Chapter 42

Di Xueyan walks grumpily while looking at the compass - like artifact in her hand.

" This doesn't work at all!", she irritatedly stomps her feet, trying her best to stop herself from throwing the damned artifact in the wild.

Who would not be irritated? The arm of the compass is just rotating wildly, sometimes clockwise and sometimes counter clockwise.

She has been walking all around the forest stealthily to try to locate those damned people from the black realm, but the hateful compass is not only not helpful, but she is also seems to be lost.

She might be somehow above the average young lady in the cultivation world, outstanding even. But there are two things that she discovered that she is not very confident of,

Spirit mineral gambling and the worse, directions.

She feels like an anxious lost child in the mall right now. All she wants to do is to strangle Sima Liuwen for the very helpful artifact he gave!

It is already dark. The sun has set a few hours ago already. Her journey has been safe from beasts attacks, as aside from the protection of the guardians, who would want to deal with the person who plunge the forest population into half? Even low intelligent beasts never dared to cross path with this little devil. So, she is not anxious in where to camp. She is just irritated because she doesn't know where in the god damned part of the forest she is.

She surveyed her surrounding, the place is surrounded by big ancient trees where the forest floor looks very thick due to the leaves and twigs covering it, she even has watch out because the ground is littered with countless quicksands, one wrong move and she will have a quick sand diving. The serene and calm forest is already engulfed with the shadows of the night , making the surrounding very eerie, as if she is in a horror themed set. By the thought that she is unfamiliar with the place, she can't help but to curse that little damned oldy fox to death.

" Damn you Sima Liuwen! Don't you dare let me see your old face again!", she agitatedly shouted while walking with heavy footsteps. Her fuming face made even a little spirit bunny dashed away in fear.

Her heavy stomps echoed in the vast forest. The frown in her face is now so apparent as she looks at the seemingly broken compass.

She stomps her left foot again, but this time she can't feel the hard ground anymore, so, she lost her balance.

A resounding thick splash and horrified shriek ruined the tranquil place, again.

A bold spirit bear ignorantly dashes when it heard the splashing voice. It has been trying to hunt to feed her youngsters, alas, the preys in the forest became extra cautious due to powerful auras that would occasionally appear from time to time, thus she got excited when she heard the falling sound and a shriek of a human. The bear arrived at the place and saw a wide muddy puddle. The puddle was covered with thick leaves, but since someone unfortunately sunk, a blank space in the side is very visible in the clear nocturnal vision of the spirit bear.

Di Xueyan wants to cry in anguish when she realized that she maybe looks like peppa pig jumping in the muddy puddle like now.

She immediately emerged from the puddle, with mud covering her whole body. Her white clothes is not even white anymore, as the mire seems to seeps even in her underwears.

The poor spirit bear unconsciously steps aback, shocked at the mud monster a few meters away from it. Even though the spirit bear has low intelligence, and it does not knows if mud walks or what, it can't still stops the fear which is unconsciously creeping in its system specially when their eyes met.

Di Xueyan saw the bear a few meters away from her, though she can't decipher the blank look of the poor frozen entity, she can't help but to blush and glare in shame, making the bear flinch unconsciously.

She immediately flew away from the puddle and landed near the bear, shaking the excess mud from her clothes and hair in disgust. Her scrunched nose and eyebrows made the bear take a few steps back more.

Di Xueyan immediately storms off with heavy footsteps and indecipherable face, leaving the stunned bear behind.

As someone who got lost, all she can do is to find a river nearby. Her head is too hot and she is very muddled with rage, thus, she forgot the fact that her little realm has a little river.

She heard the sounds of rumbling waters, making her excitedly dashed towards it as she can't stand her filfthy state already. As it is night time and she is not really in the mood to sight see, she missed the wonderful view of the little double water falls in front of her.

The moon illuminates in the surface of the waters, making it looks like it is dancing in the sound of the evening breeze. Below the waterfalls is small lagoon, which middle part has a huge stone, blocking the full view of the majestic water falls if you comes near. The plants and flowers in the edges are already dark colored, as they danced along the tune of the night. The sound of the insects echoed throughout the serene scene, until a splash breaks the calming nature's activities.

Di Xueyan just spreads her muddy arms out and let herself fall straight into the water, face first, as she does not know how to dive in the first place.

She immediately regretted it as she felt the painful sting in her face when the surface of the water hits it, making her eyes reddened with tears of pain. Her head ached so much that she wants to curse herself for being so damned stupid.

She pats her head before scrubbing the exposed part of her body with her favorite whitening soap that she swiftly got from her storage ring. Di Xueyan's lips twitched when she realized that the insides her long white dress is still full of small pebbles, leaving her with no choice but to strip her clothes. Luckily, she wore her snow white two piece bikini, with a crossed straps at the back and a snow white angel wing embroidered in the left cup, which accentuated her jade skin well. She turns her head left and right to see if there are any living entity, as she knows how much of an issue her underwear will bring and speedily undressed herself.

She freed her ponytailed hair and began gently massaging it with her sweet strawberry scented shampoo.

" Little lagoon, no worries, my strawberry scented shampoo and whitening soap is eco - friendly, so you won't be polluted with chemicals, ok?", she pats the surface of the waters as if assuring it with her lies. She continued massaging her hair and submerged herself in the water to rinse it. After that, she started washing her self with her whitening soap again while whistling freely like a stray dude in the side walks.

She never even knew if it her things are eco - friendly or not.

As the water naturally rinsed her body off, she went to the side of the lagoon where there is a leveled stone where she can watch the full moon with her arms in the stone's surface while her body is still submerge in the water. Since there is no one within the vicinity, she never bothers to dress herself again as she lets the moon bathes her body with its light while closing her eyes, her temper is already subsiding.

" I never thought that this world is really so tough, but I strangely never regrets even a thing", she lightly mumbled as she lets the evening breeze caresses her exposed skin.

She remembers all she have been through all these years, from her training, down to her experiences. She may had experienced heart aches many times before, but she promised herself that,

" Always smile no matter what", she mumbles with her eyes closed as a sweet smile spreads in her little heart shaped, plump lips, as her pearly white teeth and the shining little diamond in her forehead glisten under the moonlight. She looks like a perfect scenery if ever she is in earth right now, as she is emitting an innocent yet seductive vibes. She will surely become a popular model in international runways if ever she will go back.

But that does not applies in the strict and ancient way of thinking in the cultivation world though.

Di Xueyan sadly thought about her family as a tear slid in her right eye. If they are just with her in this day, this day would have been very special than it already has, at least though, she spent it with her friends.

She went up the rock's surface and lit a rose scented candle from her storage space. A dim yellow light illuminated in the dark, yet it cannot still over power the light of the moon.

" Happy birthday to me, Happy birthday to me, happy birthday happy birthday...", she slowly closed her eyes as she smiles bitterly while tears are running down her face, imagining in her head that her family is complete and that they are beside her.

" Happy birthday to me", she made a silent wish, as she brought the rose scented candle near her face.

' I wish that I can live peacefully in this world', is a fleeting sentence which blends in together with her superficial wishes. Though impossible and though she never regretted a thing, but she knows that she can't hide to herself that the deepest voice in her heart is secretly yearning for peace, but she doesn't knows why.

She blows her candle slowly while still closing her eyes. The yellow dim light immediately disappeared.

A very light sound of a disturbed water enters Di Xueyan's ears, making her alertly opens her eyes and immediately looks for the origin of the sound. Her dark brown obrs caught an ice blue eyes a few meters away from her when she turns in her left side, which is currently looking at her with a curious glint that flashed in his eyes but when she blinks, it disappeared.

She forgot that she is not wearing a single piece of clothes, except for her underwears, when she locked her eyes with a man with silver mask, whose ice blue eyes flickered with disgust as he looks at her but vanished without a trace. Only his long pointed nose and thin but plump lips can be seen due to the plain yet glistening half silver mask on his face. His complexion is so fair, making her whitening soap pampered skin cries in jealousy. She knows that without the mask, he maybe is an other wordly beauty, but sadly, she can't fully scrutinize his facial features as the place is already so dark and she is not a nocturnal animal in the first place, unluckily.

So her stares went downward. She can't help but to gulp audibly when she saw his adams apple moving slightly as his broad shoulders and lightly muscular arms stay still... Just her type, as she is not really into body builders. Her gaze wanders downward again but got disappointed as she can't even count how many his abs are since most of the lower part of his body is submerged in the water, she can only see four packs.

" How disappointing", she never imagined that she will embarassingly said that out loud while looking at his abs, thus she immediately covers her mouth, as she looks back at his icy orbs with wide eyes.

A shiver ran down her spine though, as she saw how his thick yet arranged brows furrowed as if in rage, but his eyes are blank. She can't help but to think if he is abnormal or what.

" Ahmm, I think I have to go hehe", she lightly scratch her scalp as she feels chill seeping into her body, that was when she realized that she is almost naked, which made her gasp audibly and hurriedly futilely tried to cover herself.

The man raises his left eyebrow as he looks at her flustered and blushing state. His eyes are still devoid of emotion, as if the full breast and perfectly curved shape body in front of him is just a piece of log.

" What's with the innocent acting? As if you were not sent here to seduce me", a deep baritone voice with a tinge of mocking and irritation suddenly breaks the awkward silence, which made it more awkward with his words though.

Di Xueyan was tying her bathrobe when she hears his narcissism. She immediately froze as her brain is still processing his words.

" You - - you!", all her life in this damned world, no man dared to say that she is seducing them openly in her face. Was it her fault that she is just so damned beautiful?! Her blood pressure rises up again, she glares harshly at the man.

" You narcissistic, egoisticly arrogant and unbelievably ugly bastard! How dare you assume that I am seducing you? My beautiful face was made to seduce my future husband not you! How dare you even think that you are worthy of such noble title? Huh?!", she widens her eyes while pointing her index finger to the strange man as her other hand is on her waist.

" Do you think that you are handsome enough to make me do some effort? ", Di Xueyan never knew why she can't control her tongue but she knows that she is very irritated and that all she wants to do is to smack the hateful man's head.

The man's eyes flashed in surprise. No one, as in no one, dared to talk and curse him like that. His face turned livid as he looks at the glaring yet blushing vixen a few meters away from him, which he knew was sent by those bastards just like what they did before. They even did as shameful as showing ones body in front of a stranger!

The man's face turned black as pot as his eyes focused at the finger that is currently pointing at him, a sure sign of disrespect, as a slight rage passed his eyes. He knows that the girl is still shouting over something but he can't seems to hear.

The night turned silent again as the girl stopped shouting like a shrew while heavily panting as she licks her dried up lips. She saw how his face darkens and how his aura thickens the atmospher, making it slightly hard to breath. But so what? She did not trained all her life just to be bullied by a man who is not even qualified to be called a man! So, she straightens her back and fixed her emotions, clashing his regal cold face with her noble cold face.

The night insects suddenly regain their voices as it made some noises again.

At the tree trunks surrounding the lagoon, eight nimble figures nearly stumbled as they heard the 'conversation' in front of them. Never have they imagined that there comes a day that their master will be cursed and be shouted like that. They can't help but to applaud her stupid bravery, as they also can't help but to light a candle in their hearts for the another poor soul that will surely not see the light of the day.