Thread: Benigna's Muse

Nice. Lets eat. remarked Mei Ling as she stepped out of her bedroom leading the way to the dining hall and took her seat at the dining table. The aroma that the congee emitted was divine especially for a hungry person in the morning. As per her usual routine, Mei Ling switched on the radio to hear the morning news while she ate her breakfast. She took a stick of you tiao to go with her congee even though it already has some in it. Mei Ling simply could not get enough of this simple delicacy and it brought back memories of her home town, Singapore. Even though the congee that she was having is not like the one she liked over in Singapore, the you tiao helped in reminding her of her roots. Note You tiao is a simple delicacy for many Chinese. Its origin dates back to the Southern Song Dynasty where a prime minister called Qin Hui persuaded Gaozong that it would be better to make a peace treaty with the Jins rather than fight them. Qin Hui and his wife then thought of a scheme to get rid of Yue Fei who was thrown into jail based on fabricated charges and then executed. Although Qin Hui's act was despicable, Gaozong was equally bad. He listened to Qin Hui because that would alleviate his insecurity of having to face the possibility of Yue Fei accompanying the two captured Song emperors back to the capital. Gaozong feared for his job and was willing to appease the Jin and keep his throne, rather than lose it by reestablishing Chinese sovereignty. The people hated Qin Hui afterwards. A dough maker took two pieces of dough, shaped them into Qin Hui and his wife, dipped them in boiling hot oil, and invited people to take bites out of his new delicacy. People began to call this food You Zha Hui. She was brought back to Hong Kong by her grandmother when her family in Singapore was slaughtered by a group of vampires. Miraculously, she was spared as her parents hid her in a secret compartment. Even though the vampire would be able to sniff her out, they did not thinking that since they had killed the people who would be able to impart skills to her, she would pose any threats. She was only 5 at that time. Fearing for her safety after her family was slaughtered her grandmother brought her over to Hong Kong. Her grandmother taught her everything she knew and was very strict with her. Xiao Chian was her grandmothers name everyone in the slayers circle respected her although she was a woman. Her grandmother had proved time and time again that she was a capable vampire slayer and out ranked any male vampire slayers. Unlike traditional slayers, her grandmother re defined the methods used while retaining the old ways. It was her grandmother who came up with the glutinous rice bomb sac and was improved as time passed. Like other humans, her grandmother was not immortal she died at the age of 80 leaving Mei Ling her vast properties and knowledge that she had recorded. The motto that her grandmother told her to stick by stuck in her head and that was to remain pure and void of compassion and emotions for harmful and dangerous supernatural beings. Mei Ling had made a point to go back to her home town in order to pay respects to her family whose ashes were stored in urns in Kong Meng San in Singapore. She was aware that that The festival of the Hungry Ghost was around the corner, and had booked tickets to Singapore to manage her familys urns and pay tribute to them. Note The Festival of the Hungry Ghost is celebrated on the seventh month of the Lunar Calendar. It is believed that during this month, the gates of hell are opened to free the hungry ghosts who then wander to seek food on Earth. Some even think that the ghosts would seek revenge on those who had wronged them in their lives. The Chinese also do a lot of offerings to the deceased. These offerings are made by burning fake money notes, which are also known as hell money and even paper television or radio sets. Some families also burn paper houses cars to give to their dead relatives. The Chinese feel that these offerings reach the ghosts and help them live comfortably in their world. The Chinese regarded the 15th of the month as an important date to give a feast to the ghosts. On this date, the family would cook a lot of dishes and offer them to the deceased. This was done to please the ghosts and also to gain good fortune for the family. Snapping out from her thoughts about her past and her plan to fly to Singapore, she heard radio reported that there was a corpse found in the back alleys in Kowloon, the corpse was drained of blood and the police was unable to locate the murder weapon. However, the coroner spotted two punctured marks on the neck estimating the cause of death from loss of blood. Was there another vampire killing? Although the radio did not specifically state that the two punctured marks on the neck were from the bite of a vampire, Mei Ling knew too well. It made her wonder if she had cleared the streets of Hong Kong from these foul creatures. The last she looked, all the vampires that would be potentially dangerous to a human had been eliminated thru the help of other slayers like herself. Their fight with them was long and hard, both sides had heavy casualties and of course, the vampire side lost. Where do these vampires come from? Were they the same ones that slaughtered her family? Have they come to finish her off? Whatever it was, Mei Ling felt that there was something at play, something more sinister than just a simple feeding. So deep in thoughts that she hardly heard what Si Lin had asked her. Hm? she responded still mulling over the news that she had heard. What would you like for dinner, jie? Si Lin asked. Si Lin, dont you think its too early to ask that? No, it is because I will be out with my classmates. Oh. Well, I will eat out then. What time are you meeting them? 2 hours from now, jie. Alright, its best you get ready now. You take forever to change. she said teasing Si Lin. Umm.. I guess. Si Lin blushed knowing full well what Mei Ling meant by her statement. It was unintentional at that time, still each time that Mei Ling made that statement she could not help but blushed. It was her 3rd week stay at her place when it happened. Mei Ling was out hunting down vampires, she was bored alone at home. A sudden surge of sexual want hit her, she stripped bare naked leaving her door open thinking that it was ok since she was alone and Mei Ling usually came back in wee hours of the night. She spread her legs and began to pleasure herself by rubbing on her sexs entrance and the clitoris. Si Lin moaned softly as the pleasure hit her senses and was soon lost in her sexual pleasures. The more she rubbed herself, the more she wanted to do more than just fingering. Since she did not have a toy, she would have to be contented with using her finger. She was close to climax when Mei Ling come home who happened to pass her bedroom and saw what she was doing. Wow, Si Lin, now I know why you took so long to change. was the comment she made as she stood at her doorway watching her. Embarrassed, Si Lin quickly covered herself with her blanket looking at Mei Ling sheepishly. Well, carry on, Si Lin. I am going out as well, Si Lin. I must meet up with Long ke to discuss my plans to move back to Singapore. Have you got your passport ready? she asked. Yes, it can be collected a week from now. Great! We will set off to Singapore at the end of the month, if not earlier. I will place an advertisement to rent this apartment. This way, we would have an income while over there. she remarked finishing her congee clearing the table. Do not wait up for me, I think I will be home late. Mei Ling said as she closed her front door. Walking along the corridor to the left landing, Mei Ling noticed that her neighbour had not collected the morning papers for the last few days. It was unlikely that they had gone for a holiday for she had just seen them last Sunday. Could something happen to them? It was not in her nature to poke her nose in other peoples business but the bare fact that her neighbour had not collected their morning papers bugged her a lot. Diverting her herself from the original route, Mei Ling walked to the door. As she got nearer, the smell of gas was strong that made her quickly covered her nose backing away from the door. When she was in a safe distance, Mei Ling fished her mobile phone from her pocket to call the police and ambulance then called Long to inform him that she would be late. It did not take long for the police and ambulance to arrive at the scene. The area was cordoned off while the police investigated the cause of gas leak that took the lives of her neighbour. After being questioned by the police, Mei Ling left her apartment building heading towards town to meet up with Long. Hi Long ke! she said smiling at Long and took her seat opposite him. Long had been a close friend to her ever since she started the vampire slaying business. There were occasions that she would confide in Long about how she felt about this whole thing. Long would as always gave her level headed advice. Though not a handsome man, Long had charisma. He was the only person whom she felt comfortable being herself and to show her true feelings to. Long was not a vampire slayer but he was her adviser and strategist, he had intimate knowledge on the occult, supernatural and astrology. Have you heard about the killing of a woman in Kowloon? asked she brushing a strain of hair from her eye. Yes. Mei Ling. I doubt its the work of a vampire. he replied. Oh? Why is that? There were punctured marks on the neck, you know. Yes, there were. My police friend who was at the scene told me that the body was in a pool of blood, it was as if she bled to death. The vampires that we had dealt with would suck all the blood leaving the corpse dry. Ah, I see. Well, since that is the case, I feel at ease now. Our battle with these accursed creatures had been long and hard. I just wish that there isnt new breed of them coming up. Haha... you are such a worry ward, Ling. Long remarked, So what do you want to see me about? he asked while looking at the expression on her face. He was always amused whenever Mei Ling was in that child like mood her facial expression was what he liked to look at most. Well, I am going to Singapore at the end of the month. Would you like to come along? It would be a good break, besides you get to learn new cultures. Its a tempting offer, Ling but I have to decline. There are a lot of back log for me to clear. You always have back logs, Long ke. Come on, you wont miss out much. Did I mention that Si Lin is going too? she said enticing him with Si Lins presence knowing full well that Long had a special interest in Si Lin. Err... if that is the case... he trailed off pondering over the carrot that was hung in front of him. Damn Mei Ling, she sure knew how to get to him. The mention of Si Lin made his heart beat a little faster. He had been trying to date Si Lin for the longest time and each time that he tried, Si Lin would always have an excuse not to go. Going to Singapore with Mei Ling and her would be a good opportunity for him. He pretended to check his PDA for awhile then looked up, Okay, I will go but I will only be there for 10 days. Great! she smiled sweetly at him, I will book the tickets. Please check your passport Long ke, you do have the tendency to forget such stuff. Long smiled at her when Mei Ling stood up to go. Where are you off to Ling? he asked surprised that she had to leave so soon. I am going to book the tickets, Long ke. The travel agent that I often use is just around the corner. Do you want to come with? No, you go ahead, I need to head back to office to apply for leave and delegate someone to take over my job. Okay, I will let you know the flight date. Bye. she said giving him a soft hug before she left. When she was out of ear shot, she was worried that Si Lin might forget about their trip, took her phone out from her bag to call Si Lin. She reminded her to pack her stuff for they will be going to Singapore at the end of the month. Of course, Mei Ling deliberately omitted the detail about Long going with them. It would be interesting to see her reaction when the two meet. Hanging up, she entered the travel agents office she was greeted by the manager who gave her his golden smile. The manager attended to her for the booking of 3 first class tickets to Singapore the following Friday. In appreciation of her patronage, the agency gave her a gift. It was a voucher for ladies only spa. After that, she went shopping, did her hair and pampered herself. Si Lin did not meet her classmate. When Mei Lin called her, she was on her way to a temple to offer prayers to the deities and observed a day without eating meat. Upon arrival at the temple, a nun ushered her to her usual room for a purifying bath scented with flowers. Unwanted hair must be shaved off during the bath then cleanse with another pail of purifying water. After the bath, she would put on a nuns robe without her bra and panties then proceeded to the main prayer hall to start the offerings. All evil and lustful thoughts must be flashed out of her mind during this time. Si Lin must sit in a lotus position citing prayers and would be flogged if she showed signs of restlessness or if she were to do it wrong. Although the process was hard, it helped her spiritually and cleansing her soul. Lunch and dinner would be rice with two dishes of vegetables. The end of the day would be at 8pm. It was her way in repenting for her past sins that she had committed which she hoped would enlighten and bring salvation to her soul. No matter how long it would take her to reach her goal, she was willing to go thru with it. When she was done and had changed to her own clothes, she asked the head nun for scriptures to bring along to Singapore. The head nun smiled at her telling her that she did not one, the scriptures were already in her heart and mind, all she had to do was to recite it. The nun gave her a sash to wear around her waist when she is in Singapore and to use it when the time is right. Si Lin did not understand what she meant and told her so. The nun smiled again telling her that she will know when it presented itself to her. Si Lin thanked the nun for the sash and went on her way back to Mei Lings apartment.