[ON HOLD] Defy the Heavens: The Journey of Miss Black Belly

8 I Tang Di

Xiren awoke to the smell of food cooking over fire--grilled fish to be precise. The smell of food makes her mouth water. Her stomach growled loudly.

"You've woken up." Tang Di sat up and looked at Xiren.

"Want some fish?" the tall, gangly young man with pretty marble-like phoenix eyes, and whose ears stuck out almost sideways from his long umber-colored hair shuffled forward.

He came over and handed Xiren a slightly overcooked fish on a wooden stick. "Here, eat."

Xiren reluctantly took the fish and took a bite, then another, and another. Within seconds she devoured half of the fish.

Feeling that a pair of eyes were intently staring at her, Xiren stopped eating and narrowed her eyes at the man sitting cross-legged across from her. "What? Do you have a habit of watching people eat or something?"

"No. I just never seen someone devour a fish quite like you kid." he said, and as he set down his fish kabob his smile twinkled in a way that all grandmothers loved.

Xiren's brows furrowed. "I'm not a kid. I'm 13, that's old enough to be consider a man."

Tang Di smiled which made him seem both kindly and boyish. He was handsome—not quite as handsome compared to her brothers, but there was something compelling about his dark green eyes in the tanned, raw-boned face. 

"You're a fiery spirit." Tang Di stood up and dusted the dirt off his knees. "What your name little brother?"

"Renshu, surname Chu", Xiren replied.

"Good name! I'm Tang Di, the apprentice of Great Doctor Cao Mo, but you can call me brother Di. If you did not save me, I would've probably died in that cold river. So we should not be distant. I owe you my life afterall."

Xiren shook her head. "No need", she bluntly refuted. "I helped you because I choose to. Take it as fate. However, if brother Di wants to repay me, then can you tell me how I can find a divine doctor? I would appreciate it very much."

Tang Di was a little taken back by surprise. "Do you have a terminal illness? I can take you to see my shifu, he is a respected doctor in the Heian Domain."

Xiren shook her head. "I don't think a regular doctor can help me. My illness is quite peculiar. Since I was a little child I was unable to cultivate and gather qi essence. It's odd because every time I try to cultivate I would get extremely ill and my head would feel like it was going to explode. I don't know why this is the case, but no doctors were able to find the root cause of it. Therefore, I am in search of a divine doctor who can help me."

Tang Di pondered along and rubbed his sharp jawline as he listen to Xiren. "That is strange. Are you sure you weren't born with a broken diantain?"

Xiren shrugged her shoulders. "All the doctors that I've met all say that my diantain is fine, yet they have no answer to why the cause of my symptoms." Xiren did not know why she revealed her secret to him; however, she had given it some thought and had decided that since she won't be able to hide the fact that she unable to cultivate, she might as well open about it since she was desperate. If brother Di knows anyone that can help her, then her trip won't be in vain. This journey was her last hope to change her destiny. She didn't want to be married off to live of confinement that's filled with loneliness in a cold and scheming harem. 

"Hmm... that is troubling. Being unable to cultivate because of pain," Tang Di mumbled to himself.

"Little bro, have you ever heard of Mythos Hall?" Tang Di said in a hushed voice.

"What is the Mythos Hall?" Xiren asked.

"It's a place where people go to get the answers to their problems."

"Does that place have the answer to my strange illness?"

Tang Di nodded. "It's very likely. However......" he paused. "It would be difficult."