Jumping from roof to roof, a girl tried to outrun her pursuers, the white cloth men.

They were getting closer, but she won't give up just like that thought the girl, "After infiltrating their camps so many times and when I finally get a lead on them. I mustn't be capture. Run legs, we must reach the forest. We will be safe when we arrive there."

It wasn't an easy run but she was Yang JinGe. She escaped death twice. "This is just a walk in the park," she encouraged herself.

The men were hot on pursuit. She mustered all the concentration she had so that she wouldn't miss even one step. "One mistake is all it takes to fail." Everything was riding on this.

The men were close enough to grab hold on her clothes.

The girl side-stepped and avoided them.

"Finally, I have finally found my brother," thought the girl.

And with a determination that wouldn't allow her to give up, she jumped off the last rooftop where it ends and into the dense forest.

The girl took off her shawl hat and flower petals on her forehead shone and, in an instant, she changed herself into a wolf, fur began growing and her hands and legs slowly changed form into paws and upon touching the ground, it ran through the forest with such agility that the men could not catch up.

However just before she was able to enter the forest, with the last effort to deter the girl, they shot off arrows and one of them hit her on her shoulder.

Even being a divine being, being shot by an arrow wasn't much but the arrow was poisoned. "Still using the same cheap tricks," thought the white wolf. Even with her extraordinary healing capabilities, it was too much for her. "My powers are draining too fast. I need to find the moon and fast too."

JinGe looked around while running, it was her first time in these parts of the woods, she couldn't identify a way out or where the forest ends. She kept running but her vision was becoming blurry but just when she was about to collapse, she smelled her kindred. "There are very close," as the wolf held its nose up and sniffed the air around the forest.

The girl rushed to their side not to reunite or seek help but to stop them, because even though they were far she could feel their blood lust.

She ran with all her might and howled into the night, a very loud and distant cry.

Young Scholar

A young scholar was travelling through the mountain road far away from the mountain; carrying a heavy bag on his shoulders were books and scrolls he had collected on his journey around the continent. It was his precious load, but they could not fill his stomach as it growled at him.

It was the fifth time. It had growled at him. "Please be quiet. I will get food for you soon. Once there is daylight, I could find some plants to eat," he said to his stomach.

He swung his lantern around to find a path out from the forest. The man was actually lost for several days in the forest, which caused him to run out of food.

Feeling thirsty, he took out his bamboo water carrier, but when he held it up for a drink, it was empty. He threw the bamboo bottle down on the forest floor.

He knew he was in a pickle. The young scholar was lost and without any supplies. Not even water. "Just my luck," he thought. However, it wasn't the worst. "At least I am not in any danger."

However, the idea was quickly disappeared as he felt the gaze of someone or something from behind.

He turned around and it was gone but then a sudden chill befell him, and felt the eerie gaze was suddenly all around him.

The young scholar quickly took out his torch and lit it up with the fire from the lantern. He directed it towards the darkness and the wolves' figures start to outline.

The young scholar was scared. "I am going to die!?" he thought to himself.

However, a sudden ear-piercing howl was heard from somewhere, which echoed throughout the forest and made all the other wolves trembled. The scholar took the opportunity and ran as far as he could, away from all the wolves' howling.

When he finally ran out of breath and stopped. The young scholar realized that he had being running in a circle and back at the same spot when he saw the bamboo water bottle he had thrown away before.

The torch was already short from burning and one of the stray embers fell upon his hand and burned it. He dropped the torch on the ground. It almost went out.

"Oh no," he thought especially since he heard some rustling in between some bamboo stalks in the forest. "I can't reach the torch in time."

So, the young scholar immediately grabbed hold onto a dry branch nearby, ready to defend himself if there was an attack from the wild animal, even though the branch was too thin, to be relied upon as a weapon.

He was readying himself and waited while the torch behind him was flickering.

There was a moment when he saw a wolf's gaze on him, its eyes were blue and in one of its eyes, reflected a beautiful crescent moon and even weirder those eyes seem to belong to a white wolf which was very rare in this part of the forest.

The young scholar blinked in disbelief and suddenly, someone, dressed in white fell out from the bamboo stalks instead of a blood thirsty wolf which shocked the young scholar.

He was still afraid to get closer to the person and approached him slowly. When he was close enough, he shone his lantern on the individual, to make sure of it whether the person was really a person or something else.

"Human," thought the young scholar breathing a sigh of relief and then he noticed the person's blood-stained clothes.

The blood on it was slowly spreading across the person's clothing. The young scholar quickly kneeled down beside individual and gotten the lantern closer to see the extent of the wound.

"There is an arrow on his shoulder," thought the young scholar. He learned from a doctor before and knew that he had to pull out the arrow as he had seen the physician had done.

The young scholar grabbed onto it and with one quick move removed the arrow from the individual's shoulder but lacking in experience and knowledge, he wasn't as accurate as he thought he was, and it causes the wound to bleed excessively.

He pressed onto it as hard as he could with one hand while using the other to tore off his sleeve to form some bandages. He used his teeth to hold on to them while using his hands to tear them into long pieces as the fire from the torch extinguished.

After they were ready, he propped the person up while still keeping the other hand on the wound on his back. "He is a slim fellow," thought the scholar.

With limited light, thus limited sight, he still hasn't found that the person was not a 'he' but a 'she' and he brazenly took off 'her' clothes to wrap his wound.

He grabbed onto his collar as the light from his lantern went out too, "Never mind, I could do it in the dark," thought the young scholar and he continued, peeling off layers of clothing. The outer layer first and then next until he could touch the person's skin. He wrapped it around the shoulder twice and then across the bleeding wound. He then lifted the other hand while pressing onto the wound and wrapped the bandage over his chest, from the top first then around it another several times while still oblivious of her gender, and just thought the person was a bit fat around the chest.

He tied the wound securely with a double knot and then suddenly the person spoke. It was so faint that he almost missed it, but he heard him and got closer to hear what the person was saying.

The young scholar leaned in, and the individual said in a soft and gentle voice but that was due to her constitution, "Pervert," JinGe whispered to him.

And the young scholar finally, noticed from her voice that the person he thought all along was a boy was actually a girl and he blushed considerably and still stunned he haven't thought about her clothes. In the dark, she was still semi naked where her shoulders and the area above her chest were still exposed.

JinGe wanted to cover herself, but a fever was rising as her body began fighting the poison. All the magical powers she had in her used to recover from her injury.

The girl lacked stamina to even move. Her body collapsed on the leafy grounds due to exhaustion.

"Hey, how are you?" asked the scholar with his back against her, worried about her yet embarrassed at the same time. The girl did not reply to him because she had fainted.

The anxious scholar called her several times but seeing there was no reply from her. He carefully extended his arm towards her and accidently touched her bare skin, and retracted his hand immediately, "I did not mean to touch," thought the scholar, guiltily.

And then reached out again, a bit lower and was able to grab hold onto her arm and he began stirring her but there was yet any response coming from the girl. "What should I do now?" thought the scholar.

Remembering her wound, he immediately thought of bringing her to a physician. She needed more than just a bandage, her wound needed to be disinfected and medicine to be applied.

Once again when the sudden thought of medicine came to mind, he decided to search for them.

"I remembered seeing some of it on the way up the mountain," and thus, he went over to his bag and began searching for flint to light the candle in his lantern.

It was hard in the dark, but he managed to grasp hold on it as he relied on his sense of touch and felt for the rough surface of the flint in his bag. He was able to light the lantern and hurried in the direction where he thought he saw the herb.

The young scholar went along the east side and finally found it growing around some dry patch of soil down the path, "Luckily there is still some growing." He plucked and hurried back to the girl.

In his haste and happiness, he had forgotten about her 'bareness' and accidently shone his light onto her and saw her bare shoulders. Although, it wasn't much but it was consider impolite to see the skin of the opposite gender.

He quickly turned around and faced the opposite direction.

"What to do?" he thought as his face began blushing from the brief encounter. And then he decided to blow off his candle in the lantern again and helped her like before.

He propped her up again and said before starting, "Miss, sorry for being disrespectful." And began untying the knot and unravelled the bandage while chewing the yarrow plant in his mouth. It seems endless to him as he felt flustered at the thought of the person's gender but he had no choice.

"I am a doctor. Not a man. Doctor," he repeated to himself in his mind.

The young scholar pressed on and then finally it was ready and he spat out the plant and placed it on her wound and once more wrapped the bandage around her shoulder again and this time, remembered to neatly covered her up which accidently again he touched the skin on her neck and noticed that her body was burning up.

Immediately, he touched her forehead, and it was the same. "She is running a temperature," thought the scholar. There wasn't any water source around here, and he had also drank the last drop an hour ago, maybe. He couldn't tell.

Furthermore, they are lost in the forest, "How are we going to survive?" thought the young scholar.

He had a moment of hopelessness but he recovered quickly, like how he had always done and took another look at his belongings resting against the tree. There were all his valuables but in spite of all that, the girl's life was more important than all those things, at this moment, at this time.

He went towards it, and took his favourite book, the book which had started and had inspired him to go on this journey and placed it in the folds of his clothes and without a second look, turning his back on them; his favourite teacup, his brand-new clothing which he had just bought, the book which a fellow scholar who had given him as a sign of friendship and all the paintings that he had drawn. They were precious but not as precious as a person's life.

He knew that he could not possible bring them with him if he were to carry the girl with him out of this forest. However, it is the right thing to do and without regrets he lifted her up on his back and began walking.

White

Several hours had passed, and he was still stuck in the middle of the forest with no way out. There were sounds of owls in the distant as they hooted and the insects calling out to each other. "As long as there aren't any wolves, anything is better than the silence," thought the scholar but the sound of her heavy breathing on him was most worrying and her rising temperature accompanied by constant shivering.

He really wanted to cover her with his robe but he knew that it would only worsen her condition and thought better of it.

Another hour had passed, it seems to have been even worse than before, he had been hurrying to find a way out but it was still pitch black around the place, with no assistance from the moon at all and the numerous protruding tree roots along the path made everything so much harder.

The young scholar gripped onto his lantern tighter and headed up a small slope while evading tripping on the thick tree roots but with the limited amount of light; he misstep and almost fell.

If it was not the hanging tree branch which was overhanging close to him and with tough luck he was able to grab hold onto it even in the dark, he might really had fallen down and went rolling down the slope with the girl.

"Luckily I am strong," thought the young scholar.

However, in the process, he had thrown away his lantern as he had to spare his hand to seize the tree branch. Without the lantern, it was pitch black, and he began doubting himself.

Did he made a mistake by travelling at night? Should he have waited till morning to bring her to a doctor?

However, the more time he took to bring her to a physician, the higher the chance she would die All he did was first aid, he must bring her to a physician and as soon as possible too.

While questioning himself, he felt the girl slightly stirring in her sleep. He must have waked her up from the slight mistake just now. "You are finally conscious," said the young scholar, breathing a little sigh of relief while continuing his way in the dark, bumping into tree one every four to five steps in front.

"It's dark," stated the girl.

"Sorry, I had just lost my lantern," confessed the scholar.

The girl closed her eyes, and concentrated, with her eye brows knotted in the middle. When she opened them, one of them flashed a vivid blue colour and they turned into those like the wolf.

It made her vision better and she could see in the dark and farther as well. She squinted and then told the young scholar, "Walk in front in five steps then turn right."

Even though puzzle, the scholar follow her directions and he did not hit anything in front of him which he was very glad as his foot was hurting from knocking into tree or tree roots.

She continued giving him directions but without anything to guide them, they were still getting nowhere until she saw another one of her kind, it was white in colour as well, the same as herself.

It seemed to be saying to follow it but she was not all that trustful of her own kind but without a choice and taking her own situation in consideration, it would be better to gamble for once and she directed the scholar to the place where the white wolf was heading.

They travelled further into the forest, which caused the girl to despair of her choice because what she wanted is to leave, not to enter deeper into the forest.

However, they seem to be climbing into higher grounds. "We seem to be ascending," said the scholar. "Seven steps ahead, tree root in three steps," said the girl whose voice was getting weaker and weaker.

Staying conscious and using her wolf eyes while recovering from the poison were draining her. The simple task of opening her eyes was a chore to her, as the boiling temperature of her body continued to escalate.

While waiting for him to climb, JinGe would close her eyes and opening them when needed.

However, in the middle of it, the wolf suddenly stopped on what seems to be the top of the hill and disappeared from their sight but whether it was there or not, it does not matter anymore, because even from down below, the girl could feel the attraction of the moon even without opening her eyes to see.

"Hurry, up," said the girl to the scholar and they arrived moments later after the wolf.

Upon reaching the place, the scholar was shocked by the beauty of it. On top of the hill, there was a waterfall, where the moonlight shone upon it waters, causing the silver fishes in the water to give off a silvery illumination.

He let her down from his back upon her request, at the side of bush. She can't even open her eyes anymore due to her fever.

"I am thirsty, get me some water," ordered JinGe.

The scholar obediently went to the side of the pool to get some for her.

While he was busying himself, the girl held up her hand towards the moon and scooped it, and from her palm there seem to be a certain white light blazing brightly. She used both of her hands to compress it and then released the now smaller luminous light into her left eye which it was gently absorbed.

When she lowered her hand, and blinked the crescent moon which was reflected there before turned into a beautiful full moon.

All of her sudden, her body's condition was improving, as her powers return. Her body was no longer suppressing the poison but began neutralizing it. JinGe collapsed once more with a thud, on the earthy ground and fell asleep.

However, her sudden collapse caused the scholar to panic as he thought she finally gave in and death took her away. He rushed to her side and slowly placed his index finger under her nose. "She is breathing," thought the scholar to himself and then he touched her forehead and her fever seem to have gone down a little bit. "At least her temperature isn't rising anymore," thought the scholar.

And then a sneeze ensued, "Achoo." It is getting rather cold due to the chilly night air. He looked at the girl and took off his coat.

The young scholar tore off the other sleeve and then covered her with the coat. And using the sleeve he submerged it in the water and took it to the girl where he wrung the water out from the cloth and into her mouth. He repeated the action several times and then finally placing the wet cloth on her forehead, to reduce the heat.

The young man then decided to build a fire next to her. He collected sticks and dry leaves and began building a fire. It took him a half an hour, but it might have been longer if the moon was not present. He did not catch any fish but just found some wild berries and ate them. It made his face grimace, as his lips puckered up and his eyebrows gathered in the center.

Suddenly, he heard a wolf howling close by which scared him. The young scholar quickly sat near the fire, warming himself up. And then another howl which was even louder than the first one.

It terrified him further and he changed his seating.

He sat in front with his back against her. And when the howling died down, he was finally able to doze off.

Swim

The beautiful melody which was often heard during bridal processions was eerily being played out. She was wearing the same wedding gown just like that day. She was getting married off when suddenly a fire appeared all around her, closing in rapidly and ablaze. She wanted to run but she can't as someone stabbed her in the back.

However, she was able to turn her around ever so slightly but just before she passed out. And she saw the person's holding the knife in his hand as the blood dripped from it and once darkness enveloped her, she would wake up in reality, in cold sweat.

"Phantom pain," thought JinGe her back tensed up.

She had been repetitively having the same dream every time after she recharged the moon's essence. She can't understand it, neither does she want to because her aim would not change because of this strange dream.

It was clear the moment she woke up from her dream five years ago, that she wanted revenge on YongSan and the people who planned the revolt, those with the wolves emblem.

And since she found out about the clue, JinGe was sure that YongSan and the white group were all connected. However she still could not figure it out the person behind the scheme, his plan and his aim.

It remained a mystery. She had collected information since five years ago and YongSan had remained at the general's mansion. He had not expanded his power nor authority. He had kept quiet all these years.

JinGe kept the thoughts away and focused on the foremost thing she must do now. It was to reach XinYe where everyone had agreed to meet.

Immersed in her thoughts, it took her some time to realize that she was not alone, there was another person beside her.

"He must be the person who was carrying me just now," thought JinGe. "His shoes are in such a bad shape," as the girl looked at his toes, peeping out from the hole made from the loosened sole of the shoe. She can't imagine him walking in such shoes for so long and even carrying her on the way.

JinGe continued to study him as the fire projected its light onto him, flickering now and then. And she noticed how slim he was, he was not muscular, even leaning more towards scrawny. It seems so impossible that he could have carried her, yet he did which amazed her.

And then she remembered their earlier encounter, and she felt bad saying he was a pervert. He did what he did to save her life. She could felt the bandage he tied around her. It was secure yet comfortable.

She sat up and her blue eyes strayed to the pool with its silvery fishes swimming in it. It was a beautiful sight and then she smelled the air around and there seems to be some berries around, but from the stench on the man's hands, they seem to be quite sour.

"I could at least get some fish for the two of us," thought JinGe.

The girl went over to the pool and stretched. She had to do it manually without magic since she had used all the moon essence she absorbed for recovery.

JinGe took off and draped her outer robe on the young scholar, just in case he might wake up. It will give her plenty of time to run if he should.

JinGe took off her bandages and look at the wound. The bleeding had stopped, and the open wound closed. She could feel her body getting stronger as time passes but somehow there was a strange feeling in her body.

She can't seem to put a finger in it so she just put it at the back of her mind and enjoy the scenery in front of her.

The girl looked at poultice that was there and held it up to her nose. She can't help but grinned at the cleverness of the young boy. "It was thanks to this herb that stops the bleeding that I could hold on to my life for so long," thought JinGe.

She placed the bandage on the side and took off all her clothes. JinGe took a deep breath and dived into the crystal-clear pond.

From above, the moon could see her slim figure, swimming gracefully like a fish underneath the pristine waters, hunting the silvered line fishes which were swimming away from her.

After a few more breaths she caught around two fishes. Although it was enough for the both of them however, with the thought, they might be in the forest for quite some time. She went back into the water to catch another few more.

Under the water, she did not realize the figure who was stirring slightly under her robe, which was waking up from his sleep.

Moon Illusion Forest

Contrary to JinGe's dream, the young scholar was actually having a wonderful dream. He ate and drank to his fullest, tasting every great dish that the kitchen was preparing for him and when he was finally full. He tipped the chef and to the waiter who had served him well and went back to the room, the inn keeper had prepared for him.

He laid in bed and pulled the covers over when it suddenly began suffocating him. The cover had become a monster and it was trying to kill him and he began attacking it furiously, unwilling to give up and he punched it away, thus waking up from the dream with the robe already off him.

Still half awake, half asleep, he hasn't notice the girl's absence and went towards the pool, thinking that he would like to wash his face.

He walked lazily towards the pool, kneeled beside it, and scooped a handful of water. Oblivious of the fishes beside him or the girl who was swimming towards him with a fish in her hand. When he knew about it, he was too late. He had already seen everything.

She surfaced from under the water, happy and contented until she saw his face as she emerged. Face to face, he averted his eyes, but his gaze had landed on something even worse.

The young scholar saw her naked body even though, it was elusive under the water, but he had no doubt or any reason to deny it. He had seen it, there was no mistaking it.

JinGe thought of slapping him but realizing she was naked, cover herself with her hand, and instead threw the fish in her hand at him, and then telling him to, "Turn around, turn around, you pervert."

The young scholar quickly walked away, with his back against the girl, blushing from ear to ear. Her clothes were at the side of his feet, he was even stepping on them which made JinGe angry.

"My clothes," scolded the girl. Realizing there were at the side of his feet, he lifted them up and handed it with his body still facing the front. One hand covering his eyes and another handing the clothes over.

JinGe, got out from the water and seized the clothes from his hand, began putting them on and tying the knots so they would not come off.

"I will take responsibility," said the boy suddenly.

She was surprised by his loud voice.

"I will marry you," continued the scholar.

She did not know what she should say to him and just said the first thing which came to her mind, "You do not have to."

"No, Miss. It was my fault that I se... no I mean... I did not mean to... Anyway, I will take responsibility for my actions."

"You can leave. You do not have to take any responsibility," said JinGe coldly. All she wanted him to do now, was to leave and forget about the incident and never to see the boy anymore.

The boy hearing her words was unable to control himself and turned around and saw her half dress which JinGe threw him another dagger like gaze. He turned around, apologizing again.

"I am so sorry. I did not mean to but let me take care of you. Although, I seem weak, but I could earn some money and I could look after you," said the young scholar, and began dreaming of a life with her. He could earn some living by teaching children around a town or village and then they would live together surrounded by children of their own.

While he was dreaming, JinGe had already dressed herself and began walking away in the opposite direction, leaving through the left side of the forest.

The young scholar saw her leaving and rushed over to catch up to her. He grabbed onto her arm and with strength pulled her back to face him, and with a very serious face, said to her, "I will take full responsibility for you. Truly."

JinGe looked at him as he returned her gaze while the leaves took off as the wind gently bought them down while the moon shone behind them. They glided down, filling the empty space between them. 

With the moon, JinGe could vaguely see his face. It had the same pink colour as well, reminding her of someone who once blushed so cherry like. "ZhenYu," she thought.

The young scholar caught JinGe, as her mouth slightly twitch upward, revealing a very tiny smile but it quickly faded as it was afraid to be seen and quickly turned into a scowl.

JinGe was about to slap him, and he was ready for blow as the young scholar closed his eyes.

"He was not even thinking of evading," thought JinGe and she held her hand up to hit him.

The young scholar waited and waited, what seems to be forever as he awaited the arrival of her slap, but he only felt the breeze of her hand as it passed his face.

This bought the young scholar an enormous sense of relief as he thought that she had forgiven him but when he opened his eyes, the young scholar found JinGe to be in shock as she was looking up at the moon.

Suddenly she collapsed onto the ground. Luckily, the scholar was able to catch her sudden fall and she landed in his arms.

The young scholar examined her expression, it was going white, paler than the first winter snow, shone by the moon, it was even more transparent.

It was apparent under the moon? He suddenly blinked and the light he thought was there was suddenly disappearing. He looked up from the ground, towards the moon, but it was nowhere to be seen.

There was emptiness above the sky, the fishes in the pool lose their silver lining and disappeared from view.

They were only the light from the fire, which was crackling, and he hurried to it, carrying her. He was panicking with her sudden passing out.

He can't understand her at all, the first time he met her, she almost died, with an arrow in her shoulder. When they arrived here, her running fever disappeared and she suddenly gotten better but just when he thought she was healthy again. The girl fainted and now she was as cold as ice.

Her usual small figure was even more slender in his arms than before.

He wrapped her with every cloth he had on his body and carried her again on his back with a makeshift torch in his hand and hurried down from the pool. "This is a really mysterious forest," thought the scholar suddenly.

In spite of the warning by the other villagers he encountered on the way, telling him about the disappearance and strange and mysterious happenings in the forest.

He had really come to an ominous place, "WanYue Forest, Moon Illusion Forest really lives up to his name."

What do you think of the young scholar? Do you like him or just found him annoying?

What do you think have happen to JinGe as she suddenly collapsed?