Three Lives, Three Worlds: Jasmine's Fate [Hiatus]

Reminiscence 5 - "The Hero Who Wasn't"

Ever since the day she became a disciple of the High Demon Goddess, Yan Zhi had been training from the early morning hours until late noon, while Qiao Er had her daily numbers lesson with 4th disciple; her unofficial "Shifu". Although Yan Zhi's recovery had sped up due to Kunlun's energy, she knew she didn't have time to waste: enemies were still after their lives and she would soon have to leave the sanctuary of this Mountain to face them. So, she took every opportunity to train at the top of the secluded waterfall when she was not training with the Demon High Goddess or Li Ying.

Yan Zhi had loved archery since she was a child. The bow was her favorite weapon, especially on horseback. Her archery skills far surpassed her brothers' — even at a young age, they had to admit they couldn't compete against her. Hitting a moving target while keeping control of her beast brought her a sense of accomplishment and control. To diversify her skills, she had taken up other weapons at Kunlun, but she still saved the first part of the day for target practice. Fruit and flower trees were abundant on Kunlun Mountain. They all had a medicinal purpose according to 7th disciple, however, Yan Zhi had decided to use them as targets. She aimed at the stems of red spiky fruit and with each arrow, a fruit fell to the ground. She planned to collect them later as offerings for the disciples who watched Qiao Er today.

Although Yan Zhi had been reluctant to train under the High Demon Goddess initially, she now felt fortunate to have taken her offer. Demons and Ghosts were similar, but their history was full of enmity. Yet, despite her rough demeanor and crude language, the High Goddess was a talented instructor. She did not hold back in her attacks and Yan Zhi was glad she didn't. She hadn't trained like this for thousands of millennia and returning to harsh training condition was regenerative. Ghost Tribe members were warriors, women and men alike, like Demons. It was in their blood to become soldiers and serve their Lord. They built their cultivation through battles as well as dark magic.

The current training regimen reminded her of her past, when her father had trained her and her brothers. He had started to harshly mold his children at a young age, even allowing soldiers to attack at random times, increasing their alertness to unpredictable opponents. Their royal status had not meant they had the privilege to be pampered, quite the opposite: It meant they had to rise above their subjects, so their authority would never be questioned.

Although Yan Zhi was forever grateful for her father's attention, she knew what the real reason behind his treatment of them had been: his children got their value from being his cultivation vessels. There were many ways one could cope with the reality of such an existence. Embrace the idea but pray there never would come the day they would have to serve their purpose. Or escape the concept altogether, by finding other pleasures in life.

For her part, Yan Zhi had supported her family without question, as was the way of the Ghost Tribe, to respect one's elders will unconditionally. However, much had happened since the Ghost War ... her entire family was gone now, and she had realized, she too had been blind to her reality. Craving harmony and closing her eyes from why she and her siblings existed, she had deluded herself into believing familial love existed within her family. She had ignored the hatred her brothers had had for each other, because she didn't want to face the truth.

If she had faced the truth earlier, would things be different? Did her behavior kill her brothers? If she had not run when obstacles appeared before her, would her family still be alive? To atone for her sins, she had done all she could to revive Qiao Er, even damaging thousands of years of cultivation to do so.

Qiao Er was her hope but also a reminder of guilt. Yan Zhi had devoted her life to protecting her niece and daughter, the child who was never meant to exist. Qiao Er had become the color in her life, her only blood relative left in the world. And yet, she had failed her in so many ways. Because of her stubbornness and pride, she had caused additional trauma to her innocent child, who was too young to experience the hardship before her. If only she had listened, things may not have escalated to this point.