1 Price of Avoidance

我无法继续,所以我需要锁定它.

"Come in! Come in! We have new things on sale!"

Mixed cheers of the hawkers plagued the busy street of the market. They came from different cities and villages, hoping to haul a good sale to the people. Young and old came crowding around their stalls while most pass them by. Children in the area ended up running around as they played games, taking up the roles of the current Society of the cultivation world.

It was a bright day with cool wind brushing along, perfect for activities under the sun. Sun Yin was seated on one of the outdoor tables of a restaurant, watching the children. She could barely recognize the names they say as theirs.

"My, my, fifty years is sure a long time even for them…" she whispered as she propped the last meatball into her mouth.

She looked down at the table and searched her hanfu for some loose coins. She found a few, and it seemed that the owner noticed her actions. He went to her and looked down at her as she only smiled at him. She presented two coins in her palm with a grin.

"Miss, you ordered for food worth more than that. Are you telling me you can't pay for it?" His thick brow arched at the miss who was trying to appease him with her cute looks.

"You see, I forgot to bring all my money. Will a kiss make up for the loss?" Sun Yin grinned wider, batting her long lashes at the old man.

To be honest, she was a fine lady. She had long, silky black hair loosely tied and rolled behind her head, and snow skin like the finest jade. Her dark eyes were big and round, while her lips were reddish as her cheeks were rosy. Her golden hanfu was creased, but not in a distracting way. She seemed too neglected for a noble, but the small old crown sat on her head like it was weaved for her. She was like a stray princess with an awful gravitational pull, luring men to her reach. Perhaps she was once a concubine of a now-dead lord, purging her into poverty.

The man blushed faintly, looking inside his store. His wife was stuck in the kitchen, her back turned on them. A small grin drew on his face before turning to the maiden. "Ah, we better hurry—she's gone! Where did she go?!" He only saw two coins left at the table. "That brat!"

Of course, Sun Yin had enough of being toyed by old men. She had walked a long life being used by them. Also, she treaded this path using them as well. Sun Yin cared not of their money; she only wanted their men.

Yes, the men—the soldiers they had under their belts. The more, the better. Sun Yin was a warmonger in disguise of a fairy. She had waged and won countless wars against the First Society of the cultivation world. Not for power or recognition, but for revenge.

The Sun clan was a small clan devoted to appeasing the dead and their resentment towards the living. However, none of them had ever tried controlling the dead to do their bidding. Those notions had come from the highest members of the world, to which her family refused to abide. In consequence, they were all killed. She was thrown into a pit and buried alive with her dead parents. She was six, and she was buried alive.

She was lucky to survive as her ancestors protected her from the earth. Since she was born with a special spiritual root, she was able to use her ancestors' remaining power to break out of the grave. Instead of sobbing or crying for help, she stood tall before their burning clan village. That was the beginning of her story as the most brutal cultivator in history.

However, after her revenge was exacted—along with the fall of the First Society, she put all her creations to rest. She even shattered her golden core and scattered the pieces so she would not be whole again should she be killed while asleep. Sun Yin got her revenge, and so she had no more use of her powers—no matter how strong she was. If she could shed her immortality away, she would as well.

So why was she awake today? Fifty years after the 'Fall of the First Society,' Sun Yin walked the world again.

To be honest, she had no idea as well. She woke up from her slumber all of a sudden, without anything or anyone disturbing her sleep. She did not sustain injury before sleeping so it was impossible for her to regain consciousness because of her own body. For now, Sun Yin only wished to look around the city nearest to her sleeping mountain.

"Whaaa! Look! Aren't they amazing?!" The people around her started shouting.

"They're so cool!"

"Oh, my! The cultivators!"

Sun Yin perked her head up as she saw the group of cultivators passing by. They wore clothing of white with gradients of red to the edges, like the China roses drawn on their chests. She smiled at them as one of them seemed to notice the beauty.

Those were the cultivators based in the city of Huayuan, the Huayuan Lin Sect. They were the best swordsmen in the cultivation world since their techniques and fighting style greatly involved holding their swords and commanding it like a third arm while wielding hidden blades. Sun Yin had seen them in battle once, and she took great joy in fighting against them. Even though they lacked defensive options, they made up to it with their speed and agility. Sun Yin had always seen them like dancing flowers in vast gardens.

"I bet Yuanyan missed cutting off their limbs so much…" She chuckled before proceeding her way.

Seeing the cultivators fly around—even in bunches—was normal. They must be training, she thought. However, she saw more and more of them; most of them did not even thread one path. It was as if they were circling around an enemy.

"A night hunt? Out in the open?" Sun Yin frowned as she followed the cultivators atop their flying swords with her gaze. She saw no peculiar figure poking from the walls up ahead. She was tempted to join their search, but she would just be getting in their way. Well, in the way of their glory.

Knowing that they should be left alone, Sun Yin just shrugged and turned to the direction away from the one the cultivators were taking.

The whispers and chatters of the people piqued the interest of the woman. She turned to the direction the cultivators were going, only to find a pair struggling atop someone's sword. He seemed to be carrying a gravely wounded brother back to their place. However, even he was wounded to the point that he wobbled on his sword. Sun Yin jogged to keep up the pace with the man. Seconds more, he lost hold on his brother, and the wounded man fell from the height.

"Brother Shen!"

He cried as he realized his brother had fallen. However, Sun Yin was able to dash and catch the man from hitting the ground. Even though she was a woman, she was a cultivator like them—stronger than them even. Her physical strength had long exceeded a normal human's. She caught the man and kept balance just with a light horse stance. She brought him down so she did not have to keep the ugly form longer than she wished.

The cultivator descended to the ground to retrieve his brother, but he ended up tripping due to the weakness in his legs. He fell to the ground on his elbows. He rose slowly and walked to them as he breathed loudly.

"T-Thank you, young lady." He eyed at her differently, confused by her capability to catch a man falling twice the height of the walls along the streets.

"Don't thank me yet. He's not in a good condition. The fall might have caused him to feel worse." Sun Yin hummed as she felt the man's chest, gaging his condition from the way he breathed. Also from the feel of the flow of his Qi. She ended up carrying the man like a bride. "We should find a doctor quick!"

"Y-Yes! Follow me!" The man recovered his sword from the ground with a pull, making it fly to his hand. He ran while holding onto his wounded arm against his side, blood soaking through his robes. He was more wounded that Sun Yin thought he was.

The man led the way, but he was too anxious to ignore the fact that a woman was carrying his brother. He kept on glancing at her, freaking out as to how she could keep up with his speed despite carrying another person.

"Big sister, are you a rogue cultivator? I haven't seen you around Huayuan before." He had to confirm she was not an ordinary woman.

"I might be. What happened to him though?" Sun Yin refused to talk about herself.

The man clicked his tongue and spoke through his grit, "The Cinder Army is closing in on the walls of the city. It's been a long time since they attacked, but here they are again."

"C-Cinder Army?" Sun Yin's eyes widened. She would stop if she did not remember the man in her arms needed immediate medication. "That's impossible! They're supposed to be—"

"Whether we like it or not, Big Sister, the Cinder Army is back." He ground his teeth in rage. "The Bride of Corpses is back."

Sun Yin frowned. She WAS the Bride of Corpses! She sure didn't summon her army here.

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