Water and Wood
After ensuring nobody was around, Mu Yu summoned his wood spirit and transformed it into a bench made from a vine with a rugged backrest. “Sit.”
Mu Yu was aware he had yet to clear up the misunderstanding at Eight Grass Village.
Qiao Xue sat down with a smile. “… I was presumptuous. It wasn’t your fault.”
“You’re actually pretty. You’re a nice girl,” Mu Yu shared, sitting down next to Qiao Xue.
“What part of me is pretty?”
“Uh, eyes, nose, mouth…”
“Pffthahaha.”
That was Mu Yu’s first time seeing Qiao Xue laugh. Her laugh put flowers to shame and swept him off his feet.
“Isn’t it ironic that you turned the world of cultivation upside down when you’re so naïve? Do you have a low emotional quotient?”
Mu Yu scratched his head. He just couldn’t get into a verbal tirade with Qiao Xue as he did with others. As to why that was the case, he couldn’t put his finger on it.
“I know you like Tian Ran. To tell the truth, I admire her for having the courage to defend you in public and to publicly declare her feelings for you. You don’t see many girls as courageous as her. Her pure character goes well with your naïve character,” Qiao Xue opined, sounding as if she wasn’t emotionally invested.
“She’s a good girl. I want to protect her,” Mu Yu lowered his head and replied.
Qiao Xue gazed up at the sky and, after a long pause, recommended, “You should. You’ll be happy together with her.”
It was odd for them to talk about someone not present when it was them who had misunderstandings. Their situation was Ku Mu, Miao Yuyan and Feng Haochen all over again.
“If you met me first, would you have fallen for me?” Qiao Xue broke the long silence and inquired.
“I…” The dream Mu Yu lived through had him second guessing himself. The joke that led to Qiao Xue developing a misunderstanding warned him to not make careless remarks again. Eventually, he answered, “I don’t know.”
Another passage of silence entered the conversation until Qiao Xue queried, “Why do we have the abilities of elemental demons?”
Tension melted off Mu Yu’s chest, allowing him to elucidate, “I don’t know the precise answer. My shifu once defeated the spirit lords. Vexed and vengeful, they entered a cycle of reincarnation, ending up in our bodies. Shifu never went into the details. He just wants us to be ourselves instead of letting the power control us.”
“He can seal the power within us, correct?”
“Yes, he’s no ordinary man.”
“He doesn’t mind even if I’m part of the fiend race?”
“He won’t. Humans hate the elemental demons as much as the fiend race does. Nobody will believe us because of our powers. Shifu is the only one who searched for us and took us in as his disciples. That’s a testament to his credibility. I forgot to ask: did you grow up with the fiends? My shifu never found you.”
Qiao Xue shook her head dejectedly. “I grew up among humans. I was too naïve and didn’t hide my ability after I learnt to control water. As a result, I scared my parents and the villagers. They labelled me a spy the elemental demons sent and wanted to lynch me. Even my father feared me.”
“Do you blame your father?”
Qiao Xue smiled. “Why would I? The elemental demons’ ability is harmful to humanity. It’s only fair that he feared me. I found an opportunity to escape and drifted in the river until I met a carp from the fiend race. She didn’t despise me. She, instead, introduced me to other fiends. I was glad they were all so kind and could accept me, even considering me as one of them. For that reason, I prefer to trust fiends over humans.”
“I was luckier. My shifu has never considered us freaks because of our abilities. Instead, he taught us how to lead a moral life. He’s the one who taught me all of my skills.”
“It’ll also be safe for everyone else if you stick with Sword Shadow Dust Gale. Your shifu is True God, whom defeated the five spirit lords. If he could defeat the five of them, he could easily rein in you guys,” Qiao Xue cheerfully commented.
“You’re right… Shifu found the four of us, but he couldn’t find you no matter how he searched. I wouldn’t have met you if I wasn’t lucky.”
“Grandpa Azure Dragon provided me with some protection so that others wouldn’t be able to find me.”
“Old Furry treats you well, it seems.”
“Don’t call him that. Because I rescued him, he lashes out at every fiend who even shows a hint of discourtesy toward me, hehe.”
“I risked my life to save him, yet I don’t see him being grateful. He was even slandering me a moment ago. It makes me worry he’s going to be a bad influence for the others.”
Qiao Xue dimpled. “He intended to save you after exposing you at Eight Grass Village so that you’d join us. I knew you wouldn’t betray humanity, nevertheless.”
“Thanks to him, I got faster at running.”
“One day, we will have to confront the elemental demons. Irrespective of our alignments, they are our common enemy. I’m quite happy to know I won’t have to fight you.”
Qiao Xue’s water spirit slid down onto the wood spirit chair. The joy of the two elemental spirits transmitted to their owners. Mu Yu looked up to see Qiao Xue looking at him. The two of them felt a connection between each other. Qiao Xue, flustered, called back her water spirit. Mu Yu’s heart raced upon sensing all of her feelings for him…
“Your wood spirit seems to be fond of my water spirit,” Qiao Xue opined, stealing a glance.
There was no denying that wasn’t a normal interaction between the two spirits. Mu Yu could discern the fondness his wood spirit exhibited toward the water spirit. Suddenly, violent qi burst into the sky, startling the duo.
“What’s Old Furry doing?” Mu Yu jumped to his feet upon identifying the qi. “Don’t tell me…”
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