After travelling through the towns, both prospering and poverty-stricken, on a carriage without any rest; aside from the occasional times of attending to their needs, the adult and child finally arrived at the foot of the mountain.
While the man talked to the coachman, the little girl observes her surroundings. A tall tower mountain full of tall trees with thick, large trunks and soft damp leaves. Greed dewy grasses covered the whole forest floor, shrubs and bushes of all kinds and sizes are scattered around, bearing all sorts of flowers and fruits.
The comfortable and serene atmosphere of the mountain made the little girl's tense nerves from travelling and from being in a close quarters with her fierce and taciturn benefactor gradually relax.
As the two people traverse through the arduous path to reach the manor hidden within the mountains, the man taught and showed the little girl the things to look out and avoid for walking through this path. The man strictly warns the child of what to and not do when she encounters them on her own.
And those things made the little girl's usually dull and emotionless expression to show a hint of curiosity and amazement towards the animals, plants and people she was introduced to by the reticent man.
The two arrived to the entrance of the mansion nearly at nightfall due to a certain man's insistence on stopping in front of something and telling the little girl of its name and what it is, just to see the child's usual cold expression to turn into something resembling that of a child's. He would then urge the little child to touch the animal or plants as much as he wishes. Although there are some plants and animals that he never let the little tyke get near to.
And, whenever this pair of child and adult chance upon someone he knew, he would tautly and icily introduce the child to them.
Or, in the eyes of his subordinates that had been secretly shadowing and keeping an eye on threats along the way, he would aloofly speak the name of the person, and before they could even greet the little girl or even speak to the little child, their Lord would already take the little tyke away from them.
(|||￢_￢) The shadow guards: "…" My Lord, this type of possessiveness is so unbecoming of you!
That didn't mean that the intelligent and sensitive little girl remained naïve and oblivious to the looks and stares these people gave her whenever they laid their eyes on her. It was a look of surprise, before morphing into a kind and welcoming disposition, which made the little girl pay attention to them. The unnamed girl would have not cared much had it not been for those emotions within the eyes of these people when they look at her.
…She really doesn't know what to feel towards those pair of eyes that held so much sadness and wistfulness in them. And, even in the future, faced with those kind of looks on the eyes of her master and them… the expressionless girl's expression always cracks.
The man walks through the gates of the manor, his strides are long, swift and forceful; but with silent with a hint of lethality on it. The little girl scrambles after him, occasionally stumbling as she forces her short and stiff limbs to catch up to the man.
The man glances back to see whether the little fellow is following him, his dark eyes fell on the faraway figure of the child. He pauses, waiting patiently for the little one to catch up to him.
He waited for the little girl, and when the distance between them shortens to five steps away from each other, he continued walking. He led the little child to a large and gorgeous courtyard. A peaceful and serene courtyard surrounded with a wide variety of plants, both coming from magical and non-magical origins.
The little girl's expression remains neutral, however, her eyes lingers on some flowers that caught her eyes. Upon laying her eyes on the large tree planted beside the courtyard, though, the little girl's eyes lit up in amazement as she stares at the glowing pink petals.
The man and the group of hidden guards couldn't help but stare at the image of a little childe looking at the peach trees. A mirage of a woman with long blue hair in white clothing overlapping the little figure of the child in front of them. This child… really resembles his mother. No matter how much his looks differ from his mother, his interest towards the tree was the same as his mother.
The little girl stare at the tree in a daze, an indescribable emotion filling her heart. Her thoughts snapped back into reality when she heard her benefactor calling out to her.
"From now on," He speaks gravely as he starts to walk towards the courtyard's gate. The girl follows after him instinctively. "This will be your home."
His voice was stilted as he spoke to her, as though finding those words unfamiliar. He reaches out to pat her head. His expression to the eyes of the young girl was very weird and awkward. The man suddenly coughs as he looks away, the tips of his ears red, before he ushers the child into the courtyard.
In the future, whenever she looks back on this time, the memory of her Master's awkward and shy actions along with that stiff but warm pat on her head, causes her to smile lightly. Her eyes full of longing as a bittersweet emotion fills her heart. Making her companions, who were accustomed to her impassive and aloof expression, to wonder what made their family's icy beauty to have her make such an expression.
The adult led the youth past the rooms of the courtyard and into the back, where they slowly walk down the path of the gardens. They stopped in front of a lone building. The man opens the door and large amount of hot steam came out of the room in waves.
The little girl stepped aside, dodging the hot air that would have hit her face and body.
"This is a hot spring." He said plainly, a cold chilling glint flash through his eyes upon seeing the large hot body of water.
"You should take a bath. I shall go and prepare your clothes."
Without waiting for the child's reaction, he left the place. Signally the hidden guards to watch over the entrance of the bathhouse.
The little girl stares at the closed door in silence, her cold emotionless expression showing a hint of lost before she shook her head. His orders, she would do. Besides, she really do need to take a bath ah. She slowly took off her clothes and after folding them, she entered the enticing hot water cautiously and curiously.
She wasn't able to enjoy the comfort of the bath at all. Her mind still reeling from the sudden change in her environment and living conditions. The little unnamed girl still couldn't believe that this large courtyard from now on would be her home. And the man, from his actions, would be her caretaker
Her guardian, and possibly… her father as well.
Father, what a strange word. The little girl thought passively as she moved her hands about, playing with the water a little. A word that she thought she might not be able to call someone with.
After all, she looks at the water as she bitterly thought, her mother left her in the temple. Maybe… he was the reason why.
As she dried her hair, her eyes caught sight of a folded white clothing placed on the floor near the door. She picked it up and assuming that it was her new clothes, due to some scrawled note with some words that she can recognize, she wore it. To her surprise, the clothes fitted her perfectly.
However, the cut….
Σ( ° △ °|||)
Isn't this for males?
Could it be that he thought she's a guy? The little girl pauses at that thought before she shook her head. It doesn't matter! She would tell him once the opportunity presents itself, she thought to herself. Her expression determined.
If the man and the guards had seen her, they would have wondered and tried to confirm the child's gender. After all, no boy would look so cute with such an expression on it. Unfortunately, they didn't see it. And so, this misunderstanding of the little girl's gender remained unsolved right up until a certain banquet was held, wherein the amused maidservants that knew of the girl's gender finally made her the first set of feminine and female clothes.
The little girl walks out of the bathhouse, closing the door, she slowly walks down the path the courtyard. While walking, she noticed her benefactor sitting at one of the pavilions in the gardens, basking under the soft glow of the moon with a cup on hand. His eyes trained on the rows of purple hyacinth.
The child pauses mid-step. The man's desolate and distant aura causing sadness to rise within her heart.
"Come and sit." The silent man abruptly speaks up as he turns around to glance at the little boy that was expressionlessly staring at him. His expression was calm but the look on his eyes causes the child to meekly and obediently follow his order.
She carefully walks up to him and sat on the chair opposite from him. Sitting face to face in front of her benefactor, the little girl was once again a lost on what to do.
The hidden guards watching over this pair of adult and child couldn't help but wonder how their happy-go-lucky Ladyship actually ends up with such calm and emotionless child- and actually befriend their distant and fierce Master.
"From now on," The man starts to speak as he stares at the child's cold golden eyes. The same pair of eyes from someone else who used to look at him gently and with cheer.
"Your name will be Xu Mingyun. The surname Xu was your mother's." His hands cradles the white porcelain cup. His voice was stiff and husky but it holds such a gentle tone that it made the little girl wonder, just how precious her mother is to this man whose eyes would turn sad upon mentioning her.
When he finished speaking, he fell silent; watching the child and waiting for him to ask any questions. As though reading the man's mind, the child across him opens his mouth.
"Are you my father?"
The little girl asks curiously, choosing to temporarily ignore the man's choice of name. Her question must have been something that came into his mind for the man's fierce expression suddenly turns startled for a moment before it went back to the usual intense expression. He shook his head in denial, the bloody red gem on his forehead glinting when it caught the light of the moon.
"No. I'm not your father." He answers with certainty, eyes full of warning for the child to drop this subject.
The little girl pursed her lips together, swallowing back the questions that would have left her lips had it not been for the man's fierce eyes.
"I am Zhong Cheng. I will be your master from now on." He continues on, changing the subject without hesitation."And you will be my only disciple. The inheritor of my legacy, do you understand? Mingyun?"
Hearing the name, the child's expression shifts a bit. The corner of her eyes involuntary twitch in annoyance at the name. It was more… masculine than she liked but she endured it. She didn't have a name anyway, and being granted a name by him… would be better than having none.
No matter how weird it sounds.
﹊﹊﹊
『Little Black Box』
...Sitting alone in that pavilion, he really look so lonely. Why are you looking at those flowers with such sorrowful and regretful gaze? This man, he seems so fierce and aggressive, but whenever he thought that no one was looking… He looks so tired and lonely ah.
What can make such a valiant man make such an expression…?
-Xu Mingyun