Phoenix Rise: XieRong

Chapter 9 The Choice to Serve

After greeting the Auntie at ChuanLi restaurant and asking her for food, clothes,water to wash up and extra blankets, XieRong led the people she’d rescued to her room.

"I want you all to eat and wash up first. Here," she said handing them some leaves, "put this in the water you’ll wash up with. The sores will disappear. We’ll talk after."

The three left to wash up elsewhere while XieRong waited for her food to arrive. She was starving. She felt happier as she thought of what she’d pulled off. It was her first success.

He Ting, the waitress, brought her food and water to wash up with and left the room.

As XieRong washed up she thought of what her next steps would be. She’d seen Fa MeiLien form master-servant blood bonds with every servant who worked for her, but she wasn’t Fa MeiLien. She wanted to let them decide if they wanted to follow her, which, she thought was very unlikely. She had no power, no wealth, was dead in the eyes of her family and wasn’t even sure if her grandfather would accept her. At least FeiHong had her mother’s gifts and a future, but she didn’t even have that.

XieRong had said a lot of things to FeiHong as her elder sister but she didn’t know if she could abide by her words.

Once XieRong was done eating, she brought the tray of empty bowls and plates downstairs.

"Auntie can you send my companions to my room after they’re done?"

"Yes, miss. I’ll send He Ting to bring the bucket downstairs now that you’re done. Here, your extra blankets."

The Auntie handed over three more blankets.

"I know I’m not supposed to say anything to customers, good or bad, but for someone so young you have a very kind and understanding heart, young miss. Never forget to keep that kindness within you."

XieRong smiled at the Auntie and thanked her, wondering why the Auntie had said that as she brought the blankets upstairs.

It wasn’t long before the three people she’d rescued entered her room.

"Do you have names?"

"Nubi wishes Young miss to give this servant a new name," the oldest girl in the group about her age said as the girl beside her just nodded. The boy refused to say anything.

XieRong couldn’t make out their faces very well. Even with all the candle lights, it was too dark.

She stood and withdrew their contracts from her spatial ring.

"Here," she said giving all of them their contracts,"I’ll give you the choice to follow me or to go your way. I have no wealth and no cultivation yet and I can only promise you this: if you choose to follow and serve me I will be a kind master to you, one that protects and provides for you. However, to prove your loyalty to me, I want you to make a blood bond with me. The choice is yours to make. You have until tomorrow, I’ll be leaving the capital by the hour of the rabbit (5:00am to 7:00am)."

XieRong said nothing more. She gave each of them their blankets and went to sleep. She had a long day tomorrow.

The three servants stood shell shocked. They had never been given the opportunity to choose their own fates before.

"She’s interesting," the boy said, as he took his blanket and moved to a remote corner of the room.

The two girls didn’t really know what to do. They were fallen nobles who had been sold by their family for money. This night, when they had observed the crowd, they thought the best they could get was a master who wouldn’t abuse them on a daily basis, but instead they had been saved and offered an opportunity to decide their own lives.

"We don’t have to decide now, mei mei. Let’s go to sleep. We’ll know what to do when tomorrow comes," the older one reassured her younger sister and coaxed her to sleep.

XieRong was up before the hour of the rabbit (5:00am to 7:00am) and had hurried down to see whether her ginseng had arrived.

"Auntie, auntie! Has anything arrived for me?"

Auntie who was preparing the breakfast looked up and beckoned her over.

"This pouch arrived for you early in the morning."

XieRong hurriedly opened the pouch and inspected it’s contents. It was fine.

XieRong hugged the Auntie in her excitement.

"Thank you! Thank you!"

She bounded up the stairs to her room and woke the people sleeping on the floor.

"I need to change. Go downstairs and have breakfast, I’ll be there soon to hear what you’ve decided."

XieRong freshened up as fast as she could. She tied her jet black hair up in a pony tail with the blue jade pin from her mother’s jewellery. At the last moment she had decided not to sell that one and keep it as a keepsake.

Today, she and FeiHong could start getting treatment.

XieRong bounded down the stairs and sat down next to the people she had rescued as her breakfast arrived.

Everyone present in the room could say she was happy. Her obsidian eyes shined even more brightly when she smiled. XieRong didn’t know that she was livening up the atmosphere in the hall with just her happy countenance.

"Have you all decided?" she asked as she ate her breakfast.

"Me and my sister will follow you. We have no money or place to go."

"I don’t want you to follow me for such reasons," XieRong said eating her noodles,"if you have no money, I’m willing to give you some, and you could always work here and earn your stay. If you want to follow me, it will be only because you want to follow me. Now, tell me, what have you three decided?"

The sisters looked at each other. They would be lucky to serve someone as kind and just as XieRong. Not everyone was fortunate enough to have a master like her.

"Me and my sister still choose to follow you. We agree to the blood bond."

XieRong was surprised, but happy. She would gain more people she could trust.

XieRong looked at the boy in front of her properly for the first. He indeed had beautiful features, just like the auction master had said. A straight nose, dark shapely eyebrows, jet black hair.

"Have you decided?"

The boy lifted his head and looked XieRong in the eyes. XieRong’s eyes widened with surprise.

He had the most beautiful sky blue eyes.

XieRong had heard that people from the other continents possessed different features but to see it up close was a first. She couldn’t help but stare a little.

"I’ll form the blood bond with you, but I can’t follow you," he said.

This stopped XieRong from her staring.

"Then why do you want to make a blood bond with me in the first place? I told you, you don’t have to."

"You’re interesting," he said and resumed eating.

XieRong thought that to be untrue. She found the mysterious boy to be much more interesting than she could ever be.

After they were done eating, XieRong led the group to her room.

All of them returned their contracts to XieRong.

XieRong took out the knife from her boot and pricked the five fingers of her right hand. The others did the same after XieRong handed them the knife.

XieRong started with the oldest of the group. She placed her palm on the girls so that their blood met.

"I, XieRong, hereby name the person before me, Hui Nuo and accept her as my servant."

"This servant accepts the person before her as her master as well the name bestowed to her. I, Hui Nuo, swear by the blood to be loyal to no one but XieRong until death brings us apart."

XieRong repeated this with the younger sister naming her Hui Zhen.

XieRong looked at the boy.

"Do you have a name?" XieRong asked, unsure if he wanted one from her.

"You can give me a name, if that’s what you’re asking."

XieRong felt a little embarrassed, but proceeded with the blood binding ceremony anyways.

"I, XieRong, hereby name the person before me, An Biming and accept her as my servant."

"This servant accepts the person before him as his master as well the name bestowed to him. I, An Biming, swear by the blood to be loyal to no one but XieRong in this life."

XieRong was puzzled as to why An Biming had changed the last part of the oath. She found no fault with it so she let it be.

XieRong tossed a small pouch with five gold taels to An Biming before she left.

"I promised that I would provide for you should you choose to serve me. You may not be following me, but you gave me your oath and I gave you mine. I don’t know when, or if our path’s will cross again, so I want to hold my end of the promise."

XieRong left the capital with her two new companions following behind.