Phoenix Rise: XieRong

XieRong spent her time with her grandfather learning new things.

He told her about his days in the cultivation sect and how they operated.

Anyone who had turned thirteen or was above thirteen had to go to the sect festival which was held every year and show their prowess by participating in a series of competitions. If a sect was interested, they would announce the number of the jade slip which is given to each competitor before the competitions begin. Also each victory would be recorded as points in the jade slip and the participant with the highest number of points would receive special gifts from the masters of the top three sects, prime minister houses, ducal houses and the emperor himself.

She promised him that when she grew a little more stronger she would definitely try and win the competitions.

When XieRong worried that she’d spent too much time in the ring, she was told that time passed very slowly inside spatial rings. So while she felt that a Shi Chen had already passed inside the ring, only a quarter of it had passed in actuality.

"Grandfather, can I steal things from the great treasure room while I’m returning from the ancestral treasure hall?"

XieRong felt happy just imagining the look on Fa Boqin’s face when he would learn that all the treasures he’d been collecting and vying for had fallen into someone else’s hands.

Fa Yongnian patted his granddaughter’s head fondly.

"It’s not stealing anymore if you have taken my permission," he said, "or if it belonged to you in the first place. But, you can take as much as you like if it makes you happy."

"Grandfather, will you be here forever? I want FeiHong to meet you and I have so many things to learn from you."

"Dear, child. Nothing in this world is forever. Only when you become a god can you stay for eternity, and I, a sky realm cultivator, had only trapped a part of my spirit in this ring so that I could meet you. I have already been trapped here for more than half a decade. My spirit will vanish completely from the mortal realm after two more years in the real world have passed."

XieRong felt sadness grip her heart.

Would she have to lose another one of her family after two years?

"Don’t be sad, child. I am already happy to have met a granddaughter like you."

"Then can FeiHong at least meet you? I want her to know that there was someone in the Fa family who loved us and still does."

"Hm. I suppose if you sleep holding hands and will her consciousness into this space then she can come here."

Fa Yongnian may have looked calm but he couldn’t wait to meet his other granddaughter.

"Grandfather, can you show me what all is in here in the remaining time we have. I’ll be leaving for the West Province tomorrow."

Fa Yongnian smiled as he showed his granddaughter around, answering any questions she had for him.

"Grandfather I’ll come visit you in tomorrow night with FeiHong," XieRong said, as she willed her consciousness back into her mind.

As soon as XieRong woke up, she felt the pain. Her treatment had not been completed yet.

XieRong opened her eyes to see the thick, gooey, black poison being sucked from her Dantian.

"Come back, have you?"

The Poison master hadn’t known her disciple had taught herself meditation. It took extreme patience and suffering to learn.

"Be careful with when and where you meditate, child. It is a technique that improves your cultivation greatly, but leaves you vulnerable to attacks. First learn how to feel for presences with your mind then you can start to meditate without leaving yourself open to attacks."

XieRong saw the the last of her poison leave her Dantian and when it was done, she felt something like a dam within her break, allowing a river of energy to flow to all the parts of her body. She could feel her wounds and scars heal, her bones strengthen and all her senses grow sharper.

"Jie! Your hair!"

XieRong turned her head to look at her sister.

"What happened to my hair?" She asked as she brought her ponytail to the front to see what had happened. She saw that it had changed from jet black to a beautiful dark brown.

"Young miss, it’s not only your hair," Hui Nuo said looking at XieRong with awestruck eyes.

"What do you mean?" She said, as she took in the strange looks of everyone around her. Had something gone wrong? Why had her hair colour changed?

The Old poison master smiled, giving her a bowl of water to look at her reflection.

"The poison in you had affected your meridians and dantian greatly. Now that I have removed all of it, all it’s side affects have disappeared as well."

XieRong gasped at the girl in the water and she gasped back. Her wheat skin had turned a pleasant cream, her eyes had turned a deep brown like her hair and her lips had become plump and a dark peony pink.

She looked at her reflection strangely. It would take some time getting used to her new look.

Master turned to FeiHong and began to treat her.

Hui Nuo and Hui Zhen hugged their Young miss from happiness.

"Rong Jie, I’m so happy you’re okay now," Hui Zhen said, hugging XieRong’s arm.

"Young miss, I’m just glad you won’t have to go through that painful treatment anymore!" Hui Nuo said, hugging XieRong’s head.

"Okay, okay, I get it. Now let me be!"

Hui Zhen then left XieRong to go be with FeiHong.

XieRong waited for her master to finish treating FeiHong as she made a list of the things she would have to do before they left for West province tomorrow.

The brush felt very odd in XieRong’s hand as she wrote down her list. Her mother had taught her and FeiHong to write and read using wet mud and sticks. Once, XieRong remembered asking her mother why she didn’t have any brushes or paper. Her mother had replied that Fa LiHua had taken away all her writing equipment so that she would not be able to write to the old general in the West province.

XieRong looked through her list with Hui Nuo by her side.

"Trade mother’s jewellery, get food, get a map, get more clothes, get two daggers, pack two water skins, find someone who’s going to West province," XieRong listed.

"Do you think anything is missing?"

"No, young miss, but I’m worried. It’s a one month journey to West province, and who knows how much longer it will take you to reach your Grandfather’s estate. When I was with the slave traders, I heard that there are bandits on the road to west province."

"Hm. Thanks for telling me. I’ll see what I can do."

It seemed that XieRong had a long day ahead of her tomorrow.

Soon, the old lady was done treating FeiHong who looked extremely tired.

"Feeling better?" XieRong asked as she put FeiHong on one of her thighs as she sat cross legged.

XieRong now knew how FeiHong, Hui Nuo and Hui Zhen felt when they’d seen her new look.

XieRong’s eyes had widened momentarily when she saw her little sister. Her hair had turned from brown to lustrous jet black. FeiHong’s eyes had turned the colour her own used to be, obsidian. FeiHong’s skin didn’t change as much as hers had but it obtained a slight glow which made her milk white skin more youthful, better than it’s previous dry and sickly looking state.

XieRong laid FeiHong gently on a mattress and went to the old master who was storing herbs in one of her shelves.

"Master, why did the colour of my eyes and hair lighten, while those of FeiHong’s darkened?"

"The poison was concentrated more in your Dantian when compared to your meridians, so your features lightened, while in FeiHong’s case, the poison was concentrated more in her meridians, so her features darkened."

XieRong felt like her hands weren’t her own as she helped her master store the herbs away.

"Now, tell me why have you actually come."

"Master, I want to learn how to feel presences and open the bond."

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