Ashes. A promise beyond death

Chapter 12- Yu Bin's forest training

The sky had only just dimmed into lavender by the time Yu Bin stepped down from Longwei’s back. Her hands still tingled from gripping his shimmering scales, and her heart fluttered with the thrill of their flight. Flying through the clouds with Longwei and Xian Chen had made her forget the weight of royal expectations, if only for a moment.

The dragon had landed with the grace of a falling leaf, his silver wings folding into his back with quiet strength. As soon as her feet touched the ground, Yu Bin glanced over her shoulder to catch Xian Chen giving her a rare, unreadable look. Before she could ask what it meant, he turned and vanished into the garden path. She blinked, puzzled, but had no time to dwell on it.

That night, sleep wouldn’t come.

Yu Bin wandered out into the cool night air, restless from the day's excitement. Stars shimmered above the Water Palace gardens, casting soft light over the white pebbled paths and still ponds. Just as she turned a corner, she saw a familiar silhouette ahead.

"Where are you going, Master?" she called.

Bao Fang, arms folded and robes slightly disheveled as if she'd just stepped out from a long meditation, turned slowly.

"Outside," she replied simply.

"Why? I'm here..."

"I'm going to play."

Yu Bin blinked. "Play? At night? I want to come with you!"

Bao Fang gave a wicked smirk, her back still turned. "Alright, come on."

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere fun."

Yu Bin lit up. "I knew you were the best! Let’s go."

They walked silently until Bao Fang suddenly turned. "Yu Bin, do you know how to ride a sword?"

"No," Yu Bin admitted.

In a flash, Bao Fang lifted her into her arms. "Then I'll carry you... my princess."

"Let me down right now!" Yu Bin protested, her voice sharp.

"Are you sure?" Bao Fang teased, glancing down.

Yu Bin dared a look. They were already rising fast above the palace rooftops.

"No! Please don’t let me fall!" she clung to her master’s neck.

"Ha ha ha! Don’t worry, I won’t let you fall."

The wind howled around them as they soared over the hills. After a while, Bao Fang descended into a dense forest, its trees cloaked in mist and shadow.

Yu Bin stepped down onto the mossy ground, uneasy. "What are we doing here?"

"We’re having fun."

"In this creepy forest? How is that—"

She froze.

Figures were moving in the shadows, shuffling closer with unnatural gaits.

"What are those?!" she shouted.

"Fierce corpses," Bao Fang said, her voice eerily calm. "Dead humans reanimated by spiritual poison. Ghosts with bones. Are you afraid, Yu Bin?"

"You’re smiling?! If I die, what will you tell my mother?!"

"That it was an accident," Bao Fang replied flatly.

"You're trying to kill me!"

"No. I said I was going to have fun. You chose to follow."

Yu Bin turned to flee, but a corpse lunged at her. She screamed.

"Here!" Bao Fang threw a white sword into her hands, then appeared behind her. She wrapped her hands over Yu Bin's, guiding the first strike.

The blade hissed with spiritual light as it cut down the creature.

"Do you understand now?" Bao Fang whispered.

Yu Bin stood frozen. "I... I just killed someone..."

"More like a ghost," Bao Fang said. "It had a body, so we call it a corpse. Moving? Fierce corpse."

"Master, what if I don't want to fight?"

Another corpse lunged. Bao Fang dispatched it with a flash of her sword.

She then handed her weapon to Yu Bin again. "Try using your spiritual energy. Let it flow into the blade."

Yu Bin hesitated, then opened her meridians.

The sword pulsed.

And instantly began draining her energy.

She gasped, knees buckling.

Bao Fang caught her and wrenched the blade away. Her brows furrowed. "It tried to drain you... that’s strange. Xian Chen uses it often."

Yu Bin, pale and weak, sat on the grass. "I almost lost everything..."

"You're too weak," Bao Fang said quietly. "You must cultivate more. And you need to practice inedia."

"Inedia?"

"A fasting technique. It will help preserve both your physical and spiritual strength."

With swift precision, Bao Fang eliminated the rest of the corpses, her blade flashing like moonlight through mist.

When it was over, she sat down on a rock, breathing evenly.

"We will work on your strength from now on. Physical and spiritual."

Yu Bin shook her head. "What if I don't want to fight? I won’t kill people."

"You may not have a choice. As queen, sometimes you’ll need to do terrible things to protect the people."

Yu Bin's voice cracked. "Why must I be the one to do it?"

"Because you're the one who can."

A long silence followed.

Yu Bin turned to her. "Master... have you ever killed someone alive?"

Bao Fang’s face dimmed. "Yes."

"Why?"

Tears shimmered in Bao Fang's eyes. Yu Bin saw it and stepped closer, then embraced her.

"I'm sorry. Forget I asked. I’ll do it for you if you want. Just don’t look like that again. It hurts."

Far off, behind a tree, a tall figure watched them.

Xian Chen.

Beside him stood Longwei, eyes narrowed with concern.

"Are you alright, Master?" the dragon asked softly.

Xian Chen didn’t look away.

"I'm fine, Longwei. She'll learn. And Bao Fang... she's trying. It wasn't her fault."

Longwei looked at him thoughtfully, his gaze shadowed.

"Only if..."

He didn’t finish.

The forest fell silent, heavy with memory, moonlight, and the unspoken truths of warriors and those they tried to protect.