(Lou Xia POV)
*BANG*
My heart sank as a familiar sound rang out through the mansion. A weapon that could even kill something near the peak of golden core with a single strike. My parents looked both shocked by the sound and confused by my reaction. I darted to my feet and ran for the door, only to be stopped by my mother's words, "What is going on, Xia?
The question stunned me for a second more before I responded, "Vale's weapon." I then turned to continue running when Cynthea grabbed me.
"Then there is no time to waste, my Lady." That was all I heard in my ear before the world seemed to twist and blur. Gravity started to pull me in every direction at once, and the air felt both cold and hot at the same time.
This lasted for a few seconds or hours; I could not tell, but what I did know was that when the world snapped back into place, I felt like my stomach was trying to void itself. Using my Qi to suppress it, I lost the urge only to hear a familiar voice scream in pain.
Running toward the sound, I dart down a hallway and see a door at the end, which I stop at and pook my head in.
What I saw was Vale lying on the ground in a corner with one leg broken and one of the maids about to skewer her throat with a sword.
With not a second to lose, I shout, "Stop!" and thanks to the contracts all maids have to sign with the house, her Cultivation base works against her and forces her body to come to a halt.
The blade was only able to leave a faint mark, barely cutting the skin on her throat, causing a trickle of blood. With the crisis stopped, I breathed a sigh of relief as I heard the clatter of wood and metal on stone and saw Vale crumple into a heap on the floor, reigniting my fear.
(Vale POV: Seconds earlier)
When the maid lunged for my tail, I pulled out my rifle and fired it. The world seemed to slow down as the hammer dropped, sticking the firing pin. The pin strikes the primer, lighting off the round as the hammer bounces off the receiver.
The maid dogging out of the way but not being quick enough when presented with an unknown weapon.
A deflagration comes out of the end of the barrel as a pointed cone of lead comes out, spinning through the air.
Impacting the upper right arm of the woman, the round tears apart through the skin, muscle, and bone, sending blood and bits of flesh flying across the room.
The maid's arm, now disconnected, hangs limply at her side, though it does not deter her as she lifts her leg and strikes at mine. Even though I can somehow perceive the world faster in this state, my body does not move faster, and my leg gets struck.
The resulting pain jolts up my spine and across my brain as I am forced out of that state with a scream bursting from my lips.
Jumping back, the woman pulls out a sword and looks back at me as I chamber a new round. We stare at each other for a moment, waiting for the opposite person to make a move. Unable to hold for long, I lunge off to the side, forgetting about my bad leg. Stepping down, I feel the broken bones grind together, and my leg not being able to support my weight, I fall to the ground, letting out another scream.
The maid then takes this opportunity and steps forward, thrusting her sword toward my neck.
Just as I thought my life was over, I heard a voice shout stop and saw the maid freeze in place, her eyes going wide.
Looking at the source of the voice, I saw Lou Xia standing there, focusing on my current state. When the maid stopped and someone started to explain the situation, I felt my body relax, though that might not have been the best thing, as the pain seemed to intensify, and my vision started going dark.
I then felt like something had slipped out of my hand, but I was unsure what it was.
I felt like I was floating, and the world passed me by before everything went black.
(Lou Xia POV)
"No!" I felt the scream leave my lips before I could even register it. Faster than I thought I could move, I was already at Vale's side.
"Do not worry, my Lady, she is not dead." I heard a voice next to me, along with the faint sound of a sword being sheathed.
"What do you mean!" I turn to demand from the maid while lowering my voice from a scream to a shout, though her reply does not answer much.
"From what I could tell when I saw her, I thought she was a mortal, but when she pulled out that strange weapon from some sort of spatial storage, I began to think that she was merely hiding her cultivation. So I did not hold back." After hearing this, I was about to start screaming at her again when my mother spoke up.
"What she is saying, dear, is that because she overestimated her, she used her special technique at full strength, and the pain was so much that the girl passed out." With my mother's explanation, I forced myself to calm down and not act rashly.
"What technique?" I ask after some level of calm returns.
"A special one that is taught to all servants of the house. It is designed to forcefully send your Qi into someone else's meridians and stop them from using any techniques, but it causes a lot of pain as a side effect. When used on a mortal whose meridians are not tempered, it will cause so much pain that they will pass out and could even potentially ruin the foundation permanently." My mother responded with information that was both reliving and frightening.
If Vale's foundation was permanently damaged, that could result in some very dangerous things not only for me but maybe even the entire sect, if not the continent. The only shining light was that her body was already at the peak of what the world allowed for a mortal in every way, so it might be able to resist the technique that was used on her.
"Well, at least that is better than the alternative. We need to make sure that there is no damage left, though." I said with a sigh of relief.
"Even though the sect founder would be mad at us, dear, I have a feeling that is not what you are afraid of. So what is scaring you here?" My mother asked, walking toward me.
"Her other backer," I answered, and when my mother asked for a better explanation, I just shook my head and did not answer. I did not even elaborate when I explained that there was a higher level of cultivation where gods and goddesses resided when I said that Vale was reincarnated by a goddess to the council.
It was at this time that my father decided to enter, making this small room feel far too cramped.
"Silica, take this healing pill, then move this girl to our best guest room—the one meant for the Sect founder." At my father's words, she took the pill from his hand but did not eat it as she looked at him wide-eyed. At this, he spoke up again, "Yes, she is that important, and yes, disregard my previous order. Oh, and whatever you do, do not touch the girl's tail."
Hearing his words, the maid came out of her shock and took the pill. Her arm then seemed to reconnect to itself as the flesh around the wound squirmed for a second, then closed and sealed on its own, leaving not even a mark on her skin behind.
She stepped forward with her arm working again and picked up the girl in a princess carry. When she turned around, my father stepped to the side, letting the maid leave as I followed her.
As I used to spend the summers here while tailing the maids as they went about their work, I knew exactly where we were heading.
It took about 30 minutes to arrive at a largely unused part of the house.
Here, there were only a few rooms that were meant for the Sect Founder and whatever retainers she had.
Walking ahead, I opened the large set of double doors leading to a luxurious room fit for a princess I used to wish I could live in as a child but did not pay attention to anymore.
Following the maid, I watched as Vale was set on the bed.
Walking up to the bed myself, I took a recovery pill and placed it into Val's mouth. It soon turned into liquid and flowed down her throat.
With everything I could do finished, I walked back out of the room, closing the doors behind me.