Xuehua thought long and hard about the events that occurred to her today. She started to dig through her thoughts, but nowhere could she find the identity of the two maidservants she met in the servant quarters. What made her confused, was that everyone seemed to know who she was. Was it a strange twist of fate or some evil work at play? Waking up in a strange room filled with strangers. She recalled her dream from yesterday- but how much of it was real? The sharp pain of the dagger, and the person holding her- her mind was hazy, no matter how much she tried, she could not remember his face. Just the soothing warmth and the gentle voice. Xuehua didn’t know much but at least she knew that she didn’t belong to this place. Didn’t it make more sense for her to enter the Heaven of Nothingness? Did her soul reincarnate? She wasn’t knowledgeable about the process of rebirth but shouldn’t she begin with a blank slate?

After a while, Xuehua mind drifted off and she walked absently until she reached a closed off entrance leading to an abandoned palace. She realized that for a while there was no one in sight. The soft trickling of water could be heard beyond. Xuehua grew curious and thought that perhaps she could hide away and observe her surroundings before she acts rashly. If there is any evil work at play, then she should be even more cautious. The door of the entrance opened rather easily with a low creak. Xuehua took careful steps into the unattended courtyard making sure she was alone and shut the door briskly behind her. After entering the courtyard, the first thing Xuehua noticed was a sweet fragrance drifting in the wind. There were several large plum blossoms surrounded the palace, swaying in the air. Xuehua found them to be incredibly beautiful and dutifully admired them. These plum blossom where similar to the ones at home. Home? Xuehua found it strange that she could not remember what home looked like. She could remember the voice and scents, but it seemed like everything else is covered in a thick fog. She remembers the name: Green-Bell Valley- the valley of immortals. But that was just about it. Did she have a family? Why did she leave home? Questions that seemed so clear in her head just a few minutes ago, disappeared like the falling plum blossom into the crystal pond. Her memories now resemble the fallen petals, floating over the water before being submerged completely, without leaving a trace. Was Xuehua her real name? Xuehua shook her head to clear away the thoughts. She was afraid that digging too deep will only result in losing more memories. She turned her attention to the building in front of her.

The building seemed old but not one stone was out of place, the trees also looked well-tended, and the water was clear in the miniature pond and stream. Xuehua found it odd that there was no one staying in this area, it suited her taste very well! Xuehua walked along the bridge over the stream, admiring the small golden fish that jumped and play around. Sneezing at the cold air blowing by, Xuehua decided to enter the old building to see if there are any blankets to keep her warm and maybe a novel to keep her busy. Stepping into the building, it was as empty as she had anticipated. No personal objects, no paintings, no tables, no candles- only a plain bed and plain sheets. Xuehua guessed that this was probably an old residence of an important figure. Although it was cold, Xuehua figured she spent the night since she did not know her way back.

Night had fallen, and Xuehua with a hungry stomach began to search the area for any food. She pulled open all the drawers and looked under the bed, but it seems like the maidservants did a good job cleaning the area. Her stomach growled as she settled in bed, the room was filled with darkness as all the candles were removed. Xuehua buried her head under the sheets; she was ever too fond of the dark. She only had a thin, white blanket to keep her warm. Xuehua frowned with worry… how was something so small going to keep her warm, and more importantly she was afraid that she would accidentally kick the blanket off of the bed.

After heating up under the blanket for a while, Xuehua started to think about her situation once again. She didn’t remember much, but she did recall encountering an evil force who probably was the one that stabbed her. If her inference was correct, she would be left with only a couple of choices: either she is under dark sorcery or she has died. After her realization, her body was immediately covered in cold sweat, after all in either situation, she would most likely be doomed. She closed her eyes tightly, telling herself to calm down. Since it has already turned out this way, Xuehua decided to live quietly and find out more information about herself later.

It was well into the night and even the wind had stopped blowing the trees when Xuehua heard the creaking of the floors as someone approached her bed with even steps. Her heart started beating faster and faster, and she felt her throat closing up. In this place, she was just a maidservant, if anyone discovers her breaking the rules, she could be sentenced to death. What to do?! What to do?! Ideas ran through Xuehua’s mind until she finally decided on a plan: to roll off the bed and run. Since there is no light, this person would not recognize her at all, and she will be saved from punishment! She would strike when the person stops at her bedside, that way she can knock them to the ground and prevent them from chasing her. In Xuehua’s head, her plan was foolproof.

She waited until she heard the person stop right beside her and counted down from three.

3...

2...

“I know you are awake,” a deep voice resonated in the empty room before Xuehua could finish her counting. Xuehua froze at the accusation. Should she continue to pretend to be asleep? If he knows she is awake, he could be on high alert. Could she still escape without being caught? She was having an internal battle.

Xuehua finally gathered the courage to rise from within the covers. She cleared her throat and decided to take a gamble. “Why are you in my bedroom? Do you know what happens to those that enter?” Xuehua deepens her voice and said her words sharply to appear more menacing. If she was lucky then the person at her bedside might be a servant and would cower at her threat. After all what respectable person would take a walk in an abandoned palace in the middle of the night? Curiously, the person beside her did not say another word instead, he stood still looking at her. In Xuehua’s mind, it seemed like her threat had worked and the man was standing still due to shock. So she decided to deliver the final nail, “Leave this instant! If not you will pay with your life!” Xuehua was self-admiring her own acting skills. How did she get so talented? She was extremely satisfied with her performance, and completely forgotten about the intruding man.

Then in a split second, the tables had turned. The man was now hovering over Xuehua with the hands on the bed, blocking Xuehua from escaping. Xuehua’s face paled and stared at the man in bewilderment. She should have known better! A man intruding in a lady’s living quarter this late at night could only mean one thing…. Xuehua glared at the imposing man under the cover of the dark. How dare he have evil intentions toward her. She is, in all respect, an immortal and refuses to be treated in anyway less.

Xuehua wanted to kick the man away, but all of the sudden he falls toward her, covering her completely. No matter how much Xuehua pushed, he would not budge. While she was pushing his chest away, she felt the dampness of his robe. Xuehua began to put all the pieces together- she realizes that the man must be injured and perhaps he wanted to rest in the abandoned palace.

Xuehua’s hands wandered upwards to feel his face. Xuehua found it to be odd- a person losing his much blood should be covered in sweat and cold to the touch, but this man was still warm. Xuehua was thinking for a while until the man released a groan and clutched his chest. Xuehua felt pity for the man, who wouldn’t feel sorry when an injured person presents themselves to you?

“Are you alright? Where does it hurt?” Xuehua calmly asked. She fumbled in the darkness to feel where the injury was on the man’s chest. There was no light in the room and Xuehua was panicking at how much blood was shed. “I need some light,” Xuehua mumbled to herself, her cold hands shaking.

“Don’t worry…” the man said softly, almost reassuringly. His dark hair was loose and cascaded down onto the bed intangling with Xuehua’s hands. The unknown man was calmy directly Xuehua’s hands to where the wound was. “It's not that serious,” he commented after noticing her sharp intake.

Xuehua didn’t know what to do. This palace was empty of all things besides the blankets. Xuehua quickly tore her hands away from the man’s chest and grabbed the sheet that rests below her. Like a scene that one would mind in a mortal novel, Xuehua tore a piece of the thin cover and placed it over the open wound. “This should help stop the bleeding. Wait here while I go look for a candlestick.” Xuehua jumped off the bed and ran towards the drawers, opening each one and blindly patting down to search for candles. Xuehua knew that when she was searching this morning, she didn’t discover anything, but she was so dazed that she forgot that this was an empty building. She almost lost all hope, until she had discovered what she needed in the last drawer. She rejoiced and grabbed as many candles as she could, and hurried back to the injured man lounging on the bed. She places some next to the bedside and some on the floor, before realizing that she had no way to summon fire. How do the humans do it again? She tried to recall if she read anything about the way humans start fires manually, but it was as if the candles knew what she wanted, and had lit up by themselves- illuminating the entire room.