Twenty years had passed since the dreadful incident. So much had happened and changed in the world of martial arts, except for one thing: The elixir of immortality. The obsession for this forbidden power had quadrupled over the years, it was sought after with much enthusiasm and conviction. Yet none of the seekers had ever succeeded to locate where it was, let alone have the opportunity to see or touch it. Every path they took led them to a dead-end or ended with them being dead. Nonetheless, people continued to embark on this dangerous quest for immortality with passion. Even though there was occasional news of mishaps and misfortunes, life had regained its normality. Struggling on the bad days and rejoicing on the good ones.
The pedestrians crowded the small stalls on either side of the road. Examining every souvenir and tasting local delicacies offered by the street vendors. There was a surge of travelers and sightseers this year. Men and women of all ages, from all regions, visited the Town of Fairies to celebrate the Festival of Love. This highly-awaited festival lasted for six whole days because number six represented love. According to local folklore, if you are single then on the last day of this festival, you'd meet your soulmate. So people came with much anticipation in search of their chosen ones. Hoping this would be the start of their happily ever after.
Among the crowd was a young man, attracting the attention of every passerby. Tall and slender, dressed in a dignified green robe with an exquisite emerald waist belt. His beautiful sword hung on his waist while his long jet black hair flowed down his attractive back. A set of piercing eyes, a straight nose, thin lips, and a prominent jawline. His beauty was on par with that of gods. And like a divine being, he remained unbothered by the blatant stares of the onlookers as if he had gotten accustomed to such behavior.
He maneuvered his way through the hectic street, dodging every other human's touch. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, a man jumped on his back. The two men were of the same age. This new man in a white robe was strikingly attractive as well but still no match for the man in green. The sight of these two gorgeous men walking together made countless jaws drop. And like the bees hovering over the flowers, women started encircling them in total amazement.
The man in white said, "Yang, why didn't you wait for me ya? I was about to introduce you to the local beauties but when I turned around, you weren't there anymore ya."
Yang shoved the overly-friendly man's arm away from his not-so-friendly neck and said in a stern tone, "Jin, don't forget why we came to this town. Stay focused."
"I know but we're the legendary team ya. When have we ever failed to complete our mission?"
"Can't you keep it low for once?"
"Take a good look at us ya. Do you think it is possible for us to stay low, especially with your emerald eyes and my white hair?"
"It won't kill you to try."
"Not possible ya. Why are you so serious all the time? Relax, have some fun ya. Look, all the beauties are eyeing us. I am sure everyone wants to get a taste of us right now. At least smile for them ya."
Yang swept his cold gaze around and one by one, the women started to leave.
"Hey Miss, wait. No. Don't leave ya.", Jin exclaimed.
He looked at Yang with disbelief and said, "What's wrong with you? Why would you chase away all the beauties with that constipated look of yours? Do you have anything against the opposite sex? You plan to die a virgin ya."
"Stop your nonsense and get serious. Unless you want a special session with Lady Ai."
Jin paralyzed for a moment and shuddered at the very thought of it. He frantically followed Yang while shouting, "No thanks ya. I'll pass. I have nothing but love for all the ladies, except for her ya."
The southern region was abundant with greenery and natural resources. The dense green jungle was home to thousands of animals and rare medicinal plants. The vast fertile lands for farming kept the hunger problems at bay. The magnificent waterfall Tian merged with one of the cleanest rivers Diqiu. Providing the purest source of water to all living beings in this region.
Nestled at the base of this enchanting nature was the Firebird's nest. A cluster of wooden treehouses built on top of one another with a centered large balcony. The Southern Firebird was an all-female sect dedicated to the art of music and medicine. These elegant beauties wore wide-sleeved shirts with long pleated skirts in the shades of orange and pink. And a firebird-carved hairpin, the symbol of their sect. The use of the color red was exclusively only for the leader. And the only way for men to enter this all-female sect was through invitation. As fragile as these beauties looked, they were in actuality very dangerous.
Yang and Jin presented their invitation tokens and entered with ease. A young girl guided them to a gazebo overseeing the lotus pond. A beautiful middle-aged woman greeted them both with a smile. The look on her face made it evident that she had been waiting for their arrival. She was wearing a long red robe with a painstakingly hand-embroidered gold firebird on it. Her long hair loosely braided and on top rested a stunning firebird headpiece. In front of her lay the renowned guzheng, the 13 strings of life and death.
The two young men bowed to her with respect. Before they could raise their heads, there was a big thud sound. Still bowing, Yang looked beside him and saw Jin lying unconscious with his face planted on the wooden floor. Just when he was about to help Jin, he sensed a second hit directed towards him. He did a side flip while supporting his weight on Jin's back and firmly landed on his feet. With his quick reflex, he managed to avoid the fatal hit. Jin fell flat on his face for the second time.
"I see you've become faster than the last time we met."
Yang bowed once again to thank Lady Ai for the compliment. Jin stood up, dizzy and dazed. He rubbed his head and found a protruding lump on it, burning with pain.
Lady Ai looked at Jin and said, "You, on the other hand, have made no progress whatsoever. Unfortunately, you seem to have gotten even worse now."
"What was that for, you old hag.", Jin yelled.
The moment he became aware of what he had dared to spout, his face became white as a sheet. He could feel his soul leaving his body. "Today is the day I die ya.", he thought.
Lady Ai furrowed her eyebrows and gave him a swift triple combo hit with her long staff. She moved with such lightning speed that it was almost invisible to the naked eye. It took a minute for Jin to register. The next minute, an agonizing pain spread through his left temple, right arm, and left thigh. It was two times more excruciating than the lump on his head. Yet, he didn't know where to rub first because they all felt equally agonizing.
"You insolent brat, you dare speak to your godmother like that! Have you got no respect for your elders? You're a hundred years too early to use that rude tone of yours with me, you ill-mannered child."
Lady Ai sat on her arhat bed and gestured Yang to take the seat beside her. Jin kept standing in an awkward pose. Not that he was trying to protest but even the slightest movement would aggravate his pain. So he decided to remain standing instead and continued to sulk while trying to soothe his pain.
"Now, let me get straight to the point. As you already know, the Festival of Love is about to begin. You must've already seen the multitude of tourists accumulated at the Town of Fairies. Every year, we try our best to make sure the celebration ends without any setbacks or tragedies. But this year, a rather difficult situation has arisen. One that we are unable to deal with ourselves. This is the reason why I have invited you two here."
Lady Ai continued to speak. The two men listened with their undivided attention.
"In the last five days, we've recovered four dead bodies from the tranquil bamboo forest. All the victims were in their early twenties from wealthy families with above-average looks. There were no external wounds but not a drop of blood was in their bodies. And they were all dressed like grooms."
"Sounds to me like the case of a Ghost bride."
"I was thinking of the same thing. They were also known for being quite the womanizers. The courtesans serving them said that before losing their consciousness, the victims mentioned a rare beauty. Even though the victims swore that this beauty was right in front of them, the witnesses didn't see her. With this piece of information, we have come to the conclusion that this killer beauty is only visible to men. The festival will start tomorrow. We have no time to waste. We need to catch her before she kills another man."
"Wait, wait, wait ya. So all we need to do is find a wealthy-looking young man with great looks to catch her. First of all, where are we going to find someone like that? And second, who would be dumb enough to agree on acting as bait ya?"
Lady Ai and Yang fixed their intent gaze on him. His big grin soon turned sour as he pointed at himself with a questionable eyebrow raise. They both nodded with an earnest look on their faces.
