The incense stick burned down to a quarter of its length.
With a gasp of pain, Fu Zhou pushed her Qi out of her body, tearing her dantian out. Blood poured out of her mouth, and she'd fall if I didn't catch her.
"I will make it quicker," I whispered. "Just… relax."
I pulled at Fu Zhou's Qi, bringing it all into my body. The action was almost effortless—the Qi itself was refined, and Fu Zhou wasn't controlling it anymore.
The girl went limp in my arms. More blood poured out of her nose and ears. Despite that, she smiled at me one last time.
Her breathing stopped.
Fu Zhou's Qi churned inside me, settling inside my dantians and increasing them by a third of their previous size. Now that I was at the Qi Foundation stage, expanding my dantians was possible again. However, right now it brought me no joy.
There was silence. No one moved, and no one said a word.
Finally, I turned my head at the Lin clan's big shots, waiting for my judgment.
Lin Tan frowned at me. Lin Deng looked like he ate something sour, while Lin Chun appeared thoughtful.
"I suppose you have passed the trial, Disciple Ru… Inner disciple, from now on," Lin Tan said. "This means that you will become my inner disciple and will live with my other inner disciples. Young Master Lin Deng, I hope you were satisfied with the trial despite all the disturbances. And of course, I hope this entertained every other person watching this little show!"
The crowd exploded with cheers, calming down only after a couple of minutes. I grit my teeth, just waiting for this all to be over.
When people calmed down, Lin Chu spoke up.
"Junior Brother Lin Tan, you teach all lowborn disciples of the Lin clan. I want to lighten your load a little and take Ru Yujin in as my personal disciple."
He turned toward me.
"Junior Brother Lin Tan is an experienced teacher. However, his time and resources are split among dozens of students, and your prospects under his tutelage will be extremely low. If you become my student instead, you can reach much higher heights in the Lin Clan. The only people in the clan who have higher status than myself are Elder Lin Xiao and Young Master Lin Deng."
"Oh, what a sudden turn of events, cousin! Could have you brought this youth to the clan just to take him for yourself later? Poach him from Lin Tan just like that?" Lin Deng said mockingly. "Maybe I should do the same with you, hm? What's-your-name, be my student! I'm the clan's heir, others can only dream of being my disciples!"
My eyes flicked between the faces of these three people, weighing my options.
If I could move a continent away from Lin Tan, this won't be far enough. Lin Chu and Lin Deng were my real saviors here—they gave me an alternative.
I don't know how I'd live if I was forced to learn from the person who… who…
I looked down at Fu Zhou's forever smiling face. Her eyes were still open, so I closed them.
These people were insane. Mad with power. And they created a system that smothered anyone caught in it.
I had to rise above this vicious generational cycle and crush it. For my dreams, for peace, and for the soul of the innocent little girl who thought my life was more valuable than hers.
I carefully put Fu Zhou's body on the ground and turned to the three people willing to be my teachers.
It would be a stretch to call Lin Chu a decent person, but at least I didn't have to bite my cheek to hide my anger when looking at him. Thus, I kowtowed and said,
"I will be honored to be your student, Master Lin Chu."
Lin Deng huffed.
"You have missed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Junior. At least I won't have to bother dealing with a student. Have a good time training your new dog, cousin. Now Father will prod me to take a disciple, too… Ugh."
Lin Chu didn't bother to reply, instead addressing me.
"Disciple Ru, from today, I am your only teacher, your master, and your family. Your past life lost its meaning. Give it your last goodbyes and stand up. This was the last of the trials, right, Junior Brother Lin Tan? Then we may leave now."
Lin Chu's choice of words made me smile bitterly. My past life? Lost its meaning? If that was so, I'd be like all the other outer disciples—a dumb teenager ready to kill and die for the Lin clan.
Besides, Fu Zhou deserved better than to be forgotten. I wished I could bury her myself. Since I couldn't, I promised to find her grave later, and hurried after Lin Chu.
***
Lin Chu's compound was tiny compared to Lin Tan's, but he lived there only with his family and servants. This meant that I had my separate house there—small, but entirely mine. The food was also better than before, and a maid brought it to my quarters three times a day.
I also now had an allowance of money and low-grade Qi stones, not that there was a lot to spend them around. The only place with shops and taverns around there was a village a couple of hours away from the Lin Manor, which was a resting point for merchants and other travelers. It also had a graveyard where Fu Zhou had been buried. I left some flowers on her grave.
For the next few days, I was doing very little besides exploring my new home. My mind was still reeling after the recent events, and Lin Chu was too busy with clan matters to give me orders.
During these days, a plan appeared in my head.
Lin Chu was the third person in the clan. He could rise really high in the Lin clan and in the entire Purple Dragon Sect. Then, I will rise on his shoulders and be able to deal with people like Lin Tan!
And since I was Lin Chu's personal disciple, everything I did reflected on him. If I showed everybody in the sect what an amazing cultivator I was, they would respect him more than me because I was a lowborn dirt-eater and surely only thanks to Lin Chu I achieved anything.
I held no illusions that becoming stronger will increase my status in the eyes of these people. I knew their prejudiced logic—but now I was going to use it against them.