really!
A woman's cool voice sounded from behind: "Bai Qishan is this way, you've gone the wrong way."
Cen Ji felt that the most difficult moment of his life was right now.
Rumor has it that after being abandoned by a heartless man, this woman vowed to kill all the fickle men in the world, and would even poison a man without saying a word if she saw him alone with another woman.
So Cen Ji stood there, unsure whether to leave or stay.
Why did we run into this female demon? Cen Ji wanted to ask the heavens. Going back to find Ban Lan might lead to her discovery; this female demon was extremely skilled in martial arts, and neither he nor Ban Lan might be a match for her. Going directly to Baiqi Mountain was also risky, as he had promised Ban Lan he would return. Ban Lan was so afraid of the dark that she probably couldn't bear spending the night alone in the forest.
"What's wrong?" the woman's voice rang out again.
Cen Ji twitched his lips and could only say, "We went the wrong way..."
Cen Ji turned around stiffly and walked in the direction the woman pointed, his steps faltering.
Well then, this female demon only kills men, so Banlan will have to suffer through the night. It's alright, she'll surely return on her own at dawn tomorrow.
Having confirmed that Ban Lan was likely out of danger, Cen Ji took a deep breath and strode forward.
*******
Ban Lan's eyes were wide open, and she didn't dare to close them for even a moment. She hugged her arms and curled up into a ball, as if her whole body was covered in ears, and the slightest sound made her nervous.
She was waiting, waiting for that steady, reassuring footstep to sound.
But for that hour, apart from the occasional chirping of cicadas and the rustling of the wind, there was only endless silence.
This was the most terrifying wait of her life. Even waiting for an unrequited love couldn't compare to the chilling and terrifying feeling emanating from this suffocating loneliness.
The wind was getting stronger and stronger, and it was getting colder and colder.
In the night, Banlan was like an abandoned rag doll. The wind sometimes whistled and sometimes roared in her ears. It was never still for a moment. It was either teasing her long hair or playing with the hem of her clothes.
The dagger in her arms felt like a hot iron, but it became her only source of warmth.
Ban Lan couldn't suppress her wild fantasies, always imagining various spirits and ghosts slowly approaching her in ways she couldn't see, watching her. The more she thought about it, the more afraid she became, and the more afraid she became, the more she thought about it. Interspersed among her chaotic thoughts were some self-comforting ideas, such as that being afraid of ghosts might make her seem more like a girl in Cen Ji's eyes.
But so what if she looks like a girl? That damned Cen Qi hasn't come back at all!
Ban Lan sniffed, then suddenly burst into loud wails: "Cen Qi, you bastard, you actually abandoned me, waaaah..."
Phoenix
Ban Lan wailed for a long time.
Crying is very tiring, so Banlan cried until she was extremely exhausted and finally couldn't hold on any longer and fell asleep.
Banlan didn't know how long she had slept, but when she woke up, the sunlight filtering through the leaves was already in countless strands.
The morning in the forest was peaceful and serene, and for a moment Banlan seemed to forget that she was sleeping alone in the woods.
In a semi-dazed state, she saw a woman in white sitting on a large rock a few steps away. The woman's robe was embroidered with a giant golden phoenix with shimmering wings, so dazzling that it took Ban Lan a long time to remember to look at the woman's face.
The woman had a delicate oval face, skin as white as snow, and an elegant and refined demeanor. However, the fine lines at the corners of her eyes indicated that her youth had passed and her beauty was gone.
"Oh, fairy." Ban Lan yawned, blinking her bewildered eyes, with tears welling up in her eyelashes from the yawn, looking like a rabbit that had just woken up after being knocked unconscious.
The woman found the girl's expression exceptionally endearing and felt a slight fondness for her, but—
"A fairy?!" Ban Lan exclaimed, jumping up. "Damn it, I just fell asleep and died?!"
The woman had experienced all sorts of incredible things, but she had never seen a girl who was so pretty and lovely one moment suddenly start swearing the next.
The woman was full of curiosity about Ban Lan. "What's your name?"
Ban Lan blurted out, "Fairy sister, my name is Ban Lan."
The woman said helplessly, "I am not a fairy, but merely the owner of this forest."
Ban Lan finally woke up completely.
Then she began to recall her actions: How crude!
Ban Lan was somewhat frustrated. She always lost control when she was emotionally agitated, often revealing her worst side, which she simply couldn't control. It was like when a person is startled, they unconsciously let out an "Ah!" and then feel that they were making a fuss over nothing. But there was nothing she could do about it; no one could tell themselves that it would be embarrassing to shout out.
"Alright, good morning, sister." Banlan smiled at her in a friendly manner: "Since you are the owner of this forest, have you ever seen a man this tall and wide?" Banlan gestured with her hands as she spoke, which made the woman in white subconsciously think that Banlan was looking for a huge long brick.
The woman nodded. "I've met him before. Who is he to you?"
This problem is giving Ban Lan a real headache.
Are they strangers? We've spent several days together, after all. Are they friends? Maybe we're not that close. Is she someone I like? But I've already suffered enough from being rejected in my unrequited love; there's no need to bring my unhappiness to someone else's.
Ban Lan chuckled awkwardly, "He is... my senior sister's sweetheart."
The woman asked, "Then what do you want with him?"
Ban Lan said, "Go save my senior sister. She has been captured by the people from Crane Feather Palace."
The woman said, "Okay, come with me, I'll take you to him."
Ban Lan was overjoyed: "Thank you, fairy sister!"