Feng stuffed the last packet of herbal tea into his satchel and threw the thing over his shoulders. The days had flashed by relatively quickly and he was preparing to head home for his weekly visit. He wanted to get going before the sun began to set, as the hike usually took a little more than an hour to get from the village to the cabin.
He closed the door of the blacksmith's workshop, and locked it before heading on his way. Feng waved to the villagers as he walked to the hiking path that would lead into the forest.
Nearing the edge of the community, he heard a familiar voice calling for him. "Feng! Feng! Wait up! Hey Feng!"
He sighed quietly to himself, coming to a stop and slowly turning around. "Oh hey Ping'er. How are you today?"
The young woman, who was running towards him a moment before, came to a stop in front of him. She was breathing hard, trying to catch her breath. "I've been calling for you, for several minutes. You didn't hear me?"
"Oh, I'm sorry," he said apologetically. "I had something on my mind. Was there something you needed?"
"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to come by for dinner before heading back home," she started sheepishly. "My mom made a specialty herbal soup. She wanted you to come over and have some."
"Oh no, that's very kind of you and your mom. Please help me thank her. But I have to get going before the sun sets," he declined in the most gracious tone he could channel. "My mom is likely waiting at home with dinner already made for me. I don't want to keep her waiting."
Ping'er was determined though. "If you come with me, we can pack some for you to take home to your mom. My parents made sure to add some really great ingredients to the soup. It's sure to give your mom's health a good boost."
"I… I really can't," Feng responded with some finality. "It's going to get dark really soon, and you know these woods… There are wild bears." He alluded to the tragic incident that took his father from them several years ago.
The young woman bit her lower lip. She had been trying these last few months to get him to spend some private time with her. But he had an excuse every time to avoid her. "Are you sure…? I mean, it doesn't have to take long. Just a few minutes."
Feng had already started walking backwards towards the forest. "I'm sure! Thank you though, Ping'er! That's really kind of you and your family. Give your parents my regards."
Before Ping'er can respond, he had already started jogging through the trees. It took only a few minutes for the village to completely disappear from his view. Surrounded by the forest now, he started slowing down his walk.
It wasn't that he hated the girl. Ping'er was actually a really sweet woman. But he also didn't want to lead her on. For years now, she had made her intentions towards him as clear as the day, and he had done everything he could to not encourage her. His heart lies with someone else, so he did not want her to think that there was any possibility of them being together.
He didn't want to be impolite and had indicated to her multiple times that he thought of her as a little sister. He had even outright expressed to her that he had never thought of her in a romantic manner. However, Ping'er was very willful as she was the only daughter of the apothecary owner. Rarely, was she never told that she couldn't have something she wanted.
But this had gone on for so long. He was starting to believe that she would never give up. If his deflective actions weren't enough, he wondered if he should just have a talk with her parents.
Feng didn't want to offend her family, but he also wanted to avoid having Ping'er ignore other great prospects for marriage because she was intent on being persistent about him.
As he trekked on the familiar path through the forest, Feng was making plans mentally in his head. He had spoken with his blacksmith teacher and the man planned to retire within the year. Seeing how the blacksmith was entering old age, he wanted to move in with his son and wife, who lived in the next village over.
This opened an opportunity for Feng as he offered to help take over the blacksmith's workshop. He could help work towards paying for the business, as well as the little house that was attached to it. That way, he could move his mom and Zhuyi to the village and be able to properly take care of both women.
He was looking forward to telling his mom the great news, which made him feel pretty good. His pace quickened with almost a little skip in his footsteps because his mood gave him a small boost in energy.
As his attention was focused on the path ahead, Feng at first didn't notice that a warm glow was forming under his shirt. It started out dim but gradually began emanating into a bright light. By now, he couldn't help but look down at his chest.
Immediately coming to a halt, he was completely taken off guard at the phenomenon. The man knew exactly what was causing this light.
Eyes wide with trembling hands, Feng reached into his shirt and pulled out the shell orb necklace that was casting a soft and warm light. He cradled it in his hands with complete wonder. He had no idea what this indicated.
Was this witchcraft? Sorcery?
He reached to remove the jewelry from his neck, but before he could, a soft feminine voice whispered from the small shell.
"Where are you?" The voice asked gently. "I miss you so much. Please come see me soon."
Fang's heart was pulsing rapidly as he stared wide-eyed at the shell that was cradled in his hands. There was no doubt in his mind who that voice belonged to.
It must be Zhuyi!
Without forming another thought, he took off running deep into the forest. The view of the trees blurred past him at a rapid speed, and the only sound that could be heard was his heavy breathing as there was a fast drumming created from the rhythm of his heart.
Clutching onto the orb nested tightly in his hands, Feng knew he had to get to her. She was probably now finally waking up. He had to be there for her.
As he was racing through the forest, he didn't notice when the shell finally stopped glowing.