The Sorceress: Blossoming Power

So, the next day, Nianshi, the little Mings (with their heads covered with veils, opposed by Ming but Xinyi insisted and won), and Xinyi traveled to Forsaken Valley for the book, hoping it was still there. While Ming started the reconstruction of Anjing Pavilion with her mother's guidance for the illusion traps' formation.

At first, Lifen wished to go with Xinyi but to her delight, Xionmao stopped her by giving her the black hook fruit for her to eat and it's seedlings for her to plant to keep her youthful looks and vigor.

While Lei An went frantic to see her mother back to her younger countenance after a trip home and insisted to study the fruit. The fruit's existence also thrilled Zhai and Qinfen and thought of starting a beauty shop business. They also asked Ming if Xinyi was the lady fairy of which Ming denied.

However, Nianshi strictly prohibited Ming and Lifen from telling the Lei family that their sister-in-law was a Sorceress to keep them from spreading the news unnecessarily while she hadn't learned to control her powers yet. The lesser people to know, the better.

Along the way to Forsaken Valley, the veiled Hutyuns informed Xinyi where the other Hutyuns took residence as they passed by areas. And they found thousands from a centipede's lair in a huge cave within the Bleak Misty Forest and freed the giant insects from the Hutyuns' power, resulting of the centipede's pledging their life to Xinyi.

They found a community living in an ancient tree. Other hundreds were in a giant fish in Herketish lake, the red lake on top of a magical mountain where no man had set one's foot since time immemorial. This time Xinyi thought of something else like fairies, flowers, and others but not Ming for the new Hutyuns' images, leaving the little Mings sad since their faces were under a veil.

As they travel further, they mentioned to Xinyi of their secrets.

"So you can transform into any form I like after a week I became your queen?"

"Yes, my Queen. And you can make us transform into any weapon you like. I mean like a literal magical weapon like your sword, bow, and arrow, or even transform the same as Nianshi for you to use in fighting and defending."

"Can each one of you transform into human size?"

"Alone, we can't, but we can by grouping together based on the size you want us to transform. If it's a huge one like Nianshi then the whole clan will have to gather."

Xinyi slowly understood what Kaos told her, "the Hutyuns will be your sword and shield, and your arms and feet." So their powers depended on her, on how strong she was, and on how and in what way she used them. After gathering the last Hutyun detected, they went straight to Forsaken Valley.

They arrived in the valley two days after and saw the place turned into a thorn forest.

"What happened here? Why it's like this?" Xinyi asked no one in particular.

What they saw was a valley with dark green spiky vines covering the whole place and the little farmhouse was in the middle of the thorns. The once peaceful meadow no longer existed. In other words, no one could go in and out of the place without cutting the vines. But as Nianshi pulled a stem, it moved and lashed back at him. Thanks for his reflexes, they avoided the whooshing spiky whip from hitting them.

"What are these and how this happened?"

"I think this plant is what they called Longing Vines."

"Longing Vines?" Xinyi and the Hutyuns shouted.

"Yes, because they are sentient plants or beings which were abandoned by their owners, in this case, I think by you, Sorceress. Longing Vines only grow from the things of powerful Chiangdas. They longed for their owner and they turned into this hideous vine preventing them from being stolen or taken by others while waiting for their owners' return."

"If I'm the owner then why are they not acknowledging my presence."

"How about chopping them to pieces, my Queen," said the Hutyuns but Nianshi intervened.

"No, they will continue to grow and their former image will be destroyed along the way. This thing could be the diary or anything you left here which is sentient from the start but you don't know it."

"Oh my. What are we going to do?"

Then Nianshi added. "The only way is to show your sincerity to the sentient being by jumping down where the thing is located."

"What?"