How To Screw Yourself Over

Chapter 1.9: A Farewell Gift

A/N: First half is the same, second half changed. Can you guess why Liu Han got angry in the first half? It wasn't because he was jealous.

Since Liu Han's little confession, he began to stick to Ash much more closely. He acted like a child clinging to his favorite toy. Ash felt incredibly unsettled.

This change wasn't particularly overt, but Liu Han's new attitude quickly revealed itself when some ruffians in X Country began hassling the group.

Ash didn't know people in this world were so open with their sexuality.

With a lecherous smile, the leader of the ruffians had sauntered over to Liu Han and, tilting the kid's head up, released debauched chortles as he said: "This one would look splendid underneath me. Don't touch him, he's mine."

As soon as the leader finished speaking, Ash cackled maliciously along with him. The appalled glance Liu Han immediately sent her way and the faintly baffled one the leader donned only fueled her laughter.

However, when another thug strolled up to Ash and threw an arm over her shoulder, curiosity replaced the mirth in her expression. Ash had never been in this situation as a man, so she was actually pretty interested in what the ruffian would say.

Unfortunately, Ash's curiosity was never sated. Before the man could open his mouth, Liu Han's hands were suddenly around his throat, raising the man off the floor and not relenting even as the man clawed at Liu Han's hands.

This alone wouldn't bother her, but the cold rage in Liu Han's eyes was rather informative. Ash didn't completely understand what was going on, but she knew she was getting the fuck out of there. It was like the opening scene of a horror movie and Ash doesn't want to be killed off, thank you very much.

Originally, Liu Han only wanted to go to X Country to sell the items he obtained in the Central Forest but, as Ash thought, Li Min recruited Liu Han's assistance. Apparently, the group is secretly preparing to fight against X Country's prime minister. Even if the scene from this afternoon hadn't occurred, Ash couldn't be bothered to deal with that, so she'd have left anyway.

Ash ditches the group that night. She wasn't rude enough to disappear without a word though, so she left a little note at the tavern the group stayed in.

Ash also gave Yin Hui a present. She hopes she likes it. Ash is rather fond of the girlie so she'd put quite a bit of thought into her gift.

Anyway, what should she do first?

In the end, Ash decides to shed her disguise first. Feng Yun is still fourteen, but Ash thinks that most of the Wang family's enemies have been eliminated by now. Besides, even if there are a few remaining foes who manage to locate Ash, she is no pushover. Ash is at the fifth stage and would be considered an expert no matter where she goes, so she can take care of herself.

Liu Han is still at the fourth stage, so Ash felt pretty damn smug when she overtook him. Even if, technically, she wasn't playing fair, she still beat the protagonist. She rubbed that in Liu Han's face until it devolved into multiple brawls. When she won, she felt like the cat that caught the canary.

(Even so, a sense of unease always remains in the back of her mind. Ash has never reacted kindly to manipulation and the way that her maturity and personality are so easily warped by an adolescent body is coming dangerously close to infringing upon her desire for control. Ash may have to search for a way to remedy this, whether it be her feelings on the matter or her lost maturity.)

Ducking into a nearby alley, Ash discards her plain clothing for something that appears more feminine and, extracting a waterskin from her interspatial pouch, washes the makeup off her face before she also dispels the appearance altering technique.