Jian Li appeared at the crystal clear lake inside her mind all alone. As she stood there in silence for some time, her chest suddenly started to glow silver as she pulled a shining longsword out of it. It was the longsword that she had previously made with her father but 3 years had rapidly passed and it was almost her 10th birthday by now. The longsword that used to be longer than her, had now become just as tall as she was.

Jian Li swung the longsword around a few times, practicing her swordplay.

The morning sun at the lake shone brightly on her. It also felt like a gentle breeze blew by, stirring her now longer and whiter hair. Jian Li stood there for a good while, wielding her longsword, feeling content. She closed her eyes and lifted her sword up, pointing it towards the sky.

"I want to be strong,", Jian Li thought to herself. "I want to be powerful. But I want to be strong, not just physically. I want to be strong mentally too. I want to be strong willed. I want to be determined. But most of all, I want to be brave. I want to be brave so that I...", Jian Li's thoughts were cut off as alarm bells rang in her mind. It was time for her to wake up.

The tracking of time had always been hard for her inside her mind space, but she gotten a lot better at it compared to her first few deep meditations. She appeared back in her own room as the early morning light shone through the window. As she did her morning stretches and looked through the window, she saw the courtyard.

Now that a couple of years had passed since the attack, people had begun to hang around it again. Personally, she did not mind, but it still felt kind of odd to her.

She stared outside at the beautiful scenery. The gentle breeze blew by, and the birds chirped happily in the trees. The flowers were in full bloom and everything seemed to be in harmony. Her eyes mainly fell on the ancient willow tree however. The ancient willow tree stood there as tall as it always had been. She still found it hard to look at, especially now as she recalled what had happened there.

She walked over to her bed and grabbed the sword that was resting there next to her pillow. It was her sword. She liked to think that it had a personality of its own. Jian Li had spent many nights in her bed, practicing her swordplay with it.

She was dressed in her normal attire, a red long robe, white leggings, a plain white headband, and her long white hair was tied back in a pony tail. She grabbed a piece of bread that was resting on a plate next to her bed, sheathed her longsword and then left her room.

The stale bread tasted delicious to her, and Jian Li ate it slowly, taking in the tranquil hallways inside the manor. The silence felt nice, and she only wished she could stay longer. Jian Li sighed, wiped her mouth with her sleeve, and then walked over to her father's room. She considered walking in straight away since he knew she was coming, but decided to knock on the door instead.

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"Come in." Her father replied.

Jian Li walked in and closed the door behind her. Her father was sitting on the bed, and she had to bite her lip to stop herself from frowning. He had been bedridden for the past 3 years as the black wound in his chest festered on and destroyed his cultivation base. Most of the time, he would just lie on the bed and stare at the ceiling.

"Father," Jian Li said.

"Ah, Li." Her father looked at her. "You look well."

"Thank you." Jian Li looked down at the ground.

"Why are you sitting? Why don't you just lie down? You can lie down."

"No, I'm fine," her father said. "I feel that I can stand."

Jian Li stared at her father. He had always tried his best to stay strong in front of his family, even when they knew he was at his weakest.

Jian Li sighed. "Okay."

"What are you sighing for, Li?", her father asked unbothered.

"Nothing, Father."

"You don't seem very happy."

"I'm fine, Father. Really."

"Father, Li.", Jian Chen said as he entered the room. His long hair had already reached his back at this point.

"Good to see you."

Jian Li turned her head towards the entrance. "Chen?", she said.

"Good morning, Jian Li," Jian Chen said. "You look well."

Jian Li nodded. "Morning, Chen."

"The world is beautiful, Li.", their father spoke with a blank stare on his face. "It is filled with wonder."

Jian Li looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "Yes, Father."

Jian Chen had no words as he placed his hand on Jian Li's shoulder.

"What's wrong, Li?"

Jian Li stared at her father. "Nothing, Father," she said.

"Then why do you look like that?", he asked as his eyes seemed to regain focus.

"I don't know."

"Are you worried about something?"

Jian Li looked at her father. "Yes," she said quietly.

"I'm worried about you."

Their father sighed in response. "Li, don't worry about it. I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Just worry about you."

Jian Li stared at her father. "I don't want to lose you, Father."

"Then don't."

"But I..."

"Li.", their father said. "I will be fine. I will be here with the rest of the family."

"But..."

"Jian Li.", their father interrupted, "Don't worry."

Jian Chen sighed as he stood in silence, watching them go back and forth with eachother.

"Father, I've been told that Chen and I will be leaving for Banmian today with Ye. Are you sure you'll be fine? ", Jian Li asked.

Their father nodded. "Yes, Jian Li. I'll be fine. Don't worry. Your eldest brother will stay here since he has no business in Banmian."

Jian Li sighed. "Okay."

Their father smiled. "Okay."

"But..."

"I'll be fine, Li, I promise."

Jian Li stared at her father. He still held his smile. "Okay," she said.

"Thank you for worrying about me, Jian Li.", their father said.

"I just..."

"I know," their father said.

Speaking about their father's potentially fatal and worsening condition was sort of an unspoken taboo in the household by then. As a result, the brother and sister said their farewells quickly and refused to continue lingering in the room.

"I'll go get Ye and Wen, you should go eat breakfast in the meantime and wait for us at the courtyard. ", Jian Chen kept his words shorter than usual and left Jian Li alone in the hallway. Jian Li felt like the stale bread she ate from earlier had been enough, so she directly left for the courtyard.

She was not far from the willow tree as she exited the manor, and Jian Li half expected to see someone there but was surprised to not see anyone there anymore.

She hesitantly walked towards the tree, took a deep breath and then slowly approached it. She placed her hand on the tree and closed her eyes.

Her body felt heavy, like she was being weighed down by something. She opened her eyes and stood there.

It was still there. She felt it.

"The pain..."