(Part 4)
Suddenly her hairs opened and flew in the air growing longer than a tree, it enveloped itself around her. "Huh?" Xianwu looked astonishingly. The strand at the corner of her hair gently caressed her face. Instead of falling towards the ground her hairs held onto a strong tree and pulled Xianwu closer to the forest where she safely landed on the land below her. "My hairs?!" she looked at it surprisingly. Soon her hairs turned back into its usual length. The corner strand of her hair stood up happily caressing her face again. "How?! Are you alive?" Xianwu asked shocked. The strand rather than answering her caressed her face vigorously. "Okay! Okay… calm down, Thank you. You saved my life or else I would've died again real soon." thanked Xianwu in disbelief.
The hair strand retracted as Xianwu pondered the situation around her. She sighed as she looked at the scroll "Now~ I have no idea where I am, I am lost in the middle of god knows where with a spirit dangling on my hairs. Which I don't even know where it come form! Good heavens, what should I do now? This world is vast where should I go?" she wept in disappointment. The hair strand gazed at the scroll instantly pulling Xianwu towards the north.
"Huh? You know the way!" she asked astonished. The hair strand pointed up and down affirming. Xianwu rejoiced toddling towards the area where the hair strand pointed. She looked at the hair strand with a confused expression. "What are you?" she asked in wonder. The hair strand flew up happily. "Yeah, I know you are my hair but how did my hairs suddenly become like this?" she asked. The hair stand without a second thought picked up a wooden branch and started drawing in the sand.
Xianwu with curiosity and admiration on how can a hair draw so neatly? Deciphered the picture. "You saw me sleeping inside the flower and crawled over my hairs and… Took possession of them because it looked pretty?!!!" she freaked out in the latter half of her sentence. The hair strand nodded merrily. Xianwu gulped as she thought "A weird thing took possession of my hairs only because I looked pretty and now it's really telling the victim with this much pride?!" Xianwu continued "In reality you are a wandering tool spirit which grants power and you granted me with the power of making my hairs into a super rope or anything I want until it suits your shape!! Anytime… and you won't leave me because you like me and my hairs…" said Xianwu with shock slamming her forehead with her hand. However, the Hair strand jumped with smile as it hugged her tightly.
Xianwu sighed as she walked. "So you won't be leaving me no matter what I do…" she asked while the hair strand nodded gleaming. Xianwu sighed in defeat. "So… what should I name you?" Xianwu asked. The hair strand looked at her with a hint of confusion. Xianwu thought hard. "You are spirit and you are in my hairs… so I'll name you 'Fa ling' (Hair spirit) how does it sound?" she asked. The hair strand leaped in joy. Xianwu smiled in return "Okay! Then from now on you are Fa ling, and my hairs are your new home, by the way I am Yue Xianwu. Hope we could get along" she said.
Fa ling nodded back. "Now then… let's find the village of the spirit sealing mountain!" she called. Walking over the steep path after two hours of walk, Xianwu noticed movement of people a kilometre away. "Fa ling! We are here, let's go!" she said in joy but Fa ling immediately stopped her. "What is the matter now?" Xianwu asked. Fa ling pointed behind her back. As soon as she got a glimpse of her wings she remembered. "Ah… right! Sorry I forgot. Humans might freak out if they see someone with wings standing right in front of them." She said. "But how do I hide them?" she asked baffled.
Fa ling stood up with a sigh as he hid her wings with a cloak of Xianwu's hairs which looked like a normal fur cloak. Xianwu gasped in surprise "Wow! You are a great help. Thank you!" she said gently patting it making it flush in embarrassment. "Ah! Make sure you hide as well" she remembered. Soon the two of them made their way to the village. Xianwu walked with steady steps. The sight in front of her was not as prosperous as one would think.
More likely, it felt like many of them migrated and were settled a short while ago. There wasn't any river which caught her sight, so she knew this wasn't the village she intended to find in the first place. Tracing Xianwu's sight a middle aged man called "Young lady! Over here! Come here if you need a rest." Xianwu catching a glimpse of the man walked towards the inn from where he called. The inn by its look was shabby and unkempt. Even as a princess in the past Xianwu wasn't surprised at all, she too would be a part of her people and enjoy her life like this. Coming back to reality Xianwu settled on the bench and kept her scroll on table in front of her.
Looking around she noticed many kids playing and women carrying baskets of vegetables freshly picked. The middle aged men kept a glass of water in front of her as he asked "Young lady, it's for the first time we saw you, are you a traveller?" Xianwu nodded replying "Indeed it's the first time I am here, but rather than a traveller, I feel like staying here for a short while…" The man nodded with a smile. Xianwu gazed at the scroll as she asked "Sir if I might ask, is there a village near the river of the Spirit sealing mountain? If so could you tell me about it?"
The man halted for a while his expression scared but still after calming down he answered "Young lady the village was there but… we shifted towards the north further away from the river… As a young lady I suggest you don't stay here for too long." He advised. With the man's tensed expression Xianwu thought "The villagers shifted? But won't that mean the same people are staying away from village? Could it be he's one of them?" Xianwu smiled back comforting him. "Sir, don't worry kindly continue…"
The man gulped as he spoke "We are the villagers from the village created over the river bank, but we shifted our village further away from the river. For more than a year every month on the fortnight 2 to 3 children went missing from our village. Firstly, we all thought that they ran away due to strict treatments from their parents but, month after month it continued. Furthermore, 3 months ago we found two bodies of young girls drifting in the river… they were dead. Many tried to leave the village but before they could leave, their children would've already been taken away. God knows whatever is going on? Even my son has been taken away and my wife lost her mind in turn becoming a psycho…" the man sniffed as he told his story to Xianwu.
Xianwu's heart trembled as well. Looking at them happily playing from the window she thought "Who in the world would kidnap those little angels and then kill them like that? Be it a demon, human or a spirit whoever it is I won't forgive it! Not even on my name!" Inside her heart her rage was furious as she seized the scroll in anger. Calming down she asked "In the past… didn't any heavenly supreme take your case?"
"Many did… but they all threw it into a cold case and asked us to shift our place, not caring that we really can't change it…" replied the man in disappointment. "Some would come and exorcise something's for day and leave telling us to not visit in the forest at night time. But, it was impossible. We weren't able to do that as merchants. So, they shifted the blame to our lack of cooperation." Xianwu sighed "So this is how the heavenly Supremes work after a 1000 years of change?" she thought in disbelief.
Xianwu stood up with a smile as she handed the money over to the man. She reassured "Don't worry… that cold case which endangered the life of so many innocent beings will definitely be solved. In the name of heavens all virtuous granted and all evils banished." The man looked at her with his eyes widened. "Could it be are you a heavenly…?" he asked in wonder however Xianwu interrupted. "Think of me as not a heavenly supreme, however, just a messenger of god who aides you in time of need." She told walking outside the inn. The man smiled whole heartedly. "Finally… finally someone is there to stand with us!" he whispered. Tears slipping down his cheeks.
Xianwu walked towards the ids who played in front of the inn. Eyeing her, the kids soon surrounded around. "Xianwu gently patted their hairs. "Hey! Give it back I want to play!" said a girl catching the boy. "No way! I'll play with it first. Catch me if you want It." he teased. Suddenly the girl was about to fall as Xianwu caught her. "Are you alright?" she asked. The kids stared at her in awe. "Sister… are you a fairy prince?" asked the girl in wonder. For a moment Xianwu went into shock as if her identity had been exposed "I-I think so…?" she replied unsure of what to say "Yay!! I knew it! You're so pretty and you even saved me!" said the girl hugging her. "Sister, Will you play with us?" asked a boy fidgeting. Xianwu nodded gleaming.
"I said I don't want to play with you go away!" shouted a girl. Instantly Xianwu gazed around to take a look. A little girl pushing a boy to the ground cried heavily. "I want my brother! I want my brother. I don't want to play with anyone else except my brother." She wept. Xianwu stared while a boy tugged her sleeve. "Sister… don't worry. She is always like this. Since, her brother went missing she never plays with us and hit others who ask her too." He told. "So her brother went missing as well…" she thought gently patting the boy's head. Seeing the sight Xianwu made her way towards the two of them. On the way grabbing a red rose from the basket of a nearby women who tried to approach them as well. "Don't worry. Let me handle it." Xianwu assured.
Reaching the girl Xianwu smiled offering the flower to her. The girl stared her surprised her tears halting. Xianwu then, pulled the boy from the ground dusting his clothes. "There's no need to cry when someone tries to play with you. Say, will you both tell me what happened?" she asked. The boy looking at the girl and then Xianwu relied "She won't play with us no matter what! She always pushes me around when I try to ask her." Xianwu looked at the girl asking "And why is that?" The girl going towards Xianwu gently hugged her.
"You know, I used to play with my brother but one day he suddenly vanished. Now I don't know who to play with. I really love him but I don't even know where he's gone…" cried the young girl. The boy responded angrily "It is not only you who has lost his brother! I too lost my younger sister as well!" Xianwu stared at him dumbfounded. "He as well…?" she thought.
Instantly Xianwu hugged both of them tightly as if a fire had ignited inside her. "Don't worry… you still have friends… look this brother is your friend. Maybe your brother wants you to make other friends… he wants you to be strong, that's why he left you, don't worry everything is going to be alright." Xianwu consoled them. She too was upset but still had to become a stand for them. Looking at the two of them Xianwu resolved. "Now then, you both aren't allowed to fight. Become friends and play together alright?" She asked. The girl looking at the boy apologized "I'm sorry let's play together okay?" she asked. The boy smiled happily hugging her. "Ah… it's unbearable… when was the last time I felt like that?" Xianwu asked herself. No matter what, whoever it is. This time I won't let it go. This time I'll protect them no matter the cost!!" she thought. "And just you wait whoever you are. I'll make sure to catch you."