I Will Leave Before Dawn

Chapter 4: Coincidence

As the day of Lu Ye's test arrived, he found himself standing on the training field where he had to train his martial arts skills. Before him stood Damu Lan. The memory of their last encounter is still fresh in their minds. Although days had passed since they had last met, neither of them had spoken of the incident, causing their unspoken tension hanging in the air between them.

Lu Ye took a deep breath, steeling himself for the trial ahead, and tried to cast aside his lingering doubts and distractions.

"Did you find out what your spirit animal is?" Asked Damu Lan.

"I've been training my physical body and accumulating qi so I've yet to know," Lu Ye replied.

Damu Lan's unbothered gaze remained fixed on the book he held, before he finally turned his head to Lu Ye. "Follow me," he said, with a calm and measured tone.

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After walking a considerable distance from the training field, Lu Ye and Damu Lan arrived at the shore of a tranquil lake. The atmosphere was serene and calm, and the clear water glistened in the sunlight. Although a transparent mist hung in the air, it did little to obscure the beauty of their surroundings. The lake was encircled by a variety of flowers, and teemed with life, with fish and frogs making their home amongst the reeds and lily pads.

"What are we going to do here?" Asked Lu Ye, his eyes wide with wonder as he took in the breathtaking scenery that surrounded him.

"We will find out what your spiritual animal is here. If your spiritual animal is a being that requires a habitat that involves water, this place will serve us well." Damu Lan responded.

With a sudden fluidity of movement, Damu Lan began to make gestures and motions that caused his form to contort. Within moments, he had transformed into the same deep-bright pink-furred fox that had once chased Lu Ye at the Eternal Forest.

"As you can see," said Damu Lan, his voice remained unchanged, "my spirit animal is a fox. But I have customized its fur to my liking." He tilted his head, regarding Lu Ye with his serious, sharp crimson-yellow colored eyes. "Do you understand how to do it?"

Lu Ye felt a knot form in his stomach as he wondered if he was capable of transforming into his spirit animal. Tentatively, he mimicked the same gestures that Damu Lan had demonstrated.

Unlike his master, however, a thick fog enveloped Lu Ye's figure, shrouding him from view. The next moment, the fog dissipated, revealing Lu Ye in his new form.

Damu Lan was astonished as he beheld Lu Ye's transformation. Before him stood a sleek, medium-sized black raven with striking red eyes, flapping its wings gracefully.

Lu Ye, in his raven form, flapped his wings and flew towards Damu Lan, resting on his shoulder. "What do you think, master?" Lu Ye asked, his chest swelling with pride at having successfully mastered the technique.

But Damu Lan remained silent, his expression unreadable to Lu Ye. Curious, Lu Ye asked again, "Master?"

Only after a beat did Damu Lan's eyes shift to meet Lu Ye's. "You may change back now that I know what your spirit animal is," he said in a measured tone.

Lu Ye hesitated, reluctant to leave the comfortable form of the raven. Nonetheless, he closed his eyes and concentrated on reversing the transformation. In a swirl of mist, his raven form disappeared, and he stood before Damu Lan once again in his human form.

"Now that you know, what does it mean, master?" Lu Ye pressed, his curiosity piqued.

Damu Lan was taken aback, urging him to ask "Do you know the elemental affinity of my sword?"