“Woah! M-master! Please calm down. I’m not sure yet, but I don’t think that what happened there was a coincidence… I think…” Nie Fu scratched his head. Yu Lin breathed to calm herself before she sat down.
“Alright,” she folded her fingers together, “speak,” she looked at him. Nie Fu cleared his throat as he sat up.
“The night before we had to head out… I received a note telling me to drink a bottle… if… if I wanted you gone from the academy,” Nie Fu held his hands up and waved them back and forth as he shook his head, “but I don’t think like that anymore! I really think master is a good person! Please believe me!” his eyes asked for forgiveness.
“I understand. Continue,” Yu Lin ordered. Nie Fu let out a sigh of relief before nodding his head.
“Anyways, I drank the bot-”
“Who gave you the note?”
“Huh? Oh… I don’t know. I heard a knock and when I opened my door the note and the bottle was already there.”
“Oh… continue.”
“Okay. Anyways, I drank the bottle and then went to sleep. The next morning I woke up with a very bad stomachache and thus that is why I went to you. When I received your medicine and went back to my room to brew the medicine, I found another bottle by my door with a note.”
“What did it say?”
“The note told me to pour the bottle onto my cloak which I did. I didn’t know what it was but… I only learned later on that it was Koogi Lust after Teacher Li told me to go help you and you… you got injured because of me. I’m… I’m sorry…”
“It’s fine. Let bygones be bygones. Now that you are telling me this, I can see that you have changed,” Yu Lin reassured him. Nie Fu smiled.
“Thank you, master. Anyways, after that day someone came to visit me.”
“Someone?”
“Yes… I don’t know who they were because they covered their face up… but by the voice I think it was man.”
“Man?” Yu Lin furrowed her eyebrows as she thought about the sequences of events, “what did he say to you?”
“He told me that the plan was almost a success and I wasn’t happy so I told him off… and he told me sacrifices are needed for the greater good. He apologized but… I don’t know… I’m not sure if he was sincere or not… but… I feel like I have heard his voice from somewhere before, but I don’t know…” Nie Fu grabbed onto his chin as he tried to think, “anyways, after I was still not happy so I closed the door in his face. Soon afterwards I heard a knock and I thought it was him but it was you instead and that was why I was so angry… sorry…”
“Oh… I see… but I have another question.”
“What?”
“Why did you look so scared earlier when you were sitting by yourself?”
“Ah… that…” Nie Fu rubbed his head, “it’s because… the day you went missing that man came back and talked to me. He told me that I won’t have to worry about you anymore… I was happy for just a split second, I swear! Just a split second! But… after I thought about it, you’re not a bad master… you helped me with understanding medicine better. And after a while of thinking about the whole situation, I just couldn’t help but feel like something was off especially with what happened with the whole poisoning incident…”
“I see… thank you… sir Su,” Yu Lin said. Nie Fu’s eyes lit up as he looked at her.
“I… it’s alright,” Nie Fu said as he smiled.
“Hmm… sir Su.”
“Yes?”
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“Did you see anyone else that day?”
“That day? Hm… After you left Saruto came by and gave me some medicine. After that I saw Leng Zhuang for a brief period of time and then Chen Hua stopped by to see how I was doing.”
“Chen Hua…” Yu Lin stroked her chin, “I see… thank you…” Yu Lin’s eyes were gentle as she stood up. “It has been a long and we should get some rest, “ Yu Lin opened the doors to her room.
“Yes. I should get going now,” Nie Fu stood up and walked out the door. He turned around and looked at Yu Lin.
“Master… I was not the only one worried about you.”
“Huh?”
“Chen Hua and Yang Yang were also really worried… Kumamono and the other two kids also stopped by because they were worried.”
“Kumamono? Oh… I see… thank you for telling me. Have a good night.”
“Master… I don’t know what you have gone through but… I hope you don’t close yourself off too much,” Nie Fu advised. Yu Lin just stared at him for a moment before nodding her head.
“I understand. Good night, sir Su,” Yu Lin gave him a small headbow and closed the doors. Yu Lin walked to the other end of her room and pushed the door open. She pulled each of her robes off piece by piece as she entered the warm steamy bath. She laid her head back and let out a small sigh as she closed her eyes to rest for just a moment.
-
“This is all your fault,” a girl with long black hair and green eyes said as she glared at Yu Lin, “why did you have to come? Why did master accept someone like you?! It’s all your fault!” the girl pushed Yu Lin back.
“Xin Ru…” Yu Lin looked down at her bloody hands before looking up at her. “This is my fault?” she asked as her eyes trailed across a male body that laid on a table before her. The body was stiff and cold as it did not move an inch.
“It is! You mule! You monster!” Xin Ru pushed Yu Lin back again, “why did you come? It would have been better if you weren’t here… it would have been better if you were never alive! It would have been better if I never trusted you!” Xin Ru screamed. “Now Lin Shu is dead! Lin Shu is dead because of you!” Xin Ru cried.
“What?” a voice called out and Yu Lin turned to see the rest of her classmates standing there, “who is dead? Lin Shu? What?” a taller male started to inch closer to her and Xin Ru.
“Tai Ren…” Yu Lin breathed out as she watched Xin Ru run into his arms.
“Tai Ren!” Xin Ru cried, “that monster killed Lin Shu! Ahhh!” Xin Ru cried, “her chi energy killed Lin Shu!” Xin Ru cried. Tai Ren’s eyes widened and Yu Lin shook her head.
“I didn’t… it wasn’t me…” she inched towards them.
“Stop!” she froze as she heard Tai Ren yell out. Tai Ren’s eyes traveled up to hers as Yu Lin watched a flame burn in them.
“You… you murderer!” Tai Ren cursed and Yu Lin took a step back as she shook her head.
“It wasn’t me!” she screamed.
-
“No!” Yu Lin sat up as she panted. She looked around her to see that she was still in her bath. She shook her head as she pressed her palm onto her forehead. “Why did I have to dream about that?” she mumbled to herself as she stood up and left her bath. “I’m too tired… I need to sleep…” she said to herself as she pulled on her night robes.
-
Yu Lin woke up early the next day. When she opened her door she found Zhi Shu standing there. She brought her hands down as she bowed her head.
“Good morning, Teacher Li,” she greeted.
“Rise,” Zhi Shu said and she nodded her head.
“Thank you, Teacher Li. How may I help Teacher Li today?” she asked.
“You don’t have to do anything… I just wanted to see how you were doing… considering everything that happened.”
“Teacher Li, you don’t need to worry much. I am fine,” she reassured him.
“Oh… I see… come to my room after breakfast then… we need to talk.”
“I understand,” Yu Lin bowed again as she watch Zhi Shu turn and walk away. She stared at Zhi Shu for a moment before turning around and closing the door. Instead of heading to the cafeteria she started to head towards the red and orange section.
As she was walking there she saw Saruto walking pass. Saruto gave her a glimpse before giving her a quick headbow and she did the same. She continued to walk and when she was at the entrance of the red and orange section she saw Yamanaru talking to Wei.
“Is that so?” Yamanaru asked.
“Yes,” Wei nodded her head. Yu Lin watched as Wei’s eyes traveled behind Yamanaru’s to meet hers.
“But the-”
“Senior!” Wei said and Yamanaru stopped before turning to look at her. Yamanaru frowned as he flicked his wrist and his fan opened up. Yu Lin looked away as she walked passed them.
Yu Lin stood in front of the door next to her old room. She reached her hand up and tapped her knuckles onto the surface. There was no answer and so she knocked again.
“Hmm…” she heard whining from the inside before the doors opened, “Sanji! Why are you here so ear-” Kumamono stopped talking as she realized Yu Lin was standing in front of her. “Y-Yu Lin…” Kumamono breathed out.
“Miss Higurashi,” Yu Lin said, “let’s talk.”