I stared at my grandfather, my back covered in cold sweat as I searched my mind for any excuse I could cling onto. Meanwhile, grandfather's stern gaze never wavered, his aura pressing down on me like I was carrying the sky on my shoulders.
"Where have you been?"
The words echoed throughout the hall, drilling into my skull as the pressure intensified. I met grandfather's gaze, gulping as I prepared myself to explain my disappearance of the last few days.
"I-I was in Xīfānghǎi to visit Sect Leader of Xīngyún sect," I started, voice trembling.
"I wasn't informed of your visit from Xīngyún."
After those words, more sweat ran down my back, my robe completely soaked. I sucked in a difficult breath, my lungs constricting as my heart beat faster.
"I asked him not to inform you," I explained, voice cracking at the end as another wave of pressure smashed into me.
"And why is that?"
I gulped, "B-because I didn't want to be tracked down."
"Who is 'tracking' you down?"
I paused for a moment, breathing in the air that felt much too scarce.
"I-I ran into demonic cultivators in Xīfānghǎi, I-I was investigating them until they discovered me."
"Wasn't your purpose in going to Xīfānghǎi was to visit Xīngyún Sect Leader?" grandfather pressed, taking a step forward down from his podium.
I bit my lip. My fate is sealed. They did say that geniuses die young, I suppose it's my time.
"Well?"
I flinched, a wave of fear crashing into me. I clenched my fist, hands shaking, heart thumping, everything in my mind telling me to just lie down and die. I exhaled a panicked breath, meeting grandfather's stern expression. When in doubt, tell the truth and pray.
I sucked in a deep breath and blurted out everything that had happened in the past few days, the words gushing out like a torrent of water. After spilling everything, I allowed myself to breathe, taking in gulps of air. After a few moments, I realized that the atmosphere was lighter, no longer feeling the insurmountable pressure on my shoulders, physically and mentally. Like I thought, telling the truth is always the right path. I should stop spending so much time with Uncle Chen. His advice is corrupting my morals.
Feeling much better without the pressure looming down on me, I gathered my confidence and gaged grandfather's reaction. His face was still cold, but it had greatly softened into a stern but caring expression, one I was all too familiar with. I relaxed further, my mouth turning into a smile. But then quickly schooled my face, lightly shaking my head.
Grandfather walked towards me, stopping before me as he scanned my body, brows slightly furrowed in worry. I unknowingly smiled again, reassuring him.
"I'm alright, my injuries are fully healed."
At my words, grandfather nodded, his gaze softening.
"Very well, as long as you're alright."
He paused, his face turning serious as he turned back to the hall, hands behind his back.
"Ahem, the information you gathered will be very valuable. I will inform the elder immediately. I will also contact the Xīngyún sect leader for further discussion of this matter, as well as to see of disciple Dōngquè's condition. You are dismissed to your quarters, cultivate well," he said, shooting a glance at me before retreating further into the main hall.
I cupped my hands in a bow, the lingering worries in my heart dissipating. I turned away, exiting the Jade Pavilion with a lighter heart and a stronger resolve. Suddenly, a flash of an indifferent gaze, looming over me as it stared at the night sky, passed through my mind. It was like it was crushing an ant, something that wasn't even worth the slightest attention. I pursed my lips, brows knitted together as my hands subconsciously clenched. Let's see who will be the one looking down on whom next time.
With that, I strode out of the courtyard of the pavilion, quickly arriving at the gate of my courtyard. I swung open the gates, stepping into the familiar makeshift training ground. The ground leveled with sand, small bricks lining the recovery array placed here, and the steel wood training targets posted on the right side of the field, worn down from extensive use.
I walked in, stretching my arms as I closed the gate behind me. Entering the training field, I stared at the training targets, then at the entrance of the main house of the small estate I owned, and like always, I started reminiscing.
I had inherited this house when mother and father passed. Though I didn't get all I was owed due to unforeseen circumstances, I'm still grateful to have this much. Compared to my fellow inner disciples, my situation was far better. From housing, to cultivation resources, I was in a much better spot than others, drawing the envy of many. Paired with my excellent talent in cultivation, I'm not a stranger when it comes to others scheming against me. Despite all obstacles, I managed to rise above my peers and has brought me to where I am now.
Yes, where I am now...
I frowned slightly, feeling a stinging pain all over my body as if the wounds from that day were still there. Subconsciously, I rubbed my left shoulder, tracing the place it had been cleaved open with my fingers. My frown deepened. The poison reacted to the flute that demonic cultivator played. Based on that, and the fact that I was able to cultivate while still being affected by it, means it shouldn't interfere with my future training. After I break through to the seventh layer, I'll visit the medicine hall for more answers. I nodded to myself, checking the sky above.
It should be in the late Wu hours, I don't have much daylight left.
I exhaled a breath, standing before the wooden training targets. I unsheathed my sword, channeling spiritual energy into it as I took the stance of Soaring Phoenix, Defy The Heavens.
I started with a series of slashes, flames accompanying my attacks, ashes soaring from my feet as a type of shield. Every time I raised my sword, a burst of flames followed, mimicking the spread wings of a phoenix, defiant and unyielding. Every step like the gust of soot and ash left in the phoenix's wake as it takes flight. Then, the final move, showcasing the phoenix's ascension, rising to the heavens as it lets out a loud war cry that shakes the sky and clouds.
With a flourish, I sheathed my blade, concluding the sword dance. Not a moment later, I heard a round of clapping from a distance. I turned around to see Junior brother standing at the entrance of the courtyard, the gate having been long opened. His black hair was tied into a neat ponytail, clasped with a jade crown with a silver hairpin. He wore dark blue robes with straight sleeves, and a black belt tied to his waist with his storage bag. I smiled, nodding in greeting.
"This Senior greets Junior brother Qiānhé."
Junior brother smiled faintly, cupping his hands in a bow.
"This Junior greets Senior brother Àiyù."
Then his smile faded, returning to his usual calm expression. He walked into the courtyard, dignified and refined in his strides as he stopped in front of me.
"I'm glad to see you're doing alright, I heard you encountered some demonic cultivators on your journey, so I thought to check on you," he explained, slipping something out of his storage bag.
There, he held out a plain wooden box with the An Trading Company's insignia on the lid. I took the box and opened it, revealing an assortment of mooncakes with varying designs pressed into them. I stared at the cakes for a moment, my face lighting up the longer I stared. I looked back at Junior brother, taking a mooncake out of the box.
"This Senior thanks Junior Qiānhé," I beamed, taking a bite into the mooncake.
Junior brother shook his head, "No need for thanks. The Mid Autumn festival is coming up, this is just custom practice. I plan to gift Senior sister one when she returns. I heard she was gravely injured by a demonic cultivator. Is she doing alright?"
"Elder Liu from Xīngyún sect said that she will recover soon," I answered, stuffing another bite of mooncake into my mouth.
"I see, that's good," he paused for a moment, a smile creeping up his face.
It was then, that I felt a bad premonition.
"Anyways, regarding the Mid Autumn festival, I've been noticing that you often 'conveniently' sneak out when preparations start and only return the day of the festival. Care to explain this?"
I felt the last bit of mooncake get caught in my throat, a small cough leaving me. I managed to swallow it, slowly turning my gaze to the box of mooncakes, then to Junior brother. A sense of dread washed over me as I closed the box, a realization dawning on me. Brother Qiānhé's smile deepened, and an instinctual fear stirred in my chest. I cleared my throat, taking a deep breath before explaining.
"I simply wanted to focus on my cultivation. I had reached a bottleneck recently and thought to go into seclusion."
This was true. Maybe not that I had reached a bottleneck, but it was true that I wanted to focus on my cultivation before attending the Mid Autumn festival.
"A bottleneck?" he questioned, feigning concern, "And annually no less, perhaps there's something wrong with your body. I'll need to inform Elder Shi about this. We can't have our sect's prodigy having any problems, can't we?"
Dread turned to panic as I hurriedly refuted.
"T-there's no need to inform Elder Shi! I have broken through my bottleneck since then! I'll be sure to cultivate more carefully so I don't encounter them in the future!"
There's no world where I can survive after Elder Shi's wrath. He should already be furious that I snuck out of the sect again. If Brother Qiānhé informs him, he'll definitely use it as an excuse to punish me!
Junior brother tilted his head slightly, his expression one of surprise.
"Is that so? Then there will be no problem for Senior brother to help out with preparations."
.... I've been played.
I stepped back, my eyes darting to the wall separating me from the outside. I turned, ready to jump over the wall, but just when I was mid-jump, Brother Qiānhé grabbed my arm, forcefully yanking me back down. The wooden box flew up from my arms, landing safely in Junior Brother's hand. He looked down at me, a glint of coldness in his smile as he proceeded to drag me towards the gate.
I flailed around, pulling and pushing to escape that death grip.
"Junior brother, please spare this Senior! This can count as in-fighting among disciples, spare me and I won't report this!"
Brother Qiānhé continued walking, turning his head back to be.
"Senior, I can see that you're not in the right state of mind, I'm just a simple eighth-layer qi refiner. How can I possibly overpower a Mid-foundation realm like you? As far as everyone's concerned, you're coming with me willingly."
Coming willingly, your whole family's coming willingly! A late bone-tempering body refiner like you has no room to talk!
He pushed open the gates, dragging me out with ease. After a while, I stopped flailing, accepting my fate as I let myself be helplessly dragged along the ground. I had dodged death in the past few days and ended up meeting something worse. The heavens are truly heartless!
A/N
Hello hello! How do you like the chapter? What do you think will happen next? And, are you entertained? I hope you are! Anyways, the next chapter will be in the pov of a certain scum. Be excited! Also, I wanted to try describing more of the different sword styles techniques in more detail. So far, I'm having fun. Yay for me!