No Repeats

The patient awakes

"I might be a scholar, but I am still a man who can wield the sword, so little fairy do not worry about me," said Wei Li with a devastatingly handsome smile as he continued to play the strings.

Shu Mei nodded her head; this world is so different from her last that she doesn't care about the little changes here and there. She slowly pulled out her thin and flexible sword from her waist when the strumming of guqin slowed down and bent backwards, kicking one leg up in the air while leaning back on sword as it points into the ground.

The slower Wei Li played, the lower Shu Mei bent and the higher her straight leg went up until the sword handle touched the ground and Shu Mei's body almost twisted in half with her leg straight up in the air.

Wei Li admired her fine figure and flexibility for a brief note before changing the gentle strumming into rapid torrent of notes, his long thin fingers played the guqin at such a fast pace that the normal eye cannot keep up with him. 

When Shu Mei heard the faster notes filled with heroism and hope she matched it by a series of air kicks and martial arts moves with her. At that moment, the woman was one with her sword and they moved with the music. 

Beads of sweat rolled down from her forehead as she danced, feeling more exhilarated with each step and perfectly executed  martial moves. Shu Mei's mind blocked out all stimuli except the music, but the music itself recalled special memories and her mind unconsciously wandered to Zhua Zhu.

As she danced images of the dead flashed before her mind, particularly the moment when she was lost in a killing frenzy, using the same vigour and moves to slice and kill her enemies. The adrenalin she feels now is the exact same feeling she had when she moved without fear and in sync with her sword. It only stopped when she stopped and realised that there were just fallen dead bodies around her.

Bai Ye's face flashed in her mind just when the guqin strings reached its fervour peak, leaving his face and every single feature firmly imprinted in her mind. She felt her heart plummet into a whirlwind of loss and strange clarity.

Wei Li abruptly slowed down after the peak and as he plucked each string, he allowed each note to vibrate independently giving a sobering ending to the piece. He watched as Shu Mei slowly sheathed her sword and lifted her head facing the sky with her hands behind her back as his fingers came to a stop.

"Song Wei Li, you are truly a talent," said a male voice which made Shu Mei jump and Wei Li smile slyly.

"Yu Li, welcome back, I have been waiting since yesterday after hearing news that you are returning to Hangzhou," said Wei Li with a big smile as he stood up and grabbed his friend into his arms.

Yu Li looked at Wei Li's enthusiasm with cold eyes, unmoved and stern face, which belies the torrent of emotions that he is experiencing inside. He clenched his jaws and gave Shu Mei a piercing stare, in which she responded by rolling her eyes. 

His heart twisted inside with her estranged attitude towards him, never giving him a smile when he is around her. But he felt that the he has no choice but to keep her by his side until the true her from his dreams resurface and they can continue their love story.

Then he narrowed his eyes at the handsome man in front of him, feelings of insecurity mingled with jealously flooded his senses. This Song Wei Li has been inconspicuously searching for her over these last five years after seeing her just once and somehow, as soon as he let her out of his sight, this man inserted himself. 

Yu Li sighed heavily and lamented his fate to contend with and fight off all these peach blossoms.

He had struggled to keep his calm when she started to dance, his heart burning with a jealous rage, but she was too beautiful and her dance too magnificent to stop. On one hand he just wanted to lock her inside his cage so that no other man can see her beauty and talents, while on the other hand, he just wanted to enjoy it.

"Shu Mei lets go back; we have many things to do. Song Wei Li, I will return later, and we can talk then," said Yu Li.

"Shu Mei? The maid from five years ago? Gosh, you have grown up into such a beautiful and talented young lady. Now, I am filled with regret in letting you go with him," said Wei Li in mock surprise.

"I'm regretful too," said Shu Mei while looking at Yu Li defiantly.

"Please excuse us," said Yu Li as he grabbed her wrist tightly to pull her along. Shu Mei rolled her eyes and tried to get out of his grip. Yu Li frowned as he felt her struggle and bent down to carry her in his arms in a princess carry.

Determined to get out of his grip, she pulled his ears and twisted it hard before saying, "if you don't put me down, I will poke your eyes out".

Yu Li's face twitched from the pain of having his ears pulled and her threats which he had no doubt she would act on. He stopped and looked down at her face, peering into her eyes without blinking.

"I will let you down, if you promise to follow me obediently," said Yu Li.

"Yu Li, this is too much, you are acting like you did five years ago, taking her away without consent, it's like you haven't grown!" shout Wei Li in exasperation.

Shu Mei laughed and gave him a thumbs up saying, "young master Song, you are right, your friend here has not changed the slightest."

Yu Li angrily walked Shu Mei back and tried to ignore Wei Li's taunting laughter and Shu Mei's resistance.

Back at the burnt down base of the decimated demonic sect of the Zhua Zhu, underneath the desolate and eerily quiet landscape, where tens of thousands of bodies and buildings have been burnt to the ground, there is a deep underground chamber where five people are talking to each other excitedly.

"I definitely saw the eyelids twitch," said one while the others stroked their long beards and nodded.

"Me to! I saw that finger move and he might have made a sound," said the other.

The men murmured to each other and looked at the figure on the bed in anticipation. They had begun to lose hope that this heavily injured man would not make it, after all, his wounds were many and deep. The worst part was the extreme blood loss that further shocked the body.

It has been a month of gruelling work, where they took turns to monitor him day and night for signs of life, and today, they seem to be rewarded for their efforts. If both men's testimonies are true, then he has a chance of recovery and their lives and their families' lives are safe.

But they are very clear that their fates are tied to his, if he dies then they will all die with him.

"Water..." said a hoarse voice, so low and soft that they would have normally missed it.

But this time all five of the men's eyes have been glued on his body and saw his lips move. They jumped up and cried up in relief as they praised the heavens. One quick witted man quick bought over a bowl of water and fed it to him drop by drop, spoon by spoon.

"You are going to be okay," said he reassuringly.

Hearing the unfamiliar voice, the man on the bed slowly opened his eyes and hazily looked at the man bending over him and tried to move his arms. But the patient was unprepared for the searing pain that pierced throughout every part of his body making his eyes water at the torture.

"Don't move, just take it easy. You haven't healed yet, but you will, now that you are awake," said another man.

"Shu Mei?" asked the patient with pleading watery eyes.

"Who?" asked the bearded man as he looked at the others in confusion, they have been instructed to save this man with their families being held hostage but they were not given any information on him or his past.

"Shu Mei...is she safe?" asked the patient again, his energy rapidly dissipate as the pain overwhelm his senses making him drift back into unconsciousness.

The bearded men looked at him in concern and they determined that they needed to up the pain medication. Now that they know he is alive and can recover, they need to make his recovery more comfortable and ensure that he does not something rash. 

The next few months will be critical to help him recover his full functions and abilities, but regrettably his right arm is lost. The lead doctor made a note to report this milestone to the imperial physician and request for a left-handed swordsman to be sent here later to train the patient.