Black Butterfly Knot

Chapter 6: Bamboo Forest

Maybe that is why Xiao Wu doesn't see her as shijie material. Ying Ru entered under Master's teaching before the boy, but somehow, someone five years younger and entering only four years ago is able to easily surpass her abilities. It is quite a blow and only because Ying Ru knows that what Xiao Wu says is reasonable.

"Maybe if you spend less time going into that... what's that city called?" Xiao Wu's taunting stops for a split second.  "Zhu Cheng! Everytime, you come back with this dumb expression!"

Ying Ru stares unblinkingly at the eleven year old boy, but the staring doesn't do anything. 

"Maybe if you spend more time practicing instead of eating and playing with Fu Fu and daydreaming!" A scoff. "I'll be the first to call you shijie!" 

She is just trying to hold it in, but what about her feelings? It's just like throwing rocks into a stream, watching it sink to the bottom.

"With a standing like that, who even has time for anything else? Wait, our idiot Ying Ru can still pretend she's not actually that bad off! Still a shijie!"

Every word Xiao Wu says seems to be a slap to Ying Ru.  

She is starting to feel a little bit dizzy.

Little boys can be so mean. She never remembered being this mean when she was ten. Hao Yang was always nice to her, he never yelled at her like this no matter how old he was. Maybe there is just something wrong in this little boy's head, it's missing an ounce of something.

Why does there have to be a Xiao Wu in this world? Bamboo Forest would be so pleasant without him...

The sixteen year old girl was already at the edge of her limit, unable to take in any more. Unnoticingly, she is already breathing very heavily, her fist clenched tightly.

"What about Zhu Cheng? What about Fu Fu?" Ying Ru shouted. "You don't like Fu Fu?"

Suddenly a little brown mass comes running into the bamboo patch they were standing in. It was Fu Fu, probably thinking Ying Ru was calling for it. The little brown dog rolls around in the snow, barking and panting nonstop. Little snow crystals cling to it's warm dry fur.

"I daydream if I want to and eat when I'm hungry," She tries to ignore the hotness stinging the corners of her eyes. "So what if my standing doesn't go up!"

Ying Ru picks up the dog in one arm and marches away, giving up on this shidi that doesn't act like a shidi. Xiao Wu is such an eye and ear sore, always trying to climb up over her head. At least Fu Fu doesn't say hurtful things. She's always liked the dog better than the shidi. 

Ying Ru aimlessly stomps through the bamboo forest. Her dragging steps leave light indentations in the soft snow.

Further into the forest, Ying Ru can hear the sound of bamboo stalks snapping and the thunderous crash of them falling down and landing on the snow. It is pretty muted from where she is standing, but she could feel the sharpness of the blow, even from this far away and even if it's dispersed a whole lot from the moment of release. The gust of wind mixed with qi blew her fringe out of her face. The brown ball of fur flew out of her arms and shot into the bamboos. 

"Fu Fu!" Ying Ru's eyes widened. It's dangerous in there! What if that dog ends up taking one of those blows? Ying Ru is too afraid to think on.

"He-hey!" Hao Yang's distant voice reaches Ying Ru's ears before himself. The scary sound of bamboo stalks breaking and falling stops immediately. 

Bamboo are some of the most durable kinds of plants on Pangu, swaying and bending but never breaking under the natural wind. What Hao Yang is practicing is in no way natural wind.