Interlude: Her Name

    ~~~

    Eastern Port City is now but a small dot on the horizon.

    To Su An, it still doesnt feel real. None of it does. Her memories of the battle are a blur of blood, violence, and flashing steel. For the first time in her life, Su An fought against multiple people who wanted her dead.

    They hadnt succeeded.

    Su An fought proudly to defend her home and the dignity of the Xiao Sect, killing foe after foe. Alas, it hadnt been enough. She was eventually overcome, her strength exhausted after so much fighting. As her eyes closed, Su An was sure she would never open them again.

    It had been with mixed feelings that she had woken up the next day only to find herself in shackles and the city in ruins. It had been like waking up to a nightmare. Her fellow disciples, the ones who survived, helped her fill in the blanks. They told her they lost, that Xiao Zheng fell from the skies with such force the main house is now destroyed. They told her Xiao Nan is dead.

    None of it makes any sense to Su An.

    For her entire life, the Xiao Sect has been the strongest. To her, who has lived her whole life in Eastern Port City, Patriarch Xiao Zheng and the Xiao Sect have always been the peak of strength. Untouchable. Undaunted. Unmatched.

    Not anymore.

    Patriarch Xiao Zheng is dead. The Elders are dead. So many are dead.

    She is not.

    Even though shes not a civilian, she has been left alive. It is not just her, either. A few other Inner Disciples are alive as well. At first, it reeked of arrogance and carelessness, yet a second glance showed her differently. Of the people who have not been executed, not a single one is above the Nascent Realm.

    It only makes sense. By Su Ans estimates, most of the invaders are in the Nascent Realm as well. She is sure of this because it was people in the Nascent Realm who comprised the bulk of her kills during the attack. Meanwhile, the officers are in the Spirit Realm and above. Trying to keep those who are above the Nascent Realm captive, while not beyond the invaders capabilities, would be a waste of resources.

    Or perhaps not. Su An is only theorizing based on what she saw while she was in the city.

    Unlike some who were put to work in the city or taken to Poison Fang Canyon for reasons Su An can only guess at, Su An was set aside and placed with another group.

    A group of only women.

    At first, Su An assumed the worst. She had heard many great and terrible tales about what happens to beautiful women when cities are taken, and beautiful is something she most certainly is. The rumors surrounding her and Liu Jin wouldnt have gained so much traction if she were ugly. In a situation such as this one, unfortunately, her beauty can only be a hindrance. Indeed, Su An had even looked at a jagged rock on the ground and seriously considered wounding her face with it, if only so she could escape a worse fate.

    However, just as she was about to do so, she overheard the soldiers talking. She wasnt able to make out everything, but she did pick up enough words to understand what they plan on doing with them.

    They are going to be sold.

    She is going to be sold. That is why the soldiers have taken them out of the city and are now heading to a slave market somewhere in the Storm Dragon Empire. It is not the best situation to be in, but it is also not the worse one. If she is going to be sold, that means her safety is somewhat guaranteed. Her value would decrease if she were damaged. Of course, there is no telling what will happen to her after being sold. CHeCk for new stories on no/v/el/bin(.)c0m

    Su An has no intention of finding out.

    Right now, Su An is not surrounded by a hostile horde of invaders. Su An is one out of a group of twenty-five women guarded by only eight men. Of the eight, only two are in the Spirit Realm. There are shackles on her hands and feet, and chains bind her to the rest of the group. The chains are strong, yet Su An is sure she can break them.

    Not now, though.

    There is nothing but plains for miles. She can run, but she cant hide. While they outnumber their captors, they do not outskill them. The women have been chosen by their beauty, not their might. Su An is easily the strongest one among them, and she cannot possibly defeat two people in the Spirit Realm on her own.

    Thus, Su An keeps her head down and waits.

    The march into the Storm Dragon Empire is long and tedious. At least for her. For the other women, it is quite harsh. The soldiers are torn between pushing them to cover more ground or keeping an even pace to ensure they all arrive in good health. That they even consider the second option means whoever picked the men for this job did so wisely. There is never a point where the women are mistreated.

    It means Su An has no reason to intervene. A good thing. If she had to step up to defend these women shed only end up getting attached. She cannot allow that to happen. She cannot allow it to happen because

    Because she plans on leaving them all behind.

    It is heartless. Su An knows this. If she thought there was a way she could save them, Su An would try her hardest to do so. However, the world is not so kind. She can see the odds quite clearly, and they are not in her favor. That is why, for the entire trip, Su An does her best not to interact with any of the other women.

    Unfortunately, that leaves Su An alone with her thoughts. She tries her hardest to avoid thinking about the destruction of Eastern Port City, but she can only delay the inevitable for so long. As the days pass, her mind keeps going back to it, unable to ignore a singular truth.

    Her father is most likely dead.

    Su An did not have the time or opportunity to verify it, yet it feels like a reasonably safe assumption to make. He was a city guard, often stationed at the wall. Hed have been one of the first to encounter the invaders. The odds of him surviving that are almost nil.

    Su An is not sure how to feel about that.

    She is sad, obviously, but that is not all she feels. There is regret as well. She and her father... they had never been that close. He had always been busy with his work, and once she entered the Xiao Sect, she had been busy as well. Sometimes months would pass before their paths crossed. Even though her father was the one who taught her how to make a fist... she had allowed herself to drift away from him.

    Su An is starting to regret that, yet shell never have the chance to make amends.

    Because he is dead now.

    Meanwhile, the Xiao Sect she had spent so much time in is also gone. Xiao Zheng, the undisputed strongest, is no more.

    Xiao Nan, the dazzling prodigy, had passed away.

    Like many girls in the Xiao Sect, Su An had been attracted to Xiao Nan. She had been drawn in by his handsome looks and talent. Of course, that attraction had never gone anywhere. In his eyes, she had never been more than Liu Jins attendant. That is something she had understood for a while.

    ~~~

    One jump. Two jumps. Three jumps.

    Su An keeps using Ground Contraction to make her way across the Whispering Depths. She does not hear anyone following her, but thats not surprising. All she can hear right now is the sound of her blood beating through her body.

    Su An frowns.

    No, that is a lie. There is something else.

    As she heads deeper into the misty depths, she can hear something else. A hum. A melody.

    It calls her.

    Even though Su An has never been here before, she knows where she needs to go. Even though the mist covers all, she never once trips or stumbles. Somehow, she knows where everything is. Su An leaps and jumps through the rocky terrain until she finds a small crevice. It doesnt look big enough for a person to fit through, yet Su An has no trouble doing so.

    The cave on the other side is dark, cold, and does not look safe in the slightest.

    This is where she needs to be.

    Somehow, Su An knows that to be true. She is safe here. The soldiers wont find her here. Even though she should be leaving a trail of blood, they will not find this place.

    This is where she must be.

    At last....

    Su An blinks, startled, suddenly feeling as if a haze has been lifted from her mind.

    What is? Where am I? She looks around but sees little. The cave is dark, and she is tired. She can barely keep her eyes open.

    At ease, child. I will not harm you. The voice is soothing, and Su An instantly feels like trusting it. It is I who have led you here. For so long, I have waited for someone like you.

    Someone like me?

    Something is happening to her, Su An realizes. Her body is being healed. Her wounds and exhaustion seem to vanish. Pain is replaced by a soothing warmth. Even her Qi is being replenished.

    At that moment, Su Ans body feels so rejuvenated, she can almost fool herself into thinking it is changing.

    A compatible vessel. The state of your meridians is perfectly suitable.

    Su An blinks. Her meridians. Well, of course they are good. Boss made sure of that. Boss? Who is that? Liu Jin. Who else? He helped her with her cultivation countless times. How curious. To think a child so young would know how to improve someones meridians to this extent. Truly, this is a fortunate meeting.

    Wait...

    Who is in her thoughts?

    Su An. Blinks.

    And screams.

    The warmth intensifies into searing pain, thousands of blades tearing into her body, into her mind. Su An can only hold her head as her entire being is assaulted.

    Get out! Get out! Get out!

    She has to get out... She has to... Wait...

    Why is she here again?

    Where is here? What is what is her name?

    NO!

    Terror like none other seizes her. Her name! Her name! What is it? She needs to remember her name!

    Su An!

    Thats right! Her name is Su An! Her name is Su An! Her name is

    Her name is

    Su Daji.

    Her name is Su Daji.

    ~~~