Phoenix Rise: XieRong

XieRong was excited to read her letter, but she also felt a dampness over her heart as she held it. Her mother had given up on escaping the mansion a long time ago. She’d only wanted for them to escape safely.

XieRong felt an immense guilt for not being able to convince her mother otherwise, for not being able to lessen her mother’s pain. XieRong opened the letter with mixed feelings and began to read with FeiHong in her lap once again.

"My Dearest XieRong,

Do not blame mother for giving up. I had been poisoned long before I gave birth to the two of you. That is why both your cultivations were blocked along with mine. Mother didn’t want to be a burden to you and FeiHong on your journey. I had no hope of recovering my cultivation, but both of you do. I did the best I could to ensure you did.

"XieRong, my daughter, I’m proud of your courage and determination to protect those dear to you. Your paternal grandfather loved you, although he died before he knew whether you were a boy or a girl, he loved you all the same. Mother suspects senior was behind his death since your grandfather had warned me about her poisoning me. Whatever he put in the pouch I do not know, but he told me that except the pills all other things in the pouch are temporary. He told me that his friend, a master, had told him that you would pave your own path in life and achieve great things. Therefore, he told me that the spatial ring would store away things without the need of you binding with it.

"Tell Bai that Mother wants her to live her life with hope and kindness like the phoenix just like how mother wants you to live your life with bravery akin to that of a dragon. Mother wishes for you to live as a strong woman as capable as any man there is so that you bow down to no one. Look after FeiHong for me.

Love,

Mother."

XieRong gave a watery smile trying her best not to cry.

’Don’t worry, mother, I will not let you down.’

"FeiHong, let’s go," XieRong said as she picked up the bag.

She stored her pouch in the spatial ring and thought of exploring it’s contents later.

First, they had to make it to the Old lady in the forest.

The Forest itself was without any wild spirit beasts or without any of significant cultivation at least. This forest was a part of the Fa Estate bestowed by the emperor and was only as big as maybe three or four of the emperor’s complete residence. The Forest was known to be dangerous by the people as it was home to many poisonous animals and plants. People with no knowledge of medicine would probably be devoured by the forest and it’s inhabitants within a day. The Fa family used the forest as a barrier at the back, but other than that they deemed the forest useless, but XieRong knew better. The forest was home to the best poison master in the country and it was under her tutelage, XieRong had learned how to use poison to it’s full potential.

XieRong was grateful to the stepping stone her mother had laid out for her. If it weren’t for the kindness her mother had bestowed the old lady, the stubborn old poison master would have never even considered XieRong as her student.

XieRong made her way to the poison master’s house, collecting herbs and poisons. On occasion she would find rare treats such as mushrooms, horsetails, and fruits. She also went to check her traps for some rabbits or birds.

"Jie, come look!" FeiHong beckoned her sister. In front of her was the most beautiful white fawn she had ever seen. The sad thing was it was trapped in the hole her sister had dug.

"It’s a weak spirit beast. It won’t survive long in this forest, even if we let it go."

"Sister, I’ll bond with it. We’ve caught enough rabbits and pheasants for more than two days."

"Don’t give me that look," XieRong said, as she looked at her sister’s puffed up face.

"I wasn’t planning on killing it anyways, since you found it, you should decide what to do with it. I will help you regardless."

XieRong knew her sister would have kept the white fawn. She would’ve have too because she wouldn’t have had the heart to kill such an innocent being, not when they had more than enough food to last them their way out of the forest.

"I’ll keep it sister, I’ll bond with it." FeiHong’s eyes shone with determination. She didn’t believe the fawn wouldn’t last. If she could make it without the fingers of her right hand then that fawn could make it too.

FeiHong didn’t wait for her sister’s help, she went down and started to push the purple eyed fawn up.

"Don’t worry Bai Yueliang, I’ll save you."

XieRong smiled as she pulled the fawn and then her sister up the hole. Her sister had already named the beast.

While XieRong was tending to Yueliang’s injury, FeiHong had already bit her finger and drawn blood. FeiHong remembered vividly how the ceremony to bind the beasts went. When Fa Li Ling, Fa Mei Lien’s younger sister was bounded to a snow cat first uncle had gotten her, FeiHong had watched everything from a corner. She pitied the snow cat. It was a beautiful beast in the hands of a terrible master, but she was jealous of Fa Li Ling too. Being the same age FeiHong couldn’t have the snow cat even if she became more talented and powerful than Li Ling because, in the end, FeiHong would forever remain the Shu daughter.

"Bai Yueliang, I don’t know if this is what you want or even if you understand me but I promise you, under my care I will not let anything harm you. I don’t want a master-servant contract with you. I will treat you as an equal, okay?"

As if Bai YueLiang understood, he closed his eyes and let himself get pricked with the knife in FeiHong’s hand.

XieRong watched in amazement as FeiHong’s and YueLiang’s blood met and gave off a small golden glow.

"I, FeiHong, accept Bai YueLiang as an equal and promise to adhere to this blood bond until death brings us apart."

FeiHong heard a beautiful male voice repeat the oath.

"I, Bai Yueliang, accept FeiHong as my master and equal and promise to adhere to this bond until death brings us apart."

FeiHong felt a warm sensation in the back of her mind.

"Jie, did you hear that?" FeiHong looked at YueLiang in wonderment.

"Hear what?" XieRong said, alarmed, as she looked around for any signs of movement.

FeiHong giggled.

"Jie, I’m talking about Bai Yueliang. He says no one but me can hear him."

XieRong calmed her heart down.

"Look at my little sister, forming a pact with a spirit beast before me," she teased, pinching FeiHong’s round cheeks affectionately.

"Sorry, Jie," FeiHong said, guiltily.

"What for?"

XieRong let go of her sister’s cheeks and sat down in front of FeiHong and next to YueLiang.

"Mother gave me many treasures and you received only a temporary spatial ring. Now, I also have a spirit beast. It’s not fair to you."

XieRong pinched her sister’s cheeks again, a bit harshly this time.

"Dear little sister, are you pitying me? Let me tell you this, I didn’t tease you because I am upset, but because I’m proud of you. This is your path, and I have mine. I may not have much now, but it doesn’t mean that this will always be the case, besides, I can go looking for my own treasures and spirit beasts, the ones that are meant for me. Mother meant for you to have and early start because I’ve already been doing other things under my guise while you had no choice but to be cooped up. You’re younger than me too, so you’ll have a much harder time looking for things than I will."

XieRong pulled FeiHong’s face closer to hers by the cheeks.

"Promise me that you won’t have such worries again?"

"I pwomish," FeiHong said looking at her Jie.

She rubbed her sore cheeks once XieRong let go.

XieRong bent to Bai Yueliang.

"It will take some time, but your wound is treatable. What gave you such a horrible injury anyway?"

"Bai Yue Liang said that there were hunters down south which were after him. He used the trap to escape."

XieRong looked south as if on instinct, like she was the one being hunted. It was unusual for people to be in this forest let alone hunters. XieRong smiled despite her worries.

"FeiHong why don’t you put Bai Yueliang in your space for now. We’ll treat him properly at the old lady’s place."

FeiHong put Bai YueLiang in her spatial ring with more ease than she had the bag.

"Let’s go."

XieRong took hold of FeiHong’s hand once more and resumed her way to her Master’s house.