"Hurry, run!" Li Yuechan yelled as she dashed through a heavily wooded forest.
"Run!"
Behind her were Song Wushuang, Su Xue and Su Yue. Xu Lanyi held the rear, blocking arrows and spears that were flying towards the fleeing party.
"Kyakaka!" "Run little girls!"
Savage snarls and howls came from the darkness of the forest. A large pack of tree goblins, more than thirty, burst out of the brush and chased after them. They brandished primitive spears and shot arrows from crude bows.
The mission was supposed to be easy. Sneak into a forest controlled by tree goblins and locate an Ice Forged Sapphire mine. Glacier Palace would then send Spirit Initiate Realm disciples to clear out the goblins and claim the mine. However, they were continually tricked by crafty traps the goblins laid all across the forest until a large pack of goblins finally found them.
Being at peak of the Mind Focusing Realm, it was still difficult for Li Yuechan and her sisters to fight a large throng of enemies at once. They had planned to use the rewards from the mission, a large amount of Ice Forged Sapphire, to help breakthrough to the Spirit Initiate Realm. It was cheaper than using spiritual crystals but still had about the same effect for aiding breakthroughs for ice-based cultivation arts.
However, when everything went south, she chose to immediately retreat which probably saved their lives. She wouldn't sacrifice any of their lives like this, regardless of the mission rewards.
The retreat was difficult but manageable. The five were a veteran team and worked well together. Li Yuechan was the leader and found the right paths out of the forest. Song Wushuang coordinated their teamwork perfectly, rotating the rear guard periodically to share the task and making sure everybody still had good energy reserves. Xu Lanyi brought fighting skill and power, defeating every goblin that dared to come close. Su Xue and Su Yue added their balanced skillset and their powerful synergy.
"We're almost there, Lanyi!" Song Wushuang yelled, as she glanced backwards.
"I'm fine!"
The trees thinned out and they finally ran out of the forest. Outside was a large prairie where they had stashed their horses. After they hurriedly climbed on, they looked back towards the goblins who stopped chasing and remained in the shade of the trees.
"Come on, you ugly bastards, keep chasing!" Xu Lanyi yelled at them.
"Yeah!" "Come on!" The twins added their own taunts.
The tree goblins, true to their name, didn't venture out of their territory and silently retreated back into the darkness.
"Let's go back." Li Yuechan said as she turned her horse towards their sect.
---
"This was such a simple mission; how could you mess it up!"
They were reprimanded harshly by their managing elder after returning to the sect. She was cut from the same cloth as the master and was a stern and severe old woman.
"You'll all get extra chores for two weeks! Now get out of my sight!"
"Yes elder!" They bowed and hurriedly left.
They headed back towards their room through the icy corridors. Xu Lanyi muttered angry things about the elder while the others were lost in their own thoughts.
"Junior sisters, please wait." A soft angelic voice called to them.
They turned around to see the face of a goddess, their breath stuck in their throats as they felt an uneasy feeling wash over them. She was so perfect! Her complexion was flawless like the purest white jade. her beautiful deep blue eyes and long eyelashes were everything women dreamed of. The ideal nose, the most appealing cherry colored lips, the most captivating smile that was a mix of mature charm and youthful cheer.
Women would naturally be jealous of those that were prettier than them. But in front of this goddess, it was simply impossible to hold such feelings.
"Snow Fairy Long!" Li Yuechan and the other four bowed in respect.
Everyone knew who she was, Snow Fairy Long Yifei! She was only a year older than Li Yuechan but her cultivation had already grown leaps and bounds beyond them. She was awarded the title of 'Snow Fairy' because her fame had already spread far and wide even at such a young age.
"Junior sisters, you don't have to call me that, just call me Senior Sister." Long Yifei said gently. "I'm sorry to hear about your failed mission. However, you still put forth great effort and showed great teamwork. Please take this as a mark of my appreciation."
She handed a leather bag to Li Yuechan who opened it to see glittering pale blue gems, Ice Forged Sapphire!
"Senior Sister Long, we can't accept this! We didn't complete our mission." Li Yuechan tried to push the bag back but was refused.
Long Yifei shook her head, "I should thank you all instead. The tree goblins were very disorganized due to chasing you out of the forest. It was a great diversion and I was able to easily defeat all the goblins thanks to you. You deserve this!"
"Thank you, Senior Sister Long!" The five bowed as Long Yifei left.
Later that evening, the five sisters were taking a ice bath to clean their wounds and recover. Their moods were uplifted due to the kindness and generosity shown by Long Yifei.
"Wushuang!" Xu Lanyi cried as she sneaked up on her, reaching around to palm her large breasts, "Did you grow bigger again?"
"Hey, stop!" Song Wushuang pried those rogue hands off and swam away.
Xu Lanyi looked down at her own petite ones in comparison, "Wuuuu, this is so unfair!"
Su Yue laughed at their antics.
Li Yuechan shook her head as she helped Su Xue treat a few cuts and bruises using energy from the icy water.
"Sis, how come Senior Sister Long is like that? She's so strong but she's so nice." Su Xue asked.
"Hmm? I think she's always been like that. It is a bit strange, though... The sect master prefers strong, ruthless women and doesn't like kindness and generosity." Su Yue wondered.
Indeed, this mysterious goddess was often the topic of conversation within the sect. Every single disciple in the sect couldn't help but admire their most beautiful and most famous senior sister. She immediately became a direct disciple of the immortal sect master when she entered the sect and her fame had only grown ever since.
Her reputation was spotless. The elders all respected her. Even the sect master who was normally crusty and irritable would become nicer with Long Yifei around. In a sea of competitive, petty, jealous, and selfish women, she was like a shining beacon of light.
"I think she's faking it." Xu Lanyi said. "How can anybody be a real goddess, nobody in the world is that nice."
Song Wushuang wasn't so sure. "Maybe… it's hard to judge a person's true heart."
"Still, she helped us a great deal this time. We should remember her kindness and find a chance to repay her." Li Yuechan said.
The others nodded in agreement.