Noon came and Wei Yue's cavalry of his faithful servants along with two newfound good friends spend their good time at Kunwu Peak. The hot springs are gleaming with warm waters and the food served are much better than those that they had tasted.
While the others enjoyed their time playing chess and tug of strength, Luo Na excused herself to go to the hotspring and make some time for herself.
"Sire, if you may... Can I take a short bath to the hotspring?" She asked Wei Yue. Wei Yue nodded and replied... "Yes you may..."
She picked a towel and headed straight into the bath. While she sat at the warm waters, she felt somewhat guilty for she had a dark secret which she kept hidden from her friends...
She was trained as an Emei assassin before.
The pink plum leaves fell gradually as she lifted up her head and endured the smell of fresh plums and flowers all around her. Her guilt seemed to fade as she cast her fears aside.
"I am no longer with Emei now."
She took a glimpse on her shoulder and a tattoo of a lotus which was disfigured brought calmness unto her.
Yes. That was long ago when she cast aside Emei. For when she had learned that her brother was alive and was in the care of the Dragon Blade King, she broke her lotus blade, erased her tattoo with a smoldering hot rod and fled into the night like a cat's shadow.
"What deep thinking."
Her reminiscent memories snapped into reality when she heard a familiar voice.
"General Hua. Why are you here?" Luo Na blushed like plum blossoms in early spring and General Hua laughed blissfully.
General Hua stepped into the hot spring and sank himself into the water beside Luo Na.
"As the King's personal guard and fiercest of them all, are you afraid to see a man naked beside you?"
He tempted her but she just shut her nut and looked away pretending that she was disgusted...
"A.... a... I... I'm still a woman you know?"
"Still a woman? Being the guard of the king, you enjoy the privilege of having extravagant money. If you do so, then have you ever paid men to touch you before?"
Luo Na's thoughts ruptured into small pieces. All of the evil things the Quartermaster of Emei did into her and the others came reprising back into her mind.
The terror, the anguish, the fear... She can hear the cries of innocent women being used as sex slaves for their final ceremony as assassins and that made her held her hands in her chest.
She's catching her breath in anxiety and General Hua looked at her with guilt in his eyes.
"I don't... Want to talk about... The evil things..."
Luo Na rose up from the water and grabbed her towel then rushed outside the hotspring... Li An saw her walking into the hallway and greeted her...
"Luo Na did you have a nice bat-"
"Not now Li An..."
Li An's happy expression was now turned into doubt and then she was infuriated when she saw General Hua in the women's hotspring bath.
"GET OUT MORON!" She threw a pail into him and General Hua hit his head. He doesn't seem to mind the pain after what he did to Luo Na.
"I told her I love her but I... Insulted her." He clenched his fist and afterwards grabbed his towel and rose up from the water.
"Why?" Li An raised an arm into General Hua before he could exit the bath.
"I knew where she had been but I never knew that she would be hurt when I told her about her virginity."
Li An facepalmed after General Hua said this and hit him hard in his face.
"YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT THAT IN FRONT OF THE GIRLS YOU IMBECILE!"
General Hua got out crawling from the bath and Li An sink into the water with her fists still red from beating General Hua.
Still, after they had prepared their things and got ready to depart to the other border of Jianghu, Wei Yue gathered them all around...
"As you know, someone had attempted to kill Luo Na and the assassin came from Emei... To settle this, we must settle things with Emei and end Luo Na's assassination."
Luo Na knelt down and bowed her head on the ground...
"I know I have no right to speak sire but... That place is a terrible place... You mus'nt go." She pleaded. The Quartermaster might as well kill them in the gate's portal when she sees her.
"Do not fret child... The Grandmaster and I will talk."
Luo Na's worries evanescent away from her mind as she felt General Hua's arms supporting her up.
"Do not worry. I will not let them lay a single finger upon you."
His words bring tears into her eyes.
"Mm." She nodded back at him. After all was settled, they started to walk again into the trail and it led into a Plum Forest Path and just beyond it, was the grand martial arts school for Jianghu women.... Emei...
The women looked suspicious as they set step up the stairs and inside the Emei's front gate.
The students pointed their daggers at them as they entered the grand hall where the Grandmaster and the Quartermaster sat at a high chair.
"Lay down your weapons!" The Grandmaster commanded and the students laid down their daggers.
"I am sorry for this kind of behavior, the Quartermaster sees to it that no foreign invader shall bring forth terror so she trained them as strong, independent warriors as of now."
The Grandmaster descended from her seat and approached near to them...
"But oh do tell me first, why come all the way here Wei Yue?" She eyed on Wei Yue's birdlike head and scoffed.
"I came here to settle things. One of my friends are about to he murdered by one of your so-called students, Jue Chen." Wei Yue lowered his cloak revealing Luo Na.
Jue Chen flinched in astonishment and looked at Luo Na.
"You're alive..." She took her by the hand and hugged her like tightly. Luo Na looked at Wei Yue and the others and shrugged.
"I'm sorry Ma'am but... Have we met before? Grandmaster?" Luo Na asked.
"Oh yes yes... I found you when you were so little... Picking scraps to eat from the streets and I took you here under the care of the Quartermaster."
Luo Na had her memories sorted out. Before she came to Emei, she was a rubble of the war. She was a casualty, she was left with nothing...
"So, Luo Na was..." Zhang Xiaoxing didn't finish his sentence.
"YES! Finally, the prodigal sheep returns! Useless filth!" The Quartermaster draw her sword and flew to strike Luo Na but she failed.
Luo Na pulled out her dragon jade daggers and sent the Quartermaster back into her feet.
"Why you!" The Quartermaster shouted in anger.
"The problem here is solved now, Grandmaster Jue Chen." Wei Yue stepped in front of them.
"Problem? What is the problem here?" Jue Chen is a bit befuddled.
"Your student, Luo Na here... Is a survivor from your Quartermaster's sinister plans."
Wei Yue asked Luo Na to step aside and she went into his back along with the others.
"For years, the Quartermaster hidden a bitter truth to all of you... Before Emei Disciples become an Acolyte, they need to pass her so-called ominous test. She asks men to enter your sacred plum-covered lands and taint the young girls with sweat and grime. The ones who escape are hacked to death and the ones who stay are to be brainwashed like those girls. Look at their eyes! Tell me, are they ordinary Emei Acolytes to you?"
The girls who stood on the side of the hall have dead eyes and tears flowing from the other side of their eye. The Quartermaster flinched back from embarrassment.
"Wait Jue Chen... I only did it to make them strong!" She shouted.
"Anyone who taints this plum-covered sacred lands is the enemy of the school... Kill her!" The Acolytes jumped and strike their blades to her but she faded into smoke.
"Mwahahahahaha foolish Jue Chen and her students... No walls will hold you for long... Soon, Jianghu will be filled with blood and it will taint even your precious sacred land!"
The Quartermaster's laughter filled the hall and then dissipated after a while.
"Tell me... Wei Yue what is the exact purpose of coming here?"
Jue Chen sat into her chair and folded her hands to her lap.
"Apart from exposing the truth, I will need your finest non brain-washed disciples."