Deep in the forest, white light continuously beamed. At a closer look, two human figures could be seen beside the light: One sitting on a rock and the other sat beside the pit where the light raged like flames. Ling Hou lazily observed her work with multiple talismans as he laid himself sideways, an arm supporting the side of his head while he picked his nose. She surprised him more than she did that time at the altar but that was no longer a new thing. This disciple was beyond boring and also, above sane. 'Why did she even purify this graves?' he wanted to ask.
Celes who once behaved so carelessly has sat herself before a familiar couldron, a couldron he only heard of but now could see in person. When he saw her lazy expression turn into a more serene, gentle face, Ling Hou as one witness of her actual personality on a daily basis could not believe it that left his jaw hanging, his mouth gaped open. 'This brat can actually look decent!' It did not occur in his mind about all those pretentious demeanour both master and disciple showed at their first encounter. Gone was the honourable and calm warrior and so with the respectful and humble disciple.
A pentagram within a circle filled with strange characters has been drawn on the ground beneath her once a talisman was pressed against the soil. Ling Hou wandered about this but guessing about her previous practice, he let it settle at the moment. But her type of purification was strange as well especially when her golden Qi glowed lightly as it circled around her. She often stretched one hand towards the white flames as if bridging something from the pit to her body while the other hand danced around the couldron. 'Refining pills at the same time? Is that efficiency or something else?'
He shook his head realizing his ignorance of her countless secrets she still have hidden underneath that facade.
Meanwhile, Celes wandered if her cheat could be seen by him. It was all thanks to this greedy little savage that fed on the evil miasma and purified the Qi and the malevolent feelings left behind.
'Anyway just before he asked too many questions, better fill him in with a few bits,' she thought. Besides, reincarnations were a thing in this world. Celes' success into making him believe her was high. But to tell him about her entirely? Maybe not so much of a good news.
In the end, she admitted to have lived two lives. "On my second life, I learned purification. But that's it."
Ling Hou narrowed his eyes in surprise. She sounded too non-chalant, not that it was a secret. But in the Forest of Unforgiven, neither civilians nor the saintly monks themselves have the heart to perform any sort of prayers or purification rituals for these people. Many were accused, simply unfortunate for getting involved or murdered. However, it was widely known that this was the graveyard for criminals. Who would want a criminal to reincarnate? And what if they repeat their mistakes again? "Only her," he mumbled under his breath.
"Hmm? Master, I may be weak but I can sense any malice from far away." 'Like sensing suspicions within a glance,' she wanted to add.
"This master only yearns for dear disciple to learn." His voice sounded so proper that the girl could not help but roll her eyes sending a small gnarl under his breath. "Keep going or no dinner for you!"
"No dinner? Hmmff! Once I learn how to cook, you are dead to me," she grumbled.
"Oh then go ahead, this master is not obligated to keep disobedient children!"
'How am I disobedient? This master and his logic!' Celes wanted to scream. "Oh master, this disciple is only joking. I will teach you more recipes, enough to build a grand restaurant in every street in the capital."
His eyes immediately sparkled, just by thinking about all the money this walking treasure was to give him. "Really?"
'Ah! Master took the bait!' The girl nodded with a wide smile. "Hmm! Hmm!"
As a grand foodie, Celes enjoyed every tasty cuisine. She had previously travelled the world in every life she had in order to taste them so might as well take advantage of this especially with a natural-born chef by her side. She picked up a twig that was among the scattered leaves by her side and she began to draw her characters for the ingredients.
"Master, with this, we let bygones be bygones."
Ling Hou felt mesmerized by the new recipe. Celes was right. "Then this great master shall make you kowtow and kiss my feet when you taste my dish!"
The tyrant growled. It was fine that he kept the recipes and cooked them for her. It was fine that she kowtowed because he was actually doing her a favor. But to kiss his feet? A nerve popped in her head. She could not understand but that just makes her blood boil. Her face turned black and unconsciously, the white light dimmed, evil miasma leaked out and a whisper-like roar echoed in their ears. At that, Celes finally recovered with a set of narrowed eyes and furrowed brows. She knew very well that almost every single person on the land was aware of this roar, this greedy roar. The previous war Lord gingerly craned her neck towards Ling Hou.
His eyes turned bloodshot, tears at the brim and threatening to fall. Ling Hou no longer sat idly on the rock, rather he sat with a slouched back and crossed legs with fists curled on either side of his hips. It seemed like the greedy cheat tried to lure him over through his guilt.
She sighed. . . in relief. Celes thought it was better than having him realize the truth. But deep inside, she bore her inhumane sharp canines at the Devour causing it to slam against her body out of fear and will to escape. A wave-like force sent Celes almost tilting sidewards from her position.
Little did she know, such small commotion of a misbehaving, opportunistic cheat had affected quite a few areas close to the perimeter. Celes was not aware, due to Ling Hou's best efforts of concealing the exit, about the new visitors coming over from the edge of the forest who were attracted to the recurring white beams. However when Celes has lost control, that greedy cheat has tried to take out the negative emotions of every living nearby with just it's small roar as well.
"Arrghhh!" Celes growled. As of now, she had her seals working, rendering the caster to their spot and unable to move until the pit had been completely been devoured by her misbehaving cheat, or 'purified' as most people would prefer to hear. Sweat trickled down the flawless, tan skin making her face glisten. Trying to hold back such greedy savage from rampaging and biting its owner was too hard, as if trying to tame a rabid dog. Celes gritted her teeth and fluttered her eyelids shut to focus on her spiritual force. Right now, it was best to open her meridians and allow the pure, dense Qi to flow through her spiritual veins then into her dantian core which was the floodgate of her spiritual ocean. Refining pills was not the better option at this moment. Right at this moment, Celes could clearly picture the salivating beasts, be it a low ranked, mid-ranked or high-ranked, all would be ferocious and hungry without any sense of fear nor danger. Celes had to be quick! "Dying three times is more than enough."
When thinking warily of her surroundings, the high-level martial supreme entered her line of sight once again. Yet thankfully, Ling Hou was only mourning so that was the least of her problems. At a glance, Celes could tell that her master was in his own solitary world of guilt and sadness. It would take a while before he snapped out of it.
'If it was revenge, I would have died at my current state,' she thought to herself renewing her fading will to grow stronger. Though it had been three lifetimes since then, this cheat was as dangerous as a double edged sword. The greed fed on the negative emotions therefore luring out every hidden shadow within any being or some spiritual or divine or even cursed objects. Once lured, the victim acts accordingly to their darkest emotions. Vengeful people were the toughest to tackle as they would be too blinded.
'Humans are of no threat at the moment but beasts can be lured out of every nook and cranny of this region. Wait, beasts?' Her heart almost skipped a beat and Celes halted her purification activity. Honey-brown eyes swiftly flew open and looked around. 'Where's that divine beast?'
Divine beasts were different from these spiritual beasts. It was as if they were powerful cultivators but were able to transform into humans with mindsets that thought and reacted like real humans therefore were able to have clearer emotions. 'If it remembered how I ate its ancestor, crap! I'm dead!'
Just as she thought so, a dragon's squeaky shriek echoed from the distance. The fog had suddenly thinned to show an emanated winged figure surrounded by red flames. 'It's that midget dragon!'