Yi Ling sat down and pulled out some herbs from her makeshift animal skin bag. She needed to stop the bleeding. She ate some herbs and applied some to her bleeding skin.
Seeing that Yi Ling had somewhat passed the test, the bear pointed its paw at her and made a follow-me gesture. Yi Ling was used to this; the bear was always bossy to her. Compared to when she was 10 years old, back then she thought he was cuddly. Puh puh! She spat. That old bear isn't cuddly at all! It was a menace! she thought.
All through the years that she'd been together with it, she was tricked multiple times! She almost drowned, was pushed down hills, got stung by bees, and was bitten by all sorts of insects and animals because of it! Name it! That stinking bear did it!
"What are you up to now?" She stared at the bear in front of her with accusing eyes. The bear shrugged and kept on walking.
At the very edge of the Abyss, there was a small hill with big rocks on it. You wouldn't think there was anything special about it. Yi Ling had even passed by it before.
The bear nudged her to move up the hill. She was confused about what he was trying to make her do. Right in front of the biggest rock, the bear pointed at her hand and then pointed at the big rock, almost as if saying that she needed to put her hand on the rock. Curious, she did what she was asked.
As she touched the rock, it moved, revealing an entrance to a cave. She took a step back, shocked. She never thought there was something behind the rock! She circled around the rock, and there really was nothing behind it! Her brows furrowed as she looked at the beast. She was suspicious of it.
"What's in there?" she asked.
The bear just pointed at the entrance and then went inside. Oh well, she thought. She then followed the beast inside.
Inside the cave, it was dark. They walked until enough time had passed to burn one incense stick. At the end of the tunnel, the place got dimmer, and light appeared. There was nothing there except a pedestal. On it lay a shiny object.
The bear stopped in front of it and then looked back at her. Yi Ling's brows lifted. "What now?" she asked.
The bear pointed at the shiny object, telling her to go near it.
Yi Ling then went closer to the pedestal. What she saw was a very beautiful ring. It was a Sapphire Jade Ring formed as a Blue Rose. Around it were some shiny colorful gems that she didn't recognize. It was magnificent to look at. It must have cost a fortune! She exhaled.
Her heart pounded as she stared at it. It seemed to be calling her. Her hand lifted up and acted on its own.
As she touched and lifted the Sapphire Jade Ring, nothing special happened. She sighed in relief. She was so sure that the beast was trying to trick her again.
She raised it up towards the light, getting a good look at it. It was really pretty, she thought. She looked at the bear, puzzled. The bear didn't react at all and kept staring at her.
She decided to put it on her left ring finger, like an engagement ring. It looked weird with a young man's outfit. It totally didn't match. As she kept admiring it in the light, a sharp blade sliced her finger, just enough to make it bleed. It was hidden underneath the rose.
She yelped in pain, "Dammit, bear! I knew you were going to trick me again! Ugh! Fine! You got me this time." She held her left hand, trying to get the ring off. She was cursing the bear in her mind a million times. The bear rolled his eyes.
She couldn't get the ring off for some reason. All of a sudden, she fainted. The blood that came out of her finger was sucked into the Rose. It was way too quick to be noticed. Her finger stopped bleeding instantly when she fell down. The bear barely caught her in time.
It's now or never, he thought.
The heavens will undergo some changes again. He sighed.