Dreams?

Sunlight spilled onto the clearing. The two stood facing each other, their eyes holding a sharpness that even the nearby elder could perceive.

“This will be an exception. Stop before anyone gets seriously hurt.”

Knowing it was impossible to resolve their conflict, he sighed helplessly and lowered his hand, signaling the start of their spar.

Dust billowed as both girls moved simultaneously, launching their attacks from the center of where they had stood.

She dodged a punch with a tilt of her head, then ducked under an elbow strike aimed at her neck, which had morphed from a punch. Her hands had already entangled her opponent’s other arm.

Without hesitation, she seized the moment as her opponent’s previous strength waned and new power had yet to gather. Her shoulder slammed directly into the other’s chest, using the momentum to dislocate her wrist.

With just that first exchange, the difference in skill was immediately apparent.

“Bajiquan, Fourth Form: Yin Stream.”

The girl did not launch a further attack. She understood that her opponent would not give up so easily, and more importantly, she didn’t want to fight someone without a blade.

“Crack!”

“Please, instruct me.”

Snapping her wrist back into place, the girl suppressed the anger surging within her and once again assumed her stance.

“I don’t wish to bully a beginner. You should use your full strength.”

Her eye twitched almost imperceptibly as she gazed at the person before her, the fury in her heart steadily mounting.

She charged directly at her opponent. This time, however, she refrained from attacking the head.

During their first encounter, she had assumed her speed would make it impossible to dodge, aiming a punch at the face, but the outcome had been precisely as it was just now.

While her momentum still held, she aimed a kick at her opponent’s abdomen, yet it was effortlessly dodged.

“Tch!”

Checking her strength, she delivered an elbow strike towards her opponent’s face. Just as she anticipated, the girl stacked her hands before her face to protect her head.

Following the elbow, a straight punch aimed at the abdomen was launched, but it too was blocked. A knee strike immediately followed.

In her determination to defeat her opponent, she brought forth everything she had learned recently.

Elbows, fists, knees, palms, legs—everything transformed into her weapons, relentlessly assailing the girl. Her attacks were not without rhythm; instead, they possessed a unique cadence.

It was as if she were not sparring, but dancing.

“You’re truly greedy. You’ve barely grasped the third form, yet you’re already forcing yourself to learn battle dances.”

A cold voice resonated, and simultaneously, a counterattack came swiftly.

No longer relying on the Yin Stream to deflect force, she met the attack head-on. With another elbow strike, she directly smashed into the leg her opponent had swung.

The two forces collided, sending both fighters stumbling back. However, the girl seemed to require no adjustment, charging directly at her.

In desperation, she threw another punch, but the girl merely twisted her head to evade it. A palm strike landed in the crook of her arm, hitting a pressure point, and a wave of numbness spread through her entire limb.

‘Damn it!’

She attempted to withdraw her arm for defense, but the pervasive numbness thwarted her efforts. It was then she noticed the curve of her opponent’s lips—a mocking smile.

Disregarding the girl’s other hand, she spun and her leg landed on her opponent’s waist. Although she had anticipated it and blocked with her hand, it only offered a momentary defense.

She plummeted like a bird with clipped wings, crashing heavily onto the ground.

“The victor has been decided. Xia Yu Luo wins.”

The elder’s voice declared the outcome of their spar.

‘They called it a spar, but in reality, they were fighting to kill.’

The elder gazed at Yisha, who was unable to rise for a moment, and thought helplessly.

“There’s no need for such thoughts. Her dreams are too grand; I merely woke her up.”

Xia Yu Luo waved a dismissive hand, appearing utterly unconcerned.

“I understand. You held back considerably.”

The elder sighed, knowing full well this would be the outcome of their spar.

Xia Yu Luo had been here, learning from him, for four months, while Yisha had only arrived a month prior.

Moreover, their talents in ‘Bajiquan’ were worlds apart. When Yisha didn’t wield a blade, it was nothing short of a one-sided annihilation.

“I… cough, cough… I haven’t… lost yet!”

Xia Yu Luo looked at her, her eyes filled only with pity. Pity for her opponent’s laughable ideas, pity for her dreaming dreams that only Xia Yu Luo herself would harbor, and pity for the family members whose whereabouts were unknown.

Responsibilities were imposed, expectations forced, desires thrust upon her—ultimately creating the seemingly perfect girl standing before her.

A bird in a cage, unaware of freedom, ignorant of the vast disparity, merely stubborn in her bravado.

Even when Xia Yu Luo pointed out the flaws, Yisha remained unwilling to believe.

“Bajiquan is not meant to be used that way. Of course, you may continue, if you wish to experience this again.”

She no longer wished to converse with her. Bearing the unreasonable expectations of others, growing into the image others had imagined, walking the path others had laid out.

No matter how perfect, ultimately, she was merely a seemingly flawless bird in a cage.

Bajiquan demanded more than that. Each form required an understanding of the essence of different things—to comprehend, to experience, to become them, and finally, to transcend all.

But Yisha could not. She would not experience, she would not understand. She grasped neither the virtues of all things nor their profound meanings.

She was merely copying, imitating blindly.

“Again…!”

The girl’s words pierced her heart. She remembered the mother who had abandoned her, and how it was her family who had raised her.

So, what was wrong with adhering to their wishes? They harbored no disloyal intentions towards her, so why couldn’t she become the person they desired?

‘A reckless move.’

She didn’t even need to dodge. Spinning, she extended her leg, striking Yisha’s cheek.

Stunned by the impact to her head, Yisha lost her balance and her ability to think. Her body instinctively tried to recover, but then came Xia Yu Luo’s devastating ‘Crushing Punch’.

Her abdomen was struck heavily, and Yisha nearly vomited her stomach contents. The intense pain rendered her speechless, and tears welled uncontrollably, moistening the small patch of ground.

Shaking her hand, Xia Yu Luo turned and departed, her figure gradually vanishing into the dense forest.

The elder approached Yisha, gently lifting her to carry her back inside for rest. He knew what Xia Yu Luo had gone to do.

Now, all that remained was to wait for her return.

‘Yuan, your child is as troublesome as you were….’

The elder closed his eyes, recalling the girl who had once run away from home. He wondered how she fared now.

However, seeing Xia Yu Luo, he knew that certain things that should not have happened already had.

‘In the end, it couldn’t be avoided. Is fate truly so impossible to defy?’

Opening her eyes, Yisha saw Yina’s sleeping face before her. Perhaps influenced by the dream, she felt a premonition that Yina might leave her.

Clutching her tightly, Yisha didn’t know why. Usually, Yina was quite annoying, yet Yisha didn’t dislike that annoyance.

On the contrary, she found herself missing it greatly.

“If one day, one of us must die, Yina, you must live.”

She buried her head in Yina’s neck, whispering softly.

Yina’s ears twitched slightly, but she showed no other reaction.

If anyone had been in the room at that moment, they might have been startled by the alluring—almost scandalous—scene.

In the dimly lit room, two almost identical girls slept in an embrace. The blanket rose slightly over their chests, modestly concealing their breasts.

Coupled with their entirely different temperaments, it felt like a scene plucked from some illicit manga.

If one were to look into the mirror, their perception might be completely overturned.

For in the mirror, the entire room was filled with people.

“She seems to have realized something.”

“Indeed. But then again, it’s her, so it’s quite normal, isn’t it?”

“Is it truly wise for us to be like this?”

“She decided this herself. If she didn’t want it, who could force her?”

“How is the seal holding?”

“Everything is normal. As long as she doesn’t break down, everything will proceed according to that fellow’s script.”

“We only fear something going wrong. The storm is about to break, and a Spirit has even landed near her. It seems the Origin can no longer endure.”

“Does it dare show itself? Is it possible for it to expect us to let it go?”

“At this rate, it should only take a few more months, right?”

“Let’s stop chatting. Everyone, return to your duties. Order, remember to keep a close watch when you go back. We cannot guarantee that ‘that’ won’t connect with ‘it’.”

“When the time comes, the suppression will be up to you.”

One by one, the people in the crowd vanished, until only the girls remained.