Sect leader Pan was beautiful.
Yingyue had expected an old man with a face of stone, like the teacher she already disliked, but the man currently walking beside her was young, obviously still in his mid-thirties.
He walked in strides that were somehow graceful and languid at once, a slight wind fluttering the sleeves of the silver robes that set him apart.
Yingyue risked a side peek at him, only to see him watching her with unconcealed interest.
"Erm..."she stuttered "I,uh... those are really fine robes".
In return for her very intelligent attempt to throw a rug over the awkwardness only she seemed to feel, Sect leader Pan simply started laughing again.
This man...!
"Is this my punishment?"she asked meekly.
To be laughed to death? Because it was working splendidly.
"Have I made you uncomfortable? Forgive me, but you really are the most amusing one I ever met".
Yingyue stared. Was she supposed to take that as a compliment or an insult?
"I understand that this is your first time coming across so many rules,"he said"but if you plan on staying, you'll have to follow them".
Yingyue pouted but kept mute.
Maybe he should kindly tell her why there had to be so many rules first.
"I'm sure you're wondering why there have to be so many rules".
Yingyue flinched, blinking rapidly.
"Is telepathy a Sect leader thing?"she blurted out.
He merely smiled.
"Why do there have to be so many rules? It's a good question".
"Well... will you answer it then?"she peered up at him.
"Certainly".
Yingyue mirrored him, putting both her hands behind her as she waited.
"It's quite simple, really. Without rules, people would not behave properly".
"But...".
"Why should no one climb trees?".
Yingyue nearly bit her tongue.
He did it again!
"There are over five hundred students here. What would happen if all of them began to climb trees? Can you picture that, Child Meng?".
Yingyue pursed her lips.
"Yeah, that would be horribly awful".
"Exactly".
For a while, Yingyue pondered silently.
"But still...".
"Rules put you on edge, do they not? You're that type, you're disciplined enough on your own, but once rules show up you want to bolt. I understand".
"So... are you going to punish me?".
"A punishment is indeed in order".
"Oh. So I am going to get punished anyway".
Her fallen face only attracted another smile.
"I did not study at the Mist Oasis"he suddenly said.
That got her attention, and she looked up with curiousity in her eyes.
"You didn't?Why?".
"Too many rules. I was the willful type, and these walls just couldn't hold me".
Yingyue grinned at that.
Sect leader Pan put a finger to his lips.
"Keep that a secret for me, will you?"he whispered.
"If you'll tell me why you ended up as Sect leader despite that"she whispered back.
"My elder brother died".
Her smile vanished.
"Oh".
"He died, and our father had already stepped down. Plus, he wanted to focus on raising his grandson. He's the head of the council of elders now".
"I...".
"You don't have to say anything".
"Oh".
Yingyue gnawed on her thumbnail,then realized herself and self consciously dropped her hand.
"So,"he smiled"you will keep my little secret, won't you?".
"Huh?"she blinked, startled"oh... yeah".
"Thank you".
Yingyue felt a strange sensation envelope her.
All of a sudden it felt as if there was not a single place in the world safer than Sect leader Pan's side. If he could make people feel this way without even trying,then it really was no wonder that he could govern the most prestigious sect in the cultivation world at such a young age.
"We're here"he suddenly snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Here?".
She looked up, and her expression soured.
Of all places, this man just had to bring her to the massive stone tablet housing over a thousand rules.
"These are the Pan sect's rules. Read them at your leisure"he said.
Great.
So he wanted her to spend her free time reading rules off a stone tablet.
Yingyue thought she might puke just thinking about it.
"Say...Dage...,"she muttered"no one actually follows all these rules, right?".
"Some students do. Many students,in fact ".
"Every single rule?".
"To the very last ".
Okay, now Yingyue was sure.
The Pan sect definitely robs people of their basic humanities.
"The trick is to try your best. Something tells me that you, A-Yue, are determined to not do just that ".
Yingyue grinned nervously, fiddling with her braid.
"I have no problem with originality, but I want you to remember the fifty fourth rule".
"I'm sure I can".
"Good. You still have to apologize, though".
"Apologize?".
"To A-Chao and A-Han".
"Who are those?".
"Pan Chao and Pan Haoran, the law enforcers you attacked...or do I say fended off".
"Why should I have to?"she frowned.
"You got in the way of their duties, remember? And disrespected them. That's prohibited too,by the way".
"Fine, but only if they apologize to A-Ling for their rudeness".
"Fair enough. I'll talk to them about it. Is there anything else?".
"Well... what is your name? Are you closely related to Pan Yuchen?"she blurted out before common sense could interfere.
"Why do you ask?"..
"Just because"she mumbled, suddenly embarrassed for reasons she didn't know.
"You should ask those children, after you apologize to them".
"You're saying I have to apologize to them if I want an answer".
"Exactly".
This man!
Yingyue bit down a sharp retort and bowed with an obviously false demureness.
"Fair enough. Thank you for your guidance, Sect leader".
*
*
*
Hui's worst moments were always during lessons. Exactly why do human beings have to sit and listen to one person talk about the most uninteresting things for a straight two or three hours?
An unnecessary torture,if you asked him.
He took a deep,weary breath, still struggling to pretend as if he knew what the hell Old Li was talking about.
"Wang Hui"Elder Li called.
"Here!"Hui raised a hand, putting on his best smile.
Most people would unconsciously smile back if this delightfully handsome boy smiled at them. But the aging man's face remained like that of a person who had swallowed a bug.
"What is diabolic cultivation?".
Hui resisted the desire to roll his eyes.
What did this geezer take him for?
"It is the cultivation path that involves the absorption and utilization of negative energy".
"And what are some sources of negative energy?".
"There are multiple sources. Corpses, lingering resentment, one's inner demons, destructive obsessions".
"What creatures are associated with diabolic cultivation?".
"Demons, ghosts, spirits and monsters".
Elder Li narrowed his eyes, stroking his flowing silver beard.
Hui fought the urge to laugh out loud. No doubt the geezer had planned to trap him with difficult questions.
"What is the most malevolent spell in diabolic cultivation?".
"Demonic possession"Hui replied promptly.
"Wrong"Elder Li said.
Hui could swear he heard triumph in the geezer's voice. He pinched the spot between his eyes as he struggled to remember.
But Elder Li refused to give him the opportunity.
"Meng Xinyue, tell him the answer".
Xinyue rose to her feet.
"It is the Soul Parasitism".
"Explain how it works, so the ignorant can hear".
Hui sincerely hoped"the ignorant" wasn't supposed to mean him.
"The Soul Parasitism is mostly peculiar to ghosts and demons. However, they would have to be on the level of gods to cast this spell. For this reason, it is a most uncommon spell, and the last case was seen more than fifty years ago. When this spell is casted on a person, the demon or ghost attaches itself to them like a second soul, gradually consuming their actual soul until there is nothing left. Symptoms are often very hard to detect. They include deep cuts all over the body,bloodthirst and uncharacteristic behavior. Sometimes the victims are used like avatars by the parasites. Once a person falls victim to it, the only remedy is death".
All eyes were on her as she spoke. All eyes including Hui's,who was more than grateful for this opportunity to stare at Xinyue.
The Saintess of the Silver Blade was renowned, not only for her otherworldly skill with the sword, but also for her unearthly beauty. Her soot colored hair was always swept upwards into a soft bun, making it extremely tasking not to lose oneself in her almond shaped beige eyes. Her uniform accentuated her perfect curves and complimented the pearls at her ears. Beneath a small nose sat a pair of lips that reminded anyone of two small petals from a lovely pink rose.
Needless to say, Hui did not hear a single word she said. How could he, when he was too busy staring at the movement of those lips.
"Well? Did you get that, Wang Hui?".
"Of course, Elder Li"he replied.
Before the elder could say anything else, the sound of running feet filled the air, and the next instant the doors had been shoved open in the loudest way possible.
"Jie Jie!!!".
All eyes turned to the newcomer, and Xinyue face palmed.
At the door stood a girl with an extremely sloppily made braid and a grin wide enough to reach her toes.
"Jie Jie! I finally found you!!".
Elder Li was wearing one of his forest withering frowns, but the girl skipped right past him. He might have as well been a statue arrayed in the regalia of the Pan clan elders, for the amount of attention she bothered to show him.
Hui decided that he definitely liked this girl. He knew she was Xinyue's younger sister; everyone did. What was her name again?
Meng Yingyue, right?
"C'mon, Jie Jie. You should totally show me your dormitory"she was saying, pulling Xinyue by the hand.
Regardless of Elder Li's presence, murmurs had filled the air.
"Oh, yes! Jie Jie, where's Pan Yuchen?".
And just like that, all the murmurs seized. Instinctively, all eyes turned to Pan Yuchen. Even Hui looked in his direction too. He had actually forgotten that Pan Yuchen was a member of the class. Who could blame him?
Pan Yuchen was not only completely silent, he completely lacked a presence as well. He was always by the window, sitting impossibly straight and listening so attentively to every single bit of boring information they were fed each day, his face blank as an unused canvas.
In Hui's opinion, he could easily be taken for one of the pieces of furniture.
Even now, his eyes were fixed on the notes he had taken while Elder Li's voice droned like that of a forsaken prophet or something.
Yingyue followed everyone's gaze until her eyes landed on Pan Yuchen. She drew a sharp breath. The radiant dark brown of his long hair aside, it seemed like there was a younger Sect leader Pan seated over there.
The Immaculate Jade Dragon of the Pan clan, the pure, unblemished master of light. After daydreaming about him for weeks, he was finally in front of her.