Chapter 105 - Next Step
Chapter 105 – Next Step
"Ah, how nice to see the sun again!" Fu Shan said.
Everyone agreed with him, staying inside those halls for days was quite boring. Now that they were outside, they could finally stretch their bodies.
"Even though the bloody aura has receded back into the ground, there are still Blood Imps and Wraiths around. They are a bit weaker now but we should still be careful", Wu Dao mentioned this little detail, reminding everyone not to lower their guards.
They had seemingly forgotten about Ming Yue's experience, focusing on leaving the plains first. It was a relatively quick journey. Without that bloodthirsty atmosphere, traveling was much easier. They reached the outskirts and decided to rest for the night.
"So, what do the two of you plan to do now? We, Six Pillars, are going back to Rong Lu City, we've gained a lot of materials from this and we itching to use them", Mei Yuan said.
Xuan Yin was the first to answer, "I'm going back to my grandfather. My task with the Forgelord is already complete and I need time to comprehend this new experience. So a bit of closed door cultivation and after that, I'm going to travel around the continent, hunt some rare beasts, something like that."
Ming Yue paused at this question, before answering.
"I'm going to wander for a bit."
A simple answer but one she liked, she was going to explore and take her time. After all, she needed to consolidate her cultivation and gain a bit more experience, practice with her new blade, Drifting Sky.
"Ah, I see" said Mei Yuan. She had thought that Ming Yue would stay at Rong Lu for a bit more but for her to move around so quickly was a bit surprising.
"Say, you never got around to telling us what you saw", Fu Shan interrupted, changing the subject.
Their eyes lit up in excitement and curiosity.
Ming Yue showed a little smile to their child-like behavior and began retelling the story: the sisters and their history, the fight, and the end.
Deep into the night, Ming Yue finished telling everyone what she saw and they all had a good rest. Hearing such stories from the two gave them all quite exciting dreams, full of adventure and action.
The following day, everyone had gone their separate way. The Six Pillars returned to Rong Lu City, Xuan Yin went back to the Stone Forest, and Ming Yue decided to travel up north.
There was no real location in mind so, she walked along the border of the Clear Sky Kingdom and the Jade Swallow Country.
Traveling upwards, she occasionally encountered new beasts, ones unlike those in Red Lotus Country. Of them all, the strangest was this pig like creature that walked on its hind legs. The meat was quite delicious but a bit peculiar.
The scenery was certainly quite beautiful, a mixture of mountains and valleys all along the road. As a group, traversing this terrain would be quite difficult but Ming Yue was with her two pets, she could stop whenever she wanted.
Days later, she found herself resting near a small waterfall, washing her clothes and cleaning herself in the brisk pond water. Hei Yue swam around while Xiao Yin nestled on a tree. The sound of rushing water and rustling leaves was quite pleasant. The sky was quite empty, having only one or two passing clouds. The warmth of the bright sun bathed their bodies. Using a warm wind, she quickly dried her clothes.
Ming Yue enjoyed this change of pace, it was quite pleasant.
Within an earshot, she heard a twig snap. Partially clothed, she grabbed her sword and unsheathed it, ready to fight. But, there was no enemy there but a small deer who had come to the waterfall for a bit of a drink. It seemed not to care for Ming Yue's appearance and continued to drink from the small pond.
She watched it before sighing a breath of relief, putting away her sword. As second later, she heard an explosion not far from her. Slightly annoyed but nevertheless alert, she quickly packed up her things and quickly moved to where the sounds of battle had come from.
"You lecher! To dare watch me while I bathe! I will strike you down where you stand!" a woman's voice shouted angrily.
"Wait, wait, it was an accident! Please hear me out!" the voice of a man begging desperately followed her voice.
"Hmm, that voice, I recognize it" Ming Yue thought.
"I already have someone, why would I want to commit such perverted acts? Really, it was all a coincidence, I was just trying to return to my home!" he cried out.
"Wait, that's Elder Fei!" she realized.
The cultivator who thanked her for saving his nephew was now being chased off by an angry woman!
"I should go help him", she ran out, attempting to stop Elder Fei's impending death.
Seeing the scene with her own eyes, she saw the same middle aged man from Luan City, dodging in the air and attempting to pacify the fiery eyed woman. His helpless expression was a stark contrast to her look of fury, clearly she was not strong enough to subdue him but he did not want to attack someone whom he had wronged. He was a man of morals and wanted to mediate this situation by talking but she was too hot tempered, unwilling to listen to reason.
Elder Fei seemed slightly younger than before, sporting a little beard and a tied hair bun. The hairpin itself, she recognized as one of Cui Fen's possessions, most likely a gift from her. He wore a mix of white and silver robes, he carried a slim broadsword on his back. Despite these differences, he still had the same calm demeanor as before, cool and collected.
The furious woman was nothing more than a young girl. Her clothes were hastily worn, white robes coupled with a light blue sash. Her weapon of choice was a large saber, which she swung around with haphazardly. A bit surprising considering her small frame, she might be even smaller than Ming Yue herself, who was a little under five feet. Her ligtht brown hair was untied and flailed in the wind.
Before, the woman could send off another attack, Ming Yue leaped forward, knocking the saber out of her hand.
"Please wait!" she said, "I know this man and he is not some pervert. Please let him go."
Both Elder Fei and the woman was surprised by her sudden appearance.
"Ming Yue?" Elder Fei questioned.
As for the angry woman, she did not move an inch and her expression showed no signs of faltering.
"Why should I? He has wronged me by peeking on my naked body, He should pay the consequences for doing such a thing!" she hissed.
"Like I said, it was only an accident!" he explained, "I was just collecting some flowers along the way and happened to pick one up near the pond you were bathing in! Look at my hands, I still have all of them!"
He showed them the bouquet, an assortment of red flowers, all in different shades. It was a beautiful bouquet, one look and anyone who know that much thought and care has been put into it.
"This is going to be a gift for when I propose" he said shyly.
Ming Yue looked back.
"Really?", she said.
"Yes, I have already reached my goal and there is nothing left for me to do. I want to settle in Luan City with Cui Fen and I'm going to stay at the Eternal Blade Sect to watch other Fei Xian", he explained.
Ming Yue was quite happy, after all, she had known that the both of them had been exchanging letters. When Cui Fen stopped receiving them, she had asked Ming Yue to help her find Elder Fei. But now, it seems that her worries were all for naught.
Despite this joyous news, the young woman did not budge.
"He must pay! He must pay! He must pay" she shouted madly, suddenly having a tantrum like a child.
"Stop it, Kui Hua!" a stern voice echoed through the forest as a newcomer flew down from the skies.