A cold feeling in her face woke Di Xueyan up from her beautiful beauty sleep. Panting, she pinch her nose to stop the water from entering her lungs and abruptly sat herself up. Her eyes were wide as she assesses her drenched wretched body. Her lips twitch as she realized that she is still in her thorn clothes which barely covers her pride - filling breasts.
Di Xueyan is in a daze for a moment as she feels the water drench her hair and pathetic clothes.
Upon realizing that someone splash a bucket of water to wake her up, she frowned and immediately surveys her surrounding dangerously when her gaze stops at a woman in red, whose face can bring chaos in both heaven and earth, whose smirking mockingly at her pitiful self.
Di Xueyan went on daze again as memories of what happened this past few days resurfaced on her mind again. And because of that memory, her dazed state turn worse as confusion clouded her eyes.
'Isn't this the gentle and noble woman that saved me?', she asks herself, while sizing up the woman who is now smirking mischievously while holding a golden bucket. No matter how she thought, the aura of carelessness and the mischievous glint of the woman in front of her does not coincides with the gentle and royal bearing of the woman days ago.
"But the face is the same", Di Xueyan's mouth is already hanging wide as she subconsciously said her thoughts out loud.
Instantly, in the dim cold looking place, a warm and amused laugh echoed across the cave. The laugh is completely unlady like, unlike the gentle warm laugh of the woman days ago. This confuses Di Xueyan even more. Not even caring about how drench she is anymore, she continously stares at the laughing woman in front of her. After assessing what the hell is happening, she seems to have an epiphany as her gaze lights up.
" Don't tell me she has a personality disorder? Does such ordinary illness also appears in the cultivation world? ", she mumbles to herself as she continue staring at the woman. The contrast in personality is just very alarming that if not because the woman still has its distinct powerful aura, clothes and even the mole in her upper lip, Di Xueyan might think that she is her twin or something.
The woman heard everything and she clutches her stomach tightly as she laughs. Breaking Di Xueyan's illusion of a perfect goddess when they first met.
After a long while, the woman seems to notice her presence again.
" Little girl, it's still me. And no, I don't have any illness or something. I just teased you a little bit and you already malfunctioned? God, never thought that you are this funny", the woman continued laughing as the bucket in her hand vanish.
Di Xueyan didn't understand what is funny.
She is too shocked with the difference in character ok?
'What in the world is happening?', she hoisted her pitiful self up, feeling refresh as ever. No matter how messed up she looks like right now, the undeniable powerful and regal aura that seems to be carved in the bone still lingers in her persona. The bruises in her body had already been long gone, her exquisite face that was covered in dirt already resurfaced again as the water that was mercilessly splashed on her became a free face washing liquid.
The woman saw how the girl tried to gather her remaining dignity and her eyes can't help but twinkle.
Di Xueyan went back to her aloof self when she stares at the woman who is currently sizing her up right now.
" Please, pray tell, why do you have to wake me up in that manner when you could've just do it in a normal way?", Di Xueyan said calmly, but deep inside she is already fuming mad.
'How embarassing!'
She appears calm but the redness of her face sold her out, making the woman laugh gently, this time, it is already the laugh that she first heard in their first encounter.
" You just won't wake up. We are already pressed for time so I have to do it", she innocently replied while turning her back.
" Get yourself ready and follow me outside", the woman started walking away, leaving a poor girl with a last shred of dignity glaring at her back.
" Bipolar", Di Xueyan mockingly muttered under her breath since she can't argue with someone who already walked out anymore. She first wonder how someone's temperament can change just like that but she can't be bothered anymore. She hurriedly dressed herself up and lift her heavy head high as she steps out of the place.
Only now does she realized that the place that she has been in for many days is actually a cave! It is actually very crude and she has been sleeping in the cave's ground without any mattress or something that can bring comfort. Now that she has the time to look around, she can't help but to feel pride swelling in her chest.
' I actually slept peacefully in this place', even though she participated in girl scouts campings before, never had she slept in a cold hard ground all her life.
The cave is very huge that she has to walk for approximately a hundred meters before she exited. Once she is nearing the exit, a blinding light attack her senses, as being used to the dim light inside, Di Xueyan has to cover her eyes for a minute before opening it. A gasp exits her mouth as she saw a hundred square meter bed of luminous flowers of different shapes and sizes. The flowers sways in the same directions as if it was swayed by magic. The soft light coupled with a soft tone made Di Xueyan's eyes widen in amazement.
'The flowers are humming!'
Without any delay, her initial plan of appearing as if a regal person came into a halt as she dashed at the singing flowers in front of her.
Sensing her aura, the dancing flowers gently came into a halt and softly lean towards Xueyan's direction as if they are curious about her. Di Xueyan saw their actions and her eyes soften. She reached out and touch the nearest flower which closy resembles to a rose, just a luminous one. The tiny flower slightly trembles at the touch, rubbing off some luminous dust which resembles fairy dust so much, making Di Xueyan even more enchanted.
'This looks like a fairytale!', she exclaimed in her mind as she watch the flowers resuming their hum and rhythmic dance. She wonders her eyes at the surrounding. Everything is supposed to be pitch black, but because of the flowers, the place became well lit as if she is in space, watching the galaxies and distant stars. She sighs in her heart as something seems to be itching inside it right now.
" You seems to like it very much", a familiar voice sounded behind her. She turned around to see the woman in red who is now staring at the flowers with sadness in her eyes.
" Yes, but I don't think I had read anything about this flower before", Di Xueyan lightly furrowed her brows as she thought hard but can't stll remember any information about the flowers.
'Strange',
Her mother educated her with almost every knowledge her mother can gather thouroughly all these years. As an alchemist, she has to be very familiar with different species of plants, but still, she can't seem to guess what these flowers are.
Seeing her confusion, the woman smile, but it didn't reach her eyes as she turns her attention back to the bed of luminous flowers in front of them.
"It is useless to think. These flowers has been nameless for hundred thousand of years and the requirement to grow this is almost impossible to find in this world", the woman said as a rare affection flashes in her eyes and the most gentle and affectionate smile that Di Xueyan has ever saw her wears is now visible on her face while watching the dancing flowers.
Di Xueyan's lips twitch a little as the thought of this woman's personality disorder resurfaced in her brain again, almost making her laugh a little but stops herself because the woman seems to be serious and she is genuinely curious.
" What is the requirement? Only one? How can it be impossible to find it?", Di Xueyan voices out her confusions as she watched how bitterness spreads across the woman's face.
" Pure love....pure and untainted love. That is the only requirement", the woman gently stated while Di Xueyan almost cringe at how cheesy it sounded.
" That's quiet....strange", Xueyan commented . She can barely hide her strange tone as she wanted to say 'cheesy' instead of strange.
The woman saw and felt the emotion of the young woman in front of her who obviously never experienced love and chuckled.