The Phoenix embraced the Sun

The first night hunt

Wei Ying - 10 y.o.
Junior disciples - 10-13 y.o.
Head disciple Hong Yunxi - 16 y.o.
Jiang Fengmian, Lan Qiren - 17 y.o.

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The whole sect was delighted with the talent of their little mistress. Her golden core formed without any obstacles at the age of six, which already deserved the attention of many. The process usually took as long as twelve years old, a period when cultivators began to participate in small night hunts for the first time in their lives, and it just so happened that the world was blessed with a true genius.

The first time Wei Ying picked up a sword was after half a year, when her core had grown strong enough for the girl to take up intense training. Her classes were no different from those of ordinary students, which was no doubt a welcome relief to the young heiress. She was able to make friends with everyone and make a certain circle of people.

Perhaps the only differences were the classes on controlling natural dark energy with some of the teachers her father and mother trusted. There were ridiculously few students like her, however these were the ones with whom the girl had built up a trusting friendship.

One of the students, Liu Rong, was made her right hand at her grandfather's insistence. Since then, the two became an inseparable couple, which brought diversity to the classes day by day. Frankly, their antics and pranks did not meet with the approval of the mentors at first, but later on they themselves were relieved to have a sigh of relief. The monotonous routine was exhausting at times, and the arrival of a young heiress and a new generation of students was a breath of fresh air for them. Of course, the pranksters were not unpunished for their actions, but no one wanted to punish them severely either, unless something serious happened.

On the whole, Wei Ying was happy. As the Burial Mounds had promised, their mistress was unburdened by the past, and since their first meeting, the girl had forgotten much of her previous lives. Her home was flourishing and her family enjoyed a peaceful life, but they had not forgotten their responsibilities to the clan. Wei Yang had never been in favour of building unnecessary diplomatic ties, and his children had never been bothered with the matter, laying all conflicts on his shoulders. It was a habitual thing for other sects to ask for allies and offer to build relations by means of arranged marriages. But Leader Wei was firm in his position and never once agreed to the imperial ambitions of the other heads. Even the five great clans could not win his favour.

As the years passed, the Wei clan still lived independent of anyone, Wei Changze and Cangse Sanren gave birth to a healthy baby boy, Wei Yongsheng, and their firstborn gained a reputation as the talented first beauty of the Tianxia. Wei Ying's name was on everyone's lips. So Wei Yang became more and more worried about his granddaughter, fearing that she would be accidentally stolen from under his nose.

On the contrary, Wei Ying only scoffed at the unsuccessful attempts of others to get her attention. And when they crossed the line by brazenly touching her, they would get a beating not only from her parents but also from herself. At some point engagement letters started raining down like rain from the sky. Some she gave to be burnt and some she read in public, holding small concerts with friends from the clan. The disciples, and mentors too, laughed shamelessly, praising their mistress' theatrical skills.

Sometimes she even felt sorry for those who were sincere with her, but the girl was unwilling to build a relationship with them and gently declined. Because these boys were not her equals, and no woman would wish to tie her fate to someone weaker than her.

Proof of her strength was the first night hunt on the border with Gusu Lan.

It was a most exciting day for the junior disciples. Armed with sword and bow, they waited patiently at the inn for the night to come. The head disciple, Hong Yunxi, was in charge of the camp and repeated orders at supper.