Reincarnation to the Past

Chapter 50

(A/N: The picture above is what Yǔ is wearing for the chapter; her hairstyle is also the same since she is blonde. She will be wearing the sword hairpin too, at all times.)

1 month later

Li Yǔ POV

I had decided to take a stroll along the garden of the residence and had come across a lake—the very lake where the original body had drowned. Quan, who tagged along with me (since the maids mustn't leave their master's side), didn't like me being so near the place where I had almost died and openly remarked about it. But even then, I wasn't afraid... When it comes to water, I never have to fear because it has always been on my side.

I slid my feet into the water and closed my eyes, absorbing the water qi into my body. Because of who I am and all the blessings and connection with the gods, the qis are naturally attracted to my body, whether I cultivate or not, akin to breathing... It just happens and I have little or no control over it, though honestly, that's a plus (kind of like a sweet little cheat). I could tell that I was close to breaking through to the upper heaven realm by this point. Although for fun, I am suppressing my true level and making it appear like I'm only in the lower earth realm...

I let out a sigh of relief as I enjoyed the feeling of the water sliding in between my toes. Contrary to what I suspected, even after everything that happened with my father, I still find relief in the waters. I still love the rain and the smell of the sea. My head sank slightly as an invisible Mael plopped himself, stretched, and gave a sigh of relief.

Over the past month, Mael has gotten pretty comfortable with the outside world and would rather remain invisible by my side than cooped up in the domain. Not that I mind since he makes good company; I can't wait until the egg hatches and I get to see my second beast. I've been feeding my powers, either Hades' or Poseidon's (sometimes even both), to speed up the process but nothing's happened yet. But there's no hurry...

Not much has happened over the past month; my family hasn't made any move against me, which seems so unlike them given their history. All the maids avoid me out of fear; I've never seen Father since the first time and as for Juan, it seems that she's completely avoiding me... Everything seems strange and suspicious.

Only two main things happened, one of them being Artemis fulfilling my request (yikes, if I wasn't immune to horrifying scenes, I'd have gotten sick over everything they did). After she left, I appeared to confirm if he was truly dead before setting the whole room on fire and walking away.

I had heard rumors from Quan that he was found dead, castrated, and burned beyond recognition. There were no suspects or evidence. Apparently, during the funeral, dozens of arrows were shot at the coffin, each penetrating through the wood and into the charred dead body and nobody knew where they came from.

The second thing was meeting Zoë; even now, I don't know if what I did was the right choice. Did I change the future by giving her the dagger and telling her all that information? I never expected her to be so intuitive that, just from a dagger and a letter, she'd figure out that I knew her from the future and that she'd die.

After having handed over the weapon to Hades, I had honestly considered saving her from her fate but what would have happened if she didn't die? Although there was the possibility that defeating Atlas would have been easier, the scary possibility that we'd fail was too risky. Who knows what a small ripple could do for the future?

"Sister Yǔ, I didn't think I'd see you here..." came a delicate voice from behind, making me turn around. I looked at her in suspicion for a second before recalling who she was from the memories. Li Lien, the pride of the Li Residence She had never been physically against me, always appearing kind, smiling, and siding with me—physically, that is. Just staring at her made goosebumps appear on my arm and my gut screamed danger. And if there's one thing I learned the hard way, it's to always listen to your gut.

There are many dangerous people in this world but the most dangerous are those who appear sweet and kind on the surface, but underneath they are all treacherous. A pure 'white lotus', that's what is used to describe them in China.

They're smart enough to make their words seem one thing but mean the complete opposite. They're the kind of people who will manipulate others with their words, make them do the crime (making them think it is their idea), and get away scot-free. And she, Li Lien, was one of these people. Though on the outside she seemed like a pure angel, in truth she is a master puppeteer, easily making others dance to her tune.

"Yǔ-er greets older sister...", I said as I stood up and gave a sweet, innocent smile. I've faced many of her kind, some of whom were more evil and dangerous than she could ever be, so she didn't scare me.

She smiles. "I hope you don't hold it against me that I didn't visit you while you were sick... I was just so busy that I couldn't visit you. In other words, she means that I ain't even worth her time. I grinned and replied using the third person, "Not at all; Yǔ-er knows exactly how your sister feels about her...", my voice laced with innocence and naivety.

Li Lien (worried): That's good; I would hate it if my youngest sister thought bad of me...

'As though I care for your opinion on me', is what she most probably meant or something along those lines. Poor Li Y must have never known that she was being mocked by the only person who was 'kind' to her in this family... "I don't like her master; she feels weird." Mael communicates in my mind as he settles himself around my shoulders.

Me (two can play at that game): Yǔ-er understands...

Li Lien (smiling sweetly): I'm sure Father and Grandmother will see Sister's sweetness one day...

And there's another indication: they mention the names of their supporters to subtly come out as more dominant because, let's face it, neither my father nor grandmother would ever side with me...

"I was going to greet Grandmother, would you like to tag along??? You haven't greeted her even once since you woke...", she took my hand into hers and stared at me with complete innocence. It was pretty obvious what she meant, she wanted to see me get in trouble, knowing that the grandmother would punish me for not greeting her...

I nodded and followed after her, all the while noticing how the nearby maids marveled at how magnanimous she was. I was pretty sure that everyone here had fallen into her snare. I'd pity them but they honestly deserve it...

Although it may seem as though Minister Li is the head who holds the power in this household, the true power bearer is the grandmother. All the decisions she made were absolute and could not be refuted, not even by Father. And as a rule, all those in the household, especially the children, must pay respect to her daily.

We walked past the garden, through the gate that had a board above reading the 'Rose Residence' walked down the carefully laid stone path, and entered the room. The whole residence screamed wealth, from the enormous garden that was filled with roses (true to its name) to the well-built buildings and furniture (and they couldn't spare enough for my shabby residence)...

The grandmother was sitting on a wooden chair, sipping tea, and nodded as Lien entered the room, "Xiao Lien greets grandmother", she said in a gentle, loving voice bowing her head down. As soon as I stepped in her whole face turned sour.

On seeing me, she stood up, enraged, using a wooden stick as support, "How dare you come in my presence!!!??? You unfilial embarrassment!!! Not only did you make a fool of our family name but you think you are above the rules of this house??? WHAT DO YOU TAKE ME FOR???!!! ", she yells, throwing the cup in my direction.