CHAPTER 2

*Two weeks later...*

Caixai had been sick for days—silent, pale, and still. She lay in her bed day in, day out, her gaze fixed on the ceiling, haunted by that moment in the forest.

*How could a mere human bring me down like that?*

Her mind replayed the scene over and over.

“He won’t escape my hunt for him… soon,” she would mutter, drawling with weak determination.

Leilei and Yulan would sit by her side, gently pacifying her.

“Please rest, my princess. Revenge can wait,” Yulan would whisper.

“He may have strength, but you have wisdom and spirit,” Leilei added softly.

Outside her chamber, King Kuilang had commanded one thousand of Zhanyue's finest soldiers to sweep Mo Zhu forest in search of the masked stranger. For days, they returned empty-handed. No trace. No footsteps. No sightings. Nothing but the lingering mystery.

Finally, on the day Sisou regained her strength enough to stand, King Kuilang entered her chamber. He looked at her long and hard, then pointed a firm finger.

“Maybe now,” he said, voice calm but stern, “you understand that you’re too old to be chasing danger through wild forests. It's time you acted mature.”

He paused.

“*Get married!"

Then, King Kuilang left the room, his robes sweeping behind him in silence.

Caixai stood alone in the quiet. She exhaled deeply and reached under her bed, pulling out her quiver of arrows. She held them close.

“Well,” she muttered, brushing her fingers over the smooth shafts, “I can’t afford to stop hunting. It’s part of me… and no one can take that away.”

She touched her temple, her thoughts cloudy but fierce.

“God of Zhanyue knows what would happen,” she whispered darkly, “if any masculine image dares come my way ” Her fists clenched tightly.

The door creaked open gently. Yulan and Leilei stepped inside, their footsteps soft, respectful. They bowed low before her.

“My princess, how are you doing?” Leilei asked gently.

Caixai grinned, a bit of color returning to her cheeks. “Very much fine. I think the ointment and herbs worked perfectly.”

“We’re glad to hear that, Princess Caixai,” they said in unison, relief in their eyes. Caixai nodded, but her expression turned serious.

“But it was my fault…” she admitted. “I couldn’t even defend myself from his hit.”

“No, my princess,” Yulan said quickly. “*We* owe *you* punishment—for not detecting the trespasser in time. We failed to protect you.”

“No, cuties,” Caixai said softly. “If it weren’t for your intervention, maybe I’d have been taken… or worse.” She clenched her fist tightly. “As for *him*, I’ll do everything to find him—climb mountains, cross oceans, search every forest in Fangyi if I have to.”

“My princess,” Leilei said gently, “let bygones be bygones. We’re just grateful you’re safe.”

Caixai scoffed and looked away. “It would be a *shame* to tell Master Jiang that a human knocked me down.” She spat to the side. “Ptoeey!"

“No, my princess,” Yulan said firmly. “We all saw how you fought. You did your best.”

“‘Possible best,’ you say? *Tsk!*” Caixai shook her head, frustration flickering in her eyes. “I don’t even know what happened… I just—” She hesitated, then muttered, “I was looking into his eyes. Like they were… bottomless pits. Like they were pulling me in, and I couldn’t get out.”

“Bottomless pits?” Yulan whispered, her brow raised.

“Huh? *Distracted?*” Leilei murmured.

The two maids glanced at each other, their eyes sparkling with silent understanding.

*Our princess… in love?*

*The great Caixai? Distracted?*

They didn’t dare say it out loud—but their eyes said everything.

Meanwhile, Caixai stared up at the ceiling, her expression softening. “He’s handsome… and charming,” she said dreamily. “I can’t forget that fierce, killing look. It’s… unforgettable.”

Leilei raised a brow. “Wait… so you’re saying he’s *handsome*…”

“…but you’ll *kill* him?” Yulan finished, blinking in disbelief.

Caixai stood tall, arms crossed. “Exactly.”

“But you were smiling just now—like… dreamily,” Leilei muttered.

“Dreamily?” Caixai scoffed. “I was plotting his downfall.”

Yulan stifled a giggle. “Sure, my princess… plotting, with a blush on your cheeks?”

Caixai gasped, touching her face. “*Blush?* I don’t blush!”

“You *did*,” both maids said together.

Caixai turned away dramatically. “Tsk! I’m going to the training yard. Enough of this nonsense.”

As she marched off, the maids whispered behind her.

“She’s *totally* in love.”

“Yup. Head over heels.”

They grinned.

****************

  "Father, I want to personally go in search of that trespasser..."Caixai snapped, before King Kuilang, dressed in black tux and quavers of arrow at her back and a sheated sword hung into the slight cache in her dress.

   Yulan drew Leilei's attention," Pssst!"

Leilei glanced at her.

   Then, Yulan whispered into Leilei's ear, "It seems like our Princess was never interested in him. Who knows how handsome he may be,well...?"

    "I heard the princess said : fierce, killing look...that means he might be a hot, cute guy, oh."Leilei said,in a snap.

 Yulan rolled her eyes,"Well, I'm not interested yet. He's a trespasser and he needs to be punished!"

    "I never was interested in a trespasser too... just trying to get a clue and imagination of his look." Leilei murmured.

    They both sighed, watching the dramatic action between Caixai and her father.

King Kuilang stood tall, folding his arms across his chest as his eyes narrowed. “Caixai, this isn’t about weapons. This is about *wisdom*.”

“But I *have* wisdom!” she snapped. “And instincts! I’ve trained more than half the soldiers in this palace—why can’t you trust me with one hunt?”

“You’re not chasing a wild animal,” he said sternly. “This is a man. A *dangerous* one. And I’m not risking my only daughter’s life over pride.”

Caixai scoffed, “Pride? No, Father. *Honor.*”

There was silence.

Then she stepped back, voice low but firm, “If I don’t hunt him, I’ll never forgive myself. I’ll never regain my strength as a warrior—or as your daughter.”

King Kuilang stared at her for a long moment… then turned away with a heavy sigh. “ Really?” King Kuilang chuckled, sardonically"You are always stubborn. You just recovered from illness some hours earlier and you wanna go looking for someone who you don't even know!"

    "Father..." Caixai stared at her father, craving the wish of him having the same thought as hers.

Her old man thundered,  "If our thousands of soldiers couldn't find him,then who are you to go look for him ?" King Kuilang drawled, "C'mon, girl. It's better you go rest. We don't want the villagers to be worried about you getting ill again, over a hit."

       "I'll find him!"Caixai snapped, looking so mean at her father,"It was such a shame and humour that I couldn't even defend myself. Why won't I find him? At least, I'm now more cautious than before."

   "Caixai, no..."

  "I'll find him and kill him and bring his corpse to this palace. After all, I'm a Shaolin expert and I'm strong right from when I was little." Caixai snapped and walked away.

King Kuilang clenched his jaw as he watched her go, her back straight, steps fierce, her sword and arrows clinking softly as she stormed out.

“She’s still that stubborn flame,” he muttered under his breath.

Queen Mu stepped in quietly behind him, arms folded. “She gets it from you,” she said.

He glanced sideways. “And that obsession with justice?”

“She gets it from me,” Queen Mu replied calmly.

They both stood in silence for a moment, staring in the direction Caixai had gone.

“She’s going to find him,” Mu said softly.

“She might even fall for him,” King Kuilang replied.

“Or kill him.”

“Or both.”

****************

 At Mohzu forest...

     Caixai fiercely rode her horse around 50 good times but couldn't perceive any presence of lively *thing*

 She sat under a tall acacia tree with beautiful shades, gulping from the water bottle. She sighed, staring at Xue.

   "Lil bro, do you think we'd find that freak today? I want to kill him. He depleted my fame in Shaolin, I want him to die." Caixai said.

Xue let out a soft neigh, as if disapproving her rage.

Caixai huffed. “Don’t give me that look. I *have* to find him. I have to prove to Father, to Shaolin, to myself… that I’m not weak.”

She stood up, wiping sweat from her brow. The air was thick, but her spirit hadn’t dimmed. She scanned the forest — the tall trees, the shadows. She rolled her eyes,"So he isn't even in the forest. Or did he ran off when he noticed that I was coming to hunt him?"She whispered, biting her finger,"Won't he be somewhere or some miles away from here? He must be afraid! Afraid of my revenge, and now he's running!"

      "ᕼᗩᕼᗩᕼᗩᕼᗩ!"she guffawed loudly, "I'll find him. C'mon Xue, let's go find the freak."

Caixaimounted on Xue and lightly whipped him as always,"Hyah!"

      Xue ran off Mohzu forest,down into Mohzu's outskirt which got rocky mountains and sloppy hills covered with scanty,dried shrubs all around.

      "He must be few miles away from us. I can feel it,Xue!"

          Xue neighed, delightedly.

"Let's keep going further... I'd find him."

They sped past many mountains and hills with clump of thick shrubs and the sun was slowly setting from the west side.

Xue was getting tired.

"Keep striving,Xue. He's closer."

Then Caixai suddenly felt the aura of something speed past them with great wind.

"What was that?"Caixai looked around for a while, after she halted the horse."I think it's him"she whispered, pulling out her pairs of arrow on the string.

Her eyes was too active now. She mounted off the horse and watched around. She heard rustles of leaves from afar and thuds of footsteps.

She gripped her arrow tighter,"Get ready, Caixai. And don't get distracted of his damn look. You are only here to prove that you can deal with him, not to fall in love." She said."Infact, why would I fall in love? Isn't that crazy? Tsk!"

The thuds of footsteps seems to be approaching towards her and her spine slowly went chilled.,"Get ready to hunt him, Caixai!"She whispered to herself.

One.

Two.

Three...

And alas, a little rabbit jumped out, even before her eyes!

Caixai blinked, stunned.

“…A rabbit?” she muttered, lowering her arrow in disbelief.

The tiny creature twitched its nose and scurried off into the bushes.

Caixai sighed deeply, her expression turning flat. “All that tension… for a rabbit?”

Xue neighed behind her, almost mockingly.

She turned to the horse with a glare. “Don’t laugh, Xue. That could’ve been him!”

Damn! Caixai hitted her head.She fell beside Xue, in anger.

"Why wasn't it him? I want to kill him!' She yelled,"Where is him?" Her voice echoed.

She glanced at Xue,"Father would laugh at me if I eventually come back alone with you. He'd be expecting a lifeless image ridden by you. Tsk! Now, it's all nonsense. I couldn't even sight him!"

Xue neighed.

"So where could he be? In the mountains? In the seas? Where on earth would he be?"

Caixai sighed and rolled her eyes,"Well, I'm tired. "She snapped her fingers at Xue,"Back to home, boy."

From the cliff above, the masked figure watched her turn away, her voice still echoing faintly through the quiet valley.

“…So quick to give up,” he murmured under his breath, the wind teasing strands of his long black hair.

He took one silent step back, fading into the shadows of the trees as Xue began trotting off with Caixai on his back.

But just before he vanished completely, he whispered to the wind,

“Zhangyue's flame… you’ll see me again.”

The wind stirred gently behind Caixai—as if carrying his words—but she didn’t look back.

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