Two heads were peeking from behind the tall grass as the pheasant bird stepped into the clearing in a near distance.
"Master, is that our lunch?" Da Xia asked as she parted the grass aside. "It looks like it's carrying a disease," she grimaced.
"Sshh..." The guy already had his bow and arrow ready. He quietly stood up and pulled the bowstring while aiming the arrow at the bird.
Da Xia heard a snap when the arrow was released, and it hit the pheasant bird with impeccable precision.
"Get it," Yong Jie instructed as he slung the bow and arrow holder on his shoulder.
The girl hastily complied and ran toward the dead pheasant. She carefully picked it up by holding the arrow tail, afraid that the bird would suddenly come alive. She was not used to seeing a dead animal up close. Just looking at its closed eyes was making her stomach flip upside down.
Da Xia approached the guy and hovered the pheasant in front of him.
"Why are you giving it to me? Cook it."
"M-Master," she stuttered, unable to imagine plucking the dead bird's feathers.
"Hmm?" the guy grunted in response as he spun around and strode toward the forest lake where they left their stuff.
Da Xia quickly followed him and sat beside him on the rock facing the lake. She hesitated for a moment before saying, "Master, I don't know how to cook this."
"Pluck the feathers, clean it, then roast it."
Another grimace crossed her face, making the guy frown.
"For someone who was employed in the witch's manor, shouldn't you be used to seeing crueler things? The witch was said to pile up dead bodies every day, and yet you are afraid of plucking a dead bird's feathers," Yong Jie remarked as he grabbed the pheasant and proceeded to clean it.
"Those are just rumors," Da Xia murmured. "The villain—uh, I mean Mistress Meili did not kill every day."
She then gathered their dirty clothes and began washing them on the lake while the guy started roasting the pheasant.
"Do you also practice the forbidden arts?" he suddenly asked.
There was a brief pause before she answered, "No."
Da Xia slowly lifted her gaze and watched the guy as he continued cooking their lunch. She knew that in this era, those who practice the dark arts were considered witches and were hunted because the forbidden art was said to be the devil's gift in exchange for human souls. Witches were believed to regularly sacrifice humans to the devil in exchange for their dark power.
Being the witch's apprentice, the original Da Xia probably practiced the dark arts. Though she was sure that there was no magic inside her since her body didn't show any extraordinary sign, the fact that she was from the modern world and knew nothing of the practices of this world might draw suspicion. And she might be accused of being a witch too especially since she was a former maidservant in the villain's manor. Fortunately, Yong Jie didn't press further, and they continued with their tasks silently.
After eating their lunch, they gathered their things and proceeded with their journey. They had a long way to go before they could reach the border of South River country. It would take them at least a year to get to their first destination – which was the City of Lanterns located at the border – since Yong Jie preferred to travel through the mountains to train his body and to improve the speed and accuracy of his hand seals.
Da Xia had to stay a few meters behind Yong Jie every time since the guy kept practicing as they were walking, and his two fireballs were sometimes circling around him or just randomly flying around. Not once did it almost burn the girl's hair, so he instructed Da Xia to be in a safe distance.
His eyes were focused forward as he walked in slow, steady steps while his hands kept moving swiftly to form the seals. The steep slope before him didn't even break his concentration, and he just easily jumped on top of it. As he was about to continue walking, there was a loud shriek behind him.
With a frown, Yong Jie turned around and peeked over the slope. His laughter tore the silence of the forest as he watched his maidservant struggling to climb the steep slope and failing miserably. In her last attempt, she even rolled downwards in a comical manner and the skirt of her outer robe covered her entire face, her white underpants showing.
"You have lost your dignity in front of me!" the guy exclaimed in laughter. Even though the white garment resembled a long, fitted pajama, it was still humiliating in that era for a woman to bare her underclothing to a man.
Da Xia ignored his teasing and fixed herself. She then ran in full speed, resuming her futile attempt to climb. But as she reached the middle of the slope, her foot got caught on the hem of her skirt, causing her to fall down in a dangerous angle. She knew she had to protect her head to avoid smashing it against a rock, but the speed of her fall was quicker than her reflexes.
As she was falling down, she saw a blur at the spot where Yong Jie was standing. The next thing she knew, the guy's serious gaze was drilling through her, his face just a few inches above hers and his hand cradling her head, preventing her from incurring injury.
"You..." he sighed as he helped her stand up. "With how weak and slow you are, how did you survive in the witch's manor?"
Da Xia replied timidly, "I'm good at household chores."
"Can't even pluck a dead bird's feathers..." the guy continuously ranted, making her pout.
He crossed his arms over his chest while staring at her thoughtfully. After a while, he said, "Since you are now my maidservant, there will be moments when we have to bridge the distance."
The girl frowned, not understanding what Yong Jie meant.
"Pardon me this once, but I won't excuse myself from this day forward," he stated before encircling his arm on her waist and helped her climb up the slope.
Oh, I see, Da Xia thought. It turned out that the guy's poetic declaration was just a warning that they would have to be in close body contact sometimes.
She suppressed the smile that was about to curve on her lips. These ancient people...
*****
When Meili exited the room, she was astounded with what she saw. Just like the unconscious girl that looked like Da Xia, the people's clothes were different. No one was wearing a long dress layered with robes that she was used to seeing. People were fiddling a rectangular object, some were moving their fingers over what appeared to be a book emanating light, and there were some who appeared to be writing even in the absence of a brush and inkstone. Not to mention, the place was gigantic and grand, with a long staircase leading to the second floor. There were even multiple blinding lights on the ceiling, illuminating the whole area.
The scene outside the library, which was visible through the glass doors, caught her attention. With cautious steps, she moved toward the door and was startled when it suddenly slid open.
What sorcery! She twirled around, expecting to see an 'awakened' one or dark arts practitioner like her who could move objects with their power, but there was no one around. The door closed, making her frown. Slowly, she approached the door, and it slid open again!
"Show yourself!" Meili demanded angrily. "You dare to mock me? I, the witch from Yellow Dirt City, am not afraid to duel with you!"
Murmurs and chuckles filled the library as people stared at her. She proudly lifted her chin up, daring the hidden witch or sorcerer of this peculiar world to come out. But no one accepted her challenge.
She harrumphed and spun around, deciding to exit the place. But the moment she stepped out, her eyes widened in bafflement. Tall structures lined up the area that could rival the height of a mountain. Carriages of varying colors and sizes were zooming past her even without a horse. Large, colorful moving paintings were mounted on high places. And the mixture of sounds that entered her ears were unlike any that she heard before.
The onslaught of unfamiliar things made the witch step back, confusion and anxiousness passing through her face. She was beginning to think that she was pulled into a world far magical and powerful than her own world.
*****
"Master! Look!" The girl stood near the cliff while holding onto a tree and pointed at the river located at the bottom.
A few days ago, when she almost got hurt in a steep slope after stepping onto her skirt, Da Xia changed her daily clothes due to the guy's instructions. She was now wearing a white, long-sleeved undershirt coupled with dark blue cotton outer cross-robe and was wearing a pair of pants underneath the long robe with a sash on her waist, which made moving comfortable. She was dressed like a manservant, but she preferred it more than the big, layered skirt. It was probably why she was bouncing around carelessly.
"Da Xia!" Yong Jie called out in alarm and grabbed her hand, pulling her toward him. "You silly woman! Can't you see you're almost at the edge of the cliff?" He then flicked her forehead with his fingers, making her groan.
She was still rubbing her forehead as she followed the guy who was making his way toward the river.
"Master, with your skills in martial arts, even if I fall off the cliff, you will be able to catch me," she reasoned.
"I will just watch you with disdain as you fall off that cliff. Why should I waste my qi in saving a naughty maidservant?"
"How evil."
"It would have been better if I brought a hen with me instead of a maidservant. At least a hen can lay eggs. Can you lay eggs?"
"Oh, I can do better," Da Xia countered and tapped her body boastfully. "I can carry a human baby."
"You..." He flicked her forehead again, a bit harder this time.
With the sudden force, the girl couldn't help but take a step back. "It hurts," she complained as she held her forehead with both hands, looking like a pitiful child.
Hearing her pained voice, the guy instantly approached her and stood beside her. "Did it bruise? Let me see."
With his hand cradling the back of her head, Yong Jie made her look at him as he inspected the spot that he flicked. He then placed two fingers on that spot, and Da Xia immediately felt the warmth from the tip of his fingers. Having been with the guy for days, she knew that he was currently using his skill as a fire conjurer.
"You're wasting your qi," she reminded him.
"I'm imprinting the character 'hen' in your forehead in hopes that you will eventually lay eggs. That is worthy of my qi," he remarked. "There. It's finished. You are now a hen."
"Masterrr..." the short maidservant whined, thinking that the fire conjurer indeed imprinted something on her forehead.
Yong Jie turned around while chuckling and strode toward the river.
"I'll go ahead and bathe first. Da Xia, stay at that rock while I—"
His eyes grew wide when he glanced back and saw his maidservant discarding her outer clothes, leaving only her inner garments. This wicked woman!
"What are you doing?!" he yelled in shock and abruptly spun around, almost losing his footing. "Don't you know how to conduct yourself properly?"
"Master, give me your clothes. I'll wash them while you take a bath," Da Xia said, ignoring the guy's flustered expression.
"Put on your clothes!"
"They're already wet. I'm washing them now. Give me your clothes and take a bath."
"How can I take a bath when my maidservant is acting improperly?"
"Don't mind me. I'm a hen!"
Yong Jie let out a resigned sigh as he pushed his right foot on the ground and used the force to jump to a distance. His maidservant was acting oddly again, making his head hurt. He should have really brought a hen instead.
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