Dongmei lifted up her left sleeve and saw the curse on her hand had completely overtaken her forearm. Her once black hair turned silver and the smooth jade-like skin on her hands had many wrinkles appeared on them.
Beside her, the figure of an old lady in long black robes suddenly appeared.
Dongmei who was sitting at the table became transparent before she dissipated into colorful blue particles before entering one of the four-star points on the old woman's forehead.
The image on her forehead was in the shape of a cross, with a star at the ends of each point.
The one on the left dimed considerably after the particles enter it, matching the ones on the right and bottom. This resulted in the old woman groaning and her face became deathly pale.
“Was giving him that jade slip too much? If I hadn’t he wouldn’t have discovered that Soul Art until much later, it’s best if he had it early on,” said the old woman in an assured tone.
However, her face showed doubt as she looked towards the sky. Her ocean-blue eyes glowed with innumerable stars and profundities as the top star point on her forehead glowed a dazzling blue color.
The entire world then shifted entirely and the stars and the moon replace the sun. Dongmei’s eyes glowed intensely as she read the stars.
After a moment, her body shook uncontrollably and she took a step back in horror.
“N-no, why is it like this?! I only gave him the jade slip he would eventually obtain, how can it change this much! This-this…”
Dongmei didn’t get to finish her sentence as the firmament let out a loud bang and shattered completely to reveal the sun.
Dongmei coughed up a mouth full of blood and her already gray hair turned even grayer before her fragile body collapsed to the ground.
From the sky, a pressure so great it flatten every mountain in this world, crashed down violently.
Dongmei wasn’t injured by this pressure as it was only a warning message. Instead, as she lay on her back an aura of death suddenly began to radiate from her body.
An illusory figure then appeared in this collapsed world. The pressure had no effect on him and he faded in and out of being as his steps carried him towards Dongmei’s side.
“Mei’er, why are you so persistent? Look how you’ve become?”
The voice of the indistinguishable figure was of an old man, and it was filled with heartache as he spoke.
“I’m unwilling to watch as this world, this universe is plunged into chaos. How could I have this gift but be unable to use it to help anyone? I’m unwilling father.”
Tears appeared at the corners of Dongmei’s face as she spoke to the figure who was revealed to be the Academy Leader Lu Xue Wen.
“How can you one change the faith of an entire world, much less this vast universe? My daughter, it was hopeless from the start. We mere ants can’t resist the will of the Heavens. It’s all-knowing and all-powerful, if it decides that we are meant to die no one in this world can change that.”
Lu Xue Wen said to his daughter in a defeated tone.
As much as she could Dongmei stared at her father and said with certainty, “If the heavens were all-knowing it wouldn’t have created man that could eventually gain the potential to reach or even replace it entirely. This boy is the key to everything, as long as he survives and matures he can become a beacon of hope for us.”
Even though it was impossible to tell, Lu Xue Wen was shaking his head in helplessness.
“My Mei’er why did you have to choose this path? Just how much potential did you have that you could even see heaven's inner workings? If you had focused on cultivation you could have surpassed the Heavenly Palace Realm, a feat that no one had ever accomplished on this planet.”
Dongmei slowly rose to a sitting position before she steadily got to her feet. The aura of death about her was completely suppressed.
She look at her father and responded to his words, “Don’t give me that spiel, your talents were no lesser than mine but you gave it all away for a woman.”
Lu Xue Wen’s bitter voice then said, “That woman is your mother.”
“Bah, even mother had called you a fool when she was alive, I remember it clearly even though I was young.”
Dongmei then walked to the table and sat down before she poured herself some of the still warm tea.
“Those circumstances were different, I did it because I loved your mother.”
Hearing that, Dongmei snorted and said, “Love will make people blind and foolish. You gave up your Li Bloodline, one of the Seven Great Ancestral Bloodlines, so the Lu Clan will allow you to marry mother. If you weren’t a fool back then I don’t know what counts as is.”
As if he was fed up with her speaking like this, Lu Xue Wen’s slightly angry voice spoke up and said, “Listening here young lady, if I hadn’t done what I did you wouldn’t have been born. So how about you stop cursing me and instead start thanking me for being alive!”
Lu Xue Wen’s illusory finger was trembling as he pointed it at Dongmei.
In response, Dongmei snorted again and then said, “I didn’t give you permission to enter my world, leave.”
After Dongmei said that, the void around Lu Xue Wen warped.
Just as his illusory figure was about to be ejected, he almost coughed up blood as he said, “You stinking brat! I’m not done talk…”
With that, Lu Xue Wen was ejected from this world entirely.
After a moment of silence, Dongmei placed down her teacup and a bitter smile appeared on her face.
“So what if I had wasted my talents? This was a decision I made knowing full well of the consequences. My actions might be disproportionate to the backlash I receive, but my small actions will have a butterfly effect that stirs the fate of the universe to a path of less devastation and bloodshed. Now little Shen, I have done what I can with the strength I have, it’s still up to you whether you can live up to my expectations.”
After saying that, Dongmei thought back on the scenes she saw in the stars and her heart seize.
“Yang Su, this child is destined to be either a disaster or blessing. Just what kind of fate did the heavens predetermine for him to have such two polar opposite outcomes?”
Dongmei asked, but no reply came to her. Even trying to see the fate of the people beside Xi Shen was difficult for her, but more specifically the boy named Yang Su. The aura from Xi Shen was more prominent on him for some reason, while the rest was barely affected.
Back in the Inner Academy, on the Sword Pavilion Mountain, Ye Fei and Xi Shen appeared in front of his mansion gate.
Turning to Xi Shen, Ye Fei asked, “How did the meeting with the Head Master go?”
“She just asked me a few questions and gave me a jade slip with some Soul Arts, it was nothing much.”
Hearing that, a contemplating expression appeared on Ye Fei’s face.
“Oh, I have a question for Vice Head Master. I heard she called you by a nickname, and I was wondering what was the relationship between the two of you?”
Upon hearing the mention of a nickname, Ye Fei’s contemplating expression fell and he shot a horrified look at Xi Shen.
“Second prince, you better not mentioned that name to anyone or else...”
Ye Fei’s face quickly became extremely gloomy as he stared down at Xi Shen.
“Vice Head Master is worrying too much, I have no reason to reveal the nickname Fei Fei. In fact, I don’t think the nickname Fei Fei is strange, I think Fei Fei is a rather endearing name.”
Ye Fei’s face stiffen upon hearing Xi Shen mention that embarrassing name he couldn't live down.
Changing the subject, Ye Fei, “Second prince, to answer your question I was an orphan that was taken in by our Head Master. So you could say I’m her disciple or adopted son perhaps. Well, with that answered I’ll take my leave second prince.”
Before Xi Shen could ask any further questions, Ye Fei quickly teleported away.
Upon seeing his reaction, Xi Shen burst out laughing as he pushed open his courtyard's gate.
Walking to the main dining area, Xi Shen saw Lihua, Yang Su, and Fei Yin sitting together around a table. They were chatting amongst themselves with Bai Xiaofung there in the mix as well.
Seeing Bai Xiaofung, Dongmei’s question from before appeared in his mind, but he shrugged it off.
If there was one thing Xi Shen can judge was people’s emotions. Bai Xiaofung was the type of person that if a conflict indeed happened between his Li Clan and the Seven Major Clans, he’ll be one of the person’s advocating for his Clan to side with the Li Clan.
Either because of their somewhat short friendship or because it was to ease his conscience of fighting against someone who he had once called brother.
So, he was soft and gullible, to say the least. But Xi Shen wouldn’t take advantage of that, and he wouldn’t go revealing everything about himself to him as well.
Walking into the open area, everyone turned to Xi Shen and different greetings came from each of them.
Smiling Xi Shen said, “I have a Soul Art I want my Faction members to learn. After Fang Chen comes out of seclusion I’ll make him learn it as well.”
Xi Shen took out three jade slips and with his disguised Divine Will, branded the Heavenly Connection Soul Art onto them before floating it towards Yang Su and the others.
Curious expressions played on their faces as they received their jade slips and read the contents.
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Word Count: 1684
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