Liu Xueli’s jet decelerated at a speed visible to the human eye. Visible to snail eyes too. Going from a breakneck speed that tore through the clouds, revealing the sun for a brief moment, the jet came to a stop midair.

Hovering midair, the door of the jet opened as Xiao Feng and Xueli flew out, blanketing the area in a thin layer of Qi as the jet flew off to land itself somewhere safer.

“Over there,” Xiao Feng called out to Xueli, pointing to a far off ravine where he sensed the four disciples resting. “Let’s go.”

Her lips pressed in a thin line, Xueli retracted all her Qi, flying over and descending, keeping a hand on the coat that was fluttering around her shoulders as Xiao Feng followed behind her.

“Are you all okay?” Xueli called out, sending a blast of frozen air towards a beast that had lunged towards her, freezing it in place before it collapsed to the ground. “I’ve heard the situation, anything that needs to be addressed immediately?”

“Just Songmei!” Mingqing answered, flinching a second as Xueli and Xiao Feng appeared in front of all four of them. “O-Oh... Hi, yeah... uh.”

Giving Mingqing a few pats on the head, Xueli waved her hand towards all four of the disciples in front of her. “Just sit back down, you four, there’s no need to get up and greet us. There are more critical matters at hand. Xiao Feng, you take care of the Pavilion disciples, I’ll take care of my two.”

Blasting another rampaging spiritual beast that was minding its own rampage in the distance, Xueli bent down into a squat in front of Songmei and Mingqing. “Everything okay? I can see you’re suffering a little bit Songmei, want to show me what’s bothering you?”

With a long sigh escaping her mouth, Songmei cracked her eyes open, staring at Xueli in front of her who... of course, didn’t quite look like Xueli.

Instead of the normal kind face that seemed deceptively young, all Songmei could see was a blinding pillar of... something. Songmei could make out that Xueli was wearing some dress pants, a button up shirt, and had a coat draped over her shoulders, but couldn’t... couldn’t really see Xueli herself.

Xueli really looked like a comic book character, like a being of pure energy.

Maybe... maybe this was like... the energy of age or something...

“So... uh... yeah, lotta pain...” Songmei confessed, closing her eyes once more and leaning back against the rock wall. “Mingqing also told me my eyes look different. Apparently purple?”

“Yes... very purple indeed.” Xueli agreed, falling silent as she mulled over some thoughts. “Mingqing might not know of her, because she disappeared before you two were even born, but very reminiscent of a lady I used to look up to back in the day.”

“Does that mean I have her eyes or something?” Songmei asked, tapping her chin, pondering outloud with a total lack of urgency now that Xueli had arrived. “What did her eyes do?”

“I don’t think you have her eyes,” Xueli shook her head, reaching forward and feeling Songmei’s face. “Though she cultivated something sort of similar to you, it was crystal-related, her eyes were very famous. And they had a very different power from what you’re describing. Yet, your eyes are very similar in terms of looks.”

Pausing for a second, Xueli tilted her head before furrowing her eyebrows. “Come over here Mingqing, I have something for you to do. You cultivate ice, can you make a small ice sculpture in your hand?”

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“Ah? Huh? Wait, yes, one sec.” Mingqing nodded, having been just sitting there listening along to not disturb the examination that Xueli was conducting. Taking a second, Mingqing formed a small ice butterfly in her hand before offering it to Xueli. “You need this?”

“Mhm, thank you,” Xueli smiled, putting it on her palm and raising it in front of Songmei’s face. “Songmei, could you open your eyes?”

Blinking her eyes open for a second, Songmei’s eyes squinted as tears welled up in them. “I... I can see a butterfly. Though your hand makes it hard to see since it's so bright...”

“I see,” Xueli sighed, crushing the butterfly and letting the Qi dissipate. “I think what you’re seeing is Qi. A little problematic that you can’t control it at all though... I’ll put a seal on your eyes for now, report it to the elders and see if we can find someone to help you with that.”

“G-Got it...” Songmei stammered, not processing half of Xueli’s words and just deciding she’d ask Mingqing about it later. “Go... go ahead?”

“No need to even ask,” Xueli laughed, pressing her palms against Songmei’s eyes.

One... Two... Three...

Counting off the seconds in her mind, Songmei felt an icy-cold coolness rush through her eyes and into the rest of her body as the remaining Qi in her body slowed to a near halt. A few deep breaths later, Songmei then felt her eyes cool down, the pain receding like the ocean’s tide.

“Hmm... I think you should be good now?” Xueli mused, lifting her hands off of Songmei’s eyes as two faint blue runes faded from existence. “Try looking around, let me know if I need to continue a little longer and put more Qi into it.”

Her eyes fluttering open, Songmei’s eyes darted around as her head began to swivel, taking in the sights around her.

“I... I can see again,” Songmei cried out, tears of happiness welling up in her eyes as they faded from a rich crystal-like amethyst back to their dull gray. “T-... t-... t-thank you...”

With Mingqing also giving her most heartfelt thanks, her voice more shaky and relieved than Xueli ever thought it could get, Xueli reached over, ruffling both Songmei and Mingqing’s hair. “It’s what I should do, I’m your master. If I don’t, who would?”

Getting a pair of “That’s true”’s from Mingqing and Songmei, Xueli laughed, a smug smile surfacing on her face as she turned towards where Xiao Feng, Youhong, and Wang Taigang were sitting. “Xiao Feng ya bum, can you bring your two disciples over here?”

“Uh... Xueli...” Mingqing asked, her hand intertwined with Songmei’s once more now, “Is it okay that you treat the Elder of another sect like that? The Pavilion of Radiant Shadows no less...”

“It’s okay,” Xiao Feng answered, having overheard the question as he shook his head with an exasperated smile, “At this point it's fine.”

“Of course it's fine!” Xueli grinned, suppressing her laughter as she looked away. “It’s a long story... well not so long.”

Seeing the expectant expressions plastered across the four disciples in front of her and the long sigh that was escaping Xiao Feng’s face, Xueli couldn’t help but double over laughing once more.

“Well, it all started back when I just became an elder, like... first assignment as an elder. My assignment was to be security for a tournament that was being held between the big sects.” Xueli began, looking away as her face contorted, trying not to burst out laughing. “At the time too, there was a really good coffee shop, and I’d frequent it everyday while not on my shifts.”

Motioning as if she was drinking a cup of coffee, Xueli continued on, with Xiao Feng clutching his face and letting out a low groan. “Well, there was this STAR disciple of the Pavilion, and he started to talk to me every day. Then, on the last day of the tournament, before the final match, the most publicized match every year, he confessed to me!”

Unable to hold it in any longer, Xueli doubled over laughing, wiping a tear from her eye. “That bozo was Xiao Feng!”

Making a flourishing hand motion, Xueli pointed to Xiao Feng who was now groaning loud enough to pass for having a knife in his side. “He went on to win though, so good for him.”

“How was I supposed to know you were that much older than me, and an elder no less...” Xiao Feng shook his head, clearing his throat as if nothing happened. “Anyway...”

“You were supposed to tell by the fact I had a nametag on me that said ‘security personnel,’ Xiao Feng...” Xueli retorted, pressing a finger against Xiao Feng’s chest. “Anyway, yeah, continue.”

“As I was saying,” Xiao Feng emphasized, moving on without even a cough to acknowledge Xueli’s words, “It seems for now you all are safe. Therefore, Xueli and I are going to uhh... go do some gardening.”