In a rare daze, the young woman was escorted without incident from Sun Shao's courters back to her own deep in thought. Her aura a rare peaceful one, so much so that the one lending her an arm faced no repercussions from holding her hand this time. Sending her carefully inside her courtyard, "The pavilion." The woman exchanged looks with one another, leaving her companion to guard the gate outside the woman holding onto Chao Bai's hand reminds her mildly. "Lady Chao Bai, although spring is here winter was less than a fortnight ago. Allow me to bring out a second robe for you first as well as prepare a charcoal stove." Not to mention Chao Bai had been ill not too long ago too, they were fearful she would relapse and the blame would be on them or indulging her too much. Though most of the time they would never meddle too much as the young woman was a stubborn one.
As Chao Bai seemed to be in a patient and listening mood today, she had the guts to suggest this and was rewarded with a head nod of agreement from the patient. Without much effort the pavilion was surrounded by four charcoal stoves and Chai Bai was left to her solitude with an extra robe draped around her shoulders. Only when she was alone did a little white snake slip out from her sleeve onto the table, Chao Bai calmly took out beast cores for the little snake to swallow whole. "Store them properly this time and do not rush to digest them while you are without me." Seemingly unaware of her master's intentions to abandon her again, Chi was still happily eating whatever Chao Bai gave her without a care in the world. As long as she was with her owner, Chi was satisfied.
Recalling a certain event which occurred earlier, Chao Bai poked Chi's fang questioning the little snake "The day he came, you were with him were you not? What made him so furious he would let out his frustration in a foreign sect?" Chi however, didn't seem to feel a need to answer her and wrapped her tail around Chao Bai's wrist again like she did the night before ignorantly dodging the question "Ha. Acting spoiled again, you have no fur nor heart yet you desire to act cute?" The innocent stare she gave still won her owner's tiny smile "Those eyes are wasted on you." Her own fingers lightly touching her own set of blindfolded eyes before she went on casually. "On the day Ling Da Chuanli leaves you will follow him from now on and play ignorant."
When the beast was about to be distressed Chao Bai adds belatedly "-When he leaves with the young patriarch in training I will be following along in the shadows with a few others to protect them. It seems he is not at ease and would rather I follow in the background as a guard instead of a companion." At first, the intentions for her to be a companion were set in stone, but with the recent events, even if they prioritized her health and comfort it would be impossible to allow her within eye sight of Ling Da Chuanli on a daily bases from now on. Originally, there would only be three guards following behind Jiang Tengyi who would only show their faces in life or death situations. But now with her, four people will be protecting the two young masters.
Despite not being perfect, she still had a few lessons from Feng Mei Xing in private and knew how to hide decently well on the move. Probably not enough to entirely escape his notice, but enough so that others below her level could not contest and see through her. For now, it would have to be enough. Besides, Da Chuanli would most likely be informed before hand they would be followed from afar by Feng Shuchang people. Comforted by her promise, the little snake tugs her owner's wrist again more insistently. Chao Bai pulls her hand away sternly reprimanding her "The time is not yet here, stay your eagerness least you wish for me to follow in your siblings footsteps and be struck by lightning."
Heartlessly placing the beast on the ground she dismisses her "Go to him now." Seemingly reluctant to part with her Chi lingered around her foot for quite awhile. Chao Bai was also a tad reluctant and sighed softly before leaking a trickle of spiritual power from her core pepping the snake up. It was only when Chi's scent resembled her previous state when they were together day and night in the past did the little snake leave. She listens as the sound of scales on stone fades away further and further away form her. Subconsciously rubbing the place Chi had wrapped her tail around her wrist lost in thought. It was reckless of her.
Perhaps, she was feeling more sentimental because of the Dipping Iris she had been given. Chao Bai places the small box on the table and opens it. Slowly, her left hand raises up to her blindfold and visible hesitation could be seen from her actions. She was afraid, Chao Bai admits she is afraid. The scale and blood of her Hui was different, for it carried his presence entirely frozen in time due to her interference. But the Dipping Iris, it was a flower which fed on the bodies of the dead. She could still feel his spiritual essence in her stomach gnawing away at her body refusing to fuse. For she refused to consume him, wanting to let him linger in her body without assimilating him with her own spiritual essence yet insisting on keeping him with her throughout all of this.
Once she opens her eyes to the realities, and see it with her own eyes she would have no choice but to accept he was gone. That he had left her forever. No more dreams. No more hope of hearing his laugh and seeing his smile in her delusions. It had always been a knot in her heart, for she could never locate where his Dipping Iris was until now with the help of Xiu Xie. Although it was painful she could never have his remnant, it was also a relief in a way at the same time for she never had to accept the full agony of confirmation his disappearance from this realm. But now... Pursing her lips, Chao Bai with determination slowly unwinds her blindfold letting it fall from from her face till the light of the sun could be faintly sense from behind her long lashes. Eyes of glacial white flutter under the stimulation of sunlight and overwhelming spiritual essence surrounding her. Silver glowing eyes through the slit to limit her sight, she lowers her half lidded gaze onto the flowing flower with a wavering stiffness. "..."
In the garden smelling of morning dew, a soft gasp of pain, following by a choking of tears fills the silence. Ghostly hands surrounding a single flower the color of blood, dripping silver nectar, were quaking fiercely. Tears seemingly repressed for so long flowed down her face as the years of restraint and yearning overfloods her senses. It was hard to know what she was feeling, relief, sorrow, misery. Her heart was aching. Her Hui. Gasping, Chao Bai clenches her chest wrinkling the fabric as the grievances, pain, longing, loneliness in her heart burst out of her as she stared at the glowing iris through wet lashes. Through the blurry flood of tears Chao Bai could hardly breath, all she could see was him. Her beloved Hui's last remnants.
The dipping iris that fed on his flesh and blood, devoured his bones and spirit. Her Hui's last trace of presence in this world was finally with her. They were finally together again and yet, and yet-"It hurts...Senior brother it hurts..." Her whispered complaint towards the flower left unanswered, Chao Bai's lashes wet from her tears shake with another soft sob sounding so wretched it could twist the gut of anyone within earshot. "After all this time I found you*sob...I finally found you..." Never could she grieve, never could she mourn, never could she complain or express her grievances. A child with no one to complain to, only to her Hui could she do so but he was lost to her so early.
Yet, he could no longer comfort her, embrace her, comb her hair, touch her face, kiss her eyes and pay her useless compliments. "Ahh-...." Hands so close to the petals she almost crushed them, the cry soft and tragic for the girl who was forced to wear red but never wed. In her shaking palms, a flower glowing the faint gold light of a ghost who had long passed leaving her to grieve alone.
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Lady Chao Bai had fallen ill. It was serious, half her spirit seemed to have left her body to deal with the consequences. When she was found in the garden slumped over the table half dead, in her arms was a box with an ominous Dipping iris. Her blindfold discarded on the floor, her eyes and nose so red it was hard to ignore and not know what happened. Lady Chao Bai had fallen ill due to immense heartache. Ehuang tightly shut the doors to her courtyard, refusing entry to all with a solemn face no matter who came to inquire about the girl's wellbeing. Feng Shuchang and Feng Mei Xing received the same treatment. It was only Sun Shao, who was filled with half self blame and the knowledge of the origins of Lady Chao Bai's predicament who was allowed within the sitting room.
Leaving the courtyard with red eyes and a single head shake of sadness. From beginning to end, the box with the iris was never parted from her. Ehuang the one with the most knowledge of spiritual beast's physique and spiritual seas treated Chao Bai silently not breathing a word to others. Occasionally, rubbing the tears from the seemingly put together spiritual beast who was in a strange and abrupt stage of grieving due to a single flower. When spiritual beasts experience emotional distress, people expect them to go on a rampage and usually that would be the case. But Chao Bai was different. Her body would shut down and seemed to work against her trying to take her life.
Perhaps it wasn't in her nature to go on a rampage but suppress it all within not letting others catch a glimpse. It was even more distressing to others seeing her in this state. They never questioned her past, swearing by blood she would never hurt their sect was enough. The acceptance and acknowledgment by the array within their sect solidified her status even further. Now, this noble heavenly beast who gave her everything to destroy the Golden City, revealed such a vulnerable side so suddenly. It would make anyone uncomfortable. What had she endured to reach this stage of grief? A person who was taciturn and mature suddenly shedding tears and crying to the point of fainting in a corner all by herself.
Those in the know were disturbed. Those who only knew the surface even more so, for the unknown led to speculation more heartbreaking. Ling Da Chuanli sat with his chin resting upon his palm, studying the anxious Jiang Tengyi who seemed reluctant to leave the sect but would never voice it. Instead, he would rather frown, then fix the frown, before thinking of something distressing and frown again the further from his sect he got. Da Chuanli admits it was funny to watch his friend go through so many emotions like a fretting housewife but his good manners didn't allow him to laugh out loud. "If you're so worried then there's no need to accompany me back." Instead he was understanding and generous, as it wouldn't be long before they had to set off officially and Jiang Tengyi most likely wouldn't be able to see his junior sister until they came back more than a year or so later.
And though they were in the same sect, it seemed like Jiang Tengyi's junior sister wouldn't be well enough to see him off either while he prepares to leave. Strangely enough, Jiang Tengyi didn't entirely reject or reprimand him for his teasing remark. Only peering at Da Chuanli's smiling face deeply before stiffly replying with a "It's fine. My junior sister is not so weak." "Really now?" Da Chuanli could only recall a fragile woman sitting behind a paper folding curtain along with the heavy smell of medicine. He disdained the weak who troubled others. So, with what courtesy he had remaining he merely turns his attention to the room around them with faint boredom oozing from his eyes. Jiang Tengyi did his best to ignore his friends obvious disrespect, nor did he remind Da Chuanli that it was he himself who said this sentence to him not long ago.
His master's warning and Chao Bai's red rimmed eyes still fresh in his memories taking priority over Da Chuanli's dislike of the image he had retained of Chao Bai. "It is better for both of them if Ling Da Chuanli never remembers what transpired between him and Chao Bai. Your loyalty should be towards your people before your friend as the future patriarch, never forget." He knew this as well. However, peeking at the disinterested Da Chuanli with nothing in his eyes worth acknowledging. Jiang Tengyi felt a trace of rebellion and made a hesitant oath to himself. If one day, Da Chuanli asked him to tell the truth of that day he will not hide it from him.
Unaware of his companion's determination Da Chuanli ponders whether his juniors would be able to endure their master's coldness when he departed. Perhaps he could assign a senior to give them guidance in his absence, as Gao Chang was worth nurturing. The others, Da Chuanli merely guided on behalf of Gao Chang being brave enough to ask. They would naturally be neglected when he left, so it was only right that he did this much as their senior. However, who would have the time and patience to do so? A few people came to mind, however most of them would be busy going in and out of the sect so they were unreliable on a long term bases. "Da Chuanli, I've been wanting to ask this for awhile but, is this your spiritual pet or your master's?"
Jiang Tengyi finally asked about the little white table decoration constantly going in and out of Da Chuanli's things behind him. Even swallowing things without a care if the owner knew or not in front of both of them. Seeing the surprisingly naughty snake eating his things as if they were already hers, Da Chuanli's eyes finally crinkled humorously and he didn't scold her or held a grudge much to Jiang Tengyi's surprise. Not expecting Da Chuanli to have such a high tolerance for a snake of all things "Neither. It is natural for snakes to be a little bit greedy, let her have it if she wants it. They are all replaceable things." Replaceable? So...Is he saying the little snake is not replaceable? Hiding his shock he scrutinizes the creature with more uncertainty.
In all their time together, Da Chuanli never spoke with such...Indulgence. If it were a mere wild spiritual beast, how could his master blatantly ignore it's obvious existence as it followed Da Chuanli back from seemingly nowhere? The familiarity Da Chuanli spoke with and interacted with the creature was just like-Jiang Tengyi abrupted stopped his train of thought. Refusing to dig too much into something which would only confuse him more, shaking his head and together with Da Chuanli they both watch as the small snake with a surprisingly large appetite ate every expensive item in Da Chuanli's current possession. When she made to swallow a seemingly important piece of jade though, Da Chuanli held out his palm to her light heartedly stating. "Not that one, give it here."
Chi who was halfway to swallowing the jade paused, and seemed to stare at Da Chuanli for a very long time as if debating listening to him. Just when Jiang Tengyi expected her to ignore him, surprisingly, it actually slithered over and spit up the jade into Da Chuanli's extended hand obediently. Da Chuanli's lip curls subtly, patting the tiny marble headed snake gently praising her "Good." "...." Jiang Tengyi refused to comment on his strange friend who would compliment a snake who robbed him of many things just seconds ago for not stealing one single item. Not to mention that piece of jade was still covered in snake saliva when it landed in his hand.