" Grandmaster, why don't stay a few more days until your wound heals completely?" Elder Mo suggested with some concern as they stood at the city gate.
Jiang Ying Yue saw the elder's sincere concern and suddenly felt guilty. She slightly lowered her head tilting it to the side to face her injured shoulder which was almost healed and shook her head as she said, " No, I am fine Elder Mo. It's already healing well."
Jiang Ying Yue hadn't allowed anyone to touch her wound since that day so one knew the current state of her wound. They all showed worry for her and even suggested staying a few more days just like Elder Mo.
However, Jiang Ying Yue was adamant.
" Alright.....Elder Mo, see you later then." Jiang Ying Yue waved her hand at the old man gesturing goodbye before she turned to her companions and said, " Let's go. It's better to leave early."
It was dawn. The small town was quiet and peaceful contrasting with how bustling it was during the day and the evening. Deep in its sleep.
A cool breeze was blowing as the crew started their end part of the journey to the Beast Heaven Mountain.
The horses galloped and their backs turned smaller and smaller as farther they sped until finally turned into many dots and vanished in a distant corner.
Elder Mo sighed and turned to leave.
" Master, master!" one of the younger disciples of Elder Mo ran over looking flustered as soon as Elder stepped into his courtyard.
" What?" Elder Mo asked looking somewhat displeased. Elder Mo was down after seeing his Grandmaster and master off and wasn't really in the mood to play around like usual.
" Ma...master..." looking at the displeased Elder the disciple's stutter turned even worse as he was deliberating to break the news to this grumpy elder. He had nowhere to run.
" Speak clearly!" Elder Mo's voice rang a notch higher.
" Master, it's...it's gone!" the disciple finally completed the sentence with some effort.
" What?!" Elder Mo, however, couldn't understand a thing.
The disciple deeply swallowed and finally decided to bite the bullet as he turned to explain, " Master, it's all gone. Your vegetable patch is all gone!"
Whish!....
The disciple stood there blankly as Elder Mo dashed to his backyard garden.
Just as his young disciple had reported: it was completely gone. The green patch with different kinds of precious vegetables now laid barren before him.
Damn it! Who was the thief?!
Elder Mo's eyes were bloodshot, and his hands were clutched tightly on the top of his walking stick.
His precious vegetables were gone. The vegetables that he tended himself every day and couldn't even bear to pluck a single one for himself to eat.
He treated these ordinary vegetables as treasures. No wonder he offered them to his Grandmaster on their first meeting.
Now.....it was all gone.
" Master, master, here's something for you!" The same disciple from earlier came running and handed Elder Mo a small piece of paper.
" What is this?" Elder Mo asked in a low voice. The elderly man looked scary when was enraged.
The disciple didn't know how to answer, he stretched his head and answered awkwardly, " Master, you should look at it yourself."
Elder Mo frowned as lowered his head to unfold the neatly folded paper. And the words he saw were:
"Elder Mo, these vegetables of your garden taste quite good and I took a liking to them. Since previously you asked me to teach you the needle technique, how about we make a deal?
You give me these vegetables, I teach you needle technique. You can grow them anyway later. Fair and Square, don't you think?... So, today I am taking my share and I'll return yours if I manage to return alive and well from the Beast Heaven Mountain after a month."
Sincerely,
Your Grandmaster, Xiao You.
PS:" You can't blame me, your master also agreed with this."
Elder Mo:"..."
" Master, are...you alright!?..."
Elder Mo's aged hands trembled as he hardly held onto that note.
*
*
*
The vegetable thief was now galloping fast towards the mountain forgetting all her guilt and remorse.
" Sister, are there really spirit beasts in that forest?" Jiang Ying Mei, who was currently sharing a horse with her sister spoke out as they rode for their destination.
Jiang Ying Yue heard her younger sister but she didn't turn back. She answered while she looked ahead holding the reins tightly in her hands as she steered the beast forward, " Hmm, they said there are if we go deeper into the forest...why do you wish to see one so badly?"
" No, no, I don't wish to," Jiang Ying Mei rattled her small head again and again, " Mother once told me that spirit beasts are really scary, far more stronger and vicious than the ordinary beasts."
The two sisters continued to chat as they rode the horse.
The road they had to traverse was narrow, both sides littered with tangled and thorny shrubs and bushes, only enough for a single horse to pass at a time. That was they decided to leave their carriages which they brought with them from the capital to the city and continue their journey on horseback.
The horses they were riding now were from the Elder's stable. They were pure breed, very swift and stable, and full of vigour. If they continued like this without taking any long breaks in between they'd be able to reach their destination by early dawn the next morning.
In the front rode Wei, in a black horse matching his dark robes clearing the way for them, his posture tall and noble, while in the back Tian Shan kept eyes on them who were riding in the middle. This formation never broke since they departed from Lan Quan.
" Master~" a soft and aggrieved voice sounded beside Jiang Ying Yue's ears.
" Yes, sweety, what's the matter?" Jiang Ying Yue couldn't help but soften as she asked back.
" Master, I can't go out!" Azure sounded even more aggrieved. Azure was fired up after meeting such a lovely master so much so that she went off to cultivate right away. And now that she woke up and tried to exit the space intending to follow their master secretly from behind, she received a big shock. The space won't let her out.
" Hehe...good for you. Who asked you to jump inside so easily when you could have enjoyed the freedom outside?" Abhram spoke as he gloated on Azure's misfortune. After all, both were sharing the same fate he understood how Azure felt yet he couldn't help gloating. He was also somewhat happy that someone was finally here to accompany him in this loneliness, " So stupid."
" I didn't!" Azure defended herself with all her might, " I was sucked in!.... And you dared to call me stupid, you want another round of beating?!"
Abhram saw that Azure started turning red from anger he slowly took a few steps increasing the distance between them. His body was scared but his stinking mouth won't co-operate. So, to be assured he even pressed his both palms on the top of his mouth to make sure his mouth wasn't capable of doing any ill anymore.
" Don't worry, sweety, you'd be out soon before you know. Just one more breakthrough and you'll be free." Jiang Ying Yue comforted softly.
Azure heard this and immediately turned her head to face Abhram who was hiding in the far corner. Her gesture was clearly asking Abhram for his confirmation.
Abhram who himself was controlled by the space, bounded by his autonomy himself had no idea about this. He was clueless about when they'd be able to feel the outside sun and air. And what he said to Jiang Ying Yue was all based on his blind guessing and intuition.
Azure saw that the boy was standing there motionless and knew at once, they were doomed.
" Waaaa...."
A miserable and heart-breaking sob reverberated throughout the Brahma.
Jiang Ying Yue's ears were buzzing. She was busy steering the horse and looking out for low branches and thorny shrubs that she didn't manage to catch their small interaction. What she heard was only a sob.
Jiang Ying Yue tried comforting the baby a few times but it didn't work. She felt helpless as there was no way she could disappear at the moment. So, she could only leave her be.
Jiang Ying Yue sighed. A Child was really hard to raise, be it a human or a spirit.