"Susu," a soft voice rang in my head, waking me from my slumber. With a warm touch, she caressed my hair.
I woke up that morning with Yinou in my bedside, her face carved a smile, it was the sugar to my morning coffee.
"You're finally up," she whispered. Normally, I'd be the one to go to her tent, but this day, she went to mine. What's up?
"Hmm..." my eyes blurry as I rubbed them. "I recognize your voice..." I followed, "Yinuo, you miss me that much?" I didn't bother to ask why she was here; there was certainly a problem. I remembered how she would always come to me with that look every time she wanted to rant when they were still back in Jade Dragon Sect. I wanted her to tell me herself.
"Yes, I missed you so much," Yinou embraced me in a tight hug.
"What's this sudden affection shower?" I laughed. To which she playfully hugged tighter, and finally let go, holding my hand. "I won't hide this from you...but I'll be gone for a while again,"
Before I could say something, she said, "Susu, listen... I'll be fine, this will be just a safety measure... I need to go back to... a dungeon."
I repeated, "Dungeon?" We looked at each other. "To go back?... You've been there before?... Oh, I get it, it's Su Ning." I clenched my fist at the thought that he originally put Yinou in a dungeon. Yes! He hated her because of Zhang Li, but that much? What else has he done to her? I got up, about to stomp my way to Su Ning, when Yinuo froze my movements. "Yinuo, I just want to talk to him!" I said. To which she replied, "It's not like I'm forced to go back. It's also my choice. Listen, please... do this for me... I want you to be strong. Alright?" Yinou said, hugging me, and I hugged her back. All I care about is Yinuo, my master.
That afternoon, I saw her leaving with Su Ning, her figure disappearing in the view as they rode off their horses.
"Are you tired?" he asked, his gaze lingering on me, a hint of concern in his deep brown eyes. He must have noticed the sweat clinging to my skin, my clothes damp with exertion. "Mmm no..." It was just the heat! I wasn't tired, not really. We were almost in Dongying Kingdom, just a few kilometers away.
The sound of his voice, clipped and decisive, halted the horse. "Let's rest for a while. The sun is burning... You might get cooked. I don't want to carry your unconscious body," he said, a wry amusement playing at the corners of his lips.
There was an open shade nearby a hill, a small, shabby shelter that was barely more than a clearing. "I can see your look," he said, catching my eye roll, "Don't be so picky."
I settled down, feeling the weariness in my limbs despite my denial. Su Ning, went to fetch fresh water from a nearby river. The sun was sinking towards the horizon, painting the sky in hues of orange and pink. "Damn it!" I thought, my frustration growing. Do we have to settle here for the night? I couldn't, I wouldn't! Why had we even stopped? We should be pushing on.
An approaching footstep interrupted my thoughts. It was Su Ning, returning. "Here...water."
The bottle he held was a stark contrast to the vibrant sunset. It was clear, yet tinged with a brownish hue, and the faint metallic scent made my stomach churn. "You're going to kill me with-"
"It's clean! Drink this and don't argue with me," he interrupted, holding the bottle close to my face. "Do you want me to feed it to you?"
I took the water. Forget it! Better be food poisoned than die of thirst - I'd a hundred percent look like a dried fish if I died of thirst. The sun had dipped below the horizon, the last rays of light casting long shadows across the landscape. The sky was a tapestry of orange and pink, a perfect match for Su Ning's beautifully layered hanfu.
"We'll settle here for the night," he decided, his voice firm. "You get firewood, I'll hunt something to eat."
The wind whistled through the pines as I made my way uphill, the weight of the firewood bundle hurting my back. The sun dipped low, casting long shadows across the valley. A familiar pang of something, longing? It struck me as I paused, taking in the scene.
There was something deeply, unsettlingly familiar about the way the light danced on the water, the way the trees huddled together. It felt like a dream, a memory I couldn't quite grasp. Then it hit me. This was the place. I'd been here before, not as Yinou, but as who? The immortal? Perhaps, my original self?
I knew that me once existed, yet I couldn't remember.
It was all now just a vague memory...I couldn't remember my name, my face, my life before, all swallowed by the fog of time. Yet, this place, this scene, I knew it with a certainty that sent chills down my spine. It must have been important.
I went back down the hill, the weight of the wood pulling at my shoulders. The familiarity of the scene, however faint, had awakened something deep within me. It was important. It had to be.
My shabby shelter was a beacon of warmth, a small fire crackling in the hearth. Su Ning, his face smudged with soot, was already there, deftly roasting a rabbit over the flames. I chuckled, "Only one? You're getting soft."
As I helped him prepare the meal, the sleeve of my tunic caught fire. I didn't notice, too engrossed in the task at hand. But Su Ning sensed the danger. He quickly extinguished the flames, pulling me almost top close to roll up my sleeve. "You're really eager to be cooked?" His eyes, reflecting the firelight, shone with an intensity that startled me.
He offered me the choice cuts of the rabbit, the tender leg and the plump breast, while he ate the less desirable parts.
As darkness fell, I curled up in the corner of the shelter, my back against the rough stone wall. Su Ning settled in the opposite corner, the firelight casting dancing shadows across his face.
"You're not worried," I asked, my voice a hushed whisper, "that my demon core might act up?"
He smiled, a hint of mischief in his eyes. "I'm more demon than the demon itself," he said, his voice low and husky. "What have I got to fear?"
The fire crackled, casting its warm glow over us both.
"There's so much mosquitoes here, must I keep fanning her from these little beasts?" Su Ning thought to himself.
Wow. She looks like a buddha in this position. She, even in her sleep would rather sleep uncomfortably than lean on a shabby wall? It's not even that dirty, it's just old.
What a dirt freak. This is the exact Yinou I knew. I'm glad...she retrieved that piece of her. I couldn't help but smile a bit, she's just ridiculous.