Mai spent the next couple of days practicing Clear Mind and Cupid Call on things she found in nature—leaves, trees, stones, and whatever else she could find.
"Is it wise to waste your abilities on a stone?" Mr. M stared at the large bright stone as Mai sat hunched over it, her ring finger resting on it.
"Master. Everything in nature is alive; even this stone has a sort of soul. I believe in personification in this world. Why can humans and animals fall in love, but a stone cannot? It's unfair."
Mai was certain Mother Nature witnessed everything here, down to the smallest detail. The stone in front of her should also have a chance to find a mate.
Mr. M furrowed his brows and shook his head. He looked up at the cloudy sky. It was completely quiet, and the air was cool.
"It's the calm before the storm. It's perfect for your next lesson."
Mai only heard the word 'lesson' and sprang up like a hare.
"Master, I'm all ears. What am I going to learn this time?"
They walked to the foot of the mountain behind the temple and waited. Dark clouds encroached upon the area accompanied by a cool wind that played with their hair.
*boom*
A bright lightning bolt struck the top of the mountain illuminating the sky and forming repeated lightning ripples within the clouds. It resembled six-pack rings on cans. Suddenly it started to drip from the clouds, and it began to rain heavily escalating into a torrential downpour. The water ran down like a waterfall soaking their clothes in seconds.
Mr. M breathed in the cool air, closed his eyes and smiled.
*boom*
Thunder and lightning struck all around, but Mai wasn't nervous about dying because her master was here with her. She closed her eyes inhaling the cool air and relishing being alive. The water droplets hit her cheeks hard and some of them felt like hail.
It was February so it didn't surprise her.
Mr. M slowly opened his eyes and looked at Mai standing behind him.
"Your third lesson starts now."
Mai opened her eyes and watched him move his right palm in front of him aiming it towards the middle of the mountain.
"What does the middle finger symbolize?" he asked in a loud voice overpowering the noisy whipping rain.
"Responsibility, protection and individuality!" Mai shouted as loudly as she could.
He nodded and said, "Skill: Avari's Cloak."
Suddenly a golden wave shot out from his middle finger.
*vroom*
It spread around them enclosing them in a golden sphere.
Mai's heart raced and she touched the sphere feeling something physical. It was pleasantly warm. A small rift she had on her little finger healed at the speed of light.
"There are three versions of Avari's Cloak: a small shield, a half, and a whole which is what we're in now. To perform it you need confidence. It protects you from physical or metaphysical harm." explained Mr. M lightly tapping his middle finger in the air causing the golden sphere to disappear.
He looked at Mai and said, "Now you try."
Mai nodded and stood beside him taking a deep breath. She exhaled slowly emptying her mind and listening to her surroundings. The rain thundered loudly but slowly faded away and she could hear leaves rustling and branches shaking in the trees. She heard the wind howling loudly and a rodent gnawing on something. She opened her eyes, which now had a bright glow and felt a pleasant warmth in her body. She pushed her energy into her middle finger.
*whoosh*
A white oval shield formed in front of her, and she felt her heart skip a beat. The shield barely covered her, but it was enough.
"Wow master. Look! Mine is white!"
Mr. M looked at the shield squinting then looked at Mai who grinned foolishly.
He scratched his right cheek and said quietly, "I guess the ability adapts to the person."
"It's always golden though. Am I getting too old?" he muttered softly.
He clapped his hands and said loudly, "Alright, let's move on to the last two fingers."
Mai withdrew her energy and the white shield disappeared.
Mr. M pointed his right index finger at Mai's nose, who understood the hint and immediately replied, "Authority, ambition and leadership."
He nodded and directed his index finger towards the middle of the mountain again while Mai's eyes followed its movement closely. He suddenly flicked his right thumb which she immediately caught.
"Power, strength and dominance." she answered loudly.
"The index finger you can use alone but it can also strengthen the thumb. Watch closely."
He lightly tapped the air with his index finger and a golden beam shot out spreading warmth throughout the area. The air became humid, and Mai began to sweat profusely. Her clothes clung to her, and she adjusted them.
The beam shot off and hit the middle of the mountain.
*kaboom*
*crack*
The mountain split vertically, and the cut looked as if someone had sliced it with a knife.
Mai's heart skipped a beat, and she became tense and amazed.
"Master, you can move mountains with that!"
"Watch closely."
Mr. M turned his thumb slightly to the right aiming his nail towards the middle of the mountain. Carefully he brought his thumb and index finger together and when they touched a wave of red and black hues shot out with dancing flames swirling around like a voracious dragon. It flew swiftly towards the mountain.
*boom*
The impact exploded the mountain sending stones flying in all directions transforming into dust and disappearing.
Nothing remained.
It was empty and it looked like something was missing.
Mai suddenly became worried about the surroundings and looked back catching sight of The Thousand Blossom City far below.
"Master, won't this be noticed?" Her voice was shrill and hoarse. She tasted the cold rain a sweet taste and licked her lips.
"Don't worry. A barrier has been placed around the temple so no one will notice anything. The mundane world is not affected by it," he replied pointing at the "mountain."
"The thumb is only an offensive skill and inflicts purely destructive damage on what it hits so use it with caution. The effect depends on your emotions."
Mai felt like trying but she didn't want to break anything and dropped the idea. She felt strange not having to train hard like in Xianxia novels to gain powers.
She bowed deeply to him. "Thank you master for sharing all of this with me."
Even though Mr. M had said he wouldn't teach her martial arts she was asked to find her inner peace and was instructed to train in meditation. She could choose her own position but sitting in the lotus position helped with circulation in the body.
Days turned into months. Months turned into years. Years turned into a couple of years.
Mai grew up with Mr. M and they developed a close bond. They only visited the city to shop for household items otherwise staying only in the temple and the forest area which Mai was fine with. Living so primitively was something she had never done before but it was surprisingly easy for her to adapt to it. It had been overwhelming at first but now it was a normal daily routine for her. Up early in the morning and late to bed at night. Master didn't speak much, and she trained on her own practicing her skills on nature and improving her connection to everything around her.
Mai heard nothing about the outside world nor anything about the Liu family although she was curious about her parents and whether her sister had managed to become a consort lady of the emperor. In her eyes it was a doomed position but if one could manipulate the emperor it would surely pay off in the end.
"I can't imagine women enduring that. Wasn't there an emperor who broke concubines' feet and had them carried to the bed?"
Her body trembled at the thought.
Mai had no desire to live in that future and she hoped she would never encounter that emperor.
The Immortal Palace in the Thousand Blossom City.
In Crown Prince Jinling's chambers Crown Prince Jinling sat with two officers dressed in black holding a stack of highly detailed drawings of beautiful girls.
Crown Prince Jinling furrowed his brows and looked at the stack.
"Give me the good news."
"Crown Prince, there's only bad news. We've searched everywhere but the person you describe doesn't exist. There are no ministers with a daughter who likes to dress in boy's clothes. Besides it's absurd." replied one officer rolling up the drawings.
Crown Prince Jinling bit his lip and scowled at the officers then glanced over at the senior attendant, a middle-aged man, dressed in a golden robe, sitting by the door silently observing them.
"If you don't give me any good news I'll get rid of him."
"Crown Prince, you can't dismiss the senior attendant. Only the emperor can do that." commented one officer making eye contact with the other who shook his head.
"Fine, then I'll punish some others until you come up with good news. I know she exists, and I'll find her location." said Crown Prince Jinling in a cold voice dismissing everyone outside including the senior attendant who had nothing to do with it.
He walked over to the window and looked outside where there was a beautiful view of a huge garden with people strolling around tending to it.
"I must see how long I can push Grandfather. It was fate that I met her."
Mai trained diligently and even though Mr. M wouldn't teach her martial arts he still taught her hand techniques, so she had a foundation for it. Some of it resembled aikido which she had once practiced so it wasn't too difficult to learn. She was already very quick to learn and absorbed everything like a sponge.
Master had cast an illusion on her to appear as a boy from the outside. She still struggled with feminine things like menstruation and because they lived primitively, she had to find her own method which consisted of homemade fabric pads—a hellish experience but it was the only thing that worked. There was a nearby lake that she often used to stop the bleeding if it got too bad. The worst part was the other symptoms that came with it like cramps and headaches, and she hated taking medicine but her master had made small pills the size of blueberries that kept the pain at bay. She missed ibuprofen and Panadol. She missed Danish and Japanese food but her master's cooking was also delicious, and he managed to spice it up each time so it tasted different.
When Mai was 12 years old she was out gathering herbs for her master's new dish that he was going to make for her which she was eagerly looking forward to tasting. It was late morning in early June and the sun beat down on her. The forest felt like a sauna with thick humid air hanging around. Mai had gotten used to the weather and because it was further south the winter was pleasant, but the summer was unbearable. Her clothes clung to her, and she was sweating profusely. She had been good at taking care of her skin something her previous mother had never taught her. She tried to keep it clean and shaded herself from the sun when it was high in the sky.
"A scarred woman would never get married in these times." That's what she had once read in history class.
It was peaceful living here and sleeping to the sounds of animals was calming. However, she was still afraid of spiders, reptiles and insects and Mai was sure that fear would never disappear no matter how many lives she had.
She dug up the last of the ginger and tossed them into the light brown round bamboo basket on her back. With her right sleeve she wiped her forehead and brushed her hands off for dirt. She adjusted her clothes and looked down at the mountain where the temple stood.
"I better get home. I can't wait to taste Master's new dish."
They had been having chicken dishes for so many years and she was honestly getting tired of them but hadn't mentioned it to master.
Mai wore a light green robe with a black belt and a black hat, and her pants were baggy. She wore black shoes that she called sandals/ballerina shoes. They were called hanfu shoes here which belonged to the flowing robes everyone wore. They were uncomfortable in the summer, and she got sweaty and smelly toes in them. Sometimes she was allowed to wear sandals but most of the time she ran around barefoot.
Mai adjusted the basket on her back and hurried home.
At the temple entrance she set the basket on the ground. She carried it to the building, bowed, took off her shoes and brought the basket inside.
Master was not present.
She furrowed her brows. "He said it would take a long time to make the dish so why isn't he here?"