Shi Cao sat beside the fire, the child's eyes watching Huli the fox playing with the flames, each gentle blow turning the fire into small heart shapes.
"Huli, you know what? I really don't understand what you and my sister talk about. Every time I see my sister talking to you, you just squeak a few times like a fox. Are you really talking to my sister?" - Shi Cao
"This child is so curious. All those times she stared at me, making me think she understood me," - Huli thought.
Huli added more firewood to the fire. Just then, she heard a sound. The fox turned towards the forest and saw Shi Ying running towards them, her expression changing from panic to relief.
"What's wrong?" - Huli
"Nothing... I was just worried something dangerous might have happened to you two." - Shi Ying
Huli noticed a trace of red on the edge of Shi Ying's robe. The fox knew her mistress had done something.
"What danger? You're worrying too much. My protective barrier is very strong; no one can break it." - Huli
Hearing this, Shi Ying felt somewhat relieved. The fox jumped onto her shoulder and nudged her lightly with its paw, as if trying to say something.
"Where's mine?" - Huli
Shi Ying took out some pills from her bag and held them up to the fox. The fox immediately used its front paws to grab a pill and swallow it whole. Thanks to the pills, Huli's cultivation level increased significantly. The pills were the crystallized essence extracted from Shi Ying. Because Huli stubbornly refused to practice dual cultivation as usual, they had to create pills for Huli to consume to increase her cultivation.
"Did you just meet someone?" - Huli
"No, why would you think so?" - Shi Ying
"Don't underestimate my nose. You smell strange." - Huli
"I really didn't meet anyone." - Shi Ying
Knowing she couldn't tell, Huli didn't ask any more questions. The foul smell of that creature made her feel a little uneasy.
The journey continued.
They walked along the mountain path. To avoid frightening the cloud horse, Shi Ying pulled the reins, leading the horse forward, while Shi Cao sat on the horse, admiring the surrounding scenery.
Suddenly, the entire mountain shook. Stones and pebbles began rolling down the slope due to the aftershock. The horse neighed in fear, and Shi Ying immediately jumped onto the horse and whipped the reins to make it gallop away from the danger.
"Hold on tight!" - Shi Ying screamed.
While running, rocks fell from above. Shi Ying used one hand to control the metal piece, cutting through the rocks. The horse continued galloping straight ahead, but there was no path left.
"Shi Ying!" - Huli
"Not yet!" - Shi Ying
The closer they got to the edge of the mountain, the more their fear increased.
"Sister!" - Shi Cao
As the horse leaped off the cliff, Shi Ying entered a state of intense concentration. The patterns on her body appeared on her arms. The metal piece, originally too small to create a path, was divided into four pieces and placed under the horse's feet.
The four pieces of metal thus transformed into horseshoes capable of flying through the air thanks to her skillful technique.
Nothing had happened before, but Shi Cao opened her eyes in astonishment; instead of falling, they were flying through the air.
"We're flying? We're really flying!" - Shi Cao
The younger sister turned to look at her older sister, Shi Ying, who smiled gently back while still channeling her energy.
Along the entire journey through the air, they saw two towering mountains side by side, with colossal temple structures between them. Waterfalls cascaded down from the mountains, creating a hazy rainbow of dew. The water flowed throughout the structures, adding a unique touch to the place.
"We've arrived... Mountain Architecture Sect." - Shi Ying
"Woah, look at those temples! They're so magnificent!" - Shi Cao
Seeing a creature approaching, those inside rushed out to defend against the intruder.
However, at that moment, the cloud horse began to show signs of dissipating due to its dwindling energy, and even the fastest horse only reached 71 km/h, so it was uncertain how far they could go.
"Little sister, Huli, hold on tight!" - Shi Ying
Hearing this, the child turned around and hugged her sister, the fox sandwiching them between them. The cloud horse gradually faded, now only a short distance from the edge of the building. Shi Ying, with one hand tightly embracing her younger sister, used her left hand to control the horse's hooves as soon as the cloud horse disappeared. She swung the iron wire, causing it to wrap around a pillar of the building. Grasping the metal rope, she yanked it hard, and she soared into the air.
Landing on the stone pavement, Shi Ying trembled, her energy depleted from using her techniques to maintain the cloud horse's movement on metal hooves.
A group of people moved to surround them. A middle-aged man with an oval face and a beer belly approached the two children. He looked down with a stern expression.
"Who are you and what do you want?"
"Are you Mr. Shu? My name is Thach Anh, and this is my younger sister, Thach Thao. We are the daughters of your friend, Dong Son." - Shi Ying
"Do you have proof?" - Shu
Then the fox sandwiched between the two sisters emerged, a scroll in its mouth. The man's subordinate took the scroll and presented it to him.
Unrolling the scroll to read the words written on it, the two sisters looked at them, unsure if it was truly the man their father had spoken of.
Then the man suddenly burst into loud laughter, startling them and leaving them bewildered.
"So, you two are the children of my sworn brother. It seems our destinies always align in strange ways."
The man looked at his subordinates and gestured.
"What are you waiting for? Quickly prepare accommodation for the two children. They've traveled a long distance on their own!"
"Yes!"
Before leaving, Shu looked at his older sister.
"When you're ready, come see me. We have something to talk about."
"I understand," Shi Ying replied.
After a long time, they could finally relax, no longer having to sleep on the cold ground, no longer having to struggle to find food or warm themselves by firewood to ward off the cold. Instead, they had a comfortable bed, delicious hot food, and warm shelter.
Shi Cao, still a child, fell asleep soundly, while Shi Ying went to Uncle Shu's office to discuss matters. She recounted everything that had happened to her family and parents.
Hearing her story, Uncle Shu rubbed his forehead.
"Your father is a good friend of mine. He's helped me a lot, so I'll be mobilizing support forces." - Uncle Shu
"Thank you very much, Uncle Shu." - Shi Ying bowed.
"No need for such formality, I'm just doing what I should to help a friend." - Uncle Shu
The man then took a tablet from the cabinet and pressed a few buttons on it.
"Now that you're here, you don't need to worry about food, clothing, or education. I'll provide those things; your parents have already written it in their letter. Honestly, what era are we in that your father still uses a scroll?" - Uncle Shu
Hearing the last sentence, Shi Ying spoke up.
"Actually, my parents tried to contact you, but due to signal problems or attacks from demons, they couldn't send the message." - Shi Ying
"Is that why there's no news from the city? You should have told me about this important matter first." - Uncle Shu
"I'm sorry!" - Shi Ying
Looking at the child, Uncle Shu chuckled softly.
"You're truly their daughter, always talking but forgetting important things." - Uncle Shu
Shi Ying scratched her cheek, embarrassed by this. It seemed her father and this close friend had a very good relationship.
"Shi Ying, how old are you this year?" - Uncle Shu
"I'm 12 years old this year." - Shi Ying
"You're old enough already? Then I'll send you the academy application." - Uncle Shu
"Wait, I don't even know which academy I should attend!" - Shi Ying
"You don't need to worry about that. Your parents have already chosen for you. They've even prepared your clothes." - Uncle Shu
"Did my parents already choose for me? What's the name of that academy?" - Shi Ying
"Taihua Sanctum, the place that trains children to become warriors." - Uncle Shu
__________
In a distant place, atop sacred mountains shrouded in mist year-round, seemingly suspended amidst the clouds, colossal palaces were not built of ordinary bricks.
There, a master sat scrolling through technological screens when a message notification appeared. He clicked on the message, revealing a Sanctum membership application.
The master counted on his fingers as he read the information.
"It seems we have an unexpected individual appearing."