“Let him go Master Zhuque. If not something worse will happen, I love him what can you ever give him.” A woman’s voice called too him from the water. Lian Yuexia recognized the voice from the cave slightly. He stared out to the pond to only see the head of a woman with dark brown hair and yellow eyes. Those eyes stared at him with malice and envy, but they also told him there was sadness in them. Envy why did she need to feel envious of him that he was… he what, what is he?  

“There is no need to be envious of me dear child. What do you love about him? Do you know what you have done child?” Lina Yuexia’s own voice scared him although it was a bit deeper and softer. Looking to the right of him Lian Yuexia saw a taller version of himself wearing red and white clothes, A black sword on his back and a fan in his hand he waved to cool himself off. The one him he saw was standing taller he seemed to have more demanding aura around him. The one in front of him was more confident. 

“He saved me from the dark. I love him for what he is a god. I love him for his ability to fight and to destroy. I only did what I needed to do. For you to be rid of.” The head burst from the water and the body followed behind showing she was wearing clothes in the water. They were martial clothes, but they were light in color, and silver was very prominent throughout it.  

“Power…. Child you kill for power not love. Yes, he saved you and you are grateful, but he is not a god, yet I have cared for him since he was just a beast in a swamp. Since I was ill and he was an energetic little thing. We are inseparable no matter how hard you try dear child.” Master Zhuque turn around and started to briskly walk away from the girl. He waved the fan to blow some hair out of his face but snapped it together instead to block a dagger.   

The woman had dashed through the water to try and stab Master Zhuque. The woman’s speed amazed Lian Yuexia and cause him to move away to linger near the water. The woman fought with a harsh technique trying to stab or even cut any part of Master Zhuque. Master Zhuque was swiftly blocking with the side of the fan gently guiding it away and spinning the woman away to the trees or the ground. A few times he even jumped to avoid the flying daggers she would throw at him.  

“You wont even pull your sword to fight. You have no honor fight me for the right to be by his side. Fight me now Master Zhuque!” The woman pulled out some pieces of paper which made the one she had been fighting tense up. Lian Yuexia could see his facial expressions could stay the same if he was the reincarnation of master Zhuque. Looking back to the woman she stared at him with a look of pure confidence. 

“Master Zhuque… You should stop being a burden to him. You already know that you are leaving him behind don’t you. you should just give him to me.” The woman started to throw the pieces of paper at Lian Yuexia. He tried to wave them away with the fan, but they were already filled with qi thus they were to stick on to their intended target. Backing trying to avoid the last few Lian Yuexia in red backed up toward Lian Yuexia witnessing the whole scene. Trying not to get caught up in the scene Lian Yuexia tried to avoid Master Zhuque by backing up into the water. The weight of the water made him fall backwards and into the water Lian Yuexia went cutting his hand on a sharp stone in the water. Master Zhuque fell in the same spot as the woman walked up to him with a sinister smile her eyes full of victory.  

“You know just as much as I do you can never make him happy with that illness. Never. You cant even ascend either just be a mortal all your life. Just suffer.” She got down to his level and took the fan and sword from his back. 

“Just because I am sick does not mean I cannot make him happy. He seems perfectly fine just the way things are. Why are you trying to force things that should not be forced child? Your brother is waiting for you to come back. Do you know we all have been looking for you for him?” Master Zhuque went to grab the sword back, but the woman threw it to the shore faster. Lian Yuexia was told that Master Zhuque’s constitution was weak but now he seemed even paler with out the sword near him. Looking to the sword Lian Yuexia saw it was exuding demonic Qi, so much it started killing the grass.  

“Why would someone with such pure internal energy like be holding such a demonic item. Is that not Master Long’s sword, so why do you carry it when you are apart from him?” a stifled yelled came after the question. The woman was staring at Master Zhuque and Master Zhuque was scrunching his face in pain. Lian Yuexia looked down at his own abdomen to see one of the daggers in his side. ‘This woman stabbed Master Zhuque this woman actually stabbed him for what to make another miserable’ Lian Yuexia looked at the woman. He stared at her eyes. They were a light green with hints of gold or light brown they looked leaf veins. 

To him they were beautiful but he was remined of the blurry scared face of the man in the cave. Lian Yuexia never really looked at the tiger’s face but this woman had some similarity’s.  A yell this time made Lian Yuexia flinch. She twisted the blade when Master Zhuque wouldn’t answer her question.  

“There is no need for you to know why I have his sword. He takes mine as he pleases why can I not do the same were are friends. Why do your eyes cry for help and for you to be stopped dear child?” Master Zhuque didnt sound like he was in pain but was trying to understand her instead. “You do not need to do this child please. Do not make your life any harder than it has been.” Master Zhuque voice seemed to crack like he was crying.  

Lian Yuexia sat up from the water and saw that they were in a stand still. He could see the dissatisfaction on the woman’s face when Master Zhuque didn’t give a proper answer. Lian Yuexia couldn’t see Master Zhuque’s face but something knew that his heart was hurt seeing this girl so envious of him, that this girl felt so alone and most of all he knew the loneliness she must be feeling from a one sided love. Lian Yuexia’s movements and Master Zhuque’s movements became one as if Lian Yuexia had becoming the memory itself. Raising his hand to the woman’s, which she stopped by grabbing it. 

“You do not need to fight alone. Go home. There is someone waiting for you. They miss you very much so.” Lian Yuexia said this aloud before the woman who had been just dissatisfied was now angry at Master Zhuque. She pulled out the dagger and used her spiritual energy to start healing Master Zhuque but instead of healing it made him scream out in pain. Which in turn made Lian Yuexia coil in agony as now he had started following the memories steps.  

He could feel the searing pain of the spiritual energy it felt as if thousands of red-hot acupuncture needles were stabbing him, then to be set ablaze by fire. It would subside for a moment only for the pain to shoot through him light lightning and make him feel as if he were being slowly crushed under rocks. Gasping for breath Lian Yuexia looked back to the woman and saw here look at her hand and then back to him. 

“I haves great plans for you don’t worry Master Zhuque you wont die. It will just be painful for you.” She said as she continued to heal him but as she healed him there was also the suffering of a back lash. It was a back lash Lian Yuexia didn’t understand he could feel all of the pain that Master Zhuque was going through but didn’t understand why.  

Both pushed back away from the pain trying to get away from the woman trying to escape being healed. Deeper into the water until finally Lian Yuexia’s head went under the surface. He wanted to breath under the water but took in the water instead causing him to come out of the memory. Pushing himself out of the water and coughed up water. Crawling to shore he was able to breath once all the water had been coughed out.  

Looking around they were gone, and the day had passed by while Lian Yuexia was lost in his in memory. Now it was the middle of the night in watered down clothes Lian Yuexia would certainly have a fever after tonight. However, that was not on his mind really the thing on his mind was what had happened. 

“What was that?” The normally stolid and impervious wall he had put up was now broken, shattered into dust. Lian Yuexia was shaken to the core, and this was rare due to the abuse he had already felt and been battling since he was young.  

Nothing has ever happened like this. Strange dreams yes but to lose time and experience that. Lian Yuexia thought to himself and stayed by the pond looking out at it. He took deep breaths as to make sure he was himself and not in a illusion.  Everything felt so real and that pain. THE PAIN! It felt like it was his body being chewed up by fire ants and trampled on by horses then burned by red-hot coals. It made Lian Yuexia shiver or perhaps it was the cold night that made him shiver. 

Either way Lian Yuexia got up and started his long track back to the village. With no food to fill his belly, a weak constitution, needing to take breaks to catch his breath and they weight of his now wet clothes it took even longer for Lian Yuexia to reach the village. Where that cheeky god had been waiting for him all this time with an upset look on his now cleaned up face. Zhan Xinyi looked at Lian Yuexia and stood straight up. 

“What happened?”