"WHAT IS THAT IMPERIAL PRECEPTOR AND HIS CHILDREN DOING NOW?" Lily inquired, sipping a cup of tea while seated like a queen on the estate's training grounds.
She let out a sigh. The last several days have been like a peaceful sea before an approaching storm. It was peaceful, yet no one could let their guard down.
"Children?" Ji Mei asked blankly, puzzled. What children? Does Elder Leo have any children?
Lily grinned and rolled her eyes. "The people who passed the assessment," she continued, sluggishly moving her finger. "I've heard they've started training; any news from Ji Lei's spying?" Out of boredom, she asked her good Ji Lei to spy on Elder Leo's training. And it only showed one thing: Elder Leo was such a weakling. He didn't even notice that someone was watching them.
"Oh," Ji Mei said, nodding. "According to Ji Lei, there are five (5) people under Elder Leo's training: the crown prince has the fire attribute, Prime Minister Carna's daughter has the earth attribute, the other two have water and wind, and the last one has a storm attribute. The last one is suitable for medicine, so he will enter the Medicine Sect directly and will not compete. He will not participate in the competition."
"Are they any good?" Lily inquired. Those people were also new to magic, so there was no need to worry about Prince Zak being bullied. However, it would be a different story if one of those people was extremely talented---so talented that he could already beat every beginner.
"Ji Lei said they're a bunch of good-for-nothings," Ji Mei snorted in disdain.
Lily fell silent. "I shouldn't have asked you that question," she stated seconds later, "because, with you and Ji Lei's level, those imperial preceptor's children will undoubtedly become a waste in your eyes."
Ji Mei didn't respond, but her eyes confirmed her mistress's claims.
"Then," Lily caressed her chin as she observed her 'disciple' being trained, "what do you think of Prince Zak?"
Painful gasps and cries rang throughout the training fields as soon as she spoke the child's name.
"Stand up!" exclaimed Guohua. Onlookers could see his eyes flash bright red as he motioned for the prince to stand up. His grip on his lance was so firm that everyone could tell he was doing his best to keep his temper under control.
Prince Zak gritted his teeth and jumped to his feet, grabbing the lance laying on his side.
"Guohua is far too gentle," Ji Mei observed.
Lily gave a quick blink. "He," she said, pointing to Guohua, "is already gentle?" Her lips made an 'o' as Prince Zak was forced to swallow another speck of dust.
Ji Mei nodded indifferently. "When Ji Lei and I were under his tutelage, he used to beat us up more than what he's doing to the prince right now, and he even threw us into the dense forest back home. I remembered almost getting eaten by the ferocious beasts back when we were ten."
Lily shuddered. And here she thought her grandmother's education was the toughest. Thankfully, her grandfather did not place her in Guohua's care. With her personality, she would have perished in the jaws of those horrifying beasts. She wasn't terrified of dying, but who would want to die in such a way? Definitely not her.
"I guess he didn't like the prince all that much," Ji Mei said suddenly, shaking her head.
Lily crossed her legs as she glanced at her. "What made you think that?"
"Guohua will train the people he cares about in vicious ways to avoid any mishap in the future. He wants them safe from harm, and to ensure their safety, he would always train them to extreme violence. Since he's holding back, I guess he's just doing what he was told, not taking the training seriously."
That made Lily think hard. Looking at the Prince's filthy countenance and battered face, she began to wonder if this method of training was genuinely effective. She could only see Guohua beating up on the prince, nothing more. She initially assumed Guohua was merely training the prince's body. However, now that Ji Mei had told her this, she realized that Guohua had never even taught Prince Zak the fundamentals of martial arts.
"What should we do, then?" Lily asked.
Ji Mei shook her head. She was well aware that her mistress despised forcing people to submit to her. Lily desired that they willingly follow her. Otherwise, she would have let them go. "Let Guohua decide whether Prince Zak is worthy of becoming his student; otherwise, this cycle of getting beaten up will never end." As a prince of this empire, Prince Zak would find it difficult to gain Guohua's approval. If he did, Ji Mei would undoubtedly admire this prince's eagerness to learn.
Lily sighed after a brief glance at Prince Zak. She had just healed his damaged legs. But now those legs are going to be injured once more.
Aye!
Being a supportive master is difficult. She could only pray that her disciple would get on Guohua's good side!
--
Three days later, the situation appeared to be worsening. Even though it was raining heavily outside, Guohua and Prince Zak were still having a one-sided beating. Lily, on the other hand, remained steadfast in her supportive stance as she sat outside, soaked, observing them. Although Ji Mei was not on her side, Shadow Guard Loid was.
"The prince looks like he's dying," Shadow Guard Loid observed casually.
Lily had the same thoughts when she saw Prince Zak's bloodied face and wounds. She could, however, perceive Guohua's shifting thoughts. Guohua's heart was softening as a result of the prince's persistence.
'That's right, prince! Never give up!'
Lily's eyes almost twinkled with delight at the outcome.
When Shadow Guard Loid noticed her excitement, his mouth twitched. Is the Young Miss pleased to see the prince beaten?
---
"ARE WE THERE yet?"
"One more day, milady; one more day and we will reach the Immortal Dragon Empire soon."
The white-haired woman, who was sitting on a couch inside the moving carriage, let out a frustrated breath. "If it weren't for Senior Brother Lance, I wouldn't bother with such a small empire as the Immortal Dragon," she grumbled, full of impatience.
"Milady is correct," the man seated in front of her said. "But the Immortal Dragon is Master Lance's country of origin," he said, pouring tea into the woman's teacup. "I heard he also has a sister, and Elder Leo acknowledged her as his disciple as well."
In disgust, the woman's face crumpled. "A disciple, you say?" she sneered. "Does she think she'll become Uncle Leo's disciple if it weren't for her brother? A woman who only knows how to fantasize about becoming the empress of a tiny empire does not deserve our sect."
Elder Leo urged the woman to join their sect, but she declined because she wanted to be an empress and marry the crown prince, her childhood sweetheart. At that moment, her impression of her Senior Brother's sister dropped
She couldn't believe it. How could such a great man like Senior Brother Lance have such a sister?
Hah!
She despised women who had no ambitions and simply thought of men. How repulsive!
The man gave a warm smile. "The elder is only doing this to establish our sect in the secular world; if other sects conquer this, it will be detrimental to us."
The woman scowled, but she didn't say anything else. She couldn't figure out why Elder Leo was so set on establishing their sect in this empire. This empire was not as productive or powerful as the Spirit Sword Sect's empire. They did produce someone as her senior brother. There was, however, only one Senior Brother Lance in that empire. She might understand if there were a lot. But there was none. That empire was frail, and the monarch craved power. She would never put her trust in someone like that.
Sighing, she sipped her tea and gazed out the window. However, she quickly became irritated. She hopes that she would enjoy her stay in that small empire for the sake of the Medicine Sect.