Blind Princess

第十三章

Dongmei placed a china bowl in front of Rong. "Try it. It's rib soup with bok choy." the princess smiled at the general, "And yes, the princess can cook." Dongmei smiled at Rong, sitting in the seat next to him and ladling soup into her bowl. 

Taintivly taking a sip, Rong's red eyes widened, "It's amazing..." He smiled, causing Dongmei to blush softly. "You keep surprising me with your talents, Your Highness." Rong complemented, watching Dongmei's blush redden, "It's not every day that you find a princess doing such things as fighting and cooking." 

Dongmei looked down at her soup, her white hair falling over her shoulders, "Thank you, General Rong." She said quietly, lifting her spoon to her mouth, hiding behind her sheet of hair. Quickly finishing her food, Dongmei grabbed her sword and left the General, her hanfu sleeves swishing behind her as she left.

Rong chuckled, finishing up his soup before leaving the table. Someone watching from the shadows smiled knowingly before disappearing into the trees. 

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"Good morning." Dongmei bowed to the two boys as she joined them overlooking the clouds. "May I ask why you summoned me here?" Dongmei crossed her arms over her sword.

"We have a mission. From the Lan Clan Master." Cheung replied. "A day's travel from here, there have been rumors of a terrorizing spirit in a rather large village where one of the wealthier commoners lives. We will be leading a small group of cultivators to see what these rumors are and possibly exorcise 'it'." For a while, silence fell between the three, the only sound being the soft wind and rustling of leaves.

Dongmei cleared her throat, straightening her back and uncrossing her arms. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm going." she headed back to the Lan Mansion, leading the small group of Lan disciples down the mountain. She paused, glancing at the two young men still staring at the clouds. "Ahem! Are you guys coming or not?" 

Cheung and Rong glanced at each other, knowing that Dongmei wasn't asking for their opinion. Jogging up to Dongmei, they fell in step next to her, the Lan disciples following in two lines. they walked in silence down the mountain, the sun high in the sky by the time they reached the foot of the mountain.

"East." Cheung directed the first word in a few hours. Dongmei nodded and they headed toward the forest. They continued walking in silence. The soft thudding of footprints was the only sound that echoed through the dense forest.

"Nei ge..." Dongmei tapped her temple, trying to remember what she was going to say, "Nei ge... what was I going to say...?" Dongmei fell silent again. No one said anything. With a mission like this, it seemed like there was nothing to be said or should be said.

Emerging out of the forest, the group found itself standing on the edge of a very quiet village, with one or two merchants and villagers roaming about. "It's so...silent," Dongmei whispered as if she would disrupt something if she was any louder.

Cheung frowned and Rong crossed his arms. A village this large with many wealthy people shouldn't be so silent. "Split up." Cheung said, "Both of you, take two disciples with you and meet back here before dark." Dongmei and Rong nodded, motioning for the disciples to follow them.