Hurried footsteps trampled over the forest floor which was littered with sticks, stones, dead leaves, and the occasional human skull. A young lady leading the charge tightly held on to the bundle of cloth that she hugged to her chest.
The spirits of the Bone Vanishing Forest were furious, and its living inhabitants were just as pissed.
Something tore its way through the young lady's entourage, her head whipped around as it appeared inches from her face.
"I thought you said we were going to a village." When Qing Anna laid eyes on the city before her, she couldn't help feeling irritable. "Isn't this a Kingdom?"
"The Village Hidden in Jade Mist is a village, the village chief is its King and the citizens its villagers. They started off small in the beginning but eventually grew to the size you see today." Madame Ting slowly smiled while explaining this as she lifted her gaze to a fancy inn that towered above.
Qing Anna pursed her lips at the woman. She had wanted to avoid populated places, and she thought her new mentor had understood that. She held in a sigh.
WHOOSH!
Someone watching them from a balcony jumped down in front of them, inches from Qing Anna's face, the sudden force blew against her clothes, sending her rice hat spiraling off her head into the wind.
A smiling young man was kneeling on the ground in front of them.
"Greetings to her excellency," That person greeted Madame Ting with cupped hands.
Madame Ting smiled.
Qing Anna huffed and lifted her gaze back to her spinning hat. With an uplifted hand she beckoned the hat to come back, the hat glowed a lime green color as it reversed its course as it gravitated back to her.
As Qing Anna did so Madame Ting conversed with the greeter.
"The Old Man will be waiting for you on the fourth floor, the lily room."
Qing Anna put the hat back on her head.
"I have somewhere to go before this, surely, he isn't saying that I should drop everything to meet him?"
"He's saying he'll make it worth your while."
"..." Madame Ting stepped forward past the lad who looked over Qing Anna oddly as she passed. Upon entering Madame Ting stopped walking.
"Wait for me here, Anna."
A "?!" sign hung over Anna's head, she opened her mouth as if to protest but quickly closed it and lowered her body to send off her master.
"Understood." She kept her head lowered until she heard Madame Ting's footsteps reach the stairs. She sighed. She had gotten so accustomed to spending time with Madame Ting, she was in an unfamiliar place so she felt anxious.
She kept to the walls, scanned the bustling dining area.
"Miss." One of the waiters approached her and pointed to a sign that had an x painted over the image of a hat.
"Oh." She removed her hat and waited. The moment she did. As she stood there she felt occasional burning gazes. Men passing her by would pass normally at first and do a double-take upon seeing her face. Some would bump into other tables. Others would get slapped by their wives.
Was she imagining it? Anna scanned the room instinctively for a place to hide.
Such attention was something she was in the process of getting used to. For as long as she could remember her beauty would wane in comparison to her sister's sexiness and charisma. So she had always figured she was pretty but average. But in this world her eyes were an unusual color, so her gentle features were even more accentuated by it, making her face extremely eye-catching.
Receiving all this attention almost felt wrong. Like the balance of the universe had shifted to center on her. At that moment it felt as if all the eyes in the world were watching her.
Unnerved, Anna walked over to an empty table hidden behind a banner dangling from the inn's ceiling and stood there.
She heard "tches" and tongue clucking, followed by smacks. Most likely their female companions.
She slowly let out a relieved sigh. She felt safe here. Her attention was stolen at that moment by a painting on the wall's inn. It was most likely painted from ink.
Seeing a painting was like being reunited with an old friend.
How long has it been since she's seen a painting? Much less painted?
"Do you like poetry miss?" She had felt someone drawing close but she didn't think anyone would try talking to her. So when someone suddenly appeared before her, she panicked before registering their face and voice.
He was a pale man, with long silver hair and ink-black eyes. He was a bit taller than her, but not enough to where she needed to crane her neck.
". . .don't particularly like or dislike it." She found herself muttering a response as she blinked at him and averted her gaze. If she didn't pay him much attention he'd leave on his own, right? It'd always work when her sister did it.
The person smiled at her and turned to leave.
Madame Ting just so happened to be descending from the other side of the stairs.
"Don't bother her, Hongyi."
"Ah, so she was with you Aunt." That person bowed in greeting.
Madame Ting scanned the room before returning it to Qing Anna.
"We're leaving now. Did anyone come to bother you while I was gone?"
Qing Anna pointedly looked at Hongyi who held up his hands as if at gunpoint.
"Sorry, sorry," He walked backward hands still up. "Then, I presume you'll be coming home soon, Aunt?"
"Yes."
"Are you going now?"
"That's correct."
"Then, should I get you a carriage?"
"How kind of you."
The lad shook his head before retreating.
Qing Anna shot a questioning look to Madame Ting but asked her nothing.
"That's my nephew."
"Then, the clients for this mission of yours is your family?"
"My sister's father-in-law and husband. The person you just saw is the second son of the family, Hongyi." Madame Ting's expression seemed slightly worried. She sighed. "Out of all people, why did he have to bump into me here? Did they send him to spy?" She began to mutter.
"Is there something wrong?"
"Nothing for you to worry about."
Qing Anna pursed her lips hearing this. She gestured towards the exit.
Her words were hinged with ice as she asked "Then, shall we go, Master?"
Madame Ting paused for a moment before smirking as she followed her out of the inn.
Just as they exited, a carriage appeared before them. Hongyi appeared riding a horse.
"Then, I will escort Aunt back to our residence." He said smiling.
Madame Ting boarded the carriage.
". . ." Qing Anna followed suit.
The ride to the residence was quick, Qing Anna figured they probably came from a well off family if they could casually talk about carriages, she didn't expect to end up dismounting the carriage to find herself at the Village Chief's residence.
"Tell Father, I've brought Aunt home," Hongyi told a bespectacled older person waiting outside, most likely a butler.
Madame Ting's head snapped in Hongyi's direction when she heard this.
Even though both of them were smiling, the feeling in the air wasn't pleasant. Qing Anna decided not to pay any mind to it as she followed Madame Ting inside. They nearly reached the front door, when the doors flew open and a young girl came out running, boys a bit older than her followed suit.
"Auntie Ting!"
"Aiya, is that you Hui Ying?" The girl tackle hugged Madame Ting who nearly keeled over had Qing Anna not been standing behind her and supported her back.
"Y-you've grown a lot." The elder's smile was strained.
"Greetings, Aunt." The boys greeted her with a bow but none of them seemed particularly happy to see her.
Madame Ting patted Hui Ying's back gently until the girl released her.
"How long will you be staying for? Auntie, can you teach me some more about magic?"
"What are you talking about when you don't even have the aptitude to use it? Aunt, don't listen to her, she's only like that because she doesn't want to learn martial arts." Hongyi who rejoined them at that moment quickly shut down his younger sister's request who scowled at him.
"I personally think you're more suited to martial arts than magic, my dear." Madame Ting said rubbing her stomach which bore the brunt of the tackle hug just now.
Madame Ting scanned the group.
"Wei Bao is..."
Hongyi's smile was like glue on his face.
"He left, to deal with something a couple of days ago."
"I see..." Madame Ting looked to Qing Anna who stepped from behind her and handed her a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her brow.
At that moment, everyone stared.
"Aunt, did you hire a servant? Didn't you say they were useless?" Hui Ying asked.
"Ah, this is-
"Sister!" A woman in her thirties emerged from within the mansion, followed by her side as a man and an elder, followed by the butler and more maids.
"Sister-in-law, you've arrived!"
An energetic conversation quickly ensued between the two. They were whisked away inside, where the sisters continued to chat until dinner time.
"If I knew hiring for a job was all it took to see you again, I'd gladly summon you!" Madam Ting's sister Lady Fei Fei, protested.
Her husband, the current village head, Bai Kuehn seemed slightly annoyed as they all sat down for dinner.
"Anna?" Madam Ting didn't notice her apprentice who was placing food on the table.
"Yes, Master?"
"You don't need to do that. Sit down. Take off your hat, you look weird." She had nearly forgotten the child, and snatched the hat off her head, as the maids also wore smaller white conical hats that nearly made her camouflage with them.
"Ohhh..." Qing Anna bent down to pick up the fallen hat.
The family stared.
"I had noticed her trailing behind you earlier, didn't expect the person under the hat to be so pretty? Where did you get her from? Didn't you say servants couldn't keep up with you? Perhaps... is this servant that capable?" Lady Fei's eyes glittered with interest.
"She's not my servant, this is my temporary apprentice, Qing Anna, or I suppose you could say I am her temporary guardian. I brought her with me so she could get some experience."
The family stared.
"Taking an apprentice to a Vanishing Bone Forest isn't a wise idea, I thought you would know this better than anyone, Lady Ting." Lady Fei's Father-in-law, Bai Anhk spoke up.
"Ah, that's not it. If this child wasn't with me I wouldn't have even taken this job. As I'm quite old now, I'm not as strong as I used to be either, but with this child, I should be fine."
Qing Anna had yet to hear what the exact details of the mission were about. She knew what they came for but she didn't know anything about the Vanishing Bone Forest, aside from the fact that it was a dangerous place.
She said nothing as she stood behind Madame Ting but her curiosity was eating away at her.
The family continued to observe her.
"If that is the case then I have you to thank for reuniting me with my sister." Lady Fei lifted her gaze to thank Qing Anna, something flickering in her eyes at that moment. Jealousy? Why?
Qing Anna lowered her head.
"Not at all your grace, the truth is Madam took on this job because she wanted to."
"You cheeky thing, don't sell me out!" Madame Ting pretended to be angry and snapped.
"Madam should be honest with her feelings or else Lady Fei will take offense." Qing Anna whispered, her head still lowered.