Blindness

Xiaoling sat up slowly, "Weisheng?" 

Weisheng, who almost dozed off, shook his head to awaken himself. 

"Yes, Master?" He replied right away, "How are you feeling now?" 

"I'm fine now," Xiaoling said, "Help me get out of bed." 

Weisheng immediately grabbed her arm and helped her up. Xiaoling gestured to the right, so Weisheng guided her toward the right side. 

"Can you see my cupboards?" Xiaoling asked. 

"Yes," Weisheng nodded. 

"Pull out a hanfu then." 

Weisheng cleared his throat, letting go of her arm to open her cupboard. He kept one eye closed from the embarrassment of peeking inside a lady's closet. All her hanfu were hung individually. She had other kinds of clothing too, which surprised Weisheng. He quickly pulled a hanfu out and closed the cupboard. 

"Here it is," Weisheng held it out before her. 

Xiaoling ran her hands through the fabric to confirm it, "Keep holding it and turn away," She murmured. 

Weisheng held the hanger out, turning to look away. He could hear Xiaoling slipping her clothes off to change. He closed his eyes, even though he was looking away. He cursed his imagination for trying to make out the panorama just by hearing the sounds. Although he had turned away, he couldn't believe Xiaoling just trusted that he would turn away. 

He felt a tug on the hanger as she pulled an article out, then another until she was done. 

"Let's go to the courtyard," Xiaoling muttered, "We'll train." 

Weisheng looked at her hesitantly, "In your condition, is it okay for us to train?" He asked. 

"What's wrong with me?" Xiaoling asked sarcastically while tightening the blindfold on her eyes, "If we wait any longer, the Cursed Eye will resurface. It only took away my sight for now. You have to learn how to suppress it. We can't waste any time." 

Weisheng's eyes widened, "You lost your sight because of me?" 

All this time, he thought she lost her sight because of her Godmother. 

"Of course," Xiaoling muttered, "I told you my Internal Energy isn't enough to suppress something as great as the Cursed Eye." She added casually, "Now, stop talking and take me to the courtyard," She frowned, putting her arm out before him. 

Weisheng panicked and knelt. She heard something dropping to the ground, so she confusedly waited for an elaboration. 

"If suppressing this is so dangerous," Weisheng murmured under his breath, "Let it be. Why do you sign up for such a risky job?" 

"Stupid question," Xiaoling sneered, "I get paid for this." 

"There are other ways to earn too!" Weisheng complained. 

"Your point?" Xiaoling frowned, "What are you trying to get at?" 

Weisheng gulped, "I don't want you to be involved with me if I'm so dangerous…" He truthfully told her, "If your Godmother said all that about me, there has to be a reason behind it. Master… I'll give you money to resign, I promise." 

Xiaoling crossed her arms, "Are you worried because I'm blind?" She asked as she scoffed, "You think your little curse will slowly deafen and mute me, too?" 

Weisheng gulped, looking down with mixed feelings. He wasn't sure why he wanted Xiaoling out of this. However, he knew it wasn't right. 

"Master," Weisheng called her, "My only goal in this life is to solve my dad's case," He told her, "I became a Prosecutor just to attain that. I don't care if I live a terrible life or die a terrible death because of the curse as long as I solve that case. So, you don't need to involve yourself-" 

"Yuan Weisheng," Xiaoling sighed, "If you think you can handle dealing with evil spirits without me, then get out of my residence this instant." She scornfully said, "Don't talk big without knowing your worth." 

Weisheng clenched his fist. He didn't know where to take this conversation. He was lost and fog-brained. Nothing felt right. 

Xiaoling slowly knelt to face him, her face just an inch apart from his as she couldn't see where he was. 

"My eyesight will come back once my Internal Energy is stable," Xiaoling assured him, "Don't worry. I won't let you hurt me. So," She added while standing, "Shut up and take me to the courtyard. Stop double-guessing everything. When I'm with you, what's there to be afraid of?" 

Weisheng's eyes widened. He took deep breaths to throw his worries away. He wasn't completely content with the situation, but he trusted Xiaoling. He stood up and grabbed her arm, taking her to the courtyard. He wondered if Ru would get mad at him for letting Xiaoling roam around. Ru had still not returned. 

"Take us to the pavilion," Xiaoling instructed when she felt her shoe touching the grass, meaning they were in the courtyard. 

Weisheng walked her to the seating area, pulled a chair out for her, and helped her sit properly. The pavilion looked like an outdoor study. The table had four chairs to it. After making sure Xiaoling was comfortable, Weisheng took the seat in front of her. 

"We're not going to do anything fancy," Xiaoling told him, "Because I can't see. I'm just going to give you an outlook on the after-realm, explain some terms to you, and help you understand the Cursed Eye. This is our first and proper step." 

Weisheng nodded in relief. Knowing that Xiaoling wasn't going to physically exert herself made him feel at ease. 

"Yes, Master," Weisheng said, "I'm ready to learn." 

Xiaoling smiled, "There should be a wooden box on the table. Open it. I arranged scrolls and texts for you to study." She gestured to the table. 

Weisheng looked to the left, finding a wooden box prepared just for him. He opened the wooden box and pulled the pile of texts and scrolls out. Although he was determined, there was too much to go through. 

"I have to read all of this…?" Weisheng asked hesitantly. 

"What?" Xiaoling scoffed, "I thought you went to Law School, Mr. Prosecutor." 

Weisheng nervously chuckled, looking at the huge pile of notes. Law School was much better!