Fu Xie Lan was not like that. It is not destiny that determines her life, but she who will carve her destiny.

***

​​

Walking away from Grandpa Xin's residence, it was almost noon. The sun was shining very hot, even so, Fu Xie Lan and the others did not feel hot at all because the cool air produced by the forest trees blew occasionally.

Fu Xie Lan suddenly stopped her steps.

"What's wrong Xie Lan?" Wan Lie also stopped.

"Let's go hunting," said Fu Xie Lan and managed to make the same frown on Wan Lie's and others' foreheads.

"Catch whatever animals you meet, we'll meet again at this place an hour later."

"Use your mana to save time, but before that, you have to make sure there are no humans around you," Fu Xie Lan continued again then immediately jumped up and quickly disappeared into the dense trees.

They hadn't even had time to digest Fu Xie Lan's words, and the girl had already disappeared.

Wan Lie then moved along, before doing what Fu Xie Lan asked him to, he raised his arm and then made a mark on the big tree that was standing firmly beside him.

"Mark the trees you pass, so you don't get lost," said Wan Lie, turning to Ju Xian.

"Should we part like this?" Xue Ning asked.

"Wouldn't it be better to do it together?" she added again.

Wan Lie just sighed at Xue Ning's words, then immediately left the two of them.

Seeing that, Ju Xian did the same.

"Hey, wait!" Xue Ning shouted.

Left alone, the girl staggered. She is doing what Fu Xie Lan asked for.

.

.

.

Moving quickly through the depths of the forest, Fu Xie Lan suddenly stopped. Staring at a herd of animals quenching their thirst on the bank of a river not far from her.

It was a deer, maybe about five.

A faint smile was etched behind her mask. She never thought she would get animals so fast.

Just as the girl was about to move again, her focus was diverted by the sound of someone screaming. Not far from her current position, a group of people in different clothes were fighting.

Three people in maroon clothes were seen struggling with five people wearing ordinary-looking clothes, like the general population.

Fu Xie Lan observed from afar, it was clear the people wearing maroon clothes were outnumbered and the opponent didn't seem to be an ordinary person either.

Her eyes then found someone who was seriously injured leaning against one of the trees not far from the fight.

The people in maroon clothes turned out to be four.

"Hand over or you guys will..." Fu Xie Lan sharpened her ears.

"Not."

"How dare?!"

Strikes and blows aimed at the people in maroon clothes. It didn't take long, they were cornered. All of them were already seriously injured in a body condition that could no longer maintain their standing position.

Suddenly a flying sword shot towards Fu Xie Lan, the girl reflexively jumped onto another branch to dodge it.

"Bastard. How dare lowly people like you peek at us from there!?" shouted a man in a very luxurious-looking outfit. Fu Xie Lan's position was already known, and the sword was deliberately aimed at her a few seconds ago.

"Eldest brother, do you recognize that person?" said one after taking something from behind the maroon-colored clothes of the injured people.

"Does it matter? Do I have to recognize him first to not like him? Since he's already seen us, why should I let him go?"

"Elder brother is right, we should clean everything down to the roots without leaving anything behind."

"Right, we never know. What kind of trouble that person will cause in the future."

Fu Xie Lan who heard the conversation frowned faintly. Are they talking about her?

Glancing over to where her prey had been before, it was already empty. The beasts ran away after the scream of the man who pointed his sword at Fu Xie Lan.

A rough sigh escaped her luscious lips, she then jumped to the ground, right in front of the five men who were watching her at that very moment.

And at the same time, two people immediately ran towards her. With quick reflexes, Fu Xie Lan dodged and managed to dodge, with such a skillful movement, she turned to hit the nape of one of them, moving in a circle kicking his arms and legs so that the sword belonging to that person fell and flew far away.

Fu Xie Lan didn't waste it. With her speed, she immediately reached out and caught the sword just before it hit the ground.

She didn't know anything and had already received an attack like this.

"How dare you go against the Dhong family?!" shouted one who seemed to be older than the others.

"Are you tired of living? Huh?!"

Hearing all the cursing directed at her, Fu Xie Lan's expression didn't change at all.

"Elder brother, we better kill him quickly, before anyone sees."

"Don't worry, what can such a small man do? Kill him? It's my duty. It's his fault for seeing us. There's no way I'd let Dhong's surname be tarnished."

The Dhong family was one of the surnames that had great influence over the Zu kingdom. Among the many families, it was Dhong who contributed more than the others. The palace officials were mostly from the Dhong family. They are known for their generosity.

Only, no one knows. Behind that perfect attitude, there is something terrible.

One of them is currently. The four people in maroon clothes were the servants of the Dhong family. They had just protested because their wages had not been paid, and that made people question the attitude of the Dhong family.

Hearing this, the head of the family was angry with the five brothers because they were the ones who took care of everything related to the family economy.

And in the end, they rewarded the servants in public to quell the rumors.

It didn't stop thereafter they gave the wages. They do a competition for the servants of the Dhong family. Whoever manages to bring the biggest hunt, will be given gold coins with an amount that is many times their wages.

Yes, the Dhong family is like that. Many people were envious of those who managed to become servants of the Dhong family. Because such things happened frequently, such competitions were often conducted to allow those servants to earn more money.

They just do not know, that it was done with hidden intentions and purposes.

And the victims this time were the five servants. After nearly tarnishing the family's reputation, the Dhong brothers couldn't just stay silent.