THE VILLAIN's APPRENTICE ✔

24 🗡 Rage of a Southern Guardian

"A-are you the real Da Xia?"

The woman chuckled and circled slowly around the little maiden, scrutinizing her face and body. She then stood in front of the petite girl again and stared directly at her.

"You are correct. I am the former owner of that body," she said. "Da Xia... I am now unfamiliar with that name, for I have been living my life as Princess Geng Jia, daughter of the king of Qiu country. My days of being Da Xia ceased the moment I possessed the dying body of this princess."

"W-what do you mean?" the petite girl asked, her voice trembling. Then, her eyes widened in shock when she realized something. "Are you the one who cast the Poison Blood curse?"

The corners of Princess Geng Jia's lips lifted in an eerie smile. "It is quite surprising that you are aware of the Poison Blood curse," she remarked. "Did the witch of Yellow Dirt City tell you that?" She then let out a long sigh, her eyes glazed with memories. "Years of being her apprentice finally paid off when I found the chronicles of the Poison Blood tribe's ancestors in her library. But with my weak qi, I failed to do an exchange with the person from another world. Instead, this happened to me. My soul possessed this princess's body who was believed to be in her dying days, while you possessed my former body."

The little maiden gasped, her mind in disarray. "Did you do the curse ritual while you were in the possession of Old Hao in Yellow Dirt City?"

The princess's expression turned grim when Old Hao was mentioned. "You just reminded me of someone who I must kill. That wretched man tried to make me his bedservant. But when his wife refused, he tried to sell me in a brothel," she said.

"But you are not mistaken. While I was imprisoned in that despicable man's manor, I performed the curse ritual and drew the seal with my blood. I initially thought that the curse was a ruse because nothing happened. But when I was taken to the gambling den before selling me to the brothel, my soul left my body and traveled to what seemed like a bottomless chasm. Then, I woke up as Princess Geng Jia – a weak princess who was just waiting for her demise. Fortunately, when I possessed her body, my vitality remained. Furthermore, my qi strengthened. That's why, Da Xia, I am probably the only one who can help you. Where is your original body?"

The petite girl swallowed hard and dropped her gaze to the ground as she tried to process everything that the woman revealed. If she was not mistaken, the ancient book indicated that Princess Geng Jia died of sickness almost at the same time when the original Da Xia was sold to a brothel. But since the original Da Xia possessed Princess Geng Jia's body and she possessed Da Xia's body, a lot of things changed compared to the events written in the ancient book. Since her soul was exchanged, would she really be able to return to her world if she passed through the Gate of Perfect Brightness?

Princess Geng Jia tilted her head to the side and stared at her with a measured gaze. "Didn't you enter my body of your own doing when my soul left it?"

"No," the little maiden replied urgently. "The curse you cast did this to us. My soul was transported to this world and—" She clamped her mouth shut and bit her bottom lip when she realized what she just blurted out.

"You're from another world?" Princess Geng Jia asked in amazement. "The curse I cast was not a complete failure?"

The petite girl remained silent, regretting her slip-up.

"I can return your soul to your original body," the princess said.

Da Xia's heart thumped erratically as she stared at the woman. She knew it was a gamble, but she was already desperate. Finding the old hermit in North Mountain country was also full of uncertainties. Perhaps with the now powerful Princess Geng Jia, she would be able to help her and Meili.