11 Changes

Unparalleled anger rose in Bai Ling's little body. She understood that men were the cause of all the pain in her lifetime. Her father ran off with her mother when she was young.

Two men assaulted her when she was just a young girl, and another man actually killed her. Bai Ling couldn't understand how her life turned out this way. She couldn't begin to grasp the reason why.

Bai Ling took one last look at the manor, and a thought came to her head.

Being a woman was hard. Being a young vulnerable woman was hard. There was no advantage to her being a woman.

With every step, she took further into the forest; Bai Ling started to formulate her plans. She had always been resourceful and mature in her thinking since she had no other choice. This was why she adapted somewhat smoothly when she came to the Long Kingdom.

Bai Ling already knew where the towns close to the manor was located. Knowing she was north of the manor, Bai Ling chose to head to the main road leading to the Capital.

When walking, Bai Ling slowed down and had time to notice some changes in herself. The forest seemed to be breathing around her. Everything seemed vivid and surreal.

This spooked Bai Ling. She stopped and tuned in to her surroundings. She was drawn to a particular flowering tree. It was as if there was music coming from the flowers. This made Bai Ling realized that she was not paying attention to the nature around her. She was filled with rage, so she blocked everything else.

When Bai Ling stood in front of the flower, the petals unfurled, and a small pink creature was laying in it.

The creature was snoring in its sleep, but instead of unattractive noises, it sounded like wind chimes. Before her second death, the forest did not seem this vivid. This lead Bai Ling to believe that the sudden vigour she also felt had something to do with her second death.

She subconsciously touched her chest and thought of the phoenix—the bird of reincarnation in mythology. Was she a phoenix? Was she always meant to come here?

As crazy as it would normally sound, Bai Ling believed it. This was a land of magic and spiritual energy. It might not have been a coincidence that she was reincarnated her.

Bai Ling took the time to look around her and find other fantastical creatures in the forest. The things she found brought her joy for the first time since she came to the Long Kingdom.

Before she knew it, Bai Ling walked out of the lush forestry and onto a wide, path. Track marks were obvious in the wet, muddy road that was filled with puddles of water.

The sound of a carriage in the distant broke Bai Ling's train of thought. Becoming self-conscious about her naked state, Bai Ling crouches in a bush. While in the bush, the sheer obviousness of her naked figure has her panicking. She was burnt, which meant her clothing went with the fire.

Bai Ling slapped her forehead at her blunder. When the carriage appears in view, She shrinks back even more into the bushes. When Bai Ling thinks the carriage will pass, it stops right in front of her.

The carriage looks majestic. It was a glaring red with gold finishes. In front of the carriage were two horses so black it felt like their skin was moving shadows.

A man sat perched up on the bench in front of the carriage, and this made Bai Ling wary. Slowly, she moved back into the forest. Before she could fully do this, a voice rang out.

"We can see and sense you. Show yourself." The voice was slow and deep. Knowing that it was two men before her, Bai Ling clenched her fist. She glanced at the back of the carriage where the voice came from.

There sat the outline of a man. He had a fan from what Bai Ling could see. She knew he was nobility from his carriage. Nobility left a bad impression on Bai Ling, so she did not care to entertain him.

"I don't want to come forward, think of me as passing wind. I am insignificant to you." The man's fan stopped moving at Bai Ling's response.

"I told you to step forward. I asked of nothing else." Bai Ling's flight or flight instincts flared at his cold, demanding tone.

"I can't; I am not presentable." The coachmen cleared his throat, and his passenger coughed a little.

"Fu Wen, give her your outer cloak." Fu Wen who was driving the carriage quickly followed orders and gave her his robes.

Bai Ling stretched for the robes but did not step out. This made Fu Wen sweat a little.