Memories within (2)

A few months before the tragic end of Li Jiao, her health had been suffering a great decline. Back in the days as a young man, Physician Shen practiced the art of medicine and cultivation, intertwining the two together, with time he grew in fame as the top physician in the cultivation world, due to his vast knowledge of medicine. As time went by, he later chose to focus solely on the art of medicine.

To others Li Jiao was a pleasant person to be with, she always had a smile on her face, but none of them knew the deep resentment she harbored within. Envious of those from other cultivation sects who could cultivate, while she couldn't, because of the strain that it would place on her heart.

Whenever her chamber maids left, after they had taken care of her for the night, Li Jiao will bolt the doors to her bedchamber and run into the wash room in her chambers to cough up blood, that had been firmly restrained at the back of her throat. The reason being that, whenever the physician wasn't around, she would cultivate in secret. Knowing that she was the only one from a prominent sect that couldn't even cultivate, nearly drove the young lady close to madness.

Unfortunately, not even the physician was aware of what going on, the effect was like a slow poison eating away at her heart muscles, by the time the effect became more noticeable, it was already too late. Angry at her stubbornness, Physician Shen threatened to inform her father the sect leader.

In response, she promised to take her life if he told her father of the state she was in. Caught between letting the sect leader be aware of his daughter's act of rebellion and forcing the Young Miss Li to take her life. Reluctantly, Physician Shen chose to hide the secret from Li Guoliang.

On that fateful day, Li Jiao never knew she was going to die, her heart muscles had become paper thin, while splashing around in the stream with the maids also playing along, it happened just like that, in a blink of an eye, her dark eyes almost shot of their sockets. Feeling a painful squeeze from her heart, she could feel the metallic taste of blood at the back of her throat, having been so used to keeping pent up blood, it cut off the little air she had left. Her feet became like jelly, as her knees gave way, falling backwards into the shallow body of water.

Li Jiao heard voices coming from a distant, but she no longer had the energy to move any part of her body, the bubble of air where she laid in the water was swiftly dying out. On that bright day, the hour of death was rapidly approaching.

Her life flashed before her eyes, instant regret crossed her mind, but it was all gone, her spirit leaving her useless body behind, it was brief but she thought she saw a bright light pass by to enter the body she was leaving behind.

One moment she was playfully splashing water around and thinking she still had more time to spend with the people she held dear; and the next she was sucked into a mass of blackness.