"Thank you, but I must go!"
Instinctively reaching out her arm, Fei Fu Qu attempted to grab the fleeting silhouette of Zhu Na Ran, to no avail as she found that she couldn't move her feet forward.
"Xiao Ran… please don't go…"
Why is it that she can never seem to grab hold of the one she wants? A sense of helplessness and resentment welled up in her chest as she watched Zhu Na Ran leave.
The streets quiet as a gentle evening breeze blew by, utterly oblivious to her sorrow.
As Zhu Na Ran disappeared into the crowd, a bloody cough brought Fei Fu Qu back from her daydream.
Turning to the bloodied figure dressed in black slouched against the wall of a secluded alleyway, she stood before the person's pathetic form.
The person stiffened as she stood right before them, watching her with pleading eyes.
"Now, tell me" — crouching before them, Fei Fu Qu grabbed the person's chin with a harsh grip; forcing them to stare into her dark eyes — "Who sent you to assassinate Xiao Ran?"
---
In a darkened room, the image of Zhu Na Ran suddenly appeared in a water mirror.
With a faint smile on her lips, Fei Fu Qu loving stroked the image of the young girl. "Although it's not the right time for us to meet again, it's good to know that you're alright."
She continued to watch Zhu Na Ran laugh and smile with such a carefree manner, that she couldn't help but smile along with her.
"It's nice to see that Xiao Ran hasn't changed, even after all this time…"
Eight years ago…
"Well, why isn't it Xiao Ran." Crossing her arms, Fei Fu Qu watched as Zhu Na Ran's head popped up behind the high walls of the Fei Residence. "Nice to see that you've returned."
"Hehe, Second Sister," sheepishly smiling down at her, Zhu Na Ran dropped down from the wall and nervously scratched her head. "Heh, hi."
"Em, hello," smiling, she took note of her younger sister's scrappy appearance. Dirty clothes and a messy face, she couldn't help but shake her head at Zhu Na Ran's disheveled appearance.
"Aiyah," walking over to her, Fei Fu Qu took hold of her sister's face. "Where have you been?
And what happened to your face?"
"Hehe," Zhu Na Ran beamed as Fei Fu Qu tried to clean her face with a handkerchief. "I found a fox, and it scratched my face!"
"A fox?" How was it possible to find a fox in the middle of the city? Oh well, she'll play along for now. "Do you want Second Sister to capture this 'fox' for you?"
"No! It's okay! I want to defeat this fox myself!"
"Emm, very well. Shall we go?"
"Yeah!"
Suddenly, a sweet fishy taste pulled Fei Fu Qu from her fantasy as she coughed out blood, dark red liquid coating her palm as small spatters formed on the floor.
"Sister Qu? Eldest Young Miss is here to see you," a soft voice called out followed by the pitter-patter of footsteps of her most trusted subordinate, A-Tong. "Sister Qu?"
A-Tong looked around the darkened room before her eyes landed on Fei Fu Qu's lone figure, eyes blankly staring at the blood in her hand. "Sister Qu!"
Rushing over to her side, A-Tong quickly grabbed hold of her and checked her for injuries. "Sister Qu, what happened!"
"Em, relax," attempting to placate A-Tong's concern, she tried to smile reassuringly.
"How can you say that! Quick, we need Eldest Young Miss!"
Back in her room, Fei Fu Qu quietly sighed as her older sister frowned at her while A-Tong fused over her.
"Why do you have such a long face, A-Tong? It's not good for young girls to worry so much.
Plus, I know my limits, and something like this wouldn't hurt me."
"Sister Qu," hissing through her teeth, A-Tong brought her some medicine. "How can you say that!
What if-"
A hand on A-Tong's shoulder stopped her rant, and she bowed her head. "Please excuse me."
After gathering her tools, A-Tong bowed once more at the pair of sisters before closing the door behind her.
Her smile dropped into a passive expression as her older sister crossed her arms. "It's good to see you again, Eldest Sister."
"Heh," Fei Fu Xi scoffed. "So you still know how to greet your sister," sitting down, she continued to glare at Fei Fu Qu.
"What brings Eldest Sister to the capital of the Chu State?"
"I could ask you the same question.
However, I already know the answer to that one."
Fei Fu Qu didn't say anything as her fist slowly clenched her quilt. "Are you going to stop me?"
"Mother and Father told me to bring you home. You've had your fun.
Now it's time for you to go back."
"I'm not leaving." She couldn't leave. Not when her Xiao Ran was this close.
"What," the chair suddenly crashed to the floor as Fei Fu Xi stood up. "You still dare to chase after Ran after everything that has happened!"
Fei Fu Qu didn't say anything as she suddenly grabbed for something under her pillow. Soon the gleam of a blade flashed before her; a swift slash came.
However, instead of blood, a lock of cut hair appeared in her hands.
"Here" — holding out the cut hair, Fei Fu Qu gave her sister a determined glare — "since the Fei Family wants me back, they can have this in my stead.
From now on, I'm not the second daughter of the Fei Family."
Fei Fu Xi looked on in horror at her sister's act. "You dare…"
"Em. If it's for the things I want, yes."
"Fine," pulling herself together, Fei Fu Xi grabbed the cut lock of her sister's hair. "Since this is the path you chose, who am I to interfere now."
Walking towards the door, Fei Fu Xi looked back once more, "I hope you won't regret your choice."
Fei Fu Qu nodded back, determined. "Em, I won't."
"Heh, take care of yourself then."
After her older sister left, Fei Fu Qu was left alone before being attacked by another series of bloody coughs.
"Sister Qu!" Rushing into the room, A-Tong ran to her master's side. "Is it true? Are we cutting ties with the Fei Family?"
"Em," she nodded with a weak smile as she whipped the blood from the corner of her mouth.
"Sister Qu… are you fine with this," A-Tong asked as she held onto her master's hand. "You used to be so close with the family… to cut off ties…
Especially after your last injury! How could you afford to rid those who care for you!"
"It doesn't matter," Fei Fu Qu controlled her breathing as she tried to stop the coughs coming up her throat. "They never cared about my feelings when they sent Xiao Ran away.
At least this way, I can pursue Xiao Ran without interference-"
Another series of coughs interrupted her speech as red sprayed from her mouth. "Sister Qu!"
"Em, I'm fine," attempting to appease the young girl, she wiped the blood away. "As long as I can see Xiao Ran again, this means nothing to me."
A-Tong watched horrified and saddened at how content Fei Fu Qu was just at the thought of reuniting with her Xiao Ran again.
'How can you show such a happy expression now, Sister Qu?
Sister Qu, you've suffered so much! How could you be content with just this?'
Fighting back the tears of injustice for Fei Fu Qu, A-tong sniffed. "Sister Qu, you will get what you desire.
You definitely will!"
---
"...host…"
"...Host…"
"Host!"
Snapping awake, Long Yuan swore under his breath as the reverberated yell of his system raging through his head, creating waves of small headaches. "What is it, Zhuang Zhi?"
It'd better be important enough for Zhuang Zhi to awaken Long Yuan from his beautiful dream.
The magnificent dream of being surrounded by a hoard of beauties, all of whom were begging for Long Yuan's attention while crushing any opponents under his heel.
His cousin, being one of his fallen foes, of course.
"Host, it's time."
"Ah, right!" The show's about to begin.
Dropping down from his napping spot, he carefully maneuvered his way through the woods, until he arrived at a small clearing.
"Li Hua," a smiling young man in purple grinned with malicious intent gleamed down on a young woman.
The young woman appeared slight bloodied as she held onto her left arm and leaned against the tree behind her for support while glaring up the young man before her.
However, despite the dirt and grim on the maiden's face, he could recognize her instantly. 'Li Hua, the little princess of the Li Clan of the Shui Nation.'
Known for her fiery temper and excellent talisman making skills, she's considered the twin counterpart of Bai Yin in the original harem.
'Although I haven't captured Bai Yin just yet, there's plenty of opportunities for this young master to win her over later.
However, first, let's catch this little beauty.'
"This prince has already been very generous to let you pursue what you wish. However, every woman must marry out of the house eventually and," the young man smiled. "I believe it's time for you to fulfill that duty, Li Hua."
"Hah! As if," Li Hua scoffed. Although she was in pain, she tried not to show it. She didn't want to give this b*stard any opportunities to strike. 'Tsk, he's just lucky to catch this young missy during a fit of qi deviation. Otherwise, this young missy would have zapped your a*s off!'
The banter between the two until the young prince lost his temper, "That's it! You've pushed this prince too far," and went to reach out for Li Hua.
'Heh, showtime.'