The mortal world was not so much different from the demon realm, Ami thought to herself as she wandered through the market of the town she first arrived in. She touched her necklace and held onto the gem on it tight. The aura suppressor in the gem was somehow soothing to her nervous state as she tried to remember everything that Mo Nv told her about navigating in the mortal world.
Mo Nv watched as Ami filled her qiankun pouch with traveling clothes, trinkets, and whatnot. "Are you sure you want to do this?" she said as she leaned against Ami's bedroom doorway.
"Yes," Ami answered, and pulled the strings of the pouch tight. "I know Mother won't stop looking for Father, but I can't see her like that again. I won't."
Mo Nv understood. She was with Ami when Li Susu suddenly appeared in a brilliant white light, the God of War's Heart Guarding Scale hovering over her, in the middle of the meadow at Demon Rock. She saw the panic and the desperation in Ami's face when they saw Li Susu's bleeding and bruised body. She held Ami's shaking body when Gongye Jiwu and Zhang Hai exhausted themselves in healing Li Susu, and the desperation when they said it wasn't enough to revive her. She watched Ami gather her own goddess powers, pour it into her mother's core and infuse her with divine breath. She knew that beneath Ami's loving smile whenever she faced Li Susu, the little girl was hiding a constant fear that she would lose her mother.
"So you're going to find Tantai Jin yourself, is that the solution?" Mo Nv asked as Ami brushed past her. She followed the girl's strides until they got to the end of the hallway. "And you're going alone?"
"Aunt Mo Nv, we've talked about this," Ami said. "Mother would be suspicious if you were gone, and she'd definitely know something's up. I've already asked and trained Li Hua to act as me under the disguise of the Mirage Pearl while I'm away. I've prepared a lot, Aunt. I can do it."
Mo Nv sighed. "You're definitely your mother's daughter," she muttered. "And your father's too, in terms of stubbornness," she added as an afterthought.
"What?" Ami asked, too preoccupied with checking her things in the pouch to hear her properly.
Mo Nv shook her head. "It doesn't feel right that you're going alone into the mortal world," she said instead, trying a different argument. "You've never even stepped outside the Demon Realm, and now you're going into a place you don't even know a thing about."
"I'm a goddess, Aunt Mo Nv," Ami replied, finding her own reply lacking as soon as she blurted it out. Mo Nv saw that hesitation, and jumped at it.
"Let me go with you," Mo Nv said, taking Ami's hand. "I've lived a lifetime as a mortal, and I know how the mortal world works. Let me go with you."
"No, Aunt Mo Nv," Ami said, hardening her heart at the prospect of Mo Nv's help. "This is something I must do alone, but thank you."
Mo Nv looked at Ami's face, seeing properly for the first time how the little girl had grown. She, Jing Mie, and Si Ying had always wondered whether they had been spoiling Ami too much, whether they had been too lenient or too harsh on her since her childhood. She now realized they had been underestimating the strength that lay in her, being the child of two of the most selfless people Mo Nv had ever known.
Mo Nv leaned down and kissed Ami's forehead. "I believe in you, Tantai Zimi," she said, surprising Ami with the drought demon's use of her full name. "You are the Demon Realm's princess, and you can do anything." She grinned. "Even something as impossible as search for the Devil God's soul."
Remembering Mo Nv's proud face comforted Ami a bit, but the thought of spending another night outside dampened her spirits more. She had been wandering this town for a few days already, randomly asking people if they knew her father, or if they were her father.
Which now feels kind of stupid of her, to be honest. Of all the things she'd prepared for before coming into the mortal realm, Ami didn't think about how she'd be able to find her father. She thought it would be simple, like there must be something she'd feel in her heart if she'd see him, but actually trying to look for him was… embarrassing at the very least. The stares she got were enough to make her want to bury her head miles beneath the ground, and more than once, she had to explain to flustered men and angry women what she said.
Or tried to explain anyway. Because how could she ever explain that she was looking for her father, Tantai Jin, the Devil God? She wasn't that stupid yet to think that being the child of the Devil God won't mean anything in the mortal world.
Sighing, Ami tucked the gem safely inside her clothes. Mo Nv warned her about robbers in the mortal world, and this gem that she was wearing would definitely be something that would draw them to her. Her aunt most especially warned her about not attracting attention to herself, so she kept herself as small as possible as she walked through the town.
Unfortunately, Mo Nv never told her that a child wandering the streets all alone, who was wearing silken clothes and had an unusual but remarkable appearance, is a sure magnet for trouble.
Not to mention that child is the child of the Devil God.
"Where are you going, little girl?" Ami looked up and saw a burly man block her way.
"Nowhere," Ami replied, trying to sidestep and avoid the man's path, but another blocked her path.
"You look lost," the other man said, stepping forward aggressively that Ami had no choice but to step back.
"I am not," Ami said, hardening her tone to mask her true feelings, and sensing her danger. "I'm actually on my way to my father's house, so if you'll excuse me sir…"
"Let us escort you home, girl," the first thug said, sniggering. The other one had a similar sinister look in him.
"No, please, I can manage on my own," Ami said, trying to sidestep away from the men that hovered around her, but they were persistent. She looked around for someone to help her, and found that passersby who had definitely seen them were averting their eyes in fear of the men who had surrounded her. She curled her fists in anger. Is this what the mortal world truly is? she thought. Ignoring the injustice that is in front of their eyes?
"Come here," the larger man said, and reached out a hand to grab Ami.
Don't use your powers in the mortal realm, Mo Nv had warned her.
Sorry, Aunt. Desperate times… With a wave of her hand, Ami sent a nearby basket of apples soaring into the men's faces, the apples hitting them forcefully. As the men were distracted, she took the chance and ran as fast as she could through the streets of the town.
"Get her!" Ami heard the large man shout, and some unsavory-looking men from all sides ran after Ami. Years of escaping successfully from the Devil God's lieutenants enabled her to skirt skillfully under the grasping hands of the men, but the aura suppressor made it quite difficult for her to keep up the speed for long. She looked for somewhere to hide, and found a big empty basket large enough for her to fit in. She jumped in, and closed the lid of the basket above her head.
Ami now fully realized how unprepared she was to enter the mortal realm. She had lived with Li Susu's wonderful stories during her time in the mortal realm, but she realized that all those stories were wonderful because her mother was thinking about her father then. Those stories certainly would not include how awful the smells in town could be when the weather was hot, how cold the rain could be when it poured, and how generally unpleasant mortals could be, especially when something called money was involved. She had been thrown out of a resting place not just once, simply because she didn't have any money. She was thankful she was an immortal who could survive not eating anything, but she had to grit her teeth against the delightful smells of cooking meat and sweet things.
She hugged her knees close. She was now bitterly regretting not accepting Mo Nv's offer, if only to have the comforting guidance of the drought demon beside her. She thought about Si Ying and Jing Mie, who would have bared their fangs at the mere sight of the thugs who had dared to threaten her. And she dearly wished that her mother was with her, embracing her and giving her reassurances that everything would be all right.
A harsh knock on the basket lid shook Ami from her thoughts. "Are you in there, little rat?" the sinister voice of the large man rang inside. Ami looked up, and saw a creepy face peering down at her. "Gotcha."
The lid snapped shut, trapping Ami inside.
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The basket finally stopped jostling, and Ami finally breathed a sigh of relief. She heard the ropes around the basket being untied, and the lid opened.
"Get out now, little rat," the large man said, and kicked the basket. Ami tumbled out of the basket, rolling over and stopping only as she hit another body. The large man snickered, and closed the gate of the cage he had placed Ami in.
"Ow…" Ami whined, rubbing her sore arms. She looked up and found a pair of curious eyes peeking out a dirty face.
"You're pretty," a girl around her physical age said, looking awed at Ami's appearance. She looked around, and found a few others just like the child, dirty and ragged in various degrees.
"Where am I?" Ami asked.
The child shook her head. "We don't know either," she said, as the other children around her shook their heads as well. "Just like you, we were also taken from our homes by these men, and we don't know where we are."
Ami looked at the children who had gathered around her. When the large man captured her in the basket, she thought of simply teleporting somewhere else and leaving the man carrying an empty basket. However, she had a nagging suspicion that the men were on to more sinister things, so she let the man carry her to their hideout and learn of the situation there.
But she didn't expect this, that she'd find kidnapped children and realize that they had been starving for days. Her heart felt painful at the thought that these children have been away from their families for too long, and determined that she should send them home.
She took out the qiankun pouch that she had enchanted and hidden from the kidnappers. She felt around for the invisibility charms that she had prepared in case of emergencies.
Don't use your power in the mortal world, Ami. The mortals won't understand you.
Ami shook her head free of Mo Nv's admonitions. These mortal children need help, aunt, she replied to the disapproving demon in her head. I can't just stand back and not do anything. She passed the charms to each child, who wondered why the strange, pretty little girl was passing around expensive jewels.
"Hold these tight. Don't lose them," Ami instructed the children. "These will keep you safe until you get back to your parents. Just follow my instructions and you'll get home safely."
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The man who regularly delivered the children's food came back running to the group.
"Boss! The brats are gone!" he yelled. The men scrambled to their feet, and rushed towards the cage where the children were kept. They saw the gate hanging open, and footprints leading away from it.
"Find them!" the large man shouted angrily. "Find them and bring them back here!"
"There!" a lackey called out, pointing towards Ami, who was looking back at them at a distance.
"Get her!" the large man bellowed, and the men ran towards Ami, who had already sprinted away.
I hope those children have run away safely, Ami thought as she heard the men crash through the forest path. After magically removing the locks of the cage, she had told the children to run in the opposite direction that she was going to run in. She told them to stay put in the cage for a while, hidden by the invisibility amulets, and run only when she had drawn all of the men towards her.
"Thank you, Big Sister," the girl who had called her pretty whispered before Ami left the cage. She held that gratefulness in her heart as she ran away from the hoodlums. She had to slow down a bit so that they could still keep her in their sights, but the distance would keep her safe from them.
When she thought she had run away enough for the children to have escaped, Ami decided to let loose and teach these men a lesson. She took off the aura suppressor, and turned around to face the men.
"Tired of running, are you?" the man nearest to her said, breathing heavily.
"You have taken the last child you'll ever take," Ami said, gathering her powers at the palm of her hand. The men were taken aback, but the large man pushed through.
"We've got a fairy in our hands, boys," he said, sneering evilly at her. "She'll fetch more money than those urchins will ever get."
Ami was confused. Mo Nv said mortals would be afraid of her powers, and the man should already be cowering in fear at the sight of the fireball in her hand. She intended to frighten the men away with her powers, but instead, the men started to surround her, unafraid of her.
Because Ami didn't exactly know how to hurt people with her powers, she instead turned and flew up the nearest tree, and stayed up there. "Go away!" she shouted, conjuring up stones and throwing them at the men who were now trying to climb up the tree.
"Get her!" the large man shouted, grabbing the collar of one of the men and throwing him against the tree. When she saw one of the men climbing nearer to her, she climbed up higher until she almost reached the top of the tree.
Just when Ami thought she'd leap to the next tree, she heard dogs barking. She looked down, and two large black dogs almost the size of a mountain hurled themselves at the men, who fled and scattered into the shadows. The dogs continued to bark menacingly and chase the men away from the tree where Ami was hiding in.
"Tiger! Devil! Come!" A man's voice called to the two dogs who obediently rushed back from the chase. Ami saw a lean figure clad in hunter's clothes emerge from the shadows, carrying a dead deer on his shoulders. Watching the dogs wag their tails happily, she supposed the man was the dogs' master. As he came near, she thought he would walk past her tree, but she was startled when the man looked up and unerringly found her. His pale, narrow face and dark eyes directly faced her, which unconsciously sent a thrill in her spine.
"I thought it was a big squirrel hiding up the tree," the man said. "I never thought it would be just a silly lamb."
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