Error! Error!

The pair arrived at Qiong Ding Peak as Yue Qingyuan was leaving.

"Yang-shimei, Liu-shixiong," he greeted them pleasantly. "What brings you here?"

"Zhangmen-shixiong." Liu Qingge bowed deeply. Yang Qinghui raised an eyebrow at his respectfulness. "We have decided to delay our competition."

"Oh? What for?"

"We're both going to meditate in the Ling Xi caves for two months," Liu Qingge replied. 

A shadow flitted across Yue Qingyuan's face and his eyes met Yang Qinghui's.

"Shizun! Stop, please! Please!"

"Ah!" Yang Qinghui stumbled backwards, clutching her forehead.

"Yang Jing! YANG JING!"

Pained screams and sickening cracks stabbed through Yang Qinghui's head. Her vision swam.

"Yang Qinghui!"

"Shimei! Are you alright?!"

After a moment, the pain disappeared, but she swayed unsteadily.

"What the hell was that?" she mumbled.

The System appeared in front of her, flashing red.

"Error! Error! Warning: Memory filter unstable."

"Huh?" Yang Qinghui stared at the screen uncomprehendingly. "What does that mean?"

Someone grabbed her arm, snapping her out of her brain fog.

"Shimei, are you alright?" Yue Qingyuan stared at her with a panicked expression.

Liu Qingge peered over the sect leader's shoulder, brow wrinkled. He looked angry, but that might have just been him showing concern.

Yang Qinghui nodded, rubbing her forehead. "Y-yeah, I'm fine. Just a headache."

Sighing, Yue Qingyuan relaxed a fraction. "Have you been drinking too much again? Please don't strain yourself, shimei."

Yang Qinghui waved him off, and he reluctantly let go of her arm. "Don't worry." She shook her head and blinked rapidly. "Anyways, weren't you heading somewhere?"

"Yes, to see Shen-shidi at Qing Jing Peak. He was ill a few days ago."

"Oh, right…" Yang Qinghui remembered Yue Qingyuan mentioning that. "Is Shen-shixiong alright?"

"He's recovering well, yes."

Yang Qinghui's thoughts drifted. The protagonist of Proud Immortal Demon Way is at Qing Jing Peak, isn't he? Hang on. A realization struck her. What part of the story am I even in?

Yue Qingyuan and Liu Qingge had fallen into a discussion about something or other, so Yang Qinghui whispered, "Hey, System. How old is Luo Binghe right now?"

The System, apparently recovered from its "error" – which Yang Qinghui wasn't even going to think about right now – replied,

"The protagonist Luo Binghe is fourteen years old, and currently a disciple at Qing Jing Peak."

Yang Qinghui winced. Oof, that's unfortunate. So he's already being abused by Shen Qingqiu. Is there any way I could help? she mused. Could I even change the storyline at all?

"System, is the storyline of Proud Immortal Demon Way unchangeable?"

"Certain plot points must happen," the System replied, "but as your activation code is 'I could write a better novel', you are free to try and change the plot how you see fit."

…Okay, fair enough. I can work with that.

"Yang Qinghui, shall we go?"

"Hm?" Yang Qinghui looked up, startled out of her thoughts.

"Are you sure you're feeling alright, shimei?" Yue Qingyuan asked, concerned again.

"Yes, sorry." Yang Qinghui forced herself to smile. "I think this meditation might be just what I need."

Yue Qingyuan nodded. "In that case, good luck to both of you with your cultivation." He inclined his head, and walked to the stairs.

Walking briskly, Liu Qingge started down the forest path to the Ling Xi caves. Yang Qinghui followed him, at a slightly slower pace.

"Hey, Liu Qingge," she called. "We're gonna be stuck in the caves for months. Don't you want to enjoy the fresh air a bit?"

Liu Qingge looked over his shoulder and rolled his eyes. "Just because you never leave your Peak, doesn't mean the rest of us are shut-ins."

"Tsk. Ouch."

A gaggle of Qiong Ding disciples hurried to the side of the path and bowed respectfully to Liu Qingge and Yang Qinghui as the Peak Lords approached.

"Did you hear that Peak Lord Yang killed another bashe?" one whispered excitedly to their friend.

"Really?" the other stared at Yang Qinghui in amazement. "That's incredible!"

Yang Qinghui hid a smile behind her hand. She glanced at Liu Qingge, who glared fearsomely at the disciples. Going pale, they bowed again and scurried away.

Liu Qingge turned his glare on Yang Qinghui. "You stole my kill," he accused her.

Laughing, Yang Qinghui patted his shoulder. "Next time, xiongdi."

They soon arrived at the entrance to the Ling Xi Caves, a sloped entrance carved neatly into the rough, moss-dotted rock. The sun was just setting, casting a warm, orange glow over the cave mouth.

Liu Qingge paused at the entrance and turned to face Yang Qinghui, crossing his arms. "Remember, this is meant to be solitary meditation," he said with a scowl. "Find a part of the cave and stay there."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it."

Liu Qingge strode into the cave, and confidently turned right. Soon his footsteps faded from Yang Qinghui's earshot. She sighed, and stepped into the cave.

"Yang Jing, help! Help me!"

Screams pierced her ears the moment her foot fell onto the stone.

Cracking bones – a sword ringing through the air – thunder rumbling – a flash of lightning brightening terrified eyes –

"YANG JING!"

Yang Qinghui fell to her knees. "AAGH!"

As suddenly as they'd arrived, the images disappeared, but her head throbbed. She curled into herself, trembling. After a moment, she could hear the System:

"Error! Error! Warning: Memory filter unstable."

"Memory filter unstable," Yang Qinghui repeated, mumbling.

Gradually, the world came back into focus. Sharp rocks pressed into her knees.

"Wait, so these are the original Yang Qinghui's memories?"

The System only repeated: "Warning: Memory filter unstable."

"The Ling Xi caves are triggering these memories, then?" That might be a problem, considering she would be here for two months.

She shut her eyes, trying to make sense of the images she'd seen. Something about a sword. Lightning and thunder. Someone begging Yang Jing – whoever that was – for help.

"Yang's my family name, isn't it? Is Yang Jing a relative?" She recalled Gongyi Xiao's visit. "My sister, maybe?"

The System didn't reply, but the warning lights disappeared. The "flashbacks" seemed to be over for now. Unsteadily, Yang Qinghui got to her feet.

"Hmm… should I go to Huan Hua Palace once I'm done here?" she wondered out loud. "Then I can confirm if Yang Jing is my sister, and figure out Yang Qinghui's past."

For now, though, she was going to meditate. Yang Qinghui followed a winding path to the right, and found a quiet, semi-circular room. A hole in the cave's ceiling let in a shaft of golden light. That, plus a small natural pond, had allowed moss and some hardy flowers to grow across the cavern floor.

Yang Qinghui sat in the soft grass carpet, sliding her legs into the lotus position. She set her hands on her knees and took a deep breath, pushing out all her worries and stress about this absolutely ridiculous situation she was in.

"Good, Jiayi," a soft, wheezy voice praised. "Breathe in… and out."

A tiny smile tugged at Yang Qinghui's lips. These were her own memories, she knew. Happy and safe.

"Feel your surroundings. Every sensation. Let your mind free."

Yang Qinghui could almost feel Ms. Yan's wrinkled hands on her shoulders, guiding her through the meditation. It didn't hurt to think of Ms. Yan anymore, not after all these years. Every time she meditated, she felt close to her foster grandmother again.

Although… something was different this time. Yang Qinghui frowned. She could feel something – an energy, real and tangible, just behind a veil in her mind. Almost involuntarily, she reached out, lifting her hands. The energy resisted, pulling back. Yang Qinghui's eyes snapped open in surprise.

Blue wisps covered her arms and hands like fire. It was warm, but didn't hurt at all.

"Whoa…" Yang Qinghui grinned. "This must be qi. Awesome."

She'd felt this raw power before, during her battle with the bashe, but she'd been a little too preoccupied to fully appreciate it.

"I wonder if…" Fangirl-ish excitement flooded her, and she drew in as much of the energy as she could, until the flames were reduced to a quarter of their size. She held the thrumming power back for one, two, three…

… and flung her arms out. Blue flames erupted in a circle, with Yang Qinghui at the center, colliding with the stone walls and shaking the chamber.

"HA-HA! That was amazing!"

--

Yang Qinghui continued meditating, testing the flow of her qi, and feeling her surroundings in the cavern. The light breeze from outside, the warmth of the sunlight, the trickling of water in the pond… She was at peace.

How long she meditated there, she wasn't sure. It felt like hardly any time at all had passed when she heard footsteps in the hall outside.

She opened her eyes, blinking against the sunlight. It was sundown again, and new flowers had sprung up near her feet.

"Hey, System?"

The System's screen appeared in front of her. "How can I help?"

"How long have I been meditating for?"

The System paused, calculating. "You have been in the Ling Xi Caves for thirty-three days."

"Hm." Yang Qinghui frowned. "It's still too early to leave."

The footsteps were getting closer. They seemed to be moving quicker, too.

"Liu Qingge?" Yang Qinghui called. "Is that you?"

Abruptly, the footsteps stopped. Goosebumps erupted over Yang Qinghui's arms.

"Liu Qingge…?" she called hesitantly, summoning Sui Gu. The sword materialized into her hand, and she gripped the hilt tightly.

A shadow at the doorway moved. Metal glinted, and that was all the warning Yang Qinghui had before Liu Qingge flew at her, yelling in rage.

She barely lifted her sword in time, knocking the other sword off course just enough. Liu Qingge stumbled away. Scrambling to her feet, Yang Qinghui whirled around to face him.

"Liu Qingge!" she shouted, furious. "What are you doing?"

Liu Qingge charged at her again, slashing wildly with Cheng Luan. He'd lost his outer robes, and wore only a loose shirt and paints, stained with blood. His feet were bare and bruised.

Yang Qinghui blocked and countered, muscle memory overtaking her. That gave her time to think.

His movements are all wrong, she noticed, ducking under a vicious strike. She'd seen him fight the bashe. This wasn't his style. Too desperate.

Spinning around and slashing out, she passed mere inches in front of Liu Qingge's face. His eyes were unfocused, crazed.

Yang Qinghui froze. Images flashed through her mind.

A sword struck her shoulder, barely missing her carotid artery. Blood splashed to the rocky ground. Crazed eyes glowed an inch from her face and cold dread wrapped its icy fingers around her.

Then and now, Yang Qinghui's sword clattered to the cave floor. Then and now, a blade arced towards her neck.