QIU----

"Was that…no way," one guard whispered to the other. "Seriously though, was that Sect Master Xian's lover who just ran by? The one he recently brought back?"

These two were just low-brow Graceful Dragon Sect lackeys. Their talent for the martial arts was limited, so they were posted at various points in the sect as guards.

The other guard nodded seriously in reply. "All I saw was a blur of fine silky locks and a thin frame, like a somber and graceful butterfly of the morning skies. I think we can assume that it was her."

"That was poetic, man. But can you believe that our flippant Sect Master would take a liking to a lady like her?"

That guard gave a shrug, just as clueless, then seemed to remember something.

"Oh yeah, I wonder why her ladyship Lai was running like that? It looked as though she were chasing after someone-"

"I saw it. It was Qiu! She's at it again, pestering others until they nearly go mad."

Now understanding dawned on the guard's face. "As usual, Qiu is a wild child. Sect Master Xian is really too easy on her…er, I wonder if it's all right that her Ladyship Lai has gone out after her. Do you think the Sect Master will be mad we let her leave?"

There was a tense pause.

"Naaah. Sect Master Xian never said she couldn't leave, he just said to let him know immediately if lady Lai left…shit. We better go inform him soon."

…

Meanwhile, Lai Yiteng was still chasing after that darned girl. He'd almost caught up with her, but many times that he was about to grab her by the ponytail, she'd round the corner of a building or find a good statue to hide behind. She was giggling as she raced out into the wilderness that surrounded Graceful Dragon Sect by hopping up onto a tree, then over the outer sect wall.

Several other random Graceful Dragon sect members passing by were in awe at the scene, and especially surprised when they saw Lai Yiteng. Everyone had been talking about the 'girl' Xian Wu brought back, after all, but next to no one had seen her! 

Still, Lai Yiteng didn't listen for those kinds of dumb rumors.

All he cared about was getting his knife back.

He managed to bunch the muscles in his legs and jump straight to the top of the wall. His bare feet hit the edge of the tiles as he used the top edge of the wall to propel himself over to the other side. Wind whistled by him as he thudded into the ground, then his gaze locked ruthlessly onto the girl a few feet away from him.

But from even this short but intense chase, Lai Yiteng's breathing pace was completely off-time, he began to feel lightheaded and exhausted. He couldn't prevent himself from hunching over slightly as he gulped down air like a feeble old man.

Eventually, he staggered backward and leaned down against a tree.

The girl who's been running from him, laughing and having a good time, stopped. She looked over at him curiously as though wondering why Lai Yiteng didn't chase after her anymore, her own pudgy cheeks rosy from sprinting around so long.

"Dammit," Lai Yiteng swore after a heavy breath. He wiped the sweat of his brow as the exhaustion of pressing himself so hard kicked in.

Fuck this. He mind was itching with frustration. Not just at the girl, either. It was frustration towards himself, for not being able to do something so simple.

He fisted his hand and pounded it against the tree he leaned on.

It was a maple tree, leaves just starting to turn color from fall, and several of the bright red leaves fell off from the force of Lai Yiteng's strike. They gradually settled onto the ground.

By that point Lai Yiteng had collected himself. He glanced at the knuckles on his right hand, bloodied.

"Hey, cross-dressing Mister, are you okay?"

Lai Yiteng gave an aggravated glance her direction, his brow furrowed. Then he tapped the spot on the maple tree trunk that he'd left a dent in. The bark was broken and splintered all around.

"I am fine. You won't be if you don't return my knife immediately."

"…" that girl let her eyes roll to the side in thought, then twisted back and forth on her heels. "Fine…I never said I wouldn't return it! Besides, I didn't know that you'd be so-"

Lai Yiteng's vicious expression shut her up.

She just smiled and held out the knife to him, and he snatched it back within a second. Greatly disgruntled, Lai Yiteng tucked it away into the chest area of his dress. He gave a light cough.

"Why are you cross-dressing, Mister?" the girl asked, now crowding around Lai Yiteng as though they were friends or something.

She was in the room, and must have seen Lai Yiteng when he took off part of his robe to check the condition of his back. Now Lai Yiteng thought of dragging her out in the woods and ending her, just so she wouldn't spread that secret around.

But…technically…she hadn't attacked him.

Stupid contract.

"Do not speak to me," was all Lai Yiteng said, curtly. He had his knife and was turning to return to Xian Wu's private mansion.

But this darned pest of a child walked right in front of him. Her eyes were big and blinking, curls of hair framing her fact in a way that added to the charm. She really couldn't be very old, as her height only reached Lai Yiteng's abdomen.

"Mister, I won't say anything, I get it," she winked with a smile, looking cheerful as ever. "But I didn't know that Xian Wu would try to hide that he's a cut sleeve…"

Lai Yiteng scoffed. "Who knows what he's hiding. I wouldn't know what he thinks or who he likes."

…but why was it he didn't hate this girl's idea that badly?

The girl pointed to herself. "Everyone calls me Qiu. That's because I like to pester people and make them angry. You know, for fun. Anyway, if I ever get beat up for the pranks I pull, then I'll curl up into a ball to try and avoid their hands and fists. That's why I started getting' called 'Qiu'!"

Qiu, as one can expect by now, means 'ball'.

Why did she seem so proud of that nickname?! Lai Yiteng realized that this girl, just like Xian Wu, was a complete and utter weirdo.

This wasn't all the day had in store for Lai Yiteng, however. As within the next seconds, a group of crows flew up from the nearby forest, cawing unhappily. Lai Yiteng thought he spotted a crow with a bit of rust color on its wings--just like the crow he'd known before.

...of course, he didn't know that this crow's name was Mildew.

Mildew flew shakily in the air, its other previous crow friends unnerved by it. After being hit by a gust of wind in the sky, Mildew began to fall towards the ground and disappeared below the tree line of the forest surrounding them...