Chapter 1 (1/2)
Chapter 1
White smoke beckons in the hazy sky, the air cold with a slight drifting fragrance winding its way to the nose, curling seductively around her footsteps as she moves inexorably forward into the cloud and disappears from sight.
It’s in this place that in these ten years, she doesn’t know how many times she dreamt of – she looks at the fine white hands that are definitely not hers and most importantly at the sword in her grasp.
It was a sword she’d never seen before, more than three feet long and light in weight with a golden gleam on the metal. The blade trembles as thought if it were not controlled, it would have the power to destroy the heavens.
It feels a little weird to be in this dream in a body not under her control, walking forward without her direction. She can’t wake up even if she opens her eyes.
She knows it’s a dream. She clearly knows it’s not her body.
She also knows that behind the fanned sandalwood door in front of her, there is nothing good. But her body still moves forward as though there’s a demon pus.h.i.+ng her on to see what’s behind the door.
The lock is covered in dust is very small and dirty, but actually the most ancient and strongest magic barrier under the heavens. The strangest thing is, this magic lock’s chains aren’t around the door but rather emanate from the door on outwards. She reaches out her hands to push open the closed door, not knowing if it’s her own heart or that of the body’s owner beating like thunder.
The door opens without a sound.
In a moment, a strongly evil presence pours forth, affecting her breathing.
She doesn’t retreat but the sword in her hands trembles. Two extremely high towers reach into the skies, the myriad locking chains stretched upwards and crisscrossing with mystical words hanging in the middle. A strong, cold and lifeless air billows forth.
Apparently someone is imprisoned.
She walks along the barrier towards the center of the chains, the sight becoming clearer.
Suddenly a strike of lightning comes from the air, revealing a silhouette and scattering the many evil spirits as it lands. It also illuminates perfect shoulders and thick turbulent hair that seems to have been broken off, fluttering in the middle of the spell.
She raises her sword.
As though sensing something, the silhouette looks back with a conflicted and troubled face. A dark green eye blinks; like she’s fallen into a bowl of clear water. Those eyes like feicui jade are as splendid as stars.
“It’s time.”
She feels herself laugh lightly. The lock breaks easily under her sword, the spelling burning up and smoke whistling out, the pillars cracking. Heaven and earth seems to shake.
As though in a trance, the silhouette disappears. She seems to hear low laughter not yet dispersed. Suddenly blue lights flash, sinister-looking scales surging like thunder, quickly striking in her direction.
Her body becomes immovable, the sword in her hand shaking. She is unwilling to be devoured.
Blankly, she thinks of an idea and blurts out: “Are you an evil niqui spirit?”
That green, worrisome tail lit with electric light suddenly froze and stopped in front of her nose, a breath blowing her bangs into a mess. By the time she recovered herself and could speak — had just taken a breath — she saw the green tail disappear into the smoke and turn into blue hemmed robes, slightly rippling.
She squints her eyes to try to see clearer, surrounded by darkness, when her body suddenly falls. She struggles but can’t prevent herself from falling continuously down, down – without stop –
“Ah!”
Gu XiaoMo sits up in her bed, her forehead covered in beads of sweat. She dreamed of that door again.
Stupidly, she sits there for a long time before smiling bitterly. To be able to see whoever is behind the door is already a great improvement, maybe next time in the dream she’ll be able to see the true face of that niqiu spirit.
Gu XiaoMo lies back down on the bed, sprawling messily so her robes gape indecently and reveal the green undergarment’s strings. She s.h.i.+fted lazily, hugging her blankets and pulling herself to the edge of the bed, her bottom sticking out in the air. After a long time pa.s.sed she started to feel cold, about to pull the blankets over herself again and have a good sleep. Suddenly a knocking sound came from the carved redwood doors.
“Senior apprentice sister! We’re already very worried, how come you still haven’t come out yet?”
Gu XiaoMo pondered for a moment whether to answer her junior apprentice sister outside the door or silently play dead.
“Today Mistress will inspect the flying swords! Master said that if senior apprentice sister dares to be late like normal, this old man will……”
Gu XiaoMo remembered Master’s words from yesterday when she was late to the lesson, cursed quietly, and rose from her bed with a rustle.
When she finally pushes open the door, little apprentice sister SuoYing ZhengQiao stands outside. She wears pink clothes and possesses phoenix-red lips, beautiful eyebrows and nose, and sweet dimples. Often people haven’t seen but have heard the laughter like silver bells carrying over from far away.