time of the very next day.

The clothes on her back were crumpled, as if they had gone through the wringer, and they reeked of a strange stench of blood and sweat. Si Huang didn’t need a mirror to know that she looked horrible right now.

She shook her head and cut off Wu Bao’s excited nagging, which had begun as soon as she’d woken up. “Give my brain a break.”

Wu Bao shut up.

Si Huang enjoyed a rare 20-minute aromatherapy bath. She felt more refreshed than ever before and felt a clear change in her body.

Her eyes flashed with surprise. Then, she walked toward the floor-length mirror.

Despite being used to seeing handsome men and gorgeous ladies, Si Huang couldn’t help agreeing that the person in the mirror was indeed blessed. Her tall, lanky body was proportioned according to the golden ratio. Her skin was fairer than ever, yet it did not feel delicate. It was glowing with a smooth luster like white jade. The sight of it alone was enough to make one gasp, giving them the urge to touch her just to see if her skin really was as smooth as jade, yet it felt blasphemous to touch it so freely.

Her features seemed unchanged yet slightly different. Si Huang squinted and finally figured out why.

Her complexion had improved, allowing her already perfect features to glow with a healthy radiance. Her pupils and the whites of her eyes were even more defined than ever, as if they had been washed. If one inspected her carefully from extremely close proximity, they’d notice that the rims of her eyes looked like circular rings of pure, dark green.

Even Si Huang, who had been born a woman, couldn’t help admitting that she looked like an enchantress that could bring ruin upon the human race if she walked out looking like this. She looked like the type that did not emit a demonic aura to boot.

“You’re amazing, Your Highness. You actually held on until the end! The effects are awesome! You’ve even received a special reward!” Wu Bao took advantage of Si Huang’s silence and jumped in again.

Si Huang turned to the side. Her heart leaped at the sight of her now smooth back, which was devoid of any scars from the lashing she had previously received. “A special reward?” she asked.

“Your aesthetic value has increased too!” Wu Bao announced with a classy tone.

Si Huang chuckled upon hearing Wu Bao’s newly-learned modern slang. “Is that all?” She wrapped herself up in a bathrobe and walked out.

“What do you mean ‘is that all’? The Fifth Absolute earned his name because his first absolute was his extraordinary good looks. This is very important! It’ll be very useful to you when you begin training for the other absolute skills!” It paused and lowered its voice. “However, your aesthetic value is already off the charts, Your Highness, so the effects of the power-up don’t look like much. He he.”

Si Huang only paid attention when Wu Bao mentioned that her looks would be related to training for other absolute skills. Her expression looked mildly strange, but she didn’t rush into an interrogation. She was just putting on her pants when she suddenly paused midway. “Wu Bao, have I grown taller?”

“Yup. By five centimeters.”

Si Huang sighed. That explained the agonizing torture of distending pain in her bones and muscles yesterday. She took off her half-pulled-on pants, chose a longer pair of black casual pants, put on a long-sleeved t-shirt, and layered it with a black sweater with a stand-up collar. This was simple attire, yet Si Huang seemed to elevate the outfit into international luxury brand status like a supermodel.

“I have to shop for clothes again, and it’s only been a few days.” Si Huang gently shook her head, pulled out a black baseball cap, and walked out.

She noticed a few missed call notifications on her phone from yesterday as she left the house. She raised her brow and ignored them all. She silenced her phone and put it on vibrate mode before stuffing it into her pants pocket.

In order to explain the missed calls, one would have to turn the clock back to the previous day.

Si Zhihan had a complicated look on his face after Si Huang hung up on him. He was more mystified than angry. This was the first time he’d ever heard Si Huang speak to him in this way. She’d even rebelled against him.

Si Zhihan had never thought that Si Huang would have the courage to go against his orders and refuse to come home. In fact, when he arrived home and didn’t see her, he was under the impression that Si Huang was on a long journey.

Bai Qinglan immediately broke down into sobs, lamenting over Si Huang’s crimes when she saw that Si Zhihan had arrived home. Si Hua only went downstairs when it was time for dinner. He looked frail and pitiful due to the pale look on his face and the bandage around his head. As a result, Si Zhihan, who had already grown irritable after hearing Bai Qinglan’s excessive lamenting, naturally directed his rage at Si Huang, who still hadn’t arrived home.

By the time the family of three had finished dinner, Si Huang still hadn’t gotten home. Of course, Bai Qinglan wouldn’t miss out on this opportunity to badmouth her. The grim look on Si Zhihan’s face was enough to convey how displeased he was with Si Huang.

“Dad, look at this,” Si Hua said, placing a tablet in front of Si Zhihan.

The tablet showcased the three hottest discussion threads on the forum of Star Youth Academy of Arts, which had spread even wider after three days. Si Hua did not notice the slight change in Si Zhihan’s eyes. “Director Liu was supposed to cast me in that role.” He complained pitifully. “I don’t know what Si Huang did to take that role from me. He’s never studied acting. It would have been fine if he’d just showed up and simply read the script. How could he possibly have played the part well? Let’s hope he doesn’t end up humiliating Prime Entertainment.”