Chapter Twelve - Little Missy

Cai Bingtian

https://i.imgur.com/xzisjky.png [https://i.imgur.com/xzisjky.png]

Nie Ruyi interrupted their conversation a few moments later, stepping out of the shop with her arms full of three volumes. Her little shadow trailed after her, close enough that they could touch if she stopped too fast. Cai Bingtian had to snort a little at how eager the kid was.

"Did you find anything good?" Cai Bingtian asked, his grin splitting his cheeks.

"I did." Nie Ruyi stated, her tone quiet and queenly. "Have you located a clothier?"

He raised an eyebrow. He was supposed to be doing that? He hadn't realized. Although, he supposed he did tell her he would guide her. So, instead of saying he'd forgotten, he stood up straight and jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "This way. Oh, and we'll be guiding Sect Heir Liang and her brother to the Sect Compound too, so they're going to join us for the day."

Nie Ruyi raised her own eyebrow this time, before her eyes swept over the two in front of her. Song Fengling made a scoffing sort of sound, and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Why are they coming?" He demanded, and Cai Bingtian almost sighed. Had he been less aware of the tension, he might have.

"I just said. They have a meeting with Lao-Zongzhu, so we're going to guide them." He explained again, slowly, as if the boy was slow himself.

He got the implication, even if no one else was rude enough to comment. His face darkened in a glower, and Cai Bingtian internally sighed. He'd have to smooth that over later.

The four of them fell into step behind him when he started their journey to the clothier. The streets narrowed as he guided them to the auntie who took in his own uniforms whenever he got a new set. Pushing open the door to her shop, he led them into the shelves and shelves of fabric, and weaved through the standing mannequins displaying the cuts and styles she worked in.

"Auntie Teng!" He called, and sure enough, the old woman was seated at the table, sewing industriously on something. When she got up, he grinned, "This lovely young shimei of mine, Nie Ruyi, needs a new wardrobe. The Sect will be footing the bill, as usual, but put it under my name, instead of hers." He winked at Nie Ruyi, who looked bewildered. He could practically feel Liang Lanlan glaring at them from behind him.

"Lao Minghui gave me some money," Nie Ruyi protested, "I can pay for it myself."

"Ah, but why should you, when the Sect can pay for it instead! they make more money than we disciples do for certain." He lectured, before turning back to Auntie Teng, who most certainly was giggling at him. "And only the most fashionable cuts, of course. She's new to the area, and must make a proper debut, you know."

"Ooooh, is she?" Auntie Teng answered, her voice gravelly and old. "A-Ping, A-Jun! Come take the girl's measurements!"

Out of seemingly nowhere, two young girls appeared. Cai Bingtian knew that Xiao Ping and Nue Jun were 15 and 12 respectively, both old enough to know the craft well. The two tugged Nie Ruyi, spluttering and stumbling, into a back room.

"I'll get something too!" Liang Lanlan declared, following the two little seamstresses and their confused bundle back. Leaving the three men alone with Auntie Teng and the fabric-strewn mannequins.

"What lovely ladies today." Auntie Teng commented, "Tea, gentlemen?"

"I'll serve, Ayi!" Song Fengling declared, and the old woman nodded, showing him to the tea set, and the cistern full of fresh water. Cai Bingtian helped Auntie Teng back to her seat, before taking his own as Liang Zilin did. When Song Fengling served the tea, Auntie Feng took a small sip and made an appreciative sound.

"How have things been with the Sect, hm?" Autie Teng began, and Cai Bingtian smiled gently.

"Well, Auntie. Lao-Zongzhu is, as always, a wise and kind Sect Leader, and we haven't gotten into any trouble recently. Nie Ruyi has joined rather suddenly, and we're still looking forward to the outer disciple selection exams in a few months. Are either of your girls planning to attend?"

"Ah, A-Ping does not wish to, but A-Jun might." Auntie Teng gestured, "An adventurous girl, that one. She would not settle well in the life of a seamstress. It would rub at her, leave blisters instead of calluses."

"I'll be happy to recommend her, if she shows up to the test." Cai Bingtian smiled, "Any granddaughter of Auntie Teng has to be talented." He sipped at the tea again, and had to admit that Song Fengling was rather talented at making tea. Either he'd had a lot of practice as a disciple, or he'd been well-bred and well-raised.

However, the tea was soon startled out of his hand as shrieks went up from the room where A-ping, A-jun and Nie Ruyi were. He ignored the growing wet spot on the table and stormed towards the noises, calling out, "Nie-Shimei? Ping-Mei, Jun-Mei?"

"Here! It's back here! Help!" came a young voice, probably Jun.

That was all the confirmation he needed that something was wrong, and with Song Fengling on his heels, they burst into the room. Chaos, in a word, was happening in that room. Cai Bingtian scanned his eyes through the din to try and figure out the source of the chaos.

Nie Ruyi was bent over, her entire back exposed and bare, as robes fell around her elbows. He couldn't see her face or what she was doing, but it was clear she was talking to something. Liang Lanlan was screaming at her, her sword in hand, as she tugged her own robe back up her shoulder. The two maids were cowering in the corner, and Cai Bingtian had an idea now of what was going on.

"It's okay." Nie Ruyi's steady, calm voice was a low undertone to the din, and he focused on her. "No need to be scared. You just wandered in, and got lost, hm? C'mon. I'll help you get out of here, okay? Just... lemme-"

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And suddenly a flurry of movement was followed by an outraged shriek. Nie Ruyi's arms jerked and moved as she yanked up whatever it was she'd been standing in front of. She turned, and Cai Bingtian registered the squirming bundle of cloth in her arms as the only thing hiding her chest. Her jade eyes widened at the sight of him, and then panic set onto her features.

"GET OUT!" She shrieked, and then the bundle in her arms started squirming even harder, and Cai Bingtian could see something begin to glow from inside it. Which was never a good sign. A fold in the fabric shifted when Nie Ruyi tried to heft it up higher, and a tentacle punched through, waving wildly. Thorns littered its length, and tendrils of what appeared to be leaves and vines made up its length. With terror, he realized that this was worse than he'd thought it to be. This was no rat or small fox that had gotten indoors.

"Nie-Shimei," he put on his best calm, coaxing voice, unintentionally mimicking her own tone from earlier, "I need you to put that down, and step away from it. That's an Ochre Misery Fern, and it is incredibly poisonous. You've got it agitated, and if it stings you, you're going to regret it."

"I've got it agitated?! You two are the ones who pulled swords on it!" Nie Ruyi hissed, moving gently out of the way of the swinging tentacle. "All of you, get out of the way so I can take it outside. It's just scared!"

"Just scared?! It's a monster!" Liang Lanlan cried, completely ignoring the hushed tones of both Cai Bingtian and Nie Ruyi's voices. "Kill it!"

Cai Bingtian watched her little push with her sword, as if to mimic stabbing the creature, and then turned to Nie Ruyi. The disgust on Nie Ruyi's face was plain as day. "No, I am not going to kill it. You know, dogs were monsters too, before humans took care of them and made them friends. Now, get out of my way, please."

Without really thinking about it, Cai Bingtian found himself gently pushing Song Fengling (and apparently Liang Zilin? When did he get there?) back into a corner of the hallway so the half-naked woman could pass by with her poisonous bundle.

Things went well, as Nie Ruyi took the creature past Auntie Teng, and through the mannequins of the shop. Then, Cai Bingtian realized where she was going. Scrambling forward, he snatched the back of her shoulder, and tugged her back. "Wait! You can't go outside like that?!"

Nie Ruyi jerked back, startled by Cai Bingtian's sudden touch, and Cai Bingtian had a moment where time slowed down before all hell broke loose. He watched Nie Ruyi's arm toss back, to throw off his hand, her face scrunching in panic. He watched as she let go of one portion of the fabric to do so, causing more tentacles to burst through.

These tentacles swung wildly around the shop, and Nie Ruyi swayed out of the way of them and before Cai Bingtian could do more than cry out in warning, slid her fingers along the vines. "shhhh, sh sh. It's okay. It's okay." She kept her voice soft and gentle, the way one would talk to a child, and the vines slowed.

The gathered eyes watched as she slid her hand into the bundle of blankets, her arm moving as the only indication of what she was doing. "That's it. That's it, calm down now... You're alright. Ah, nope, no nipping, now. You're safe. I won't let these cultivators harm you, alright? Shhhh."

The creature's cries, once piercing clicks, were slowing and quieter now, tiny whistles that didn't seem to make any sense. But the smile on Nie Ruyi's face told him she didn't need them to make sense. "That's right, I'm going to take you outside. Now, settle in, okay?"

At her word, the creature's tendrils slid back into the fabric, and she closed it up. Then, she turned a glare at all of them. "Do you see that? It's perfectly reasonable! Poor thing is just scared, so just back off a little okay?"

Cai Bingtian found himself taking a bewildered step backwards. Giving him a nod, Nie Ruyi turned back around and strode to the door. As she stepped through, he felt Liang Lanlan and Liang Zilin come up on either of his sides.

"Does she do this often?" Liang Zilin asked, his voice tilting into amusement.

"I don't know. I've only known her for two days." Cai Bingtian huffed, only to grunt as Song Fengling pushed past him to get to (His ward? Teacher? Friend?) her side.

"She's insane." Liang Lanlan chided, "That thing could turn her into literal sludge. Why is she taking this chance?!"

"I don't know." Cai Bingtian reiterated, before following Song Fengling's example.

They spread out around the porch of the little store, even as Nie Ruyi bent down, opening the fabric. "There you go, little one." She chirped, giving the sentient vines a sweet smile. "Now, don't wander into stores again. I know the fabric looks like pretty flowers, but they really aren't, alright?"

Cai Bingtian's heart did a terrified little jump when she smoothed her hand over the top of the vines, as if petting down unruly hair. But what truly startled him was that the vines reached up, wrapping around her wrist and tugging her hand gently back to the vines when she tried to lift it. She laughed a sweet laugh, and pet the vines again. "Having trouble letting go, hm?"

"Nie-Shijie? What are you doing?" Song Fengling asked, his voice quiet, reverent almost.

"Oh? Making a friend, I suppose." She smiled, "It's very friendly once it's not scared."

Cai Bingtian could see Liang Zilin mouth 'friendly' at him, incredulously. He shrugged, having no idea what the other-worlder was doing. When Nie Ruyi tried to one-handedly fix her robes, Song Fengling stepped in to pull the shoulders up, carefully looking up at the sky instead of her. The vines crawled into her lap, settling against her stomach and glowed gently.

"Aww. Do you want to come home with me, little guy?" Nie Ruyi asked, "You remind me of a cat, a little... Ah, I'd love to take you home. I miss having pets... But what even do you eat?"

"People." Liang Zilin burst, and when Nie Ruyi looked at him, startled, he shrugged, "Well, anything really. It tends to kill things to leave at its roots, so that it can decay into rich soil. So, animals, people, demons if it can get big enough."

"Ohhhh, so you just need good soil!" Nie Ruyi turned back to it, and Cai Bingtian was startled to see there was no hesitation, "I know some tricks for that. That should work just fine. So, what to name you..."

"You're seriously taking a monster back to your sect compound?!" Liang Lanlan stared, one brow raised and mouth agape.

Nie Ruyi looked up at her, nose crinkling. "Of course not. I'm bringing home a houseplant. That's all." She turned back to the vines with a sniff. "Hmmm... a name... a name... What'd you say the name of this species is?"

"Ochre Misery Fern." Song Fengling supplied, and Cai Bingtian was a little impressed with the boy's memory. To have heard it once, in a stressful situation, and memorize it? That took talent.

"I see. ...Missy then. You'll be Missy."

"Misi?" Liang Lanlan clarified, "What a strange name..."

Nie Ruyi looked up and smiled, "Where I come from, it means "Young lady". but it could also be short for Misery."

Liang Zilin's brows rose, and Cai Bingtian had the odd thought that he might be impressed. "You intend to raise the monster?"

"Houseplant," Nie Ruyi insisted, "and yes." Her hands hadn't stopped stroking the vines since it had crawled into her lap. The glow off the creature was growing, and she chuckled, "You seem happy, Missy. Cmon, let's go back inside. I have to buy some clothes, but you can stay in my arms the whole time, alright?"

It made a clicking sound, and then Nie Ruyi stood up. The small, contented smile on her face squeezed at Cai Bingtian's heart as she passed by him.

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