Falling asleep after crying in her bed for a long while, Qiangu groggily awakens when she hears her bedroom door being pushed open. An extremely pale and fragile looking Bai Zihua sets a bowl of soup on the table then sits down by Qiangu’s bedside “Xiao Gu…you know all about the past?” If not, her reaction would not have been so strong. Dongfeng must’ve told her everything.

Suddenly disliking the nickname, Qiangu doesn’t answer and instead covers herself with the blanket but that doesn’t stop Bai Zihua’s voice from coming through clearly.

“Donfang carry tens and thousands of years of memories with each of his reincarnations. He might be human but he knows everything and tries to manipulate all things. What happened to you in your previous life was my fault but he was the hand in the dark that secretly manipulated everything. There is no way of knowing what is true or false with him. Not wanting you to meet him is for your own good.”

Sitting in silence for a long while when Qiangu still refuses to respond, Bai Zihua seems to want to offer some more explanation but eventually just left after letting out a soft sigh.

Peaking out of her blanket to make sure Zihua is really gone, Qiangu’s stomach begins to growl when she sees the plum soup on the table. However, Qiangu only ate two spoonfuls before an achy and bitter feeling filled her heart again so she threw down her spoon then decides to pack her bag. She can no longer stay at Cloud Mountain. She wants to go find Dongfang. Master doesn’t need her at all, the one he needs is the Hua Qiangu before. She is not her, and she doesn’t want to keep being a substitute anymore.

Like a thief in the night, Qiangu sneaks out of her room and starts to head down the mountain but screeched to a stop when she sees the dazzling white robed figure standing by the stream. With his usual calm and soft voice, the figure asks “Where are you going?”

So scared that her legs almost buckled under her, Qiangu soon found her courage again when she remembered that Master doesn’t need her anymore so why should she stay?
“I am going to go find Dongfang.”

Slowly turning around, Bai Zihua’s eyes were so black and devoid of light that it looks like it would consume everything. What a good pupil he has… She is planning to run away in the middle of the night with a man.
“I said, you are not to see him again.”

“I don’t care, I want to marry him, I want to be his bride!”

So brave, so firm…as if she was still the Hua Qiangu who loved him to the end of time. Almost losing control when fury rushed through him, Bai Zihua yells “Without my permission, you will not step out of Cloud Mountain!”

Having never been yelled in such a manner by Bai Zihua, all Qiangu could feel is the injustice of it all.
“What right do you have to stop me?! I am just your pupil, not your prisoner or your slave. I like Dongfang! No one can separate us!”
The minute the words were out of her mouth, Qiangu immediately regrets it and swallows in fear when she sees Bai Zihua’s expression that looks like a glass that has just been shattered.

Blinking in surprise when a slow clapping sound comes through the fog and a figure walks out of the moonlight. Overjoyed, Qiangu yells “Dongfang!”

The paper charm had been destroyed by Master so it has been days since Qiangu has been able to contact Dongfang. “How come you are here?”

“Don’t you want to go? I am here to take you away…”

It seemed like someone had once said the exact same thing to her before. Her eyes getting teary gain, Qiangu instinctively wants to throw herself into Dongfang’s arms…but she is too intimidated by Zihua’s glare to move a single step.

“Great. You are here on your own. That saves me from having to go find you.” Bai Zihua’s voice was even and placid but hidden in them were unbridled fury and his intention to kill.

His smile unwavering, Dongfeng asks “Bai Zihua, you are extremely scared of me right? When you found out Gu Tou has seen me and that I am still alive, were you so scared that you couldn’t even sleep at night?”

Bai Zihua didn’t answer Dongfeng’s questions. He is scared of him. He still remembers how a sobbing Qiangu had cried that she is willing to leave with him when Dongfang died. Also seared into his mind, as his forever nightmare is Qiangu’s own dying words that if she can do it all over again, she doesn’t want to fall in love with him.

In truth, between himself and Dongfang, she has long since made her decision but it is he who keeps forcing her to stay with him, keeping her a prisoner.

So how could he not be scared when Dongfeng showed up again? How can he not panic, not hurt?

In an instant, Zihua is in front of Dongfeng with his sword only a half inch away from his neck.

A terrified Qiangu immediately falls on her knees. She has never seen such a cold and ruthless Bai Zihua.
“Master! I beg you! Don’t!” Dongfang is only a human, he has no way to defend himself at all.

 

All text copyright @ www.Ninja-Reflection.com

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