***
(MC POV)
Here I was back at home cooking fried rice once again. To be honest ever since Ying'er had taken over cooking I hadn't really had much opportunity to brush up on these skills. Even if I had, my cooking still felt incomparable to her own. It was like she knew the secrets of these ingredients and how to unleash them.
She could easily turn a couple random ingredients and herbs into a wonderful dish filled with the unique strengths of each component. I on the other hand didn't taste horrible, but in comparison it was like fast food to a restaurant's carefully curated dishes.
Well that analogy may be a little right on the spot right now. So far all the meals I've made so far have been just quick foods after all and half the time it's just fried rice. It was the dish I felt most confident in making without having to remember much after all.
'Man, I miss that Char Siu Ying'er makes! Why couldn't I have the longer job instead?! It has to have been months since I've eaten it already!'
When she first started helping me with administrative duties in the past she was there more or less as morale support. But over time she asked for more and more work from me and I obliged slowly but surely.
She went from helping me organize papers for them to look neat to sorting them out into related piles and then even helping me out with deciding some actions. All the way to now, she has basically taken all the more difficult and lengthy works upon herself.
After the first few times I had finished ahead of her I started feeling bad about how much of a work load she had. I tried to take some away and occasionally I did, but most of the time she just smiled at me and said she was the one who wanted to do it.
At times I really wondered why she was doing that. Could it have been fun for her or was helping me with it satisfying for her? Did she just really like having work to do or were the internal affairs of the sect that interesting?
Every once in a while I would peek at what she was doing every once in a while, I felt like the amount of work she had may not have been real at times. Some of the files she had were about domestic affairs within the sect and some were profiles of people. Once I saw a woman's file who disappeared a month later and another time I saw she had some information about a woman who had died on an expedition a week prior.
I was a little confused about why she had a dead woman's file on hand and asked her once. She had said that she was going to compensate the known family of the person a little. It made me realize how charitable she was. I don't think any other sect ever had compensation for the death of a loved one. It was probably since many sects cut off their disciple's contact with others though, our sect was kind of like a public school in a sense.
I shook the wok in my left hand and rapidly stirred the fried rice with a spatula in my right. I tossed the rice in an arc from the front of the wok curved up through the air and plummeted perfectly, at least to me, down at the back. The sizzle and waft of my creation's odor drew me in as I felt it was a perfect time to serve it, well for me currently but hopefully soon Jinzi should show up.
It's already become a routine for her to get back before I finish cooking. Since she didn't make it back this time I became a little worried, but not to the point of fearing irrational situations.
There was no way she was killed coming up those steps, maybe her class was quite long this time? Who would dare to kidnap someone with the cerulean token, perhaps she made new friends and wanted to hang out with them for a while longer?
It didn't take too much longer until I heard the cheerful tone of the very person I was thinking about. The door clicked open as she walked in and only then as I saw her did my worries vanish.
"Big Brother, I'm back! Sorry I'm late, are you in the kitchen? I wanna ask you something!"
I began to start placing the food I made on the table as I responded to her.
"Yeah, I am. What do you want to ask me?"
"I was wondering if you had a friend named Su Daji? A woman who called herself that claimed she was your friend! She sounded kinda sad that you forgot about her, you know?"
"Oh? Is that so?"
'Heheh, Li Daji, what are you planning? Whatever it is, you better not be thinking of harming Jinzi. I would still like to think of you as someone I thought I knew after all. 10 years apart from one another could probably change you, and hopefully the woman I knew hasn't turned out for the worst.'
"Yeah! She had long white hair and purple eyes! Those eyes of hers felt pretty cunning and seductive too. You really had such a friend all this time and you never told me about her??"
'Hmm, Li Dajia, Li Daji. Should I play along with your little game? Or should I cease her little ploy immediately? To be honest I'm a little conflicted, but here's hoping that she hasn't changed. I'll play along for now I suppose.
Maybe I'll even go and look for her tomorrow. I'd like to hear a bit about her side of the story if she's willing to share it with me. I wonder if she knows I already saw through her "disguise."'
"Oh, my bad Jinzi! It must've slipped my mind! I was so focused on you that I couldn't introduce you two to each other. Be a little careful of her though, okay? She's a little trickster at times so who knows what she might try to pull on you."
I made sure to talk a little bit about keeping a guard up against her, but I think she was a little focused somewhere else as she smiled at my response.
"Ah, okay. How long have you known her for?"
"Quite a long time, even longer than I've known Ying'er actually."
Her eyes widened a little and her mouth became agape.
"R-really? Even longer than Big Sister?"
'Oh, I almost forgot! I really shouldn't let Ying'er know about Li Daji being here. At the very least not until I can hear the other side's story.
Between the combination of both side's contradictions and inconsistencies the truth will reveal itself. Their stories can't be completely different after all, right? Only with sprinkles of truth can a lie stand up, I'll just have to be extra careful when trying to pick for those truths.
Perhaps it doesn't help that I've only heard one side of the story for the past 10 years and that was from Ying'er. She's had plenty of time to reinforce her own story within my mind.'
"Jinzi, can you do something for me? Don't tell your Big Sister about my friend Su Daji please?"
"Huh? Why? Did they have something between them?"
"Yeah, you could say it's like that."
Suddenly a little cheeky smile appeared.
"Say, it couldn't be that you've been doing something behind her back right?~"
"W-what! Jinzi don't say that! I would never! I'm a loyal husband!"
"Oh? I think that's exactly wh-"
I could already envision the rest of the words she was gonna spew and I wasn't going to let it come out.
"No! Don't you finish that sentence!"
My hand covered her mouth in case she still tried anyway and luckily I did.
"Mh mmh mhmh mmh mh!"
Her muffled sounds sent slight vibrations through my hand. When I released that hand her smile still remained.
"*Sigh* You're not going to tell her right?"
"Ok, ok, I won't tell Big Sister about your "secret girlfriend" in the sect."
"*Sigh* She's not- alright whatever, thank you."
At that moment I could already hear the front door clicking open. As soon as that was heard Jinzi bolted away towards her.
"Big Sister! Big Sister! I have something to tell you!"
I tensed up at those words that Jinzi dared to utter.
'You little shit! You just told me you wouldn't tell her!'
"Oh? Little Sister, you seem really excited? What is it?"
"It's about Big Brother, he…" For a moment I thought about silencing her voice, but I felt it would be even more suspicious then. Maybe, just maybe if I let her say it Ying'er won't believe her.
"... made fried rice again! He's made it so many times in a row already!"
I felt that tense feeling dissipate with her words and my body heaved a sigh.
'*Sigh* Why did she have to do that? Scaring me for no damn reason!'
…
I walked Jinzi down to the Outer Court once again before dropping her off at the sparring arenas. I watched her first spar as always and then left as usual. As I kept doing this I felt more and more like I was just a parent dropping their kid off at school or something.
I've never been one, but imagined how this might have felt. It was just that there were no long car lines I had to wait in to do so. So maybe this was more like dropping my kid off at a daycare.
Yeah, back in my day I crossed mountains and sailed through the seas to get to school! What an easy life these young'uns live without even realizing!
They never even had to fight a few tigers to make it through the journey! Nor did they need to hunt wildlife on their way to school for some breakfast! How spoiled these kids are now!
As I went up through the Inner Court I made sure to walk a little slower. Every once in a while I would scan the environment for someone approaching me.
After what Jinzi had told me last night I fully expected her to pop out and appear somewhere in an attempt to speak with me. It was probably why she introduced herself to Jinzi wasn't it? To get my attention?
..
I slowly walked through the Inner courts observing the scenery as I patiently awaited her arivial. Not to disappoint my expectations she appeared after just a few minutes of wandering.
A woman wearing our Inner Sect Disciple robes appeared coincidentally into the main street I happened to be walking on. It didn't take long for us to lock eyes and discern each other.
We approached each other with smiles.
"Senior Brother! How nice it is to see you around!"
""Su" Daji is it? I see you've been in contact with Your Junior Xue already. Say what made you say that we're such good friends? I thought that we only met each other not too long ago?"
"Hehe, well I know you've seen through this pitiful disguise of mine long ago."
'Well, of course I have. I bet anyone who knew you at all would be able to see through it. All you did was hide your tails and ears after all.'
"Oh? So Miss "Su" Daji is dropping her act so soon? I haven't really even been that long since you've been here. Are you sure you want to give up your little facade so soon Li Daji?"
She had a wry smile on as she spoke.
"I didn't come here planning to fool you Master, you know that. I'm a little happy you went with it the first time though."
"Alright, Little Daji. Go ahead, explain your side of the events."
Her eyes brightened a little as she heard me encouraging her to speak.
"Master, I wholeheartedly thank you for being unbiased!"
"Don't thank me yet, who knows if I really don't have any after all."
"Master, the very fact that I'm still able to even talk with you at this level means that you haven't abandoned me yet. But, about that story I'm afraid I shouldn't tell you now. It's not the right time for it."
"Why do you say that?"
"It'll just take some time to explain and I don't think I have enough of that time right now, isn't that right? You'll be heading over to your office with That Woman there after won't you? Don't worry I'll tell you anything you want to know later, but why don't we just think about something else with the little time we have left before you leave?"