The Crippled Woman

Was I really sleeping or was I awake?

The feeling of burn coursing through my veins. It was like my five senses roared alive.

For a moment, I found myself in someplace ancient, a chamber roughly the size of a workplace. Beneath my feet were wooden floorboards which seemed like they would squeak on each step. The light from the fireplace made the room come to a clearer view.

There were two tables of varying sizes, all covered in glass bottles and bowls. My eyes caught several objects that I had no words for. In the room, there was already a woman sitting in a wheelchair as though she was keeping herself warm beside the fireplace.

The place was something else that I was oddly familiar with. I just wondered when I had ever gone to this place. Instinctively, I took another step.

As I got closer, what came to my sight almost pulled me out of my shock. My eyes took in the girl's appearance: a dark brown hair combed with a simple wooden hairpin, black eyes, pale lips, and her thin body was wrapped with a dark blue winter cape.

My mouth almost dropped open.

No. That couldn't be.

I was staring at the girl as she swiveled around her head and her eyes met mine.

It was like I was looking at my twin. There was no doubt in the resemblance. Apart from her looking like she had been sickly all her life, our looks were very much alike.

"What do you want?" She cast me a sharp gaze like a warning, her face locked in its harsh expression.

What did she want me to say?

Okay, I thought I was going mad. A sudden pang of dread slammed me. My throat was too tight, I could barely speak.

But before I even opened my mouth, a voice sounded behind my ear. "I'm here for you."

My eyes widened. A shadow passed through me like I was some invisible wall. It was a man, and to my surprise, I knew his back very well. That tall and lean in an athletic way, chiseled features. Even if he had long hair at the moment, I could still recognize him.

Jie Moshu? Why was he here? How could he not see me?

Jie Moshu was wearing a long black robe, his shoulders cascading the same black cape. He crouched down on his knee, straddled beside the girl. Her eyes widened when Jie Moshu tried to grab her hand in his, but she didn't shove him away—or rather she couldn't.

Still, Jie Moshu wrapped his fingers onto her hands as if he was warming her with his body's warmth.

The girl had now looked away and drew in a deep breath. She said in a cold, mild voice, "Do with what you will."

Jie Moshu stared at the girl, his dark eyes reflected his emotions. His hands then tightened around her waist as he swiftly carried her under his arms like she was as light as feathers.

"What are you doing?" She thundered, obviously not pleased with his action. "I know your face. You're the guy from the Black Dragon clan, my enemy's clan. Aren't you here to kill me?"

He didn't answer.

Desperately, the girl tried to struggle but her hopeless body didn't move an inch. She swallowed hard, aware of the vulnerability of her position. A girl who was sitting in a wheelchair, and he was a healthy strong man. There was no way out.

But from the expression on Jie Moshu's face, I knew he wasn't doing any of her accusations. The sparkle in his dark eyes held all the warmth of this winter. He stared at her for a long moment, feeling the surging pulse in her wrist told him she was alive and well. Forcing him to stay in control, he spoke slowly. "The Black Dragon clan is coming for you. In no time, they'll reach here. This is no longer a haven."

She shot him a sideways glance. "And why would you bother yourself with a cripple woman like me?"

"Because I want to." Jie Moshu leaped out from where he was standing, carrying the girl close to his chest. He took her as he bolted out from the room. They moved so fast at the speed of the wind. Unconsciously, I was dragged alongside with them.

Another load of images entered my vision.

"STOP THEM!" A loud cry commanded, the number of men that surrounded us didn't make any sense. All of them with a familiar hungry look in their eyes. They raised their swords at them; Jie Moshu with the girl straddling on his back. Two against a bunch of sect-dressed men. Why was I taken to this place?

The whole world had completely turned white. The snow kept pouring down, covering the grounds into thick inches of powder. Grey clouds smothered the sky. I didn't feel the cold, but both Jie Moshu and the girl's lips dried and cracked. Winter had taken the woods into its mouth and bit hard.

"Moshu! You traitor!" Another voice came from my right side. "You've infatuated yourself with such a disgraceful woman! You too shall be beheaded!"

My eyes moved incredulously to the girl. Two deep-set eyes looked at those so-called Black Dragon clan members. She showed no expression. No fear. No anxiety.

"If you hand over her right now, the Head Clan might show some mercy for you—"

"No," Jie Moshu gripped the girl's hand even tighter. A sense of dark energy flowed through him. It permeated even to the air they were breathing. The power building from him was enormous, causing the skies to darken and clouds to form. Thunder rumbled. Those sect member men stared in pure horror.

"Any of you dare to touch a strand of her hair, I'll rip you to pieces!"

Ignoring Jie Moshu's warning, those men came storming at a speed that a puma would envy. Their long swords flashing, their black robes billowing out like clouds of death. One of the men tried to swing his sword at Jie Moshu but all went to waste.

It happened within a blink of an eye. As if the raining snow came to a stop, a gust of massive wind swept those men off their feet. They were thrown away so violently and ended up knocking their bodies onto a pile of snow.

"Why are you doing this?" The girl whispered stiffly, "I barely even know you."

A thin smile came to Jie Moshu's face. His hands braced her back into his arms. He slid his hand to her face, pushing back a stray strand of hair. His eyes locked and searched on hers, looking deeply into those deep brown eyes. "Nothing matters the most than you."

"Even if—" The girl took a deep breath, closed her eyes as if she was struggling within herself. "Even if you help me escape from them, I'll still die. My body suffers from a mysterious disease. I'm only waiting for my time to end."

"So be it," Jie Moshu said. "I'll accompany you through your time. A companion, a friend, a husband; anything you want, I'll do to your wishes." He gave her a meaningful look as if he had put together an argument she couldn't possibly object to.

She snarled in a soft voice, "A cripple woman like me? I'll only stand in your way."

"Then, stand in my way forever," his voice was as soft as silk. At the girl's continued confusion, he lifted her chin, gaze deeply into her eyes. "I'll never leave your side. Ever."

I shivered not because of the chill in the air, it was because of the girl.

In seconds, Jie Moshu's expression darkened at her sudden groan of pain. Like invisible daggers plunging into her chest one at a time, her mouth trickled with drops of blood. Her face paled. She was aching from head to toe.

I hadn't thought it was possible but I knew what she was suffering from since I had known it myself. The ultimate beauty poison.

"Y-you give me nice words right before I die," the girl whimpered, her breath came in ragged gasps. "Seems like having my martial arts maimed away from me, isn't—a bad thing after all."

With cold, trembling hands, Jie Moshu's arms closed around the girl, and he started rocking her back and forth. "Ssh. Ssh. Everything will be alright, you won't die. We still have a lot of days to pass on together. We still have Axia—"

He finally caught on to his words. Tears pricked his eyes and slowly streamed down his face even if he had tried to hold back.

The girl drew in a breath. Her lips curved into a smile as the color on her face had gone paler on each second. "W-why would you cry for me? What a funny man."

Jie Moshu held on to her that much tighter and just let the tears flow into a steady stream of quiet ones. He mumbled beside her ear, "Yuhua, I'm sorry. It's all my fault."

The girl stared at him for a moment, before her lips again turned into a bitter smile.

And her last words were, "My name—isn't Yuhua. It's Huayu."