The General's Daughter

Underground Cave

The path was confusing. They've been back to where they were a few times as when they've reached somewhere new, Yin would take out a charcoal piece which she uses to write and marks the area.

When they found the right leads back to the previous track, Yin made sure to cross the path they'd chosen before and choose their path carefully.

Once they got the hang of it, it was easier as both of them notice the correct paths out was the ones that usually had traps or runes on them. The traps consisted of poisonous arrows coming from the sides, a black pit that didn't seem to have an end, a pit of snakes that seems venomous and bamboo spears that was sharp enough to kill.

Both skilled soldiers manage to escape death by the breadth of their hairs and when they reach a spot where there was light coming out, they reach a stone door that had runes inscriptions.

"Solve me and the path will be open. Hint: Elements" Yin reads out.

Ting Ting looks at the stone door and touches a piece of the rune until it comes out. It was a puzzle rune.

"Yin, I think these are drawings on them", Ting Ting showed Yin what seems to be a symbol for fire.

As they took out the removable pieces, there were 5 empty slots and between those slots were arrows pointing to each other and against each other.

I think I've seen this before somewhere, Ying Yue thought.

It feels familiar to her both before and after the incarnation as if she had been studying this.

"Elements..." Ting Ting whisper to herself as if trying to get a clue when it hit Ying Yue.

"Of course, it was that simple. Thank you Ting Ting", Yin smiled at the girl for giving her the idea.

And slowly but surely, the puzzle was being solved one by one until the final piece which Ting Ting puts in.

After a second when there was no reaction, Yin thought she had the wrong idea but when the door began to move, she sigh in relief.

"How did you know that Yin?" Ting Ting asks in curiosity.

Yin explained to her about the five elements of nature and their relationship with each other. Such as fire was weak to water but it can overcome wood, etc.

It was what she recently learns from the book of Nature which was written by Wu Xing. Luckily, she remembered it when Ting Ting had blurted out elements.

Those who knew the relationship between the five elements could easily solve the puzzle but if not then they would have been stuck here forever.

The two continued and encountered a sword that was stuck on a rock and seems to be a million years old as it was covered in dust and spiderweb. (Just imagine Excalibur here)

There was another rune inscription near the sword as it reads out "Those who are worthy shall get chosen by the sword".

Ying Yue was laughing on the inside because this was seriously like a drama where the chosen one was given an extreme weapon to help with their journey.

But on the other hand, she felt a connection to the sword as if it was calling her, beckoning her to come closer and get it out of the stone.

Even the stone was covered in what seemed to be a sealing rune.

"Ting Ting, why don't you try to take it?" Yin suggest when both people didn't make a move.

Yin wanted to make sure the rune wasn't lying to them.

Ting Ting was reluctant but because she was also a brave girl so she toughens up and held the hilt of the sword before trying to take it out.

" Hnngggg" she lets out a gasp when it was too much. "This sword is really into the stone Yin. I don't think we can get it out so easily"

Ting Ting moves away from the sword and this time Yin tried to take the sword.

Ying Yue felt a surge of power when she grabbed the hilt of the sword and without warning the stone sealing the sword had crumbled into dust making Ting Ting yell in surprise.

When Yin open her eyes to look at the sword, they couldn't believe it as the sword was shining bright again as if it was a new sword that had been polished.

Yin could feel a power unlike any other before from the sword and remembering about the runes from before she decided to test it out.

But how? Along the way, they did encounter more runes that told the story about the wonders of the sword but the runes didn't have the manual on how to use their power.

'Just imagine it and it shall be done' the words came into Yin's head out of nowhere.

Imagine is it? Let's see. Yin closes her eyes and imagined flames and she could hear Ting Ting gasp beside her.

When she opens her eyes, Yin could see the sword was lit in red flames and wondered if it can turn into blue flames too which it did in a second.

"How did you do that Yin?" Ting Ting asked a little bit excited and scared at the same time.

Yin chuckle at her response but explains it either way as much as she could until Ting Ting understood.

When she imagines the flames disappearing, the sword was back to normal and wondering if this was true or not, Yin had decided to touch the sword and didn't feel the heat from the flames. She thought perhaps she was hallucinating but the voice was back.

'The elements of the sword does not harm its owner. It only harms those the owner wishes to harm'

Yin felt the voice was coming from the sword itself as it answered all that she asked. It seems the sword has a soul of its own that only the owner could hear.

"Yin?" Ting Ting's voice brought Ying Yue back to reality as she stopped conversing with the sword through her mind.

"Let's get out of here Ting Ting", Yin now knew the way out with the help of the sword.

They exited the cave entrance that was connected to the waterfall they had passed with Captain Cheng and the rest before.

Thankfully the sun was still out however it was slowly getting dark and Yin told Ting Ting to wait at their supposed meeting place as Yin went back to fetch her basket that she left.

When she reached her basket, she notices the hole wasn't there anymore and did a double check as she stomps the ground and it felt solid.

Yin decides not to think too much and went back to where the rest was.

Captain Cheng and the rest notice Yin had a new sword by her side and when asked, Yin told them she found it in a cave with Ting Ting honestly.

But they laugh it off saying it was a good joke and decided to not ask more as they were certain it was a sword she had but didn't bring it until today. Thinking Yin must've headed back to the camp just to get the sword out.

Ting Ting was furious, trying to defend Yin but Yin stopped her before she could say a word as Yin knew it was useless now to further explain themselves.

"Let's just keep the story between the both of us for now", Yin winks to Ting Ting which made her blush.

By the night, they had a little feast as they all brought a lot of wood, plants and caught quite a fat deer that was delicious.

Yin went back quickly to her tent to test out the sword's power more until it was late and she had dozed off.