Water Mirrored Moon - 水鏡月

Part I - Born of the Water Moon: 10. Parting

Cui Xi had been unconscious for five days, but due to Yang Ming Xi's expert care, she barely had fever, and because the whip had surprisingly not caused her internal injuries, her wounds had begun to recover at a startlingly rapid pace. Even Cui Xi was a little astonished and wondered again if this was a magical effect of a newly remade body. In less than two weeks, the wounds were already sealed and scabbed over. Unfortunately, she would live with the scars for the rest of her life in Tiansheng.

Xiao Yu still shuddered guiltily every time she saw them, but Cui Xi didn't blame her. Had the situation been reversed, she believed Xiao Yu would have done her best to save her.

"You cannot stay here," Yang Ming Xi sighed for the third time more to himself than to her.

"Why haven't they come up to the mountain yet to look for us?" asked Cui Xi, hoarsely, sipping from the teacup and trying not to move her shoulders and back. She hissed a little as she put the cup back down.

Now I know what it means to have pain everywhere...

"A rebellion broke out in the western border region. The Seventh Prince of our Tiansheng kingdom, the Iron Spear Prince that is known as the God of War was dispatched by imperial edict to deal with it. He's probably out there fighting and eating sand right now. The Gao family is likely taken up with official work for the war effort. Perhaps the City Lord has even chained his son to a desk to write reports..." he snorted. It's more likely that they are busy hiding their tracks...

"Hah! Yifu...I can't imagine that Gao Wei would be any good at writing reports..." she laughed and then regretted it as the spasm of laughter caused a ripple of pain. Nausea roiled through her.

"You've been too hasty! Your wounds!" the old man admonished.

But regardless, either due to her strange constitution or the magical wound salve, she recovered to the point where she could not delay the travel to the capital any longer. And although he did not push her too hard, Yang Ming Xi was adamant. Cui Xi herself was convinced that he was right. She couldn't live quietly in the mountains forever.

After the encounter with the Bedou and the young Master of the Gao Family, she did not want to endanger Xiao Yu and she did not want to rely on the kindness of the Yang family. It would be better to see what opportunities she could find to make her own way in the capital. She would take Xiao Yu to keep her from Gao Wei and perhaps pay back some of the generosity bestowed by Yang Ming Xi and his daughter.

Although Cui Xi did not ask how, her foster father somehow managed to secure two horses and a pack pony for them for the long journey into the capital. He had also made arrangements for them to travel with a merchant caravan. To reach the splendid centre of Tiansheng, it was at the very least a six-week journey by horse and Xiao Yu was no rider. Cui Xi on the other hand could handle a horse quite well, but she didn't say very much about this to her foster father. It was probably the only skill she had that fit into this world.

The evening before they left, Yang Ming Xi gave each girl a piece of jewellery.

The first was A'Yu's mother's hair pin. He pushed it through his daughter's hair, eyes glittering with unshed tears. Father and daughter hugged each other, but said nothing and then Xiao Yu quietly excused herself from the room to pack.