Chp 1. It Begins

IT BEGINS:

As the morning light cascaded through the open window Huang Jin stirred, her long tattooed fingers lay atop a slowly rising and falling bare chest, and she slowly breathed in the familiar scent that comforted her to no end. Her lithe frame snuggled closer to the man laying next to her, his arm wrapped around her back and held her to him in his sleep.

Her glowing golden green eyes opened slowly and she blinked away the first dregs of morning sunlight. Her long eyelashes batting away the last remnants of sleep. She stared at the handsome chiseled features of the man whose arms she was lying in.

How in the heck did I get so lucky...she thought to herself.

As if in response to her inquiry the man's fingers began to twirl in small circles on her lower back sending fiery sparks up her spine and caught her breath in her throat. A small smile turned the corner of his lips.

"What are you staring at, Huang Jin?" His deep voice combined with the indulations of his fingers sent waves of pleasure down into her lower parts. She always loved it when he said her name like that.

The birds outside their room began to chirrup their morning song and the insects chimed in around them. Huang Jin moved her head and smiled mischievously as she rested her chin on his chiseled abs and began to imitate what his fingers were doing on her back onto his chest.

"Ohhhhh nothing...Just you." She practically purred at him.

His piercing grey eyes opened slowly and the burning fire within them always seemed to take her breath away. His long black hair was perfectly splayed around his handsome features; his strong chin was the definition of what most men envied. He was devilishly handsome and Huang Jin was absolutely head over heels in love with him.

"Are you planning to stare all day?" He teased, his lips turning into an even bigger smile as he teased her.

"I plan to stare as long as I can." She teased back, her finger moving up higher and she grazed her nail over his nipple. His hips jerked in response and the smile instantly went away, the fire in his eyes now ablaze as he stared down at her.

"Don't tease unless you aim to please."

Huang Jin smiled back knowing that his statement was a warning, a delicious warning she had full intention of dragging a response out of him later. She drew her fingers back down to his abs, "Fine, fine. I was just thinking of how lucky I am."

His piercing grey eyes seemed to bore into her soul as he smiled down at her. "Huang Jin, you don't know how lucky I am for you to be here."

She had to look away from his intense gaze as a swell of emotions began to overwhelm her.

His free hand moved to grab her chin with his rough calloused fingers. He caressed her chin with them before he forced her to look up. "I am serious, and I will say it as many times as I have to for you to believe me." His thumb brushed her soft supple lips, and her mouth opened in response, a soft rush of air escaping her lips at the intense pleasure it gave her.

As she stared at those piercing grey eyes she couldn't help but send up a silent prayer of thanks.

It was crazy how much could change in just over a year's time. It had felt like a lifetime ago when she was all alone, a wandering cultivator roaming the forests outside of Yiling trying to track down a demon.

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A loud cawing and rustling of feathers broke the stillness of the dense forest. A large group of birds rushed off into the thick foliage as two boys pushed their way through the thick foliage.

"We have been searching for days, Sizhui. Do you really think that the demon could be somewhere around here?" Jin Ling asked the man walking ahead of him.

They had been tracking a demon for two days on the instructions of Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji. They had been sent there when reports had come in that a demon was lurking in the forests outside of Yiling.

"Why do you not trust me?" teased Sizhui. He smiled and continued walking, using his sword to push away branches and overhanging vines that were in the way of the overgrown path.

"Of course I trust you. What kind of stupid question is that?" Jin Ling huffed and mumbled as he followed Sizhui closely. "I just want to make sure that we are not following a false trail, or we may run into something much more dangerous than we expected...that's all." he continued to grumble.

Sizhui stopped and turned to look at Jin Ling a soft smile on his face. "Who knew that you would care so much Jin Rulan." he used his courtesy name knowing it would make Jin Ling blush. He giggled and covered his mouth as he saw Jin Ling get flustered and he turned red.

"You!" Jin Ling said about to start in on him when suddenly Sizhui rushed forward and put his finger on Jin Ling's lips to silence him. His head turned to the side as if listening intently to something.

"Do you hear that? It sounds like a zither?" They both stood silent but the sound was unmistakable.

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It was a beautifully crisp morning in the forests on the outskirts of Yiling. The trees blew in the crisp morning air as a dulcet tone of a guqin filled the treetops. The notes were beautiful and they seemed to float along the windy ridges and between the thick tree trunks. In a small clearing a woman was sitting with her legs crossed, her body sitting up tall in quiet meditation. A small guqin lay in her lap. It was a beautifully carved instrument made of a fell cedarwood tree.

The woman was wearing a simple black and red robe that looked like it had been well worn from a life lived on the road. But, it wasn't falling apart. She had her hair tied in a braided high and tight ponytail with a simple red ribbon holding it up. Her face was relaxed and her eyes were closed, as her delicate tattooed fingers plucked the strings beneath her with masterful delicate strokes.

The entire area seemed to have a golden glow around it, and with each stroke on the strings it drifted on an invisible wind through the beautiful, peaceful meadow.

As the sun barely rose over the horizon, Huang Jin's eyes began to open and her long delicate eyelashes slowly batted away the bright sunlight as it hit her face.

She slowly placed a hand on her guqin and the notes drifted to a quiet end, the glow drifting away slowly. She seemed to be glowing from head to toe and she felt amazing after that small cultivating session.

"It's going to be a long day eh Wulun Ruhe?" She spoke quietly as she grabbed the small sword that lay by her side. Her sword worn fingers absentmindedly caressed the intricate carvings on the side of her only keepsake worthwhile.

She had spent the last, well who knows how long at this point, it felt like months, wandering the forests and small villages all the way from the edge of the Nie Territory to where she currently was. She had been tracking a rather nasty demon that was terrorizing citizens, leaving bodies in its wake. It would hit a town and vanish after it would kill three people.

Always in threes, and then it would disappear. It had taken her weeks to track it down again.

This last time she had tracked it to a tiny village outside of Yiling.

She smiled gently and looked over the meadowy field she had slept in that night. She hadn't noticed the small river only 50 or so feet from her. Well I guess that's why you fell asleep so quickly last night. The peaceful stream sound, she thought had been in her head the whole time, had lulled her into a quiet trance.

She stood up quickly, waving her arm across her body and stowing the guqin away using some spiritual energy. She walked around and stretched her long arms towards the sky and leaned side to side trying to stretch the soreness of her muscles.

The sun had moved farther up the tree tops, more of the bright beautiful sunlight hitting her face and instantly warming her whole body. She bent down to pick up a small brilliantly red money pouch.

The only thing she owned… other than her trusty sword. On the outside were many intricate symbols. She opened the small bag and closed her eyes once more.

Her hand raised to her face. On each finger were small characters tattooed into her skin in a dark black ink. She held her ring finger and pointer finger together and started to quitely chant a string of incomprehensible words.

A small cooking pot suddenly appeared in front of her and caught it before it fell to the ground.

She had spent years developing her small storage pouch. She had used a combination of talismans to achieve what most would call a miracle.

She nodded to herself and the normal smile she wore returned to her face and she began to head to the small river to go start preparing her breakfast.

Huang Jin looked up from her squatting position on the edge of the small stream that she had been using to fill the small cooking pot with water and her eyes narrowed, as she stared out at the treeline across the river.

Her stomach churned. Something wasn't right… It's too quiet.

She could feel that something wasn't right.

Huang Jin gathered her spiritual energy and thrust it outwards from her body and felt the rush of energy explode outwards. She could sense every living and non living thing in her mind, and her eyes darted to the right as she saw two figures bodies silhouetted in an intense golden energy. It was two cultivators.

Her eyebrows furrowed together as she sensed something else. There was a huge dark aura lurking somewhere deep within the woods. It was absolutely the biggest concentration of resentful energy she had felt in her life, and it was heading towards the two cultivators.

I bet it's that damn demon!

Huang Jin didn't know what to do at first. Should she worry about the two cultivators or should she chase the demon she had been tracking. She let out a huge exasperated sigh. She wouldn't be able to protect the two of them if they weren't strong enough and they would most likely just get in the way anyway if they tried to help. She could tell by their core's that they were strong but...I guess it's distracting these two first, and then I can go track it again later. She sighed again rubbing her temples with her thumb and forefinger. Uhggggg.

Huang Jin cupped her free hand around her mouth and cried out to the woods. "What do you want!"

An arrow suddenly shot from the treeline within inches of her face.

The breath she had been taking caught in her throat, as she turned her cheek and tilted her head to the side, narrowly dodging the incoming projectile. A small rivulet of blood trickled down her cheek.

"What the actual fuck!" She barked out into the silence, staring into the treeline trying to figure out where the arrow had come from. God that was close. She raised her hand to her cheek and felt the blood.

Her eyes picked up a tiny movement out of her peripheral vision. Jeez, one of them is actually pretty fast…..

Her eyes widened in shock as suddenly a rain of arrows began to shoot out from the inside of the forest where the two cultivators had stopped and looked towards her.

OH NO! Huang Jin immediately began to sprint back to the small clearing where her mat and sword were laying inconspicuously among the tall grass. She leaned down mid sprint to grab it, arrows seeming to fly within inches of her body. Of course you try to help and now they want to kill you...

She had been able to throw a quick spell as she had bolted for her things; it would only protect her from the arrows piercing her body. It wasn't powerful enough to stop them from cutting her to shreds. Yet, curiously none hit their intended target. Thank god they aren't a good shot. She thought to herself as she continued to sprint.

She raced through the dense forest as her pursuers rushed to chase her. She headed in the complete opposite direction of the dark aura. She had thrown a few traps and talismans as she ran, but she could feel her pursuers gaining on her as she continued to run at an outright sprint.

An unsettling feeling began to settle on her as her breathing began to come in quick puffs. She tried to keep to the densest part of the forest to slow them down or lose them but they were pretty skilled. She was getting tired too quickly, she normally could keep this pace for at least an hour. Something wasn't right.

As she ran she could feel a numbness around her cheek and it was starting to spread. This isn't good… I bet the damn arrow was poisoned.

Her eyes began to dart around as she tried to figure out how to get out of the current predicament. She could feel the intense golden energy of the two cultivators behind her, they were gaining on her.

She wasn't going to be able to outrun the two. She had for sure gone far enough away from that dark aura, but now they were still chasing her…

Why would they still be chasing her and want to kill her this badly?She had to do something…soon.

Her breathing began to get harder, as what seemed like miles churned under her feet, but she continued to hear and feel the attackers getting closer. The small red pouch at her side seemed to call to her just then, as if in response to her begging questions, and her hand flew down to it. A small talisman seemed to materialize in between the fingers of her right hand.

Oh god…..Just by the feel of it she knew what it was. She had been working on this particular talisman for months, and still hadn't worked all the kinks out. It was supposed to seal the person inside and stop anyone or anything from coming within the seal.

Huang Jin continued to sprint, duck, and dive through the dense forest and with the attackers almost upon her she dreaded what she would have to do., I'm going to have to use it. They are going to catch up any minute now.She suddenly saw a small clearing in the woods and made a last second mad dash for it.

Another arrow whistled by her head, narrowly missing her shoulder. Her lithe form seemed to melt through the treeline into the small clearing and she came to a halt right in the middle, turning to face her attackers. The two advancing men came screeching to a halt at the sudden confrontation.

Huang Jin's fierce hazel eyes seemed to glow a brilliant emerald green and gold as she stared directly at the two, a confident smile on her face and her body in a fighting stance.

The first was an average sized young man that looked to be 16-17 years old. The bright gold peony adorned robes glittered in the sun as soon as his delicate yet sharp form pierced through the trees. His hair was pulled into a ponytail in the back, his dark perfectly parted bangs highlighting a small red dot on his forehead. A Jin Cultivator?

The man had his bow stretched taught with an arrow ready, aimed directly at Huang Jin's chest. His eyes opened wide as he was taken aback by her appearance.The other man standing next to him directly by his side stared intensely at her, his sword at the ready

This boy had a somewhat cherubic face with a small blue headband stretched tightly across his forehead. He looked around the same age as the other. His pure white robes looked perfect considering he had just chased her for what felt like miles through a dense forest. Yet, only the bare edges of his robes seemed to have any dirt on them. The beautiful blue swirling clouds of the Gusu clan were printed along the bottom hem of the robes.

The man with the bow was glowering at her. His face a storm as emotions

"Stop right there demon. Give it up. Those arrows have a sleeping spell put on them. There is no escape," the one in gold snarled.

Of course the arrows have a sleeping spell. The teasing smile on her face never left.

An uneasy feeling began to creep along her core and her muscles began to feel heavier and heavier by the second. She really wouldn't have much longer before her body would give out entirely.

Her eyes darted back and forth between the two. Frustration written across her features,"Why are you chasing me anyway? I didn't even do anything!" Huang Jin's eyes flashed and angry gold and hazel and she dropped into a fighting stance.

The one in white seemed to lose his nerve, lowering his blade just a fraction, as a slew of emotions flashed across his face. Shock, pity, anger, confusion. She couldn't tell but she didn't take her eyes off them for a second.

"Jin Ling…." the boy quietly said but closed his mouth. It looked as if he was trying to work out a particularly difficult problem in his head.

"I don't give a damn who either of you are but you need t" Huang Jin shouted at them, but before she could finish the boy in gold suddenly shot another arrow at her.Huang Jin had been waiting for a response and she easily smacked the arrow out of the air with the sheath of her sword. The sound from the tip of the arrow hitting the sheath rang through the meadow.

Huang Jin's face seemed to light up with a malevolent smile as the adrenaline began to energize her body. This morning was just not her morning was it. All she did was try to help a village, now look at where it got her. She is being called a demon, chased, and threatened with her life.

"I am no demon, you brat," she barked back laughing at the absurdity. Obviously she wasn't a demon.

"BRAT? How dare you!?" He began to pull back tighter on the bow and Huang Jin smiled even wider.

"Don't do it boy." Huang Jin warned, but she knew she wouldn't have much more fight left. The spell from the arrow was doing its job. She could barely keep standing much longer. Well so much for being a renowned cultivator…taken out by a Jin brat and his sidekick.

As soon as he made to shoot another arrow at her, she threw the talisman she was holding forcefully to the ground directly in the middle of where her feet were. Huang Jin threw every ounce of spiritual energy she had into the spell. It would need it in order for it to even work.

The ground flared up like a small bomb had hit in a brilliant white light and fire erupted from where the talisman had hit. It began to spread like waves outwards and the grass instantly evaporated from around her body. A huge circle of flames churned along the charred ground and began to form a seal around her.

She continued to stare directly at the two boys, her eyes confident. So far so good. "You may have caught me but I won't just lay down and die. You won't be able to touch me."

Huang Jin began to feel her insides churn. Something was wrong….. She tried to shield her eyes from the ever growing brightness around her but it began to fill her entire vision as the seal around her flared an intense blue white.

The two men stepped back as the blaze seemed to flare over Huang Jin's entire body. Her lithe frame silhouetted by the raging blue and white flames.

All she could see was white. Her head felt empty and she couldn't feel anything anymore. The golden warmth that had always burned so violently bright had disappeared into the ground below her and she felt nothing, her mind going blank.

Suddenly the flames and seal disappeared in a loud vacuum-like sucking sound, and Huang Jin's body sank to the ground in a delicate pile. Her patchy red and black robes falling loosely around her body, her sword and sheath falling to the ground, clutched tightly in her left hand.

The boy suddenly rushed forward to secure her but the other stopped him by his elbow., "Jin Ling, don't… Don't touch her… Something isn't right. I have never seen that seal before."

Jin Ling flashed a quick look at the other, "Sizhui, we were told to destroy the demon and there it is. Why are we not going to kill it?" Crossing his arms over his chest after quickly stowing his bow and arrows and unsheathing the sword at his waist.

Sizhui continued to stare at the still form laying on the ground, his sword dipping lower by the second as he tried to think. I have never seen this type of seal before. He tried to rack his brain quickly and a thought flashed across his mind….. but she said that no one would touch her. It was definitely a warning, Sizhui thought. "We need to take her back to Gusu."

Jin Ling exclaimed loudly,"Take her back to Gusu?!" almost shouting directly into Sizhui's ear.

Sizhui nodded, not realizing that he had said that out loud but quickly started to disrobe his outer layer of robe. "We must not touch her either. I fear there are some dirty tricks that she has used. We must bring her back to Senior Wei. He will know what to do." Sizhui said matter of factly.

Jin Ling, still warry, walked closer to Sizhui not trusting that the deadly looking female that had just faced them and had withstood the blinding white fires was truly out. "Sizhui, be careful."

A small smile formed at the corner of Sizhui mouth "Oh, does Jin Ling seem to care about me now?" Sizhui asked teasingly, but nodded.

"OF COURSE NOT! How dare you assume…" Jin Ling trailed off as he uncomfortably shifted from one foot to the other.

Sizhui bent down and laid the thick outer robe across the small female frame.

She had not moved an inch the entire time they had been standing there. Sizhui had been watching for any movement just in case, but the still form on the ground had almost looked like a porcelain doll. She looked unnaturally still. He reached his fingers forward to check her breathing and he could feel a tiny river of air flow from her nose.

Sizhui finished wrapping her tightly with the fabric and held his two fingers close to her chi points trying to figure out WHAT she was. He looked at her seemingly frail frame. She was probably only about 5 and a half feet tall, her frame was athletic but on the smaller side. Her small tattoo covered hands clenched in a small ball close to her face. She looks like a sleeping child. Sizhui thought to himself.

As Sizhui stood up he looked up at Jin Ling and gave him the softest smile as he caught Jin Ling staring at every move he made with his sword at the ready. Sizhui explained. "It's fine Jin Ling. She is not conscious. I think she's sealed herself."

Jin Ling huffed back, "Sealed herself? What kind of demon would seal itself with a talisman?"

"Exactly." Sizhui smiled in response and began to bend down to pick up the small frame of the woman now wrapped in the Gusu Lan outerrobe.

The outer robes of the Gusu Lan sect are layered with protective spells embroidered into the fabric so Sizhui knew that it would be somewhat safe to touch the female once bound with it.

Sizhui thought to himself, At least I hope it will be safe… shaking his head as he chased away the thought.

They began to make their way back to Gusu.

Senior Wei is going to love this. A female demon who can use seals and talismans. Sizhui shook his head at the thought.