Shu Yue was seated cross-legged on her bed, her eyes closed in concentration. Beads of sweat trickled down her forehead, causing it to tickle and itch, but she dared not move and remained focused on recuperating. Her body was wrapped in a silver-white mist known as chi. Warmth spread throughout her body like molten gold as she continued to absorb the surrounding natural energy.
She didn't know how many hours had passed. She had been meditating since she arrived at the Chen residence. But, with only a minor internal injury, it wouldn't take her months to regain her strength.
Another hour had passed, and she ended her meditation. She hadn't fully recovered yet, but she had important matters to discuss with Xiao Ran that couldn't wait until tomorrow. She let out a breath and opened her eyes. The evening had darkened the latticed windows, and the burning candles illuminated her room. Xiao Ran must have lit them up without breaking her concentration.
Xiao Ran was the only one who could go in and out of her room without disturbing her meditation. That being the case, the stubborn yet loyal bodyguard insisted on always standing guard while she healed.
Shu Yue felt herself smile as she looked at Xiao Ran's tall dark silhouette in the latticework door--a human-like form with pointy ears atop his head and a bushy tail poking out behind him. Sighing, she uncrossed her legs and lowered her feet to the floor. She smoothed her robe.
"Xiao Ran," she called out in a quiet voice.
Xiao Ran twitched his fox ears. "Young Mistress?"
"Come here."
Xiao Ran opened the door and went inside, shutting it behind him. He stood by the door in silence for a moment, staring at her. There was dried blood on his sleeve--Shu Yue's blood--which meant he had been standing there the entire time and had never left, waiting and guarding while his master meditated. For five hours.
"I told you you didn't have to stand guard," Shu Yue said softly.
"I didn't want anyone disturbing your meditation," Xiao Ran explained. "If I hadn't been guarding, that kid would have already disrupted your recuperation." He sighed and stepped closer to her. "Do you have something to tell me, Young Mistress?"
"I do," Shu Yue answered with a nod, then looked up at him. His eyes were calm and alert, as if he already knew what was on her mind. "Ah, I presume you already know why I summoned you here?"
"I have some guesses, Young Mistress."
Shu Yue raised an eyebrow at him, encouraging him to continue.
"I'm assuming you want to talk about that girl from the Springbear tribe," Xiao Ran said with a shrug.
Shu Yue smiled. Pleased. "You never disappoint, my dear fox."
Xiao Ran was silent for several seconds, staring at her face, and then said in a soft voice, "You're not fully recovered yet, Young Mistress."
"I will be by tomorrow." She gestured at the tea table where a warm tea was waiting. "Please take a seat; this discussion is critical to our plans."
Xiao Ran blinked. Then he smiled. "I see you've already determined her role in your plan." He walked over to the tea table and sat down.
"If," Shu Yue said with emphasis, "my theory is correct." She rose from the bed and sat across from Xiao Ran at the table. "But I have no doubt. I sensed something different from her aura. It was faint and hazy, almost undetectable, but it's there."
It was all thanks to the wind, which somehow served as her other senses. Without it, she might never have discovered something about the woman's identity. Reading the wind enabled her to detect things that her normal senses could not. It was as if the wind was whispering secret messages to her like a guide.
Xiao Ran poured tea for them. "I'm guessing using that risky technique has something to do with it as well."
The pleasant aroma of tea tickled Shu Yue's nose as she took a sip. "Your guess is right; I used that technique to check the chi in her dantian."
"And what have you discovered, Young Mistress?"
Shu Yue stared at the tiny teacup in her hand for a few seconds before answering. "Black energy."
Xiao Ran frowned. "Black energy? So that woman is a practitioner of Dark Arts?"
"Was," corrected Shu Yue. "She's now living with the Springbear tribe, which means she's no longer a disciple of any demonic sect, and from what we've seen, she's using normal chi, implying that she's now cultivating natural energy, but it doesn't change the fact that she came from an evil cult and is an outsider to the tribe."
"Cultivating black energy or magic is forbidden within the empire, right? Practitioners of Dark Arts are regarded as traitors and enemies, and their very existence is viewed as a threat, particularly to the emperor's throne."
Shu Yue nodded. "That's right. Because they have destructive and limitless power, which could pose a threat even to the Celestials. That woman from the Springbear tribe must have hidden her true identity. How she concealed the black energy within her body is actually impressive, however, it seems to me that she received assistance from someone."
"By someone, do you mean Dishan?" Xiao Ran asked.
"Associating with a demonic practitioner is already viewed as an act of betrayal. The Springbear tribe wouldn't be that foolish to risk their lives becoming an enemy of the empire just to keep her. My guess is that Dishan is the one who brought her to the tribe and hid her identity."
"Ah, now it makes sense why she acted like an aggressive dog toward you: you hurt and humiliated her master in front of many disciples." Xiao Ran fell silent, his brow furrowed deeply in concentrated thought. He took a sip of his tea. "But she shouldn't be here; if someone finds out, the tribe will be in jeopardy, which would be a huge loss for the Ophiuchus Clan... a huge loss for you."
"Of course, I won't let that happen as it would further harm the clan's reputation." She sets her teacup down with an elegant gesture.
"But aren't you worried, Young Mistress?" Xiao Ran asked as he refilled her cup. "What do you think a demonic practitioner is doing in the Ophiuchus Clan, a faction under the control of the Emperor? And what do you think Dishan's intention is in keeping someone like her?"
"I'm not sure what Dishan's intention is in keeping her, as I still lack information. We might learn more about their motives when we meet them again."
Xiao Ran sipped his tea, a deep frown on his face. "Wait, could the woman be from the Black Moon Sect?"
Shu Yue's raven eyebrows furrowed. "Black Moon Sect? The demonic cult that was annihilated seven years ago?" Realization flickered through her features. "Oh, that's possible! If that's the case, then that's all the more reason she's here, trying to live like a normal disciple; Dishan must have found and helped her."
"Which is risky. What he did could endanger not only his tribe, but also the Ophiuchus Clan itself!"
Shu Yue didn't argue with that. Xiao Ran had a point. She let out a small sigh and sipped her tea.
The emperor dispatched his troops seven years ago to eradicate the Black Moon Sect with the help of a Celestial King, Qinglong. According to what Shu Yue had heard, there was a traitor from the sect who exposed their identity in the hopes of receiving a reward from the emperor. However, after the sect was destroyed, the traitor was executed alongside the sect leader.
"So, what will you do about her?" Xiao Ran questioned. "How will she participate in your plan?"
Shu Yue remained silent for a moment, contemplating. She folded her hands on the tabletop, looking as relaxed and calm as she always did. "I need her to join the imperial court."
Xiao Ran's eyes widened. "You'll bring her with us?"
Shu Yue could only smile. She understood why Xiao Ran seemed so surprised. The imperial court is teeming with highly skilled officials and disciples. It was a dangerous place for a demonic practitioner. Joining the imperial court was like walking right into their enemies' lair. But Shu Yue believed the woman was talented and smart; she wouldn't have survived this long and remained undetected if she wasn't.
The woman's cultivation level was still low, which was why Shu Yue was able to detect her aura through the wind. But it was faint she almost missed it, which meant the woman was close to reaching a certain level where she could conceal her aura without flaw. To be fully undetectable.
And Shu Yue would help her with that.
Xiao Ran finished his tea and looked at her. "How about Dishan, Young Mistress?"
"Dishan will have to join as well; he's a talented martial artist, and it would be a shame if he couldn't cultivate more skills."
"You mean, you need him to be strong."
Shu Yue let out a soft chuckle, and then a sly smile curved across her lips. "You knew me well, Xiao Ran. Of course, he had to be competent enough to be useful to me."
After Shu Yue met Dishan and the woman, a vague plan formed in her mind. Their skills might be inferior to those of other Zodiac Clan disciples, but that didn't mean they were hopeless. They would learn high-level martial arts once they were recruited to the military. However, their skills weren't what Shu Yue was after, but rather their identity. They were suitable pawns that, once controlled, would be extremely useful.
Shu Yue would definitely need their help in carrying out her plan to find and steal the soul of the Celestial Spirit Ophiuchus, the 13th Zodiac, which was sealed and hidden in the Imperial Palace.
And revive her.
That was her main goal: to retrieve their clan's greatest possession.
But, of course, before starting a game, she must first set up the playing board by arranging the pieces. In that way, she could reduce the potential problem she might encounter in the future.
Shu Yue sighed. "All right, that's enough for now; once we arrive at Beargrove Village, we'll look for more information."
Before Xiao Ran could respond, the door swung open and a young boy burst into the room.
"Big sister!"
"Ru'er?" Shu Yue said and stood up.
Clad in a green robe with short, dark brown hair was a little boy named Chen Ru. He was missing a tooth from up front, but that didn't stop him from flashing a wide smile.
"Big sister, how was the fight?" Chen Ru said, his eyes twinkling.
"Fight?"
Chen Ru nodded. "Yeah. Big Fox said that you fought a big guy and stabbed his eye! Is that true?"
Shu Yue cast a glance at Xiao Ran, who quickly averted his gaze and sipped his tea, his eyes closed. Sighing, Shu Yue returned her attention to Chen Ru and found him still looking at her with sparkling round eyes.
"That's true," Shu Yue said with a smile.
"Really? That's cool. I wished I had seen it. I've never seen you fight anyone except for Big Fox. But you never hurt him. I want to see you actually fight and hurt someone!"
"Ru'er!" A woman in a white silk robe entered the room, a slight frown on her face as she scolded little Chen Ru. "When did you learn to talk like that?" She looked at Shu Yue and smiled apologetically. "Please excuse his behavior, Chen Yue."
Shu Yue turned to her and bowed. "Mother."
Under the name Chen Yue, Shu Yue posed as the daughter of Wu Lanqi, the woman in front of her. Apart from Xiao Ran, Wu Lanqi was the only one who knew of Shu Yue's true identity, and someone that the Ophiuchus Clan leader genuinely trusted. Even though Shu Yue's relationship with them was based on a lie as part of a scheme, she still treated Wu Lanqi as if she were her real mother. After all, Wu Lanqi was the one who raised her.
But, did Wu Lanqi see Shu Yue as her own daughter for the entire eighteen years she pretended to be her mother? Or have things really changed since Shu Yue's mistake twelve years ago?
Does she ever blame me the way I blame myself?
"How are you feeling now?" Wu Lanqi asked, her voice and expression softening with concern.
"I've recovered half of my strength now, mother."
Wu Lanqi studied her face with narrowed eyes for a second, and then sighed. "All right, then. Xiao Ran told me what happened. Please be more careful next time, okay?"
"I will, mother."
A satisfied smile touched Wu Lanqi's lips, and nodded once. "Let's go, Ru'er. Big sister needs to recuperate for a while. Let's leave her alone for now until she's fully recovered."
Chen Ru frowned and pursed his lips into a pout, but he did not argue.
Shu Yue smiled and ruffled his hair. "Mother is right, Ru'er. Big sister needs some rest. I'll tell you more about the fight tomorrow, okay?"
With that Chen Ru's face brightened. He nodded enthusiastically and turned to face Xiao Ran, who was sipping his tea in silence. "Big Fox, please look after Big Sister."
Xiao Ran stifled a snort as he put his cup down on the table. "You don't have to tell me that; I'll look after her without being told-"
"Xiao Ran," Shu Yue interrupted in a soft but firm voice.
Xiao Ran glanced at her, then at Chen Ru. He forced a smile. "Don't worry, I'll look after her."
Shu Yue sighed inwardly. Sometimes her bodyguard simply forgot to be nice to anyone.
Chen Ru beamed at Xiao Ran and bid them goodnight before rushing out of the room. Wu Lanqi sighed and shook her head.
"Well, then, I'll leave now so you can rest. You, too, Xiao Ran," Wu Lanqi said.
"Good night, mother," Shu Yue told her.
Wu Lanqi smiled warmly. "Goodnight." She paused and then added, "Yue'er. "