Chapter 1
It was a bitter cold, rainy morning on the top of Mt. Yijun. The air mixed with the fragrance of freshly bloomed cherry blossoms, and the smell of rain dampening the dirt, and grass beneath the cherry blossom trees. Near the middle of the forest atop the mountain, resided a small, wooden hut that had been abandoned for an unknown amount of time. However, a few years prior, I had come across it after leaving my hometown of Qujing after my mother and father were killed by a beast of a man. It had been years since I left home; however, I found the peace and quiet of Mt. Yijun to be much more peaceful and calm in comparison to the loud, bustling streets of Qujing.
The sound of water dripping down from the ceiling caught my attention, causing me to glance up from my desk as I tried to pin down where the source was coming from. I moved to stand, carefully moving through the small hut, retrieving a small metal pail as I placed it beneath the section where the roof was leaking. Making a mental note to fix it at some point. I turned back to my desk, as I carefully put my writing utensils away, along with my parchment paper that I had gotten a few months ago from an older gentleman in the village beneath the mountain. Very seldomly did anyone come to visit the small hut, as there were legends about these forests—as if some beast or dark magic resided here. Though, luckily, I never experienced anything quite like that.
After clearing my desk, I had moved to slip my white cloak on. Pulling the hood over my head, as I slipped my white shoes on that were stained by the grass and mud on the ground. I had barely any funds to support myself, which meant I couldn’t afford to buy new shoes; however, it didn’t bother me. I knew they would grow dirty eventually since I loved to take walks quite often. Venturing into the wide-open caves in various parts of the mountain, letting myself escape in nature. Although the rain often put a damper on my mood, it was quite calming at some points. Especially late at night, when I am unable to sleep and need something to help soothe me into the blissful world of slumber.
As I stepped out of my small hut, I noticed the air felt different—as if there was a bad omen, or something alike. I took in a deep breath, as I continued to walk down the path leading to one of the caves of Mt. Yijun. Carrying a small wicker basket in my right arm, covered by raggedy clothing I had found inside the hut. Assuming it had been left behind by whoever resided there before me. Making a mental note to thank the person that had left it behind and left a few other things behind. Though, I knew that whoever resided in the hut before me may not have had intentions on anyone moving in; nevertheless, I still reminded myself to thank the person that left things behind. Even if I would never directly meet them.
The further I walked down the path, the heavier the air felt. “Stop, you wild beast!” A male voice shouted angrily, catching my attention. In the distance, I saw a man dressed in black and gold robes, holding a golden sword as he was fighting off some wild beast that looked like a combination between a tiger and a bear. It was larger than the man that was fighting it. Fear carved itself into me, as I let out a shriek before realising I had drawn attention to myself. As I quickly took off running the other way, hearing the beast’s loud roar before I could hear its loud stomping as it charged after me. Using all the energy I could gather, as I took off running towards the cave I had been walking towards prior.
“This isn’t your fight, you beast!” The man yelled out again, as I knew he was chasing after the beast. As I turned around to look back, I had tripped over a large stone. Causing me to tumble onto the ground, my ankle twisting in the process as I cried out in pain as I hit the ground with a loud thud. Turning onto my back as I tried to scramble myself up onto the ground to try and get away; however, the beast was too close. Its sharp fangs staring me right in the face as it roared loudly into my face. I prepared myself for impact, preparing myself for incoming death as it started to attack. However, no impact was ever made once my eyes were clenched shut. By the time I had reopened my eyes, the beast was nowhere to be found; though, there were three sharp claw marks on my forearm.
“Miss, it will be okay, I will help you.” The man said, everything around me going blurry as I saw their tall figure moving closer towards me. All I could see was the colour of their robes, and their long, black hair. Everything else was blurry as I could feel the world growing darker. Knowing the amount of pain that made me cry out was causing me to faint, as I thought I was falling into a slow, painful death. However, as I felt my eyes close, I felt the air change around me to a much lighter feeling. Though, I couldn’t open my eyes as they were too heavy. Knowing I was falling asleep, despite fighting to reopen them to see where I was. Wondering where the mysterious man had taken me. Hoping he was taking me somewhere to help heal me, and that I wouldn’t be gone from home for too long.
