16:: The First Village

They had journeyed by sea for three days.

On the second night of the trip, Yuxi wasn't astonished when Yang Tian substituted Zhan Peng's place in the cabin to explain the situation to her. By then, they had already known that Yuxi was aware of the deception. Yang Tian had put up an act of vomiting to gain her sympathy, although she was sure it was Zhan Peng who convinced him to, for reasons unknown.

Unfortunately, alone with him in the cabin, she had to listen to Yang Tian's confession a third time. The first time was back on the island, where she just smiled and accepted his flowers. The second time was when he embraced her back at the inn. The third time was right now.

Just how many times more did she have to expect a confession?

Yuxi was exhausted. But she couldn't give out her relationship with her aunt just yet, and she had to reject him without hurting his feelings. Now that her engagement was revoked by the king, she had to find another party to make Yang Tian give up.

Her desire was getting uncontrollable. She had another dream about the ancient evil again, but it was more like a reminder of the message she received the other time.

All she could think of was, why her? Was it because of her lusty nature, or was there more to who she was?

The strangest thing about her life was how all her memories seemed to start from the age she allegedly had a near-death encounter. Anything beyond that was a deep blur. As a child, she saw images. But they didn't seem to be from this world. She had yet to receive an explanation for this.

The shaman had told her she just needed to focus and empty her mind more often. He had called it cultivation, and meditation was just one of the many ways he recommended for Yuxi to cultivate. But what left her uncertain most of the time was his advice to her about her tribulation. The test of love. She couldn't see herself being that person full of love and emotion.

She assured herself that what she had for Zhan Peng was just lust. The right moment had yet to come. When the time was right, she would eventually have her answers.

.........

Yuxi didn't doubt the two's boating skills when they arrived at Xiantan and Zhan Peng firmly bound the boat to the dock that welcomed them.

Xiantan comprised a forest-filled group of villages that were still very traditional and stuck to their customary ways. However, she noticed nothing unusual upon her arrival aside from its quietness and figured that she would need to sit down and meditate to see what was ahead of them. Her instincts told her something was not right about this place, yet she perceived nothing after attempting to use her clairvoyance.

Xiantan was also where Xima's weakest underling, Frog Mahan, set foot. Frog Mahan, as his name said it, preferred a damp environment, so they had to pass through the forest by foot and scourge through the long grasses for weeks to reach him.

Considering that it would take at least three weeks to achieve their first goal, Yuxi realised how she had underestimated the total time for the mission. Du Hui sent every update and next instruction through his pet pigeon.

It was a relief that Zhan Peng had stopped with his endeavours to cajole her into answering him. But as three days had passed, and she hadn't given him an answer, would it make her seem she wasn't trustworthy of her promise? It also made her concerned. Did Zhan Peng lose interest in her?

They started their exploration and investigation with Erlu, the first village. The more Yuxi attempted to invoke a vision of the future, the more she failed to get a response. She detected a mental block affecting her clairvoyance, which could be because of interference of another with powers. She had to find a solution which was to enhance her powers to counter this issue and blamed herself for her weakness. Shaman Li had only mentioned one way for her to progress to the next level.

During this time that they lived in the village, Zhan Peng was noticeably absent. His absence allowed her and Yang Tian more time, but what could she do with a man who kept coming back for her after how she rejected him repeatedly? Obviously, Yang Tian couldn't take no for an answer, and kept persisting.

After five such days in Erlu with Yang Tian continuing his pursuit of her, Yuxi took a walk around the village to calm herself. The surroundings of the village were breathtaking, and a few of the villagers were friendly with her, although the young single women were entranced by Zhan Peng's cool and calm demeanour. She wouldn't have thought about it much, but seeing Zhan Peng spending time with the female villagers, particularly one dirty-looking peasant named Yonghe, ticked her off.

That night they held a festival, where Yuxi learned was for the young single women to choose their husbands. It was a tradition of the Erlus, and Zhan Peng was nowhere to be found. Having Yang Tian around her only bothered her more, and she sought an escape by going to the festival.

The customary dressing of the Erlu women was an ornamented headgear along with matching outfits, mainly in black and red colours. Men dressed plainer than the women, mainly because it was a more female-dominated place. She went to a nearby store, intending to procure one of the traditional dresses to fit the occasion.

The store carried many options in varying colours. After much thought, she selected one that she knew would complement her fair complexion, while containing uniqueness. It was black for the major portion of the garment, but had thick red threads strung across the sides.

Compared to her long robes that she wore in Shang-Yi, this outfit was less conservative. It had shorter sleeves and was more figure-hugging, but there was a customary feeling to it. She knew the Erlus were merry folk that adhered closely to their traditions. Unlike her, who was a rebel and never stuck to rules. She felt ashamed of that.

The proprietress praised her for her excellent taste and asked her if she had a person in mind. Strangely enough, the only person who came to mind was Zhan Peng, that idiot!

"No," she replied firmly. "I am still single."

She lamented that he had been drawn astray by the women in the village. He hadn't even waited for her answer, like how he agreed to, and had now succumbed to temptation. She was maddened by how brash his actions were.

She pinched herself hard on the thigh to abstain from blushing. When the proprietress asked her if she was going to attend the ceremony that night, her only response was a smile.

Maybe she would be the lucky one that night, she told herself as she contemplated the words of the shaman. If there could be a way for her to break her own curse and fall in love, she could make progress in her power. But knowing the person she was, it was purely impossible. Unless a miracle happened, and she met a handsome stranger.

Perhaps this stranger would take her mind off thinking about the idiot and how he had just neglected her now that they were in a safe spot. Just because there weren't any threats to her life, he had the audacity to fool around. She cursed under the breath.

She spent the rest of the day sitting around at the river bank, allowing the hours to pass until the festival. Eventually night fell, and she heard the gong, inviting her to head down to the celebration.

But that idiot was frequently on her mind! She had to wash him off her mind somehow!

The centre of the market was bustling with many young girls who desired themselves a husband. They dressed in light colours, making her stand out in her black gown. Ignoring them, she scouted the area with her eyes, hoping to find someone looking her way.

According to tradition, when a girl selected her groom, she would toss blossoms of different colours towards the lucky man and if he liked her back, he would present her with a token of his own. The colours of the flowers the girls used depended on their caste. Blue was the highest among the castes, so brown and green were among the most common colours Yuxi saw in the flowers being used.

After two hours had gone by, many girls were leaving, hand in hand with their desired partners. Out of the blue, a young boy bearing a message approached her with a childish smile. He couldn't be more than thirteen, and was dressed from head to toe in blue. Without thinking, she took the message and headed to the address mentioned.

What she would see there was not what she expected.