An Bing Qing's eyes gleamed like stars and a joyful smile bloomed on her rosy lips, she took out a long black hood from her qiankun bag and wore it before jumping out from her window using her agility skill when she saw that there weren't many people looking her way. She didn't need to have much caution though, as all the people in this inn had their eyes locked in their own business because of tomorrow's competition.
She successfully landed, striding out from the inns' front yard as soon as her soles touched the floor.
The streets weren't as soulless as the inn; they were boisterous, flowing with people of all kind of statuses. She felt reassured once she mingled within the bustling atmosphere and opened her way towards -The Forbidden Bamboo Forest which was located in the east part of the city, right beside the Ghost Forest.
Ghost Forest City was a city designed differently from other cities. It wasn't completely protected by the city's walls; only half of the city had them, making it look from above like half a moon. The other half was naturally protected by the outskirts of the Ghost Forest.
The Ancient Inn was located in the middle of the city as such, it didn't take to long for An Bing Qing to reach the bamboo forest which was many times smaller than the Ghost forest, as it didn't spread out of the city's walls.
Soon, An Bing Qing spotted a place covered by green bamboos, in the past she had watched it from the spacecraft. It was her first time going out from the Imperial City and she was curious about many things; she had decided to visit it by herself in the past as well because she knew her eldest brother would be busy.
She saw many people sitting around and laughed, thinking back, she had been very nervous at that time as to not see that there were these many people before.
The Forbidden Bamboo Forest not only was beautiful but it was also used as a training field. The reason came from his name, there were many formations around and inside; in her previous life, she was clueless about it until her eldest brother told her. She had been very confused at that time, she hadn't come across any.
This time she paid attention and was able to see some of them. She took away her black hood before doing as everyone, she sat on the ground and studied the formations to break them to enter; whenever she broke one and crossed it, the formation will form again behind her.
Nightfall and she began to become dizzy with the increased difficulty; she shook her head and ignored them. She just walked and crossed the formations like in the past; she wasn't stopped, letting her pass through them without any hindrance. She was curious about this but didn't think about that too much; she hadn't heard about something similar and it wouldn't be wise to ask around.
"Hah, this place is as beautiful as before", she pleasantly inhaled some air when she reached a lake with crystalline water. The moon in the sky was reflected on its surface while silky silver threads danced above it, illuminating the whole area.
She caught eye of a big flat rock on the lakeshore. She strode towards it and jumped when she came to be before it. She stood on the edge of the rock and looked at her fine-looking reflection for a while before taking seat in the lotus position.
It didn't take long for her to be shrouded by remembrance and nostalgia; she mumbled with complicated feelings, "This is the place where…"
Then, she took a gourd of wine and a jade bowl; the wine came from her father's reserve. She filled the whole bowl till the yellowish wine spilt out from it. In fact, she liked wine more than tea; but she had been restraining herself. Though, this preference had only come after she had met Xue Zi Hui; he loved to drink good wines.
She drank it and soon her throat burned, but the flavour in her tongue was spicy and sweet, making her drink more and more without stopping. Wine dripped from the corner of her rosy lips, all the way down to her neck, drenching her snowy robes.
The wafting fragrance was so intoxicating that she quickly drowned herself in a dreamlike world, full of melancholy.
She served herself another bowl but she didn't drink it as she took out a dark yellow zither with white peonies carven on it.
She placed it on her lap before her fair fingers danced on the strings. Soon, a nostalgic melody rose towards the sky, swiftly gliding along the cool night breeze and mixing with the refreshing bamboo aroma and the strong fragrant wine.
At the same time, just tens of paces from An Bing Qing's place, there was a young man sleeping on the verdant ground. An old book was covering his face while his pure white robes trimmed with purple thread moved with the drifting wind.
The waltzing zither's notes in the air came to this place, reaching his ears and awakening him.