Slowly, Mei Ying’s eyes shifted to the Spring God’s tender expression as he continued to extend his white-jade hand out. A gentle, cool breeze, woven with little white flowers, blew in between the two. Despite the friendliness being offered, the huntress could not sustain the swarming panic that ensued inside her mind.

From the corner of her eyes, the fallen corpses of both the righteous cultivation sects and the demonic cult were covered by the feather-white blossoms and sprinkle of spring greenery. Beneath the lovely imagery though…remained the blood, tears, and dead.

Bit by bit, everything began to hit Mei Ying: the physical exhaustion, mental and emotional fatigue, hunger, and the reckless consumption of spiritual energy from a drained source.

Why, if the Spring God wanted, he could easily blow the petals of their measly lives away. Also, once Mei Ying moves away from Jian Yu and Xiao Li, he can try to hurt them. Maybe even kill the younger one.

“Please allow this lowly one to give my last words to the shidis.” Feeling disembodied from even her own voice, the white-robed cultivator bowed her head as Qing Di nodded. “Thank you.” Her vision was starting to dim. Her head throbbed.

Mei Ying gradually pivoted her feet and met the gazes of her friends. She detected the solemnity in their faces. In their red lips was a thin but deep line, and in the young men’s eyes were the unspoken depths of quelling grief. Still, they did not speak.

In a blink, before Jian Yu and Xiao Li could do anything—Mei Ying sprung forth and threw her arms around both the young men's necks. She hugged them tightly, closing her eyes shut.

“Young Miss!” Quivering, the black-robed servant carefully pressed a hand against Mei Ying’s dirty robe. “I-I…”

Jian Yu was rigid.

“Tian lu xing.” Mei Ying wavered on her feet.

Then, Xiao Li gasped—seeing that his Young Master held the huntress up while passing a flow of spiritual energy to her. From over Mei Ying’s shoulder, Jian Yu’s blazing glare pierced Qing Di, who was surprised by this daring feat.

Blinding, golden light flooded from Mei Ying’s body. Quickly, the bands of spiritual energy split off into warm, bright rays that engulfed her, Jian Yu, and Xiao Li like a gold chrysalis. Though the cyclone of crimson petals were crystalline in the past—every fragment, this time, was as light and real to the touch like every chrysanthemum that human eyes had laid upon in nature. Holding onto her friends, Mei Ying pressed her lips firmly together.

Like the wind, the three cultivators had vanished.

Qing Di blinked, dropped his hand of offer, and pondered for a moment. He did not know what kind of face to make. The god tilted his head and fiddled with a few strands of his long, white hair. A slow smile tugged through his lips. Then, in the next moment, the Spring God receded into the mountainous white dragon with shining scales and stag-like horns.

No sooner when the divine creature returned to its original form—the cultivators began to breathe again. Flowers kept fluttering down from the open, blue skies and thin, white clouds. From the high seats and above, people continued to wake, stand, and hop down on their flying swords to join the crowds of kowtowing righteous cultivation sects. Noises and other activities resumed, including those who were mourning the deceased.

“What happened?” Landing in front of the masses, Kong whistled for the bright sword to return into its sapphire sheathe. The blue ribbon around his forehead flapped into the air ever so gracefully. “Where’s Mei Ying and her friends?”

By Shifu’s side, the large cousin, who had spoken to Mei Ying in the secret realm, turned his head about, searching for the young woman with the veil. “Shifu...she's not here.”

“Song cultivators, know your place! You are standing before the Spring God!” hissed someone, who then apologized fervently to the colossal dragon. “Ah, he and his relatives are really…not familiar with our cultural customs and etiquettes. Pl-Please forgive them and us for not teaching them better…”

Following that, Li Qin, Xia Qi, and Nian Zu made their way to the front as well. They cupped their hands toward the enormous deity, bowing their heads. The senior hunters stood by the line of blue-robed disciples and Kong, all sharing the same perplexity in their faces.

The colossal white dragon cocked his head, laughing gently upon the tiny humans. His large eyes shone with a slight delight. He seemed to not mind the ignorance of mortals.

With intrigue, Qing Di examined the ones standing in his presence. “This one is the Spring God from the Heaven realm. Song Mei Ying…is no longer of the Mortal realm since she has accepted the offer of ascension. War between the divine is on its way, especially with our capture of the Netherworld’s unruly Demon King.”

There was a pause as the divine creature noticed Xia Qi’s expression undergoing a wave of changing emotions. “He must answer to his atrocities and for inflicting centuries of fear among the mortals; therefore, violating a long span of laws between the Three Realms. His followers of demonic cultivators, walking corpses, ghosts, and demons—will start plotting soon. It is now the calm before the storm.”

Surprisingly, the flowers, that blanketed the dead, glowed with twinkling white light. Across the far-ranging field, the righteous cultivators observed the small orbs of blue light—the souls—sail up to the air before floating away, dissipating completely.

The souls had been sent off to receive their sentence or passage for reincarnation.

Gently, the Spring God went on, “He, who also unleashed the devastating Red Omen that had wiped out thousands of your fellow predecessors, brothers, and sisters in the Ghost War…must receive his dues.”

All the people, who had bowed their heads, raised their eyes. Together, they rose on their feet once more and stood tall, with backs straight. Their eyes were sharp. Both corners of the cultivators’ lips twitched.

At once, the people roared and cheered passionately. How long they have all waited for this! Now, the cruel demon king who had terrorized them—will pay! The one who arrogantly split the Netherworld off from the Heaven realm—will finally suffer!

However, as compared to the rest of the cultivators, the three senior hunters seemed out of place. They closed their eyes, opened them, and found that everyone was nevertheless smiling, clapping their hands, and shouting words of congratulations to Kong and the other Song cultivators. It had been thousands of years since the Heaven realm had even extended a hand to one of their own!

“Mei…Ying…” Knitting his brows together, Li Qin turned to his shixiong. His voice shook lightly. “…is gone? Shixiong, please…correct me if I heard wrong.”

Nian Zu stared at the younger one whose complexion paled drastically like a ghost’s.

"No, shidi, that was right.” Unsure of what was troubling the other, the older martial brother patted Li Qin’s back. “Song Mei Ying had received an invitation of ascension from the gods. She accepted.”

“Th-Then, why do I feel wronged?” Li Qin asked. Something wet slipped down his cheek as he recalled when the young woman carried him, as the tiny blue orb of light, in her arms. “It feels like she is dead—even though I know that she is not.”

“Xia Qi.” Averting his attention to the huntress, Nian Zu had noticed her odd quietude.

Without thinking, the woman spat out, “I don’t believe it.” Her mind was cluttered. It was indescribable. Her long, broad green sleeves shook almost violently. “I don’t believe it…”

❁❁❁

“YOUNG MISS!”

Frantic, Xiao Li did not expect Mei Ying to fall after the mighty golden ribbons of light dropped them in an empty dirt road. His fears were short-lived though.

Jian Yu was faster than the awkward teenager, already carrying the weakened cultivator in his crimson sleeves. Not an ounce of panic could be spotted in the person’s expression. It seemed expected.

“Wh-Why the f*ck did you pull off such a stunt?” Slapping both palms on his face, the servant’s breaths heaved and heaved. “The Young Master could’ve teleported us!”

“Why…did you teleport us?” Jian Yu asked his friend. His question was calm and tightly modulated. It was as if he was restraining himself.

“If Jian Jian had teleported us, then, your identities would have been exposed to the Spring God.” With eyes closed, Mei Ying rested her head against the young man’s chest. She had resigned herself to the consequences. “Even though you two do not give off any yin energy, he would know.”

Being so tired, the maiden could no longer see, even when appearing like a fresh corpse. Regardless, she needed to let the two know. “I want to protect you and Xiao Li…even though…” Her voice was so thin and weak, it was clear that the huntress had used up a dangerous portion of her spiritual energy. “…you are…the Demon King.”

Mei Ying fainted, leaving Xiao Li frozen and Jian Yu as strangely quiet as before.

“Y-Your Highness, this servant didn’t…”

When the other held a hand up to halt Xiao Li’s speech, the adolescent obeyed and swallowed. He lowered his eyes and knelt on one knee. The black-robed demon boy looked to the ground, unsure of what to do.

“Xiao Li, it’s alright.” Jian Yu held the young woman in his arms, feeling the breeze graze over them as they stood in the middle of the vacant road. "Feel her pulse for me."

Xiao Li jumped back to his feet and hurried over. He gingerly placed two fingers against Mei Ying's left wrist and waited, feeling for the signs. "...She fainted from over-exerting herself. There are no abnormalities with her qi." Withdrawing his hand, the servant stepped back and awaited his next order.

The windblown trees, that bordered the path, shuddered with twisted branches and blood-autumn foliage. Overhead, the broad, endless skies had dimmed into orange, red, and gold streaks with pink clouds. Maple leaves were dispersed, stirring around the young men.

Discerning the peace in Mei Ying’s slumber, Jian Yu retained his tranquil self. He had seen much in what the huntress was capable of in the past few days. Gauging the extent of her abilities, flaws, and personality, the young woman still had ways to go but her progress was promising.

To her, Jian Yu whispered, “You did well.”

Thank you.

❁❁❁

It was unknown to the huntress on how much time had passed by. As she drifted in and out of consciousness, it felt that Mei Ying was laying on a soft bed, with her head on a comfy pillow. Catching a glimpse of a clean, white outer robe, she was too exhausted to utter a question or wonder how her clothes got washed.

Perhaps, it had been days when the cultivator was out until she came to overhear a discussion between two young men in whatever place they were in.

At first glance, the huge space was dark, saved for a few large bright lanterns that hung around the room. There was a faint floral aroma that was subtly sweet to the nose, and, when Mei Ying tried to open one eye, she recognized the delicate warmth of someone holding onto her hand. The gentle wave of heat was with the young woman since the start of her coma, to which Mei Ying recognized—as spiritual energy being shared through her spiritual veins from the red-robed cultivator.

Ah, no wonder why she did not feel so alone.

It was…comforting.

“Your Highness.” The folding screen-paneled door closed behind the juvenile, accompanied by a few footsteps. “It’s been a few days… Why didn’t anyone come after us?”

“The Spring God won’t pursue us.” Jian Yu casually replied, still holding onto the young woman’s hand.

Unknown to him, Mei Ying’s eyelids drooped again. She decided to not open her eyes.

“Hah?!” Rapidly, the servant rushed over to his king’s side. “What do you mean?!”

“If the God of War, the God of Fate, Chong Lin, and Xi Feng all reported to the Heavenly Emperor about us, they would all be met with heavier sentences. If I were the Spring God, why would I want to jeopardize myself when I did not capture the real Demon King and his faithful servant? It would further sully my reputation among the Heaven Immortals and other gods.” Jian Yu clicked his tongue in annoyance. “It’d be smart to keep my mouth shut.”

“Oh…” Grabbing a stool, the teenager sat down next to Jian Yu. He cleared his throat and turned to the young man. “Your Highness, about…”

“Xiao Li, there is no need for formality when it is only the two of us here.”

A sigh was heard from the other as the servant fumbled through hesitance. He inhaled a breath of air and began, “Jian Yu... When we were emptying out Young Miss’ storage bags in the secret realm, I found…letters to her father and brother.”

Xiao Li did not know how else to bring up the topic. “They seemed to be intentionally unsent. While the Young Miss appeared to be unfilial, she probably wanted to avoid any way to track her and refused to have her remaining family members worry. Since she can't return to Cheng Xiu Village, I wonder…if it is fair to leave so much being unsaid.”

Rubbing the back of his neck, the servant went on, “When I was a mortal, I had my own share of sufferings as a beggar. My parents were scum, but I had my sister. Before I found that you were the Demon King, you were and still am the only other person whom I would consider to be family.”

He tightened his lips together, attempting to think through and speak at the same time. It had too long since Xiao Li worked with such distant emotions. “Though it is none of my business, I think that Mei Ying’s life was…sad. On top of being cursed, she was abused and bullied by her clan members and looked down upon by people like Kong. Even when she did not sleep, eat, or drink, Mei Ying…was only celebrated when she seemed to be of use to the mortals, giving up her blood and body for their sake.”

At last, the juvenile laughed bitterly. “I would not blame her for being unfilial…”

“When Mei Ying wakes up, she can do whatever she wants with those letters.” This cool response startled the servant as shown by the bed shaking for a second. Jian Yu continued, “You are free to advise her, but you cannot make her do something.”

“Did I say something wrong? You look...”

“I just remembered that Mei Ying...wore a silver bracelet on her left wrist.”

All of a sudden, silence filled the entire room as the two young men sat and thought about the meaning behind the given clue.

"It's not there." Reflecting on the earlier events in relating to the Spirit Deprivation Voyage, the servant whirled around and blurted out, “You don’t think someone would dare force the Young Miss into a Soul Bargain Contract, right?!”

In no time, upon hearing this, Mei Ying’s hand began to burn hotly.

Aiyo, ever since she was a child, the young woman could not compose herself when she felt guilty or nervous. Whenever she did feel that way, Mei Ying had a bad habit of having sweaty hands while under great pressure to retain her innocence and feign ignorance.

Shifu would scrutinize the little disciple’s embroidered story and demand that she put her hands out for the Heaven Immortal to examine. When they felt the warm sweat, En Lai usually scolded the sobbing child, followed by the disciple's blubbering truth. With snot and streaming tears, the child would confess just about all the other little lies that she made up as well, ridding herself of the immense remorse that had swelled inside of her heart.

Then, as if sensing this, Shaman Hua would later come by on her flying sword and yell at the cranky Immortal, not caring for status or power rank. While Mei Ying's biological parents never bickered, it would feel that way to the little disciple when Shaman Hua and En Lai started screaming at one another and blaming on who was the negative influence.

“Mei Ying.”

Opening her eyes, the huntress was stiff, laying under the snug, silk blanket. She watched the palm of her soft hand being inspected by the sly Jian Yu. Ah, his half-ponytail had returned, along with the trailing red ribbon.

“Mei Ying…” The good-looking young man managed a friendly smile at his friend. “Where did your silver bracelet go?”