(21) This is Reality

Wu LiJing looked at the lavender robes that she wore the day before on the table. Should she go? It looked like he was busy and already had company. She sat on the bed, lost in thought… By the time she snapped out of it, it was already starting to turn dark. She quickly stood up.

It wasn't completely dark outside yet but the streets were already filled with people and beautiful red lanterns were lit up to make the festival lively. Various beautiful lights were hung up in different stalls and people were smiling while having a good time, dressed in their best clothes. Couples, families, and friends could be seen here and there with bright smiles donning their faces.

Wu LiJing calmly took in this sight and walked slowly towards a stall that was selling lanterns. She spotted a beautiful lantern with an orchid design and she grabbed it lightly with one hand.

"Miss, do you want to buy a lantern?" the woman selling the lantern was smiling warmly as she asked this.

Wu LiJing turned the lantern around a few times and nodded. After she paid for it, she went out to the streets and walked around, unsure of what to do… how long has it been since she's been to a festival?

The words her master said to her long ago when she hadn't been his direct disciple yet repeated in her mind, "Why do you always stay in and cultivate? Go out and enjoy life once in a while!" Then the satisfied faces of the inner disciples who shared a room with her and returned from a fun festival, flashed by. QiaoHua's smile as she described the lively festival, the fresh food, and the fun activities…

Wu LiJing stared at the light lantern on her hand, glowing with a wonderful light.

The small smile on her face did not fade like it usually would as she gazed around with a thumping heart. She looked at a stall selling dumplings and she got in line. Once it was her turn, the old man selling the buns smiled kindly at her.

"How many buns would you like?" he asked.

"One," she said, her tone being softer than usual.

"Ah, this miss looks so lovely in her dress, I'll give you an extra bun!" The old man was grinning and his words were also spoken cheerfully.

"Oh…" she didn't know how to respond. "No need." She shook her head.

"Just take it! Share it with a friend!" He laughed and handed it to her without hesitation.

She stared at the hot buns in her hands and then looked up at him. "Then, thank you." Her voice sounded gentle and good to listen to, amazing the old man for a moment when such a voice was paired with an indifferent face of a beauty, with only a faint smile on her lips.

She walked away, feeling a bit stunned. She kept on walking, deciding to find a place to sit and enjoy her buns. When she saw the beautiful blossom trees that lined up with bright lights and lanterns hung around them to brighten up the roads, she decided to walk towards them.

People sitting or standing under them were chatting with lively voices and some were also eating the food they bought from a small stall, fresh and steaming to match the warm air surrounding the festival. She leaned against a trunk tree and took a bite of the pork buns… they weren't the most delicious ones she's ever had, but they tasted good. When she finished the second one, she looked up at the scenery beyond the mountains and noticed the sky that was still filled with beautiful colors but a deep blue dominating due to the darkening sky. Soon, the time for the stars to come out would arrive.

After a moment, she stood up and decided to walk around some more when she heard some firecrackers and a few "wows". There was a crowd surrounding what looked like a show.

Curious, she walked over and saw a woman performing a sword dance with some special effects, which were probably created through useless spells that someone made up for entertainment. A man was in the back, playing a drum to accompany her. She could see them glance at each other with loving eyes from time to time and could guess they were probably lovers. It reminded her of how her parents looked at each other in the past.

Wu LiJing blinked a few times as she watched, finding it fascinating. She could easily do these tricks herself, but seeing someone else move creatively in their own style was fun. Just then, she suddenly saw a familiar face across from her on the other side of the crowd and she became still, her vision zoning out and focusing only on his face.

He was smiling…

Kang WangYong was smiling so warmly with a gaze that felt so familiar to her, her heart started to beat along with the sound of the drum, and her face felt flushed as memories flooded her mind - and suddenly, she went back in time. Her eyes turned gentle as she stared and a small smile spread on her face.

"Jian…" she whispered unconsciously. One foot stepped forward but she paused.

His gaze… it wasn't directed towards her. It was towards another person - a woman. Once she realized that, her smile became smaller and her hand that was raised to call for him halted and her relaxed body became tense.

A woman in a light green dress, showing a sad smile emerged in her memories. Her face was weak, and she was crying tears of blood as she spoke a few words.

That girl standing next to him… her face was covered with a festival mask, but her dress was the same shade of green. Wu LiJing felt an ache in her heart when her eyes went to his smile, the one she's only seen in the past. She dropped her lantern and stared with distant eyes. The light in her pupils dulled and she could only stare at him, feeling the throbbing in her chest amplify.

Her gaze fell to his strong hand that suddenly grabbed the girl's – it was the same hand that also held hers once before. Suddenly, the lights that were hung up didn't look so beautiful and the smiling faces that surrounded her bothered her, with the noise enveloping her body in isolated darkness.

It reminded her – she was alone. And him – he was with someone else.

"Miss."

Wu LiJing blinked and turned her head, with her cold gaze returning to her. There was a young man standing next to her.

"You dropped your lantern." His tone was soft and he handed her the lantern, painted with orchids.

His white robes looked familiar… She looked into his placid brown eyes and replied in an aloof manner, "It is not mine." Then she turned around to leave with a desolate back.

Bai ZhiJun stared at the woman he recognized and furrowed his gentle brows. He looked down at the lantern he was holding. He clearly saw her drop it earlier… that was how he noticed her in the first place. He glanced towards the couple across from him… his gaze went to their joined hands and observed the girl's red ears. Then his gaze went to her green robes - they weren't the ones he bought her. He clenched the handle on the lantern unconsciously and he also left there.

"Master, are you not going to find Miss Han?" his guard asked when he spotted his master and hurried over.

Bai ZhiJun shook his head. He was silent for a moment. "I forgot I had something to do."

"Hm? Why do you have a lantern with you? Is it for Miss Han?"

Bai ZhiJun came to a standstill. He forgot he still had this. He gave it to Li DiSung. "You can throw it away." Then he continued on.

Except he once again stopped when he saw the same young lady in fancy lavender robes bend down to touch the rubble of the building that collapsed the day before from her attack. It still hasn't been cleaned.

"This is reality," he heard her whisper. Her voice was quiet, but for some reason, he could hear her clear tone that had a hint of emotion he could not describe. Then she stood up and left.

Bai ZhiJun frowned, turned around, and then kept on his way.

"Master, are you not going to enjoy the rest of the night?"

"I'm feeling tired," he said with a light smile but his eyes were not smiling. He suddenly wondered if he was imagining it when he saw that girl look at Kang WangYong.

Wu LiJing returned to the Divine Emerald Sect overnight without disturbing anyone and went out to look at the stars while sitting on a branch of a plum tree. She should be sleeping, but her mind would not let her. Therefore, she decided not to sleep tonight.

The next morning, Wu LiJing returned to the library and continued to look through the thousands of books. A long stairway circled in the center to make it easier for disciples to climb up and down the massive library, containing literature that was mostly dedicated to various herbs in the world. This was a collection of thousands and thousands of books that were collected and written throughout time. Therefore, not even Sect Leader Yao has read through every book… though it also wouldn't be an understatement to say that she has probably read more than two thirds of the books there.

Wu LiJing rubbed her eyes and closed the book in her hands. Then she stood up. It was time to take a break. She walked out of the library and squinted from the sunlight beaming down on her body. She suddenly saw a black bird fly towards her. It hovered over her hand, dropping a feather that turned into a letter, and then left. Wu LiJing returned to her room.

'Seaweed Village by the waters. Kill all suspicious persons'. Wu LiJing burned the letter. It should be a village near-by thus her master sent this message. She sighed. It seems she would have to go out again.

"Aunt Yao, I am going to leave and won't return for a few days."

"Oh?" Today, Sect Master Yao was wearing a dark green robe with a pink tint, embroidered with white flowers. She wore jade accessories to go with her outfit. She stopped watering her flowers and looked at Wu LiJing with a frown. "You didn't sleep yesterday, did you?"

Wu LiJing avoided her probing eyes and showed a small smile. "I couldn't sleep and was planning to take a nap later today instead."

Yao YuHuan sighed with one hand on her cheek as she tilted her head slightly. "You look tired and your face is slightly pale. You should take a break from reading - your eyes are strained. It's not healthy."

Wu LiJing nodded. "Yes, I understand."

Yao YuHuan smiled and gestured towards Wu LiJing. "Come."

Wu LiJing walked closer towards the sect master. Yao YuHuan placed her pot of water down and plucked a white peony. She placed it on Wu LiJing's ear and Wu LiJing stood frozen.

"There, now you look more spirited." She smiled and pulled a strand of hair away from Wu LiJing's face. "You're still so young, why must you act like a one-hundred-year-old lady already?"

Wu LiJing relaxed her body and looked at the field of flowers that shone so beautifully whether it be day or night.

Yao YuHuan picked up her pot of water. "Alright then. Go. Just remember to use the token I gave you when you return."

Wu LiJing saluted and disappeared.

Yao YuHuan sighed and shook her head, causing her long earrings to dangle. "Hm… when she returns, I should give her some of my jewelry sets. How can she have that face and dress the same every day? Should I also give her some of my new robes? I think it'll fit her…"

The next day, Wu LiJing packed up and left the sect. Aunt Yao said it would take a few days before she reached Seaweed Village.

Wu LiJing traveled without wearing her usual dark purple robes and instead wore a light green robe with a simple floral design on it. When Aunt Yao noticed that she was going out in plain blue robes, she quickly threw some robes at her and told her to wear them instead, claiming that since they were old, she didn't like them anymore. When Wu LiJing looked at them, the designs did seem simpler than the ones Yao YuHuan usually wore… but they still looked new. She glanced at Sect Master Yao with a suspicious gaze, but thought it would be rude not to accept so she just left placing them in her ring, after having to change into one of them.

…

Inside a dark room, with only a few candles to illuminate two figures, the sound of life being taken from a man could be heard. The choking sounds repeated, first loudly, and then slowly, then diminished until silence merged with the darkness.

Thump! The sound of a body being thrown to the ground could be heard.

Gasp! Cough! Cough!

"Two years," she muttered with her bloody seductive lips. "You hid for two years, you bastard. Did you think I had given up and thought it safe to come out?" She chuckled.

The man glared at her as he coughed. His neck already had signs of dark bruises from almost being strangled to death. "You witch!" he screamed with a scratchy voice. "Let me go or else you'll pay!" He tried to sound confident but his eyes betrayed him.

She stared at him coldly and smiled so beautifully, it still made him stunned even with his life in her hands. "Witch? If I'm a witch, then why did you try so hard to get me? Weren't you the first one to take me? Force me? You were the one who suggested this whole thing… and then you ran away."

She sighed and traced her soft cheek with a nail. "This face is what made you kill Lei in the first place…"

Her hand dropped and a sinister smile formed on her ethereal face. "He was the only one who treated me like a human, you disgusting motherfucker. Since you killed him with your own hands, then you should suffer the worst."

Pluck!

"AHHH!!!!" The man screamed and held onto his now empty eye socket as blood and goo dripped down his cheek. "It was a mistake! I didn't mean to do it!"

Even till now, he denied his sins.

She turned his eyeball around and played with it. She brought it down to his trembling body and smiled. "Sorry. It was a mistake. I didn't mean to!" The ethereal beauty laughed and then dropped it on the floor.

He shook his head, "Let me go… let me go. Let me- Gah!" He tried to run but was kicked and flew a few inches away, his saliva dripping from his lips to mix in with his disgusting snot.

The ringing of a bell was left as Su YiJu walked closer to him. Her hand moved faster than the eye could see and he screamed again as his other eyeball rolled to the corner. "Since you like to look at my face so much, I should help your eyes see me forever by keeping it by my side even after you die."

With his vision filled with only darkness, she made sure he experienced what it was like to be hopeless and vulnerable.

Drip. Drip.

Blood trickled down a delicate wrist and fell to the floor.

Sigh.

Jingle.

The body of a man fell to the ground, causing the candle lights to flicker, almost going out completely. In the end, she still strangled him to death. She had to feel his life slowly dwindling away in her hands or she wouldn't be satisfied.

Su YiJu turned to the heart in her left hand and brought it to her lips, feeling refreshed.

She laughed in satisfaction and then crushed the heart once she consumed the dripping, dirty blood . Her white clothes were stained with red all over. She used to hate wearing white because she was forced to wear this color by the men in her life. Only Lei told her to wear whatever she wanted. But now, she was fine with it - because when their blood stained her robes with an obvious red, she knew her revenge was over.

"Did you have to make such a mess in the room?" the sigh of a man could be heard.

She turned around and spoke coldly, "This is my business! Stay out of it!" She walked towards the two eyeballs she had thrown on the ground and squashed them, the bell on her ankle ringing along.

The middle-aged man listening to her had a twitching eye and an unshaven short beard. He crossed his arms as he rolled his eyes - he was the one who would have to clean after her. "Are you done with your business? Because the man won't talk. Maybe you should come and use your seduction skills to make him speak."

"He won't speak about it?" She wiped her bloody hands on her hands and smirked. "If he won't speak, then kill him." She licked her lips. "Hm… no bring him to me." There were still traitors in their group who wanted to leave and plan for other things to replace their master. This is what happens when her master just accepts whoever into the group. The bell on her ankle jingled as she hopped on top of a table to sit.

He frowned. "What? You shouldn't use that power too much. It can cause suspicion towards our group." That guy with a hole in his body was already dead on the ground, staining the floor with blood. Someone will obviously come searching for him since he was the second legitimate son of a mediocre clan.

The beauty glared at him. "Do you think I'm stupid? Just feed the body to the dogs. No one will find him." She played with her hair. "If you don't bring him to me, Shao Ce, you can take his place." She giggled. She has been craving the taste of men's blood again since she has been holding back for their master. Even this bastard that she waited two years for didn't make up for it.

The blood was disgusting, but it felt amazing – the feeling of a man's body writhing away as she squeezed their heart and the energy that coursed through her body every time the blood dripped onto her tongue.

If she didn't kill another man soon, it wouldn't be a surprise to her if she went crazy. It took two whole years for Gu LieRi to find this man for her.

Shao Ce sighed and rubbed his short hair, frustrated. She had a heavenly beauty that even stumped him at first, but why did he have to listen to this bitch? If he didn't follow what she said, he would have to fight her which would be a hassle. "When do you think we'll find 'it'?" he suddenly asked.

Su YiJu smirked. "Don't be impatient, eventually. We have already sent our people to different places. Master determined that the one who stole the object must be from one of the major sects or clans. That's the only reason why they could easily defeat that crazy man who ran away for two whole years." She spoke as though she didn't recognize the crazy man who helped her escape in the first place. To her, all men who gazed upon her and looked at her like an object were the same. Even Gu LieRi… except, now her opinion of him has changed.

"He betrayed Master and now we've lost track of where 'it' is after he's died." She still remembers when that item first called out to her and how it made her feel – the power running through her fingers. She sighed as she licked a trembling finger with a glint in her pretty eyes.

"The Divine Emerald Sect nearby is one of the sects that we couldn't infiltrate, isn't that right?"

Su YiJu twirled her hair. "Sects like those are more vigilant and harder to get in… but it's fine. Master said that even if it takes another hundred years, he's willing to put the effort in and wait. After all, we have already managed to put one of our people in one of the major sects." She grinned and giggled, stunning Shao Ce with her fairy-like smile that was full of brightness. "Once we have 'it' back… no one can stop us." No one would dare to look at her without thinking twice again.

Once Shao Ce left, Su YiJu walked to another room in the same inn they were at, with a delicate bell ringing with each step she took. She needed to wash off this blood before she went to see Gu LieRi to thank him. As for that innkeeper… they can just kill him if he sees anything.