While Zheng Li seemed inoffensive to her, Zhi Rui would not risk a bet with him. Total obedience only came from a kind of dominance or a warped belief, and whatever it is that drives him. Might be trouble instead of good.
Zhi Rui thought to herself in the loneliness of her cave, she dazedly looked at blackie lying down on the pond.
'I can't go out alone. that old sect leader will be monitoring, with who and what I do when I go out.'
A muffled vibration woke Zhi Rui out of her ponder. She looked at a hole on the side of the cave. When cleaning, she noticed a small hope rock, used to communicate with your voice rather than the image around.
These are created by breaking a large hope rock into small pebbles. and using seals to make a call system connecting every piece .
Zhi Rui picked it up.
"Hello, Hello saintess! how are you doing?"
Zhi Rui smiled at Xun lee's cheerfulness. Since she saw her disgusted face in that crowd, she understood this cheerfulness is a mere facade.
"You're so excited." Zhi Rui said.
"Well of course! I've just been accepted at the branch of one of the biggest righteous sect in the continent. I'm supposed to be happy, no?"
Zhi Rui grinned. "Indeed, as a newcomer, you must show anxiousness and eagerness." I wish I was as smart as this girl on her age.' Zhi Rui sighed.
"And what do you want to discuss, my Ray of sunshine?" Zhi Rui spoke playfully.
"Eh-eh ray of sunshine? Ugh, saintess talks like my mom used to." Xun lee hesitated a little. "I want to talk to saintess and exchange some tips about cultivation and the light sect."
Zhi Rui smirked. Reading between the lines, what was said was: "Both of us has plans of our own, while we do not need to know what those plans are, maybe we can agree on a way to facilitate or help one another."
Zhi Rui sat down on a wooden bench. he patted blackie that came purring to her side. She needed someone to go out that people wouldn't suspect, and this bright popular persona of hers will just do the job.
"I need to go out of the sect today, with my pass I can bring a person with me, do you want to come? we can discuss them." Zhi Rui answered.
"Great, great! I'll be around the entrance with some friends until you come."
Xun lee seemed happy.
"I"ll be there soon."Zhi Rui hung up.
Zhi Rui felt her chest warm. Even though is just a facade, the cheerfulness of Xun lee made the cave of Zhi Rui look less gloom.
Zhi Rui petted blackie. "Of course, she can't compare to you" The cat purred and Zhi Rui smiled.
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After one hour, in front of the gate. Zhi Rui appeared on top of blackie. Xun Lee, with her bright smile, waved at her. Zhi Rui came closer and called her to got up on blackie.
"Oh, I get to mount it!awesome!" Xun lee jumped on blackie. The disciples around her, had envious gazes.
"Let's go?" Zhi Rui asked. Xun Lee nodded. Blackie jumped away.
"What's this? that Zhi Rui girl did not even bother to greet us as if we were air." said a girl with black hair.
"Yes, I heard she is a stuck up fanatic of the light sect since her birth." Another girl spoke.
A brown haired girl laughed at the two
"It's all true and you know what's funny? She prepared herself in the most rigid way for twenty years. But on the day for her to enter the sect. Elder Huang chose that Wang lei Gu in her place."
Zhun Xuying watched from far away as the girls laughed out loud
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In the teahouse Zhi Rui usually met prince Julius, she and Xun Lee sat drinking tea. Xun Lee did not have basic manners she drunk the tea like a child. she picked up the cup with one hand as if drinking ale.
Zhi Rui smiled, she observed clearly, this girl might seem happy, but the rot on her eyes is undeniable.
"Going out like this is so good!" Xun lee said looking out of the window.
"What do you have in mind? how can we help each other?" Zhi Rui went straight to the point.
Xun Lee turned her eyes back to Zhi Rui. Only this time, they were stale, the same look she had as the sect leader gave his speech of forgiving the innocent.
"You know, I can't actually taste this tea. Or any other tea, food, the warm of the sun, the cold of the rain. I can identify it, and feel it in my skin but I cannot feel the pleasure. It's like it doesn't matter for me, if the servant gave me pee in the place of tea, I would barely notice it." Xun Lee said the air around them grew stale with the tone of her voice.
"A pity" spoke Zhi Rui. Savoring her own tea. "I have been there, but I overcome it, now I can enjoy everything, to be more truthful, the only thing that keeps me from cutting my neck is the fact that I can feel pleasure."
Zhi Rui turned to the girl "The world is shitty, but so are we." Zhi Rui smirked hideously.
Xun Lee, for the first time, felt a chill on her back and excitement in her chest. She smiled, although, still a rotten smirk. It was her first smile in a while.
Zhi Rui eyes met hers "Boy, let's do it like this: I don't need to know of your plans and you don't stick your nose on mine. Let's just help each other out. Starting with me. I need to solve some things in the forest and I need you to testify that I was with you the whole time and that I did not go there."
"B-boy?" Xun Lee resumed her cheerfulness "I"m girl though."
"You're a girl as much as the sun is cold." Zhi Rui smiled."So what do you think of our arrangement, my Xun Lee?"
Although Xun Lee kept her cheerfulness, Zhi Rui could see the stiffness in her smile.
"I'll help saintess today. As good faith, but I'll need saintess's help very soon. I'll nee Saintess to use your friend. Zhun Xuying."
Zhi Rui looked at her eyes.
"Zhun Xuying, the servant that turned on her master due to the difference in talent. Yet still ran to help in her master's time of need." Xun Lee finished with a smirk.
'She also noticed my loss of composure in the front rows. But this girl, while everybody thought Zhun Xuying was just stealing the scene and flattering the sect leader. She though Zhun Xuying was helping me?'
Zhi Rui adjusted her seat "Zhun Xuying disdained me, and made clear our standing, she's always surrounded by people buttering her up and is also opportunistically talking with the elders. She obviously cares for her image. How can you think she's was helping me rather than simply taking the lights for herself?" Zhi Rui questioned.
"When everything seems normal, but you still feel otherwise in your gut. Then you have to look from a different angle, for example. Zhun Xuyin was publicly spared of her execution due to Zhi Rui's rescue, then a few weeks later she came to light sect. And just a week before the big incident happened. then after the tragedy, Zhi Rui is directly accepted as a disciple. And Wang Lei Gu who was above Zhun Xuying on social status had to crawl on the dirt. you two benefited from everything in the end. and you want to tell me, that you two are not friends, even more, you want me to believe it wasn't you who planned the tragedy?"
Xun lee looked at Zhi Rui eyes. Zhi Rui turned away with a smile.
"You got some things right, and some wrong. Though, it's childish to assume so much with so little proof." Zhi Rui felt a presence through her core and got up.
"Don't worry, just tell me what you need, at the time and I'll help you." Zhi Rui spoke while walking away.
"You know if you don't specify what I guessed right and wrong. I'll assume you were really the one who planned the tragedy." Xun Lee spoke to Zhi Rui's back.
Zhi Rui smirked and got out of the teahouse. Without speaking more.
'This girls is good, but too impatient. Just like old demon hu.' Zhi Rui chuckled.
Xun lee watched as Zhi Rui mounted blackie and jumped away in between the rays of light.
'Without denying or accepting, she wants me to believe that it was actually her who did it and be intimidated, she's good.' Xun lee though.