“Biao ge.. biao ge.” Nian Yue called over and over again but Han Junyao didn't seem to listen. He only gripped Nian Yue’s hand and dragged her out of the prison and then, the star itself.

  Once they were far out of the Saturn imprisonment system, only then did Han Junyao calm down and turn to Nian Yue. It wasn't a nice place, they were standing in the middle of a bridge—the bridge that connected the stars together, a passage to one’s favored star called the cosmic passage bridge. The bridge didn't have an end or a destination, it depended on the god’s wish where they wanted to go and the bridge would lead the path. In Nian Yue and Han Junyao’s case, they were heading to the cloud realm, as in the star Jupiter.

  “Biao ge, why don't you..” Nian Yue fell silent as her cheeks were cupped between Han Junyao’s palms as he inspected her face thoroughly. Seeing the worry ached on her brother’s face she couldn't help but point it out. “...I see tears in your eyes, ge.”

  “What?? no!” Han Junyao immediately pulled away. His hands flew to his hips as he puffed out his chest with pride. “Men don't cry.”

  “I wish they did..” Nian Yue said flatly and with a little irritation.

  “But really.. What have they done to you? That..” Han Junyao barely controlled the bulging nerve over his forehead as he stared at Nian Yue’s swollen cheek. “You're just a child..”

  “I'm almost over a century old and so are you..” Nian Yue corrected. A weary sigh escaped her lips. Between the childish banter, she almost forgot the important question. “How did you get the emperor's permission to take me out?”

  Han Junyao turned to Nian Yue with a smile so proud it felt as if he was mocking the whole celestial system. “Because they need you.”

  Nian Yue blinked a few times. Hearing the news, unfortunately she wasn't as proud.

  ~~~

  “S-s-sh-.. AH!” The martial god buried his head between his arms and knees and curled into himself as if he was in immense danger.

  He had made it back to heaven, stumbling and scared but he did. The martial god was quickly admitted into one of the chambers of goddess Qingyin’s palace. She did whatever she could to help the injured martial god but in the end nothing seemed to work. Unable to understand the situation of the martial god, she decided to give him some space so he could collect his thoughts and yet he still didn't seem to recover from this unknown shock.

  “Keep a hold of yourself. What is this behavior.” Han Yuelin’s eyebrows furrowed. He couldn't fathom how a martial god could become like this after a short visit to the mortal realm.

  The martial god shook his head desperately. His eyes were wide with terror. “You.. you don't understand.. You don't understand!”

  “Don’t understand what?” Han Yuelin’s eyes narrowed.

  “General, I have brought Goddess reincarnation,” came Han Junyao’s calm voice. Hearing the call, Han Yuelin turned around, spotting Han Junyao and then Nian Yue before he nodded.

  The assistant general walked in with Nian Yue following close behind him. Nian Yue gazed at the martial god who was curled up on the bed, scared and shaking. She could only blink with curiosity.

  “Greetings, Princess. Greetings, general.” Qingyin greeted the two newcomers with a soft smile.

  Han Junyao greeted her back with a polite bow. “Greetings to Goddess Qingyin.”

  “What happened to him?” asked Nian Yue, turning to Qingyin.

  “Oh.” Qingyin turned to Nian Yue. Her face clearly showed signs of worry as Nian Yue asked the question. “His wounds wouldn't heal, could be the reason because his spiritual energy is blocked. Besides, he is unable to tell us what has been bothering him. He keeps saying these few words, as I quote; ‘Ghost, demon, The Lord.’” She shook her head in defeat. “Unable to read anything further, I thought maybe you could understand his situation.”

  Nian Yue listened carefully before she turned to look at the martial god, now having an image in mind as she had heard the explanation. She approached the martial god, standing by his bed. She took a moment, her hand hovering over the man's shoulder before she placed it down. “Something seems to be bothering you. Would you like to tell me what you saw?”

  The martial god shook his head violently when the sudden hand was placed on his shoulder. After a moment however, as Nian Yue remained patient with him, he finally lifted his head, but just slightly. His frightened gaze stared down Nian Yue. Suddenly his hands flew and gripped Nian Yue’s forearms, jerking her towards himself.

  Nian Yue immediately resisted, trying to pull back. Before her eyes caught the martial god’s. His eyes were wide, red and horrific as if cursing her soul.

  “What are you doing! Let her go!” This time Han Yuelin and Han Junyao were in sync as their bodies tensed, hands already on their swords.

  “No.” But before they could step in, Nian Yue stopped them. “Let him..” Nian Yue said. And so, the two martial gods paused. However Han Junyao was still not satisfied as he kept an eye on Nian Yue and the martial god on the bed.

  “She– She will devour.. devour all of us. All of this. She will destroy everything. Until there remains nothing..” The martial god spoke through gritted teeth, hatred evident in his voice. The words were so painfully dragged out as if they were not his own but forced out of his throat, merely used as one pleased. His eyes brimmed with tears and bulged out with terror. Nian Yue saw it all, to the point it was starting to scare her. “Who's she..” Nian Yue asked. Her voice was barely above a trembling whisper.

  At that, the martial god fell silent. His body went rigid as rock, cold and still before he forced Nian Yue even closer to himself, trying to swallow her into his bulging eyes. “Ethereal void... Whatever you do.. Never, never look at those eyes. She will devour you, all of you. The color of witches, vicious.. venomous.. She will be the end of this celestial system and also the start. Do you understand me? DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME NOW!?”

  A shriek escaped Nian Yue’s lips as she tried with all her might to pull away from the grasp of the man, unable to bear that stare any longer. Discomfort and nausea had already weakened her. But it felt like those horrific eyes were mere seconds away from breaking her soul from the inside if she stared into them any moment longer.

  She didn't have to struggle for long, as a flash of silver slashed the arms keeping her in the confines. The motionless fingers around Nian Yue’s forearm loosened as the separated limbs fell to the ground. Before Nian Yue could make sense of the situation, the blade lifted once again and ran through the martial god’s face. Fresh blood gushed from the back of his skull. Nian Yue realized only then as she looked up at the owner of the blade—the skillful blade belonged to Han Yuelin.

  Blood was splashed across Nian Yue’s face from the earlier action. She had to suck in a breath to collect herself before she took a few steps back to distance herself from the lifeless body on the bed.

  Han Yuelin stayed stable, mere changes in his expressions. But Han Junyao and goddess Qingyin were surprised beyond themselves. They did not know what to do in this situation. Qingyin could only stare. Her eyes wide open. “Did.. did we kill him?”

  Nian Yue shook her head. “No.” She gratefully took the piece of cloth Han Junyao handed her to wipe her face. “He was not alive to begin with. Those eyes.. were empty. There was no soul behind those eyes. He would have died soon anyways.”

  Qingyin turned to Nian Yue, confused and filled with questions. “Huh?? Then how did he..”

  Nian Yue finished for the goddess. “Meaning, his body was being used as an empty shell to deliver this.. message. Like a vessel. His Qi wasn't blocked, it no longer exists.” She then turned to Han Yuelin. “This needs to be addressed.”

  Han Yuelin nodded. “Junyao, arrange the hall. We will have a meeting in an hour.” And so the assistant general quickly turned to carry out his task. His leather boots clicked against the cold floor as he walked past the door.

  Nian Yue stood still in her place. She felt like she didn't matter anymore, so she asked, “Now, do I need to head back to the prison?”

  Han Yuelin merely spared any glance at Nian Yue as he replied, “No. Meet the emperor. He has some tasks for you.”

  “....” Nian Yue nodded.

  ~~~

  Nian Yue took a peek inside the hall as she always did. Her eyes trailing around the empty area as if examining it. “Emperor Tianxiu called me?”

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  “Ahem,” came the familiar sound of someone who certainly wasn't the emperor. “The Emperor is busy. I will attend in his place,” said Shou Meixian. The emperor's seat was empty. Shou Meixian was seated beside the empty seat to imitate the authority without harming the real one. “You may come in. I don't think you need permission to walk in like little children if the emperor isn't there. Announcing your presence would be enough.”

  Nian Yue smiled awkwardly and walked in. At the same time Shou Meixian stood up, causing Nian Yue to pause in her tread. “Come with me,” said Shou Meixian. And so Nian Yue changed her route and followed Shou Meixian from behind.

  As they walked over to the end of the hall, a round window opened for them, connecting the view of the hall with the clouds outside. Under the huge open window was a simple pond, filled with lotus flowers and their round leaves on the water surface. The spirit of birds and other little animals lingered there before fading into golden shimmer. A beautiful scenario indeed.

  “A number of martial gods had disappeared from the sector you have been operating in these past few mortal days in verdant root.” Shou Meixian begins. “Did you know about it? Or are you going to not tell me about that too?”

  Nian Yue blinked in surprise and immediately shook her head. “I have not known about it.”

  “Oh.” Shou Meixian hummed. “In total, seventeen martial gods were sent to investigate after you and then five more after your arrest. Only one has returned. And I suppose even he is dead?”

  “It's true.” Nian Yue replied.

  Shou Meixian raised an eyebrow. “To think you have been there for more than a couple of days and still here with no idea of what has been happening in that sector. Isn't that suspicious?”

  “You are suspecting me. And it's fine. But I assure you I have not known anything about this. I did not even know the troop of martial gods were there,” Nian Yue said.

  Shou Meixian let out a long hum before his gaze shifted to Nian Yue. “Spirits love you, don't they?”

  Nian Yue blinked, dumbfounded at the sudden change in topic. “What could have given you that impression?”

  Shou Meixian pointed at the little fading glimmer every few seconds over the pond. “They do not make an appearance here. Some do indeed, but not these many. They often take their first rest at the palace of the fertility lord.”

  “Oh..” said Nian Yue. “It is a beautiful coincidence in my favour.”

  “Coincidence is not the right word. Might it be destiny?” Shou Meixian let out a sigh through a smile. “To think that the little child spirit could tell you what took us everything yet no result. It's quite obvious.” He gazed out of the window at the open sky. “Do you know why you are out of the prison so early?” He didn't wait for Nian Yue's answer and continued. “It was such dishonour to the emperor’s will. Such disrespect, yet the great emperor saw the potential in you. And that's why you are here.”

  Nian Yue didn't want to, but she couldn't help wondering, what if she could make a good dish out of her potential and eat it so it no longer exists?

  “Seeing your potential at handling these types of situations, we want to give you the task of investigating the borders of Yueyou forest. Most occurrences of these unfortunate events were there. We are sure something is there that heaven is not aware of yet. Can you do it?” Shou Meixian said.

  Nian Yue nodded. “I'm willing. I'll start soon.”

  Shou Meixian nodded back with satisfaction. “Good to hear. You can have the assistance of both martial halls as you please. And be careful, we can't afford to have any more gods or goddesses disappear like that.”

  Nian Yue could only smile awkwardly. She wanted to leave. “I should go now.”

  “Did I tell you to?” Shou Meixian said suddenly with a raised eyebrow.

  “Certainly not..” replied Nian Yue, feeling small and embarrassed.

  Shou Meixian hummed again with satisfaction, nodding to himself. After a moment, he continued. “Do not stay in delusion that the heavens have forgotten the betrayal. The great Emperor seems to overlook it only because there is a trust that your rebellious behavior is not malicious. That does not mean heaven is not cautious.” He glanced at Nian Yue with a gaze that was fragile and not strict for once. “However I believe you will keep the trust of the emperor and will not become the figure we all despise. I also believe no one can stop you from learning the truth, I only wish you would still stick with your morality even after that.”

  Nian Yue did not understand the implication. She tried running through her memory, searching if there was something that could match the description. Unfortunately there seems to be none. “I.. don't understand,” she finally asked.

  “You’ll know when the time comes.” Shou Meixian said with a half smile, before he turned to face Nian Yue, suddenly serious. “And as I said, heaven has still not forgiven you for the dishonour and treason and is still cautious. And therefore there has to be some restrictions before you leave heaven.”

  Nian Yue did not protest. That was standard. She knew it when she saw Shou Meixian's palms gleam with spiritual energy. Two golden silk strips hovered above the spiritual formation over Shou Meixian’s palms and between the circle of those ribbons there were two golden cores which soon turned black like melting ink. That was standard indeed and Nian Yue was ready for that.

  ~~~

  Nian Yue let out a heavy sigh and wiped her sweaty forehead. It was midnight. She was back to the mortal realm—the same forest where she was dwelling in for the past few days. The difference was that she was much deeper, away from Yueyou and into the borders of another nation connecting from the end of the forest.

  Nian Yue had helped at least eight spirits attain reincarnation in the time span since she had entered the realm. Children, Women, Men, Old and young. Everyone had their own stories and wishes, however these cases were much easier than what she had with her last.

  It was getting hot. Partly because of her robes and the unending work and the other because she had lowered her spiritual Qi to blend in the energy of the mortal realm. But with that comes the hustle of what it's like being a mortal.

  But then, out of the ordinary, a serene gust of wind caressed Nian Yue's burning skin, providing some relief. She smiled and let out a sigh of relief. “Many, many thanks lady wind virtuoso..”

  “Goddess Reincarnation. Greetings.” Out of nowhere a voice rang in Nian Yue’s head as the mark over her forehead gleamed with silver energy. She was being contacted through the spiritual communication transmission. “I have good news for you,” said the voice.

  “Lord An Xu,” Nian Yue called. “You are finally out. Congratulations.”

  “Indeed. However, their reason for freeing me was because they let you go and keeping only me in prison was unfair,” said An Xu.

  “...Of course, congratulations.” Nian Yue puffed out a sigh in defeat. “Anyways, what was the good news you were about to give me?”

  “Right. The three souls you were looking for are now in the palace of the fertility lord. They are in their third reincarnation line,” said An Xu.

  Nian Yue smiled through exhaustion. A soft sigh of relief escaped her lips. “I'm so glad..”

  “Are you returning back to heaven?” asked An Xu.

  “No.” Nian Yue extended her hands and a magical scroll replaced the emptiness in her palms. She opened the long paper and saw a few more names in the end written with fresh ink. “..There are a few more. I'll stay one more night.”

  “As you wish.” An Xu immediately listed Nian Yue's stay at verdant root for one more mortal night. “Then I'll take my leave.” And with that the voice faded from Nian Yue’s head.

  Nian Yue traced the calligraphy on the scroll for a moment longer. Her gaze softened. Suddenly another gust of wind struck her, this time leaving her hair smacking back into her face. She could barely brush her hair back at her shoulder before they would come flying again, leaving her frustrated. And then the wind stilled. The trees stopped playing the music of rustling leaves, an awful silence settled in.

  This strange behavior of nature left Nian Yue feeling suspicious. The sudden silence was too much to ignore. And then there was a crunch—breaking of a small twig, once, twice, something that resembled footsteps. Nian Yue turned to the source of the sound. Her breathing came to a halt. She was still, super still. Her heartbeat thumped in her ears as she anticipated something bad, horrible and dangerous.

  cricccket...

  criccket..

  cric—

  The sound of chirping came to a brutal end as a foot stomped the poor thing to death. Nian Yue flinched. Her gaze lifted from the ground to the void created by the assembly of trees. Out of the darkness emerged a figure. A woman. A woman in the middle of the night, in the middle of a forest, barefoot and alone.

  Nian Yue was taken aback, she did not expect that at all. She looked at the woman from top to bottom. The woman’s choice of clothing was blending with the night. Purple silk robes that announced royalty. Someone wealthy yet humble. A golden chain dangled over her waist line, simple and elegant. Her raven hair reached down her hips, silky and playful. She was unmistakably beautiful, tall, full hips—an ideal body a woman could ask for. Her walk was mesmerizing, elegant, as she walked towards Nian Yue, almost as if she was trying to hypnotize the eyes that landed on her.

  “.....” Nian Yue shook her head, and tried looking closer to the woman’s face. Pale face, serene and sincere eyes. Her irises were a playful hue of dark purple, protected by ink black eyelashes. She was a young noble lady, wandering in the peak of the night? A calm lady who was unfazed having witnessed an entity such as Nian Yue? That didn't seem right. In that case there was only one option left. “You are?” Nian Yue asked.

  “A wandering ghost.” The woman replied with a tilt of her head. Was she trying to be adorable or was that her nature? “You should have known. Isn't that your duty?” This time her words were more like a taunt.

  This young lady was certainly not as adorable or as innocent looking anymore. Great example of looks can be deceiving. Huffing a sigh, Nian Yue opened her scroll instead, searching for the name but there was none. This young ghost wasn't in her list. “Apology, I didn't know. Anyways, is there anything you need help with? Have you lost your path to reincarnation?”

  The young lady stayed silent. A smile arched on her lips instead. Her hands tucked behind her back.

  “...” Nian Yue wanted to cry. “Can you understand what I'm saying?”

  The young lady shook her head. The answer was a clear no.

  Nian Yue let out a sign through a weary smile. What an intelligent ghost. “It's alright. Is there any unfinished business you might linger for?”

  The young lady nodded with that intoxicating smile of hers.

  “Right. Do you need my help fulfilling it?” Nian Yue asked.

  For a moment the young lady stayed silent. Her head tilted back as she gazed at the open night sky. The moon shining brightly in its place. “I have forgotten my mortal life. I want to know what happened to me. Why did I become like this? Who did this to me? And why? Are they living their life unfazed as if nothing had ever happened?”

  ____ ____ ____

  To be continued:-

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