Lan Biyu bit her lip and held in a sharp gasp as her master carefully applies medicine onto her swollen palms. The pain clouded some of her senses to the point where she saw white dots in the corner of her vision. But under her master's worried gaze, she held in her pain. Trying not to let most of it show, this only made him more worried since he knew she was trying to act tough. "Does it hurt that much? That damned old geezer!! How could he be so rough on a child? How could he blame an innocent for past matters?!" Lan Biyu shakily rests her bandaged hands on top of her lap and lowers her head saying nothing in return.
Seeing the miserable state of his beloved daughter Master Wang's heart only ached more. "Disciple has wronged Master, this disciple will return to receive her punishment in the Qulin temple." Master Wang pats his aching heart roughly and angrily shouts out loud seeming frustrated. "Nonsense!!! If anyone is to be punished it should be those old idiots at Azure sect, not you!!" The man gently took her wounded hands which used to be a beautiful white now bruised black and purple because of a certain bastard. His heart really hurt a lot! His daughter is obviously so fragile yet she was being treated so roughly!
To a musician like Lan Biyu, her hands were her life and joy. It was not a small number of times that this girl brought peace and joy to his life by composing music pieces to please him and give thanks. He knew she loved her guqin and the melodies that flow from these talented hands even if others thought her heartless. How could a parent not know? Especially with how dearly his daughter cares for her guqin each day and night it was much too obvious.
But now just because of her unfortunate past, that old man dared to do this to my daughter..... His eyes glow with unconcealed rage, she could feel the killing intent in Minglan right away and it made her spine stiffen. "Father will take revenge for you." Lan Biyu hurriedly held his hand to stop him from rushing out to do just that. She felt pain when she applied the tiniest bit of force to them, but still did it to stop him. "Father does not need to worry so much. If anything this disciple deserved the punishment for not keeping master's orders."
Looking up into the awkward and ashamed countenance of his daughter he sighs and deflates, unable to show her how angry he was in the face of her downcast expression. His tone softens considerably while comforting her and coaxing her into not blaming herself. "How can drinking the poison meant for another be deserving of punishment? It was Father's fault for not preparing you better." He furrows his brows, deep in thought as he considers the old man Shang's discovery of Lan Biyu's body condition.
"Although I do not understand how he managed to get close enough to see your special condition it worries me more what they will do with this information. Perhaps I underestimated those old men a bit too much these last few years. I should have handled this matter before it was exposed to that stubborn person, because of my neglect you suffered." Lan Biyu was silent for a second before she spoke up again to try and change the subject. "It is getting late, do you wish for this disciple to have Senior Ling prepare you a room?" Master Wang waves his hand dismissively and stood up after petting her head fondly with a sad smile. "Father must make preparations in case those old men try to make trouble during the opening of the gate. Be good and rest well, I will give that senior brother of yours a good scolding when I see him next."
She didn't say anything but saw him to her door with a little bow, Master Wang gave another heavy sigh after seeing how composed the girl was after being unfairly treated. When the door is closed Lan Biyu lets the sweat that threatened to break out cover her pale face like raindrops. She took in a shaky breath and quickly pulled out her guqin from where her master had hidden it to forbid her from playing while injured. She grits her teeth as the sweat drops from her pale face onto the fine wood instrument.
Although it was not too heavy, since she had not spent much time training her muscles like others who practiced swordsmanship or exercised to stretch their muscles. Lan Biyu was not used to any movement that went beyond her limits. Besides teaching her the bare minimum and core foundations. Minglan could not bear to let her suffer and she also did not like being sweaty and covered in dirt, having had enough of that life before she had met her master. Her bandaged hands looked like they belonged to a mummy's hands and her cool gaze wavers with fever but she still lifts the instrument onto her lap.
The girl was taking in shallow breaths to try and control her breathing and shook her head lightly to clear her vision and keep herself awake. She lowers her shaking hand to play a note with fear in her heart and longing in her soul to hear the comforting sounds of her guqin. As her finger lowers towards a string she held her breath and plucks a string... and felt a stinging pain shoot up her entire arm. Pale-faced and groaning with agony she gasps for her breath while violently jerking back and clutching her hand to her chest. '-when we leave the nest, I heard that there was an instrument that could make even immortals cry when played beautifully. Don't you think that sounds interesting?'
Her eyes blur hearing the ugly note ring through the room and rip apart her last shred of desperation without an ounce of grace and class unlike just a few hours this morning. It cannot sing for her. Lan Biyu felt herself choking up at the instrument's rejection but swallows her grievance and calms her trembling heart even though her face was twisted with a dark emotion. Ripping her outer layers off she stumbles towards the bathtub with purple and black bruises completely covering both of her delicate arms that use to be beautiful snow-white. It was even more shocking than the ones on her hands. It was obvious that covering up the true extent of her injuries had taken a toll on her body and mind as she sluggishly moves without any elegance she had had in front of her master earlier.
Just this morning they were as white as jade, untouched and unblemished, but now, they were covered in wounds so frightening even a demonic cultivator would be shocked to see them all. Lan Biyu collapses in her heavily medicated bathtub splashing water over the edge. The hot water slaps her in the face, warming up her entire body and turning her cheeks red stimulating her mind and muscles to come back to life. She came up for air and gasped softly in an attempt to control her breathing. She shaky opens her spatial ring easily taking out the sedatives she had prepared in case of emergencies into her mouth and swallowing them with a quivering sigh. Looking at the guqin on her bed with a long incomprehensible gaze that was slowly becoming hazier and hazier as the seconds pass. Lan Biyu bit her lip hard enough to draw blood and hid her face in her arm. In the once pure white bathtub inklings of black swirl to the top seemingly coming from her body making the once clear water turn ink-ish and dark and the girl lay unmoved.
~
The next morning, no one dared to talk to either Da Chuanli or Lan Biyu. Although the two acted like nothing was wrong, it was obvious a large rift had opened between the two even more than before. Instead of ignoring Da Chuanli, it was ten times worse now, Lan Biyu looked right through him like he was air. They all had seen Lan Biyu's hands, their hearts ached as regret ate heavily at their minds knowing they were partially at fault for the injuries. The delicate hands that were as thin and fragile as ice jade were now bandaged up so tightly that not even the tips show.
They were afraid to see what they looked like underneath. Fuqing's group was too ashamed to approach her to even apologize, they didn't know how to. But it was not like Gao Chang's group would let them either way, sending dark glowers at Fuqing's group. The girls flutter around Lan Biyu ignoring the others and forming a protective circle around her, meanwhile, the boys sent unrestrained glares in their direction. Rui Shi reaches into her spatial ring and pulls out some medicine gently placing it beside Lan Biyu.
"Sister Wang, have some medical salve. Though I do not know how bad it must hurt, please use this before applying something else. It has a numbing effect on the body that takes away most pains." Lan Biyu sent the sincere girl a nod of appreciation and took the medicine carefully, dipping her head towards her. "Then, this sister thanks older sister Rui Shi." Rui Shi beams happy to help "Of course! As your older sister, it is my duty to care for you at least this much!" Gao Chang taps her head a bit roughly. "Who is an older sister? You two are practically the same age. If anything junior sister Wang is more responsible than you are."
Rui Shi protests in a cute manner but is ignored as Gao Chang looks over at Lan Biyu with an apprehensive frown. He shot Da Chuanli a subtle look of disappointment before saying to Lan Biyu. "Junior sister Wang can relax, let your sisters and brothers take care of gathering supplies these next few days."Gu Ping jumps into their discussion sincerely. "Yes! Junior sister Wang can rest easy and let us do the heavy lifting! It's not that hard for us anyways."
Chun Hua nudges his shoulder teasingly "Who was the one complaining about the workload yesterday?" Gu Ping blushes glancing at Lan Biyu a bit embarrassed about having been called out. "It wasn't me! That was Xing-Fu!!" The boy called Xing-Fu sent his friend a roll of the eyes but doesn't bother replying or defending himself. Lan Biyu was feeling a bit warm inside due to their care and smiled faintly, dazzling her group. "Mn, thank you." It was just a small lift of the lips but to others, it was so rare they couldn't help but want to paint her smile before it disappeared.
But they wouldn't have the time, the smile was quick to fade and she went back to staring into the fire. For the next few days, the other disciples went off to patrol for demonic beasts every night and hunt for food. Lan Biyu would stay back and recover by the carriages with one or two disciples to keep her company and protect her if need be. There was never a night she was left alone until the bruises slowly start to fade with the medicine she applies daily. The things given to her by her master were very good as the swelling had started to fade. Da Chuanli disappeared each night but they assumed he wouldn't go far. After all, he was still charged with watching over their junior sister.
Rui Shi struggled to peel the apple in her hands as professionally as Lan Biyu did. Yet the other girl doesn't say anything to tease or discourage her. Instead, she waited patiently for her meal. By the time it was handed back to Lan Biyu, it was practically so skinny one bite would bring you to the core. Lan Biyu only nodded with thanks and took the apple to nibble on delicately. Gao Chang and the others couldn't watch any longer, one by one they start piling Lan Biyu's lap with things she could eat that didn't need peeling.
Berries and a few pieces of jerky from the night before they had saved for themselves to snack on during patrol. Lan Biyu's expression could be considered very cute as she gave them all a tilt of the head with confusion in her eyes. The ones feeling regret at giving her their jerky suddenly didn't feel so bad and insisted on her to finish eating. Even though their stomachs rumbled their hearts were full watching the good-looking girl eat delicately. Seeing the sun fully set they all stood up to decide who would watch over Lan Biyu tonight.
They wanted to go hunting but at the same time were reluctant in leaving her alone. Seeing this Lan Biyu was about to tell them she would stay by herself in the carriage but a shadow casts over her from behind before she could. "I will watch over junior sister Wang, you all go ahead." Rui Shi seeing the blank expression on Lan Biyu's face wanted to butt in but she was roughly pulled towards the woods by Gao Chang. "Let's go, the demonic beasts won't wait for us." Lan Biyu allows the comments to go in one ear and out the other while looking down to finish eating her food in silence.
A bag of silk is gently placed into her lap making her pause briefly in her nibbling of the jerky. "You can pretend I do not exist, but at least acknowledge these." For a second Lan Biyu considered doing exactly what he said and ignore him. But there was something strange about the bag, it was buzzing with spiritual energy that seemed to want to overflow from the small bag. Annoyed by her curiosity but confused about what the contents were to make such a pure yet powerful pulsing radiate through even such fine silk, she opens the bag.
The things inside made her freeze for a good minute with a blank facial expression, but seeing she didn't throw it away right away. Da Chuanli walks off to lean against the carriage and gives her space to do her own thing alone. Da Chuanli had a distant look in his eyes while keeping an alert gaze around them for any sign of danger. Back near the fire, Lan Biyu sent him a quiet discerning look. Lightly closing the bag, she doesn't dump its contents, instead, she slowly places it into her sleeve while pondering something.
Out of the corner of his eyes, when seeing this Da Chuanli's tense form relaxes a tiny bit. Although her expression was cool, the contents of the bag had shocked her a lot, inside were five Moonlight Flower Teardrops. They were tiny and the color of red blood, unlike the blue flowers they came from. Each full moon the flowers had a chance of cultivating a single blood teardrop which was only a two in a hundred chance since they had to be over five hundred years old to even begin cultivating. She had no idea where or how he got these since Midnight Flowers grew in only the densest of forests underground where hundreds of high-leveled beasts of all sorts guarded its breeding grounds.
The spiritual beasts also hungrily searched for these precious things, but to think Da Chuanli managed to secure not one but five. It took a while for her to be able to fully wrap her head around this fact. The reason these were so highly sought after by cultivators and beasts alike was that they had the potential to not only help core formation cultivators transition to the next level a bit easier but when used properly, they can even heal broken limbs. They were miracle tears. To give her five...Lan Biyu felt complicated about her senior brother. Why would he give her something so precious?
Suddenly she was hit with a realization, did the reason he disappears every single night was to gather these Midnight Teardrops for her? The nearest place dangerous enough for these Moonlight Flowers to grow must be at least a hundred miles away by sword. And although she didn't doubt that he most likely received one or two from their master. Even getting four or three was something a Martial King at late stage had to work very hard for. As to why they were so precious was not only their special requirements to grow but because not many people pass the core foundation would hunt for these troublesome things as they weren't beneficial to higher level cultivators. The reward wasn't worth the trouble.
These things we useless to her current level but she guessed Da Chuanli only wanted to repay her with sincerity. She looks up to give Da Chuanli a proper look over. His ponytail was more limp and loose, almost on the verge of being called messy. His clothing was more roughed up than when they had left Azure sects. Unless one were as observant as Lan Biyu they could never tell the difference about the elegant smiling young master. Her hands tremble as she stood up abruptly, surprising Da Chuanli into looking her way. Roughly shoving the bag into his chest her tone was chilly and unyielding. "I don't want them." Showing a perplexed expression he was about to speak but Lan Biyu already turned around to retreat into the carriage.
"Junior sister-" But she ignores his call and grits her teeth while digging her nails into her palms painfully to shout at him. "If you want to apologize then kneel and properly apologize! Don't do such stupid unnecessary things!!" Though it hurt she couldn't help but close the door aggressively behind her leaving behind a troubled looking Da Chuanli. What was wrong? Didn't she quietly accept them just now? Why did she not want them now?