Tu Xiao'an was now Level 26. If his Consciousness Power were to envelop an ordinary person, he could kill them in an instant.

Let alone someone who could dissipate his Consciousness Power.

This widow-faced proprietress looked perfectly normal, but to Tu Xiao'an, everything about her screamed strange.

The first strange thing was the complete absence of any perceptible Qi from her. Even when she had just dissipated his Consciousness Power, she hadn't emitted any powerful aura.

This was exceptionally bizarre. The more powerful a Martial Cultivator or Awakened Creature was, the stronger and more obvious their Qi should be.

But this proprietress was like thin air; it was impossible to sense her Qi at all.

She was completely unfathomable.

The second thing was the noodles. They were exquisitely delicious, and eating them made one's entire body feel comfortable and warm. The bowl of noodles was a masterpiece.

Using a Snake-based broth for the noodles was also a novel approach.

She claimed it was just a good species of Snake, but after a single sip of the broth, Tu Xiao'an was certain it was a rare Snake Species.

The blood and flesh of a rare Snake Species were anything but ordinary. Otherwise, a single one wouldn't be priced in the millions and still be nearly impossible to find.

For her to use a venomous snake from a rare Snake Species to make broth for noodles... wasn't that a bit too extravagant?

In that case, the price of the noodles wasn't expensive at all; it was an absolute bargain.

"So you really aren't an ordinary person, Boss Lady. But you're way too good at putting on an act."

Tu Xiao'an watched her with a smile, but his tone was cold. 'She's really committed to the act,' he thought, 'refusing to drop it until the very end.'

"You say I'm not an ordinary person, young man. Then what am I? A ghost, perhaps?"

Freed from his hold, the proprietress feigned a look of terror, scrambling back several steps on the bed.

'Is she some kind of drama queen? This is getting ridiculous.' Tu Xiao'an had to admit she was a better actor than he was.

"I really was starting to suspect you're a ghost. You have no human Qi, no Demon Qi."

The widow-faced proprietress laughed. "But ghosts have an aura of resentment, you know."

"Then what exactly are you?"

"Just think of me as a God. Who knows, if I'm in a good mood, I might even bless you," she giggled, but her voice betrayed neither joy nor sorrow.

Tu Xiao'an frowned. "Still playing mysterious? Since I followed you in here, I'm determined to find out who you really are."

She was a complete mystery, a woman even he couldn't see through.

"Show me your true face, or I won't be so courteous."

The proprietress got off the bed and stood, staring coldly at Tu Xiao'an. After a moment, she let out a sudden, unnerving chuckle.

"So young, yet so temperamental. Aren't you just after my beautiful body? Well then, watch closely."

She was wearing a tight black top and a pair of pants. Now, she actually began to take off her pants, revealing a long, slender thigh.

But it was just the same: the skin was dark and unattractive, ravaged by the years.

Why was Tu Xiao'an so certain this wasn't her true appearance? Because a person's temperament and aura are often more telling than their words.

This proprietress kept referring to herself with such arrogance and acted so eccentrically and bossily, but it all lacked a certain authentic flair.

It felt put-on. And again, there was the fact that he couldn't see through her at all—she emanated no Qi whatsoever.

"Is my body beautiful?"

She took off her pants and asked with a smile, completely shameless.

"Not at all," Tu Xiao'an said flatly.

She replied, "Then wait and see."

RUSTLE... RUSTLE...

A crisp, drawn-out rustling sound filled the air, like a Snake shedding its skin. Bizarrely, she began to peel off her own skin.

That's right—peeling it off, just like taking off clothes.

In a strange motion, she peeled it from the bottom up, slowly sloughing off the outer layer of dark skin.

The scene left Tu Xiao'an dumbfounded. At first, he'd thought she was wearing makeup, but when he'd touched her face, the texture had felt real.

Then he couldn't help but wonder if it was some kind of disguise from a martial arts novel, one that could completely alter a person's appearance without sacrificing a realistic feel.

However, for all his speculation, Tu Xiao'an was wrong. It was molting. Like a Snake, she could actually shed her own skin.

And underneath, a brand-new layer of skin was revealed.

This only made Tu Xiao'an more wary of the proprietress. She revealed no Qi, making it impossible to gauge her strength, yet she had easily dissipated the binding of his powerful Consciousness Power.

This woman was unnaturally powerful.

He was starting to question whether his meddling had been a good idea. It looked like he was about to provoke a major boss.

The proprietress continued her miraculous molting, but the process was slow. She was extremely careful, as if afraid the skin she was removing might be damaged.

A full ten minutes passed.

A completely unfamiliar woman stood before him. Her figure was still perfect, absolutely flawless.

Her skin was fairer than snow, as smooth as polished white jade. Her long, slender legs were perfectly straight, accentuating her exquisite curves.

And her face—it was no longer the widow's face full of freckles and wrinkles. Instead, it was a visage of breathtaking beauty. She was like a peony bud on the verge of blooming: beautiful but not gaudy, gorgeous but not vulgar, possessing an unparalleled, multifaceted grace.

With the molting complete, the transformed proprietress smiled, a natural, bewitching charm radiating from her. Her large, limpid eyes were both enchanting and playful as she gazed at the handsome young man before her and softly spoke...

"Am I beautiful now?"

Tu Xiao'an stared intently, his eyes fixed on the stunning, completely "transformed" beauty before him. He swallowed hard. 'It's like magic.'

He wanted to save face and say, "You're hideous. Mind-blowingly ugly."

But he couldn't bring himself to say something so contrary to the truth, just like the customer in the shop earlier, when she, still with her widow's face, had asked, "Am I ugly?"

The customer hadn't wanted to lie and say she wasn't.

"Is this your real face?" Tu Xiao'an asked, uncertain.

She gave him a dazzling smile. "Absolutely."

'What a psycho!'

'To be beautiful enough to topple nations, yet insist on pretending to be ugly just to gross people out.'

'Was she just trying to see what it felt like to be ugly?'

'It was like a rich tycoon who, on a whim, decides to see what it's like to be a beggar.'

'Or like an ancient Emperor on an incognito tour, disguised as a commoner, waiting for some villain to cross him.'

'Then he would make a grand reveal of his identity as the Emperor, just to enjoy the sight of people looking dumbfounded and terrified.'

'That kind of sick hobby was a little twisted.'

Beauty and ugliness were two extremes, but both could leave a deep impression. Obviously, though, beautiful things were far more pleasing to the eye.

With a face like hers, even if the noodles were inedible, the restaurant's business would probably still be booming.

This woman's strange behavior and unconventional ways only made Tu Xiao'an all the more curious about her.