The care he had shown her with his smiles and his kind words was such that she could not bring herself to act like her Original counterpart, so she just nodded and looked at him as he left her room. She stared at the ceiling while her heart beat wildly, regardless of her spiritual energy, she realised she was much frailer than she had believed at first. She closed her eyes with a sigh, was it possible that the negative energy released from her fight against the Mó who had taken possession of her Shixiong JiShan was so powerful to strike down an almost Immortal? She briefly brought her mind back to the new story arc she had unlocked, The Broken Blade. It was an origin story, she wondered whose.

She heard a light rustling coming from the edges of the room which was Shi XinNian’s ethereal way of announcing himself. She cracked one eye open and saw the boy studying the parcel in his hands, probably debating how to best announce himself.

“Come in.” she said with a warmer tone than she had intended. The boy lifted his head and stepped forward.

As he moved towards her, she sat up. Despite the fact he was the same age as Liang HaoHan he looked younger than fifteen, as she had already noticed. Perhaps that was why he appeared to her as small and frail, or maybe it was the mop of hair that topped off that untidy figure. Only then did she notice he was one of the few male characters with short hair, he did not even have a queue.

He bowed his head while he knelt in front of her.

“Here, Shizun.” He said in a low voice.

She made a slight gesture.

“You may leave it on the table. I have to make some tea, you may…”

“Shizun, would you like me to make you some tea? I would be happy to.” He said in an even lower voice.

Zhang YueLiang stopped to look at him in surprise. She notices a slight embarrassment induced tremor, and maybe that was what softened her heart towards him. She tried to maintain the usual cold tone; her Coherence points were at an unprecedented low. And she was not even a fourth of the way through the story.

“Do as you wish.” She said laying back down on the bed and resting on her side.

She watched the boy as he picked up the kettle to fetch some fresh water. After he had come back inside, he put the leaves in and let it sit for a moment. You could hear a pin drop in the room and Shi XinNian never turned to face her. However, when she readjusted on the bed, she noticed a slight smile playing on his lips. It was such an innocent expression, as though he truly was happy to be of service to her. Finally, he moved again and picked up the kettle to pour her a cup, then he handed it to her without lifting his gaze once. She looked at him in silence, without even stretching forward to pick up the cup. When he lifted his eyes, she finally moved to take the cup.

“Thank you.” Her tone did not change, and maybe that was what saved her from the OOC. Or that had been her hope.

-虎-

-5 points for Coherence!

We would like to warn you that your score is very low, you are at risk of the novel resetting itself.

She imperceptibly pressed her lips into a line in annoyance. She lifted her eyes as she was taking a sip. How could she treat him badly when he looked at her like that?

“You may go.” She said in irritation.

His eyes widened, then he bowed and ran out of the room. She sighed; she truly did not know how to behave around him. And it was starting to become a problem seeing how her future depended on their relationship.

Having spent an embarrassing amount of time in the lotus position breathing in and breathing out and finally feeling like some of her strength had returned, she decided it was time to go for a walk and maybe smoke from her marvellous pipe. She was once again walking along the mountain path that circled the manor and in no time she arrived at a training field that was in one of the valleys below her accommodation. The group was still there, listening to Zhang FengMin’s tirades. She grimaced and took the steps to reach them. She reached the outer limit of the field and cocked a hip as she took another bored puff from her pipe. A cool wind accompanied the sunset and it carried the strong voice of the young half Immortal who was lecturing his students. It took her a while to notice Shi XinNian who was spying on the other four with bright eyes. She smiled to herself, but she did not have the time to say anything because a voice called her.

“Zhang Shigu, what an honour you decided to join us. Would you like to execute a demonstration?” Zhang FengMin asked her, filled with enthusiasm.

She raised a lip in a grimace, taken aback by those words. A demonstration?

“Oh, Zhang Shizun, please, would you show us the thirteenth movement? It is really difficult, and you have a unique talent with the sword.” Ming ZhenYa asked with heartfelt enthusiasm.

She looked at her doubtfully.

“C.S.?” she whispered, stepping closer.

-龍-

Do not worry, the autopilot will kick in for this too. Remember, you already have all of this knowledge. After doing this once, you will forever know how to.

She sighed dejectedly and started moving toward her students. Ming ZhenYa was smiling radiantly and even her cousin Zhang ZhaoDa seemed to be appeased. Liang HaoHan looked at her with curiosity in his eyes, but the look she felt most keenly was that of Shi XinNian who, behind the other four, had stood up in astonishment. The look she gave him spoke volumes and he moved as if to leave, but after turning around she saw him stop and hide behind a tree. She smiled faintly to herself. She came to a standstill in the middle of the field and only then remembered she did not have a sword with her, nor had she seen one anywhere in her rooms. She wrinkled her brow, but her body took over and moved so her pipe was twirling in the air before her and then projected light in the shape of a sword. It was a sword made out of spiritual energy, literally. She had brought it into being with her power alone.

She reached out her hand barely coming to brush the pipe that wavered a little in reaction to her movement. She extended her arm in a lounge and then stepped back to stand on just one leg, lifting the other one to hold herself in the position of the crane. She spun, lounging behind herself.

More than fencing, those movements reminded her of dancing, with its tempos and motions. She understood now why it was called the Wujia Long. She felt graceful and powerful. She lowered her eyelids slightly letting her breath flow in an uninterrupted rhythm. That was her place. For the first time in her life she felt that that was a magnificent place to be in. A shiver ran down her spine as she was contemplating that mystical peace as she came to realise she had reached that fulfilling feeling only while she was trapped in a novel. Quite depressing.

She bit her lip as her movements became more insistent, as if her imaginary enemies had suddenly multiplied. She dodged an invisible blade, spun on herself and crouched low to the ground. Then she jumped, pirouetting in mid-air, to land with a final lounge. She came to a sudden stop, as if she had reached a dead end and her breath, that was now coming fast, slowed down once more. She stood still for a few seconds as she looked at the spiritual sword that was now fading back into the pipe which was the object with which she could express herself.

She lifted her gaze and once more crossed Shi XinNian’s amazed stare. He did not react, simply kept on staring, as if she had given him the richest of gifts. They looked at each other for a few moments and then the boy, realising he had been caught, disappeared in the brush of bamboo that had colonised that mountain. Zhang YueLiang kept staring at that same spot until the leaves stopped shaking at his disturbance. She straightened and took a deep breath.

“Marvellous!” she heard everyone say.

Indeed, the marvel seemed to be that she had felt that sense of belonging. And with a struggle, she reminded herself that she was not the Original and that that was only a novel. She turned around with a serious expression on her face.

“Obviously to obtain such results you must dedicate decades of your lives to the training. Just to master parts of the thirteenth movement you will have to study for years.”

The thirteenth movement was famous, named the Shadow of the Dragon, and it was the signature move of many Cultivators from the QingLong mountain who had become Immortals. But, more importantly, it was her signature. With that move, which had become legendary, she had defeated JiShan. Her eyes were clouded by tears at the memory. It was a dull pain that had hit her with the thought, brought about by an even more remote memory. She shook her head to recollect herself and turned away from them.

“I must go now. Try not to be late for dinner.” That was all she said before slipping away.

“Yes, Shizun.” She heard them say behind her.

Night had fallen by the time she reached her isolated house. She took off her overcoat with a sigh and sat down at the table. She was ignoring the protagonist a bit too much, but at that stage of the narration even the Original Zhang YueLiang had not been very present. After all the story was not hers and many events took place out of her sphere of influence. She lifted her gaze and widened her eyes in surprise. The gentians from the day before had disappeared, in their place were some white orchids with a purple tinge on the inside. She smiled to herself as she brought one to her nose. Their scent was so sweet that she was enveloped in it fully. It was not overwhelming though. She cleared her throat and the assistant she knew was there had appeared quickly on nimble feet. They changed every day and it was the disciples usually taking turns. She was turning to face them but froze on the spot. Shi XinNian was bowing at her feet.

“What are you doing here?” she asked coldly. She was surprised for the most part. She did not remember Shi XinNian ever helping out the Original.

“Shizun, I have been assigned to you for the day.” He replied.

Her hopes came crashing down. She could not ask him who set the floral arrangement every day, but perhaps he had seen them?

“Do you know who changes my flowers?” 

The boy who had lifted his head looked at her in surprise.

“Uhm… - he shuffled his feet nervously, then took a deep breath. – I do not know about the other days, but I… picked those orchids. The gentians seemed to have lost their vitality.” He finished holding his head high, but without crossing her eyes.

The young woman leant against the table. How was she meant to react to that? It was a very caring gesture, furthermore those orchids were not near her home but on the other side of the mansion. He had gone there just to pick the flowers.

-虎-

Sending him on his way angrily would be the most reasonable reaction.

She grimaced at the unnecessary advice, but Shi XinNian saw that and paled.

“My apologies, Shizun, but I thought I had to change them. I never would have dared touch them if the previous assistant hadn’t said anything. – he said bowing quickly. – I am really sorry; I will not touch your things in the future.”

She narrowed her eyes and was about to reach out to him. But before she could even lift herself from the cushion, she clenched her fist and brought it to her chest taking a breath.

“You may go now.” She said, before turning to pour herself a cup of tea and almost drowning herself as she drank.

Shi XinNian’s hurried steps faded along the corridor. She dejectedly rested her forehead on the edge of the table.

“I can’t… how could anyone hate him?”

-虎-

We would like to remind you that the Original’s hatred is due to this kind of behaviour. He reminds her strongly of her Sworn Brother JiShan.

She opened her eyes in surprise, staring at the communication window that was disappearing.

“JiShan?” she said, disoriented.

At those words the memories seemed to resurface in a confused manner, and she felt almost a confirmation, thinking about Shi XinNian left her with a bitter feeling, a small feeling she had ignored because of her preconceived positive ideas about the boy. She put down her cup as the sound of a dizi floated in on the breeze. Perhaps a student was practising, but it almost felt staged.

It was a melancholy tune, as if a small being was asking for help from someone who would never be able to hear them. And that was how she felt at that moment. The memory of that boy was a stain in her life, full of… resentment and remorse. She started coughing in earnest, as if she could no longer breathe. She pressed her hands over her chest, but two hands quickly hit her across her back. She felt the movement across her chest as tears made a slow trek across her cheeks. It had only been one moment, but she had felt fully immersed in that world, in that person who she was now playing, as if it had all happened to her.