"Lanfen" Zhipeng's voice was stern this time, scolding.
"What?"she lifted her chin insolently "I was merely voicing the girl's own thoughts. Is that not right, Xinyue? Have you not been beating yourself up since then?".
Xinyue clenched her fists, her gaze on the lacquered floor.
"Lanfen, do not speak to Xinyue that way. I will not tolerate it".
"Oh, pardon me, Zhipeng", she retorted, her tone not at all like that of one seeking pardon "forgive me for not being so in love with your foster child".
Xinyue felt the temperature in the room drop drastically.
"Father,"she mumbled,"it's fine. I should leave".
She was halfway across the room when Lanfen spoke again.
"Running away,is she?"she sneered "just like always. Just like her slut of a mother...".
"Lanfen, you should learn to check that tongue".
"And you should learn not to show such blatant favoritism!"she was shouting now "have you no shame?! Have you forgotten how many children you have, exactly? It's one, for goodness sake. Do you think I do not know your plans for Xinyue? Take a step outside for once! People are whispering. Saying that this is more than just devotion to your late friends!
Word on the streets is that you're grooming yourself a concubine...".
Xinyue could not bear to listen any further. She covered both her ears and rushed out of the room. Tears pricked her eyes as she hurried to her room. They were always fighting because of her. And it hurt because she knew they must have gotten along so well before she showed up. They had taken her in after her parents died, and it felt awful to be the one that ruins their marriage.
If only she knew how to appease Madame Meng. If only she knew what it was she had done wrong.
As soon as she got to her room, she stood before the door and took a deep breath,then slapped a broad smile on her face before walking in.
She could not let Yingyue know she had come so close to crying. She would not let her suspect that side of her parents existed.
"A-Yue", she called softly.
Yingyue was sprawled on her bed, reading her favorite storybook, the one about a certain princess who had ascended to heaven to become the god of books.
It was a very unpopular story, and Zhipeng had bought Xinyue the book on her first birthday since she began to live with them, despite the extreme rarity of said book.
"A-Yue", she repeated.
But Yingyue was lost in the world of this unpopular princess and did not hear her until she put her lips right at the younger girl's ear.
"A-Yue".
Yingyue started, turning sharply.
"Jie Jie. You startled me".
"I know. That was my intention".
"You...!".
But Yingyue was laughing, and Xinyue found herself laughing too.
"Come on. Let's get started on that hair".
Few minutes later, Yingyue sat before the mirror as Xinyue combed her hair.
"So, tell me about Pan Yuchen".
"Sure. What do you want to know?".
"Everything!".
"I think you already know everything there is to know about him", Xinyue muttered, but spoke on anyway,"he's also known as the Immaculate Jade Dragon. Remember why?".
"Because he is pure and without blemish,a master of light"Yingyue recited.
"Exactly. He's definitely going to ascend one of these days".
"And you,Jie Jie?".
"Me?"Xinyue met the younger girl's eyes in the mirror,a little confused.
"If Pan Yuchen can ascend,then so can you"Yingyue looked back to explain"everyone says you are as good as he is".
"What, no. Who in the world said that?"Xinyue flushed, waving her hand dismissively.
"Everyone. Father, too".
"They all think too highly of me"Xinyue replied,as the image of a suffering Meilian flashed into her mind.
"You're always too modest is all"Yingyue countered.
"Aren't we talking about Pan Yuchen?"Xinyue hastened to change the subject.
"Oh, yes. The master of light,"Yingyue turned back to the mirror"will I see him when I resume studies at the Pan sect next week?".
"I suppose. He's in my class, though, not yours".
"That's no problem".
"A-Yue, remember...".
"Pan Yuchen is someone I absolutely should not offend. I know. But you need not worry. I don't offend people. I don't offend you, do I, Jie Jie?".
"No,"Xinyue smiled"you, A-Yue,are a darling little ray of sunshine".
*
*
*
Ling clutched the pouch closer to his chest as the cluster of fruit trees came into view. His legs felt weaker with each step, and his arms shivered as though a snow storm raged within them. There was still a dull throb in his chest, and his vision blurred every few seconds.
After what felt like an eternity and a half, he got to the nearest tree and leaned on it like his life depended on it. He lifted the pouch to his face and took yet another look at it,then looked around wearily.
"You there".
Ling turned to see two Pan clan disciples, dressed in the baby blue robes characteristic of the sect with their swords at their sides, and the dragon ornament reserved solely for members of the clan in their topknots.
His fist curled around the fabric of his own baby blue clothing as he struggled to stand upright.
Where in the world had those two come from?
"Loitering during class hours is prohibited in the Mist Oasis"they spoke in unison.
Oh. Pan sect's law enforcers.
Ling sighed.
He was tired of human beings.
"You're coming with us to face punishment".
The last thing Ling wanted was to go to anywhere with anybody, much less to face punishment.
"Stay away from me".
It was an imploration, but they clearly took it as an insult, because their faces contorted into frowns.
"You little...!".
They dashed forward at once, pulling their swords from their sheaths.
Gee,Ling thought, what was that for. These guys probably got those swords this morning or something, since they were so eager to show them off.
When they got to him, the taller one pointed his sword to Ling's throat.
"Threatening fellow students is also prohibited in the Mist Oasis"Ling said weakly.
"You...".
An apple hit the enforcer square in his pale face before he could finish speaking, surprisingly knocking him to the ground.
The second one was able to slice a second apple in half before it could hit him, only for a third apple to knock him several steps away.
"He said to stay away! Are you lot deaf or something!".
Three pairs of eyes turned upwards to behold a girl dressed in the baby blue uniform, her black hair in the messiest single braid, perched atop the highest branch of an apple tree like a queen holding court, except there were apples in the place of nobles.
This, of course, was Meng Yingyue.
"I was going to eat those, and now I can't anymore. What are you guys going to do about that?".
The enforcers stared. What the hell did she mean?! Didn't she throw her precious apples herself?
Wait, what was she even...!
"Climbing trees is prohibited in the Mist Oasis".
Yingyue rolled her eyes.
"What exactly is NOT prohibited around here?".
"Get down right this instant!".
"Or what? Will you make me? But then you'll have to climb to do that, won't you? That would be bad, wouldn't it?"she drawled, making the enforcers want to dunk her head into a soup pot or something.
"You just wait!"the taller one,who also happened to be more temperamental than the other screeched, storming off.
The shorter cultivator looked from Ling to Yingyue to the apples on the ground,then threw his hands up in exasperation before going after his colleague.
This left Ling to look curiously up at this tree climbing weirdo.
"Hey"she called down,"you okay?".
Okay?
Was he?
Before he could respond, she hopped like a squirrel from one branch to the other and landed lightly beside him.
"They were troublesome, weren't they?".
Ling stared.
Someone else please rescue him from this one.
"Why are you here,by the way?"she asked"shouldn't you be learning?".
"Right back at you"he replied flatly.
For a moment, her cheeks flashed red,then she looked away guiltily.
"I was searching for the classroom when I found myself here"she said defensively.
So she chose to eat apples, he thought, because priorities.
"Your first day?"he asked.
"Yup. What about you?".
"I've been here for a week".
"Oh. So that means you know the way to the junior classroom".
"I know the way, yes".
"Good! I'll follow your lead then".
Wait, he never said...who told her he had any plans of leading anyone to anywhere?!
But Yingyue was already pulling him by the hand.
"We have to hurry or we'll be late!"she squealed as she took off.
Ling wanted to tell her that they were already late beyond any repair, but something about her bubbly eagerness made him hold his tongue.
"I'm Meng Yingyue"she said.
"..."
What was she telling him her name for?
Wait, Meng?As in, THAT Meng? That would make her the younger sister to the Saintess of the Silver Blade. Did she have any idea how many people were eager to set their eyes on her?
"Hey"she poked his arm.
Ling looked at her.
"What is your name?".
Why do people always ask for other people's names anyway?!
"Ling".
"Ling what?".
Was she for real?!
"Guangchang"he mumbled, hoping she would kindly mishear.
No such luck.
"Guangchang..."she repeated thoughtfully,"sounds rather familiar...".
Please let her not remember...
"Aha!"she pounded her left fist triumphantly into her right palm"the Guangchang clan. Your sister is one of the A-list, right?".
Suddenly Ling's chest was hurting again.
He spotted an anthole and imagined crawling into it, never to be seen again.
What a blessing that would be!
"What is that?"she was peering at the pouch in his hand now.
"A pouch"he replied simply.
"Well I know that much. I meant, what is inside it?".
"Herbs".
"Yuck. Do you like them?".
Was she serious?
"No".
"Me neither. Are you sick?".
"I've always been sick".
"That's bad. Let me pray for you".
"What happened to arriving on time?".
"Oh. There's that, isn't there?".
Ling stared.
She couldn't be for real, right?
Several long minutes later, just when Ling thought he might kick the bucket,the two finally arrived at their classroom.
As soon as they arrived at the doors, Yingyue's face went green,as though she would throw up.
"We have to listen to them drawl monotonously?"she groaned.
Indeed, the teacher inside seemed intent on putting his students to sleep instead of imparting any knowledge.
But he definitely had splendid hearing, because the doors instantly flew open to expose them to the entire class.
Yingyue took in the scene- an elderly man sitting ramrod straight with the longest of scrolls trailing from his hands to the end of the class, and students who looked like they were being forced to undergo a heavenly calamity... except the Pan clan members, of course. Yingyue right away decided two things: first, the members of the Pan clan were definitely not human, and secondly, now would be a wonderful time to drop dead.