Chapter 3: Old Friend

In the earlier room, where Xin Shi was recovering, a servant informed the lady Shu Fen of the elders’ decision. But what the servant was saying, surprised her a bit. She asked;

“Time for recovery, you say?”

“Yes, the elders were concerned for your health, madam. They decided that perhaps the city air and environment were too much for you. They have already arranged for your stay in Tranquil Seven temple… as for the young master… As punishment, he will have to accompany you there, to learn patience and fidelity. This ought to be a good lesson, they said.”

As punishment for the earlier brawl, Xin Shi had to accompany his mother to the temple just outside the city for six months. The other sons of elders who were involved in the serious fight also will face the same punishment, albeit in different location.

As soon as the servant left, Xin Shi’s cousin, Xin Xui stood up and protested;

“Isn’t this outrageous! They think we’re fools? I will go speak with father!”

“Xui-er, calm down.”

“How could I, aunt? This is basically punishing you and little Shi the same as the four idiots! What recovery? They just want you two out of sight!”

As soon as Xin Xui retorted, lady Shu Fen took the back of her head, embracing her into her bosom.

“Wha…?!”

Surprised, Xin Xui wanted to ask why, yet… The trembling hands over her body, made her quiet. Her aunt, lady Shu Fen, embraced her while closing her eyes. By her side, Xin Shi lowered his gaze. For some reason, he knew he had the same feeling as his mother.

Somehow, the signs answered Xin Xui’s earlier question. Quietly, she embraced her aunt in return.

...

Night time.

At a certain corner of the clan’s residence, the place was quiet this time around. The crackling sound of crickets and other bugs were clear, accompanying the young girl who was gazing the full moon. The girl ‘s right cheek was swelling, but she no longer mind the pain.

She was lost in thought as she recalled what happened this evening. For some reason, she felt as though she missed something. Since she was a child, she prided herself as being a genius, able to do things faster and better than others.

Yet only now, she noticed she might be missing some details. She knew that her father and many elders close to her did not like Xin Shi and his mother. At first, she wondered. Then, when she knew the lady was considered an outsider, she stopped wondering. She thought she finally knew the cause, so she stopped asking. In her mind, such thing would perhaps resolve itself after they became more familiar with Xin Shi’s mother later. After all, when she first met her, she was a bit afraid was well.

Lady Shu Fen, in her first impression, had this cold air around her. It was not coldness, it was more akin to noble manner thought to all ladies of prominent families. It was scary at first, that was, until she saw her, and smiled to her many years back…

When she went to protest to her father earlier, her father ignored her at first. Soon, he lost his temper, finally letting his hand do the talking. It was the first for her, this spoiled child, to get such a treatment.

Why couldn’t they understand… why, why the hate… I don’t understand… why…

Without her noticing, a figure crept slowly behind her…

“Bu!”

“W-wha-whaa?!”

A sudden shout took her out of reminiscent.

She jumped backwards, down onto the garden ground, scared stiff as she saw the unexpected guest. It was a figure fully wrapped in white cloth. Stuttering terribly as she came face to face with the white “thing”, she noticed a familiar grin on the face of the figure. Even without enough light, she knew immediately who that was.

Her hand turned into fist as she retaliate;

“Little Shi, how dare you! How dare you!”

“Oi, oi, and here I was thinking of cheering you up! This, the thanks I get?!”

“What cheering me up! Little Shi you jerk! Jerk! Die!”

“Eh— Au, ouch! W-wait, m-my injury, don’t— not there— Ahhh~”

…

Only after venting her anger, did the young girl stopped. She was Xin Xui, Xin Shi’s cousin. Thanks to Xin Shi’s prank, her face was all red, and she cried for a bit. It seemed when Xin Shi saw her all absorbed in thinking, he took the white cloth meant for the bed just to cheer her up.

Silence was there for a while, only to be broken by some sniffing sound from her.

“T-there… I was just joking, alright? You shouldn’t be afraid with ghost when you’re already thirteen…”

“Who said I’m afraid of them g-g-ghost! You just startled me that’s all, hmph!”

“Yeah, yeah… Sorry about that.”

“You don’t sound sorry at all!”

“Oh, sorry about that too.”

“You, you… hmph!”

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Sulking for a bit, Xin Xui soon turned quiet. All serious, she turned to the moon, present in all her magnificent beauty. Xin Shi noticed the swelling on her right cheek… He had heard earlier about what happened, but when he searched for her, he could not find her anywhere, not with his legs still recovering. He managed to find her here by chance. While he wanted to speak about it, he noticed the change within her. Without words, he joined her, admiring the full moon.

…

“Little Shi…”

“Hm?”

“Will you be enjoying the same moon … you know, from there?”

“…You made it sound like I’ll be there for years… It’s only for six months, you know?”

“Y-you jerk… can’t you even read the mood?”

“E-eh? Were you serious?”

“Six months is still a long time. Plus, the travel time will add some more… If possible, I want to go with you but…”

“Ahh, fine. You’re right… You don’t have to worry about it. No matter where I am, I’ll still enjoy the same moon as you do,”

“Really?”

“Yep, there’s only one moon here.”

“So we will be looking at the same moon?”

“Of course! Why are you like this— This doesn’t suit—”

“Shh—”

She leaned on him, on his right shoulder. Hands embracing his arm, she closed her eyes, as if falling asleep.

“Eh, eh?”

“…Spoil me for a bit, alright?”

“B-but, this is…”

“Pff… huhu… you embarrassed? Little Shi just went red~”

“This little demoness… fine, I’ll spoil you for a bit, hmph.”

Sighing, Xin Shi put his right hand on her right shoulder. Her left cheek on him, he could see clearly how bad her right cheek swell. The smell of ointment entered his nose, a pleasing smell covering her entire right cheek. It was the result of her protesting to her father, in defense of him and his mother. His mother already forbid her from doing so, yet she was stubborn.

Somehow, Xin Shi and his mother already knew, they could sense it; that the elders were already beyond reason. With the ancestor cutting off any worldly business after his father’s demise, the elders and the new clan leader now could not be reasoned with anymore.

So perhaps, it was better to stay away from the main clan. This was something Xin Shi and lady Shu Fen already discussed between them two in private. They already expected this to happen…

There’s also the issue with poison…

Xin Shi was aware, that the illness his mother contracted was not an illness at all. Slowly but surely, his mother was being poisoned. A slow kind of poison which was hard to be detected. Actually not just his mother, but he himself as well. It was just that he had hidden that fact so well so not to worry his mother. After he suspected the poisoning, the number of people he could trust in the clan pretty much vanished.

He knew, he was slowly becoming resentful and suspicious of others. He was well in his way onto a rather dark path…

Yet, even in these three dark years, he was not overwhelmed by hatred. Mainly because of two reasons. His mother was the prime reason, someone who filled him with the much needed love. The other…

Xin Xui.

Someone, who was so loved by her father, the new leader of the clan, the one whom Xin Shi suspected as the prime culprit leading to his father’s demise. As his father’s sole competitor, he had all the motives, and all the means. Xin Shi was sure of it. Too bad, he had no proof. Xin Xui, as the daughter of that person, should be someone he was suspicious as well. She could very well be a convenient spy planted by her father.

Yet…

He could not hate her.

How could he?

Despite being the sole daughter of the current clan leader, despite being the spoiled daughter of the clan, despite all the other children their generation shy away from them, she… took their side. Her swelling, purple cheek was the trophy.

She dared to openly protested to her father. Though it was done in his study room, the servants knew about it, so the words of this incident even managed to reach him.

Wind blew in their direction, caressing her hair in front of him. Sweet fragrance seeped into his sense, calming his mind a bit. He observed her cheek, though swelling, the shining moonlight was a as though dancing on her skin.

Glittering and dancing, without any care for worldly problems.

The pure light was, perhaps, a reflection of her inner being… or so he thought.

“You really are… one gutsy little demoness.”

His fingers slowly went closer, touching her swelling cheek…

“Ouch! Hey…”

“S-sorry?”

“Ummph…”

Somehow, her grasp on him tighten… Was she that sleepy? He had the feeling he had to spoil her for quite a while this night.

Fine, just this once…

….

In her room, morning light invited itself over, delightfully accompanying Xin Shi’s mother…

Lady Shu Fen.

Such light ought to cheer anyone up, but the lady did not seem to notice. Eyes as if possessed, she was all too absorbed in her writing. It was not a poem, not a story, but a letter…

I have no one else… Never wish to burden, nor to meet after all these years… at least, not like this… Again, I am being selfish…

Eyes full of regret; she finished the letter by imprinting her fingerprint in blood. She sealed the letter with a wax, and soon, knitted a small flower pattern at the end of the letter. She checked the letter, finally letting it down. The letter was light, yet heavy for her. Eyes eyeing her large room, she recalled scenes of the past.

Once her husband’s study, the room was spacious, yet at the same time, filled with loneliness. The sweet time of being with him, seemed so close, yet so far… He was special. A man with such prowess, such principles, yet so sweet, so caring… To her, he was more than her whole world.

She traded her whole world for him.

I left the sect, and you, because of him… Yet now that he’s no longer in this world, I turned to you… Sister, will you forgive me?

She closed her eyes for some time, then let out a long sigh. Finally noticing a large figure outside her room by the garden, she walked out, slowly opening the door. Outside, was the guard chief, Uncle Cui. The elderly man was one of the few servants she trusted.

“Brother Cui,”

Because she was so quiet, her words startled Uncle Cui, who was outside waiting while admiring the garden full of flowers. A man already in his fifties, yet with wide and strong figure, Uncle Cui greeted lady Shu Fen with respect. Seeing the sun already reached the zenith, the lady realized she might have taken more time than expected.

…

“I apologize; did you wait long? I did ask you to come at noon…”

“Ah, no Madam… I came early on purpose, huhu, this old man just wants to admire your garden for a bit…”

“I see… I didn’t have time to tend to the flowers these days… Unfortunate, but we can’t take them all with us…”

“In two weeks is it… The elders were too harsh on you and the young master… It’s like they are chasing you away— Ah, excuse me. It’s not my place to say… Oh yes, how shall I be of service today?”

“Em, please have your most trusted men deliver this…”

“Where to… ah,”

Uncle Cui did not finish his question, as he realized the letter already contain the name and address. Specifically, the name of the place.

“To the… Core Palace, of the Blood Oath Sect?”

Hands trembling, he turned to the lady Shu Fen for confirmation.

Seeing her nod, he smiled in anxiety and expectance. It turned out that things might not be so bad after all. For the madam to be acquainted with someone in Blood Oath Sect was not a surprise… The sect was no longer as powerful as it used to be, as told in stories of old. Currently, it was an Earth-ranked sect, less powerful than the Heaven-ranked sect associated with the Xin clan. However, their influence still should not be underestimated. They are still at least twenty times more powerful than a mere Xin Clan.

What surprised him was that the madam knew someone within the Core Palace, the main governing body of the Blood Oath Sect. Those who reside there could only be the elite of the sect. Seeing the address, the recipient was a Senior Elder… just one rank below a Grand Elder!

“Please use the most secure route. Doesn’t matter if others knew about the delivery, just focus on our men’s safety.”

“Yes!”

…

Six days later, the letter lady Shu Fen delivered arrived at the Blood Oath Sect. However, getting there was the easy part. For mere guards to deliver the letter to the Core Palace, was impossible. They were barred from even entering the sect by the Sect guards, who instructed them to leave the letter over to them to process. Leaving the letter there was a normal procedure. However, even if the letter managed to be delivered, this will no doubt take additional two days, at least.

Thus, the guards sent by Uncle Cui had no other choice but to speak with the guard leader, an Inner Disciple in his late teen, with their utmost sincerity;

“Huhu, brother… This is a little something for your trouble. Our master really need this one delivered to her old friend quick. It’s an emergency of sort.”

“E-ehem, old friend in need, eh? Fine, I will take the trouble… Rekindling old friendship is quite noble after all…”

“Huhu, you’re right brother… You’re right. Can I have assurance…”

“Of course! Everything delivered will be recorded, including the time it is delivered! You can check with me next day alright? If the recipient is there, I will get this directly onto her hand!”

“Huhu, you’re so reliable brother… I’m in your debt,”

“Well, let’s see who your master’s friend first… Eh, S-senior Elder Shen Ai?”

“Brother?”

Seeing the guard leader was shaken for a bit, Uncle Cui’s guards was a bit perplexed.

“Brother, is there a problem?”

“W-well, a bit. You see, Senior Elder Shen is not available now… She has mission, you see. And I cannot tell you the location, sorry. Details of missions should never be let known to outsiders.”

“What? Are you sure? Shouldn’t you check it first brother… Maybe she already returned?”

“I’m sure. She’s like a celebrity here, you see. We would know in a heartbeat if she returns… This time, hm, you might have to wait a couple of weeks?”

“A couple of weeks? Brother, we really need this one delivered quick—”

“Well, that’s a bit…”

“Here’s another token of our appreciation—”

“I’ll make sure this one reach her hands in a few days!”

=== End of Chapter 3 ===