“Youngest Aunt, you are saying that this Little Sister was picked up from the western regions of Bei Tang?”
Four women sat besides a crackling fire as they waited for the cauldron to finish boiling. When the black iron lid began its mournful screech, He Xin pried the cauldron open with a set of tongs, then proceeded to distribute four equal portions of hot broth with a ladle. The young maiden clapped the wooden ladle against the rim of her bowl, and Xu Lingxin began digging in with a relieved smile.
“Xiao Lian, you can’t call her a Little Sister anymore,” the celestial maiden chuckled and leaned against An Fei’s shoulder.
“You should be calling her Martial Aunt! Seniority must be respected, even if we are cultivators.”
The woman’s lips twitched as she directed an incomprehensive glare onto the young girl’s impassive visage. The latter continued to bring spoonful after spoonful of spicy broth to her lips, eating in silence. Eventually, Xu Meilian could no longer persist and returned her attention towards the wisps of steam emanating from the cauldron, or more particularly – the raven floating in the middle of the broth.
It was rather small for its species, and neither Xu Lingxin nor He Xin had observed a fully matured raven measure to a size smaller than An Fei’s palms before. Alas, the young maiden had shot it down with her arrow, skinned and stuffed its insides with a delicious mixture of seasonings and spices, and hurled it into the soybean broth.
She didn’t notice the golden speck of light depart from the small creature once the tanning knife was retrieved from its sheath, but for its small stature, the boiled raven added a delightful aftertaste to the otherwise strong and powerful stew. It was mellow and light on the tongue but domineering in its spiciness, causing An Fei to exhale deeply in appreciation.
The young girl placed aside the drained wooden bowl and reached for the ladle, but her attempts for a second helping were denied by a slender hand glistening with a gossamer touch.
“Little Sister, you must respect seniority as well! Naturally, Elder Sister must be the one to claim a second helping!”
Xu Lingxin poured the remainder of the meagre broth into her bowl before the envious glares of the three women. With a contented smile, the celestial maiden drained the vestiges of the delightful broth and delivered the meal’s final climax with a light smack of her lips.
“He Xin, you really make the best soups in the entire Sect!” she swirled the wooden spoon in mild disappointment.
“It’s a pity, you never make a large enough portion. Making your Young Miss hungry after each meal, how can this be tolerated!?”
“Young Miss, the ingredients brought were sufficient only for three people.”
He Xin’s mild tone immediately elicited a sour blush to emerge on Xu Meilian’s cheeks, and the latter began fervently protesting her innocence before the hanged jury. When Xu Lingxin had delivered sufficient justice onto her niece, she rested her chin against her cupped palms, and her smile receded in a few breaths.
“Xiao Lian, why have you come to the Mourning Forest? Instructor Li has yet to send in an appeal to open the forest for disciples.”
Xu Meilian cupped her hands into a disciple’s salute at the abrupt change in tone. The woman cast a fleeting glance towards the silhouette of a yawning An Fei, and cleared her throat with a soft cough.
“Instructor Li… has been injured during an outing. The Haunted Buddhist Sect has increased the intensity of their raids against our territories,” Xu Meilian intoned.
“The Sect Leader granted permission for This Disciple to train two weeks before the annual competition. The various instructors will begin dispatching their students to the Mourning Forest to master control over their spiritual essence at the normal time.”
“That bald man only knows how to shower favoritism. Did he not forget that I was the gatekeeper of this forest?”
Xu Lingxin curled her lips into a disdainful snort. She clasped her cheeks with a disgruntled sigh, and directed a forlorn glance towards An Fei’s uncomprehending expression. As the young girl twitched her eyebrows in annoyance at the unexpected attention, the celestial maiden coughed and gestured at Xu Meilian.
“Lingxue is currently resting in the Mourning Forest. Tell that bald man that the Mourning Forest will not be able to receive disciples this year. Send them to the Harrowed Peaks instead –“
“Young Miss, that is in direct violation of the Sect Leader’s authority, and the Elders will surely castigate!”
He Xin violently interrupted with a loud outburst, and curled her hands into fists. The young maiden threw a baleful look towards An Fei, and turned to salute Xu Lingxin with the respect of a sect’s disciple, and not of a Young Miss’ servant.
“The Young Miss has already caused enough trouble, and the Elders will not hesitate to jump at the slightest chance! It is foolhardy to delay the sect’s an entire year of preparation to satisfy the whims of a mortal!”
“But Lingxue will not be able to tolerate the uncontrolled auras of so many Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators, not to mention a horde of youngsters overflowing with lust,” Xu Lingxin countered with a soft smile.
“Were it not for us deliberately suppressing our auras and preventing our spiritual essence from intermingling with the nearby environment, do you think Lingxue would be able to enjoy our dinner meal?”
“In the first place, bringing a mortal to the Morning Star Temple, much less the Mourning Forest of all places, is tantamount to –“
He Xin’s words were slashed at the throat with a wave of Xu Lingxin’s outstretched palm. The celestial maiden stacked the wooden bowls before her feet and gazed at the seated young girl.
“Little Sister, don’t take offense at He Xin’s words, ah. Just ask Elder Sister if you need help with anything while you recover.”
The words were a vain attempt to appease a supposed young girl’s shattered glass heart, hence Xu Lingxin was flabbergasted when An Fei parted her lips to deliver a befuddled question.
“How does this world work?”
How does this world work…?
How was she, a mere Spirit Building Cultivator… supposed to answer!?
Xu Lingxin’s lips twitched in annoyance at the unexpected question, and nearly lost control over her aura. Taking a few breaths to stabilize her mind and return it to its previously lighthearted mood, the celestial maiden sighed.
“Little Sister, your question is far too vague,” Xu Lingxin consoled with a gentle smile.
“Elder Sister can’t give you an answer at the moment, so why not wait a bit –“
“Are there not any laws that define the world?” the young girl absentmindedly stabbed a branch into the earthy soil.
“Any laws, or perhaps any exceptions?”
An Fei paused, then adjusted her grasp on the branch. Twirling the slender twig in her hands, the young girl took a breath and hurtled the wooden stick into the air.
The branch careened and pitched into a lopsided swing above their heads, and impaled itself into the soft earth a few meters behind An Fei. She puckered her lips and fought to refrain from tossing the words of physics and science towards Xu Lingxin, and instead adopted for a softer approach.
“Objects fall when released from their restraints. Anything that is hurled into the air must fall back to the ground,” the young girl murmured, and directed an inquisitive glance towards the celestial maiden.
“Are there any laws in the world that encompasses such concepts? How does this world work?”
Xu Meilian blinked at the unusual arrangement of words hurtled from An Fei’s lips, and coiled her tongue in confusion. The celestial maiden Xu Lingxin, however, displayed a different expression – that of warmth and appreciation. She cuddled her chin with her palms splayed, and her eyes crinkled into a gentle smile.
“Little Sister, those questions… deeply resemble the questions of the secular scholars of Great Yan. Or perhaps, their belief that the world operates on certain… defined principles and restrictions,” Xu Lingxin drummed her fingers on her cheeks.
“There are a set of laws that define and order the phenomenon we observe in the world – that is what you seek to ask, no? For the most part, that set of belief is certainly correct, but it is only so when you are blinded by the world.”
The celestial maiden stood and walked to grasp the embedded twig in her hand. Following An Fei’s lackadaisical motion, Xu Lingxin hurled the branch into the air in an underhanded swing. The wooden stick spun as it soared through the air in a parabolic arc, but suspended its motion at the height of its flight.
The slender, fragile twig made no notion of moving downwards. It hovered as it gently rotated in mid-air with its tip serving as the axis.
