A cacophony of sloshing water rang out of the washing courtyard. Rhythmic scrubbing caressed the air with occasional bursts of laughter. Sadly, the laughter felt like someone was mocking Bai Yue and she hated being mocked.

  The air grew colder with each passing second and the scent of lye soap began to make her nose twitch. Despite its strong scent, it wasn’t strong enough to lessen the scent of the damp linen which mingled with a faint tang of sweat.

  The cold wind bit her cheeks, despite the sun’s relentless glare. An occasional splash of icy water sent shivers down her spine.

  The other girls worked in clusters, their chatter laced with sneers and sidelong glances aimed at Bai Yue. Their laughter felt like needles pricking her skin, but she kept her head down, focusing on the sheets before her.

  Bai Yue’s ached with every movement. The bruises from the beating throbbed beneath her thin robes, and each time she bent over the washboard, her ribs screamed in protest.

  She clenched her jaw, grinding her teeth against the pain, and forced herself to keep scrubbing. The sheets seemed endless, each one heavier than the last, the water in her bucket now a murky gray. Her shoulders burned, and her back felt as though it might snap under the strain. But she couldn’t stop.

  Not yet.

  “Bai Yue…you have to be faster!” Mistress Danzhu said, voice cutting through the noise. She stood at the edge of the courtyard, her arms crossed as she stared at her, “If you don’t finish before the others, there’ll be nothing left for you in the mess hall. Again.”

  Bai Yue nodded; her throat too dry to reply. She reached up to pin a corner of the sheet to the drying line, and a sharp pain shot through her side, stealing her breath. She hissed and her fingers trembled. She fought to secure the fabric and for a moment, she stood still. She closed her eyes and waited for the pain to ebb.

  It took a few breaths more than usually, but when it finally subsided, she glanced at the remaining sheets. Only one left. Relief flickered in her chest and she smiled, feeling all the pain in her body wash away. She looked up at the sun, now high in the sky, and her stomach sank. The mess hall would be empty by the time she arrived.

  She bent down picking up the last sheet. She tossed the sheet towards the bucket and a sudden gust of wind hit the sheet, sending it billowing skyward like a great white bird taking flight. “No!” Bai Yue gasped.

  She lunged forward trying to grab the sheet but it slipped through her fingers as if they were twigs. The sheet danced higher, mocking her as it spiralled toward the mountain which lied behind the washing courtyard.

  “What are you doing child…RUN! Don’t comeback without it!”

  Bai Yue hesitated for a second, looking at the mountain beam in its emerald light. She had been told not to venture out of the washing courtyard by Mistress Danzhu herself.

  Orderlies of the Emerald Star Palace were forbidden from wandering the upper reaches without permission. Yet losing the sheet would mean punishment, perhaps even another night of bruises and blood. “HURRY UP BEFORE IT GETS TOO FAR!”

  Bai Yue snapped into a run, feeling her ribs eb against her skin, making her hiss in pain. She ignored her protesting body. The sheet floated ahead, just beyond reach, leading her up a winding. Her lungs burned as she climbed higher, the air growing thinner with each step.

  The voices of the washing courtyard faded until all she could hear was her own laboured breathing and the whisper of the wind teasing the elusive sheet. “Please,” she whispered to the cloth, as if it might hear her plea. “Please stop!”

  The sheet continued its ascent, dancing between ancient pines and over moss-covered stones. The path narrowed, winding through a bamboo grove that swayed in the mountain breeze. Sunlight filtered through the green canopy, casting dappled shadows across the ground.

  Bai Yue slowed, realizing she had ventured into a part of the sect grounds she'd never seen before. No buildings rose among these trees, no training courts or meditation pavilions. Only wilderness and silence. The sheet fluttered ahead, its white form stark against the emerald foliage. It seemed to slow, as if tiring of the game, before disappearing around a bend in the path.

  A yawned dark mouth of a cave appeared before her. The entrance partially obscured by hanging vines. The sheet, as if guided by an invisible hand, drifted into through like a centipede and floundered into the cave.

  Drawing a deep breath, Bai Yue stepped into the cave.

  Darkness enveloped around the moment she stepped in. Then, her eyes adjusted to the dim light. The cave was not as deep as it had appeared from outside. Sunlight filtered through cracks in the ceiling, illuminating the space in soft, ethereal beams.

  The air was cool against her skin, carrying the scent of earth and something else—incense? The floor beneath her feet was not rough as she'd expected, but smooth, worn by the passage of time or perhaps... footsteps.

  Bai Yue stepped further into the cave and came to the epicentre. The sun rained in through multiple cracks and her eyes widened the moment she looked in the centre of the room. Someone was seated in the lotus position atop a flat stone, a man.

  The wayward sheet had settled across his lap like an offering, its white expanse stark against his white robe. The man looked young, with streaks of white hair painted in between his black hair. It made Bai Yue realise he was older than she thought, despite his youthful features.

  The man wore a white robe that seemed aged, it matched the robe that was hanging across his shoulders.

  As he sat there, he didn’t move despite the noise Bai Yue had made entering his cave. “Good Afternoon, Master,” she said, “…I apologise for interrupting your meditation but the sheet must be returned,”

  For a long moment, the man didn’t say anything but then he opened his eyes, “Nothing escapes without purpose.”

  Bai Yue blinked, confused by his words.

  What did that mean? Was he talking about the sheet? Or her?

  She shifted uncomfortably as she stood drawing shallow breaths. The man’s gaze was piercing, yet calm, as if he could see straight through her. It made her feel exposed. “I… I don’t understand,” she stammered, fidgeting her hands, unsure of what to do.

  Stolen story; please report.

  The man’s expression didn’t change, it was as if he was unreadable. “What is your name?” The man asked her.

  “Master, my name is Bai Yue.”

  “I see…beautiful name.”

  “Thank you master.”

  A sombre silence resonated between them that made Bi Yue uncomfortable. She fidgeted her hands some more as the man stared at her. “MMas—“ she tried to say, but the man cut her off.

  “Look down,”

  Bai Yue hesitated before looking down, but her eyes glanced down unconsciously. The floor of the cave was covered in intricate carvings, specifically footsteps that were carved into the stone. They formed into a pattern, a dance of sorts, weaving in and out of one another in a way that seemed chaotic. But what did Bai Yue know of dancing?

  Absolutely nothing.

  “Follow the carvings, you can start from anywhere,” he said calmly.

  Bai Yue’s heart raced. She looked up at him, her confusion evident. “But… I’ve never been taught—”

  “Just try,” he said cutting her off with a dry laugh.

  She swallowed her unease and stepped onto the first carving. She followed the footsteps, unsure of herself, but mostly clumsy. The markings seemed to demand a fluidity she didn’t possess, she followed them to the centre of the room, then stopped.

  She glanced up at the man, expecting disappointment, but his expression remained neutral. “Again,” he said. “But start from there.” He pointed to his left where the markings were closer to the wall.

  Bai Yue bowed slightly and walked to her left. She looked at the starting point and made note of the different markings. This time, the pattern was even more complex. There were multiple paths she could take, each one branching off into a different direction. She hesitated, but then her mind reminisced of the time she overheard something from a class she walked by.

  The instructor spoke about the importance of flowing footsteps, how each step should lead naturally into the next. She asked herself.

  “Begin,” The man said calmly.

  Yue sighed mentally and reluctantly chose the easiest path she could see. She stepped onto the foot carvings and then shifted her feet to match them. She felt awkward trying to centre herself, but that was the only way she could move.

  She placed her right foot on the first carving, she shifted her weight forward, attempting to glide to the next footprint as she’d seen the senior disciples do in passing. Her left foot landed half off the marking, and she winced, quickly adjusting.

  The pattern curved unexpectedly, forcing her to pivot. Her body tensed, forgetting to flow with the movement, and her bruised ribs protested sharply. She bit her lip, determined not to cry out as she awkwardly hopped to the next position.

  Bai Yue’s flailed her arms, seeking balance where there was none. She approached a series of alternating steps that formed into a spiral pattern. Then took a deep breath then plunged forward, Bai Yue tried to match the markings while her upper body remained stiff as a board.

  Three steps in, her rhythm faltered but she kept her cool, planting her right foot correctly, but as she lifted her left, her body twisted awkwardly. To compensate, she lifted her right leg up, then twisted to land her left leg.

  The motion sent a jolt of pain through her injured side, causing her knee to buckle. Her eyes widened in momentary panic as she pitched forward, hands outstretched, unable to catch herself before meeting the cold stone floor.

  A sharp cry escaped her lips as pain shot through her side. She clenched her teeth, trying to stifle the sound, but it was too late. The man was already on his feet, moving toward her with surprising speed. He knelt beside her, his hand outstretched.

  “Are you alright?” he asked startled. She smiled nervously and took his hand. Bai Yue stomach growled out, not from pain, but hunger. Her face flushed red in embarrassment, that didn’t last long as the pain in her ribs exploded and she hissed again trying her best impersonation of being painless.

  The man chuckled and shook his head, “here…have a seat,” he said. Then walked over to a small cabinet that was invisible a moment ago. He reached into the cabinet and pulled out a small loaf of bread. He returned to Bai Yue’s side and offered it to her, ”Take it,” he said firmly.

  The urge of refusing was there, but Bai Yue was too hungry to refuse. She dipped her head, ensuring not to meet the man’s gaze and smiled. “Thank you.”

  She took out of the bread and her stomach bubbled again. The bread tasted plain, but that was more than enough for her. She took a second bite and felt her stomach alleviate a bit. She then wolfed it down quickly, savouring each bite.

  “Bai Yue, was it? How’s life within the sect?”

  “Peaceful. I don’t have to hunt for food and I have a chance to learn martial arts.”

  “Free food and martial arts?” The old man laughed, shaking his head. “Is that all?”

  “It’s more than I had before.” She said with a shrug.

  The man studied her for a long moment, then leaned back slightly. “What if I told you there’s more?” he asked. “What if I offered to teach you myself?”

  Bai Yue’s eyes widened. She stared at him, unsure if she had heard correctly. “Me?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper. “But… I’m too clumsy. I can’t even follow the footsteps.”

  “You followed them correctly,” he said with a faint curve on his lips. “As if it were natural. Clumsiness can be corrected. Talent, however, is rare.”

  She thought, could he really see something in her that no one else had? She felt a flicker of hope, but it was quickly overshadowed by doubt. “I… I don’t know,” she said hesitantly.

  “I’ll ask you again…Would you like to be my apprentice?”

  Bai Yue’s heart pounded in her chest. She looked at him then the carvings on the ground and finally at the sheet sitting in his lap. For the first time in what felt like forever, she felt a spark of something—possibility, maybe she had an .

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  The man’s smile widened. “Good,” he said. He stood and walked over to a makeshift table in the corner of the cave. From seemingly nowhere, he produced a brush and a piece of parchment. He began to write, once he was finished, he folded the letter in half and handed it to her.

  “Take this to the sect physician,” he said. “They’ll tend to your bruises. After that, return here.”

  “Thank you,” she said confused,

  “From this moment on, I am your master,” he said. “We will perform the master-disciple ritual but before we do that, you must promise me one thing.

  “Yes Master!”

  The man let out a bombastic laugh, slapping his chest in the process. Bai Yue looked up in confusion, as if she did something wrong. The way he laughed, almost felt maniacal, rehearsed which made her uneasy. “You didn’t even hear what I said and you agreed so fast.”

  “I’m your disciple am I not?”

  The man looked down at her and smiled gently. He walked up Bai Yue and patted her on the head. “Yes, you are” He said calmly, then turned around. “It seems I have found a troublesome disciple.” He quipped, which made her nervous.

  “Don’t worry I’m not one to reprimand without cause.”

  “Understood master,”

  “Alright, but as I was saying. As I’ve take you in as my disciple I have one request. Do not let anyone know that you’re my direct disciple. Don’t ask why, but I will tell you in time. Do you accept.”

  “Yes master.”

  “Good, come over.”

  Bai Yue walked over to the centre of the cave. She knelt down, wincing slightly as her ribs protested, and placed her palms flat on the cool stone floor before her. “For the ritual, you must bow to me three times.”

  She nodded and bent forward, touching her forehead to the back of her hands. She held the position for a moment before straightening, then repeated the motion two more times. Each bow made her ribs throb, but she kept her face composed, determined not to show weakness before her new master.

  “I, Bai Yue, pledge myself as your disciple,” she said, the words coming naturally though she’d never witnessed such a ceremony.

  The man nodded approvingly. “And I accept your sheet as an gift,” he said. A hint of amusement touched his eyes. “A fitting gift, carried by the wind itself. And do not concern yourself about my hospitality—the bread I’ve shared with you today is more than sufficient for a feast between you and I.”

  Bai Yue rose to her feet, her head still slightly bowed in respect. “Thank you, Master.”

  “Remember to visit the herbalists,” he reminded her, his gaze briefly flickering to where she clutched her side. “Your training cannot properly begin until your body is healed.”

  “But Master”" Bai Yue said hesitantly, “what should I tell Mistress Danzhu about the missing sheet?”

  “Do not worry yourself with such matters. I will handle Mistress Danzhu.” He said, waving his hand dismissively.

  Relief washed over her face, she turned to leave but paused at the mouth of the cave, a realization struck her, and she turned back, embarrassment colouring her cheeks. “Master, I... I never asked your name.”

  The man smiled and nodded, “I know...my name is Shi Qiu,”