3 Is She Dead?

On a pile of dead bodies, Bai Ling sprung up with a shaky gasp for breath. She took a few moments to breathe a breath of air after what seemed like a long time. After she calmed down, Bai Ling began to survey the area around her.

She was no longer in the shed behind her house. She was covered in darkness. A thought came to her head when she saw no light. Is she dead?

As Bai Ling contemplated her question, a burning itch started on the left side of her chest. Looking down, she saw a red mark glowing on her chest. The mark had a notable sizzling sound as if it was carving something on her chest. Alarmed at the strange occurrence, Bai Ling stumbles back. When she did this, she rolled onto her stomach.

The light from her chest illuminated her surroundings as a result. Thus Bai Ling came face to face with a lifeless face. Bai Ling cried out before moving away from the face. She then realized that the ground around her was uneven.

Bai Ling stood up and looked down, only to discover countless bodies below her. Bai Ling became nauseous at the scene before her. She tried to move as far away from the bodies as possible when her back hit a soft wall. Turning to feel it, she sees that it is dirt. This prompts her to look up, and that is when she becomes aware that it is a pit.

Bai Ling digs her hands into the dirt and begins the climb out of the pit. After dragging her weak body up, the white dress that had blood on the front became even more soiled. When she came up from the pit, she noticed that there was a man not too far from the pit. He was slouched on a tree sleeping with his hands wrapped around a spear.

This made Bai Ling wary of him. There was no way he came here for good reasons. So Bai Ling slowly stepped in the opposite direction of him. After walking for a short while, Bai Ling heard loud, boisterous laughing.

Bai Ling walked towards the sound until a faint glow resembling fire appeared. Eventually, Bai Ling saw a group of men sitting around a campfire and drinking something. They had the same strange clothing as the man she saw earlier, and this alarmed her. Feeling frightened, Bai Ling stepped back. She did not dare to approach the men who seemed a bit rough.

Bai Ling headed deeper into the woods to get away from the group of men. She no longer heard the loud voices, and she eventually relaxed. Bai Ling had no idea where she was. She did not know where to begin her journey home.

Now that she was more relaxed, Bai Ling started to think about what happened the last time she was awake. The vicious faces of Old Hao and Zhu flashed in her mind, and she became sick.

Knowing that her body was now defiled, Bai Ling felt a sense of worthlessness wash over her. All the village girls would talk about saving themselves for marriage when they meet a fine guy from their village or the neighbouring village.

All her life she was told virtue is key now she didn't know what she could unlock with her sullied body.

Not to mention the root cause of this newfound worry was no other than her friend Gao Mei. Someone who Bai Ling thought she could trust hurt her the most. She couldn't understand how Gao Mei could be that cruel.

Thinking about how her grandmother was all alone made Bai Ling even angrier. Now her old grandmother had no one to depend on until she made it home.

Bai Ling wandered around the forest for most of the night with heavy thoughts on her mind. Bai Ling was lost, confused and scared. She did not know how she got to this forest, how far from home she was and if she was ever going to get back.

In the distance, Bai Ling saw the outline of a big building. Thinking she made it back, she sped up. A radiant smile spread across her face as the building came closer.

The disappointment came as quickly as the excitement did when she saw what the building was. Bai Ling's eyes moistened as she looked at the building before her. She had a firm grip on her elbows as she shook her head in disbelief.

The strange layout of the buildings told Bai Ling one thing. She was far from home.

Bai Ling sunk to the floor as raw mournful wails burst from her lips.

Unbeknownst to her, the guards in the General's manor were heading in her direction. When she ran towards the manor, she unknowingly disclosed her position to them.

When the guards felt her presences getting closer, they realized that she had no spiritual chi. She was an ordinary human, and, this made them relax a bit. \

When the guards neared Bai Ling location, they heard the cries of what seemed to be a young girl. Despite the lack of spiritual chi around the presence, they did not drop their guard as they approached.

Afte clearing a path, the guards found Bai Ling crouched on the floor with tears streaming down her face.