Spring Winds

F*ck me!

Dashing down crowded streets, I attempted to maneuver my way around the crowds of people filtering by. Get out of the way, people! Don't you see a murderous woman trying to turn me into a pincushion! Let this sister through, will you!

Pushing down carts and other objects onto the streets, I attempt to slow down Wan Shang's path; however, I'm not too sure if that will work on her.

Well, a first time for everything, right?

"Hey! Watch it!" A shopkeeper yelled out to me as he shook his fist in the air.

"Sorry!" I yelled back as I attempted to speed up my pace.

"Zhu! Na! Ran!" An enraged scream called out from behind me as I felt the force of Wan Shang's battle cry. Each syllable of my name enounced in her shrieks.

Frick, she's close!

Previously, Wan Shang was able to trap me in her spatial space, making me vulnerable to her attacks. However, me being the intelligent person I am, I knew a way out of her space. After all, it wasn't the first time she attempted to entrap me.

"Wait until I get to you!" Another yell echoed down the street. Ahh! What the hell! I don't remember her being this fast!

Unfortunately for me, but it seems my luck has run out as the streets began to empty and become darker as if under a gloom. In other words, they are leaving practically an open path for Senior Sister Wan to chase me down and skin me alive!

Frantically running, I didn't pay much attention as I soon collided into something. Or someone?

"Oof! Watch it, will you!" Falling back on to my butt, the sudden stop made be a bit dizzy. So dizzy that I seem to be having illusions.

"Huh?" I muttered in a daze. "Why do those shoes look a lot like Senior Sister's?"

Then the surrounding area noticeably dropped several degrees colder.

Oh no.

The hairs on my body began to rise on their ends as my heart dropped down to my stomach. "Haha," a nervous laugh escaped my throat as I avoided looking up. This situation can't be happening right now. "This all must be a dream. Senior Sister can't be out of closed-door cultivation already. It's only been two weeks!"

"..." the person didn't respond, but my body felt as if I'd been dunked in cold water during winter as my teeth began to chatter a bit.

I meekly pulled my glaze up to the person's face, and that was a mistake.

Two cold and hard eyes stared down at me calmly. However, I knew that a furious storm brewed under the surface of those black pools.

"Haha, Senior Sister," I said sheepishly, "You're back. What brings you to Yu Dao City."

"Running away from Yu Lan Peak, you are asking for death, aren't you," Senior Sister said with an eerily calm voice.

"Eh? Me?" I said nervously as my eyes darted around her form. "N-no! I'm very much in love with life, h-hah." Death is something that I'd like to meet, much, much later! "So much in love that I, um, have to go, by-" I got up quickly and tried to run past her, but Senior Sister was quicker as she grabbed my arm and grew me back onto the ground again.

"Oww," I groaned as I rubbed at my poor butt.

Senior Sister didn't say anything but pulled out a simple piece of scrap paper from her b.r.e.a.s.t pocket and harshly threw it at my fallen form. "Read it," Senior Sister said serenely.

Timidly looking up at her, my eyes flickered between her furiously calm face and the fallen note. With shaky hands, I grasped onto the piece of paper and unfolded it. "'Senior Sister, I am running away for now. I'll come back when you have finished your closed-door cultivation. Maybe.' Eh? I said I would come back!" I defended.

Senior Sister took in a deep and seemingly enraged breathe as if trying to calm herself down. She mumbled something to herself while trying to maintain her calm. Something about breaking legs?

Ahh! Senior Sister, you can't be thinking about cutting off this Junior's legs, are you! Too cruel, too cruel. This world is too terrible for a girl like me.

Probably seeing my fearful expression, she let out another tired sigh. "You expect me to be able to read your chicken scratch handwriting?"

"What! My handwriting is legible! Kind of," I defended, but after seeing Senior Sister's face, I mumbled that last part with downcast eyes. Too scary! Senior Sister is too frightening to look at in the eyes when she's mad!

"When we get back, you will copy the sect rules four times as punishment," Senior Sister responded coldly.

"F-Four times!" I gaped. Ah! How could going off to play for a bit warrant having to copy all the sect rules!

"Four times four thousand rules, "I mumbled as I did some quick calculations of my fingers. "Ah! You expect me to write at least sixteen thousand sentences!" By the time I finish, my hair would have turned gray, and my hand no longer able to pick up a brush! "My hand will have fallen off by then," I cried at such injustice. "Senior Sister, you can't be serious," and I flashed her my signature pout. Its effects couldn't have worn off already, right?

Senior Sister didn't say anything, and she didn't even crack! Hah!?! What am I to do now?

"Sigh," I looked with hopeful eyes as Senior Sister rubbed the area between her brows. "You're right…"

"Huh?" Please, Senior Sister, have mercy on this small Junior!

"You will now copy them sixteen times. Perhaps only then will you remember not to run away."

My heart dropped down to my stomach.

Wait.

It went even further than that. It somehow dropped down to the Underworld, really to jump into the pool of reincarnation.

Sixty - four thousand sentences.

And an immeasurable amount of characters.

Forget growing old while serving my punishment. I will be a pile of dusk by the time I finish! Wu wu wu, if only there were an enchantment that could turn back time. Unfortunately, there is no medicine for regret. (T ^ T)

As I tearfully thought of my fate that is to come when I return, another forgotten danger comes for me like an evil spirit!

"Zhu Na Ran! Don't think that you can escape this time!"

I'm so close to having a mental breakdown at this point! Why! Why is it that I'm so unlucky today?

"Who's there," Senior Sister called out as she turned around to look at the far end of the street.

Not even a hair out of place nor a wrinkle in her robes, Wan Shang, stepped out of the light to face Senior Sister. Wan Shang glowered down at my fallen form for a bit before staring at Senior Sister.

In other words, they've trapped me between a rock and a hard place.

Great! I might as well be cut in half at this point because I know that neither of them will let me go.

"Who are you?" Wan Shang asked as she nodded her head towards Senior Sister.

"I am Ye Lian Hua, this little fool's senior sister," Senior Sister answered back coldly.

"Hah," Wan Shang let out a dry laugh as a smirk made its way onto her face. "So, you're her new Senior Sister, huh?" Then Wan Shang looked down on me with mockery and hate, "I didn't know you had the capability, A-Ran."

My hands curled into fists, but I didn't say or do anything as I remained on the cold ground.

"And who are you?" Senior Sister said more frigidly than before.

"Me?" Wan Shang replied as she meets Senior Sister's glare. "I am Wan Shang, also this little fool's senior sister. Well, the former at least."

Senior Sister didn't respond to Wan Shang's answer, but I noticed that her fists did curl up.

"Sorry, to disturb whatever moment you were having," Wan Shang continued, "but I have some business that I need to settle with her."

"No," Senior Sister gritted out, "Since Zhu Na Ran is now under my care, it's my responsibility to discipline her now. Even if you have some past enmity with her, I won't let you do anything to her."

"Huh," Wan Shang glowered. "So that's how it is, huh?"

"Eh," and Senior Sister retorted back with an even colder glare.

I swear I saw lightning began to spark between them.

This situation is not suitable for me because I'm in the center of this friction; I'll be either punctured thousands of times or frozen into an ice block before I return. Or perhaps both if I'm genuinely unlucky.

Not good, not good! I must plan my escape! Carefully, patting around my robes, I found what I needed. A teleportation talisman!

Originally it had been made encase I needed to get somewhere quickly or get out of trouble. In this case, it could aid me in my grand escape! Good thinking, past me! Gold star!

While Wan Shang and Senior Sister glared each other down, I quickly and quietly infused my spiritual energy into the talisman.

"Haha! Seeing that Senior Sisters are busy, this Junior will leave first!"

"What is she doing!?!" Wan Shang suddenly pointed out and started to take out some of her needles.

Oh crap!

Hurry up, hurry up!

"Zhu. Na. Ran," Senior Sister growled out furiously. Both of them attempted to lunge at me before the talisman could activate, but it was already too late!

Haha! I'm free, baby!

All that they probably grab it was just some smoke, therefore I should be safe for now as the talisman would have sent me a thousand me at least a couple hundred li[1] away from Yu Dao City in a random direction.

"Haha, that was close!" I sighed. "Too close, too close."

After patting myself on the back for a little bit, I take into account my surroundings. It was a lush green forest that didn't seem to be anywhere near Yu Dao City. Perhaps I'm at a foothill of one of the mountains, as indicated by the gentle slope of the earth.

Excellent.

Wandering around the forest a bit, I followed the sun to get a general direction of where to go. And I must make haste too, as I'm not sure how quickly Senior Sister would be able to find me. Since I'm wearing the Yu Lan Bell, I'm practically walking around with a target on my back.

"Huh? When was this added?" A small stone path suddenly appeared on the lush mountainside. The stone looked rather new as the steps didn't have weeds growing through the cracks yet. "Perhaps a new trail to get over the mountain?"

Eh, whatever. It beats walking over dirt and roots.

Climbing up the steps, I take in the scenery as it could perhaps be the last sights I see before my inevitable doom.

I paused as the path came to an end as it stopped at a small mountain ledge, overlooking Yu Dao City and the forest. However, it wasn't the view that made me stop in my tracks.

Overlooking the city and sitting near the ledge was a tombstone.

Slowly walking towards the tombstone, my breathing began to grow shaky, but my eyes remained dry as I approached the tomb.

Stopping a few feet away from the tombstone, I dropped down to my knees.

The grave read, "Here lies the spirit of He Lian Li."

"Big Sister," and gave a respectful bow before rising with a sad smile. "It's been a while."

[1] li - also known as the Chinese mile, is a traditional Chinese unit of distance. The li has varied considerably over time but was usually about one-third of an English mile and now has a standardized length of a half-kilometer (500 meters or 1,640 feet). This is then divided into 1,500 chi or "Chinese feet."