Chapter 131 - Died to Wake Up

Feng Xuan had been running that morning. Day by day, her five laps had gotten easier. Sometimes she would do six. Seven if she really wanted to feel the burn. She loved the sound of her feet pounding, kicking up on the uneven ground. 

She was controlling her breathing and was having a peaceful time while the trees swayed and the cold win powers her from the back. Then she blinked and everything turned dark. The ground that she was walking on turned into fat roots of trees and she was in the middle of a forest.

Feng Xuan looked at her hands. She remained the same. She stopped running as the dark suddenly seemed to swallow her. What is it this time? she thought.

Why was she dreaming again?

Here she was thinking that the nightmares ended because her memories returned. She started walking, seeing no end in this dark moist forest.

There was someone talking. Feng Xuan strained her ears, trying to pinpoint at what direction it was coming from. She turned her head at both sides.

Nothing.

She turned back.

Still nothing.

Maybe it was just her imagination. She continued walking, thinking at what point she was going to wake up. She suddenly missed those moments wherein she would die in her dream so she would bolt awake and escape this hell.

But then the whispers continued. Feng Xuan continued walking as it started to get louder. She could hear them, but she couldn't understand. Clearly, the voices were talking. Were they speaking in a language that she did not know? Or were they talking too fast?

Suddenly, the voice was coming from behind her. Big and powerful, carrying the wind with it. She started running on instinct, tripping at her own feet, her legs felt like they were on fire, her lungs felt like it was drowning! 

She wanted to stop so she'd die and wake up, but her body continued to run. Until finally, she missed a step, and she was falling.

Falling…

Falling…

And it was like she was dropped on top of her bed. She immediately clutched her chest. She was alive. She breathed in relief. Sweat trickled down her neck and her body ached. She took off her clothes and buried herself in the blanket. The moon was too still high in the night sky to get up.

She drifted back to sleep, only to return back in the dream.

Feng Xuan died to wake up again.

**

It was as if her dreams were telling her something. She was never one who believed in a greater power and unsolved mysteries in the world. She needed something concrete. But her dream…

The following morning, she did her run, staying in the middle of the road as if the tree branches were going to reach for her. In the afternoon, she was scheduled in archery. Of all the weapons, right? But it was silent and deadly. 

"Feng Xuan!" Master called. "Someone's here for you."

Her mind was in puzzle. Didn't she tell them to leave her alone for the meantime? Her heart picked up pace when she thought it could be someone from The Zoo. Oh, she had been looking forward to meeting one of them, or even just getting one of the coded messages.

When she reached Master, there was no one with him. "What?" she asked.

"Qing Zihao's sons are somewhere around the property. They're going to show themselves soon enough."

Feng Xuan fought the ruge to claw at her face. What the hell were they doing there? "How did you know?"

Master's eyes only narrowed at her. "This is an assassin's school. Of course we have eyes and ears all over the place. And I'm telling you those boys are going to find a way to reveal themselves."

It was not even five minutes later when Master had directed her to the entrance of the house, then she heard the sound of wood breaking and shouts. She immediately bounded to the location and found them dirty and writhing in pain surrounded with leaves.

Feng Xuan thought she was going to be mad, to tell them to go away. But she could not imagine the relief that she felt when she saw Qing Chen on the ground. She loomed over him until he opened his eyes, cursing Qing Lok.

"Hello, husband."

**

Qing Chen was scratching his neck as they were walking inside the building to Master's office. They had insisted that they would just take their leave—that their only purpose was to see Feng Xuan. But when they turned to away, Master had blocked their path with a long arm, ending in sharp nails like talons. Wuming was about to say something but one look from the old man and he zipped his lips shut.

Qing Lok was glaring at both his brothers. He didn't want a part of this and yet here he was. He had been sent to the principal's office enough times to know the trouble waiting for them inside those four corners.

"I'll be back," said Master and slammed the door shut at the four of them.

Qing Chen turned to Feng Xuan to apologize, but the words dried up on his tongue when he felt her arms around him. "H-hey."

"I'm so glad you're here," she said like it was a sigh. "I've been dreaming again."

Qing Chen listened to what she was talking about. It was not possible that there was something else to know about that night. She had remembered all her memories. He reassured her that it was just probably a dream. "I thought you were mad."

"I thought I was going to be." She looked down at her feet. "But it was really hard to be away from you all. I had felt homesick most nights. It was hard not hearing from anybody for a month."

"You're doing well in your training?"

She nodded and told him about her current standing. She had been dying to talk to someone about how she felt that her mouth didn't want to stop moving. 

The Master had opened the door and they were quiet. He sat on his seat. "I have spoken to your fathers. Since you're hard-headed kids, you're all now going to train in this facility."

Qing Lok groaned and Wuming only smirked—knowing he'd beat anyone who would challenge him. Qing Chen and Feng Xuan froze. 

"That is, if that's okay with the both of you."

Qing Chen was about to reason, to make them go home, but Feng Xuan beat him to it. She said, "Okay."

"What?!" he asked her. "Are you sure? Won't you get distracted?"

Feng Xuan sent him a small smile. "It'll be great to train with family. Let's build our teamwork in these grounds. We'll certainly need it when we sack our enemy."

"What's it going to be, sons of Qing Zihao?" Master asked.

"I'll do it," answered Wuming.

"I don't want to," muttered Qing Lok.

They all looked expectantly at Qing Chen. Wuming was looking at him with a look that said "isn't this what you wanted? Suck it up."

He reluctantly nodded his head. "We'll do it."