Astral Odyssey: Dying Ember

World 3.5: BaiXue

BaiXue caught up to the family in no time then led them to her hideout.

"Thank you for helping us but... Are you sure that it's safe so close to the village?" The father could not help but ask.

"Sometimes the most dangerous place can be the safest place to hide at." BaiXue explained. Besides, she was confident in the spot that she chose. It was close enough to the village to be considered as a part of the village territory but far enough for people to not bother walking through.

"Who are you? Why're you helping us?" The mother asked.

"Someone else wanted to offer their help but could not so here I am." She did not want to reveal the existence of the writing to anyone else but did not want to lie to good-natured people, so she said it in such a way.

"How long do we have to hide here for?" The father asked again.

"Until someone strong arrives." She left it at that and closed her eyes to relax against a tree. She looked like she was sleeping but she was actually cultivating. The couple felt bad to disturb their saviour's rest so stopped asking as well. The baby has also calmed down by now when she sensed that her parents were calm again.

Dawn broke.

The couple could see the crowd returning with frustration and anger on their faces. 

They were feeling defeated. They could not find the family anywhere in the forest so they assumed that the family must have managed to escape far away from the village. Everyone was was hanging their heads in angry disappointment so they noticed a faint shadow on the floor that was gradually growing clearer and larger. By the time they registered in their brains that the silhouette was too big for any normal bird, a strong gust of wind blew through the entire area, causing some of them to stumble in their steps. They looked up with fear in their hearts.

"A black phoenix!!" Someone shouted.

Everyone took off straight after that, some changing into their animal forms hoping to escape notice with their small size. However, they only managed to take a few steps before the whole area was consumed in a black raging fire. The bird continued to fly ahead afterwards and circled the village, setting the whole place ablaze in its wake. Only when it was satisfied with its work, did it fly towards the hidden group.

The couple stood up and the mother tightened her hold on her baby instinctively which woke the baby up. They were ready to run for their lives. However, the mother noticed how BaiXue remained relaxed with her eyes closed. It was only then did she remember BaiXue's mention of the impending arrival of a strong person. She held onto her husband's hand and signaled to him to wait and see what happens. 

Even if BaiXue seemed to be on their side, the blatant show of power still intimidated them, so they dared not sit back down. Black sparkly aura grew thicker around the approaching black phoenix, just as it reached the ground, a dashing young man stepped out from within the black aura. The phoenix was no longer anywhere to be seen. 

MengYao looked at the woman hugging a small bundle tightly to her chest. He stopped right before her and looked at the baby. "A siren."

The mother turned her baby slightly away from MengYao while the father stepped between them to shield his wife. They had cautious looks on their faces.

"Good. Stay on your guard. There may be attacks on you again. The common people are not only ignorant, they're stubborn too. For now, this area is clear. Live freely." He glanced at BaiXue who still had her eyes closed before flying off. 

He had wondered about the purpose of signalling to him her location twice. He thought that it was an especially urgent situation. His suspicions were confirmed when he saw the messed up mob with weapons in their hands and the injuries on the father. If it were anything else, he would have probably killed her for being an annoyance. If he had not been informed of a pregnancy in this village 2 months ago by FenFang, he also would have killed her for the audacity to use the flute. It could be said that BaiXue's luck saved her this time.