After coming across two small lakes of water with waterfalls in short succession, something comes to Hyang's mind. He has blood on him and is dirty.
Hyang: "You know, we haven't showered for over 20 years, and this is the second perfect spot at which one can cleanse oneself, and it is not too far off from the other. So how about we wash ourselves up and rejoin here after? I'll run to the one we passed by an hour earlier. You can take this one."
Perlmut: "If you think so."
Perlmut says, unfazed by the decade long showerlessness, she had gotten used to it long before starting to cultivate with her Rex.
And so the two depart and go on their way to cleanse themselves.
While running, Hyang chooses to wash himself faster so that he can join Perlmut again in a timely manner, as he has to run awhile after all.
First and foremost, Perlmut puts down Rex. A fair bit away from the water, on a spot where, if you wanted to, you could still clearly see Perlmut's face. She also gets rid of all the snow that had built up on her. Getting closer to the water, Perlmut starts to undress herself on a still dry spot, uncrowning herself and revealing her shockingly hideous and utterly grotesque appearance. Now ready, she submerges herself into the water and starts to sing while she washes herself, managing to sew Qi into her voice, creating a horrifying tune, one capable of affecting people's minds, driving them mad. A voice that would scare off even monsters if only she sang louder. And that all because she was forced to once swallow a burning hot, red, glowing sword as a trick in a circus show, just for the entertainment of one powerful person. Also, she did learn to not sound as frightening anymore. Singing wholeheartedly makes it impossible for her to not use her true voice. And to add to that, thanks to the crown, she now usually has no need to try talking in a non horrific voice, leaving her a bit out of practice.
All while Hyang has already started speed washing under the waterfall like a professional and serious shower taker.
On Perlmut's side, during her quiet singing session. A bit further away from her, a bunch of bandits close in, unaware of her. With their boss carrying all the loot from their last successful robbering steel thievery. Loot from a plant robbery on a transport wagon where they were lurking for one to pass by so the gang would be in front of the wagon. As he gets closer to the water, he sees an unusually white spot. In fact, he makes it out to be snow. Giving a signal to proceed with caution, the bandits spread in a semi orderly fashion, creating nearly a half circle with the leader in the middle and front of it. As the leader passes by the snow that covers Rex, he looks at the water, hearing silent whispering singing, driving him madder and madder. Making him hold the ankle of his hand that doesn't have their spacial ring until he finally sees Perlmut's face. Maddened by her voice, the shock of seeing her face overwhelms him, and he grabs his ankle too tight. While also immediately moving his arms apart from the shock, ripping his hand off on accident as he drops dead, overwhelmed by the shock as sherry on top, he got a heart attack. Not looking good for his rack tack lot.
Noticing what just happened, one accidentally steps on ❄️ Rex Unustuse.
❄️Bandit pawn 1 whisper: "What happened? I can't feel my legs anymore."
Bandit pawn 2 whisper: "I'm just as scared. Big Bro dropped dead, and there was nothing, not even a gust of wind."
❄️Bandit pawn 1 whisper: "I didn't-"
Second in command whisper: "Psst, go get the Ring Hatman."
Bandit pawn 1/ ❄️Hatman whisper: "I can't move."
Second in command whisper: "Ugh, then you do it Ratman."
Bandit pawn 2/ Ratman whisper: "I don't think we should even try to get it, considering whatever it was got our Boss like a heart attack."
Second in command whisper: "Seriously, you two... I'll go get the Ring, and don't even-"
Perlmut: "Don't even think you'll get away scot free for spying on a lady." She accidentally says in her normal voice, driving anyone mad looking at her face, fainting in the process as they were lucky enough to not hear her sing.
ERROR
The ones fortunate enough to not have seen her face run away in fear. One of which got his feet behind his rear, his legs stomping in the air behind him in a spring like fashion. He isn't any faster than the others, but one would think he is using some technique for it. Well, until the moment that he fell down, stood up, and continued running in a normal way. Only Hatmat didn't run, as he is too small to see her towering above him with his hat on his head and his body stiffened from cold. Unable to stay awake as he gets colder, he falls asleep, escaping the madness that would have driven him insane like the others that have now fainted. All thanks to the sleepiness caused by this now soothing cold.
Perlmut: "Cultivating certainly made me stronger. I've never had anyone faint like that. And even less bandits."
Perlmut treats Hatman like a child and takes him from atop Rex, putting him somewhere else.
Perlmut: "Poor little guy."
Deciding she was finished with bathing, she takes the Spacial ring of their former boss.
Perlmut: "I feel like I'll be starting a collection of those at this point."
She takes a gold coin out of the spacial ring and puts it in Hatman's pocket.
Perlmut: "Here, little guy, in case you wake up. You look like you need it to grow big and strong."
She taps his shoulder on his back sportily with her palm, aware that his arms are hairy.
Finally, she puts her clothes back on and disguises herself again as motherfucking Marie Madeleine Charlotte de Foix. She encloses Rex back into her hair too and goes to reunite with Hyang, who was already waiting for her.