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13 - Departure (Part 3/2)

"You may have mastered the final stage of our family Art, but that just means that you've taken the first step. Be careful to not damage your greatsword as its a part of your soul.", he said as he took a brief pause.

"From now on, I've got nothing more to teach you. The rest of your own path is only yours to discover." Jian Wen said as he flashed a rare smile. She had not seen him do that in a long time.

"I wish you luck." Jian Wen said. Jian Li nodded and bowed her head to her eldest brother. "Thank you, Wen. I will try my best." Jian Li said, giving a smile of her own back to him. He turned his head towards her other siblings and gave each of them a quick nod. "I'll take care of Father in the meantime, stay safe everyone." He looked as if he had a lot more to say in mind, but he held it inside.

"Alright, I'm off. I'll see you all soon." Jian Wen said. Jian Wen flashed his siblings one last smile, turned his head, and walked away.

Jian Li's smile slowly faded as she watched her brothers skinny figure disappear into the distance. "He's right. My path is only my own.", she thought to herself.

Jian Li nodded as she got up from the ground and placed her greatsword back inside her chest, closing her still slightly red eyes. She had gone through a lot since her rebirth, so she was ready for a change in enviroment. Jian Li would still miss the village though.

Jian Chen and Jian Li followed their eldest sister as she led them out of the village.

As they walked, Jian Li couldn't help but feel a bit sad. She had almost spent as much time in the village as she had spent in her previous life. She had grown attached to the place.

The Mortal level beast they were supposed to be riding, was waiting outside the village for them. It was a giant, black tiger-like creature with glowing red eyes. As soon as Jian Li saw it, she felt a shiver run through her spine. The creature's eyes seemed to be full of malice and hatred. Jian Li felt strange, as if something about the creature was not right.

Jian Chen and Jian Ye both noticed Jian Li's uneasiness and chuckled. "Jian Li, you're still young. Don't worry about it. It's just a small beast my friend got for us. Nothing to worry about." Jian Ye tried to ease her nerves. Jian Li shook her head as they boarded their ride and left the village. She wondered how a beast the size of a hut was supposed to be small.

As Jian Chen and Jian Li settled into their seats, Jian Ye climbed onto the large neck of the creature and took the reins. The villagers nearby tried to sneak looks towards the beast and the people riding it. However, none of them dared to hold their gaze for too long. The beast could probably kill with its looks alone, not to mention its claws.

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"Alright, let's go. We need to be in Banmian by tomorrow morning." Jian Ye said. The creature let out a horrible roar. With a turn of its massive head it snarled at Jian Ye. She sent a stern look back and the beast took off, charging towards the surrounding forest. Jian Li held on for dear life as they sped through the forest surrounding Qianye Village.

As they left the forest at speeds she never thought were possible, Jian Li was surprised to see that they were now riding through open fields. She had never seen open fields like this in her whole life. She looked around and saw that they were surrounded by flowers. The fields were a vibrant yellow color. The flowers seemed to be glowing.

She had never seen the world outside the village with her own eyes. She felt so amazed and curious, as if she were in a whole new world all over again. The feeling was so overwhelming, that Jian Li almost forgot that they were riding on a dangerous beast. Jian Ye noticed Jian Li's fascination.

"These are Goldflower. These flowers grow in the plains nearby, and once they are harvested, they have a great healing power. Some of the villagers harvest the flowers and make medicine out of them." Jian Ye said. Jian Li looked down at the flowers, and was surprised to see that they were actually moving.

"It's like they're dancing." Jian Li said. All of them let out a chuckle.

Jian Li felt a wave of calmness wash over her as she looked at the flowers. She had gotten into a habit of meditating whenever she had free time and apparently, they were supposed to arrive in hours. After getting the clear from her siblings, Jian Li fell into meditation.

After entering her mind, she immediately noticed the space had almost returned to its normal state. The only difference was the enlargened willow tree from before, standing on top of the lake with its long roots hanging out from below.

It felt nice seeing as she now had a piece of home always with her now.

At the same time, the memories the willow tree reminded her of were not exclusively good memories.

Jian Li turned away from the tree, and faced the lake. She summoned her greatsword and slashed at the water. The water splashed up, but the sword never touched it. Jian Li then slashed at the water again, and again, and again, and again.

She was practicing her swordplay, in hopes of being able to get used to the size and weight of the greatsword.

Jian Li's training session seemed like it went on for hours until her meditation was interrupted.

When she snapped back, nighttime had already fallen. It almost felt like dawn was about to arrive in a couple of hours as well.

Jian Ye and Jian Chen had set up camp in a forest. She had been sat down beside a tree and her siblings were sitting on the nearby rock. "Jian Li, have you finished meditating?" Jian Ye asked.

"Yes." Jian Li tiredly replied.

"Good, because we're going to be arriving in Banmian soon." Jian Ye said.

The giant black tiger-like beast they had been riding on had already stood up from its resting position as Jian Ye finished speaking. It was more than ready to finish the journey the group had started.