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Xiu felt like training her body today. Her form still was a little off, and her physique definitely lacks the muscle needed for a clean cut using the blades. She made up her mind to snatch away her damn cursed weapon when the time is right and act using power stealing techniques against power stealing techniques. She had the chance to turn this thing around, and yet Wukong refuses it by secretly keeping Chimangjing's blades in his hanfu.
'Why would he care about whether I have my blades or not? I'm mortal, it's just my nature to die,' she just couldn't erase that frown all day. She grabs a small towel after washing her face on the river to dry herself. Xiu looked at her disheveled reflection, noting minor changes to her appearance due to their sudden travel out of Megapolis. 'It's not like he knows... why I kept reincarnating in the first place. I never told him anything other than recalling my past memories as soon as I get to them.'
Then again, there's that 500 year gap. There's no telling what he found out regarding the blades that connected to her. Unless he was able to turn the world upside down and go to the Netherworld and ask for that specific info that only the dead can talk about.
"Hey you four, we're leaving!" she hears Tang shout from the upper cliff.
She smiles, wondering what they'd be having for dinner this time. Xiu has always been bad at cooking so she leaves the task up to everyone else, but there's actually a hint of progress in this lifetime. If everything goes back to normal, she'd try making that wonton that her current self as Ying Xiu manages to make perfectly without incident.
"Come on, Xiu!" they pulled up the van behind her.
"Yes yes, I'm coming," she says with a chuckle.
The ride was decently quiet. Looks like everyone's pretty tired if not even MK is babbling about random things he's thinking about. Xiu glances at all of them, sitting in their own positions at each side of the van. She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, thinking of going for a little nap to relax her tired limbs.
Screeeeeeeecccchhhh
She wakes up at night in a jolt when the one on the driver's seat suddenly steps on the brakes. She had to grab the mattress to not let herself fall off the bed, and when they finally came to a stop, Xiu held her hands to her chest from the shock. "What the hell?Did we hit someone?!" Her eyes landed on the group, who's still so calm after what just happened. They're all stiff as a statue, just like Monkey King in the middle. "Guys? What's going on?"
The way they just stare at the floor was rather creepy, not even a peep came out from them since earlier, and she's certain that they're still in that same position since she slept. Xiu gulps and taps Sandy—the one who's closest to her bed—on the shoulder. He's not even flinching from her touch.
"What—" her sentence was cut off when a loud puff forced her back. Sandy and the others began turning into shadows and melted back into their positions in the dark, leaving her alone in a vehicle that was once occupied by her friends. Xiu rushed out the door and finds herself in some kind of jungle. She ran and ran, trying to find out where she end up on. The edge of the jungle is the desert, and going to the north by two hours also led her to another desert. 'Well, that sucks,' the woman sits down in defeat, accepting the fact that she's currently lost in some mini jungle in who knows where. "Alright. Safe place first. Worry about food in the morning."
Basic survival skills was taught on almost all folks back in the days, especially since most demon hunters travel solo after her death in the first lifetime. Every expedition is dangerous, since demons roam almost everywhere, it adds to the reason that demon hunter population dwindled through the centuries. If some did survived, it'd be because they've hid themselves and stopped all activities altogether.
There's signs of nesting grounds nearby, Xiu knows better than to snoop in unknown territorial grounds, it'd be best to stay somewhere high above. Or it may have actually just been an excuse to lay down on a place she most liked to be on. Xiu was more than happy to perch herself on the tree, laying her back on the branch as she looked at the stars. This is her usual spot, to be the one who rests on the top above everyone else, the protector of those underneath her. But this is different than those times, she'd probably wipe this place clean by morning if she had Chimangjing's blades. Which she doesn't.
'I'll find all of you in the morning, just wait until then,' she smiles to herself as Xiu felt sleep take over her. No doubt Macaque did something to separate all of them, but no matter what he did, she'll always try to find her way to them... to find her way to Sun Wukong.
The ground rumbled beneath her, making her fall off the branch with a loud thud. Xiu gets up with a groan and stops at the sight of hooves tapping the dirt and a heated huff from a creature's nose.
'Not good.'
A scaled armor boar stood in front of her at ten feet high, most probably the king of the beasts in the area. The woman slowly backed away, not wanting to trigger an aggressive behavior from the wild creature. One misstep was all it took, one stick snapping by the soles of her foot, for the boar to make a baritone growl that echoed all across the jungle. Xiu ran for her life, cursing the heavens for her choice of returning the dual blades to Wukong. One low-level demon would've stood no chance at her prowess, but without the blades, she's merely another prey for the underlying predators in the area.
"Oh for the love of Buddha," Xiu takes a branch off a shrub and aims for the eye. Quite successfully might I add. The creature squeals and rams onto her, sending her flying to the tree by the left. She grunts, holding her side that throbs in pain, might be from a broken rib. "... You're really good at those wake up calls." The boar roared and began sprinting straight towards her.
Seconds later, another creature jumps straight into action. His horn rammed against the boar's side, making it fly across five trees, placing a hole in each one of them. That doesn't stop there. He ran towards it and ripped the boar to pieces with his bare hands with ease, splattering blood everywhere.
Xiu got a grip of herself, limping towards the source of destruction. She could recognize that purple-skinned horned demon anywhere, there's only one beast whom she knew that could make a clean rip out of a creature's limbs.
"Bull King?"
The demon turns towards her, his eyes widening for a bit before narrowing, taking in the cream colored mess off hair with a black tuff separated in the middle of her face. He stood up, his overly large shadow looming over her figure, his eyes held a spark of raging emotions that comes with the name of the person he knew before, "Lian Xiu... "
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Okay, I know, we just missed the adorable Monkey King with an amnesia. But him and Xiu are basically strangling each other's necks before when he was still with Tang Sanzang and the others in their pilgrimage 🙆🏻♀️ so I figured that this is the best course of action for now. Sorry amnesia Wukong simpers🙇🏻♀️.