The Moment Between Flying and Falling

Book 2: Chapter 10

Yanbo immediately walked towards the entrance of the temple with purposeful, long strides, almost about to break into a run. Her mind felt rather hazy, and it was filled with a single purpose: get back what belonged to her. Even though she didn't have enough proof to do it in public, if she met with Qingshan in private, got her to show the crane birthmark on the back of her neck... and the way she'd been able to cultivate fire-based spiritual energy even though her bloodline held not a drop of Desert Sect blood... the way everyone said that she had an aura of the Desert Sect about her... The pieces all fell together, a puzzle long in the process of solving finally getting its last piece, and as Yanbo pulled back to see the bigger picture, she was determined to move the hand of karma and get what was rightfully hers back.

"Stop!" The fortuneteller person held her shoulder. "Where are you going?"

Yanbo must've had a really ugly expression on her face, because the fortuneteller person drew back a little, but then tightened her grip. "You can't go find this Qingshan person just yet. From what I understand, she's got to be really powerful by now, even if she hasn't ascended to the heavens, and you're not even a cultivator, so how will you be able to confront her?"

"And what about me?" The nun's voice came from behind her. Yanbo's mind slowly cleared of the foggy tendrils and she blinked. That was true. She had no skills... with what, exactly, would she be confronting Qingshan and how, exactly, would she be able to win? And her work at the temple was still unfinished.

Yanbo slowly turned back around, and then wordlessly headed back to help hand out food and treat the injured.

When most people had fallen asleep was only when she was able to go and get her own burns treated. She gritted her teeth together as she splashed water on her wounds to clean them, and then spread ointment over them, but suddenly, she felt a tugging at the hem of her robes, and she was startled.

"Thank you." A little girl was staring up at her, and Yanbo realized that it was the little child that she'd saved earlier. Yanbo felt a little panicked and was unsure of how to speak to the child.

"It was merely what I was supposed to do." Yanbo finally replied. The little girl didn't seem to process this answer.

"Are you one of the immortal fairies from heaven?"

Yanbo was a little confounded and let out a slightly disgraceful 'huh?'.

"I saw you were able to make the flames back away and rescue me. But... it looks like even immortal fairies can get wounded." The little girl looked rather sorry. "What's your name?"

"Cui Yanbo."

The little girl smiled and pulled harder at her robes. "My mother always taught me that I have to repay a favor, especially a major one like a life-saving favor. But... I don't own anything, so I can't give you anything, but I can always give you this life. In the future, I'll be your personal maid, and I can serve you and help you with anything."

"What about your mother?" Yanbo tried to gently detach the little girl's grip on her robes.

The little girl frowned down at the floor. "She's dead." She said abruptly. Yanbo stopped trying to wrestle the girl away.

"Then... your father?"

"My father is dead too. I don't know any close relatives." She seemed rather sad all of a sudden. "I've been out on the streets for almost as long as I can remember."

The homeless little girl looked rather pitiful, before Yanbo suddenly realized that the nun would be just in need of a helper. Yanbo tried to look as friendly as possible and held out a hand to her.