(02) Make Sure No One Sees You Reading This

A thirteen-year-old girl wearing crinkled white clothes was standing nervously in front of a clinic and staring at its door that hasn't opened yet with baggy and tired eyes. She licked her chapped lips and looked down at the little girl who was only two and a half years younger than her, sucking a lollipop with big doe eyes as she held her hand.

"Sister LiJing, why are we here?" the little girl, wearing a neat bright green dress, asked with a cute voice that was slightly hoarse from having woken up from a nightmare that early morning.

Wu LiJing smiled gently and patted her head. "Are you tired from all of that walking, QiaoHua?"

Wu QiaoHua nodded. They had walked a long way to get to the edge of the village. "Why does Doctor Zhu live so far away?" She pouted, still licking her lollipop. She had to wake up early to walk here with her cousin.

"Sorry, we have to walk some more. You can't be here with me so let's take you to a store." Wu LiJing gently dragged Wu QiaoHua to a store full of childish trinkets. All the shops were already open except for the clinic that was a few miles away, isolated from other shops since it was at the edge of town.

"You stay here until I come back, okay? If you do, I'll buy you another lollipop."

Wu QiaoHua looked at her lollipop that was going to disappear soon and nodded quickly. She was also very interested in the colorful trinkets in this shop.

Wu LiJing went up to the store clerk and showed a polite smile. "Can you please look after my younger sister? She is young and cannot walk for long distances since she has a weak body. But I still have to go to the clinic for my mother's medicine; she is gravely ill and has recently broken a leg." After the clerk observed Wu LiJing's tired face, the lady felt sympathetic and agreed.

Wu LiJing took out a good amount of money and put it on the counter, "Thank you, I really appreciate it!"

The store clerk smiled brightly and nodded, thinking this young girl had good manners and was also quite pretty.

Wu LiJing gave her a few more coins and asked, "Can you tell me why the clinic is still closed? I came here yesterday morning and it was closed so I had to come back today."

The lady answered, "Oh, for some reason, Doctor Zhu said he was getting ready to leave town. It seems he made a good amount of money saving someone important."

Wu LiJing nodded. "Is he still here? I'm worried about where else I am going to get my mother's medicine..." she pondered with a troubled face.

The lady clerk grinned and patted the girl's shoulder. "Don't worry about it! Today, he is opening his store one last time before officially closing. He may just be coming later than usual."

Wu LiJing looked relieved and thanked the lady before walking back to the clinic after checking up on QiaoHua once more. When she spotted the small clinic again, it was still closed. She rubbed her eyes hard before she walked closer to the building. As she waited, she walked back and forth in a slow pace, trying to keep her calm. When she finally saw a figure of a man with a slightly hunched back walking over, she clenched her hands and rushed over to him.

"Doctor Zhu!" Her eyes appeared wet and the doctor jumped when he saw her.

Doctor Zhu did not expect to see her here. He stared at her for a moment and observed her red rimmed eyes and disheveled look. He sighed in relief and said, "What is it, LiJing?"

Wu LiJing rubbed her eyes and said quietly as she stared at the ground. "I just wanted to come and tell you that you don't have to come visit mother anymore..."

The doctor felt a little guilty but quickly cleared his throat. "What do you mean?"

Wu LiJing tugged on his sleeve and said, "Mother is not here anymore...Can we talk in private?"

The doctor nodded and walked towards his clinic, ready to open it for one last time. But before he could, he felt a prick on his neck, and he fell unconscious to the ground.

When the doctor awoke, he groaned from the ache in the back of his neck. He noticed he was sitting in a dark room and became startled. What happened?

"Are you finally awake, Doctor Zhu?" He heard a young female voice and quickly looked up to face an emotionless girl. He almost didn't recognize her. Where did the childish smile she usually showed go?

He was taken aback and stuttered. "W-where is this?" Then he suddenly felt that he couldn't stand and looked down to see that his hands and feet were tied to a chair. He also struggled to move; his acupuncture point was pressed! He looked up at Wu LiJing. "Why are you doing this to me?! I have been helping your family, and this is how you repay me?!" How did she learn to hit acupuncture points anyway?!

Wu LiJing stared at him for a long time, making him feel unsettled as he kept on yelling, before she let out a chilling chuckle. "Helping my family? What family, doctor?" She took out a knife and waited as his gaze settled on the knife, with his pupils shrinking. "Now, all I want to know is who hired you?" She twirled the knife skillfully in her hands as she stared into his eyes.

"W-what... I don't know!" Where was the little girl who looked on her verge of crying earlier? He panicked inside a little.

She stared at his hands and paused, looking back at her knife as her hold on it tightened when it suddenly stopped twirling. She took a deep breath. "You should know what I'm talking about. If you don't want to get hurt, get talking." With a dark voice, "Who paid you to harm my mother?"

"Ha! I don't know who told you what! But I have nothing to say to you!" He quickly looked away, feeling a build-up of sweat on his back.

Wu LiJing observed him as she continued playing with the knife in her hands and her eyes darkened.

"Your mother was living thanks to me! Which doctor has been able to diagnose her except for me? Let me go now or you'll regret it! I have a higher cultivation than you, little girl! When I escape, I will pay you back tenfold!" His menacing voice echoed within the empty room. He opened his mouth once again, convinced he scared the little girl after she silently stared at the ground. But then he let out a high-pitched holler before he could speak further.

The pungent smell of blood spread throughout the room.

"Doctor, do you think I came without knowing that?" She said in a quiet voice, staring down at him as she plunged the knife further into his thumb, severing it. "I didn't waste these two years doing nothing," she whispered.

He gasped for breath and felt sweat drip down his forehead as he tried to focus his gaze on her. His eyes widened. He couldn't see her cultivation level... meaning... He gasped and looked up at her in horror.

Chuck! She pierced another finger halfway and he screamed loudly again. She dug the knife until the tip of his pointy finger fell to the ground with a thud that was drowned by his own crying voice.

"Tell me, as a doctor, can you reattach fingers?" she asked as she stared at him in the eyes, chopping off another finger, not letting his voice rest.

"I-I'll tell you! I'll tell you! Please just stop hurting me!" He cried deafeningly with tears and snot running down his face as he sobbed.

She froze and the blood dripped from the knife to the ground. "It hurts?" Her eyes flickered and became dark, like a cave deprived of light. A tear escaped her eyes.

He nodded hurriedly. "Yes! Please, just stop! I'll tell you everything! It was a lady! She came to me first! I didn't want to do it!" His words were slurred as he sobbed and tried his best to speak as he stared at her young face.

She abruptly stabbed the middle of his hand and twisted the knife a few times, creating a nasty gash. Only screams of echoes vibrated within the room. "If it hurts... then you should know how much more it hurt for my mother..." Her quiet words contrasted with her swift actions.

"No! Please!"

She stabbed his shoulder this time. "Why did you have to betray us?" Another tear slipped down.

When she exited the room, she looked at the blood splattered on her hands and on the knife with tear stained eyes. She dropped the knife and stumbled back, leaning on the wall. Her hands trembled and she clenched them, hoping it would help. "Stop," she whispered. She brought her hands to her head and bit her lips. She closed her eyes for what seemed like forever before opening her eyes again. Then she ran out, looking at the sun that was still spreading its light in the sky with worried eyes. She had to get QiaoHua and return home.

Wu LiJing opened her dark eyes that were out of focus as she laid in bed and clenched her hands unconsciously. There was a slight twinge on her palms that brought her back. After a moment, she sat up and got ready to train for the day.

The sun was already up high in the sky when Wu LiJing entered a magnificent looking manor and knocked on the door to her master's study room. Her master was back and wanted to converse with her.

When she heard, "Come in," she slid the door open and entered the elegantly decorated room. A famous painting of a mountain scenery with poetic words was on the wall behind her master's desk. More elegant paintings were stationed around the room to keep walls from looking too empty.

Arrangements of plants and beautiful pottery were placed around to keep the space looking elegant and clean. There was a low-level large sitting desk placed all the way to the left with pale blue cushions surrounding it. Her master's main study desk was placed towards the middle right with some ink and paper on top of it, and a pot of orchid flower to decorate it with.

An exquisite large cabinet full of mini drawers, which were packed with various tea leaves, was placed on the right wall below a window. The pretty curtains separating his main study space were put up, making the space look even larger.

Her master liked elegance so his Moon Sect had to look elegant as well, including his living space. Her master probably carefully decorated this space for a few months before he was satisfied with it.

In the past, she witnessed him buying that expensive painting behind his desk because it suited his taste. He spent a fortune on it since it was such a famous painting. He needed it behind his desk since it was perfect. She was left quite speechless then, but now she was used to it if he ever did anything unreasonable. When one has lived a long life, it only made sense to have a few odd quirks.

She turned to the left and saw her master sitting with a profound aura around the circular table, placed in the middle left of the large room. The sect master wore a simple dark violet robe with his hair tied up into a bun with a black ribbon. He had a mature fine-looking face with barely-noticeable healthy wrinkles under his eyes. His brown pupils were intelligent and lively, making him appear amiable. It's obvious that he was popular when he was younger and probably still was among his peers.

The Sect Master was already more than one hundred years old, yet he still looked to be only around his mid-thirties. Wu LiJing once asked him why he didn't make himself look younger and he told her that looking older and more mature made others take him more seriously. But she knew he just didn't like how pretty his face would be instead if he looked like his younger self.

Once cultivators reach the Fourth Tier, or the Immortal Realm, they stop aging normally and can even control how young they look by using pills or learning a simple technique or spell by using their cultivation. Everyone did it so the age that one looks may not necessarily determine one's level.

Since Sect Master Wang was in his room, he didn't care to put up any airs and casually looked up when he saw his disciple. Wang WeiYue was currently brewing the new tea he just bought.

She saluted. "This disciple greets Master."

Wang WeiYue smiled, showing two handsome dimples. "LiJing. Come, try this tea." He invited her over to sit.

Wu LiJing stared at her master and went to sit down across from him. He poured her a cup of tea with smooth movements, full of grace. Wu LiJing took a sip.

"How is it?" he asked.

Wu LiJing took another sip. "Good."

"Ah, it's good to have a disciple who knows how to enjoy tea," Wang WeiYue muttered with a smile.

After a moment of peaceful silence, Wang WeiYue stood up and moved his hand in the air in a motion, creating a complicated shape in the air with his inner chi. Then the shape disappeared, and he sat back down.

Wu LiJing was familiar with that formation. Wang WeiYue used a spell to seal his room and prevent others from eavesdropping.

"LiJing, what stage are you in?" His tone became more serious.

"Currently in high-stage of the Body Enhancing Realm, Master." She knew her master could easily see what stage she was in, but he was still asking her anyway so she could report to him.

"Good. As you know, I haven't been around lately since some people have been keeping me busy. You should be training diligently even without me here. Concentrate on raising your level for the next few years. I want you to at least reach the next stage before the competition."

Wu LiJing nodded, listening carefully as she watched her master enjoy his delectable tea with a mild smile. It was obvious that something has been troubling him lately, yet he hasn't told her.

Wang WeiYue ventured out sometimes to enjoy life, he claims. But he mostly stayed in the sect, either to guide her and the disciples, relax and cultivate, or focus on his tea business. However, lately, she has been aware that he was frequently lost in thought and going out more than usual.

"Your use of chi is already very good, but you need to work better on your control. Sometimes, you let your emotions guide you, which can be useful, but can also be detrimental in a precarious situation. I know you don't like expressing your emotion, always bottling up everything inside. But remember to let those emotions out occasionally or they may erupt and destroy what you've built till now," he advised.

She was silent for a moment before she replied, "This disciple understands."

He pointed to her. "And speak out more! Sometimes, you get misunderstood and I have to get involved. Remember that one time I had to stop your fight with Master Tang's disciple? Just because you bumped into her and didn't apologize because you were lost in thought!"

Wu LiJing was silent for a moment and decided not to reply.

Wang WeiYue sighed. "Your stubborn nature is just like your father," he muttered under his breath. Then he dug into his sleeve, and took out a thin book, putting it on the table and sliding it towards his disciple. "Go read this. Make sure no one sees you reading it."

She saluted. "Yes, Master."

When Wu LiJing returned to her room, she meditated. Her master gave her the herbs he bought on his trip to help raise her level and she planned to use it. But then she suddenly heard the chirping of a bird by her window and quickly stood up to open it.

A blue bird slipped into her room and landed on her table. She took the small letter tied to the bird's leg and then the bird dissipated into the air like flying fireflies.

She closed her window and opened the letter with quick hands: After investigation, evidence of tampering.

She felt her heart quicken.

Wu LiJing crushed the letter and a heavy pressure suddenly radiated from her body, covering the whole room. "I knew it," she muttered coldly.

Light chuckles escaped her lips as she went to her desk and wrote on a small piece of paper with elegant letters: Be specific.

Then she took out a special black whistle and blew on it. No sound was released, yet beautiful tiny lights suddenly appeared and formed into the same blue bird from before. She tied the paper onto the bird's leg and let it out of her window. She smiled as she softly played with the pretty white tassel on her waist.

"Don't even think about running," she muttered with an impassive voice.