The next morning Dàilán faced her friend across the sand garden once again, growling in frustration. Despite the slight chill of early morning, she was panting with exertion.
"Since when you can hit so hard, Chénli?" Dàilán huffed as her maid shook her head and came at her again.
"Egg-sucking…" The Heiress swore and dodged the wordless attack, flipping out of range. She had finally managed to curb her instinct to attack directly as the limiter stopped her from being able to exert enough of her force to carry out any attack successfully - Chénli was always able to overpower her.
Fortunately, she still managed to retain the edge in speed and reaction and was managing to keep out of the other girl's attack range. If only she could move fast enough to achieve a touch on a critical point, she could stop losing.
Intellectually, she knew she would have exactly this problem with a bigger, stronger opponent which is why they were training like this… but by all the gods, it was frustrating.
A sudden feeling of danger caused her to frantically backspin and retreat faster, with another attack missing her by a dragon's whisker. She blinked, had Chénli suddenly got faster as well?
A fractional stumble from her opponent as she ducked away from her maid's sudden rush had her reacting before she had time to consciously process it, her training daggers sweeping in and discharging their small-lightning inscriptions to the back of Chénli's neck.
The crash of Essence against her friend's protective Essence shield sent the maid sprawling ungracefully into the sand, spasming as the small-lightening rendered her 'dead'.
Dàilán cheered, holding arms up in victory. "Hah! Finally!"
"Dog, female, dog… damn!" swore the maid, slurring her words as she twitched on the sand unable to command her limbs. "Gods… rut… neck… egg laying!"
"Bah! You have 'slain' me mercilessly since I had to wear this damn limiter - I have lost count of the times I have been left twitching on the sand!" The young heiress had no compassion in her voice. "In fact, seem to recall someone insisting on sparring with the lightning… what was it you said? Oh yes… 'train how you fight - failure has painful consequences."
She squatted down next to her friend's head and poked a sand encrusted cheek with the handle of one dagger, "I also seem to recall, begging, a number of times, that we train with the regular blunted weapons and padding, but - someone - claimed I had developed 'bad habits' of not treating attacks as life threatening and of 'pulling my strikes'."
She tapped her lips with one finger theatrically. "I think I have overcome that - just a little? Perhaps I should try again to make sure it was not a fluke?"
The maid coughed and pushed herself off the sand, shooting a glare at Dàilán. "Oh, so cocky after one victory… in real life you have died so many times…"
Dàilán coughed, her cheeks colouring, looking away, "Yes, well…"
"More importantly, how under the heavens did you avoid my last strike?" Chénli sat up, looking at the heir intently.
"Uh? What do you mean, how? I have always been faster than you!" shot back the other girl in confusion
Chénli rolled her eyes. "Training against a stronger opponent, means training against a faster opponent too. Master gave me greaves with a speed enhancement along with the limiter."
Dàilán shot to her feet in indignation, "You have been wearing speed enhancement armour as well as suppressing my Essence Techniques?"
"Do not act offended," Chénli answered her mistress firmly, rising to her own feet, "Given the current situation, it is important you learn to evade and defend against stronger, faster and more powerful opponents. It is not a question of face, you know this better than I."
"That… you did not tell me!" grumbled Dàilán, aggrieved, kicking at the sand.
"I am sure your enemies will always be so kind as to warn you of their techniques before attacking," Chénli answered sarcastically, "You have not answered my question. How did you evade?"
"That… I am not certain…" replied the younger girl thoughtfully, "I could tell you were suddenly faster… but I also knew your attack direction before you struck… I moved faster to avoid… you stumbled - probably because you were not used to those cheating speed enhancements - and I took the opening."
The maid narrowed her eyes at her mistress. "I have had a much harder time catching you this morning compared yesterday… it is almost as if… you have broken through."
"That is not possible," protested Dàilán, "I have not had a successful Cultivation session in weeks!"
Chénli took a step closer. "What about yesterday? Here, on that boulder."
"I was playing the bāwū! Is it your place to interrogate me?" The young heir shot back, growing angry.
The maid stilled, then bowed. "Apologies, Mistress. You are correct. I overstepped." She paused fractionally, then continued softly, "But as your sister-friend and bodyguard - I am concerned."
The young Heiress bit her lip. "I understand… but I was only… it was something about the nature of Essence I read in that old book I got from the pawn shop."
Chénli paled. "Mistress, you cannot attempt an untested Cultivation Technique…"
"It is not a Cultivation Technique… not as such… it just says to follow the natural flow of Essence - that is all I was doing - as I played, I watched my Essence flow with the music… it was like meditation."
The maid shook her head. "I know what I saw. It was more like your Essence was playing the instrument… you have to promise not to do it again…"
The sand crunched under Dàilán's feet as she almost staggered back "I...no, it helped! For the first time in weeks my Essence felt… right." She narrowed her eyes "And you just said I have improved - I was able to beat you even with the limiter and your damned speed enhancements!"
Chénli darted forward and grabbed Dàilán's arm, pushing her Essence into the Heiress' meridians. Dàilán froze in shock. A moment later, Chénli dropped her arm then dropped to her knees. "Forgive me, mistress. I had to be sure."
Not trusting her voice or what she might do, Dàilán turned on her heel and left the Meditation Ground without responding.
---
As the Golden Crow dropped behind the mountains, Dàilán watched from her bed, her eyes red.
She could not believe that Chénli had forced her Essence on her like that - without even asking leave.
She regretted leaving her like that, but did not know what else to do. Such an action would normally be enough to condemn the other person to death.
She just felt betrayed. She knew Chénli had felt she had good reason, but…
A knock on the door jolted her out of her thoughts. "Who…"
"Lán'er. It is your Father. May I enter?"
Dàilán choked back a sob of relief. "Please…"
Her father opened the door and came in, closing it behind him. He regarded his daughter sternly. "Chénli is currently confined. I administered ten strikes."
Dàilán gasped. "Father, no… she..."
A heavy pressure emanated from the Clan Elder. "She informed me of what she had done. She also explained why. That is why I was lenient." He looked quietly at his daughter, "Give me your hand, Heir."
The young Heiress' face stilled. Then she bowed her head in acquiescence.
The Clan Elder held her hand for several moments. At last, he sighed in relief and released her hand from his own. "There is no sign of deviation. You are fortunate." Then his face took on an impassive mien. "You will hand over all materials related to this technique to me immediately."
Dàilán's face crumpled. "Father… I… I cannot… cultivate. The Guan Technique hurts… it feels wrong… last night was the first time my Essence felt right in weeks… please!"
"You know better to employ an unknown technique without supervision. I am disappointed. If it had destroyed your Cultivation..."
Dàilán swallowed and knelt, kowtowing. "Please, Honoured Father, do not destroy the book. Please study it first - you will see it is not a technique… merely a different way of using Essence…"
Receiving no response, she rose to her feet and quickly retrieved the ancient bamboo strips and her translations, placing them in her father's open hand.
Her father nodded. "Stay here and reflect. There will be no dinner tonight." He turned and left, shutting the door behind him.
Dàilán quietly bowed. Despite the heavy exertions of the morning and not having eaten all day, her stomach was tied up in knots - she could have not eaten even if she had been permitted to.
As the last of the light disappeared she closed the window shutters, looking up at the rising stars.
"It was my wrong, Chén'er. Forgive me…"