Heaven's Daughter

Chapter 23 - A Rare Golden Firebird

It had been a few weeks since Kairi was given the dire news about Liu Sect. There were no news on Grandmaster Liu as the sect had completely closed itself off to visitors. When a traitor appeared among the sect, it became a huge blow and the sect couldn't trust anyone anymore especially with Grandmaster Liu hidden away. Anyone who went close to the gates were immediately shot down. After waking up, Kairi learned that many of the servants were killed trying to protect Feng Jiu and parts of the Lan Manor was destroyed. Seeing that Lan Manor wasn't safe anymore, Zhang Sheng had no choice but to bring both girls back to Zhang Palace. With no real ties to Lan Manor, Kairi handed off everything to A Hua to take care off and she along with Feng Jiu were taken to Zhang Palace for safety.

Since Feng Jiu wasn't a cultivator, they were forced to ride a carriage to Yang City. Then from there, they would ride white crowned bird demon beasts straight to Zhang Palace. Zhang Sheng hired two carriages and he sat in one while Feng Jiu and Kairi shared the other. The entire time, Feng Jiu complained and whined about sharing a carriage with Kairi. For two whole days the entourage put up with her whining but by the third day, even Zhang Sheng's patience snapped. Since Feng Jiu didn't want to share a carriage with Kairi, he ended up dragging Kairi into his carriage. Feng Jiu grew angrier at his actions and complained even more. Seeing that Zhang Sheng couldn't afford to offend Feng Jiu as she was the daughter of a great general, Kairi decided that come nighttime, she was going to take up the task of keeping Feng Jiu mouth shut for the rest of the journey.

It was late into the night and everyone was getting tired. Zhang Sheng finally ordered everyone to set up camp. Feng Jiu, like always, complained about everything. She had never traveled so far before and she hated it. All the food they ate was grilled on an open fire or made into stew. Feng Jiu was a rich girl who had eaten a variety of delicacies daily and it was never the same. The third day of eating grilled food and stew made her rage. Kairi saw many guards exchanged annoyed looks and she instantly felt sorry for them. Unlike Feng Jiu, Kairi had grown up in the sect and spent most of her time in the forest hunting for demon beasts. She had grown used to eating food like this and found it quite delicious compared to having plain buns day after day. Zhang Sheng, who seemed annoyed the most, had taken up leadership of the scouting group and left to scout the area. Feng Jiu was locked up in her carriage demanding things from the maid she had brought with her. Grinning at the sight, she turned to her guard and said, "I'm going to go look for some herbs. I'll be right back."

"I'm sorry, Miss Xiao You but his highness informed us to not let you leave camp," said the guard.

"I won't go far. I'll back right away," she replied.

"I'm sorry but..." Kairi quickly cut him off.

"Do you want to hear the Second Miss of Lan Manor whine the rest of the trip to Zhang Palace?" she asked with her hands on her hips. The guard bit his tongue as he quickly stepped aside. Kairi grinned, picked up her sword, and then proceeded to enter the forest but the guard she had talked to quickly ordered a few guards to follow after her. Kairi had managed to cultivate further and advanced another level when she had awoken from her slumber after the assassination attempt. If she wanted to, she could easily fight off the demon beasts lurking in the forest but it was better to be safe than sorry. She didn't object to the two guards behind her as she walked deeper into the forest.

Sleeping weed was a generic herb that could be found in forests. She didn't go too far when she spotted a patch growing between small purple flowers. She recognized the purple flowers as a calming herb and it made great tea. She picked a couple batches of the purple flower herbs and plucked several stalks of sleeping weed. She threw them into her pouch and planned to return to camp when she heard the wail of an injured demon beast.

The road they had taken to Yang City was a secluded and dangerous one. It was the only sure way to avoid detection from enemies related to the assassins who had tried to kill Kairi. The wailing of a demon beast didn't surprise Kairi but to hear the wailing of an injured beasts was rare. The wailing of the dying demon beasts was sure to attract stronger demon beasts from nearby. Zhang Sheng wasn't around and if the wailing kept it, demon beasts would sure come by the camp and attack. She started to follow the wails to end the poor demon beast but was stopped by the two guards.