Be Gentle, Immortal Master

We kept her occupied with questions for a while. Her answers didn't help much though—she remembered nothing about this cave, the seal, the cultivators, or even the swords she was holding in her hands. She didn't know what her name was, how she ended up at the Misty Mountains, or what had happened that led to her being trapped under such an unrelenting spell.

In the end, when it was obvious that we couldn't find out anything more about her, Yu Jing sighed. "I suggest that you let me take her back to the Vermilion Shrine," he offered. "It is our sect's responsibility to follow through on this matter, and I can use some help from my fellow cultivators."

Some help? On retrieving her memories … or reinstating the seal? I glanced in Bai Ye's direction, wondering if he would object. Admittedly, not remembering anything didn't make this girl's past a blank slate—the records at Vermilion Shrine had noted all the casualties from six hundred years ago, and forgetting them all didn't mean that she was not the cause of those deaths. She would undoubtedly face a hard time if we handed her to the Vermilion Shrine … But would Bai Ye let that happen? Would he be willing to let her go so easily, after finally seeing that face again after hundreds of years?

His brow was still knitted, though his expression betrayed nothing more of his thoughts. It was the girl who spoke next. "What do you want from me?" she asked Yu Jing, blinking her innocent eyes. "I have a feeling that all of you know me somehow … especially you—" she turned towards Bai Ye and continued in a softer voice, "—the way you looked at me … seems different."

My heart skipped a beat. Everyone's eyes landed on Bai Ye then, waiting for his response. But the moment our attention shifted, a deafening sound of shattering erupted all around us, accompanied by a strong wave of spiritual power that almost swept me off my feet.

I swirled. It was the shields that Yu Jing had put up over the passages into our section of the cave. What had made them shatter? None of us had any time to think before the yazis leaped through the opening, growling and hissing. "Watch out!" I called to Yu Jing as a pair of beasts leaped at him. Knowing that he wasn't in a state to fight at the moment. I drew my swords and cut into the path between them, taking on the hungry creatures.

But the next moment, I realized something was wrong. From the corner of my eye, I saw the innocent smile on that girl's face vanish. With a twisted sneer, she raised her own twin swords and sprang behind me, cornering me between her and the two beasts as she brought down her blades.

Everything happened so fast. I had been too distracted by the shields and the yazis to even think about watching over my back. To even realize that this was all a trap. Did she break those seals precisely for this moment? Had she been pretending to lose her memories to lure us into this trap?

It was too late for questions now. In a desperate attempt, I blocked the yazis first, knowing that their poison would do more harm than a pair of common steel blades. Shifting my stance to shield the most vulnerable parts of my body from her line of attack, I braced myself for the cut. But what came instead was a loud clang of metal meeting metal. Bai Ye's voice sounded behind me, cold with a deadly edge, "I thought you were up to something … So you haven't forgotten a thing about Twin Stars, after all."

"Get out of my way!" the girl hissed back. "If you simply hand me those swords, I can consider sparing your life. Otherwise—" another clang, and the clash of power rippled throughout the small cave chamber, "—all three of you shall die!" 𝐟𝓇eℯ𝒘𝙚𝚋𝓃𝐨𝘷𝗲Ɩ. co𝓶

I clenched my swords hard as I continued slashing them at the yazis. This turn of events was too sudden, and everything was in our disadvantage. We were surrounded, Yu Jing was barely able to defend himself, and Bai Ye …

Another whimper. The yazi in front of me fell limp onto the ground. Just as I lifted my blades to get ready for the next onslaught, Bai Ye retreated behind me and pressed his back against mine. With a swift turn, he spun us around so that we swapped positions without losing sight of our targets. "Leave the beasts to me," he said curtly. "Twin Stars is the only way to defeat her."

At those words, the look in the girl's eyes changed, and I didn't miss the fleeting fear that dilated her pupils for just a second. Bai Ye must be right then. Pushing aside my questions of how exactly she was related to Twin Stars and what exactly was on Bai Ye's mind, I raised the swords and met hers with a firm swing.

Strong waves of her spiritual power greeted me. A familiar presence that mirrored my own. But maybe because she had just woken up from the seal and not yet fully recovered, that wave subsided quickly, yielding to the crimson light that started to pulse along my blades. Seeing my opportunity, I summoned all my power and swirled my blades again, coming at her with renewed strength and letting the crimson flame burn higher, brighter.

Behind us, the growls of the yazis and the swoosh of Lightbringer echoed throughout the chamber. But I forced myself to not worry about it and focus instead on giving each one of my blows everything I had. The more our blade met, the more the girl's face started to ashen. "Cheater," she finally hissed when her attacks slowed down, turning into defenses. "You dare take my swords and steal the power that should've belonged to me! You'll pay for this!"

Another strike, and she fetched something from her sleeve. Was she preparing a spell attack? "Stand back!" I shouted to the other two behind me. But it turned out to be an instant shift talisman instead. With a quick flip of her hand, she retreated a dozen paces towards the broken platform and disappeared right in front of my eyes.

"She went through one of those portal seals!" I cursed myself inwardly for figuring it out too late. "Hurry, we can follow her—"

Before I could finish that sentence, the cave floor started shaking. I stumbled to find purchase as dust and small rocks started falling all over the walls and ceilings, turning the entire space around us into a haze. "She closed all the portals," Bai Ye slashed at one more yazi and called out. "The power imbalance is weighing on the cave walls …"

"It will collapse soon," Yu Jing said. "Come to my side quickly. I still have enough power left to get us out of here."

Bai Ye and I cleared a bloody path through the yazis to close in on Yu Jing. He uttered a spell under his breath. With a flash of light and a strange, dizzy sensation as if I was swung upside down in circles, we were lifted off our feet, and the next thing I knew, we were at the cave entrance.. With a deafening rumble, the lower sections of the cave collapsed beneath us, shaking the ground like an earthquake under our feet.