WangXian Forever 5

Chapter 66 Freedom

Zhitiao watched the Demon disappear with the little girl. She was shocked, not because they vanished so suddenly, but because she was glad. Her sworn enemy was safe, and she was happy about it. They were surrounded by a fiery ring of red clothed women, who were now surrounded by her sisters.

But here too, she had to face her own conflicting emotions. For the first time in her life, she was not happy about joining them.

So when the fighting broke out for real, Zhitiao was completely unprepared for the woman standing right next to her, to attack. It was only due to her excessive training as a fighter, that she was able to defend herself.

They fought with passion, fierce and angry, but Zhitiao found herself just going through the motions. While locked in a struggle to wrestle out of each others arms, one of them stumbled onto a tree root and they both went tumbling into a ditch, separating accidentally.

Zhitiao fell further away, banging her head so hard, she saw stars. Dazed and unable to move, she lay there for a while, trying to drum up enough courage to sit up at least. She must have passed out, for when her eyes next opened, the sun was way past noon. She sat up in increments, first resting on her elbows and then raising her body to lean against the trunk of a tree.

Looking around, she saw she was alone. The relief that came with this realisation was a revelation in itself. What was she going to do now?

Not staying here, that was for sure.

She stood up on shaky legs, much like a new born deer, and she wanted to laugh at her own frailty. How many years had she spent, both in training and actual combat? Her first ever foray into battle was at age eighteen. There was simply no point in trying to calculate the number of her fights. And yet here she was, bested by a tree root.

The skies were darkening ominously, heralding a downpour, that started as soon as she was able to walk without holding onto anything. Within minutes, she was drenched, her robes sticking to her like a second skin. Her hair hung around her face in wet clumps, and that's when she laughed at herself out loud.

Could her life get any worse?

The rain stopped as suddenly as it began, and were it not for her clothes dripping wet and cold, Zhitiao would have wondered if she had imagined it.

Her body started shaking and the dizziness returned fivefold. The last thing she remembered was being thankful for the soft grasses she landed on, taking in their sweet scent before passing out.

******

When she next awoke, it was to the crackle of a merrily burning fire, and the hiss of hot water being boiled.

She felt...comfortable and warm. Her eyes blinked open, revealing where she was. It looked like a shack, and whoever lived here, had tried their best to make it seem more homely. There were touches of care all around where she lay; a broken pot full of wildflowers adding colour to the otherwise bleakness of blackened walls. Someone had made dolls out of straw and placed them carefully on a stool, covering them with a handkerchief, that passed as a blanket for the tiny beings.

She tried to sit up, to see what else there was, but a firm hand on her shoulder had her tensing up.

What was wrong with her? Why had her protective senses not kicked in yet? Why had she been ignorant of the very dangerous possibility of not being alone?

"Rest."

That one word washed over her like calm waves, and she relaxed, laying down again with a sigh. Her eyes closed, her body giving her the much needed relief from her life for a while.

*****

It was the fragrance of vegetables cooking in a stew that made her stomach grumble, and consequently woke her up. A face, kind and wrinkled smiled down at her, and she had to fight the natural instinct to lash out, telling herself that this lady most likely had saved her.

The old lady helped her to sit up and then returned with a bowl of green liquid.

"Eat." She tried to feed her, which had Zhitiao red faced and taking the bowl out of her hands.

She tried to slurp it down, her body still in survival mode, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. A spoon was pressed into her free hand.

"Slow."

Once the old lady was satisfied that she would not guzzle it down, she moved away.

Zhitiao watched her between spoonfuls of he soup. It had a herbal taste to it and made her feel...better. So much better.

The old woman pottered about, tidying up, and humming to herself. The simple domesticity of her living here, obviously alone, and yet quite content, struck a chord within her soul.

Zhitiao imagined her day to day life, waking up, cleaning her house, cooking and generally passing the day quietly.

It wasn't a bad life. At all.

Zhitiao's life had been very different, like the contrast between night and day.

Children of the Tree were brought up to fight. It was their way of life, their sustenance.

Her day started with training, from weapons to hand to hand combat, then actual fighting and missions, followed by meditation at night. Rinse and repeat. Over and over again, until all rational thought had been expelled.

They were all clones now, doing their master's bidding and not thinking for themselves.

Since Zhitiao had been caught, swept away by the innocence of a resting child, her life had changed. Everything happens for a reason, and maybe this was it for her.

When she saw how people lived in Cloud Recesses, actually, and really, when she saw how the Yiling Patriarch lived. With the magnificent killing machine that was Hanguang-Jun, reality came crashing down.

She had never seen two people so much in love.

Ever.

How they would fall asleep together, how they held hands, how they were always touching, a connection that went beyond the physical. She was sure they could communicate without words, much like the relationship between the demon and Wei WuXian.

The man inspired loyalty.

It had been a thorn in her side, a splinter working its way into her heart; just why did the demon stay? Surely not out of choice?

And yet, this was exactly right.

Days spent in their company made her realise how strong their bond was, how each of the people around her would do anything for each other, out of choice, rather than orders.

What kind of a life would that be like?

Could she even dare to dream?

The Children of the Tree allowed no one to leave. Otherwise there'd be no one left, she thought, laughing humourlessly.

Their lives were harsh, often brutal, and uncompromising.

Now she had seen a different way of life, she wanted it. And not just for herself, for her real sister too.

Yezi.

Zhitiao knew she had to get back. Her first choice would be to return to the Yiling Patriarch. He could help her, she was sure of it.

And to evade capture by her sisters. Of course, that went without saying.

She swung her legs out from the cover of the blanket and found that she could stand.

The old woman glanced at her in surprise.

"Zumu, thank you." Zhitiao bowed.

This was another lesson; she could be grateful to those who helped her.

The old lady patted her shoulder gently.

"Be kind."

Just two words. But they had the power to bring tears to her eyes.

She could only nod, before leaving.