A wind whistling sound was heard and a white fog covered the entire area of the forest. If not for her spiritual powers, an ordinary human would not be able to see a single thing. A sweet plum smell started to intensify and the space around her rippled like a petal gently disturbing the stillness of the surface of the water.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
A pleasant dripping sound of water droplets magnified around her followed by the enchanting sound of a zither. Soon enough, red floating lights opened up a cloudy pathway that led to a small water body filled with pink lotuses. An enchanting figure slowly made its way towards her, smiling provocatively and seductively.
During her time with the Qi family, to and after her ascension and even the fact regarding her rebirth, Ming-Yue had been enlightened about things that she had no idea about. With time and education, she had learned to not be surprised every time something out of the world happens, after all, she herself has the power of the phoenix blood running through her veins. But still, she could not help but gape opening and closing her mouth but nothing coming out of it and her previous boiling anger, momentarily forgotten.
What stood in front of her was, so much more enchanting than the underlings. A piece of art, like an elegant work of craftsmanship, a dazzling beau- God?!!
"I thought your form would be a female rather than a male?" Ming-Yue said, coming out of her trance and looking questioningly at the Greek God-like heavenly creature, a trickster taking a male form.
Instead of replying right away, he took his time watching her as if judging her head to toe then as if successfully completing his examination, a bright gleam passed his eyes approvingly and his thin lips curved upwards in a big grin as he nodded his head repeatedly.
"You've come little Yue, you can call me brother Feng," he said enthusiastically, smiling from ear to ear.
Ming-Yue raised her left eyebrow, now it was her turn to judge the guy from head to toe. Yes, going with her initial reaction, this so-called Brother Feng, was extremely enchanting. Enough to make any gender go haywire. But, if you keep looking without being tranced by the seductive power of a trickster, you could tell that this one was a little bit flamboyant.
He wore what looked like a custom-made hanfu that made most of his chest visible and anyone could see the taut muscles underneath. The long red silk robe was loosely held on by the black flower-patterned waist stash giving him a sexy look as his long black hair swayed alluringly with the mild wind. Part of his hair was put in a small bun and held on by a gold ornament, giving out a vibe that screamed 'I am not from this age'.
"Oh my, have my charms dazzled you little Yue?" Feng asked while chuckling as his eyes formed two crescent shapes.
Ming-Yue chided herself once again for getting distracted by his 'charms'. Tricksters are blessed with the power of beauty and seduction, very few were able to resist their trance-like spell. Those few that succeeded were often older experienced veterans who have been through years of meditation and life. Considering that, let's just say, Ming-Yue was struggling and if not for the special properties of her blood, she'd be drooling even at the slightest presence of a male trickster.
"Were you the one who called me?" she asked, completely ignoring his previous statement.
"Yes, I did." Feng said, still smiling, "I must say, your performance earlier was rather applauding. You have learned well. But you still have a long way to go my dear little Yue."
Ming-Yue wanted to vomit blood as she felt her earlier anger coming back. Her pride did not let her admit that it was her first actual real fight, and it was definitely different from even her fast-paced training. This was given since when was a veteran soldier ever comparable to someone who only knows how to fight? Just like one could not fight without knowing combat, there were many things that could only be picked up through life and death situations, and by only breathing the air of a battleground can one truly gain experience and grow stronger.
"Who are you? What is the meaning of all this? You are looking for a fight trickster?" Ming-Yue yelled demandingly and curled her fists, positioning her into a fighting stance.
"Do not be alarmed little one, I do not have a death wish. If I were to do that, someone-haha never mind. I have something to give you." He said walking closer towards her.
"Stop right there!", Ming-Yue yelled, her body going into alert mode, "What makes you think I will take what you give?"
"Heh," Feng chuckled lightly as if expecting this response, "I am afraid you don't have a choice."
As soon as he said that, in one swift moment, he appeared in front of her while chanting something. Her whole body froze as if held down by a heavy boulder. Ming-Yue's eyes went wide as she gritted her teeth. Impossible! This was not any normal binding method. Any normal trickster should not be able to pull this off. No matter how much she tried to struggle, it was futile against this ancient spell. Two slender fingers reached out and grabbed her chin firmly but not strongly and a cold soft kiss landed on her left cheek making her gasp in surprise. As if that was not all, taking advantage of her surprised reaction, a bitter liquid was passed into her mouth through a glass vial.
Her surprise plus the bitter taste of the liquid instantly made Ming-Yue start coughing and tears formed at the corner of her eyes due to her throat burning.
Feng gently patted her head, smiled, and just as he appeared out of nowhere, he disappeared in thin air, only leaving his lingering words, "Take care, Little one" and waving goodbye.
…
In the deeper forest of another realm, a woman in traditional clothing sat under a wisteria tree meditating. The air around her rippled as a figure in red appeared.
"Young master Shi Feng, you are back?" the woman said in a soft voice, getting up from her position in a hurry, her eyes twinkling and her pink lips slightly pouting as she looked up at the alluring handsome figure.
"Su Tang, if your concentration is this weak, how are you supposed to carry on effective cultivation?" Shi Feng chided. His voice was completely different and lacked the warmth from his earlier encounter. His eyes looked at the little woman disapprovingly. His thousand-year-old soul could see through this vixen who clearly fancied him.
"Our kind must be vigilant in cultivation. Do not get distracted with nonsense things." Without glancing at her twice, Shi Feng headed towards the meeting room, leaving Su Tang with a complex look in her eyes.
…
The meeting room was dark with a pleasant smell of incense. Shi Feng stood outside a bamboo partition and slightly bowed his head, "Grand Master,"
Just as he said that a fan swatted fiercely on his head taking Shi Feng by surprise. Simultaneously, a fireball was aimed towards him and he only managed to barely dodge it.
"Grand Master?!!" Shi Feng cried in alarm.
"Hmph! You deserve it, you know what you did. You shameless brat!" An old yet powerful voice came from the other side of the partition.
Shi Feng scrunched up his brows and lowly grumbled, "It's not like she would have taken it otherwise," but what came out loudly was, "Sorry Grand Master, I was muddled."
…
Ming-Yue slumped on the ground as the binding spell broke. Her throat still burning, and tears formed in her eyes due to the stinging and vigorous coughing. She felt as if her energy were seeping out at an alarming rate and she could do nothing about it. As if the saying 'when it pours, it rains' was applied to her helpless situation, pouncing footsteps could be heard approaching her. How could she forget where she was? This forest had countless beasts, out of them, the lower-tier ones the blood wolves were known for being notorious. In a normal situation, she could easily fight them but now…
*Fierce howling*