14 No Next Time

Guilt and remorse weighed on Yun Da Xia's shoulders; moonlight hugging the high points of her profile as she stood by her bedroom window.

Outside, lanterns were being put to rest; twinkling lights getting lost in the dark. No longer was the air filled with the chatter of life. A calming silence blanketed over the city. Even the night creatures seemed to recognize the solemnity she felt at this time; chirps and croaks absent from the night.

Between her slender fingers was a silver ring. It seemed to be twin to the one she wore on her own hand. A seasoned eye could tell the craftsmanship of the two were excellent, though not from the same maker. Both were far from being simply designed; bold red stones occupied the center while intricate swirls and loops were carved to frame it. In some way, she had always thought that the engravings looked like the tips of a flame—especially when lights hit the red stones and caused them to emit a faint crimson glow.

These rings had been born from this world, as did the foundation behind her skills. What she learned, she learned from master. What master learned, he had learned from here.

Growing under his tutelage, Yun Da Xia understood that master had one trigger: the mention of this world. A mere question of his childhood in this place could cause him to brood in silence for long periods of time. Sometimes, when her curiosity spiked up, she would be ridiculed by him. "If you have the spare time to ask about useless things, then that means you aren't working hard enough."

Although this was the place that allowed him to attain the pinnacles of power; he had chosen to leave. She didn't know why nor did she know how, but she eventually learned not to give voice to any of her inquisitions.

She stared at the ring, turning it in her soft hands. This was the last item master had ever given her; it was his most important item, and now hers.

On the day she had hailed him as her master, her knees bore her weight against the hard ground. She willed to keep her tiny hands steady as to not spill the teacup balanced on her upturned palms. Instead of taking a sip from it, her master had gone down on his knees as well. Sparkling eyes greeted her when she peeked from her bangs to see what he was doing.

"If I am your master, then I also serve you." When his smooth voice entered her ears, it had washed her nerves from this ceremony away. "My goal is to teach you well. So when your day comes, my disciple will not stand inferior to anyone." He took the cup, lowering his head in thanks, and downed it in one go. It wasn't the proper way to drink tea, but it had always been her master's way.

"Here," A small silver ring appeared in his upturned palm. Her eyes had widened at the action then, the younger her incredibly enamored by the small act of magic. The corners of his eyes crinkled with a grin, "This is called an inter-spatial ring. It acts like a never-ending pocket. As long as it recognizes you, you can always use it."

"Hey, it matches yours!" An excited voice giggled, a young Yun Da Xia pointing to the ring on her master's own hand. The old man nodded, "Yes. The centerpiece of my ring and the centerpiece of yours are cut from the same stone." A look of delight flashed over the girl's face. Though it was not dainty or elegant like other women's jewelry, she appreciated its blunt beauty.

She took it with some caution; the tiny band seeming to be a perfect fit for her child-sized fingers. "What happens when I get bigger?"

Master had chuckled, patting her head. "Then it will get bigger too."

She really missed him.

Yun Da Xia heard the hurried fall of a heel from the courtyard outside her room. She quickly kept away her master's ring; relieved despite her remorse that she had achieved her goal for today. Once she got her cultivation back and could finally set the bond between her and her master's things in stone, she would be able to start finding answers.

Her master's parting words nipped at the back of her mind.

She bit the inside of her cheek, sighing in her heart.

If she could use master's name, it might be easier to find his brother. But she knew that above all else, that was the one thing that could never be an option—especially in this world.

She had already revealed more than she could afford to.

Back in the alleyway, her heart had skipped a beat when she saw Yun Yong begin to stagger. Though the cut was slight, her blade had undoubtedly made contact with the man. He was already showing signs of losing feeling in his limbs; his complexion turning paler. Yun Da Xia had created that poison with her own hands. Although it wouldn't kill, it would cripple the other person's physical and mental abilities. She knew its potency and how quick it was to act. The longer the toxin resided in the body, greater was the likelihood of its effects being irreversible.

She knew the cure; of course she did. The earlier the cure was administered, the better the chances of halting the poison and lessening the damage that had already been inflicted. Although a few of the herbs she had could only be substitutes to the original recipe, it still would be effective by just enough.

The problem was: Yun Da Xia held reservations on whether giving him the antidote was a good idea.

The original Yun Da Xia was a renowned talent in the four arts. Medicine could have never been a part of her studies. If she saved him now instead of calling for an accredited physician, wouldn't that be implicating herself?

At the sound of Yun Yong's pained groan, she made up her mind with a sigh. Stupid. She was stupid.

Some of the herbs she had bought for herself were hastily shoved into the man's mouth. With time, he could finally stand steady with barely a sign of sweat on his face. Though the look in his eyes then was a little softer than it was before, there was still something peculiar about his gaze.

He hadn't mentioned anything awhile ago. She didn't know what the implications of that meant.

A light succession of knocks sounded from her door; breaking her from the memory. Knowing who it would be, Yun Da Xia was about to call out for the other to come in when a figure just entered without consent. In a split second, the girl was engulfed in the arms of a woman. Although she had seemed placated when they parted, Shen Huiqing was shaking now.

"Oh, Xia'er… you have no idea. No idea how scared I was." She kept mumbling into the young girl's hair, holding her close.

"I'm sorry, mother." Her low voice whispered against the other's punishing hug. She tried to comfort the other to little avail.

Shame bubbled within Yun Da Xia's chest as she listened to the soft laments of her mother.

Her mother. She didn't know when she started to acknowledge this family as hers. Stupid again. It felt right, but she knew it wasn't.

Her ignorance today had paid a heavy price; things wouldn't have escalated too far if not for her mistake at the Wolfsbane Pavilion. Her knowledge of this world prior to her transmigration was only of its cultivation and medicine. There would be an unending number of occurrences similar to today if she still wasn't aware of its peculiarities and norms.

She gently pulled her mother's arms off of her.

"Mother," Yun Da Xia began. "You were at the Empresses' palace today, right?"

Shen Huiqing nodded her head, "Yes. You know it isn't an invitation I could turn down. I'm sorry, I hope you understand why I couldn't take care of you." Shen Huiqing grasped her daughter's hands in her own; referring the sickness Yun Da Xia had used as an excuse.

"It's alright. I got better almost instantly." With a slight movement, the girl rested her thumb against the other's wrist. The slight abnormality in the beat underneath only reinforced what she already knew.

The muscles by her jaw and brows tightened slightly in displeasure; the action minute and almost imperceivable.

It wasn't only the cultivation world she needed to learn how to navigate, but the political one too.