In the early morning, Ling Yun was sitting cross-legged on a soft cushion in his room as he watched his teacher tighten the straps around her arm before pulling over the black-and-white robe that signified her identity.
He wasn't sure why she entered his room simply to straighten her clothes and check her weapons, but he wasn't going to complain since her arrival was accompanied by several servants carrying a tray of snacks and drinks.
Green tea filled the decorated ceramic cups placed lightly on the wooden stool table in front of Ling Yun. His cup was already half-empty, yet Qian Mei's remained untouched. Ling Yun recalled how Qian Mei did not consume anything prepared in the dining room yesterday as well and felt that it was a shame for all that food to go to waste.
She slowed her movement and glanced up at Ling Yun. "In your life, there are only three important questions. Do you know what they are?"
"Who am I? What am I? Where am I?"
"...No. They are: Are you loyal to the Whistling Thorn Sect, are you loyal to me, and are you loyal to yourself?"
This caused Ling Yun to pause for thought. "What if being loyal to myself means to be disloyal to the sect? What if being loyal to the sect means being disloyal to you?"
"Then always choose me first." Qian Mei answered without hesitation. "However, the 'correct' answer to that in public would be the sect."
Ling Yun didn't expect that a Shadow Guard would hold herself higher in importance than the sect she was promoted to protect, but he wagered that to do so, one would have to diminish their own self-worth. Judging from the tone she spoke with and the haughty expression permanently etched onto her face, Ling Yun did not think Qian Mei's had ever heard of the word humility.
Then again, he shouldn't have expected anything less from an elder of an Unorthodox Sect. Whistling Thorn Sect was famous for their disciples inhumane treatment of others. It was said that you would know the arrival of one should a whistling traveller enter a lively town one night and leave it a ghost town.
They were like the thorns of a rose that pricked all those that would touch its beauty - in essence, they were a group of people that always seeked treasures or sacred wisdom to keep for themselves - even if it was also completely useless to them.
The martial world was separated into two halves. The Orthodox Sects weighed their honour on the same scale as their lives; they fought for justice, and seeked to bring a harmonious era of society to the world such that the martial and mercantile sides can live in balance. All members of such sects strive to be heroes, putting up an appearance that would make their parents proud and their family name known.
The Unorthodox Sects fought for themselves. The only goal they seeked is a life they enjoy, and if that means everyone else has to suffer, then everyone else has to suffer. All members of such sects are selfish killers.
On the surface, these two sects hate each other. Underneath, they held a symbiotic bond. It was impossible for all members of the Orthodox Sects to be fair and kind. Some require the deaths of others to rise, and often look to the Unorthodox Sects for these missions. In turn, the Unorthodox Sects gain valuable information on trade routes, blackmail and a friend should trouble head their way.
"Teacher, I've a question. Isn't the young master of the sect looking for me? What will you do if he finds out you've accepted me as an apprentice?"
"Which question is your question?"
Confusion filled Ling Yun's expression. "The second question?"
"If you never answer me, then I can never answer you. Ling Yun to seek knowledge, you must be willing to impart knowledge. This is the second thing you have learned from me."
'I feel like you've just swept aside all of my original questions.' Ling Yun meekly nodded in understanding. He didn't push the issue since it was clear she was stepping around it. Anyway, he wasn't so much of an idiot to actively flounder around with the son of the sect's patriarch looking for him.
However, that also created a huge problem for him. He was sure that anyone who wasn't his master and her handmaidens were keeping an eye out for him. Eventually, he would have to come out as he still had duties as a cleaner, though whether he still had to fulfil them is up for question now that he was a disciple of a Shadow Guard.
Qian Mei wrapped a sash around her waist before slipping a small dagger under her sleeve. She turned around and said, "Do not leave the house. I will know if you did if people come running to Feng Tian to report your location." She took one step out of the door and vanished from sight.
He had seen the sight so many times yesterday, and to see it once more today still filled him with awe. His brain was telling him she had simply walked through the door yet his eyes believed she had disappeared completely.
'Speaking of that..' Ling Yun nearly slapped himself in the face. Didn't he already learn a substandard version of the Turtle Breathing Meditation Method?
Wouldn't it be better to practice the skill by hiding in plain sight rather than lounging around all day waiting for his teacher to come back?
Although it had barely been a moment since Qian Mei left, Ling Yun found his legs already itching. He wanted to perform a feat similar to her. 'I also have to hand in a resignation letter to the cleaning manager as well..'
Ling Yun found a weak reason to ignore his master's command, yet a reason was still a reason. He peeked his head out of the room only to find Niang Er walking closer.
She was followed by a comely older maid. Obviously, Qian Mei was not foolish enough to leave him alone.
He contemplated using Turtle Breathing to fool their vision but diminished that thought quickly since it would only alarm them and cause them to reach out to his master immediately. Ling Yun was stuck wondering how he could possibly escape this house without anyone noticing.