Chapter 1: Chapter 1 : The Night and the Moon
"Master, please save my daughter!"
A faint cry of a dying man was heard from the corner of the street. A man holding dearly to a dying child who looks so frail and sick, begging a white haired man to save his daughter. His body was covered in wound and blood, his body so pale and he's barely holding on to his last breath.
"This war robs so much from me, I'm a man who can't even protect my wife and my child", he's hugging his dearest child, trying to keep her safe from the bloody night that destroys the life of many innocence lives.
"Alright, I will take care of her and raise her like my own child", the white haired man finally took the child into his hand.
"Thank you so much, I trust you with her life", with his last breath, he finally smile in relief.
The white haired man look at the child in his arm, who looks confuse and scared.
" I will take you home, we need to treat your wounds."
They pay their last respect to the dead body lying on the street. There is no time for a proper funeral. The scene that night at the town is just too horrible, the whole town was massacred by the enemy's troops who invaded their territory. There are bodies and bloods everywhere, the whole town smells like death.
The child look at the man holding her, trying to understand everything that happens that night.
'Is this a dream? But why does everything looks so real? Few hours ago I was eating ice cream as I walk home from work. When did I fall asleep? I don't even remember reaching home yet.' The more she think about it, the more she's convinced that this is just a dream.
'Yup, just a dream. Oh well, just play along. I might wake up soon.'
They white haired man took the child in his arm and run towards to mountain and deep into the forest, he run so fast like they're flying in the air.
'What a weird dream.' She thought to herself. 'Maybe I can fly too?'
Few hours later, they reach a small cottage deep inside a forest. The white haired man take off her cloth which was soaked in blood and start cleaning her wounds. After washing her wounds, he give her some medicines. It was a long night, she didn't realize when she finally fall asleep. She was too tired to care.
***
"Are you awake, child?" The man stare at the child lying on the bed.
"… err..yes.."
"That's good. You've been sleeping for 3 days, you must be hungry. Let's eat some medicine and I'll make you some porridge."
She stare at him for a long time. 'Hmmm..this men is quite good looking..no, he's so so handsome! More handsome than all those models and artists out there! Ahhhhh! Too bad I'm just a kid in this dream.' She start planning all sorts of things he want to do to this man.
The man came back later with a bowl of scary looking medicine. She stare at the medicine, then the man, then the medicine. She hid her head inside her quilt and start screaming.
"Nooooo! I don't want to die yet!"
'What kind of hell is this? Even in this dream I have to eat medicine?? Don't they know I hate medicines the most??'
"Open your mouth! Drink this medicine. Faster, faster! I'm a very busy man, I have other things to do other than taking care of a brat."
"..Noooo!"
"I'll feed you to the wolf if you don't eat this medicine! Don't waste my effort carrying you back for miles and letting you sleep on my bed! My back hurts sleeping on the ground, okay??"
A small head comes out from the quilt. She looks at the men holding a bowl in his hand. Yup, he's surely a devil! A handsome one on top of that. What a temptations.
"I'll leave this medicine here, by the time I come back, make sure you finish drinking it already."
"….."
The men left the room. Soon after, she smells some nice aroma coming from the kitchen. Her stomach rumble and her saliva flow down from her mouth. ' Damn, I'm starving.'
She looks around the room. There's a bed, a chair, a small table with tea pot on it, a wardrobe, and a window. The room look like an ancient traditional oriental style bedroom. The room looks really simple – clean and neat. She took the bowl, smell it, and walk to the window.
'hehehe..I would rather die than drink this poison..'
Then she walk out, staring at the man cooking by the stove.
" Did you finish your medicine? You didn't throw it out the window, didn't you?"
"…"
She look around and saw a table with 4 chairs. She sit down and put the bowl on top of the table, staring attentively at the handsome devil as he walk towards to table and put down few dishes in front of her.
'Damn, this dream is too good! This food smells heavenly! Yup, this man is an ideal husband to be.'
"..are you married?" A small voice full of curiosity suddenly comes out from her mouth.
The man look at her, and smile, "..'yes"
Ahhhh my poor heart…
"Ohhh..Where's your wife then?"
"Child, what is your name?"
" Qiuyue..Ning Qiuyue..", that's her real name is her life.
"Qiuyue.. That's a beautiful name"
"Thank you..What shall I call you, my dear handsome life saver?"
"…."
He walk over to the stove and take a bowl of porridge. He put it down in front of her, take a bowl of rice and hold his chopstick.
"Master. You can call me master. From now on, you will be my discipline, and I will be your master."
"Master.. Ok, handsome devil master." She stare at him and study his face, like a crazy fan girl looking at their idol. Yup, master is so good looking when he's not trying to make me eat medicine.
She stare down at the porridge and start eating. Just when her hand trying to reach the braised chicken in front of her, a pair of chopstick suddenly appear in front of her and stopped her from reaching the braised chicken.
'What's this devil up to now?'
"You just wake up from a 3 days sleep. Your body cannot eat solid food yet. Stick to the porridge. Its filled with medicinal herbs and can aid to strengthen your body."
"Wahhhhhh …! Devil! You're a devil! Let me eat some meat!"
'…. Is this kid refundable? I suddenly regret picking up this brat!'
" If you don't finish your porridge and fall sick again, I'll make you drink medicine 3 times a days!"
" Errrr…nooo…please, I don't want to die yet!"
"Finish your food, then clean up this table and wash the dishes. Do you know how to wash dishes? I don't want to raise a child who only know how to cry and eat!"
She look at him with a round, sad puppy eyes and tears begin to swell.
"Ahh forget it. What should I expect from a little child."
After they finish their lunch, she look around and follow her master around like a lost puppy. Her master walk into a room, the room have a very strong smells of herbs and medicines. There are cabinets with lots of description on it, and a messy table full with herbs and bottles. On one side of the room, there's a small lounge chair and a bookcase full of books, a table next to it and a teapot. One thing she can conclude from the house interior is that- his master love drinking tea. There's teapot everywhere and they surely looks expensive.
She stare at her master who is now busy sorting out all kind of herbs in front of him, looking so lost in his own world of medicines. She sit quietly until she got bored, then she walk out from the room, wander around inside the house and went outside.
The house is a quite small house. There are one medicine room, one bedroom, one store room, a kitchen and a living room. The house is pretty simple, quite dusty and messy with no trace of feminine touch.
'Master said he's married, but there's no women stuff inside this house.'
In front of the house, there's a pear tree standing proudly. On the left and right side, there's a rows of herbs. At the back of the house, there's a hot spring, a well and bathroom. She looks further away and realize, the house are located on a peak of a mountain! She saw clouds beneath her feet, and dense forest surrounding her.
'No wonder master is so angry when he complain about how he have to carry her back.'
She sit there for an hour, staring at the clouds and the cranes, feeling the wind softly blowing her face. What a beautiful dream.
She walk to the pear tree, and start climbing the tree. Sitting at the branch, eating a pear or two.
'This is the best pear I ever eat, and it taste so real, much better than those expensive imported pear.'
Suddenly, she saw a worm coming out from the pear in her hand, followed by a loud cry that strong enough to shook the entire peak as she start throwing up from up the tree. Her hand slipped, and she fall down from the tree, her face covered with her own vomit on the ground. Her master, who was shocked by the loud shriek, run out as fast as possible, until he saw that ugly thing lying on the ground. Her messy hair looks like a bird nest, there's mud and vomit on her face – There's only one thing to describe this child – DISASTER. NOT CUTE AT ALL!
"…."
'I wonder if the wolf is looking for adoptive daughter.. This child is a disgrace to my clan', he walk back inside as if he never see anything.
She walk to the well and start cleaning herself. The pain from falling down the tree feels so real, as if this is not a dream.
The poor girl still think that she's inside a dream.
"Instead of wasting my rice and my medicines, you better take the bucket and water and the herbs around the house", her master fill the bucket with water and lead her to his herbs garden as he start talking about herbs and a bunch of name she can't remember.
"From now on, this will be your responsibility. Water the herbs every day and remember their name and properties one by one. I will teach you everything I know as your responsible master."
"Its okay master, I trust you. You don't have to waste your time to teach me, master."
"….no dinner for you."
"Your hand must be tired, master. Let me water them instead. Please take a good rest."
'Hypocrite. Two faced. She's only a child and she's this annoying. I shall throw her at the foot of the mountain tonight.'
After dinner, he throw a quilt to her and tell her to sleep on the lounge chair instead.
"When we have time, we will clean the store room so you can use it as your bedroom. Now get off from my bed and sleep outside!"
***
That night, she have a dream.
She was walking out from a convenience store, holding an ice cream after a long day at work. She was planning what to cook with the groceries left in her fridge. She took a long walk by the riverside, it was full moon that night, the beautiful lights illuminate the river – couples strolling by the river holding hands, friends laughing all the way, old people taking a walk – she sit down quietly by the bench, eating her ice cream. There's no rush to go home, anyway.
A message popped out from her phone screen, it's a notification message from her group chat. Her school mate is getting married next month! Ahh… what a joyous event. She can't help but envy her friend. Everyone around her is getting into relationship, getting married, having child and starting family of their own, and here she is – eating ice cream alone. None of her past relationship with men ever work out well, and as she got too busy with works, she start giving up the idea of relationship and focused on her career instead. She let out a big sigh, went back to the convenience store and buy few can of beers, drinking as she walk home.
As she walk pass by the alley nearby her apartment, a dog suddenly appear behind her and start chasing her out of nowhere. She panic and start running towards the big street. The next thing she saw, is a light so bright that its almost blinding her, followed by a loud screech of tires. Shocked, she closed her eyes praying for her own life.
The next scene was a funeral, she saw her family member and friends gathering around and crying around her body. She stood there watching her own body inside a coffin. Floods of emotions start rushing inside her head, tears flows like a broken dam.
'Am I dead? What kind of dream is this? I can't be dead, right?' Everything was just too real, too painful, and she can't find any logical explanation to what she's feeling right now.
She stood there, not knowing what to do, waiting for her nightmare to end.
Suddenly, everything turns black.
The next thing she know, she was back to that child body. Her body shivering, her eyes swelling with tears, and her master kneeling beside her.
"shhhh …its just a bad dream. Its just a bad dream..stop crying, okay?" He kneel beside her, coaxing her till she fall back to sleep.
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Xijiu1727
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