Legacy World 3.3 BaiXue's Induction

Over the next few weeks, BaiXue followed the foxes for them to show her the ropes, before she would be allowed to act on her own. They showed her the locations of various villages and the fastest routes to take. They also put her through self-defense training, but it was minimal and far below her personal standards. 

BaiXue was slightly taken aback by the area that was under their radar. The foxes knew of villages in the entire forest, all the way out to the coast. The nearer ones took them less than a day to reach. The furthest ones tooks days for them to reach. Still, there was no sign of the female lead's village. BaiXue wondered if it laid beyond the mountain that was on the other end of this forest.

They had never tried to cross the mountains before, even though it was around FenFang's dwelling. The mountain was treacherous to cross and had stronger people living on it. The foxes did not want to take the risk for FenFang. BaiXue realised that the original soul was likely the only one willing to cross the mountain and find a safe passage for other to take.

They were finally making their way to the final village, which would also be BaiXue's trial village. The young foxes would be assessing her capabilities in gathering information. As logn as she passed this, she could move on her own from then on. 

/It's likely my village./

[How do you know?] BaoBao asked.

/Have you not realised that only my village have not yet appeared? It's definitely nowhere near the coast, so it shouldn't be too far from FenFang's dwelling. I don't believe that my village hid themselves that well. There were more well-hidden villages. The question is, why did they leave my village for last? Do they know where I come from? Or is my village so easy that it can serve as some test?/

True enough, after a day of travelling, they arrived at BaiXue's old village.

BaoBao was confused. [How did the original soul wander around for SO long, and not arrive at FenFang's place?]

/...I bet that FenFang is involved in it, somehow. There's something about her and this forest that I can't place my finger on yet./

BaiXue took roads less travelled by people and naturally blended in with the background. All the while, she stealthily kept herself within earshot of conversations around her. Anyone who saw her would think that she was just another person going about their day.

Nobody in the village recognised BaiXue as the one whom everyone blamed and hated for causing the death of one of their strongest people. However, BaiXue would not fault them for it. The last time she met her reflection in a body of water, she looked like a brand new person, even to herself. Her memory of the old self was someone small, timid, and weak. Whereas, she now carried herself as confident and aloof. Her skin also had a healthier glow to it, which she guessed could be due to her constant cultivation. A skill that she had learnt in the first world and applied in a different world. 

The three foxes who observed BaiXue from the sidelines got extremely excited. She was a great addition to their team! The moment BaiXue returned to their side, they jumped out of the foliage that they were hiding among.

"There was talk about some recovery from a bandit's raid, the losses they incurred from it, and about changing the location of the village."

"Ohhh! That's valuable information! If they change their location, we'll have to look for them again, from scratch."

"Yes, that'll be a bother. So, we should keep a close eye on this one."

"Good job, BaiXue!"

The three of them each gave their input, before making their way back to FenFang's dwelling. 

The foxes talked among themselves on the way back. They no longer tried to involve BaiXue because she was very quiet and only spoke when spoken to. BaiXue was not much fun. Meanwhile, BaiXue held her conversation with BaoBao. 

/There is so much for me to discover in this world./

[There is?! I knew there must be more to this world! Is it the way this world works? The plants? The sky? The animals? The people?] BaoBao continued to throw out random suggestions, questions that his kind had about Legacy Worlds.

/I'm talking about what I mentioned earlier./ BaiXue finally found a good pause to interrupt BaoBao.

[Earlier?]

/About FenFang and the forest?/

[Oh... Thaaat... What about it?]

 /I'm guessing that FenFang casted some sort of enchantment in this forest that allows her some control over it.../

[Why? How do you know?]

/We haven't run into any trouble so far, have we? Do you think that is normal? In a forest like this?/

[Now that you mention it... We only met wild animals far away from FenFang's dwelling.]

/It also seems like the further the foxes are from FenFang's dwelling, the higher their guards are raised. We were given only the minimal self-defense training as if she was sure that was all we needed. This self defense training may really be just for show. A weak ignorant individual would not have realised it but-/

[But you're far from that!] BaoBao ended her sentence for her in a huff.

Once they were back at the cave, the four of them reported their findings to FenFang .

"Oh? They're planning to move? Where are they planning to go to?"

"They have not decided on a location yet. Things are still being discussed. They may not even move in the end." BaiXue replied.

"Looks like we need to keep a close eye on that village for now." FenFang arrived at the same conclusion.

BaiXue nodded to show her agreement. She truly did not care what would happen to the village that the original soul grew up in. BaiXue did not feel any form of attachment to the people or the place even though she knew that the original soul had some lingering feelings for her birth place. She was not the original soul. However, she did develop some familial feelings for the strong and kind hearted brother.

Seeing that the sky was still dark, they retired for the night. There was a few hours left before sunrise. BaiXue laid on the pile of hay covered with soft animal pelt. The foxes and her shared a small but cosy cave that stood beside FenFang's cave.

/FenFang did not react to the news of bandits raiding the village.../

[So...?]

/... Maybe, just maybe, she had already known about it.../

The next day, FenFang assigned new tasks to the four of them. One of the foxes were tasked with monitoring BaiXue's village. BaiXue got assigned to a coastal village that was one of the first villages they had visited early on.

"The pregnant woman in that village should have given birth by now. Go and get updates."

BaiXue nodded.

"Take this." FenFang stretched out a hand. A short black jadeite tube laid in her palm. It looked like a tiny whistle.

BaiXue opened her palm to receive it.

"This is strictly for emergencies." FenFang continued to instruct her. "Emergencies ONLY include danger towards the mystical beings, not yourself. When you blow into this, it signals to MengYao where his assistance is needed." 

BaiXue nodded seriously. She noticed how the other three foxes seemed especially quiet when they would usually chirp in a sentence or two each time.

Feeling BaiXue's stare, one of them finally spoke up. "You should really understand that emergencies does not include your own safety..." 

Another one chirped in. "We... had a sister... who used it to save herself when she was almost beaten to death, after being found spying on the village."

"So there were four of you?" BaiXue clarified.

The two who replied nodded. The yellow fox continued to hang her head low as if not wanting to be a part of this conversation.

"Please don't mind her. She was the closest to our deceased sister." 

"That guy... killed her for her mistake. And let her assailants go... Don't take him lightly." 

"Now that you understand the purpose and dangers of this flute, you may go." FenFang dismissed them.

BaiXue left in a jiffy. There was only the need to pack one or two change of clothes. Food and water could be taken care of along the way.

When BaoBao ensured that she could no longer be seen by anyone, she dashed ahead with her true speed. She was much faster now. If her brother was alive, he would have been proud of her growth. However, it was not enough for her. She would have been barely able to keep up with her deceased brother. 

When the sun set, she stopped to practice her martial arts until her stamina ran out. Her stamina for fighting was significantly worse than her stamina for running. She was glad that she could finally train up her body's endurance and physical fitness. Before this, the foxes were constantly around her.

After her martial arts practice, she cultivated for the rest of night. She had already cultivated so much over the past months, but her body was not even half filled with energy. She was sure by then that no one cultivated in this world, yet their strength was reliant on their spiritual energy. This meant that it was down to one's natural talent of absorbing the spiritual energy of whatever was consumed. No matter if it was consumed by drinking, eating, or breathing. This talent was what the original soul likely lacked as well.

With her new speed, BaiXue covered more distance in a shorter amount of time. 

Upon reaching her destination, she found an area that is kept out of sight. She set up camp there, then hunted for food. Hunting for food was now of no issue, thanks to an improved physique, improved reflexes, and BaoBao's surveillance and herding assistance. 

Once she settled down, she continued practicing her martial arts for the rest of the day. Due to her stamina, her practice was interspersed with breaks that she would spend cultivating. 

BaoBao casually wondered if BaiXue would ever get bored of going through the same motion in every world. She always needed to restart from scratch and train so intensely because the original body was always so weak.

BaiXue planned to keep this up, and only go to the village on the fifth day, which was the day she would have arrived, if she had travelled at the foxes' speed. However, a small commotion drew her attention. She stayed hidden among the foliage and approached the source of the commotion. 

"You have to kill her!" A man was seen shouting at a young couple. The woman was carrying an amazingly pretty baby with coral pink hair and coral blue eyes in her arms, while the man shielded the woman by standing in front of her.

"How can you be so sure that she would be evil?" The father of the child questioned sternly.

"My baby would not hurt anyone! I believe in her! I won't let her either!" The mother screamed in tears.

"That's what you say now. Wait till she controls your minds, then all of our minds!" The same man shouted.

"Wait, what if she's already using her ability on them? They're protecting her only because she wants to be protected!" A woman said in paranoia. 

"She's just a BABY!" The father shouted. 

"A MYSTICAL one!"

"You can't underestimate a mystical being." Yet another man cautioned.

"I promise that no one will be hurt! If anyone gets hurt, then I'll let you wipe out my family!" The father promised.

"Someone was already hurt yesterday! Why do you think we are here today to confront you?"

"Yesterday's incident does not count. That person attacked us. Our baby was only trying to protect her mother out of instinct." The father said through gritted teeth. 

"It proves our point that your baby's dangerous."

"All she did was cry!" The mother defended her baby.

"AND it only caused the attacker to go into a momentary daze. The one who dealt the finishing blow was ME!" The father continued in a menacing tone. "If anyone dares to hurt us, I will kill in self-defense. I'll only accept punishment if others were hurt for no reason."

The mob took a step back collectively. The one who spoke the most humphed and turned to leave.