There wasn't much to take from her barren bedroom, so Zhi Yan left with four items. A bag, an expensive-looking hand mirror, a set of clothes, and a cleaver that she had swiped from the kitchen. Unfortunately, in the bag of items she had also brought the wet robes that she had fished out of the well. In her mind, it was an extra set of clothes until she examined them and found the hole she had torn during her escape. Nevertheless, it was rung and shoved into her bag.

Leaving the manor itself was actually quite easy. In the past, Zhi Yan was never really allowed outside of her courtyard thus servants who didn't work near her place of residence did not bat an eye as she walked straight out the front door in the robe that she had borrowed from that one servant girl. The only issue that never being outside brought was when she could not find the exit. This however was easily dealt with after she asked one of the guards under the guise of running an errand. Once she had stepped out of the manor, she had walked around for a bit before she happened upon a trading post where she sold the hand mirror and the servant clothing for some bronze coins. With the money, Zhi Yan had hoped it would be enough to buy a horse, but when she was led to the very last stall something told her otherwise.

It was midday when Zhi Yan and her very short horse which in actuality was a donkey exited the city. From the girl's memories, she knew that Zhi Manor was located in Gui Rong City, a small prosperous city located in the eastern part of Wang Le Province. The nearest city was Xing Jing City towards the west which sat perfectly as a checkpoint to the Capital located in the middle of the province. But as she rode along, Zhi Yan came to the realization that she had not even really thought her plan through.

With the way Madam Zhi had reacted, Zhi Yan doubted if that woman would give up so quickly. She needed to find a way to disappear. A small town near the Capital would suit her. The more secluded, the better.

The thought seemed to soothe the dull throbbing pain in her chest, a consequence of the red thorn-like markings that she had found all over her body after her conversation with the mortal Zhi Yan. The marks themselves seemed to emit from an odd crimson symbol on her sternum but there wasn't much she could do. Zhi Yan herself was more annoyed that the hateful energy had physically manifested on her skin adding to the wounds on her body. And besides these mortal pains are not one to affect me.

Thus, she continued down the path humming a simple tune oblivious to the absolute chaos the Zhi Mansion was about to devolve in that night.

******

Four days later, Zhi Yan arrived at a city. A city that was not Xing Jing City, unfortunately. Once she looked at the massive sign high up on the city walls and back down at the map in her hands, she blinked. Oh.

She was at Peng Tian City which was more northwest of Gui Rong instead of straight west. It was a bit off course and a bit off schedule for her not that she had much of a plan to begin with but looking back at the stuffed bag hanging off her very short horse she had a sneaking suspicion as to why.

In that bag, separated by different colored strings were different plants that she had gathered throughout her trip. It started innocuously as she looked for something to serve as a paste for the gashes on her back. Three hours into the trip, she had gotten off her donkey to give it a break by a stream when her eyes caught onto something blue further down the bank. Upon closer inspection, she saw a small cluster of blue lavender growing between a couple of rocks. Zhi Yan's eyes lit up with excitement as she knelt down and her fingers expertly plucked a single stalk from its place. It had been a long time since she had gone out to collect herbs on her own and she welcomed the long-forgotten rush of excitement as her hands closed in on the rest of the stems. What a satisfying little find.

And then it was like something had unleashed within her. Like something compelled her; whenever she saw a nighthook on a tree or an astragalus sprouting from the ground, she just had to grab it. Zhi Yan would never confess how the almost feverish feeling of exhilaration made her feel like the little girl in her distant memories.

"Miss, what is your origin?" The guard's gruff voice snapped her back to the present.

"...Xing Jing City."

"Purpose of entering Peng Tian City?"

Zhi Yan gestured to the bag and said simply, "Traveling merchant."

The guard's eyes flickered to the burlap sack and back at her. Zhi Yan could practically see the wheels turning in the man's head as she felt a small surge of energy around her. Women did not travel alone. He was probably feeling for her cultivation level though she wasn’t sure. Her disadvantage in the said department led Zhi Yan to realize that she was much less sensitive to discrete usages of energy around her. A blessing and a curse. "Well then welcome to the Peng Tian City. You can obtain a vendor permit at the Central Trade Post. Enjoy your stay."

She nodded, grabbed her donkey, and walked into the city.

******

"Our Peng Tian City's famous Moonlight Chrysanthemum Tea for our esteemed guest? It only blooms once a year at night and you are in luck! Many travelers from far and wide..."

In an unfortunate turn of events, she now stared at a cup of tea sitting in front of her. A sip. It was disgusting. The overly sweet with a strong bitter aftertaste made Zhi Yan want to gag. This was why she did not deal with outside food much less mortal food. Her eyebrow twitched in vexation as she inspected the bottom of the cup. The fragrance and medicinal use were mainly in the flower bud so why was she seeing chrysanthemum stalks and sunflower buds in her cup? Sighing, she set the cup down with a clink and stood up dusting her robe off. It was a sign for her to continue on the road.

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Just as she was about to leave, a hand firmly grabbed her sleeve and she turned to see the woman who had recommended the tea from earlier. "This esteemed guest, are we forgetting something?" She asked with a sweet smile while holding a tray.

Zhi Yan looked about her and at the floor around her. Her bag was attached to her donkey and everything else was in there. "No, I am not. Much appreciation for your kind reminder, kind Miss."

The grip only tightened and Zhi Yan looked at her with a blank look of confusion. "Let me reword myself. This esteemed customer seems to have forgotten payment for her afternoon tea." The woman smiled at her even harder, her eyes squeezed into thin moons as her cheeks pushed surprisingly high up.

Ah. Money. Money that I do not have. Zhi Yan only then realized aside from her clothes, her bag full of herbs, her donkey, and her cleaver, she didn't have anything else. Meaning that she was quite poor, something that she was unaccustomed to. "And how much do I owe you, Miss?"

"Ten banliang or two-spirit gems."

Slowly, she said, "If the Miss does not mind, I can go to my bag and retrieve so-"

"That's what they all say." The woman let out a huff, the nice facade falling as she glared at her. "I want ten banliang now."

"If the Miss will hear me out, I can retrieve som-"

"Long-Ge! Wang-Ge!" The woman yelled and Zhi Yan felt a stream of force locking the hand on her in place. "I really was blind, huh? To think that I thought you had money despite those abysmal rags."

Two large and burly men had emerged from the curtain in the back. "Oh, would you look here? Another little robber. Prettier than the last. So you would think people like you would know better than to not pay up." The speaker was a tall bald man with a large nose who grinned down at her threateningly. His partner who looked exactly like him except with hair, smiled just as menacingly at her. "If you don't pay up, we'll show you how we treat everyone who doesn't pay up. And I wouldn't suggest that since you can't even put up a fight."

At his words, an oppressive force like a hand closed around her neck and lifted her up in the air. Zhi Yan coughed but maintained an indifferent appearance causing the man to give her neck a hard squeeze. The only slightest sign of annoyance on her face was the twitch she felt in her eyebrow. She did not like when people cut her off.

Once more, she opened her mouth to speak when she was interrupted by a large clink on the table next to her.

"Then we'll pay." came a voice.

There was a second of silence, that or the lack of air in her head was messing with her hearing abilities. Suddenly, the force around her neck disappeared and Zhi Yan's body crumpled into two muscular arms. She rubbed her neck, disgruntled by the transgression.

The twitch in her eyebrow had intensified as she turned to see a man standing next to her with a string filled with far more coins than necessary sitting on the table. He was tall, almost imposing in a way; Zhi Yan noted the ripple of muscles under his navy blue robes.

A wave of nausea hit her as qi flooded the space around them causing other customers to look in their direction. Flashy. Flashy and immature. His unkempt black hair was pulled into an updo and the matching stubble on his face gave him a sort of rugged air about him. Bright, sharp eyes twinkled at her, amused and curious and his tongue licked the scar on the corner of his lip. Troublesome and nosy too. "Sorry, I came so late."

Zhi Yan who was still reeling from everything only looked at him pensively. Actually, this was perfect. Zhi Yan turned to the trio in front of her and at the string on the table. "Well?"

Instantly the woman's expression was back to her prior amicable mask as she waved off the two men and quickly counted the coins on the table. Neither Zhi Yan nor the man said anything when she took a couple more than she should have. "I did not know that this Young Miss was meeting up with anyone. I have dealt with too many incidents and have realized I have become quite heavy-handed. Apologies for this impudent one's indiscretion."

"Oh don't worry that pretty head of yours." The man chuckled flashing the woman a charming smile. "We should not have troubled you with our monetary mix-ups. I thought the money was wi-Wait, where are you going?"

Now that that is dealt with. Zhi Yan could still hear the man speaking pleasantries with the owner as she shooed away the kids and untied her donkey. He talks quite a lot.

"Hey, pretty lady!" A rough hand grabbed her sleeve. Her gaze looked down at the hand and then at its owner. Immediately he let go of her hand. "Apologies! But what happened to thank you for your savior? I so graciously have put my life on the line as a Jianghu warrior because I cannot stand for injustice. I can take a date, a kiss on the cheek, a poem written in my name..."

Her hands paused and she gazed at him, thinking. Her master had always taught her that a drop of water shall be returned with a burst of spring.1 I guess I have taken a sizable sum from him, only the lavender won't do.

"Come." Curiously, the tall man trailed after her as she led him into a nearby shop. After obtaining a piece of paper and brush, she slowly wrote something down on the paper before deftly ripping it into three parts.

Then she reached into the burlap sack and pulled out a bundle of chrysanthemums, a bundle of spirit grass, and a bundle of nighthooks. Zhi Yan's fingers nimbly tucked the paper pieces into each of the bundles and then dumped the bundles into the surprised man's arms. "I thank this kind stranger for his generosity and benevolence." She said bowing before grabbing the donkey's rein and walking off.

"Wha..." The man looked down at the bundles of plants and then at the figure that had disappeared into the crowd. Confused, he shook his head and reached for his Dimension Pouch. But as he went to place the herbs inside the pouch he stopped. Two main things were missing from his pouch: his talismans and his money with only two measly strings of coins left in the bag. In the missing item's place was a large bouquet of lavender with a piece of paper attached.

The paper read, "Benefits include: Immune, Digestive, and Respiratory. Combined with qi and half a bowl of water in a standard cultivation furnace heat till the third marking of an incense stick: good for qi deviations and to calm the mind after the leaves are muddled into a salve. Or make tea. It's simple."

The other bouquets had similar concise instructions written perfectly in small neat characters on the tucked-in scraps of paper.

The man burst out in laughter, a smile gracing his lips as he stuffed the rest of the plants into the bag. "Little lady, you are one interesting woman."