~~~ 六~~~

~~~新老面孔~~~

The crew members of the Santa Maria began cheering when they saw the Seventh Princess surface along with the second ship. They were originally hesitant to accept the request, but upon hearing that the Soul Maiden would be coming they agreed immediately. A small smirk was on her face as she looked down on the group of irritated pirates, but her thoughts were something else.

'No, this isn't correct. Someone's missing,' Xuělián thought as her eyes scanned over everyone, not able to find who she was looking for. She lept up and flipped over all of the visible pirates to avoid an attack. 'Where's the fucking captain?'

Her head immediately snapped up with the appearance of a new energy from above her. Their spiritual energy wasn't as strong as hers, but it was significantly stronger than any of the other crewmates they had already encountered. She internally cursed herself for not noticing the new entity sooner but didn’t dwell on it. She didn’t have the time to dwell on it.

Standing in the crow's nest was the silhouette of an average-sized figure. Most of the others couldn't make out specific features, but the ravenette could with her Astral Spirit activated. She could see that the figure had a long cost over a cream colored blouse that was tucked into some form-fitting pants. There was a tricorne hat on top of their head and long brown hair tied back into a low ponytail.

Time seemed to slow down as the figure jumped down in a crouch from their perch and landed in front of the woman. As they rose to stand at least half a foot taller than her she was greeted by the sharp, masculine features of his face.

"Well, well, well," he started with a raspy tone to his deeper voice. There was a slightly smug grin on his features as he stepped forward to approach the female who didn't back down. "To what do I owe the pleasure of being personally visited by the Seventh Princess of the Yín Empire?"

If she were approached like this by a man in her previous life, the young woman definitely would have been flustered and awkward. She was known for not being the most sociable in her college and had never had any romantic relations before her untimely demise. The only taste of romance she got was in the books she read or from the books she created in order to fill that void.

However, things were different. The female knew that people would only take advantage of her if she were to show any weakness but at the same time, she couldn’t just flaunt all of her skills in one go. There needed to be a certain balance between the things she did show and the skills she reserved.

It was in situations like these that the ravenette was glad her abilities to read people had improved since being reborn in the world of magic. Either that or the people of this world were just more obvious. She liked to think that it was the first option.

"It's about time you showed up," she chuckled, not even flinching when he released his spiritual pressure as she brushed off her previous thoughts. The echoes of battle could still be heard from the smaller ship but the corners of her lips still quirked up to match the other’s grin. "So how are we going to do this?"

"Now, now. There's no need to act that way when we've been waiting oh so patiently for you to arrive," the captain chuckled as he snapped his fingers. Almost immediately, all of the conscious crew members lowered their weapons, but their glares remained focused on the woman. “I just wanted to have a little chat with you is all."

The ravenette scoffed at his words as she rested her right hand on her hip as the other slipped behind her left thigh. She looked completely unconvinced as she asked, "And why should I comply with you?" Unbeknownst to many except those with keen senses, energy flowed from her inner core and down into her fingertips. "You've constantly been causing trouble to our capital these past few days and who's to say that your crew won't harm my students while we talk?"

All the female got in return was a simple shrug as the male leaned right up to her face, causing her eye to twitch. She was about to jab her energy filled hand straight through his chest when he whispered, "C'est ça." Her eyes widened upon hearing the foreign language she had learned for three years in high school. The small action gave her opponent a clear view of the way her pupils dilated but they never stopped glowing. "Tu vas devoir me fair confiance."

"... Fuck, fine," the ravenette sighed as she let her hands fall back down to her sides. She turned over to her students who were still fighting. "I'll tell my students to stop, but you have to pull your people back first."

"Fair enough," the male mused before he snapped his fingers once more with some energy surging through them. The amplified sound echoed over the water's surface before the men invading the smaller ship put their weapons away and began to retreat.

The eyes of those who rode out on the Santa Maria immediately flicked over to the pirate ship, but just as few were about to travel across, they saw the Soul Maiden shake her head. It was difficult to see in the dark but she had a serious expression on her face as she called, "Wait over there and don't do anything that could endanger yourselves! This has morphed into something important!" She then began following the captain but turned her head over her shoulder. "If I'm not back out in an hour, you have my permission to set this ship on fire!"

Dàoyì was about to completely disregard her instructions but stopped when he met her glowing purple eyes. They seemed to pierce straight through the darkness as they said, 'There's no need to worry. I’ll be fine.’ Her smile was the last thing he saw before she disappeared down into the depths of the ship marked by the skull and cross bones.

The inside of the ship was definitely more extravagant than the outside. Lining the walls were treasures the crew had stolen over the years, ranging from paintings to weapons to jewelry. Purple eyes even managed to catch sight of a stuffed thunderbird, though it seemed to be quite young.

The Seventh Princess was eventually led to what she assumed to be the captain's quarters, immediately taking a seat across from the main seat at a large wooden desk. The owner of the space walked over with two cups of steaming liquid she could only assume was tea.

"I hope Her Highness is fond of peach," he spoke while taking his seat, causing all hesitation in drinking out the window as she brought the cup up to her lips. This pulled a chuckle from the pirate as he brought his own cup up to her lips.

'Fuck yes!' the woman thought as she delighted in the slightly sweet and fruity taste lingering on her tongue. If she weren't focusing on controlling herself then she definitely would have let out some strange vocalizations. 'Peach!'

After getting over her hot beverage, the ravenette brought both of her legs up onto the chair as she shifted to her weight to sit more on her legs and hip. She then looked over at the man and said, "Let's get down to businesses then." Her expression hardened. "You aren't from here, are you?"

"No, I'm not. I originally come from Avignon, France," he replied with a sad smile while placing his hat down at the corner of the desk. Narrow brown eyes glanced down into his tea. "But I fell unconscious after being hit by a car and woke up in this world as an infant."

"Dying by a car accident in France? That doesn't happen often," Xuělián sighed with a frown. She knew how painful that must have been, how scary it must have been to die. She experienced it as well, after all. "What a rotten fate."

"I'm fine, it happened a long time ago, but I'm more curious to know what happened to bring you to this world," the brunet replied as he shifted his gaze up to the woman. Upon seeing the way her expression fell, he continued, "You don't have to say if you don't want to if it's too traumatic."

"Oh it was definitely traumatic alright, but I'll still tell you," she chuckled while shaking her head. Over the years in her new life, she would keep telling herself that she didn't need to care about her death, but it still left a bitter taste in her mouth. "I was beaten, stabbed, and left to bleed to death in the back alleys of San Diego, California."

The captain flinched at her blunt explanation and quickly apologized but she brushed it off. Instead, she said, "I didn't quite catch your name. Mine is, or was, Mina Von Astra while in this world it's Dōng Xuělián." The woman chuckled at his confused expression and explained that she was adopted into the Yín Imperial Family.

"Ah well, my previous name was Travis Louis, but here it would be Captain Johnathan of the Leviathan," the male introduced, earning a small snort from his guest as she lifted her sleeve to cover up her smile. "Best pirate captain to ever sail these seas."

A few hours passed before the Seventh Princess emerged from the depths of the pirate ship and the user of the Azure Dragon Vine was the first to greet her upon return. The first thing he did was check her over for any injuries and ask how she was but she only shook her head and chuckled.

"I'm fine, Dào-gē," she explained while gently squeezing the hand that he placed on her upper arm with a soft smile. She then turned to address the rest of her students. "I talked with the pirate captain and he agreed to leave Yín territory if we didn't pursue."

"Just like that?" Shīmāo questioned with narrowed eyes. He then crossed his arms over his shoulders while scanning the female, not able to find any trace of a lie. "How were you able to convince him?"

"Young Master Bó, if I revealed my secrets to just anyone, then they wouldn't be as effective," she chuckled in response before shrugging her shoulders. "Plus none of you have to worry about the mission. All of you did well so I only have good things to report to the Head Mistress."

After convincing the students to take a rest, the ravenette took a seat on the deck once more with her back resting on the railing as she let out a sigh. She didn't move when her sworn brother sank down next to her and instinctively moved to rest her head on his shoulder as she pulled her haori tighter around herself.

As the male wrapped an arm around her shoulders to pull her closer, he asked, "Lián-mei, are you sure you're alright?" His blue eyes softened as she let out a small hum in return. "They didn't do anything to harm you?"

"Are you doubting my abilities, Dào-gē?" she mused with a light tone as her half-lidded eyes looked up to meet the young man's. She let out a small huff while bringing her knees in. "I'm offended. I've been fighting things more life-threatening than pirates since I was ten."

'If I couldn't handle a couple of pirates, then there's no way I would have survived up until now,' she continued in her thoughts, not wanting to make the male worry further. A small melody left her mouth as she closed her eyes with a small smile forming on her lips when she felt his head rest on her own. 'But that's all in the past so why worry about it now?'

The Santa Maria didn't reach the docks until the next morning which came only four hours after the pirates left. This still didn't bother any of the people on board as they were used to long nights with little sleep.

After eating breakfast and thanking the crew of the small but luxurious ship, the mages began making their way back to the academy but it was different compared to the previous day. Since it was so early in the morning, there were multiple stalls lining the streets trying to sell a multitude of things.

"You can look around if you like," the ravenette chuckled as she turned back to the curious eyes that were darting around. She continued to walk backward with a small smile. "The morning street markets of Shèngmén change every day so it might be a rare chance to find something unique."

"Your Highness, are you sure that's a good idea-"

"Oh stop being such a stick in the mud, Shīmāo," the blue haired noble scoffed as he threw an arm around his senior’s shoulders. He then let out a chuckle. "If Her Highness is offering, then who are we to refuse?"

The ravenette could only chuckle in response as the eldest was dragged away and the girls eventually dispersed to explore the stalls. She quickly called out for them to meet up at the gates to the inner city before she was left alone with her sworn brother.

Blue eyes looked down at her and their owner gave a small smile before asking, "That's very nice of you, Lián-mei." He stayed by her side as she turned around to face forwards again. "None of us have gotten the chance to really explore Yín's capital yet."

"Don't get my intentions mixed up, Dào-gē. I'm only doing this because I need to buy materials to make gifts for the upcoming Winter Festival," the female replied. Her head snapped from side to side as she observed what was being sold. "I'm not doing this to be nice."

'Of course, you aren't,' the male thought with a chuckle before a slight sparkle caught his attention from out of the corner of his sight. As his head turned to face what he saw, the young woman slipped away without a single sound.

When he approached the small stall, there was a variety of ball-shaped chimes that made light tinkling sounds in the wind. They came in a variety of different styles, but the one that caught his eye was a blue bell that was decorated with silver moons and stars.

"Ah Young Master, I see that you've taken an interest in our Miracle Bells," chirped a voice that came from behind the male. He immediately turned around to see an elderly man dressed in thicker clothes lined with grey furs.

According to his memory of recent history classes, the Azure Dragon Vine user assumed that he was probably from one of the northern tribes of the Yín Empire. He raised a brow before echoing, "Miracle Bells?"

"Yes, they're a special treasure made only by my tribe!" the stall keeper boasted with a chuckle. He rang one of the bells with a large grin on his face. "When worn, they give the wearer higher resistance to spiritual attacks but they also have quite the interesting history."

"Oh? How so?" the student questioned with a raised brow. He had noticed the female's disappearance by this point but thought it was a better idea for the moment.

"According to our knowledge of the Fox Beast Clans, the more dominant individual in a pair would give these bells to their lover to show their pure feelings and devotion," the man explained before taking the blue bell from where it hung. He then held it out to the potential customer. "It's one of the purest shows of love in their culture."

The blue haired male blinked down at the small item in his hands before letting out a chuckle. He then pulled out his money pouch before saying, "That is indeed an interesting history, but this won't be for a Fox Beast." A gentle smile formed on his lips. "How much for it."

The grin on the man's face seemed to grow larger as he held up five fingers and said, "Each bell costs five gold coins." He made no reaction when the younger being choked. "The price is nonnegotiable."

Dàoyì let out a sigh as he looked at the small wooden box that he held. His brows were knitted together as he let out a long sigh and thought, 'I can't believe one would charge that much for a bell.' A familiar figure standing at one of the stalls appeared in his vision. 'But as long as she enjoys it... then none of it matters.'

"Dào-gē, were you able to find something interesting?" the adopted royal questioned after placing her own purchases into her basket. At this point, many believed that it was enchanted with how much she's stuffed in it and they wouldn't be wrong.

"You could say that," he chuckled while slipping the box into his jacket before reaching out for her hand. She took it without hesitation as she once would have done when they were children. "But what about you? What did you get?"

"I already told you that I was getting materials to make presents," the ravenette replied before remembering something. She looked up at him with a neutral expression. "By the way, do you still have that flute I made for you? The bone one?"

The older figure quickly confirmed this with a hum before continuing, "I kept everything you've given me." He let out a sigh as his expression softened. "You're really the only one who's given me any thoughtful gifts like that."

The nineteen-year-old felt her heart clench as she bit her cheeks to keep any strange noises from escaping since she had a unique control over her vocal cords. Her face appeared mostly neutral but her thoughts were running all over the place, making an oath to never leave her friend to suffer alone again.

Upon returning back to the school, Xuělián dismissed the students for the day and let them return to their apartments to rest or do whatever they pleased. After that, she went straight up to her First Sister's office only to see the other two strongest of her siblings as well.

The blue eyes of her third brother immediately fell to the floor when he saw how much skin was showing with her current clothes. He always did this when she was wearing her chosen mission attire, still not used to it after nine years.

The young woman had gone through multiple choices for mission attire but her current combination served as a good balance for her. The minimal clothing allowed for fewer restrictions and a greater range of motion which was good for her flexible body and strange tactics. It didn't provide much protection compared to the armor the others in the court chose to don, but she was good at dodging so it was a decent trade in her mind. She was a little iffy about how much skin was showing which was why she wore the haori, but it was loose enough not to bother her at all.

The outfit was seen as highly inappropriate by many in the court, but the female brushed their opinions off. If it was effective for her then she would continue to wear it since the emperor didn't seem to have any complaints either. In the imperial family, the only ones who made complaints about it were the Empress and the rest of the concubines. Her siblings didn't seem to care, but the Third Prince would always look away out of respect.

"Er-jie, San-gē, you're here as well?" the transmigrator questioned as kept her hands behind her to keep the doors from making noise as they closed. She then stepped further in to receive the hug from her sibling who donned silver armor.

"Of course we're here, Qī-mei!" Ryo chuckled before moving the slightly shorter female's side and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. A bright smile was on her face as they turned to face the Head Mistress. "We heard you were assessing the abilities of the Jin ambassadors and had to hear it."

"We also came to make sure that you returned safely," came the smooth voice of the Crown Prince. He was seated in one of the plush seats across from the granite-topped desk. "Those pirates have been terrorizing our shoreline for almost a year now."

The youngest merely chuckled and rolled her eyes. As the others stared at her she said, "They really weren't that difficult to handle for any of us." A small hiss came from under her haori before a face with four red eyes popped out from underneath the collar. "As soon as I made their ship come up they begged for mercy and ran off."

"Oh? So you let them get away?" Hikari questioned with a raised brow as she lifted her teacup up from its saucer. The steam hit her face and brought a soft fragrance along with it. "That doesn't seem like you at all, Qī-mei. You aren't known to show mercy to your targets."

"Well, it wasn't my call," she shrugged in response. She was used to fabricating scenarios like this even in her previous life so the lies flowed easily. "I was just there to assess the skills of my students so I thought I shouldn't interfere too much. They chose the mercy route so it wasn't in my requirements to stop them."

The next seven days in the academy passed as they usually would and in the middle of the next week, everyone was given the day off for the Winter Festival. The traditions for the annual celebration were quite similar for all territories on the continent, but they each had their own unique traditions.

For the Yín Empire, one of those traditions was the lighting of Blooming Lanterns. When the sun set, paper lanterns in the shape of lotus buds would be lit with one's spiritual energy and thrown into the air. As the energy moved through the petals, the flower would open and reveal a fortune for an individual's current life.

In the past years she lived arrived in the country of silver, Xuělián had only used the lanterns once and used the rest of her time training to be a somewhat proper princess. It was the first year she had arrived and had used the lantern with the one who had saved her. The sight of the lanterns was beautiful but she stayed away from them since the fortunes tended to be just as foreboding as her old tarot cards.

For most of the festival, the female stuck close to her siblings since that's what was expected of her. She wore an all white dress and allowed the palace maids to do her hair up in an intricate style she could never manage on her own. It was heavy and uncomfortable so she only let this happen for special occasions, but had to admit that it looked nice.

The woman hated going out in large crowds in her previous life and it still applied in her current one, but she couldn't avoid it. As a princess, she had to face large crowds with a smile instead of hiding. She had to subtly diffuse the unwanted approaches from entitled individuals with poise and elegance instead of beating them into the ground as she wished. Luckily, her skill sets allowed her to get away with burning them with words that fell from her tongue, but that's the closest she was getting to violence in the presence of those in the court unless approved.

When the sun finally set, the imperial family was walking to the main court when the Twelfth Princess let out a gasp and tugged on the adopted royal's dress. The pink haired princess looked up at her before calling, "Qī-jiě! Qī-jiě! Aren't those the mages from the Jin Empire?"

A hum left the woman's lips as her head turned to where the child was pointing to see the group of seven in casual clothing. Most of them seemed to be having a good time, but purple eyes narrowed upon seeing the smallest female latched onto the orphaned male. A low growl was about to escape her throat but was interrupted when small hands began tugging at her wrists.

"Hey-"

"Qī-jiě, they're over by the Blooming Lantern stall!" exclaimed the Thirteenth Prince as he held onto her right hand. He too wore all white along with everyone else in the imperial family as his barely older sibling clung to her left.

"Qī-jiě, let's go get some lanterns!" she whined in addition while tugging on the ravenette's hand. Neither she nor the prince let the older female get a word in just yet, knowing it would take some convincing.

All of the commotion earned the attention of the remaining siblings and even some of the other people in the plaza. The empress opened her mouth to scold them but her husband interrupted her by letting out a laugh before encouraging the ravenette to take them. The Holy Mother's glare was ignored as the two children let out simultaneous cheers before proceeding to drag their elder sibling away.

By the time they had reached the stall, everyone was aware of their approach and gave their salutes to the three. The pink haired student was reluctant to do so but went with it, not seeing the sigh of relief from her senior.

"Greetings to the Seventh Princess, Twelfth Princess, and Thirteenth Prince."

"Rise. Everyone rise," the ravenette instructed with a gentle smile on her face as she turned to face everyone. She then let out a chuckle as the two left her sides to look at the lanterns. "We're all here in celebration, so please just enjoy yourselves."

As everyone picked their heads back up, the woman made her way over to the younger two royals and Dàoyì made eye contact with Tiě. His eyes immediately flicked back down to the mage who specialized in charm magic and the other understood immediately. The female reached over to tap Kāihuā on the shoulder, allowing the male enough time to slip away and approach the trio in white.

The first one to approach him was the Thirteenth Prince, turning around immediately to start asking questions about the country of gold. The young princess was quick to add onto this as the ravenette paid for their chosen lanterns.

It was easy to see that he was becoming overwhelmed by their energy, but luckily the Seventh Princess gave them their lanterns and sent them back to the rest of the family. "My apologies for my younger siblings, Young Master Dàoyì," she said while bowing her head. "They are quite energetic."

"I can see that," he chuckled in response before finally noticing the two black buds in her hands. The petals were wrapped tightly around themselves with no wrinkles left in the paper.

One was held out to him with a small chuckle from Xuělián before she said, "Despite not having the best representation, black is actually a color of protection." She lifted up the second flower bud. "It repels all negative energy and only leaves the positive." She then explained how the lanterns worked, neither of them noticing how the other six left them.

The pair naturally began walking off to find a quieter spot as they continued to talk about magic and its correspondences. This eventually led to them perching up on one of the nearby rooftops, looking down at the festivities as they held their lanterns.

"I'm actually quite reluctant to light this, you know?" the female chuckled as she tossed the bud up in one hand to catch it with the other. There was a neutral smile on her face as she felt the smooth paper beneath her fingertips, "The last time I did, the fortune was quite ominous."

"If that's the case, then why did you get them?" the male questioned with a raised brow. He remembered her to avoid things that made her uncomfortable like the plague. "What made you change your mind?"

"If I'm with Dào-gē, then how could my fortune be anything bad?" the princess replied with a bright smile. She let the lantern fall to the center of her right palm, before prompting him to do the same. "Let's get started, shall we?"

At the same time, both mages allowed their energy to flow through their lanterns before launching them into the air. Each one kept their eyes on their own lanterns as they opened. The male smiled upon reading his fortune while the woman's eyes darkened when reading her own.

'The Silver Fox peers through the mirror of fate. There are two figures that stand behind her but she can see neither of their faces. Who was the fox? Who is the fox? Who will the fox become?'

'Why?' she thought as the flower turned to ashes that were blown away in the wind. Her eyebrow twitched as she reached into the basket at her hip. 'Why the fuck did it have to be so fucking cryptic?!'

After a few more minutes of watching the nineteen-year-old turned to her sworn brother and tapped him on the shoulder. When she got his full attention, she took his wrist and slipped a silver bangle onto his right wrist. It looked quite plain on the outside but the male faintly could feel indents on the inside.

"It's your present for this year," the woman explained while holding his hand in hers. Her thumbs rubbed small circles into the back of his appendage. "It's infused with pure water energy so it should be of some use to you."

"Is this what you bought supplies for? I'm not surprised you'd come up with something like this," the male commented as he ran his hand over the cold metal. He then pulled out the wooden box from his own pouch. "I'm sad to say that my gift to you isn't as extravagant."

“Dào-gē, you should know by now that I don’t care how extravagant something is,” the ravenette huffed gently taking the box that was handed to her. It was a dark reddish brown and glazed. “I don’t need anything as long as I have your company.”

The man’s free hand clenched at his side as his heart lept up to his throat upon processing what she just said. He had come to learn that her words always seemed to leap in between barely comprehensible and smooth silk, but she always meant them. With a small hum, the male prompted her to open the box and was quite pleased with her reaction.

Upon seeing the blue bell sitting in the velvet-lined box happy chitters left her lips and she immediately lifted it up to give it a few rings. Its chime was soft and delicate much like the mythical flower that she shared a name with.

The Xuělián or Snow Lotus only grew in the frigid cold of the highest mountain tops. They only bloomed on the coldest of nights, under the light of a blue moon. Their petals were told to be the softest material and their roots a miracle medicine that could heal all ailments. Many have reached the end of their lives by trying to find a single bloom and many more will continue to do the same.

~~~Fin. Chapter 6~~~