ೋ❀❀ೋ═══ • ═══ೋ❀❀ೋ

Moonflower
❀_______________❀

Yangdong Village

"Fucking hell!" Her body crumbled, hands clutched the abdomen caused by the penetrating pain dwelling hard to her cores.

"Have I lost my touch?" She mumbled to herself scouring her surroundings in disbelief with the aftereffect that triggered her body just because she used her strength.

She looked at her tattered, ugly clothes with talismans stuck all over her body. Ripping it off of her she followed the motif over it using her fingertips.
"I can draw a better one with my eyes closed." Looking affronted with the not-so-perfect talisman to have her acknowledgement she crushed it before tossing away.

Pushing herself off the ground she stood up straight and brushed off all talismans covering her clothes. Stretching her body whilst cracking her bones she cursed under her breath at the people who revived her from dead but didn't take care of her body well.

"First I have to get out of here." Saying that she headed towards the door and put some required force to open it loud.

Inhaling the fresh morning air she stepped out for the first time in ages that might have felt like just yesterday she was having the brutal battle for her life. But the time she spent being unknown towards the worldly affairs she didn't even try remembering that day, for her ease the memories buried themselves deep down and blurred out the painful path for her to take.

Her eyes scanned the street bustling with people and vendors. She approached a vegetable vendor and he looked away, despised by her appearance. Almost dragging her feet she grabbed a wooden barrel feeling dizzy with sudden exposure to the sunlight.

There she saw her reflection in the water, face covered in charming spells, smeared over her face. Grabbing a handful of water she smashed it across her face, rubbing it harshly before washing it twice.

"So it's not a dream." She stared at her reflection not believing the situation when a shrill cry caught her attention. Following the people who rushed towards the way the cry was coming from she took a chance and grabbed some clean clothes hanging outside a house and quickly changed them behind a tree.
With one hand on the wall she jumped over and came back to the street. Her hand ran through her long hair, curling them up in a bun as she put a twig she got from the tree inside her hair whilst juggling between the crowd.

Her steps froze when the familiar motif on clothes worn by a group of young boys standing in the middle of the commotion knocked on the door of her memories. 

Even if she died thousands of times and revived the same she would not be mistaken.  The moonflower motif, embroidered on the shoulders of pure white robe with long loose sleeves. It belonged to only the Min clan.
Just the name of it left a sour taste in her mouth.

They were disciples of the Min clan without any doubt. She hid behind a man amongst the onlookers and watched over his shoulder.

Min clan was known for their righteous way of living. She never liked their bland style of life to begin with but why make clothes with such boring colour to feel more agitated with the rules they follow.

"Even after years they still wear clothes like they are mourning for someone." She mumbled before nudging the person next to her, "Why are there cultivators in this village?"

"You don't know. The children here are dying one by one. Now, the situation is so much worse that the head had to ask for help from a prominent clan. They sent their disciples here to ward off evil." The man explained pointing towards a mat lying near the lady wailing to the boys.

A child around ten with a lifeless body was laying over it as her mother begged the cultivators to help her daughter.

For all she cared, Min clan could go extinct whilst slaughtering the demons as they did play a great part to besiege her, but she couldn't commence her journey out of the village shouldering the deaths of innocent children.

The group of cultivators were teenagers from their appearances, so by the time she died they were only kids who hadn't even learned to speak yet. She couldn't hate them for being the descendants of the Min clan.

Huffing with puzzling situations to back off or move forward to analyse the condition of the child. With a groan leaving her lips she pushed the crowd and threw her body forward before tripping on her own and landed on the ground.

"Fuck." The soil under her breath swayed as she cursed.

"Who are you?" A young boy asked as she lifted her face up to be greeted by the sharp tip of his sword.

"Hae-Bong, move your sword." Baram said with a stern but calm voice while approaching the two, "One should not point the sword towards the weak but to protect them."

Swinging his sword in the air he put it back.
"I was just being careful, who knows what's coming out from the crowd." He defended his actions.

With a smile Baram acknowledged his attentiveness before offering his hand towards her.
"Are you okay?" Looking at the young lad being so warm towards a stranger she couldn't help but wonder who on earth brought this child to the Min clan.

He was the total opposite of the people she met during her time, which might be the start of a revolution in Min caln to be able to have normal disciples.

"Don't worry. I'm not weak, kid." Grabbing the lad's hand she pulled herself up. She gave a light pat on his shoulder as her eyes followed the kid laying beside her mother.

"May I check her once?" Crouching down to hold the hands of the mother she asked for her permission, an emphatic smile forming on her face.

"No, you can't go near her." The group leader came forward blocking her way as he continued, "I'm sorry but we have restricted commoners to go near the victim before we find the exact reason for her death." His face maintained a calm expression but the pain of seeing a mother suffering miserably was clearly visible in his eyes.

"Well then it makes me even more qualified. As I'm a cultivator myself." She claimed fixing her hair strand falling on her face as she side eyed the boy restricting her take a step forward.

"Which clan? As far as I know this village never had anyone practising the immortal art." Hae-Bong chimed in, throwing the question.

She turned back to face the latter. He tightened his grip on the sword handle as she advanced towards him.

In a flash her hands grabbed his shoulder, "Why you little… " She mumbled before chuckling and put her arm over his shoulder, his neck trapping between her firm grip.

"What's your name?" She asked as he struggled to get away from her.

"Min Hae-Bong…" He replied.

"Haebong-ah," She said, forcing him to raise his head, "You must be giving a hard time to your elders." Releasing the poor boy she fixed his robe whilst smiling to herself remembering the time she was the real headache for others

"But there are times when you are supposed to keep your mouth shut." Putting emphasis on her last sentence she glared at the boy, eyes gleaming with nothing but threat.

Fixing the position of his sword as his hand trembled in fear unconsciously, a creepy smile made its way on her silly face as she leaned forward to look the boy in the eyes.
"Hahaha! I'm kidding." She laughed hard, making the boy break from his anxious state.

"Why are you so serious? Just kidding with you." She playfully hit his arm a bit hard while returning back to the leader of the group but an unsheathe sword met her neck.

"We are not playing jokes." Min Baram stated, fingers embracing the handle of the sword made of jade. "So kindly tell us who you are?" His phrasing of words was polite but his hands holding the killing weapon demanded an answer.

Her amused eyes stayed on the boy and her lips curved in a grin.
"Han… " Her lips blurted the words as the group of the boys started to make whispering noises.

With a long breath, her hands clutched the fabric of her clothes as her lips parted before she spoke, "Han Ha-un."

For her to be facing the world once again, it was indeed God's grace.

ೋ❀❀ೋ═══ • ═══ೋ❀❀ೋ

•••••••••••

A/N :-

Tailsman - Something producing apparently magical or miraculous effects.

Disciples - A pupil or follower of any teacher or school.

Ha-un - Name meaning God's grace.

Hope you enjoyed it;))

Stay happy and healthy💜