Chapter 29: And their eyes met
Xianghua was walking along a path. She had been doing it for more than two months and she hadn't rested very much. She just stopped walking half an hour for each meal and six or seven hours to sleep.
She didn't know where the Ling-Sheng Su Temple was, but she did know where Nepal was. She decided that, once in there, she would ask someone for directions to the temple.
The way was really long and Xianghua felt really bored on her own.
Xianghua spent the time humming popular Chinese songs. She also thought a lot about what had happened two months before.
At last, something disturbed the monotonous journey.
She was walking when she heard a soft voice calling her from behind.
Hearing somebody after so much time alone pleased her, but the voice was quite eerie, and so was the fact that a stranger knew her name.
Xianghua turned around and said:
- Yes, it's me.
The stranger had a hood covering his head and a coat covering his body.
- You are Chai Zhang's daughter, right?
Xianghua then feared the worst. What if that man was a Ming officer? What if he was there to kill her, the same way her father had been killed by them? He wasn't wearing the empire's uniform, of course, but she couln't be too sure.
Xianghua didn't know what to say.
- You don't need to answer, I know I'm right.
Xianghua was starting to shake.
- That sword is too much powerful…and too much tempting. Ming's emperor is a fool if he thinks that any of his officers would give it to him if they found it.
The man laughed in a way which terrified Xianghua.
- If a Ming officer finds the sword, he will use it to come to power, killing anyone who gets in his way. Because of that, I suggest you not to go after Soul Edge.
- How do you know…?
Xianghua was interrupted by the sound of steps heading towards them. Somebody was walking through the bushes surrounding the path.
The girl looked at the bushes for a moment and when she looked back at the hooded man, he was gone.
Finally, someone appeared from among the shrubs.
It was a young boy, holding a sort of a stick taller than himself.
When the boy saw her, he turned around to talk to someone who was following him.
- There's nothing in here, master. It's just a girl.
- Just a girl? – Xianghua took offense.
The boy's master appeared, holding a trident. He was an old man but he had a well-shaped body.
- I'd swear there was a very powerful source of evil energy in here. – said the master. – Look at her eyes. She may be possessed.
The boy stared right at her pupils.
At first, he seemed to be looking for something. Seconds later, his face relaxed, but none of them looked away nor spoke.
A minute later or so, the master finally said:
- Well?
- There's no...there's nothing wrong about her eyes. – said the boy, still looking at her.
- Good to know it. – replied the girl, breaking at last their eye connection. – My name is Xianghua, by the way.
- Nice to meet you, Xianghua. – said the young man smiling. – I'm Kilik.