Blind Princess

第十四章

Something moved, and Dongmei spun around immediately, her hand landing on her sword hilt. the two Lan cultivators with her unsheathed their swords slightly, their eyes searching the shadows. Narrowing her eyes, Dongmei waited for another second before continuing onwards, watching the sun sink towards the horizon.

"Lady Dongmei, we should hurry back soon." the shortest Lan cultivator said. Dongmei nodded and headed back through the village, feeling the whole way as if something or someone was watching and following.

The small group following Dongmei arrived back at the spot right outside the village. Five minutes passed, worrying Dongmei, especially now that the sun had completely set. Another five minutes passed, and the sky turned dark. Nervously shifting her weight, Dongmei stared at the village roads, the shadows making the entry look like a wide mouth.

"Should we go looking for them, Lady Dongmei?" Dongmei pursed her lips, nodding, quickly casting a light seal to lead them through the dark and silent village. Now and then, Dongmei could see candlelight peeking through the bamboo screens and reed-covered windows. They past the first dark alleyway, thinking not much of it at first when suddenly, a hand grabbed Dongmei's waist, covering her mouth.

"Dongmei!" someone whispered hissed, "Shut up." Dongmei fell silent and Rong let go of her.

"What are you doing here?" Dongmei whispered.

"What are you doing here?" Rong snapped back.

"Looking for you...wait, where's Cheung?" Dongmei looked around, trying to find the silent Lan Master.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. Something's also been following me." Dongmei suddenly put a hand over Rong's mouth, shushing him and the other Lan cultivators. Walking to the edge of the alley wall, Dongmei bit her thumb and quickly wrote a seal on the ground with her blood before backing back into the shadows.

Dongmei waited and watched, the seal suddenly flaring gold as someone passed. "Cheung?" 

"Dongmei, what is this?" Dongmei grabbed Cheung's arm and dragged him into the shadow of the alley. 

"I was looking for- where are your cultivators?" she looked behind Cheung as if expecting to see the two Lan cultivators behind him. Cheung pushed her deeper into the alley, next to Rong. 

"I came looking for you the moment they disappeared. There is a spirit here. They disappeared right under my nose, with no trace." Rong frowned at this.

"But it's nearly impossible to do that!" Dongmei shut him up with a look.

"Are you trying to get us killed? I thought you knew better as a general." Dongmei turned back to Cheung, the four other Lan cultivators joining them. "So, what are we supposed to do?"

"Run...?" Rong asked. Dongmei smacked the back of his head and Cheung glared. "What?"

"And I thought you were the great General Rong, youngest of them all." Dongmei glared, "Are you suddenly scared?" Rong stuttered and fell silent. Turning back to Cheung once again, she ignored Rong, "Can you draw it out with your music?" Cheung nodded, "Good." They glanced at each other before jumping onto a building roof and running toward the middle of the village.

Stopping next to each other, Lan Cheung held his hand out, his flute appearing in his hand. He spun it between his fingers until it stopped at his pinky, grasping the flute and starting to play. Dongmei quickly drew a seal in the air, snapping her fingers so that it exploded in a tiny firework. The song that Cheung played seemed to amplify, echoing through the night.

Something not seen stirred in the dark, the energy suddenly hitting the two young cultivators. sliding her feet apart and reading her hands at her side, Dongmei closed her eyes and listened. She lifted her right hand slightly and suddenly pivoted on her feet, slamming her palm into something.

Cheung stopped playing, joining Dongmei in the fight. Weaving a spell between her hands, Dongmei slid under the spirit, placing a talisman right underneath the spirit. Mumbling a few words, the seal flared blue and the night whited out.