Chapter 6 - Concoct, Layer & Embed

Mao Qing invited the pair to dinner after spending some time scrutinizing her work, much to both their surprise and delight.

The mere mention of food made the two suddenly realize how hungry they were, making Mao Qing chuckle once more as he went to the kitchen to prepare a nice meal for their hardwork.

Mao Shuhai hadn't had a meal with her strange new grandfather since she had arrived in this courtyard, so she was quite looking forward to it. Her thorns of wariness were quite prominent back then afterall, she probably wouldn't have been able to enjoy her meal if he was there. And perhaps he knew that.

Now though, all she could think about was a warm meal. She hadn't had a bite all day.

Yue was in a similar position. Since she had woken up and followed the scent of her new mistress, she had remained by the window sill and done nothing but watch and guard her carefully. She felt it was in her duty to do so, and wasn't accustomed to the idea of having a 'safe haven' like this courtyard where she actually didn't need to be so wary. The quiet guarding duty she took upon herself also gave her time and peace to grieve.

Mao Shuhai sat at the table whilst chatting with Yue, having cleaned up sufficiently and wiped her face clean from sweat she hadn't really realized had built up.

Despite their young ages, the pair would prefer to simply chat to each other than play around, although Mao Shuhai would occasionally reach out a hand to pet her head very gently for a myriad of warm emotions.

"That thing you made earlier looked very pretty, mistress. I could sense its strong spiritual qi from the windowsill."

Yue praised sincerely with her twinkling soft pink irises. She was amazed at how her mistress had created such a thing from those chunks of shiny metal. She didn't really know what it was for, but the strong fiery energy emanating from it gave her some ideas. It seemed much stronger than the original her mistress kept comparing it to, as well.

"Thank you Yue, I think I'm quite happy with how it turned out too."

Mao Shuhai smiled softly, already beginning to treat Yue somewhat like a sister despite their different forms and little time spent together. It gave her some comfort knowing that there was now another that felt around her age that she could converse idly with.

The pair spoke about some casual things for a while before Mao Qing showed up with dishes in hand.

As he laid the meal out in front of her, Mao Shuhai nostalgically feeling like a child waiting to eagerly eat her mother's warm cooking once more, she was somewhat stupefied when her grandfather suddenly took a seat across from her.

"Eh? Grandfather aren't you eating?"

She inquired curiously, seeing the meal that was quite plentiful for her, but was definitely not enough to feed two people.

"I ate earlier before coming to see how you were doing. The sun has already set afterall."

He responded calmly, before pushing the dishes closer to her side.

"Come now, eat up. You've worked hard. I've been eating at irregular times lately anyway, maybe its my old age getting to me."

He chuckled heartily, as Mao Shuhai nodded obediently in response and dug in. She was indeed famished after working all day without realizing it.

Although, she did continue to feel like her grandfather was strange, for some reason.

Perhaps it was just her intuition, honed from years of seeing through the various facades others would put up in front of her.

Still, she wasn't impatient. Cracks would always appear in the masks people wear. She had time to see if he was truly planning something against her or not.

Mao Shuhai was very happy to eat her grandfather's cooking. The meals were simple in nature, a small bowl of some kind of duck soup, some stir-fried wild vegetables and a plate of braised pork. But it all harmonized beautifully in flavour. It also gave her some kind of a... foreign feeling. Most likely due to the fact that all of the ingredients came from the Valley of Death, a place no sane man would secure ingredients from.

She chatted to Mao Qing in between bites of rice, sharing thoughts on her new pendant, the blacksmithing process and his critiques and advice. It was actually the first time Mao Shuhai had met someone as invested in blacksmithing as she was, no, his passion and knowledge far exceeded her own.

It fueled her ambitions to learn, as the pair, similar to a master and his pupil, talked back and forth about a single topic.

Mao Shuhai naturally also paid attention to her most recent new companion Yue, and introduced her to Mao Qing, although the pair were already somewhat aquainted. Perhaps, Mao Qing had already known about Yue's existence as soon as she had set foot into this place.

Still, ignoring the enthusiastic conversation between the two of them, the little kitten was devouring a plate of soft poached fish, looking extremely satisfied when she was done, her pretty eyes drooping every so often with sleepy contentment.

When her head was about to droop completely and fall over, Mao Shuhai scooped her up into her arms and chuckled softly.

"I'll take her to bed and wash up the dishes after. Thank you for the meal, grandfather."

"Oh, one more thing."

Mao Shuhai stopped her movements as she recalled her first discussion with Yue.

"Do you know what happened to the King of the Valley?"

She inquired calmly, whilst gently cradling the white winged kitten in her arms.

"Ah, yes, that fool. I killed him."

Mao Qing replied nonchalantly, his eyes flashing slightly at the question.

"As they get stronger they seem to forget their place and grow arrogant, wantonly invading my territory... "

He grumbled beneath his breath, as his hand subconsciously reached out for a cup of tea that didn't exist, before retracting his hand again.

Mao Shuhai's eyes followed his movements calmly as she watched him, before he directed the conversation back at her.

"You don't look surprised, my dear granddaughter. "

Mao Qing stated with a soft smile.

"Well, I expected as much, from what Yue told me."

Mao Shuhai responded slowly, thinking back to her earlier thoughts and speculations.

"The only unforeseen variable around here that could slay the King of the Valley unexpectedly would be you, grandfather. Especially since there is no sign of a great battle or anything nearby. And... it seems the beasts had fled haphazardly from around this area."

She explained, before meeting his dark mirthful eyes with her own gleaming amber ones.

"Was the King that easy to kill?"

She smiled softly and devilishly, gauging his reaction in both a joking yet inquisitive manner.

"Hoho, catching an intruder off guard made things quite easy for me, my dear."

Mao Qing replied with a hearty chuckle, with no hint of hesitation, subtly making it difficult for Mao Shuhai to discern his strength.

It was not that Mao Shuhai didn't believe that he killed the King of the Valley, she merely wondered if he had any external help whilst doing so.

Although it was true that she trusted Mao Qing, for now, she didn't like the idea of leaving her fate in other people's hands.

If she could slowly gleam intel and/or weaknesses of his, she would gladly take it. That way, she wouldn't be a sitting duck if things went astray from her current plans.

"New kings arise just as quickly as old ones fall. One day...  It'll be your turn to prove your worth. Hopefully within these next 5 years."

Mao Qing spoke up wistfully as he stroked his beard, before rising from his seat and facing her with a smile.

"But don't get conceited. Things will get much harder for you soon, as the stronger monsters come out of hiding and return from their flee."

"Challenge yourself, but stay alive. Us cultivators have always walked the thin line between life and death to become strong."

His words echoed behind him as he made his leave, leaving Mao Shuhai to stare at his back silently before finally putting Yue to bed and washing up.

---

That dark night was fated to be a restless one, with thunderstorms and torrential weather abound. Even the thick canopy of leaves above them couldn't stop the downpour, submerging the courtyard in an aura of gloom.

Rain creeped into puddles outside the bedroom's tall window, as faint candlelight weakly drove back the dreary atmosphere.

Dark blood covered her hands as Mao Shuhai coughed hoarsely, her chest heaving up and down unsteadily as she struggled to calm her coughing fit.

Yue sat by her side on the bed, passing her tissues and patting her back with her paws to calm her.

Lightning struck the sky, briefly illuminating the scene inside as Mao Shuhai finally managed to calm down.

As her watery amber eyes regained their luster, Yue decided to inquire about her situation tentatively.

"Mistress, Did he... poison you?"

"No, it wasn't him. It's an old poison."

Mao Shuhai explained calmly, though her voice showed traces of weakness.

She remembered identifying her darkened blood to be the handiwork of her great 'family', after her battle with the Black Boar.

Even she wasn't sure why she thought that so adamantly back then.

She suddenly started coughing up blood and showing signs of being poisoned after being fed by Mao Qing for a couple of days, why didn't she blame him at all?

It seemed she would rather trust a stranger, than attempt to trust her family again.

Still, she did not think her accusation was wrong.

Mao Qing was an unfathomable character. She didn't think he would use such a blatant method of poisoning to deal with her. There seemed to genuinely be no reason to, because of the disparity in their strength. Rather, she sometimes felt as if she was nothing important in his eyes at all. As if her life and death meant nothing to him.

Although her poison showed symptoms suddenly and strangely, she would rather believe that it was the handiwork of a clever usage of dosage and such that made her like this now.

Mao Shuhai wiped her mouth unhurriedly as she looked out the window. The rain was unrelenting as it poured, covering the valley in an air of vibrant misery.

"I... need to get stronger."

It was well-known that raising one's cultivation not only increased their elemental powers and longevity, but also their body's foundation. Common ailments were rarely able to affect the strong; poisons were no different.

Mao Shuhai didn't know how potent or fast-acting the poison was, it was unknown whether she'd be able to identify it alongside its antidote before it was too late.

She was no doctor. Perhaps Lai Taizhi could help her, but she would not be able to contact her friends for a long time.

Hence why raising her strength was the only way.

She'd long been tired of her weak body. It was only through rigorous training that she retained the relatively normal and healthy state of body she had now. She wasn't about to lose it.

Mao Shuhai clenched her bloodied fist with renewed determination flashing in her eyes, before returning to her normal calm expression and turning to face Yue.

"Thank you, Yue. Sorry for disturbing your rest."

"It's fine, Mistress. Your health is of my utmost concern. I hope you can get better soon."

"Mm. Me too."

She smiled wistfully, as the pair laid back to rest admist the harsh, but oddly calming sound of rain.

---

Mao Shuhai was never one to dream often, but now, they seemed so common.

She awoke in a blank realm, with nothing but white space in all directions. The only exception was a strange pond in front of her. Soft grass sprung from the whiteness as if it was the ground, gradually becoming denser as it surrounded the pool of water.

Slowly, she made her way to its edge and peered into its depths.

The water was crystal clear, reflecting a perfectly mirrored image of herself. Long black strands swayed freely behind her, framing her young body in darkness. Her slanted amber eyes, which gave off the impression of a vixen or cunning character were as calm and cold as always. Even more so, when her reflection began to speak to her.

"Why... Why do you still choose to trust others?

Your blood-related father abandoned you, and treated you as if you were a mere stain on his person.

Your lovely younger sister spoke sweet words to your face, but defaced you to everyone else as if it was the most natural thing in the world when she couldn't see you.

Your kind aunt would gift you treasures and gold in secret, after riddling them useless and scheming how to accuse you of crimes for possessing them."

Her mirror paused ever so slightly, yet Mao Shuhai still keenly noticed her hesitation with dimmed eyes, as she knew exactly what she was going to say next.

Afterall, this was herself, speaking to her.

"Your... Loving, reliable elder brother, the last member in your family household you loved and trusted unconditionally... The one who protected you from the wind and rain once your mother passed, and brought you back from despair... Pushed you off a cliff into a deadly abyss.

So tell me, Shuhai.

Why do you still try? "

Her reflection suddenly flared up, her amber eyes glaring like an unrestrained beast's. An aura of intimidation spread from her body, as if she wouldn't bend or break until she received a satisfactory answer.

And yet, Mao Shuhai merely calmly stared back at her, without a word to say in response.

Time passed in silence, as the water rippled from her reflection's rage.

Finally, as if bending under the unfazed appearance of her true self, she spoke faintly with resigned eyes.

"I am you, I know what you're thinking.

Don't be a fool... And don't fall apart if they too, choose to betray."

Her appearance in the water gradually shrank, as if slowly losing her power and revealing her vulnerability.

"Please, Shuhai, or myself, leave a little bit of doubt in your heart at all times.

Or else, you may truly, not be able to bear it."

Her words grew softer and softer as she spoke her last, and the reflection in the water gradually faded into nothingness.

"...to look towards the future, when there is no hope for the present."

Mao Shuhai finally spoke her first words in this dream realm with lowered eyes and a still tone. It was one of her favourite phrases to live by. Hence why she buried herself in work even after all that had happened to her, no less thanks to Mao Qing's generous appointment of tasks.

Still, she was moved.

Her heart was laid bare before her, revealing the thoughts and pain she had buried away long ago.

She had... plenty to think about, until morning comes.

---

"Second-grade peak-tier huh."

Mao Shuhai spoke out loud in a daze, tracing her hand over the stunning pendant that reflected countless shades of crimson and scarlet in the morning sunlight.

Yue was particularly energetic and curious this morning, having had a good rest, and gently prodded the artifact with her paws. She marvelled at the warmth that faintly flowed through her as she made contact.

Pondering to herself for a moment, Mao Shuhai took out the chakram she was gifted by Lei Xinyi and laid the two second-grade peak-tier artifacts side-by-side.

Just two weeks ago, she thought creating such an item would only be possible in the distant future, having only begun recently creating consistent first-grade peak-tier artifacts.

Yet, here we are.

She smiled to herself, realizing her lack of materials and equipment was a great barrier to her blacksmithing abilities, before gently poking Yue's head and speaking.

"Come now, let's go show Mao Qing."

After her companion's little nod, they set off for his study.

Unfortunately, they could not find him in his usual room. Instead, there was a small note on his desk which was specially left for her, his 'dear granddaughter'.

'I have some errands to run, and will be back later. You may take today as a rest day, and I will give you further tasks tomorrow.'

The handwriting was neat, but a few of the characters were hard to decipher. Still, it was relatively easy to fill in the gaps.

Well, this is good for me.

Mao Shuhai thought to herself after a moment, thinking back to how busy she has been the past week. As much as raising her cultivation, battle experience and blacksmithing skill was beneficial for her, and certainly wasn't something she wanted to neglect, she also had her own goals she wanted to fufill.

For example, the book of core inscriptions she had received from Lai Taizhi. Or the Spirit Masking Guide she was given by Xu Tao.

Thinking back to all the dazzling birthday gifts she had received, she pulled out a certain sleek pearl hairpin from her spatial ring with a smile. Even just a glance at it reminded her of Wang Aiying's lively and cheeky face.

She was the one she had known longest, and they had watched each other grow up.

Unlike some of her accessories from home, it was in good condition, with a meticulous elegance that truly enhanced her beauty and temperament.

Although she was not actually well-versed in such things, even she could tell this gift was much better than some of the overly gaudy or ostentatious ornaments she had received from her 'good' family, which only degraded her appearance rather than enhance it.

With practiced hands, using the nearby window as a mirror, she tied her hair up and slotted the hairpin into her hair.

Five years is a long time. She didn't want to let them, or this hairpin from her dearest sister, fade from her memory.

Walking back to her room, she pulled out the two books she had received from her birthday, both in very different condition, and laid them side by side on her bedside table.

Naturally, as a blacksmithing addict, she was more interested in the inscriptions, but she wouldn't neglect the usefulness of spirit masking, and hoped to master the latter before returning to the capital.

Perhaps, she would study a bit of both today. But that generally depended on how she was satisfied with her progress.

Carefully, she took the tattered book of core inscriptions in hand and began leafing through it.

She has been interested in inscriptions for a very long time. But she never had the heart to unreservedly dive into it, as it was such a risky and complex pathway to pursue.

She was not at the liberty to study whatever she wanted back then, unlike most of the other misses from noble families. Her standing as a young genius was what kept her and her mother alive. She had to keep being that 'young genius' or she'd be eaten alive.

Fortunately, cultivation and blacksmithing on their own were enjoyable for her.

Still, now, she looked forward to throwing herself into her newfound studies.

To try and learn inscriptions without a teacher would be similar to trying to find a way out of a vast, endless forest without a single guidepost. Her journey would be much harder than if she had accompaniment.

But she had done the same for blacksmithing. She trusted her judgement, knowledge and experience to give this new skill, a good go.

Inscriptions were incredibly powerful. Or at least, they could be.

For example, the Legend of the Twin Dragons was an ancient inscriptionist tale. The story wasn't particularly well-known, but naturally as someone that had been interested in inscriptions for such a long time, she kept an ear out for bits of interesting info about them subconsciously.

The legend entailed a powerful warrior, rising up from having a ruined dantian and abolished cultivation due to his enemies, and wielding an ancient sword layered with undecipherable symbols that allowed him to control two elemental dragons of fire and water to exterminate his enemies.

It was an incredible tale, which clearly showcased the true power an inscriptionist could reach. Someone absolutely powerless could become someone utterly unstoppable.

Mao Shuhai could see that it would fuel the ambitions and motivation of younger disciples. But to actually reach such an extent was naturally not at all easy. She sometimes wondered if it was perhaps overly exaggerated.

Good inscriptionists that she had heard of were naturally powerful and highly sought after for their works, but were nowhere near close to such an extent of overwhelming power.

Mao Shuhai sighed softly, legends were legends afterall.

Still, having such thoughts did not deter her motivation. If it had, she would've stopped thinking about becoming an inscriptionist long ago.

Quickly, she entered a hyper-focused state and poured all her attention into her book. She only faintly remembered the fact that she had dismissed Yue to go out and play, well, since Yue refused to accept those words she told her to 'familiarize herself with the landscape for the future'.

Mao Shuhai was roughly familiar with the basics of inscriptions, but that did not mean she spent any less time reading through the tattered and delicate guidebook.

The first step on her journey was to study and eventually memorize by heart the hundred and thirty-eight core symbols.

These core/basic symbols each had simple effects, yet had specific brush stroke orders/patterns, different forces and orders to consider and specific compatible materials for their spiritual ink. From this knowledge alone, one could see how demanding of a subject this was.

Core symbols are fundamental and form the basis of a lot of inscriptions. But this was not all. If one only knew and utilized core symbols in their inscriptions, they would not make it very far. But at the same time, if one did not know all the core symbols like the back of their hand, they would not make it anywhere at all.

There were actually hundreds of different symbols out there with different patterns, properties, effects.

Inscriptions were formed by layering the different known symbols in certain patterns, adjusting the forces behind each brush stroke and altering the ink's material. Many inscriptionists enjoyed forming their own original inscriptions.

Even if a fellow inscriptionist watched the whole process, they would find it difficult to decipher and discern exactly what they did to create it. Hence why even learning from others could be very difficult.

Once the inscription was embedded, the final process of creating an inscription which involved permanently etching the inscription into the item/weapon, it became virtually impossible to ever try to decipher.

Henceforth, the main process as a whole, was concoct spiritual ink, layer symbols and then embed the inscription.

One's first inscription was usually just a single symbol, that would not have much of an effect.

Since Mao Shuhai would also be busy with other things and tasks, she chose to limit herself to learning one core symbol a day for now, if even that was possible. And after that, she would spend time learning to recall them from heart and memory, without looking at the book. This ragged book of core symbols and inscriptions was all she had afterall, she would master them as best she could.

Hopefully, at least.

She would give herself five years to try. If there seemed to be no hope down this path for her, she would naturally give up and stop wasting her time.

The symbol she chose to learn first was the earth core symbol, due to it appearing the simplest. It had fewer strokes than the others and had less details and properties to take note of.

One must have a firm hand when painting this symbol and use solid, undaunting strokes. Mellowing orchids are recommended as an ingredient in its spiritual ink, due to its smooth, earthly qi. The core symbol for air often clashes with this symbol's nature.

There was a step-by-step guide on which order to complete the strokes in, and things to take note of when drawing each stroke. Mao Shuhai chose to practice using normal ink and paper first, before moving on to making a simplistic spiritual ink and embedding it on something.

The amount of reading and care she took between each stroke was taxing on the mind, but she finally practiced enough that the symbol looked decent and firm.

She didn't know what a mellowing orchid was, hence she quickly visited Mao Qing's study and borrowed a plant compedium. It was a rare flower, something she didn't want to spend her efforts on retrieving at the moment, so she chose to look for alternatives.

Although inscriptions were an incredibly daunting and precise skill to nurture, it was also filled with flexibility and creativity. Hence why there were thousands of original inscriptions out there that changed on the daily.

One couldn't just have the mind to study to learn inscriptions, one must have designs and ideas of their own to succeed and do well. It can be difficult to hone a mind that was precise and methodical, yet creative and flexible at the same time.

As Mao Shuhai was pondering, Yue suddenly appeared by her side with orchids in her mouth.

"Mistress, you were muttering about orchids earlier so I went and got you some that looked similar to the flower you were looking at in the book. I couldn't get the exact same though. If they aren't useful, at least they're pretty to look at."

She spoke calmly, as she always did with her fluffy little tail swaying contently behind her.

Mao Shuhai had faintly noticed when Yue entered her room earlier but she thought she simply wanted to take a break before wandering about again.

"Yue, you are the best."

She spoke softly as she looked at the small array of orchid-like flowers in front of her.

"No, you are, miss. You avenged my brother for me."

Yue spoke matter-of-factly, amusing Mao Shuhai who chuckled and stroked her fur affectionately.

Some of the flowers were common white orchids, and some were different white flowers entirely but Mao Shuhai was touched and grateful, hence she flipped through the plant compedium to identify each species.

One such flower seemed particularly suitable for her needs today. The White Toad Lily.

It was a flower attuned to both earth and water with slight yellow in its center. Its affinity for water would make it a bit easier for her to turn it into a smooth spiritual ink as well.

Hence, she began concocting her first spiritual ink. She didn't need too much, hence the White Toad Lily was the only main ingredient. She steeped the flower in water and rose the heat of the flame beneath it.

Bone dust from cooking earlier was sprinkled lightly into the mixture, purely to give the ink some more firmness.

Then, she poured her spiritual qi into the concoction at a steady rate, which was relatively easy for her to do from her blacksmithing experience.

Before too long, a dark-golden spiritual ink had formed, tempered by heat and qi. Naturally, it had its flaws, but it would certainly do for a first attempt.

Mao Shuhai swiftly brought out two simple ungraded knives from her spiritual space. She was a blacksmith, and enjoyed keeping her works with her for fear of theft. Of course, she didn't have them all, just the more presentable ones from her past.

And now, she would use them for practice.

Calmly, with a clear mind, Mao Shuhai wrote the core symbol for earth exactly as she had done before. Firm and undaunting. Like an immovable boulder facing off against a stampede. She tried her best to showcase such sentiments in her inscription.

Finally it was time for embedding. The method used for this is altered based on the inscription's complexity and number of layers. But since she was only using a single symbol at the moment, it was relatively straight forward.

She used the tendrils of her amber spiritual qi to lift the inscription written on paper into the air. It reacted favourably to her own qi, since the ink was tempered and created by it.

Still, she was a little unsteady since it was her first time. She found it a little unclear on how to manipulate the inscription onto the core of her weapon, but after sweating for a little bit due to the constant expenditure of qi, she embedded it successfully.

It was wonky and messy, but Mao Shuhai was thrilled. The golden glow of the inscription gradually faded, and became embedded marks onto the dagger.

She was sure she would look back on this moment in the future and laugh at what a terrible first attempt this was, but for now she was all smiles as she played with the dagger.

She could feel it. It was heavier and had hints of spiritual qi flowing through it. It was not a very noticeable change, and most likely only made the dagger a bit sturdier than most, but this was a sign of success. And that in itself, was great.

Fortunately, she had two identical daggers, so she could easily compare the one with the inscription to the one without.

Yue returned from one of her outings at this time, only to be enveloped in a gentle hug of excitement as Mao Shuhai jabbered on to Yue about what she had achieved.

Just like earlier with the blacksmithing, Yue wasn't very clear on what her mistress was doing, but excitement was contagious, especially between two usually calm and collected souls such as these two.

Yue was all smiles as she listened patiently, faintly recalling past times like these with her younger brother, where he would excitedly gossip about the spirit beasts he had seen that day or what he had hunted.

Times had changed, but it seemed some things still remained the same.

Whilst holding Yue, Mao Shuhai looked down at her right calf, having felt a slight jolt of pain, and checked on the burn wound that had healed well enough over the last two days. It still stung a little, but she didn't feel the need to waste anymore medicine on it.

Elixirs and pills were precious, especially more so in an environment like this, and she would have to ration them over five years. If anything, she felt a bit of regret having used some of the burn-relievers already.

After lightly brushing Yue's delicate wings, Mao Shuhai finally put down Yue as her eyes wandered to the sky outside. It was getting a little late, and she hadn't even looked at the Spirit Masking Guide, but she felt that was fine for the minute.

Spirit Masking was certainly not as much of an ordeal as learning inscriptions, as it was a relatively well-known spirit alteration technique.

Comparing the amount of people that knew how to mask their spirit to those who knew inscriptions was laughable.

It was true that spirit masking had great depths, and a master of it was incomparable to someone who only knew the basics. But it was not something she felt the need to pour all her heart and effort into over these next few years.

She would definitely learn and honour Xu Tao's gift to her, but it was not the highest priority, at least at the minute.

Perhaps sometime in these next few years she'd go on a spirit mask learning spree.

Time had yet to tell.

Sometimes Mao Shuhai felt that five years was too short, but at the same time it seemed too long.

Things would get difficult for her soon, with the stronger, more intelligent spirit beasts returning from their flee. She was not at the luxury to have so many idle thoughts, she had to become more powerful and be more cautious.

She had grown lax over the last few days, with so many things turning out well for her recently.

Smiling to herself softly and thoughtfully, she and Yue headed out to have their meal.

And in the blink of an eye, five long years had passed.

 

---

Author's Note:

I typed Shao Muhai instead of Mao Shuhai whilst writing this. It was great.

Also, I'm finally done with what I've always thought of as a prologue to the actual story haha.