“Mei Ying.”

“Yes, Shifu?” Feeling the soft pull of surrounding spiritual energy, Mei Ying raised her head with closed eyes and legs still crossed. The gentle cool breeze wove through her long, broad white sleeves and caused the long baby hair of Mei Ying’s nape fall against the icy silver jewelry around her neck. “You called.”

On the highest mountain peak, the small estate overlooked Cheng Xiu village in its entirety as though the Shifu and their disciple were residing on Heaven already. By the time Shifu had made noise, the floating territory had already sighed with night cricket songs and the low trills of birds and tiny critters.

Mei Ying felt her cultivated core absorb the remaining nearby spiritual energy and the warm power seep through her muscles like nutrients to a flower’s roots. Slowly, she inhaled the crisp air. A few seconds later, and the little disciple breathed out and opened her eyes. Everything before the child was pitch ink, saved for the tiny gold lights down below the mountains of Cheng Xiu Village.

Sensing the closure of their session, Shifu added, “It’s nighttime, and Shuang has just finished making dinner for us in the house.” They paused, shortly. “You fell into your first deep meditation in a long while. I will report this good sign to Shaman Hua. That way, it will put those rumors to rest.”

Averting her sight to the person, the child examined the luster trail of En Lai’s long, copper-red hair. Her eyes drifted up to the master’s gleaming eyes and snow-white skin, provided by the silver moonlight. Behind En Lai were also a cloud of irradiant golden orbs, each one brimming with light and comfort.

For a second, Mei Ying thought the little lights were red—but it was merely a figment of her imagination, combined with wishful thinking.

The child frowned. “I’m…not hungry.”

“You only had a measly crystal cake before your three-day meditation. Shuang is a celestial tiger spirit, yes, but at least have a few bites of the meal that she puts effort into.”

“I thought gods and Immortals do not experience hunger.”

“Eating only mooncakes, such as the ones that Shaman Hua often bring, is not nutritious for mortal children. You are simply self-indulging yourself in the gluttony of sweets then. When you ascend, you have no need to eat anymore except for appearance.” Feeling Mei Ying’s mild agitation, the Heaven Immortal went on, “Well, what is on your mind now?”

“Shifu, am I…truly your first disciple?”

Listening to the child, En Lai became rigid and sat silently for a moment.

In the dark, Mei Ying was unable to distinguish the person’s expression. Given her night blindness, the girl turned away and remained seated as well, looking over the high cliff that surveyed the homes of many Song clan members, all of whom were preparing for bed. One by one, the golden lights of the lofty, wood-paneled homes—extinguished themselves, merging with the shadows. Red maple leaves swirled from above, slowly descending toward the village and its people.

Even with terrible vision, the girl seized her hand out and captured a single blood-hued leaf.

“Why…do you ask?” Shifu’s voice became low, hoarse, and a bit deeper than usual.

“Yue Liang had called you Shifu. I did not think much of it before until now.” There was no response, and so, the girl felt braver than usual. She ran her fingers across the bumps and veins of the red maple leaf. “Aside from that, if fate exists, then, would it also be inevitable that I forge my way to Immortality even without your guidance?”

“While you claim to hold no resentment toward me in allowing that demon boy to die, the event has opened a new realm of questions for you.” En Lai stopped, feeling the air whip around their immaculate white outer robe. “For your first question, yes, you are my first true disciple, but…”

The master sighed, lifting a finger for a golden firefly to momentarily land on. “…there was one before you. He was entrusted to me by an old friend. Back then, I was short-sighted and naïve.” Soon, the insect floated away. “Hence, that disciple never finished their training and disappeared. Later, I found out that my old friend was dead.”

Life was never kind to En Lai.

“As for your second question…” They went on, “If you are dissatisfied with fate, give it time—and you will one day come to understand it better since the Dao follows the way things are. Remember that the way is split into two: the straight Heaven realm path and the chaotic Netherworld one. To challenge fate means to meet temptations and potentially losing one’s way. I am here to prevent that.”

“If the great end of Daoism is Immortality, and both paths can lead to this, then—”

“Mei Ying.” The Immortal lowered their soft eyes before studying the bright red floral birthmark on the disciple’s forehead. At such closeness, the details of the chrysanthemum were undeniably crisp and beautiful. “You should know where to stop. By knowing where to stop, you can avoid danger.”

Mei Ying only bowed her head, becoming quiet. She stared at the leaf in her small palm.

“All of a sudden, you wanted to wear white—not to imitate me but to mourn for that Yue Liang.” Rubbing their temple with one hand, the master continued, “If the Song clan found out, it would’ve been more trouble for this one. Had I not said those words to Shaman Hua, whether if she sympathizes with you or not, silence will only add more oil to the fire of these stupid rumors…”

En Lai noticed the crystalline tears already welling up in the child’s eyes. Their expression became pensive, given their next series of thoughts. Seeing that the child was hopeless in this small fault of hers, they bit their tongue.

As if remembering something painful, the Heaven Immortal covered their eyes with one hand.

The careful shift of their long white sleeve grabbed Mei Ying’s attention. The child also considered that the moon was too blinding for her master’s delicate face.

In a light manner, En Lai dropped their hand and slowly patted the disciple’s head. “If…there comes a day when I or Shuang are not around—and you are in a mess, eventually, you should head north and venture into Qiu Tian Valley.”

The little disciple raised her eyes to the immaculate Shifu whose tone seemed to have deepened. Moving away from the heavy topic, she asked, “The Qiu Tian Valley…at the foot of Mount Xieye?”

“Yes, the very same Mount Xieye where the central region's ancient Xieye kingdom used to dwell.”

“Has Shifu been to Qiu Tian Valley before?”

“Of course. I was there when it was still Qiu Tian Village, ah.”

“…What was it like?”

“Before the Xieye king was killed for his greed and incompetence, the valley was home to Qiu Tian Village.” said the Heaven Immortal, plucking off a few nearby blades of grass. They appeared to be reminiscing about the distant past. “Nearly eight hundred years ago, it was a peaceful settlement inhabited by merchants, farmers, peasants, and beggars. It was there when I last saw that good-for-nothing disciple of mine, who vanished with my old friend’s divine sword.”

“Are there many divine swords, scattered by the Heaven realm?”

En Lai cocked their head, folding their arms across their chest. “Divine swords are quite sparse and most difficult to find. Even when retrieved, they choose their masters or only act on the final wish of their previous wielder. Most mortals are deemed unworthy by this pompous group of divine weapons.”

The master craned their neck, facing the dark Heaven overhead with sprinkled stars. They cursed before muttering, “Somehow, that ungrateful brat took the one and only…Dragon Hero sword.”

❁❁❁

“ONE-THOUSAND-WIND-STEEDS!” The battle cry of Bing Wen cut into the river of memories like a rock being hurled into a delicate, glass-like surface. The ripples produced violent waves, shattering the illusion, and waking the dreamer.

Mei Ying’s eyelids lifted, opening her sight to a brutal windstorm of whizzing swords, with Bing Wen standing at the dead-center and Wei Sheng behind the other. She was feeling light-headed and nearly stumbled on her feet. It was then, the huntress recalled some of Shifu’s words.

With one hand, she massaged the sudden burn that derived from her birthmark.

Though the young woman was outside of the cyclone, the air currents were only mildly less ferocious, blowing her wide sleeves and long hair back like a thunderous roar. The high-speed winds spun and spun, growing larger by every passing second—and the only way for Mei Ying to approach the captured person—was to cross it or stop the storm.

Should the huntress settle the troubles here and live, then, it would be best for her to lay low somewhere else for a while. To be frank, this disciple of En Lai the Wandering Immortal would not be surprised at all if Qiu Tian Valley held clues to Shifu and the tiger spirit’s disappearance. But…

Mei Ying glanced at the braided handle of her glowing scourge. With a flicker of her wrist, the lengthy silver chain coiled around the cultivator’s waist once more. The whip will make her an easy target with the gods as they may yank on the other end and pull her toward them...

The young woman unsheathed the sheeny sword with a white grip. When she drew the immaculate blade out for eyes to rest on, the golden illumination that shrouded herself grew brighter like soft petals blossoming at the peak of its season.

From inside the cyclone’s eye, Bing Wen snapped, his words drowning out by the whirls of wind, “What are you doing?!”

Quickly, the warrior god refocused his spiritual energy into redirecting the fifty flying swords out of his way and far from the huntress, with the Heavenly winds that only answered to him. Bing Wen shot the swords back toward Jian Yu, who had leapt down to the arena ground. He did not have time to be distracted!

With a simple glance, Jian Yu grinned, and all fifty swords converged into the true original blade, to which he caught it by the grip. With the weapon in hand, the young man swept a circle around himself in a continuous, beautiful circle and veered the mighty wind that threatened to blow him off balance—back to Bing Wen.

Alarmed by this, the older person rapidly chanted a spell—the golden dragon spirit coiled around its master in a protective manner, and the currents immediately dispersed. At last, the creature vanished as well. Bing Wen gritted his teeth.

In two flashes, both Jian Yu and Xiao Li caught up to Mei Ying, all three people with their gleaming swords out. While it was clear that Bing Wen, Wei Sheng, and the three all opposed the veiled stranger, what the gods wanted to do with him was vastly different from what Mei Ying and her other two friends intended.

Those from the Heaven realm wished to take the culprit back for his hearing while those from the Mortal realm and others desired the pot of souls and to interrogate him in regarding the various cases of murder. No matter how Mei Ying examined the issue, it seemed as though the gods had something to hide. Even if the God of War and the God of Fate promise to bring back the pot of souls, the huntress was unsure whether they are cut from the same cloth as that ‘Heavenly Empress’, who had possessed a mortal girl.

“What am I doing?” echoed Mei Ying, tilting her head.

It is unnecessary to pay attention or do anything to Bing Wen and Wei Sheng for now. There is not a lot of time to squabble.

Bing Wen narrowed his brows. For unexplained reasons, the lack of Mei Ying’s reaction was discomforting for the warrior as he observed the huntress’ lips curved up. It was incredibly familiar…

Not wasting a second more, the young woman whistled. In a single blink, the sword slipped from her white scabbard and blitzed toward the veiled captive, wrapped by red ribbons of light.

In a sudden blur, Bing Wen’s divine spear shot forth, enclosed in vicious, cutting winds that threatened to knock Fa Guang out of the air! However, much to the god’s dismay, a crimson haze fluttered toward the spear, parrying it away with the shadowy blade.

Coinciding with his Young Master’s move, Xiao Li dashed forward to block the rush of red glowing ribbons that rose toward Fa Guang. With a simple wave of his wide black sleeve, the servant diverted the attack away from its former course. Bright fire erupted from the juvenile’s pale palm, surprising Wei Sheng, and burnt the restraints into ashes.

At this, the God of Fate’s spell incantation faltered. His eyes grew wide as the gleaming blade flew over and past his shoulder. He turned his head just enough to get a glimpse of his own reflection. Upon closer inspection, there was no mistake about this weapon’s aura…

As a result, Fa Guang continued to soar in the air.

“Teng man!”

Once the huntress called out the command—did the gods saw a gleaming talisman that came right off Fa Guang. Instantly, a hundred squirming vines exploded out of the magical scripts and latched toward the veiled stranger.

However, the weapon stopped in mid-air. It had collided with a thin screen of black spiritual energy and was unable to penetrate past the barricade! The greenery shriveled up and dissipated.

Suddenly, above everyone’s heads, a cosmic mass of black energy loomed from behind the veiled stranger and the lofty white-and-gold wall that his back was facing. The oppressive yin was so immense, that every sliver of light was blotted out, trapping the entire Mortal realm in what seemed to be an eternal darkness. A glaring flash of lightning zipped through the clouds, followed by the nearly ear-deafening explosion of crackling.

Sitting up, the Heaven Immortal spat and murmured a few words. Soon, a large pot emerged from nowhere, floating by his side. “Is this what you were trying to get me to do? You were hoping that I’d be scared enough by your sword and bring out the pot of souls in a lame effort to drink it?”

Just before the young woman could respond, Jian Yu was already by her side and asked loudly, “Isn’t that what you’re just doing now?” He arched a brow.

“And who are you supposed to be?! Why are you always clinging onto Mei Ying?!”

“Oh!" The red-robed cultivator smiled brightly. "No one important, really!”

“He’s her lover.” Xiao Li piped in, joining up with his Young Master. “They have already traded love tokens these past few days.” Bringing up the young man’s hand, the servant added, “See? If you look at Mei Ying’s right hand, she has a matching ring as well.”

Seeing the bewildered expression Wei Sheng, despite him being afar, the huntress’ ears grew hot. She opened her mouth to explain—but found that it was true. Both Mei Ying and Jian Yu were wearing matching storage rings...

Right away, the villain’s face flushed faintly. However, the brilliant sword that drifted against his dark barricade caught the man’s attention. A cold change came over his expression.

“All aside, who would’ve thought that, of all time, I have the good fortune of seeing the elusive Dragon Hero sword with my own eyes!” His red lips curled up to one side into a condescending way. It explained why no one, not even a god, was able to detect the divine weapon for the past several centuries. The presence was too weak. “What a pity that someone went out of their way to split the ninth Flower Immortal’s sword into two. Now, the weapon is only half of its total potential.”

Raising an eyebrow, Mei Ying was rather intrigued by the topic. Fa Guang…is actually not Fa Guang but half of the divine Dragon Hero sword, the one that Shifu claims to have been stolen? And Number Nine… Ninth Flower Immortal was the former wielder of the Dragon Hero sword.

The young woman was quick to piece the information together. En Lai the Wandering Immortal’s old friend…was the ninth Flower Immortal. According to myths and folklore, the Flower Immortals are the twelve flower spirits who served the Flower Goddess and the Spring God of the Heaven realm. However, from what the little disciple had read, nowhere has it ever mentioned Flower Immortals being…warriors.

That wicked person also called me, Number Nine. Mei Ying thought to herself. Still, what does it have to do with Shaman Hua—

“Are those demons too?!” asked someone, pointing to the soot-black skies.

Out of nowhere though, howling cries emerged from beyond the wall.

Instantly, the noises caught everyone’s attention—even from the mortal cultivators who either knelt or crouched. Those who were still standing--had long stayed behind Mei Ying and her two friends on the field. They staggered back from the repulsive demonic miasma that burned their throats. The ones who are able to fight—quickly drew out their swords, bows and arrows, and gleaming talismans.

Hovering overhead were hordes and hordes of dark-robed people, standing on black swords. Along their necks, arms, and faces, black and purple veins grew, further amplified by the villain’s power. Countless faces revealed the same contemptuous smirk and scorn for the righteous cultivation sects.

Demonic cultivators. Mei Ying’s eyes flickered to her sword, remaining suspended in motion. It was fighting to cut through the vile demonic miasma—but the weapon kept getting pushed back.

Bit by bit, the huntress’s fingers found their way back to the chains around her waist. For him to gain cultivators of yin...is proof that even Heaven Immortals can suffer from qi deviation, a state of psychological disorder or physiological injuries among cultivators. Of course, the followers see him as a demonic entity.

Though wrapped by Heavenly binds, the villain’s body levitated into the air. Protected by the enigmatic energy, the magical pot floated alongside him. It was getting ready to carefully open the lid.

“AHHHHHH!” With their battle cry, the demonic cultivators plunged down to the vast field, with the remaining able-bodied righteous cultivators rushing at them, slashing through flesh with fine swords.