A Curse

"Speak. What do you want from me?"

XuanRong stared at the woman's eyes.

"Teach me the Art of Gu."

The woman froze. After few seconds, she suddenly laughed sarcastically. Although her laughter was loud, it sounded sad… as if she was laughing towards herself.

Her smile was not a smile. It was painful to see someone laughing when their heart was bleeding. XuanRong averted her gaze. She was very familiar with the woman's expression. It was a mixture of self-ridicule and hatred. XuanRong wanted to comfort the woman but she did not know how.

XuanRong awkwardly stared at the bedpost. She could only close her mouth and wait for the woman to finish. She could not help but inwardly scold herself. If she did not speak those words, maybe, the woman would not be wary of her. Unfortunately, she was a person who does not lie. She really did not save the woman because she was feeling magnanimous. Although she felt pity towards her, she could just leave the woman in the temple to let the monks take care of her, or she could send the woman to the town's hospital, but she did not do those things and decided to bring her inside the manor.

She was not the goddess of mercy, she was not Guanyin [1]. Her heart that was filled with hatred and revenge could not accommodate anything else. She brought the woman because she wanted something from her.

"HAHAHA---ha…."

Few minutes later, the woman finally stopped laughing but she did not say anything to continue the conversation. XuanRong could only sigh and think of a better topic to start the conversation.

"It seems like you can see. I thought you were blind."

XuanRong was quite confused as to why the woman was able to see when she clearly saw that the woman was blind before she passed out when she was almost got hit by her carriage.

When the woman heard her words, she did not respond to XuanRong, she only painfully smiled once again.

The woman stared at the child in front of her. Honestly speaking, the woman was utterly shocked that a mere ten-year-old child was speaking and acting like an adult. The way XuanRong carried herself in a mature way made the woman admire her more. Although the woman did not show it on her face, she was interested with XuanRong. She knew that XuanRong was not a simple child. A child that could act like this must have experienced something that made her change that way.

"Ha! You said you want to learn the lost Art of Gu. Then tell me, why do you want to learn it?"

The woman studied XuanRong's reaction to her question. She wanted to know why a ten-year-old child would know the Lost art of Gu and how did she able to recognize her as part of the Yue Clan.

XuanRong's eyes sharpened as she unconsciously clenched her hands. Her eyes went vicious when she opened her mouth to respond.

"Why? Because I am weak! So weak that one can just squash me to death without exerting too much effort. The world we live in is very cruel. Family members kill each other, government officials scheme behind each other's back, everyone was cruel to other people except to themselves.

In this world who was full of evil people, who only know how to love themselves, how can one be contented and do nothing? I, XuanRong, am not a coward. Once someone tries to harm me, I would gladly return the debt by a hundred-fold, no more, no less."

The woman was once again impressed by XuanRong's words. Indeed, everyone was like that. No one was an exemption. Thinking of the past, the woman's eyes darkened. If the Yue Clan decided to retaliate instead of shrinking like a turtle, hiding from the society, their situation might have changed. Constant oppression and endless hunting of their clan members made them wary of other people and retreated further inside the darkness, fading away from the society, hiding like a bunch fugitive.

The woman went silent for an entire joss stick of time [2]. When she opened her mouth, she said, "You were right about my eyes. I was indeed blind that time when you found me."

XuanRong was quite baffled. How was it possible to be blind in a minute and then be cured in just a second?

When the woman saw her confused appearance, she smiled. This time, the smile contained relief. Seeing XuanRong looking confused, making her look more like a ten-year-old child, the woman was happy. Deep inside, the woman pitied XuanRong. A child who was acting like an adult would only mean that the child was forced to grow up without any chance to experiencing childhood, stirring the woman's motherly heart.

"Did you really think that the Art of Gu was a blessing? No... It was a curse. For us from the Yue Clan, the Art of Gu was our pride, but at the same time, it was also our black star. People coveted our sacred art, thinking that they would become a powerful person once they learned the Art. And since they wanted it, they could only point spears and swords on our throat."

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"Your Highness! Where have you been? This subordinate has been searching for you."

Yu Fei Yi smiled mischievously. He laughed like a naughty kid who was proud when caught cheating.

"Mu Qing! I was searching for something, so, you were not able to see me."

Hearing XU Fei Yi's words, Mu Qing could only sigh. His Highness, Qin Wangye would sometimes disappear without any traces, making his hear beat anxiously due to fear and anxiety. Although His Highness was not able to fight for the throne because of his mental disability, many people were still trying to harm him. Aside from that, almost everyone in the entire continent know that Qin Wangye was pampered by the Emperor of Qian Zou, thus, those who were harboring ill intentions towards Qian Zou would place their hands on Qin Wangye, thinking that he was an easy target. Since the security around the emperor was always tight, they could not do anything to him. But since he treasured his little brother the most, Killing Qin Wangye would definitely make the emperor cry in grievance.

"Oh? May this subordinate ask what His Highness is looking for?"

Xu Fei Yi giggled. He then beckoned Mu Qing to move closer as he leaned forward to whisper on his ear.

"I was looking for a wife!"

When Mu Qing heard Xu Fei Yi's words, he almost slipped and fell on the ground.

'A-a... W-wife... H-His Highness is looking for a wife! G-good heavens! HAHAHA! His Highness is starting to mature!'

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[1]. "Goddess of Mercy"- Buddhist Bodhisattva associated with compassion and venerated chiefly by followers of Mahayana Buddhist schools.

[2]. Approximately five minutes in modern time

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Edited and Proofread by: Prikkrang and Supremetobs