「Zhong Cheng」

Xu Mingyun, after a month of living within the Juanlian Courtyard, finally became accustomed to the luxurious and pampered life of a rich young master.

On her first day of her arrival in the courtyard though, the maidservants sent to take care of her nearly died from mirth upon finding out that the 'young master' they were supposed to serve turned out to be a young miss.

They inwardly ridicule their Lord's presumption towards the gender of their young miss. Although they really couldn't blame him. After all, their Mistress did name the Young Miss with such a misleading name ah.

But would it hurt their Lord if he really check the Young Miss' gender? And surely, the young miss had told him of her own gender?

When questioned by a curious young maid, the little ten year old child shrugs before answering impassively. "I didn't have the time to correct him. After he told me that I will be his disciple, he ordered me to eat and when I finished eating… He left."

The maids, "…" Then M'Lord, don't blame these servants for not telling you the real gender of the Young Miss then.

On the first week, Xu Mingyun barely sees the shadow of her Master. The only time Zhong Cheng was ever mentioned was when the maidservants would hand her a vial of glowing lavender liquid. They insist that it was a potion that would help purge the poison within the young girl.

The ten year old child emotionlessly took the potion from the hands of the maid and then, without hesitation, drank it in straight from the vials.

The shadow guards and servants watching, "…" They really have to kneel in front of this young child! To be able to stomach such foul tasting potion like that while remaining calm and conscious from the lingering after taste… They really worship her!

On the tenth day since her arrival, Zhong Cheng finally showed up in front of the child. He looks at the child standing before him, closely scrutinizing the little one and comparing his current appearance to when he first met him. His lips quirk up into a slight smile, delighted at the improvement he saw, causing those who saw it to quiver from fright.

So scary! While smiling, he's still so fierce!

"Yinhu." He suddenly calls out, and the youth beside him placed the things he had been carrying on the table with a polite bow towards Xu Mingyun.

"I will be teaching you how to read and write." Zhong Cheng glances down to the paper and brush on the table before he looks at the little boy sitting before him.

"Yinying had informed me that you know some words." He furrows his brows upon seeing the child's emotionless eyes to flicker with an emotion that he couldn't quite catch with how quickly it showed up.

"…Can you write it for me?" Zhong Cheng ends up asking awkwardly. The good-looking youth behind him bows his head, hiding the smile that appeared on his face upon seeing his Liege acting like this.

"Okay." Xu Mingyun faintly answers her Master, nodding her head obediently.

And so, her days pass on like that. On the morning, her Master would let her do as she pleases before he would call her over to his study to teach her how to read and write. Sometimes, instead of reading and writing, Zhong Cheng would take her outside and teach her about the strange plants near the peach blossom tree.

Before she knew it, it had already been a month since she was taken in by Zhong Cheng. Within that month, her literacy improved through leaps and bounds; amazing Zhong Cheng and servants. As expected of her offspring, it really proves the saying of the ancients that the fruit of a tree falls to its root.

"I will be away for a few days," Zhong Cheng suddenly speaks up, startling the little girl causing her hand to jerk, causing a large streak of black to appear on the white paper.

Xu Mingyun's eyes flashed with annoyance and the man hid the smirk on his lips by taking a sip from the cup within his grasp. Hm, after a month of spending time with this emotionless child, he finally managed to see a little bit of this child's emotions and feelings.

"Yinying will overlook your progress in your studies." He continues on and seeing the child nod his head, he smiles a little before patting the little one's head.

"Be good. Master will bring some things for you." Zhong Cheng promises the little one.

Xu Mingyun perks up upon hearing that her Master would bring her gifts when he returned. Her cold eyes warms a little. "Okay. Please be careful, Master." She says.

Zhong Cheng nods his head. His eyes softens a little.

﹊﹊﹊

After that talk, her Master quietly left the manor the next day. Yinying, a fourteen year old maidservant temporarily took charge over Xu Mingyun's education. The young girl, under the pressure of her family's Young Miss' cute and wide eyes, agrees to let the child play once she's done with her lessons.

On the fifth day of her Master's absence, Xu Mingyun finally felt bored. Staying inside her room like this, she wonders if she would one day turn insane from boredom. And so, the little indifferent girl finally decided to explore her room.

From the gossips of the servants whenever they thought that she wasn't listening, Xu Mingyun found out that this used to be called Youshen Courtyard. And, there used to be a beauty living here before. Unfortunately, when that beauty passed away the courtyard was renamed Juanlian. A name that speaks of her Master's longing towards that beauty.

"That lady should have left something here," She murmurs to herself, her eyes sparkles a little in mischief. "This used to be her sleeping quarters after all."

Thinking of mischievous thought, Xu Mingyun looks through every hiding place could think of with a rarely seen childishness and cheer. Her golden eyes sparkling with barely hidden enjoyment.

The hidden guards keeping watch of the young child, "…" To think that they get to witness their steady and mature young master acting so childish~!

However, upon finding nothing from those hiding place, Xu Mingyun frowns in disappointment. There's really nothing? Not even some love letters her Master and this lady exchanged with one another? She looks away from the closet and from the corner of her eyes, she caught sight of the large sparkling mirror.

It didn't look like it can hide anything. However, something within the young child urged her to look at the back of it. Furrowing her brows, Xu Mingyun walks to the mirror with a stool on hand.

Placing the stool on the floor, she climbs up on it. Then, with her small hands, took of the hanging mirror from the wall. Gently placing it on the ground, the little girl peers curiously at the blank wall. Her eyes twitch in annoyance. Tsk! Another failure.

Reaching out touch the wall, her palm came into contact with an inconspicuously placed needle on the wall. Xu Mingyun jerk her hands backwards from pain. She lets out a soft hiss, however, the pain was quickly forgotten from the startling sight before her.

The serene crème colored walls suddenly melts before the eyes of the little girl revealing a small hidden compartment. Xu Mingyun's eyes lit up in glee upon the sight of neatly stacked books on the compartment.

What caught her attention, however, is the lone book placed at the side. A tattered and worn brown book made from animal skin, with no title nor words on the cover with its pages yellow and faded with age.

Xu Mingyun, full of curiosity, opened the book and started reading its content.

In the future, recalling this scene, Xu Mingyun would always think that it would have been a blessing if she hadn't found that book at all.

﹊﹊﹊

『Little Black Box』

This child is so much like his mother that he reminds me of the time when she was still here.

That promise that you made me swear, I would never forget it. Those eyes of your child, it will always remind me of my promise to you.

So, please be rest assured. I will protect and take care of him.

-Zhong Cheng