Chapter 645

Chapter 645: The Girl Under the Blood Moon

The night before departure.

Lolan Hill slept on the Qiong Building. Outside the window was pitch-black mountain wilderness, and there was no light inside the room.

As this young lady fell into a peaceful sleep, faint patterns emerged from her forehead. It was a golden sun pattern surrounded by feathers resembling lotus petals. As this pattern glowed, golden water-like radiance appeared in her hair, slightly illuminating her sleeping figure.

After the sun pattern dimmed and brightened again, another pattern replaced it. It was a silver moon disk with branches entwined around it.

When the moon pattern lit up, the golden radiance in her hair faded, replaced by a gentle silver glow flowing through her hair.

The faint silver moon flickered alternately with the sun pattern, rising and falling like they were vying for something, alternating repeatedly.

Time slowly passed, and eventually, both seemed to tire out, gradually fading until everything returned to normal. The room became dark again, and her hair turned back to its usual black color.

At this moment, the night reached its deepest point.

In her dream, Lolan Hill seemed to personally experience a bizarre world.

It was an extremely ancient and primitive era where various intelligent races with different appearances lived. Among them were graceful women with wings flying in the sky, warriors riding rhinos and shouting while running on the ground, musicians sitting on tree branches playing instruments, and travelers riding whales exploring the sea.

Her perspective seemed to belong to a race with no special abilities, plain and weak, looking up at other races freely expressing themselves.

But after many years, this phenomenon began to change.

It was an unforgettable night. A small girl, envious of the beautiful and powerful figures flying overhead, looked up at the sky.

She had blood-red eyes, three pairs of blood-red wings, and pale white skin like the moon.

This figure noticed the girl in the woods and slowly descended, folding her wings.

“What’s your name?” she approached gently, her kind eyes full of benevolence.

“I don’t know, I don’t have a name,” the girl said, her eyes wide open, marveling at this dreamlike scene.

“Then let me give you a name,” the woman touched the girl’s hair.

“How about Jules?” she suggested.

“Jules, like blood-red jujube, a shortened form of Lilith.”

The girl nodded, seemingly understanding.

“You’re such a good child.” The woman held the little girl, her eyes shimmering with tears that quickly subsided.

After a quiet embrace, the woman slowly rose, her three pairs of red wings emitting a soft glow.

“This is our first meeting, perhaps our last.”

“Let me give you a gift.” Her figure gradually faded, like ripples on water.

As the woman spoke, the sky’s bright moon turned silver. A faint sound echoed in the sky, as if something had shattered.

Colored meteors streaked across the long night sky, falling to the earth. They were blue, green, orange, yellow, and more.

One deep red meteor fell toward this place, guided by the woman’s finger, and entered the girl’s forehead.

“Goodbye, be a strong child in the future.” Exhausted, the woman’s figure nearly disintegrated.

“What… what’s your name?” the girl asked, watching the fading figure in the sky.

“Wa.”

As these final words echoed, her body turned into particles of light, carried away by the wind.

—

Morning arrived. A small gray-blue bird landed on the windowsill, chirping occasionally, hopping back and forth. It tilted its head, looking at the room, but finding nothing suitable for breakfast, it took off again.

The girl woke up to the bird’s chirping, slowly sitting up. Her head felt heavy, sometimes drooping, sometimes lifting. After a while, she stretched, fully waking up.

What a long dream, it felt like centuries. While stretching, she noticed a complex blood moon pattern flash on her hand, then disappearing.

Strange, was it an illusion? She blinked, but the pattern didn’t reappear.

She recalled the girl with blood-red hair and eyes in her dream, known as a witch.

The Blood Moon Witch, Jules, a life full of trials and legends. Leading a race no one believed in, she established the first human kingdom amidst the wild and desolate lands.

Her indomitable spirit, even in the flames, was so shocking, unforgettable.

The girl sat by the bed for a long time before returning to reality.

She needed to be stronger too. She dressed and tidied her hair, descending the stairs.

Today was the day of departure. She would leave this tranquil village and step into an unknown and vast world.

Though uncertain what lay ahead, this was just a minor obstacle in life.

As Lolan Hill walked along the wooden walkway between Qiong buildings, the sound of wooden clogs echoed lightly.

“Good morning, Lanxi’er,” a middle-aged woman greeted her with a smile.

“Good morning, Aunt Ai.”

“Are you leaving today?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll pack some dried fruits and flatbreads for the road.”

“Thank you, Aunt Ai.” The girl bowed her head in gratitude and continued walking.

“She’s such a polite and good child,” the woman remarked, smiling as she watched the girl’s back, reminiscent of her younger self, once beloved in the nearby villages.

—

When Lolan Hill arrived in the courtyard, Yubai had already been waiting on a wooden stool.

“Sorry for making Uncle Yu wait.”

“It’s fine, getting enough rest is good. We still have some time before the caravan leaves.”

“Make sure everything is checked.”

“Okay, Uncle Yu.” The girl entered a nearby house where Bai Zao had prepared her things.

“Finally awake, lazybones,” Bai Zao teased, seeing the girl cautiously enter.

“Actually, I woke up early, just”

“Just what?”

Bai Zao picked up something and approached the girl.

“Just spaced out a bit,” the girl admitted, fidgeting with her fingers.

“Alright, I believe you.” Bai Zao took Lolan Hill’s hand and bent down to lift her foot.

“Try these boots, see if they fit. I adjusted them last night. You’ll be walking quite a distance, uncomfortable shoes can cause a lot of trouble.”

“Thank you, Big Sister Bai.”

She tried on a new pair of boots with a moon cloud pattern, walking around the room.

“They fit well,” Bai Zao commented. Although the moon white color was hard to keep clean, she thought it suited Lolan Hill, perhaps due to her aura.

“The soles have extra padding, making them softer and more comfortable.”

“Thank you.”

“Let’s see what else you need to take.”

Bai Zao pulled Lolan Hill closer to look at a wooden box.

Inside, neatly arranged, were clothes, shoes, towels, and other daily items, along with small mirrors, combs, and hairpins. Finally, Bai Zao retrieved an item from under the lid.

“What’s this?” Lolan Hill guessed.

“A short blade.”

Bai Zao drew the knife, revealing a sharp blade protected by a thin oil film to prevent rust.

“This was bought by your brother-in-law, usually hidden in books. It’s used for protection in emergencies.”

“Now he stays home, so it’s useless. I’ll give it to you.”

“It’s not valuable, no need to be polite.”

“Alright.”

“Girls should protect themselves. Can you use a knife?”

“Well, I think I can.”

“Really?”

Bai Zao retrieved two wooden rulers, handing one to Lolan Hill.

“Okay.”

Lolan Hill knew she needed to show her skills to make Bai Zao feel secure.

They moved to the courtyard, facing each other. Yu Baiqiu, curious, joined in. He heard that in noble families, children often learned swordsmanship, like essential etiquette.

In this world of extraordinary powers, martial arts and scholarly pursuits coexisted. Swordsmanship and poetry were equally admired.

“Begin,” Bai Zao said, stepping forward, her wooden ruler like a sword, aiming to knock away Lolan Hill’s ruler.

Seeing Bai Zao’s swift advance, Lolan Hill remained calm, stepping aside effortlessly, then turning her “sword” to counter Bai Zao’s attack, striking her chest and stopping her advance.

Bai Zao and Yu Baiqiu were stunned. Though lacking strength, her technique was masterful.

“Again,” Bai Zao said, disbelief in her voice.

“Okay,” Lolan Hill nodded, stepping back.

This time, Bai Zao was more serious. Despite her recent training in the Crimson Immortal Sect, her foundation was solid, and she had mastered a set of sword techniques.

She moved with a slight arc, her sword movements like a white snake, gracefully changing direction, piercing the air towards the girl.

Seeing the sword approach, Lolan Hill adjusted, her wooden ruler striking the opponent’s ruler, shaking it, then returning to slice against Bai Zao’s neck.

The courtyard fell silent. After a while, applause broke out. It was Yu Baiqiu clapping.

“Extraordinary, truly extraordinary. I’m a simple person, unable to find better words.”

“I underestimated Lanxi,” Bai Zao said, putting down her ruler.

She caught Lolan Hill, holding her tightly.

“You hid well.”

“Mmm, I didn’t mean to,” Lolan Hill struggled.

“But now I’m reassured. At least, you can handle First and Second Tier cultivators.”

Bai Zao released her, smoothing the girl’s hair.

“Remember to visit me.”

“Mm-hm.”

“Alright, time to go. Let me help with your things.”

They headed to the trading post near the village. Everyone was packing, ready to depart.

“This is for the journey,” Aunt Ai handed over a small bag.

“Thank you,” the girl accepted it.

Bai Zao and Yu Baiqiu approached the trade caravan leader, then waved at the girl.

“Put this on.” Bai Zao handed her a small hat with a gauze rim.

“It’s safer to hide your face on the road.”

Lolan Hill obediently put on the hat, listening to Bai Zao’s instructions, then waved goodbye, joining the caravan.

An hour later, with a long whistle, the Wuze Trading Caravan set off, heading out of the village.

Ahead, several Qiu Niu creatures cleared the path, while several horses carrying goods followed behind.

The sound of copper bells echoed as the caravan left the mountains and entered the vast, verdant landscape.

Lolan Hill sat in the rear of a carriage, holding the slightly bumpy railing, watching the misty, distant world. A light mist fell on her skin, making her feel slightly damp.

The mountains stretched endlessly, occasionally echoing with the roars of beasts from distant valleys, causing cranes to fly across the blue sky.

What stories and legends would unfold in this world?

(End of Chapter)