10 To a New Beginning

When Xinyu arrived at the entrance of Shuijing City, people were already unloading goods and merchandise at the main dock. Merchants and shopkeepers scurried about as they set up their shops and stands.

"What diligent people!" Xinyu thought to herself.

She had to admire these mortals. On a normal day, she would still be sleeping at this hour! Too bad today wasn't a normal day. In fact, her definition of a normal morning would no longer be sleeping until the sun was nearly at its peak and waking up to Aunt Yanfei's scolding.

The thought made Xinyu's chest heavy, but now was not the time to be sad.

Xinyu searched for the short girl in a pale-blue robe among the growing crowd. Sure enough, she found her easily. Mudan stood out like a lone peony flower among a field of weed. Indeed, immortals were on a different level from mortals. Even just standing, her beauty was one to gape at!

At this time, Mudan was also searching for Xinyu. She was a bit restless and thumbed her fingers nervously.

What if Xinyu decided to bail last minute? What if she never intended to leave with her? Was the lure of the revered White Cloud Sect not enough? Should she have offered silver too? Xinyu was her last hope! She needed to find a strong candidate for the entrance exam or her future would be doomed!

Mudan prayed and scanned through the crowd for the girl with the freckled face. Sure enough, she found her easily.

The girl wore a simple, brown robe and had an unrefined look—even her face wasn't particularly notable. The only thing that stood out about her was the beautiful plum blossom hairpin that locked her umber hair into a messy top-knot. In fact, Mudan wouldn't even call it a top-knot; it looked more like a bird's nest!

But despite Xinyu's ordinary appearance, the aura she exuded was unworldly. With the morning light behind her, she looked like a fairy as the Sun reflected on her honey-colored skin. Her clear, hazel eyes observed the surroundings with indifference as if she was just an omniscient presence and not a part of this world.

It was truly breathtaking. Even Mudan had to hold onto her breath at the sight.

Finally, their gazes met. Mudan brushed away her awe and smiled.

"Xinyu! Over here!" Mudan waved enthusiastically.

Xinyu acknowledged her with a nod and walked towards Mudan with casual steps.

"Good morning, Lady Mudan," Xinyu greeted in a polite bow.

"No need to be so formal! Just Mudan is good!" The girl gleamed with a bright smile. "Did you get to tie up your loose ends here?"

"Mm." Xinyu nodded.

"Good! I hope you're ready for the exam. Once we reach Mount Reverence, we'll still have roughly one to two weeks to prepare. I'll show you around and give you some helpful tips once we get there."

Xinyu nodded again.

Mudan was a bit perplexed with Xinyu's curt replies. This girl was too stingy with her words! She looked younger than her by a few years, but why was she acting like the older one?

But she shouldn't blame her. After all, she was the one who pressured Xinyu to leave with her. They've only exchanged a few words since they've met. It would take time for Xinyu to warm up to her.

Satisfied with her explanation, Mudan pulled out the sword from her belt and threw it out in front of herself with a graceful wave; the sword floated majestically in the air. She chanted a few words, and it grew into a size large enough to fit two people.

Some people threw a few glances their way. They began chattering amongst themselves with looks of astonishment and admiration.

Xinyu wondered if it was the flying sword or Mudan they were gawking at. However, Mudan paid it no heed and hopped on the sword with an effortless jump before extending over a hand.

"Ever rode on a flying sword before?" She asked.

"No, but I'll be sure not to burden you," Xinyu answered.

Just as she was about to grab the hand, Xinyu felt a presence approaching. She turned to look and came face-to-face with a woman of a pale, ghastly complexion. It was the woman by the dock. Even though her face was covered in bandages and she walked with a slight limp, her eyes glowed with an optimistic light.

A tinge of surprise showed on Xinyu's face. Xinyu thought her determination had died the other night, but it seemed that was not the case.

"Thank you," the woman said with a hoarse voice. Her eyes glistened with the threat of tears, but they were not the tears of sorrow.

Xinyu blinked and opened her mouth to say something, but no sound came out—she was at a loss for words. At this moment, she must have looked like a dumb person.

"Thank you for helping me, kind child. You have reminded me that there are things still worth living for in this world—that even if my husband is no longer with me, I still have two beautiful children by my side." A tear trailed out of the woman's eyes and wet the bandages on her bruised cheeks. "I hope my children will grow up to be as strong as you one day—that one day they can stand up for the weak and give hope to them as you have done to me."

Xinyu felt her throat clog up. This woman's words sounded like they were not meant for her—she was unworthy of such profound words. She did not stand up to that man with intentions to help her. In fact, if her body hadn't moved on its own accord, Xinyu would have left her on the street as the others did. Her compliments only made Xinyu's stomach twist with an unpleasant feeling, like she had done something wrong.

As if she could sense Xinyu's confliction, the woman touched her hand to hers. Strangely, Xinyu did not feel the need to flick her hand away; it was rather warm.

"Thank you," the woman said again with a smile that lit her features.

In her, Xinyu could no longer see the woman who gazed longingly at the Moon. Instead, she saw a mother who saw a light within the future, and that light was her children.

A bitterness rose and gnawed at her heart, but Xinyu smiled. "It was nothing. Take good care of yourself so that you can support your children. This is the time they need you most."

The woman's eyes widened slightly. The girl's smile was genuine, but it had an indescribable melancholy to it—as if she had already suffered a deep sadness unfit for someone who looked so young.

She decided not to question it and nodded, "Mm."

Xinyu smiled again and gave her a small bow before turning back to a Mudan who was patiently waiting on her flying sword. She looked at Xinyu with praise and reached out a hand again. Xinyu took it with no further words.

As the sword rose into the clouds, Xinyu glanced down at the woman with the pale, ghastly complexion. Her eyes were filled with an emotion Xinyu was not used to seeing directed towards her.

They were filled with gratitude and appreciation—and maybe even respect—like she had given the woman a hope she didn't know existed in this unrelenting world. It was somewhat similar to the looks of the crowd that watched as Xinyu fought that man two days ago.

An emotion began to swell in Xinyu's chest; it contrasted the unpleasant feeling from earlier.

"So this is what it feels like to be a benefactor," Xinyu pondered quietly to herself. "Perhaps being meddlesome wasn't so bad after all."