Rising (III)

Xin Li, Nightfall...

As the evening passed, night soon arrived.

In the dark sky, the moon was beginning to shine through the night clouds that had not bid the sky its farewells.

While many in Xin Li were preparing for bed, an agile figure was lurking in the dark corners of Xin Li as if having done so many times. The figure's footsteps were nimble as the person made their way along the roads silently without catching anyone's attention on the road or more like no one could see that person.

Whenever the figure ran past someone, only an unknown rush of wind gushed passed them. Although they turned around, they would not see anyone.

The swift figure was heading on a branched out road from the main Zi He street. At the very end of the road, there was a medium looking size house that looked rather simple yet showed signs of their past prestige.

Around 20 years ago, this same household had looked very much different to how it used to be; it used to be as grand as a small palace so were many like this. However, now it was much simpler than before, still, the haughty air of the household was not entirely stripped away.

The figure stopped just in front of the household that had a big sign saying 'Zhang Household'.

As the figure stood in front of the Zhang household, the person crossed their arms in front, "What a state the Zhang household has become now. Still the same sign, but what a shabby looking place. Betraying me just for this? Even I had given them much better wealth tut tut."

Without wasting more time, the figure broke the door open and dashed inside. The servants of the household became alarmed, but when they came out to their main door, only the remains of the door were left in pieces on the ground.

Meanwhile, the figure had already made their way to the inner rooms of the household. There a middle-aged couple were still sleeping soundly in their beds and were yet to be alerted of the bandit that had arrived upon their doors.

The figure's lips revealed a cruel smile on their face as the figure brought out a long sword from behind their back.

The long sword was then brought closer to the middle-aged man's neck. The cold metal of the sword rested coldly on his neck.

The figure then watched carefully as the long sword was brought closer to the plain skin of the middle age man's neck.

Once the sword caused a cut on the middle age man's neck, the skin that had been cut began to sizzle up as if it was being fried with chemicals.

Immediately, the middle aged man opened his eyes from his sleep as the pain was no longer bearable.

However, once his eyes caught onto the person who was holding their sword at him, his eyes began to shake in fear. He quickly blinked again to make sure that he was just simply hallucinating, but he was not, it was truly her.

"...L..La..Lady...Ye..F..ei?" Even his voice was so weak and soft in the room that his furen who had been sleeping with him was still sleeping soundly.

Lady Ye Fei revealed a small smile, "Zhang Qi, happy to see me? Before you would always want to see me, now that I'm here, you should be happy, no?"

The head of the Zhang Household slowly got up with a sharp sword beside his neck. He sat humbly on his knees before the other person and the fear in his eyes was quickly shoved aside before quickly trying to stay on her good side, "Lady Ye Fei, this subordinate welcomes you back!"

"Shoo...you don't want to wake up your furen right? Let's see…"Lady Ye Fei tilted her head slightly as she tried to get a better look at the woman sleeping below her. Her bones cracked slightly as she moved her head, but she did not seem to care much about her neck before commenting shortly about the other person, "She looks old.'

On the other hand, minister Zhang Qi could not do anything and could only smile dryly as the person in front of him was always unpredictable. He quickly added to get on the good side of her, "My lady, you still look the same and haven't aged at all."

"Oh really?" Lady Ye Fei's voice was raised up slightly, "I thought I saw one wrinkle when I woke up today, you see, I was asleep for a very long time. If it weren't for Bao Bao, then I would not have woken up…"

Then, the window in the room broke open and in came a black crow with dark black eyes. The crow swooped closely above the minister Zhang's head before landing on Lady Ye Fei's shoulders gently.

With her other free hand, Lady Ye Fei brought it up and scratched the crow's neck lovingly, "Bao Bao ah, what would I do without you, hm?"

Meanwhile, the black crow began purring like a cat as the lady petted him.

"Oh, I almost forgot, Bao Bao also told me something when I woke up as well...do you want to know?"

Minister Zhang held his hands together before speaking, "This subordinate does not dare guess."

"You don't dare?" Slightly disappointed, Lady Ye Fei then spoke, "Oh. Then, I'll tell you, he said...my own subordinates had backstabbed me after that war...do you remember?"

Instantly, minister Zhang's entire body began shaking, "Lady...Ye Fei, I can expl…"

A wicked smile slowly grew wider on Lady Ye Fei's face as minister Zhang was speaking, but before long, she bid a cold farewell to her long time subordinate, "Bye bye comrade."

The crow shrieked in mockery as it saw Lady Ye Fei's sword dug into the man's neck from one side to the other in one stroke.

Blood splashed onto the middle-aged lady who was sleeping but minister Zhang did not even have the time to scream and his body was dissolved into black dust on the bedside that he had been sleeping on. Only until the morning would the lady finally realise what had happened.

Some of the blood had also flown onto Lady Ye Fei's old clothes as well, "Tch, now I have dirty blood on me." She placed her sword on her back with a wicked smile still on her face. However, her skin that had still been pale grew rosier and her bones that were in a bad shape began to come into its place more. Her eyes had also grown a lighter colour. It was almost a light red brown colour...

Lady Ye Fei closed her eyes as she slowly sniffed the energy source of life into her, "Ah, that is much bett...I smell a new moon." Her eyes popped open immediately.

Bao Bao began flapping uneasily, "Master, a new moon? How can that be?"

"Have I mistaken?" Lady Ye Fei walked to the window that was open and leaned over to look at the moon that was slowly shining in the night sky. Her eyes became cold, "I hate moons."

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Hui Lan's eyes popped open at once. She sprang up from her sleep as if having had a nightmare.

However, when she finally saw where she was, she gently massaged her eyes. Nevertheless, those eyes that she saw were still lingering in her thoughts.

...Those red brown eyes

The small noise from Hui Lan had made Feng Furen wake up from her nap.

Meanwhile, Xiao Chao simply turned his head slowly to Hui Lan to see what was going on with her. His big yellow eyes were looking at Hui Lan without much interest before turning his head back to where it had been.

"You're up?" Feng Furen was the first to speak.

Hui Lan slowly lowered her hand away from her face and turned to look at the other person in the room.

Both of their eyes met before Hui Lan nodded gently. She slowly looked up at Feng Furen before asking, "Are you alright, Feng...furen?"

Hearing Hui Lan call her Feng Furen made her heart itch. It was just...she had never heard Hui Lan say such words.

Hui Lan looked away from Feng Furen only then did she see a familiar small figure, "Xiao Mao." Hui Lan uttered underneath her breath.

Xiao Chao's heart jumped once as if he was caught by surprise.

...Xiao Mao? That was what she named her?

On the other hand, Hui Lan leaned over to the little fella that was sleeping beside her.

...How did he get here?

She was about to pat him when her eyes were locked with those big yellow eyes.

...It was that owl...Xiao Mao's father?

Hui Lan was unsure at first but in the end decided to greet the elder owl, "Hello, Xiao Mao's father…" Xiao Mao was almost a peerless snowy owl with some grey strokes here and there, Xiao Mao's feathers must have come from his mother's side then...one was peerless white and the other was peerless black...

"Greetings, young lady." Xiao Chao replied coolly to Hui Lan.

Young lady? Again!?

Nevertheless, Hui Lan smiled lightly, a while ago, he was still screaming at her when he found out that she could hear him now he was acting all cool. Seeing that Xiao Chao was still looking at her, she slowly averted her he then finally stroked Xiao Mao's slightly burnt face.

Feng Furen who had yet to know that Hui Lan could speak to her spiritual beast quickly sat up straight in her chair, "You can speak to Xiao Chao?"

Hui Lan looked away from Xiao Mao and to Feng Furen. She thought of Feng Furen's question before nodding silently.

To that, Feng Furen slowly leaned back in her chair again, "Interesting...what about other animals? Can you?" Feng Furen asked curiously.

Hui Lan took a brief moment to think before replying, "It has just been Xiao Mao, Xiao Mao's father and a mother-calf deer. That's all."

Feng Furen creased her brows slightly, "That's all?"

"En. May I ask why you are asking?" Hui Lan asked carefully.

"Because you might just be the first animal speaker." Xiao Chao spoke up from beside. He stood up on the bed and slowly raised up his long big black wings before flapping them back in again. He then leaned closer to Hui Lan and squinted his eyes before speaking, "But it seems this ability has not been fully activated yet. It seems you haven't found your spiritual beast yet."

"Spiritual Beast?" Hui Lan had no clue what Xiao Chao was talking about.

"Your son is not her Spiritual Beast?" Feng Furen asked curiously.

Xiao Chao turned his head to Feng Furen before speaking, "No. As for Xiao Mao, he would only grow up to be her ride and she will be his rider."

"Her ride? Xiao Chao, you...what have you been doing all these years?" Feng Furen was caught by surprise with Xiao Chao's comment.

Xiao Chao blinked once before speaking, "I've been happily married, just like you."

"Tch. Completely forgetting me. I let you go but you simply did not think of me ah, turns out you had a child of your own." Feng Furen showed her slightly hurt feelings.

"He's already a handful for both of us, but a joy for us as well." Xiao Chao's eyes took a brief glimpse at the small snowy bird beside him before taking them away.

"Who's your wife?"

Xiao Chao looked outside the window, "She's just a normal owl...but rather unnormal."

Feng Furen smiled as she was happy for her Spiritual Beast, "Normal or not if you love her and she loves you then that is good. That is why Xiao Mao could handle that kind of power and is just Hui Lan's ride, for now, right?"

"En." Xiao Chao then slowly turned to look at Feng Furen, "You talk as if Hui Lan is your own daughter."

Xiao Chao's sharp words caught Hui Lan and Feng Furen by surprise. The two looked at each other before looking away.

Seeing the mother and daughter pair acting all awkward, he gently shook his head before speaking, "Xiao Mao, you can wake up now. Your mother has been waiting for you." The two would probably need more time, so did Xiao Mao and his mother.

Xiao Mao peeked open one eye before closing it.

"Xiao Mao." Xiao Chao's voice rang again.

In the end, Xiao Mao could only support himself up, "Fine." His boyish voice replied.

"Xiao Mao, you're up!" Hui Lan was delighted to hear Xiao Mao's voice again. At first, she was still worried about the little fella.

"Miss…" Xiao Mao's voice cried pitifully before running into her for a hug.

Seeing his son's actions Xiao Chao could only silently turn to Feng Furen before speaking, "Princess, I will take my son first and we will be back tomorrow."

"En, I understand."

"Xiao Mao, let's go."

"But, die…" (Di-ah) Xiao Mao was about to refuse when his eyes met his father's eyes. He then no longer spoke anything.

"It was good meeting you Hui Lan, we shall meet again." Xiao Chao did not forget to bid Hui Lan his farewells before taking off into the sky with Xiao Mao.

The two flew up into the sky together and their figures became slowly distant.

Hence, in the room, it was just Feng Furen and Hui Lan left.

Hui Lan watched as the two owls flew off in the sky while she sat in her bed. On the other hand, Feng Furen took her eyes from the two owls to the young lady in front of her.

She heaved a sigh before speaking in the end, "Hui Lan...is that right?"

Hui Lan turned around slowly. Meeting Feng Furen's unmoving eyes, she replied, "Yes."

"Hm, can you...tell me how she died?"

Hui Lan was not surprised with Feng Furen's request and simply nodded.

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"That Damn Emperor!"