Am I cursed ?

It took all of two seconds for Jiushu to retract into her space. It took just one more second for her to fall down and roll on the ground. She is able to put out the fire on her skin fast enough, but the pain assaulted both her hands and feet. Jiushu ran to the little pond in her space, fell in with a splat.

She fell face down, swallowing water, almost drowning due to her little mistake, as tension released in her body, sapping the strength out of her limbs. She splashed in knee deep water like a dying fish, only to scramble on to the wet mud like a tired lizard.

She coughed up water. Her skin has become red from the fire, but fortunately, she's exposed to the fire only for a little time. Her clothes are singed, she suffered very mild first degree burns. The worst of the damage is her eyelashes are burnt unevenly.

"Is there a fire angel that hates me above" Jiushu grumbled looking at the false sky.

She doesn't have the strength to get up and walk.

She laid there, her breath puffing into mud and sand, her legs still immersed in mud, her feet, starting to bleed again. Jiushu rolled back, tried to swim out like a mud loach. Only her back and ass are somewhat alright, for they have been exposed to neither battering nor fire. No one's watching her here any way. No matter how ugly or awful her behavior is, no one is going to see it.

Fortunately, this time, she is not as strapped for quality of life. She has a reading table and chair, she can repurpose them as a dining table and dining chair. The pottery she has stored has plenty of tripod cauldrons the size of a person. She can repurpose those as bathing tubs. There are many little jars which she can use for both cooking and eating.

There are many incense plates and wooden swords, which can be used as crockery. She bet she could even fashion a sort of chopsticks from a few of the little swords. Add to that, she has a giant pestle and grinding stone. It will be immensely helpful in making rice out of rice grain, no matter how slow it is.

She gathered herself after half an hour. She refused to look out of that window. She knew beyond doubt that fire is raging outside, and even if it's not raging fire outside, she doesn't want to step out. The blessing she has received is a perfect fit for her personality of hidden hermit. She can and will live her entire life here alone and without complaints.

Only, she missed hamburgers.

She missed cola.

Hells, she even missed plain old rice balls.

If only she could cook…

Her cooking skills have improved, but not much. Worse yet, among all these great finds, she still doesn't have oil and salt.

'Damn it..Can't they wait till I stored some salt and oil to start the damn fire?' she scolded the arsonists.

Even as she complained, she removed one of the giant porcelain vats in the pond. It's set a little crookedly in the wet earth and water. Jiushu released water into it. The water did overflow, but the vat is indeed filled neatly all the way through. Jiushu removed all clothes on her body, washed herself a bit in the water in the pond.

She retrieved a rack from the storage to hang her clothes. She retrieved a small urn from the storage to wash her hands and feet, using the water in vat. Then, she covered her strawbed with the banner she retrieved from the temple, placed the seating pillows on both sides and laid down to sleep naked as the day she was born.

After all, There isn't even an insect in the vicinity to see her. Eventually, she retrieved another banner to cover herself, if only out of habit. The temperature in the non-crop area remained perfect at all times. Her clothes dried slowly. Jiushu slept peacefully. After all, she has recovered the amulet that is used to control her.

The morning dawned bright and beautiful. Jiushu habitually finishes her morning routine. This time, she has a beautiful little bowl to hold ceremonial water for her prayers. She held the little bowl and stopped to think for a moment. She remembered that she has seen something similar to this bowl in the pages in the book that described her amulet.

She retrieved the book easily enough, for the letters on this book, she recognized all of them. Like many children, she learned some traditional letters. However, she soon understood that it's nigh impossible to understand the explanation. Whatever the content of the book may say, one thing is clear.

The magic inside the amulet must not be offered to angels. It is said it's violating the rules of the state and rules of the taoist brotherhood to do so.

Jiushu smirked at the words.

What state?

A state ruled by a man who is willing to sacrifice his own children could still be called a state?

What righteous brotherhood?

A group of people willing to impose all sorts of restrictions on unknowing populace for an entire generation or more could still be called a righteous brotherhood?

It might fool the blind worshippers of the ancient era; Sorry! She is a modern woman, through and through.

Thus, Jiushu did the only thing she wanted to.

She took the bowl, placed the amulet in the bowl, offered all magics inside the bowl and amulet to the angels by power of water.

Then she threw the water on the ground.

Something changed in the air immediately.

It's like one of those wild moments a warrior stops halfway during a pursuit, holding his sword decisively…

Wind passes rustling nearby grass..

Sun shines down gently through the clouds.

Yet, one knows, the tides of history have started a new turn.

It is not something great.

It is something minuscule.

Change is in the air…

A little butterfly has chosen to go right instead of left.

A great fire burned down a temple down to ashes..

The blood seeped out of the amulet, turning a blood red jade into a pure white jade.

Jiushu suddenly felt energized, all her injuries healed in but a moment.

She felt like she could fly without wings.

She wondered for a moment, did I do a great deed?

Then she decided, it didn't matter any which way. The emperor is a black hearted bastard, just because she stuck one hypothetical knife in his back, he is not going to die. All the same, the action is appreciated by the deities.

Jiushu double checked her hands and feet once again to see that she is healed all the way through.

Perhaps she should find more such amulets and give them to angels as presents if this is how happy they are going to get for receiving one.

This time around, she had her breakfast of rice congee with boiled vegetables lazily, then looked out of the window to check the situation outside. It seems the fire has burned through. She did not realize she did not wear any clothes at all until she came out through her bracelet and felt the morning chill of the mountain on her skin.

Jiushu hurriedly entered the space, wore her clothes, and came back out. She still felt cold, yet, better than when she's naked. She retrieved the amulet, threw it down where she stood. She started surveying her surroundings. Only then did she understand how devastating this fire is.

However, some of the potter is still alright. Jiushu moved to store even those in her inventory. It is only then she got the thought someone might steal that jade amulet, resulting in news of her death not propagating. She retrieved the amulet, started walking around more to understand the situation of the temple.

The damage is the least in the library. There are even some unburned chests. Jiushu stored all of them away, then started walking towards where fire is strongest. She crossed a structure that looked like a gate, but crumbled at the touch of her finger. She jumbled back and waited till the ash crumbled all the way through.

When her sight fell on the revealed scene, she was shocked to freeze where she was standing.

There are rows upon rows of skeletons. The skeletons are in various stages of repose, some, with their jade or stone pillows intact. Jiushu walked carefully around the skeletons, trying to not disturb any of them. Finally, in one of the corners, she found a skeleton with half melted steel trapping the thigh of a skeleton.

The pommel is partly intact, and the tassel is made of jade, and is very much whole. Jiushu stopped besides the figure and placed the amulet on the still red part of the steel. It might sink some due to weight. If the steel became frozen like that, people would not be able to remove the amulet, but still be able to see its shape and details. Whoever's searching for her through this life amulet will decide she is dead.

Then she will have a truly free life… not as fifty third princess but as Chi Jiushu, a common girl.