Hua Mei beamed at her. It was the first, genuine smile she had shown her. Li Jing's eyes softened a bit. What a cute kid. Very loyal to her Mistress too. Too bad she can't snatch this kid and be her follower.
"You will enter different realms and possess a certain body ideal for your soul. Once you locate the Soul fragment you can extract it and leave for the other realms."
Li Jing stared at Hua Me with distrust, "That's it?" why does she feel that some things are being left unsaid?
Hua Mei nodded her head.
"So when should we start? Do you have to-"
"Now! We can enter the first realm now!" Hua Mei shot up, a smile broke on her face and she seemed to glow in excitement. With a wave of her hand a silver, unadorned lamp appeared. With a flick of her wrist, the lamp came hurling at Li Jing in full speed.
"Wait!" it was too late, the mystic lamp entered her chest. Unbelievable coldness racked her whole body that made her bend over while the left upper side of her chest felt tingly. A round, intricate pattern then appeared on the surface startling Li Jing.
"Wha-"
"The lamp that entered you is called the Soul Catching Lamp. It is one of Master's divine tools. It will help you catch and store the Soul fragments that you'll collect. The round pattern on your chest keeps track of how many fragments you've recovered." Hua Mei said excitedly.
"Just give me a sec-!"
"We're all set." Hua Mei clapped her hand, there appeared an old tome, and then the pages come undone. Li Jing's mouth gaped open in astonishment as papers circled Hua Mei until a lone piece stopped in front of her. "Good. The first world is one managed by a Chief God. This Chief God is notorious for being lazy. Chief Gods oversee so many worlds and this God will be too lazy to deal with us. Let's enter the first realm, Mistress."
"Listen to me first, you little shi-"
Hua Mei snapped her finger. Li Jing felt like the crisp sound echoed into the four corners of the pavilion.
With a blink of her eyes, gone was the white pavilion.
Bed hangings in tatters adorning the bed canopy greeted Li Jing's sight. She stayed still for a while trying to assimilate to her new surroundings.
"Hua Mei," She called, raised her hand, and tapped the hanging grey tassel above. "Come out while I'm still calm."
The girl in mourning clothes appeared beside her bed out of nowhere, "Mistress…"
The hand playing with the tassel stopped, "Don't call me Mistress in the future."
A complicated look entered Hua Mei's eyes, "But you are Mistress."
Li Jing sighed and sat up, the word 'Mistress' had been bothering her for a while. "Call me by my name. Li Jing."
"Mistress, I can't. It would be disrespectful of me."
Li Jing glowered at her, "What disrespect? My name is Li Jing and you should call me that starting now. I'm not your Mistress. It is more disrespectful to your true Mistress if you continue to call me that."
Hua Mei hung her head and did not dare oppose. "Then can I call you Milady?"
"Li Jing."
"Young Miss?"
"Li. Jing."
"Your Highness?"
"LI JING!"
Hua Mei bowed her head looking like a wronged puppy, tears started to gather in her eyes.
Li Jing huffed, "Fine! You can call me anything you want but not Mistress. Never, ever Mistress, are we clear?" for some unknown reason, Li Jing felt uncomfortable being called Mistress. That word made her downhearted.
Hua Mei regained her smile, "Yes, Milady."
Li Jing roamed her eyes around. She was currently inside a bedroom. It should be this original body's room if you could call a bedroom as small as a matchbox.
A single rickety bed was placed at one corner with a small round bedside table beside it, an old dresser and wooden chair on the other side, a cabinet near the door, a small basin placed on the floor to catch water leaking on the ceiling, it made an incessant plip-plopping noise once in a while. Those are the only things adorning this place called a bedroom.
Li Jing frowned, "What is this place?"
"We are in the first world, Milady. It is a modern world just a bit different from yours. We are currently in a country called Liang in the Yu continent. Big clans clashed on who rules every country and currently, the Liu clan won the political battle. You are now inside the body of one of the Clan Head's Advisor's daughter named Li Jing."
Li Jing frowned, "We have the same name."
"Purely coincidence, Milady."
"What happened to this body before I entered it? Why do my knees hurt so much…Mn!" Foreign memories assailed Li Jing's head. Snippets from childhood until now flashed through Li Jing's mind making her dizzy all of a sudden. These were the memories of the original Li Jing. "Oh, this body was punished, I see."
A knock on the door interrupted their conversation.
"Miss? Your father is looking for you. He's in his office." A voice called out before Hong Rui, this body's maid, popped in from the opened door. Her face pale, full of worry.
"Did something happen?" Li Jing asked. Her eyes darted at Hua Mei on her side, one of her eyebrows raised in silent question.
Hua Mei smiled, "Don't worry, Milady. She can't see nor hear me unless I allow her to."
How convenient.
The maid fidgeted on the spot looking like she wants to tell her more.
"The Master said not to tell you but I don't want to hide this from you, Miss. You've been good to me, to all of us servants since you've returned. I don't want to see you hurt."
Li Jing smiled softly looking like a delicate flower in her willowy white sleeping gown. Hong Rui, the original body's maid can't help but think how beautiful her Miss is.
But this Miss of hers is so pitiful, more pitiful than them servants of this Mansion.
A soft smile still on her delicate white face, Li Jing stood up and held both Hong Rui's hands. "You know you can tell me anything, little Rui. You're like a little sister to me. Tell me, did I do something to make him angry again?"
Hong Rui shook her head. "The Master is not angry and you've done nothing wrong, Miss. You've always been kind and obedient but that sister of yours is so evil-"
"Hong Rui! There are things you could say and you couldn't say. She is still my sister, the other Xiaojie of this house." Li Jing chastised.
Hong Rui hung her head. You have such a kind heart, Miss. It's baffling why everyone wants to bully you. She sighed. If her Miss just know how to fight back, Hong Rui wouldn't be this distressed.
"Now tell me why Father is looking for me."
"Right, your step-mother, step-sister, and ex-fiancé are also with him waiting for you. From what I've heard, they are discussing the upcoming wedding now that your sister's belly is showing a bit. Your sister suggested that you'll be her maid of honor. Your ex-fiancé objected to it saying that it would be uncomfortable for you to be the Maid of Honor but your step-sister is so good she made a big fuss about it saying she wouldn't get married if you're not the Maid of Honor."
Li Jing's heart sank, eyes going red. "A wedding...."
Hong Rui wanted to cry. Her Miss is too pure-hearted, easily heartbroken, "That's not the whole point, Miss. Your sister wants you to be her Maid of Honor!"
Li Jing sank on her vanity, facing the mirror. Her eyes were bleak, despondent.
A woman's delicate face stared back at her. Slanted brown eyes, rosy cheeks, pert nose, and lush lips greeted her. She patted her cheeks and sighed.
Hong Rui felt bad for her Miss who had been sighing and looking at her reflection. Miss is heartbroken. her finance was stolen by her sister and she couldn't do anything about it. Just look at her sighing so deeply, anyone's heart would feel stifled looking at her sad face.
Hong Rui could only shake her head in sympathy.
Ah, such good, supple skin. I want to pinch it more, Li Jing lamented.
"Then this leaves me no choice." Well, it's the other party who wants a spectacular wedding. Therefore, Li Jing will give her a wedding she will never forget.
Hong Rui misunderstood Li Jing's complacent look. "Miss, you can't! She will use this chance to humiliate you again!"
Li Jing gave Hong Rui a smile that did not reach her beautiful eyes. "I've made my decision. Now go and tell them I'll be there in a minute."
Hong Rui felt like her heart was being stabbed by thousands of needles. She remembered tending to her Miss badly scrapped knees last night. How much it would have been hurting now. If it weren't for that evil sister of hers, Miss could live a more peaceful life.
She dejectedly went out but stopped abruptly. "Miss, in truth they were not the only occupant of the study. A person arrived not long ago and the Head Butler ushered them to the adjacent study room. Your father wasn't informed of this person's arrival."
"Do you know who he is?"
Hong Rui shook her head. "I tried asking the Head Butler but I was severely reprimanded by him.
A glint flashed through Li Jing's eyes. "Go now, little Rui."
Once the door was closed, Li Jing's eyes shifted to the girl in mourning clothes. Her earlier warmth and softness were gone. "You did such a good job putting me in this girl's body."
Hua Mei smiled shyly, "It's nothing, Milady. I'm just doing my job."
"I wasn't praising you."
"…"
"Why put me in this body. Can't I retrieve the Soul fragments in my soul form?"
"You can't, Milady. The plain of the living prevents souls from interfering in this place. In your soul form, you can roam but you can't touch things thus jeopardizing your mission."
Sigh. "Where's the Soul fragment?"
"You will feel its pull once you made contact with it."
Li Jing stood up and opened her closet to find suitable attire. "Hua Mei."
"Yes, Milady?"
"This woman's memory is weird."
"Weird?"
"Why does she have the memories of her future?"
"…"
Li Jing faced the silent Hua Mei and smiled sinisterly, "Are you hiding something from me, my cute little Hua Mei?"
"D-Don't smile at me like that, Milady. It's scary! And I-I'm not hiding anything. This is just a reward the Master had given you for accepting this mission. It's called- uh, it's called predictive fate. Yes, predictive fate! Hahaha, Didn't I tell you that Master is a generous person? This is his way of showing his goodwill." Hua Mei sputtered, beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
"How generous indeed." The corners of her mouth twitched.
Li Jing did not probe further but it didn't mean she believed everything Hua Mei said. Something smells fishy from the very beginning she accepted this mission. Li Jing left it at that for now but there will come a time she will unravel all things hidden in the dark.
She reviewed first the memories of this woman and sighed. How naïve and pitiful. Having three months left to live plus dying miserably. How much cruel can this woman's fate be?