The lonely star in your sky [Xu Kai]

The coincident

A fine forest cover rich in cherry blossoms 🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
,and a young lady who was carring a basket made of reed. She was busy picking newly sprouted mushrooms. Then suddenly a dark shadow floated across the trees and came to a halt at a  crook of a cherry tree. That thing was silently observing her every move.

Next moment that thing drew an arrow from behind and ....WHOOSH ...... it went right through penetrating her abdomen. She collapsed to the ground like a tree,and gush of blood wetted her silky garments. The poor thing laid there lifelessly closing her eyes shut.

The dark shadow left the place .Of course, its mission is accomplished.

It's been half an hour already , a young lad who happened to enter the forest saw the pathetic sight of the young girl who was in a pool of blood. He quickly ran to her throwing away his sack on his back. Then he lifted her from the ground and murmered few words to himself shutting his eyes, and the next moment he vanished away to the thin air.

His sack which was filled with rare herbs, was laid on the ground all forgotten. A man's footsteps reached the ground. He who was wearing a black clork looked at the direction ,where her body laid and then a chuckle left his mouth.
He stepped on the herb sack and strolled ahead.

The lad appeared in a  spacious mountain hut which was actually a mountain lookout. He laid the girl on a wooden bench and called out someone.

"Master.....Master"

His alarming tone disturbed someone who was in the middle of his medication.  A reed plank was lifted from the inside of a hut and a Saint like figure emerged.

"Master....sorry for bothering you. I found this girl wounded in the forest. Will you take a look at her."

With that request he reached her. He placed a silk handkerchief over her wrist and checked her pulse. Then he awakened his divine voice.

"She is alive,but her life is at stake due to loss of blood. "

Saying so he stood up ,drew a formation and started transferring his spiritual power to her. Her skin colour was returning back. They could finally see some movements in her limbs.

"She is safe now. Give her some herbal tonic. She will recover"

The he left the place to continue his meditation.

The same evening she regained her consciousness. She was suprised to see that she was at a strange place,but when the lad explained what he saw,the young girl also could recall what happened.

" who shoot at you?" The lad asked while conversing with her.

"I don't know. I was collecting the mushrooms. And then suddenly I was hit with that arrow . That's all I remember. "

She didn't forget to thank him at the same time.

" Thank you for saving me." She said.

" Don't thank me. It was my master who saved you. It's  true that I brough you here. But without him, saving you wouldn't be possible."

He replied

"Your master?" She retorted
"Then I would love to thank him in person"

She showed her willingness to meet him.  But she was cut away by the lad.

" He is in the middle of his meditation,  so don't dare to bother him. Stay here tonigh and tomorrow I will walk you back to your village"

Then the lad led her to another hut which was closer by. From there she could see the light of the other hut where the master stayed.

"I can thank him tomorrow" She murmured herself.

With the help of the tonic she could fall asleep soundly.  Next morning when she woke up,she felt much better. Then she checked her wounds. She couldn't even see a small scar on her skin.

" He must be a muraculous doctor"

She was indeed happy as it didn't leave a mark. 

Next thing she did was, went searching for the lad. He was preparing a herbal bath.

" Hey,...."

Her voice startled the lad.

" Shall I help you?" She asked her.

" No..." A straight  No came from him"

That made her little upset.

"I should do it myself." He added

"Then can I talk to your master now?"
She threw another question at him.

" He left in the early morning. He won't come back today." He boldly said

"Then why are you preparing a herbal bath?"

To which the lad went all silent. And then he made up an answer with some effort.

" It's....it's for me"  Then he changed the topic.

"Master asked me to take you back home, when you wake up. Take these fruits.  You didn't have anything last night"

He gave her some fruits. She did eat some.

She felt that ,this lad was a little strange. It seemed he wanted to distance her from them. Anyway the lad had told her the truth. His master wasn't there.That broke her heart. She really wanted to see him and thank him.

On the way back home she  learnt the lad's name. He was Jing Ling. When she asked him about his master,he didn't say much of a thing.

Soon they reached the village, but even from a distance anyone could say that it wasn't the same. Overnight it had been burned to the ground. And there was no trace of the civilians.

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