We are friends…is what Mei Ying originally wanted to say.

But, for some unexplained reason, her bonds with everyone did not compare as closely as she felt with Jian Yu. When it came to this young man, all she knew was that it felt as though they had known each other forever.

Shifu had often preached that before starting a new reincarnation cycle, everyone drinks old Meng Po’s soup of Forgetfulness in the Netherworld. Only then can the person, animal, or entity jump into a spring pool of reincarnation.

However, though the mind and heart are cleansed of old memories, it is the soul that will always remember the past.

A beaming red light caught Mei Ying’s eye.

One, two, and countless other irradiant embers floated all around the huntress as she looked up into the tree limb overhead. She dropped her hand, no longer thinking, and creased her brows together. Quickly, Bing Wen noticed the strange sight and glanced around. He stopped and raised his head. His eyes widened.

“We are friends.” stated the mysterious person.

There, with his legs dangling over the giant tree branch, the handsome Jian Yu smiled. He waved at the maiden sitting below him from where he could see her. The red-robed person was rather ethereal and at ease in Mei Ying's presence.

“Jian Jian!” Rising to her feet, Mei Ying’s red lips curved up into a returning smile. Gradually, she raised her arm and waved back at the young man. “You’re back!”

“How long were you there?” Bing Wen asked, jumping onto his feet. He brushed off any grass and dirt from his forest-green robe and the embroidered dragon design. Though exhausted, his younger appearance remained immaculate to the other cultivators hopping off their flying swords. “You could’ve said something…”

“Since when you were explaining about the spatial ring that I gifted her.” Before the other could berate him, Jian Yu laughed. “Haha! Does the big brother miss me already?”

One of the warrior’s eye twitched. He inhaled some air through his flaring nostrils, struggling to maintain his mental demons. For a second, Bing Wen’s sharp eyes flitted over to Mei Ying, then, glanced away.

Though the big brother is always angry at the other... The young woman stared, trying to make sense of this, when—suddenly, Jian Yu jumped down, landing flawlessly by her side. His eyes rested upon the band of white jade around Mei Ying’s right middle finger.

“How…are you feeling now?” He asked, crossing his arms. Behind the young man, a few dozen red fireflies hovered over his shoulders. Bit by bit, more flecks of light drifted closer to the huntress. “You gave us all quite a scare.”

Raising an eyebrow, the maiden could not help but examined her friend’s nonchalant appearance. Didn’t Bing Wen say that he was the one who was most worried?!

As the cool spring breeze blew, Jian Yu’s tender gaze was met by Mei Ying. His crimson attire rippled back softly, along with the half ponytail, long black locks, and streaming red ribbon.

Remembering the jewelry around her finger, the maiden felt heat rising from her neck.

“Thank you for the spatial ring.” Seeing how the young man was towering over her, the huntress shuffled back a bit. She managed a small smile. “But I’m feeling much better, thanks to your healing.”

Her face grew hotter. Ah, Mei Ying’s naivety had caused a lot of trouble for everyone... She pushed some of her hair back with one hand and felt for her magic fan from inside one of the green sleeves. Then, with relief, the maiden grabbed it, opened the fan to reveal the red painted flower, and waved some cool air against herself. It seemed that her friend took good care to leave the accessory with her before he went off. He knew her very well in such a short time.

From afar, there were brief whistles, to which lucid swords flew back into the sheathes of the cultivators walking toward Mei Ying, Jian Yu, and Bing Wen. Without a word, the warrior went to meet with the fuchsia-robed cultivators. His fleeting absence left the two by themselves under the large, shrouded tree and its pleasant shadow.

“I would like to apologize…for making you and Xiao Li go with me and save those cultivators, ah.” The young woman admitted to Jian Yu, clutching onto the fan. “It was not a good idea…”

“You’re right. It was an absolutely horrible idea."

Once this was casually said, Mei Ying frowned. Jian Yu did not look at her and continued, “...especially considering that they turned out to be the relatives whom you are hiding from. More than that, the large cousin said he mistreated you with the others; yet, you still helped them. In the end, he was the one who knocked you out." He paused. "It's obvious that your own clan caused you a lot of pain and suffering."

The huntress wanted to bury herself. That was probably why he was so unhappy last night.

However, the young man glanced at Mei Ying from the side and grinned. His expression was forgiving. “Still…that was more than enough for me to go with you."

“Oh…” His response was so straightforward, the huntress was unsure of what else to say. She felt incompetent, continuing to waft the crisp air against her flushed face.

“If I had tried to stop you, I would be no different than Bing Wen.” Cocking his head to the side, Jian Yu broke away his attention. “You still got hurt though…trying to protect someone like me.” His gaze seemed wistful and distant, drowning in a distant world far, far away from where everyone was at. “I was careless.”

“Huh?”

“In any case, the one who needs to apologize is me, not you.” Glancing down at the swaying green grass, Jian Yu added, “I did not protect you well enough."

“Jian…” Mei Ying opened her mouth to protest, but what caught her eye was a similar ring around Jian Yu’s left middle finger. It gleamed in the sunlight. Her brows lifted. Wait...

“Oh!”

Much to the huntress’ surprise, a young woman stepped out of the approaching group of strangers. With a broad pearly forehead, her obsidian-black hair was combed back, pinned into a high bun and two golden feather-like hairpins. Her eyes were rather luminous, sharp, and alluring. She hurried toward Mei Ying. Behind the female sounder were two young women and a man who seemed a bit older than the rest presented.

“You are the one whom I almost hit yesterday with my guzheng!” Cupping her small white hands together, the cultivator halted before the maiden and bowed her head. The person donned a set of dark fuchsia robes that flapped gracefully, riding the strong winds. Her wide sleeves were bordered in golden embroideries of ornate floral designs. “It is nice to meet you again.”

When the gorgeous woman performed such a gesture, so did both her shimeis. The silent shidi lowered his gaze, cupping his hands with complete sincerity. Behind her, the three cultivators seemed to lower themselves as though the woman was someone of a higher position.

Mei Ying's eyes followed from the hems of the young woman’s rose-hued hanfu skirt up to the outer robe and airy, broad sleeves. Even the stranger’s embroidered crest, a lotus flower and white heron sewn into the left breast, resonated with the huntress. Her brows lifted. Blinking in confusion, she tried to recall. Guzheng…

It was then that Mei Ying gasped, “Ah, you played the pretty music that helped cushioned our landing here!” The maiden cupped her hands together to return the greeting and smiled. “Thank you for that! I have only met a couple of female sounders in my travels!”

“It was the least that I could do to help everyone.” The cultivator’s eyes brightened in mirth. She glanced down, only to stare at Mei Ying’s ring as it shimmered faintly. “They…told me about your huntress background…” There was a glimpse at Jian Yu’s finger where a similar ring shined.

The woman raised her gaze at the young man--then, at Mei Ying. “You are…?”

Mei Ying smiled. “You may address me as Pang Fua.”

“Then, you can call me Huang Xi Feng, Xi Feng from the Tian Yu sect.”

“Xi Feng?” Upon hearing this, the huntress, garbed in pale green, turned her head from side to side. The silver crown in her hair glinted in the sunlight. “Tian…Yu sect.” She tried to recall where she had heard the name before. “Perhaps…I have heard of you before.”

Xi Feng. There are many Xi Fengs in the Mortal realm, is there not? Mei Ying was unsure if she should ask someone.

Just then, the warrior god cleared his throat for everyone’s attention. Metal plates clinked as he stepped in between the two women.

Darting his stoic eyes around, Bing Wen arched a brow. “Did any of you find a way out of here?”

Noting how deep and stern his voice had taken, Mei Ying stilled herself. Bing Wen’s air was different. Cold even.

“Unfortunately…” Walking in the farthest back of the group, Xiao Li rubbed the back of his neck and stopped in front of Bing Wen. “Though I was their guide, even with Jian Yu’s help, the way I am now…my winds could not break the barrier.”

The man, with arms folded across his chest, cocked his head. Bing Wen turned to Jian Yu, with an arched brow.

❁❁❁

Sure enough, when the young woman walked out of a diverged path, her eyes largened. The black-cladded servant before her—also emerged from the same route that he had taken before, with the warrior god. Both Mei Ying and Xiao Li stopped to exchanged looks, the maiden appearing rather apologetic while the other seemed annoyed.

With arms crossed, Xiao Li sat down on a nearby rock. He pinched his lips together into a thin line. The servant rolled his eyes.

Shit. Fanning her face with the white fan, Mei Ying began to wonder about what Xiao Li had reported earlier. She continued to amble down the dirt path, not wanting to withhold the person following her from behind. The huntress glanced back at the trailing Jian Yu, who had accompanied her to experience and investigate the mystery. He seemed unfazed. When the handsome cultivator caught her looking at him, Jian Yu chuckled once she looked elsewhere.

Soon, the cluster of fuchsia-robed cultivators also turned up, coming along the road next to Xiao Li and Bing Wen’s.

Carefully, the young man reached over and moved the branch away from Mei Ying’s head. His wide crimson sleeve gently brushed against the maiden’s shoulder. Over her ear, Jian Yu spoke softly, “Well?”

Ah, somehow, everyone ended up at the same road again, the one that leads back to the tree.

It was true, after all.

“Everywhere we turned led back to the same path that brought us here.” Mei Ying scratched her head. “This section of the forest has been overtaken by some disciples that specializes in illusions and magic. Unless we break the boundary, we cannot leave the vicinity.”

“It is as though…we are in some type of loop.” One of the other cultivators said, folding their fuchsia-hued sleeves. The shidi massaged his forehead. “Even when we all split up, somehow, we just end up meeting at the same coordinated point of the area.”

Feeling a soft pang of pain, Mei Ying rubbed a hand against her temple and scanned over the speaker. How strange…

The person’s length black hair flew back like the finest strands of silk. His presence was serene like the stars. Moreover, his bright face was beautiful since it was spotless, smooth like deep-sea pearls, and pale like white jade and gardenias. But they were not as handsome as Jian Yu’s.

“Chong Lin, did you not find anything?” asked another Tian Yu cultivator.

The man shook his head. “No, I did not.” Chong Lin turned to Jian Yu. "And you?"

There was a loud click of tongue, and the inquirer lowered his head. Aiya, sorry for asking...

Mei Ying furrowed her brows together, waving the fan. Now that I think about it…have I met Chong Lin before? Her eyes then darted to the other cultivators, murmuring and shaking their heads.

Stepping close to her, Jian Yu asked, “Did you sense the casters?”

Remembering the task at hand, the huntress sighed. “I just saw threads of spells that comprised the surrounding boundary but nothing more right now.”

“Perhaps, the barrier cannot be broken because it is a magical maze?” inquired Xi Feng, with hands on her hips. “We have walked for quite some time. Flying does not allow for us to escape either. Surely, we may not have sensed any casters because they have hidden in a maze, in a place where we cannot easily approach them.”

One of her martial siblings nodded.

Biting her rose-painted nail, Xi Feng’s pearl-white face shrouded in a dark fog of vexation. “But to break the incantation, would it not be easier to pinpoint which participating cultivation sect might be responsible for this?”

"Isn't there only one of us here...who can answer that?" It was Jian Yu, taking one step toward the other woman, as he questioned her loudly. Many brows tightened toward him as he smiled. "...Xi Feng?"

Meanwhile, Mei Ying’s heart dropped. Wait, could it be…?

From behind, the clean whirling of metal was hard to miss.

With the turn of her head, the huntress reached out with her fan.

Scintillating gold aura lined Mei Ying’s entire figure. There was a slight push as the fan's silk surface narrowly bounced off several throwing knives away. Her light-green sleeve wavered, and at the next breath, the blades had been deflected into the heart of a nearby tree. The branches merely rustled, causing some of its green foliage to sprinkle the ground.

No one was hurt.

Neither was Mei Ying’s treasured fan. The red painted flower on its cover remained impeccable as ever. The young woman swallowed, feeling the deep drums of her racing heart. Her eyes scanned around, unable to detect the mysterious presence.

Everyone held their breaths. They did not move.

Bing Wen, Xiao Li, and Jian Yu all exchanged glances.

Then, out of nowhere, seven lines of whizzing knives, each comprised of a hundred glinting ones, sped toward the group of cultivators. Like silver butterflies, seven hundred projectiles suddenly closed in from different angles and directions.

All eight cultivators were frozen in the outspread web of a magical confine.

Suddenly, white and blue veins of lightning ruptured the clear, expansive skies overhead. The flash was accompanied by an austere, baleful thunder. At once, the azure-blue hue was overturned by dark walls of clouds that brought shadow over the land.

Xi Feng bowed her head. The beautiful sounder sneered. “Zhengyi hushan.”

It was a second before Mei Ying looked up and saw that the flying blades froze mid-air, still spinning quietly.

There was a brilliant light, and the four fuchsia-robed cultivators were each equipped with a musical instrument. Xi Feng rested her long, pale fingers against the strings of her levitating guzheng. As Mei Ying watched them, slowly, the pieces of an enigma came together.

Their eyes all glowed gold like little Wei Sheng’s.

The cultivation auras were otherworldly, far beyond anyone else’s but one person whom Mei Ying knew. Her throat was dry. Her legs were shaking from the immense, soul-crushing power from the four people, all of whom chose to release what may still be only a fraction of their overall cultivation auras.

With a racing heart, the huntress felt her eyes grow large. Feng Bao sect... You really f*cked up, ah!