Chapter 2: The Selection
1079 Words
“Hold still, Ruolan.”
Bai Caldrin reached out and straightened the collar of his daughter’s robe.
Ruolan immediately stood straighter.
“I am holding still, Father.”
“You're nervous.”
“I am not.”
Ruolan smiled.
Lianyi stood beside them, watching.
Her own clothes had already been arranged by her maid. She wore a simple red dress with narrow silver embroidery along the sleeves. Her long black hair had been gathered behind her head, with only a small red ribbon holding it in place.
Ruolan's clothes were more elaborate.
Her red outer robe had golden embroidery at the edges, and a jade hairpin rested neatly in her hair. Even without trying, she looked like someone prepared to be watched.
Lianyi looked down at herself.
“Do I look strange?”
Caldrin glanced at her.
“No.”
He turned back to Ruolan.
“Remember what I told you. Stay with the other candidates and don't act carelessly.”
“I know.”
“And don't wander off.”
“I won't.”
Lianyi quietly stepped forward.
“I won't wander off either.”
Caldrin looked at her.
“I wasn't talking to you.”
“Oh.”
Lianyi nodded.
“Then I'll just follow Ruolan.”
Ruolan smiled at her.
“Of course.”
They walked toward the courtyard entrance together.
Several young women were already waiting beside the carriages.
Most wore elaborate robes in different clan colors. Some had carefully arranged hair decorated with pearls and jade. A few kept checking their sleeves or jewelry, clearly worried about how they looked.
Lianyi recognized some of the girls from previous gatherings.
As she passed, she heard whispers.
“That's Bai Ruolan.”
“She looks so composed.”
“Of course she does. She's always been the sensible one.”
Another voice lowered.
“Her sister is pretty too.”
“Pretty?”
A short laugh followed.
“That's about all she has.”
Lianyi heard it.
She turned.
The girl immediately looked away.
Lianyi frowned.
She wanted to ask what she meant, but Ruolan gently caught her wrist.
“Come on.”
Lianyi looked at her.
“What?”
“Father is waiting.”
“Oh.”
She followed.
The carriages began moving shortly afterward.
The journey to the mountain took several hours.
Lianyi sat by the window, watching the scenery change.
The familiar roads around the Bai Clan slowly disappeared. Houses became fewer. Trees became thicker. The mountain appeared in the distance, its peak hidden behind layers of pale mist.
She rested her cheek against the carriage window.
So this was where the girls were sent.
Lianyi remembered the voices from the night before.
The girls disappear every year.
She didn't know whether the man they were talking about was truly a monster.
She wanted to know.
But she had no one to ask.
The carriage suddenly slowed.
Lianyi straightened.
“What happened?”
The carriage ahead had stopped.
Soon, the ones behind it stopped too.
A guard hurried past.
“Spirit animals are blocking the road.”
Several girls stepped out of their carriages.
Lianyi followed.
A group of animals stood farther ahead.
There were wolves, deer, and several smaller creatures among them.
They weren't attacking.
They simply stood across the road, refusing to move.
One of the guards approached.
“Don't use magic.”
Another guard nodded.
“We don't know why they're here.”
Someone behind Lianyi muttered, “Then make them move.”
Lianyi looked at the animals.
One of the wolves was limping.
She noticed it immediately.
“Wait.”
She walked forward.
Ruolan caught her sleeve.
“Where are you going?”
“They're hurt.”
“Lianyi, don't.”
“I'll only talk to them.”
Several girls laughed.
“Talk to them?”
“She really thinks animals understand her.”
Lianyi looked back.
“They do.”
The laughter stopped.
Ruolan quickly stepped forward.
“Lianyi, please don't go.”
Her voice was gentle enough that several people turned toward her.
“She has always been like this,” Ruolan said. “If she sees an injured animal, she forgets everything else.”
Lianyi looked at her.
“That's not bad.”
“I didn't say it was.”
Ruolan smiled.
“I just don't want you getting hurt.”
Lianyi considered this.
Then she pointed toward the wolf.
“It looks more scared than angry.”
Ruolan sighed.
“Fine. Let her try.”
One of the girls beside her looked surprised.
“Miss Ruolan, you're really going to let her?”
“She won't listen to me anyway.”
Ruolan gave a helpless little smile.
“So we might as well wait.”
Lianyi didn't notice the looks exchanged behind her.
She had already reached the wolf.
She crouched a few steps away.
“Your leg hurts?”
The wolf stared at her.
Lianyi waited.
After a few breaths, the wolf lowered its head.
“Yes.”
Lianyi smiled.
“Why are you blocking the road?”
The wolf looked toward the mountain.
Then back at her.
Lianyi's smile faded slightly.
“There's something there?”
The wolf growled softly.
Another animal made a frightened sound.
Lianyi looked around.
They were all looking toward the mountain.
“What happened?”
The wolf stepped closer.
Lianyi listened.
Her brows slowly pulled together.
“Blood?”
The wolf lowered its head.
Lianyi didn't understand what it meant.
She reached into her sleeve and pulled out a small cloth.
“Come here.”
The wolf hesitated.
Then it approached.
Lianyi carefully wrapped the cloth around its injured leg.
“There. It's not much, but it'll help.”
The wolf looked at her.
Then it moved away from the road.
The other animals followed.
One after another, they disappeared into the trees.
The road was clear.
Nobody spoke.
Lianyi stood up and looked toward the guards.
“You can go now.”
One of the guards stared at her.
Then he looked at the empty road.
“Right.”
The candidates began climbing back into their carriages.
Lianyi turned toward Ruolan.
“See? They weren't dangerous.”
Ruolan stared at her for a moment.
Then she smiled.
“You were lucky.”
“I wasn't lucky.”
Lianyi looked at the wolf disappearing between the trees.
“They were just scared.”
A girl beside Ruolan laughed softly.
“Miss Ruolan really is a good sister.”
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