Thin layers of white cloth whisked freely in the wind as the tapping of horse hooves echoed down the dirt path. Pale petals in the colors of the sunset lay scattered on the ground, as more continued to be plucked off trees by the delicate wind and flew gently through the air. A young maiden sat quietly in a wooden carriage as her servant and guards led the journey by foot. The group had almost reached their destination when a cry rang throughout the previously ambient atmosphere.

The girl on the carriage slowly descended and walked towards the servant that now laid on the ground. Her dark, obsidian hair floated with every step.

"Lady Hoa, there is no need for you to come down to check on a lowly servant. She has simply twisted her ankle. Please forgive her carelessness."

Despite reassurance from the guards, the girl looked on with her faded amethyst eyes and reached out towards the servant.

"We have almost arrived. She may sit with me until we can bring her to a medic."

The group quickly made their way to the city of Hoi and completed their journey. The bustling, rich area was regarded as one of the epicenters of the spiritual realm. Intricately crafted buildings towered in every direction. Large pagodas were home to numerous temples, shops, and homes alike. Stone statues of dragons and lions decorated the rooftops of buildings, gazing over the city as guardians. Rivers flowed through the city, allowing for blooming lotus flowers to float by as wooden boats carrying passengers cut through the water. The translucent, aquamarine water rippled in response.

It was a vibrant scene straight from a silk painting.

The injured servant was quickly taken away to be cared for, while the young lady made her way to the city's main temple. She would be staying in the city for an indefinite time, and could only ask that luck would be bestowed on her by the spirits to ensure her protection.

Entering the pagoda building with her shoes left on her carriage, she made her way to the heart of the temple. Various wooden figures of the city's local heroes sat among those of the most well-known deities of this world. Porcelain vases of flowers, ceramic bowls of fruit, and glowing glass lotus decorations weaved throughout the arrangement of the golden shrine. From a small jar, the maiden known as Lady Hoa withdrew 3 sticks of incense to offer. Turning towards the emanating light of a glass lotus, she hovered the incense over the lit candle that sat in the center. After the transfer of heat, she stepped back as smoke began to disperse.

One bow, two bows, three bows.

She added her offerings into the powder-filled incense holder that was already packed with the earnest prayers of the local villagers. Basking in the silence of worship for a few lingering moments, she finished the last of her wishes to the ancestors of this area.

The silence broke when a sharp whistling sound suddenly cut through the air.

Lady Hoa quickly reached towards her right thigh, grabbing and unlatching the folding fan that was constantly gartered to her leg. Unfolding the fan, she channeled her spiritual power through it, causing the paper material to turn hard as stone.

She held up her fan to block whatever harm was coming her way, only to find that a few dull thuds were the only result. From what she could tell, it was safe to assume that her unknown attacker was weaker in spiritual power than her. However, after hearing a familiar metallic clanging and observing what had just been thrown her way; she was intrigued.

She flicked her fan upwards, causing a swirl of wind to gather the metallic objects and gently fling them towards her. A swipe of her arm was all she needed to catch them, and she inspected her findings with growing curiosity. The girl smoothed her thumb over the circular object in her hand, feeling over the inscribed characters and the empty square-shaped center.

Someone had flung coin charms at her, enhanced with that person's innate energy. It was quite a peculiar method of fighting.

For the common people, coin charms were typically used as offerings at temples. The shrine in front of her currently had coins scattered over the gold-embroidered tablecloth.

For the martial artists of this world, coin charms were used in combat. The coins possessed heavenly power that could be used to effectively curse and exorcise evil spirits. Martial artists typically attached these charms to their weapons in some way, giving them the ability to draw and direct the power of the coins through their weapons and create powerful attacks. When combined with the inner spiritual power of a strong and experienced martial artist, a single blow could cut through mountains.

Solely using the coins themselves as weapons was a technique that the young lady had never seen before.

"Consider yourself blessed that I did not bring my sword," she jested into the empty air.

There was no answer as she had hoped, but the feeling of being observed persisted. The lady paced around for a few steps as she scanned the area for any presence of the attacker. She idly waved her fan with an air of arrogance.

"Kindly reveal yourself now, and I will forget that this ever happened."

After a few moments of anticipation, a young boy stepped out from behind the shrine.

From what could be seen, he looked to be around the same age as the young Lady Hoa. He had a shabby appearance: dressed in a simple tunic and long, unruly hair tied with a ribbon. Under the shadows of his messy bangs, the look in his eyes gave off a playful demeanor.

"Truthfully, I hope that you'll remember me well. I was simply hoping to rob someone and be on my way, but who knew that such a wealthy-looking lady had nothing to offer but a few sticks of incense?"

A whipping sound was made as the girl flicked her fan closed. She looked at the boy up and down, taking in his nondescript image.

"Are you insinuating that I'm stingy…"

The boy attempted to feign a look of innocence but was unable to hide a small smirk as he replied.

"A poor man may lack money and education, but a gut feeling can always be relied on. Perhaps I've misjudged you though, and what you lack is not a willingness to spend money, but respect for the gods."

"..."

The young lady gripped her fan and attempted to hide the pout upon her lips. Without wanting to admit to it out loud, she inwardly cursed at her lack of experience when it came to social situations. Her entire life of being formally educated could not prepare her for a simple spout with this unabashed commoner.

"Hmph! How observant you claim to be...what clan do you come from to have such an odd method of fighting and a blatant lack of manners?"

"Does one need to come from a respected clan to achieve great things? I'm simply an orphan trying to get by," the boy responded as he carelessly strode around the shrine. His hand graced over the coins resting on the flat surface, before shamelessly grabbing a few and tucking them into the fold of his top.

"At least treat me to a meal if you want to get to know me," he added with a wink, "otherwise, I'll be on my way now!"

Before the girl could shout out a command to stop, the boy had already fled with quick, flying steps before vanishing into the city. Convincing herself that the matter was not worth fretting over, the young lady simply stood still and sighed deeply.

Is this how all commoners behave? How exhausting.

The girl glanced back towards the shrine, gazing back into the eyes of the wooden statues and returning her folding fan to the strap of her leg.

Next time, she would bring homemade food and freshly cut flowers, and ask the gods to smile upon her for the long journey ahead.