Zhi Ruo plopped a dumpling on her mouth as she stared at Qing Qing and Kohaku's awkward appearance. They were not facing her as she ate her breakfast, as if afraid of looking at her directly. Instead they were looking at the table, intently trying not to peek at her face while she was eating.
"Why are you guys doing that?" Zhi Ruo chewed as she asked, she pointed her chopsticks at the serious duo in front of her. "You can look you know, I don't mind you guys looking at my face once in a while." Zhi Ruo said.
Zhi Ruo finally got rid of her boney cheeks and wrists as she broke through Gathering; Concentration rank 4 after she cultivated all night long. Raising her stats in the process and all the while enjoying the fact that she finally have some meat to pinch when she holds her own face.
But right now, the duo in front of her was ruining her good mood and appetite. They came here early in the morning with their own personal servants to deliver her food and to bathe her. They made the servants wear a blindfold while they served her, and now they were refusing to look at her face.
It wasn't like she was ugly, no in fact she was far from that. But they act like looking on her face was a great sin on it self. They never actually looked at her face though, so they can't really judge wether she looks a good or nah.
"Patriarch Ye has informed us that we must be cautious when viewing Junior sister's face. It is in the discretion of ours to respect your privacy." Kohaku closed his eyes as he waited for Zhi Ruo yo finish eating. "So please do not feel pressured when we do, in fact, respect your boundaries."
Zhi Ruo shrugged and produced a humming sound. Seeing that they really felt like it was out of bounds to look at her face with, or without her permission.
"Are you sure you just don't wanna look at my face because of those rumours they created about me?" Zhi Ruo jabbed at the duo in front of her. "I'm sure they said that just looking at my face could bring bad luck." She said in a matter factly tone.
It was Qing Qing who coughed feeling uncomfortable in Zhi Ruo's question.
"Ok I'll stop asking." Zhi Ruo took her last bite of her food and sipped her soda that was disguised as tea. They were too busy trying not to look at her face that she managed to replace the tea with a can of soda.
"Please raised your heads senior brother and sister, I am done eating." Zhi Ruo neatly slid the veil to her face in a quick succession as she called out. "If I recall correctly, I stated that you both don't have to escort me in everything." Zhi Ruo wasn't phased when the servants came in as soon as she finished eating.
Kohaku coughed as he finally slipped his eyes open. "The Patriarch Ye came back late at night yesterday and specifically told us to accompany Junior sister when choosing your own personal servants." He informed Zhi Ruo. "After we have accompany you, we will be out of your way. After all as much as you don't like being bothered, we also do not have much time to be bothering anyone."
Zhi Ruo briefly nodded, as she agreed. "Alright, will senior brother and sister be directly leading me this afternoon?"
"No we will be leading you now." Qing Qing said stiffly. She stood up carefully and led the way to Zhi Ruo's door. "Let us go, lest we miss the deciples morning training. I took it upon myself to oversee them today." She informed, and soon after they went outside and to the main hall where Zhi Ruo was first led too when she came in the Sighted Valley.
When they reached there, about 24 servants was waiting in a neat line. 12 of them were girls around Zhi Ruo age, while the other dozen were men. If there was one thing that Zhi Ruo took note off is that the maids were not weaker than her in terms of combat. It is for certain that Zhi Ruo was still weak, but the servants that lined up in front of them were Gathering; Concentration rank 1 as the lowest and Gathering; Concentration rank 3 as the highest.
"Junior sister, we have taken into consideration the appearances of the first batch of your pavilion. Since it will be apparent that your pavilion will grow, the first servants should be top-notch so that you can groom them to fit to your liking." Kohaku said as he solemnly looked at the servants in front of him.
"You can choose 6 men and women in this batch. And they will serve as your personal servants. While the rest would be transported off." Qing Qing said as she motioned to people in front of them. "After you have chosen, you will name your pavilion in accordance with Patriarch Ye's instructions. "
Zhi Ruo nodded and looked at the girls first. All of them led a demure spirit— somewhat. Zhi Ruo felt like some were looking far too noble for her not to be suspicious that she was being looked down upon. As some had the arrogance, that was unbeneficial and unfit of their status would have.
Zhi Ruo summarized that they probably heard about the rumours around her.
"I want her, her and her." Zhi Ruo started picking out the ones that held a composed and professional bearing. "And those three." She then pointed at the last three that held a demure and silent aura. She ignored how the rest that wasn't chosen held a dissatisfied look, while two even shot her a seering glare.
While Zhi Ruo was picking out the servants, the ones that was picked was moved to Qing Qing and Kohaku's side. Just as Zhi Ruo was about to follow them, she heard one of the servants snort.
Zhi Ruo momentarily paused.
It wasn't loud per-se, but it was also said that Qing Qing and Kohaku heard the sound.
If anything Zhi Ruo would have laughed, but now she was just curious. 'did she fuck this girl's mom? Why is she so hostile?' Zhi Ruo tilted her head as she stared at the servant with lowered head.
"You know.." Zhi Ruo started as she leveled her head at the servant, who apparently knew what kind of shit she got herself into. "I don't get you, why bother being displeased about not getting picked when you don't even want to be here in the first place." She uttered aloud, obviously aiming not only to the nubi in front of her but for the others that was beside her that wasn't chosen.
The nubi breathed, but she felt like her lungs were drowned in water. But she was stubborn, and continued to hold contempt inside the very depths of her soul. She doesn't know where she got the guts to pull through this situation that she dug herself. But for now, she summarized, it was because she did not like what she heard about this new heiress of theirs.
'The useless Young miss', 'trash of the Liu family', 'infamous crippled miss' people could go on and on about this miss in front of her so she was reluctant.
"Ah, well, don't answer that." Zhi Ruo waved her hands in dismissal. "Senior sister, senior brother, this nubi holds contempt and dared to attempt slandering me. I would like to know your inputs before I acquaint her face to this bricked floor. Hard." Zhi Ruo sweetly inquired her seniors that was waiting for her next move.
"..." Qing Qing.
"..." Kohaku.
"..." Servants.
Qing Qing's stern faced cracked and she could not help but twist her lips upwards. Even Kohaku caughed awkwardly as Zhi Ruo's words settled.
"Do as you please." Kohaku waved his hand and gave his permission. Qing Qing nodded at his words.
The nubi could not even open her mouth, she could only shot a surprised look and her vision was instantly filled with the bricked ground that she was standing upon. Her whole body shook by the impact Zhi Ruo had put to her drop kick, and she collided with the floor in a loud bang. Letting out a choked sob, the blood trickles down her nose, it wasn't long when she felt Zhi Ruo dragging her face by the hair to meet Zhi Ruo's veiled eyes.
The servants around her sucked in a cold breath, they suddenly felt all of their previous thoughts about Zhi Ruo vanish without a trace. The only thing they kept within their hearts was 'Let the next person to end up like that, not be me.'.
Zhi Ruo leaned in to the nubis ears, as if trying to tell a secret. "Let me tell you something..." She whispers to the nubi— "I'd kill the sun if it insulted me." The nubi could hear a tinge of malice in Zhi Ruo's voice. "Don't ever let me hear such things again, and if you ever do it again. don't let me catch you. Because I'm not going to let you go the second time if I do." Zhi Ruo pulled back, the grip on the Nubi's hair was vice and Zhi Ruo gave it a little tug.
She smiled pleasantly under her veil when the girl kept her mouth shut. "I don't like noisy people you see." And she lets go.
The girl crumpled to the ground, and the blood continued to drip from her broken nose.
"Let's proceed." Zhi Ruo lightly went along to the male servants that she was about to pick.
Qing Qing narrowed her eyes, and Kohaku waved his hands as a few servants that was with him took the disheveled nubi out of the sight. Never once did they hear a single sound come from her, as the maid was painfully covering her mouth as she looked at Zhi Zhi Ruo in terror.
Zhi Ruo proceeded to loook at the servants that was lined up in front of her. She curved her lips upwards when she caught the familiar connection with one of them. "You," Zhi Ruo started, and the man came forward. "And then you, also you." She pointed and they came forward.
She walked only a step, when she picked out another two. "And then you." Her finger landed on the familiar silhouette, of course, Ravel let's out a pleased humm in their connection.
"And that is all." Qing Qing dismissed the people that wasn't chosen, and proceeded to tell the servants under her to lead the people that was chosen to Zhi Ruo's courtyard. "Please come after me, I will be showing you to the craftmaster here in our Sighted Valley. He will be the one who's going to carve out your chosen name for your pavilion."
"I didn't know we have a craftmaster." Zhi Ruo uttered to herself, but Kohaku heard her.
"Well all families or organizations have one. Some are part in the organization to act as a personal craftmaster, and they are usually given the resources and they work for free until they broke through enough levels to leave." He continues. "Some craftmasters stay and become part of that organization, clan, sect or something. So it's hardly anything unusual."
"Oh I see." Zhi Ruo hummed in understanding. "So people sponsor the craftmasters until try are strong enough to stay or leave... That's convenient."
The notion hang on the air as three quietly traversed to the place where the workshop was located, sometimes, along the way, some deciples would approach and greet Zhi Ruo and the two people with her. Some gave a warm welcome to the new face, while some were less than pleased with Zhi Ruo's presence.
Not that Zhi Ruo cared, but she just greeted and continued walking.
Kohaku and Qing Qing found her method so efficient, that they ended up girlbossing the entire walk to the workshop. With nothing but a straight face, and a 'don't touch us we're busy' looks.