She only had a few minutes before The larger Yin Shu was focused on her. She hadn’t had much time to recover before it was time again. She wasn’t surprised and had used the time she’d had as best as she could. Although several minutes wasn’t nearly enough to fully recover she had at least seventy percent of her strength. She’d also managed to stop the bleed and the two gouges in her side where steadily healing.

She was focused on the two animals now, she didn’t attack first because she was still trying to use every second she could get to heal.

The mother had turned completely in her direction and had walked in from of her child. It was very clear that this mother was more than willing to fight to the death for her child. Bai Mei Li was ready, she still had plenty of confidence in her self and this battle.

She’d been caught off guard but that was okay. She knew that it would risky from the very beginning. In fact the danger had been the point.

Suddenly and without warning the mother Yin Shu rushed forward. It’s speed was twice that of the adolescent Yin Shu. Bai Mei Li moved forward as well. She rolled slightly and then swung out the blade attacking the adult Yin Shu’s legs with all the strength she could muster in that position. She managed to trip it and it stumbled and fell. But the mother was a lot more agile and battle tried then her child. It managed to right itself back up pretty quickly, and there was no damage to speak of. It rushed back towards her and pounced using it’s long teeth like daggers trying to rip at her throat. She pivoted and swung the sword down hard on the side of it’s abdomen. The sword naturally didn’t cut through but the force was enough to knock it to the ground with a loud thud. Before it could make its way out the small crater it was in Bai Mei Li immediately stabbed the blade into one of its eye sockets. She smiled with joy she realized the blade sunk in.

Before she could even rejoice in this small victory she felt a sharp pain in her leg. The adolescent Yin Shu bit hard into her leg. She cried out in pain while drawing out the sword from the eye of the mother she immediately thrust it into the back of the adolescent. It went half way in and the adolescent dropped like a stone. It hadn’t had the chance to heal yet so there was a rather large gap in its defenses.

Bai Mei Li stumbled backward and and fell on her butt. She could no longer bare any weight on her left leg.

The mother Yin Shu staggered to her baby and nudged it. It hadn’t died yet. It was lying on its side struggling to breathe. The mother was comforting it… nudging it with it’s nose. The adolescent wasn’t responding but it was staring at the mother obviously wanting help. But there was nothing to be done. It would die no matter what.

Bai Mei Li was trying desperately to heal her leg but it was healing very slowly.

She was just about to take about another recovery pill when the mother Yin Shu roared in absolute rage and charged towards her. Bai Mei Li panicked, she raised her hands and immediately preformed a hand seal. The temperature in the area around them dropped and ice shards sharper then a blade formed. She flicked her wrist and sent them flying towards its face. She aimed for it’s eyes, nose, and mouth. The softest parts of its body. It dropped and then slid to a stop.

Bai mai Li tried to get up but she couldn’t. She ate the pill and then tried to circulate her Qi to absorb the pill, but she found that she could barely circulate any Qi at all. In fact just breathing was a challenge. She’d clearly lost way too much blood. She took out a blood recovery pill and ate it. She moved very carefully to where the animals where and put them in her ring. She didn’t want the smell of their blood to attract other beasts. Then she sat in the lotus position and started the process of absorbing heave and earth Qi to replenish her own so that she could heal.

*****

Three hours later she could finally move fairly normally. She made her way to the river and cleaned herself up. She didn’t want Xiao Jun to see her like this. She cleaned up as quickly as she could because she’d been gone longer than she’d intended too. The sun was already rising and Xiao Jun would be getting up soon if he wasn’t up already.

When she was cleaned, changed and her wounds were dressed she made her way back to the cave. When she entered Xiao Jun was sitting in front of the shield looking extremely sad.

Bai Mei Li was immediately alarmed. “Jun’er is everything okay? Did something happen?” With some difficulty she bent down and picked him up hugging him close to her.

“Xiao Jun thought sister left forever.” He said in a very low and very sad voice. He’d woke up late night but he hadn’t been afraid because sister had said that she might not be here and that he shouldn’t worry so he forced himself to go to back to sleep. But then he woke again this morning and she still wasn’t here. He had thought he had been abandoned. He had cried a lot for a long time yet she still hadn’t appeared. He didn’t know what to do so he waited here hoping that she would come back. When he saw her he was so relieved that he’d forgotten to cry and clung to her like a life line.

“Big sister is sorry. Things took a bit longer then I had thought. Big sister was wrong, but everything is okay. Everything is okay.” She patted his little back and comforted him in a soft and gentle voice.

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“Come now, big sister will make you something to eat. Big sister found you lots of good things to eat.” She settled him and cooked him a breakfast with the fruit mixed in. He sat down and ate and she went to the bedding. She’d been out all night fighting and she was exhausted.

“Sister will take a little nap then I’ll make you lunch and we’ll go out and play until dinner okay?” She as she laid down.

“Okay! Xiao Jun will wait for you!” He nodded enthusiastically and set to eating. Crying was serious business so he was very hungry. She’d made him extra large plate just in case he wanted more and she was still asleep. He didn’t like feeding himself. He preferred for mother and sister Mei to feed him, but sister seemed really tired so he decided to feed himself without argument.

She slept for about four hours before she woke up again. She yawned and stretched and then looked over and found Xiao Jun playing with his toys quietly beside her. She reached out and pulled him into her bosom and hugged him tightly.

“Sister is awake!” Xiao Jun said excitedly allowing her to hug and kiss him as she pleased.

His little face was just so adorable that she couldn’t resist it at all. She throughly kissed him until she was good and satisfied. Only then did she stop.

“Okay let me make you lunch and then I’ll pack some snacks and we’ll go play. Did you like the fruit I brought you?” She asked as she got up. She started making a simple lunch.

“yea, they were all good. Xiao Jun likes them.” He smiled happily as he watched her made his food.

“That’s good, I have plenty more. You can snack on them while you are playing.”

“Okay!” He said and then he went to pack up his toys and put them in his ring.

Once everything was ready she took Xiao Jun by the hand and led him out of the cave. She of course made sure that the cave was locked up.

She took him to an open space where she didn’t feel the presence of any beasts.

“Would you. Like to play hide and go seek?” She asked grinning.

“What’s that?” He questioned back with his head tilted slightly to the side as he looked up at her curiously.

“I will close my eyes and count to one hundred and you will hide quietly and I will try to find you. If I find you I win, if I give up you win. Remember you can’t go too far and you only have until I count to one hundred. Do you want to play?”

“Xiao Jun wants to play!”

“Then go hide I’m going to start counting!” She laughed and then closed her eyes. She brought up her hands and covered her eyes.

As she counted Xiao Jun ran looking for a hiding spot. Once he found a spot he curled up and tried to make himself as small as possible. He giggled a little as he was certain this was a excellent hiding spot.

“Ready or not here I come!” She yelled when she was finished. And then immediately started looking for him. She didn’t spread her spiritual energy out to find him. It wouldn’t of worked anyway. For some reason she couldn’t feel his presence at all.

It took about fifteen minutes to find him. As soon as she found him he jumped up and ran away. She laughed and gave chase.

“Your not supposed to run you naughty thing.”

They ran around for a while and then ate lunch. After that she taught him a few more earth games and they played until dinner was only a few hours away.

She took out the three carcasses and began to clean them and separate the sellable items from the items they could use like the meat. She was very efficient at this as she use to go hunting and trapping when she was back on earth. It was actually one of her favorite past times. She was very good at skinning animals. She wasn’t shy about this part. She’d just never been in a life or death situation against anything. The game she hunted she would kill from a distance. Or they would parish in a trap. The whole mentality of it was just different.

The way she did it in the past just felt more… humane in a away. What she was doing now felt so barbaric and primitive.

She started to reflect on her training session. Everything had happened so fast before that she hadn’t really had to the chance to think about her actions. When she thought about it she found that her actions in theory were okay but in practice they were stupid. She was hunting a lone and dealing with animal she had no personal experience with and yet she’d actually had the nerve to make assumptions about them in a potentially life or death situation. Not to mention after she’d discovered that things weren’t as she’d previously thought that they’d be she still stubbornly tried to continue to not use her spiritual energy… even right up until the end. Once that second Yin Shu had appeared she should of immediately adjusted her plan and used techniques. What she’d done had been extremely irresponsible.

She understood that it was natural for cultivators to take risks. But in order to benefit from the risk and gain insight from it you had to be alive.

She had to wonder if she was really taking this situation as seriously as she’d thought she was, and upon further reflection she had to admit that she wasn’t. This whole situation this just felt so unreal to her. If it didn’t she would of prepared much better then she had. She would of considered Xiao Jun well being if something had happened to her way more thoroughly.

She sighed softly as she worked on the animals as she thought.

It wasn’t as though she was underestimating this situation on purpose. It’s just that some part of her was just having a hard time accepting something so unrealistic as this could actually happened to someone like her. After all she was just a normal person. She was just a psychiatrist. How was something like transmigration even scientifically possible? Was this definitive proof that the soul actually existed? Then what about heaven and hell and all that other stuff? Was it all real?

She felt so conflicted now and that was what was making accepting all of this so hard, but she was trying.

In the end she decided that she wouldn’t make a life threatening decision without really thinking it through and planning properly. She would take this life more seriously. She didn’t want to die.

Once she was finished cleaning and separating she put everything away and then called Xiao Jun to go home.

As they walked home Xiao Jun excitedly told her about all the insects he’d discover. She listened to everything he had to say while offering advice that would keep him safe and away from poisonous bugs.

Once they were back in their temporary home she cooked fed and put Xiao Jun to bed then settled down to cultivate for the night.