“Did you hear? They say that Young Miss was the one who first offered a love token to His Highness…” whispered a maid.

Quickly, the ghost girl hid her face with a feather fan and leaned toward her friend. She avoided the guards’ stares as they stood alongside their posts in the great hall. Then, the maid added,“Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around?”

“I thought it was supposed to be the man who makes the first move too…” The other maid lifted her feather fan as well and covered her face with it. Walking side by side, the two began to pick up their speed. Their sheer phantom feet barely made a sound in the long, glittering route. “But I bet that’s true! I heard that after she offered her floral sachet, His Highness gave her a matching ring.”

“White like lilies with Netherworld scriptures as red as blood… Only His Highness has a magical ring like that!”

“Also, don’t you see how much His Highness favors that mortal woman? It has to be true!” The second maid excitedly went on, “Whatever she wishes, he gives it to her! Whatever she does not have, he already seems to know and has it ready for her. Whenever someone harrasses the Young Miss, you bet His Highness is ready to give it back to them by one-hundred-folds!”

At this, the first maid jumped and squealed with her friend. “Isn’t that so romantic?”

Both young women giggled, only to stop and move against the closest wall. As fast as they could, the maids lowered their fans and hid it behind their long, flowy skirts. Once the nonchalant Hong Rui halted to glance over them, the two lowered their heads with pitiful expressions, blinking their long lashes slowly and prettily.

“Good morning, Netherworld Official...” greeted the pair of palace maids.

The Netherworld Official nodded, with piercing red eyes. “Good morning.”

One of the ghost girls stepped to the side, catching a glimpse of a plain white skirt behind the tall man who always appeared both disheveled and dignified. Hong Rui raised his brow at her. The maid’s face reddened. She turned away.

“You two may carry on.” Fixing his lapels, the handsome demon jerked his chin into the direction that the ghosts were headed toward. “Focus more on your duties and less on gossip.”

“Y-Yes, First Official!” Both maids stuttered out, and away they went, hurrying with embarrassment.

For a long moment, the black-and-gold robed man stood there in the vast hall, quietly and without so much a move. Eventually, he looked at both sides of stationed guards in their brilliant armor and sharp-pointed spears with delicate tassels. They also appeared to be sweating under their layers but tried to remain stone-like.

Hong Rui sighed.

“How long is my little disciple going to hide behind me?” he asked. “The gossipers are gone now.”

“Again, this one is not your disciple...” The huntress sighed and walked forward, removing herself from the hiding spot. She had been matching pace with the Netherworld Official, avoiding the eyes of passing servants and trying to cover her ears from the whispers and giggles. “I cannot call you my Shifu. For me...I only have one.”

Just when Shifu had returned in Mei Ying’s life, like a candlelight, his comforting presence blinked away.

“You…” Turning his attention to the young woman, First Official asked, “What are you going to call me then?”

“If this one has permission, would it be fine to just call you ‘First Official’?”

Hong Rui blinked a few times. “...Just call me ‘First Official’? You have been calling me by my first name for nearly a week! This is completely backward now!”

“But isn’t it just as backward if I call you ‘Shifu’?” retorted Mei Ying.

“Young Miss, Young Miss…” The man shook his head with a hollow laugh. “Is it not an honor to have the former Demon King as your second Shifu?”

The huntress stared at the person with the opened outer robe. Around his neck was a glimmering necklace with a bright ruby pendant. She tilted her head, examining his long, black hair.

Ah, Hong Rui was nowhere as handsome as Jian Yu...

“Of course...” replied the young woman.

First Official closed his eyes and slowly massaged his forehead with a knuckle. Her reply had sounded so unimpressed, it was giving him a complete headache. He did not know if this represented the blow to his pride or to his limited patience with the Young Miss. A woman who cannot appreciate his good looks and extensive history.

Subsequently, he barked, “Never mind! Let’s just go!”

With a flick of his black sleeve, a red ribbon of light spiraled around both Hong Rui and Mei Ying. A blazing cocoon surrounded the two, ultimately leaving no traces of them behind.

Once they had vanished, the two nearby rows of armored guards exhaled a deep breath. They all glanced at one another and took a few steps toward the long stretch of red carpet in the middle of the hallway. One ghost tapped the shoulder of another.

“Hey, did you hear that His Highness kissed the Young Miss on the night of the Grand Chrysanthemum Festival?” asked the guard.

“Yes, yes!” answered the other. “I heard that His Highness took her on a boat on the river to view the flower lanterns and it was there where he kissed her!”

❁❁❁

Red flashed.

As soon as she saw that light, crimson flames hung above Mei Ying’s hair. Even with Fa Guang between her and the red blade, it was too late. The huntress was already in the way of what was to come. Her bright honey-tinted eyes widened.

It was swift when the flaming sword nearly knocked Fa Guang out of Mei Ying’s grip. Fire spun around, creating a wheel of heat and danger. In a split second, Mei Ying threw herself aside, barely missing the raging tornado that soon erupted. The hot embers nearly burned her hair. Her footing became messy, stumbling a little.

“Are you that fragile?!” snapped Hong Rui, who, with a mere flip of the wrist--brought the blazing sword upon her. “MEI YING!”

With a shaking heart, Mei Ying dipped, evading the blade, and fluttered back like a soft garden butterfly. Her feet were nimble but the misstep from earlier gave First Official his second of advantage. She tried to take in a deep breath while the fire slit through the air once more as a roaring disk of potential death.

Glowing walls of spiritual energy manifested over Mei Ying like golden petals. In an instant, the sweat from her pearly skin dissipated, also eliminating the dry patches and red flush from the burning blade. Maybe she is getting the hang of this healing technique, after all!

Again, the young woman stepped aside, avoiding Hong Rui’s flames. He lunged forward, missing her.

Or so Mei Ying thought.

Soon, the ground underneath her dirty white boots cracked. Before the huntress could blink, the earth began to shift, breaking apart into wobbling plates! When Hong Rui had ‘missed’, his overwhelming strength, along with the broadsword, intentionally collided with the ground, which triggered a chain of surface-shattering vibrations and turmoil!

Mei Ying jumped away from where she once stood and watched the spot crumble and quake violently. It caved in, creating a large hole in the ground. All around her, the tall golden trees trembled, with many toppling over and crushing whatever was nearby. Branches and leaves rained everywhere. As the huntress distanced herself more, she had also lost sight of Hong Rui from the dust and piling rubble.

Quickly, she hopped onto the flat side of her shining sword, Fa Guang, and flew higher and higher, missing any falling tree or limb of foliage. The golden aura around Mei Ying faded away.

“Your element is a part of you!” Hong Rui’s voice echoed from all around the white-robed maiden. “...a part of you, a part of you…” His enraged tone nearly rattled the mortal’s bones. “Go on the offense, Child of Red Omen! What’s stopping you?!”

Mei Ying gritted her teeth, listening to the echoes that cried, “...stopping you, stopping you…”

“DON’T YOU WANT TO BECOME STRONGER?!”

All at once though, a red horizontal beam zipped toward Mei Ying.

“...stronger...stronger...” The other's voice mercilessly bounced around her.

At the same moment, the young woman thought about how once upon a time, an old shaman had told this disciple, ‘Try to think of what makes you happy. Only when you do will you realize what truly makes you...stronger.’

Most mortals would agree that it is right for either the strong to make others fear them... or for the strong to protect others.

The main cultivation world, including the outcasted Cheng Xiu Village--the floating home of the Song clan--had always preached the first one. That was fully embodied by Kong the cold Song cultivator.

However, Shifu and the old shaman women always emphasized the second part to Mei Ying: It is only right for the strong to protect others.

Still, Mei Ying had failed to protect her only childhood friend. Her mother. A few relatives. Shaman Hua. Her shifu even and the tiger spirit.

The disciple was punished by fate. It would never let her go. For the huntress to flee fate or to fight against it meant challenging Heaven altogether. She knew this because when she had tried to run away once, Yue Liang...had paid the ultimate price for it.

Since then, never once has anyone asked Mei Ying what she wanted.

Not once at all.

Until she met... Jian Yu.

As the red flaming disk hurled toward her from a great distance away, Mei Ying croaked out, “Fine.” Her eyes grew hot around the rims, threatening to brim with wetness.

The huntress inhaled another deep, steady breath. Streams of golden spiritual energy seeped from the dark fogs of the Netherworld atmosphere. Absorbing clean spiritual energy from such a realm...had been difficult. It had taken her about a week to acclimate quite a bit.

Instantly, Mei Ying’s overall complexion brightened like the moon as nearby trees continued to shudder madly or plunge to the ground below. From the air, crimson petals materialized with a few falling into the young woman’s long, beautiful hair.

For years, the relatives of the Song clan, Shifu, some buzzing cultivators of the main cultivation world, and even the senior hunters, those friends of hers, talked about the ultimate battle between good versus evil, the prophecy’s anticipated clash between the Heaven realm and the Netherworld…

Or the bloody battle between Mei Ying and the ‘wicked’ Demon King.

Everyone was excited about the prophecy coming into fruition.

Except for Mei Ying.

Why, the prophecy was a curse, disguised as a blessing. The young woman’s soul was cursed with it, and all she ever wanted was to rid herself of it.

And now, the huntress understands the reason for her affliction.

Right away, Mei Ying’s golden irises reflected the several dozens of blood-red rings, all ignited with such fury.

Lest the child of Red Omen

ascends time of great dire,

keep a promise and cut the clash...

What promise did the Ninth Flower Immortal, no, she--make from over seven hundreds years ago?

For all I know is that I promise...to never lay a hand on Jian Yu... Mei Ying swiped her broad white sleeve upward, creating a sky-reaching fortitude of earth and stone against the flaming wheels. ...and to put a stop to everyone’s love for war.

Dust filled the air. The entire training field shook and shook as more fissures kept branching out around the vicinity.

When chasing after revenge, Mei Ying had understood that she was a danger to those who could not defend themselves. Hence, she could no longer return home. She was not strong enough.

After all, what are mortals to demons, to Heaven Immortals, or to gods?

They are only ants.

All the people whom Mei Ying had loved, who were taken away by death, by some fault of her own, were ants.

Give them back… At this thought, Hong Rui flashed before the young woman on her floating sword. His fierce presence roared with a violent burst of fire, nearly scorching Mei Ying’s white robe.

In her mind, there was a faint image of a boy, grinning mischievously at the huntress. He had re-emerged from the sea currents of memories. Maybe it was from the way he had flicked his fingers at the little disciple’s forehead. Perhaps, it was because of the way he shielded her with his beautiful red spiritual energy as arrows rained from the dark skies. No, it has to be due to him replenishing the girl’s weakened body with his healing powers…

The way the diamond-studded night skies looked from below...was also a memory that Mei Ying could never forget. It was extremely familiar. When the demon boy held her in his arms as they flew on the speeding sword, through the dark spirit-infested forest, it was the first time when Mei Ying felt that she was cherished for simply being Mei Ying.

Not because she was chosen for a predetermined destiny. Not because she was fated to save the Mortal realm from some ancestor’s prophecy. Not because she was a reincarnated Heaven Immortal, who was cursed for six lifetimes and now needs to ‘prove’ her worth.

Give him back. Mei Ying wanted to say.

Her wall of earth and stone swiftly soared up and transmuted into a gigantic Buddha’s hand. Immediately, it punched First Official out of Mei Ying’s way like a mere fly.

Again, the maiden inhaled. She struggled to feel the cloud of miasma for any traces of spiritual energy that she may use to replenish her cultivated powers.

Another Buddha’s hand emerged from the earth and, with two, the open palms scooped up the speck of white flower as she radiated in golden light. Up and up, she went, with Fa Guang’s grip happily placed into her hand and with wind rushing through her white attire.

Subsequently, another vicious red light ripped from amidst the low clouds of dust and fallen trees. The red sword flickered. Before Mei Ying could retreat--Hong Rui’s weapon raced her way.

A mighty red bird, with the full wing span of an entire mountain, revealed itself behind the hurled sword as it screeched across the clearing.

Abruptly, the Buddha’s hands came together, which obstructed the phoenix’s terrorizing path. The spiritual energy that held the bird’s image dissolved into thin air.

Without hesitating, Hong Rui levitated in front of the enormous clasped hands. They had confined Mei Ying like a clam holding onto a pearl.

Then, the rumbling body of which those palms belonged to...rose above the earth.

It was the great Buddha, smiling down upon the thousands-of-years-old demon and former Demon King of the Netherworld with its warm and forgiving nature. The scale difference was too immense for First Official who became an insignificant dot of existence.

His lashes fluttered.

With his broadsword in hand, gleaming in flames, the Netherworld Official struck at the colossal-sized cupped hands with brute force that reached the skies overhead.

At once, a massive flood of blood-red chrysanthemum petals blanketed over him.

“You…!” Hong Rui was nearly blinded by the other’s trickery.

Dust quickly settled. Thousands of aromatic flowers cleared.

Above Hong Rui’s head was a large barrier that teemed with hissing fire. It was there to keep a sky-scraping dragon of flowers and plants away, overlooking the demon from behind Mei Ying.

Both he and the huntress stood on the Buddha’s broken palm, detached from its body and resting against the fissured earth. Though First Official sensed no ill intention, he did not relax one inch at all. Mei Ying’s eyes were hard as ice.

Hong Rui’s broadsword was caught in a monumental palm of green vines, leaves, and crimson flowers--in the heart of the braided sculptures of greenery. Each time the flames burned away a leaf, more vegetation rolled forward to take its previous place.

“Welcome back…” Hong Rui grinned at Mei Ying, with red trailing down her mouth. “...Ninth Flower Immortal.”

“Once upon a time, your sword dance at the Grand Chrysanthemum Festival marked a grand impression on me.” He added, withdrawing the weapon. “When I...was the Demon King.”

At once, the entire monstrous dragon sculpture split apart quietly and effortlessly. Everything eroded into ashes and hot embers within seconds.

“I once supported the former Heavenly Emperor.” said the demon, sheathing his sword. “Until I met a fallen Heaven Immortal named Jian Yu.”

“So, the tale...was true, about his origins.” Mei Ying uttered, wiping the blood from her chin off.

She tried to take a step forward but nearly stumbled. Fa Guang still remained in her grasp. At last, the young woman plopped down on the ground and sat there.

“To be honest, mortals are a bit annoying.” Hong Rui glanced at the half-Dragon-Hero sword and placed his hands behind his back. “The tales that they retell others and to the gods...are only half true.”

The demon watched the young woman dirty the end of a snow-white sleeve with her blood. “...Ah, you have to tell Jian Yu that you insisted on this training.”

“I will.”

“I don’t want to end up like Yong Nian.”

“I’m sure that you don’t.” Mei Ying agreed, slipping her weapon back into its white sheathe. She soon casted a healing spell on herself by absorbing the surrounding remnants of clean spiritual energy. “I don’t blame you for thinking that.”

Hong Rui stared at the huntress in disbelief. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it. The man thought for a moment and slowly sat down on the ground too.

Everywhere around the two people were ruins upon ruins of fallen trees, wild crevices in the earth, hills of rubble, and other signs of destruction.

“That night of raining fire, also known as the Song clan’s Red Omen, was not caused by His Highness.” Lowering his eyes, the ancient person appeared surprisingly hesitant.

Facing First Official, the huntress stopped what she was doing.

“On the night of your birth...predetermined by your fate and curse by the Heaven realm...” The demon confessed. “His Highness came to the rescue of the Song clan.”

Mei Ying nearly held her breath.

No one from Cheng Xiu Village...had ever talked about what prevented the collapse of their magical barrier against the shooting flames.

And so, that part of the narrative was erased from the Song clan’s history and eventually forgotten about.

Until now.