4. When Life Dumps You Crap

She walked outside and saw Mr. M. coming towards her with a big smile on his face. He hummed a tune loudly, and his good mood rubbed off on Mai as she approached him with a smile.

"Master, welcome home. Have you happened to visit The Blooming Flower?" 

He gave her a gleeful smile and replied, "I have secured your future. The boy you once used Cupid Call on. His father is a minister and can find a good place for you."

Mai felt a stabbing pain in her heart and held her chest.

She furrowed her brows and asked, "Master, what are you talking about? I thought I was supposed to live here with you for the rest of my life."

As she would have it just fine. She was tired of all the problems piling up like parasites.

Mr. M. made eye contact with her and furrowed his brows. "What are you talking about? Your future is not here. That's not something I can offer you. You can't end up like a bum like me."

Mai got angry and shouted, "You're not a bum. If you were, I would have left long ago. You took me in as your own even though we were strangers, and you asked no questions and helped me. There's no one in the world who has shown me so much kindness."

She was overwhelmed with emotions, and tears broke out. She sniffled, quickly wiped her eyes, and looked at the ground in embarrassment.

Mai had always been sensitive, and it was really hard to play tough.

"Tian, we can't be together forever. I'm old and not getting any younger." said Mr. M. in a sorrowful voice and sighed deeply.

He reached out his right hand towards her and wiped away her tears, but it only made it worse for Mai. She felt the tears welling up like a waterfall and couldn't stop them. She sobbed loudly, sniffled, tasted snot, and swallowed something sour.

"Master, you're not old. You're still only middle-aged."

"I may look young to you, but I've lived longer than I should have. It's time for us to part ways, but not yet. I still have some years left, and I haven't taught you everything yet, so don't cry, little Tian." Mr. M. smiled kindly at her, and his wrinkles disappeared from his face.

He shone like the sun for Mai, and she was completely captivated. She sniffled again and stopped crying, nodding. They still had some years together. He couldn't take back his words now. She became happy, smiled, and wiped away her tears. They didn't taste salty anymore but sweet.

"Come on, let's..." But suddenly Mr. M. stopped talking.

He turned around, and they saw a huge army riding up the mountain towards them. It was something Mai had only seen in movies. She wondered what they were doing here and furrowed her brows.

The army rode on sleek black horses, groomed beautifully, snorting loudly as they carried the men dressed in black leather armor. They wore black helmets adorned with black feathers and had tight faces as if they were angry about something. The front men carried red flags with a logo of a golden Chinese dragon with a snake-like body and an open mouth. It looked like the same dragon Mai had seen on the boy's clothes from The Blooming Flower. 

In the middle rode a middle-aged man with a tight face as if he hated his job. There was a large dark scar by his right eye, and his skin was dark and dry, peeling in some places.

Mr. M. stood in front of Mai and said in a low voice, "Keep a low profile no matter what happens. Promise me."

"Master..." Mai was overwhelmed with emotions again and didn't know what to do or say, so she just nodded. She was only confused while a question raced in her head.

Why are they coming here? 

Master said there was a barrier here.

The army arrived at the temple and stopped a bit before the courtyard, dismounting from their horses symmetrically. Their swords clanged at their hips, and Mai felt intimidated being surrounded by so many men at once. She looked up at her master who seemed unaffected by the situation.

The middle-aged man, General Wu Tianpeng, looked at Mr. M. and then turned his head to the right, catching sight of Mai. He furrowed his brows, and a look of outrage spread across his face.

"I can see you've been busy, Brother." His voice was deep and resonant.

Mr. M. formed a fist in salute and bowed. "Greetings, General Wu Tianpeng. What brings you here?"

General Wu Tianpeng looked at him with a sharp gaze.

"How many times do I have to tell you to only call me Tianpeng?" His voice quivered, and Mai sensed some anger in him.

Mr. M. didn't respond and focused his gaze on General Wu Tianpeng's feet.

"I can see you're still pretending to be a pitiful man. Did you also deceive the boy?" General Wu Tianpeng looked at Mai again, who was incredibly confused.

Deceive me into what? 

Her heart raced loudly, and she held onto her chest.

Mr. M. didn't reply, which escalated General Wu Tianpeng's anger.

"Bring out the decree." he said in a cold voice.

A soldier walked over to him and unrolled a golden scroll, reading from it.

"Wang Tao, You are hereby arrested for the crime of genocide and other heinous offenses against the realm. The execution will take place at the Eternal Peak in accordance with the decree of His Majesty."

Mai's heart skipped a beat, and all her alarm bells rang.

What the hell!!! 

She hugged Mr. M. tightly and said in a low voice, "Master, you can't leave me. You promised we would be together for a few more years."

She didn't care about his past.

The past was the past, and she lived in the present.

Tears broke out, and her heart ached. She sniffled softly, tasting salty tears as her nose ran.

This isn't fair. Not again!

"Little Luo Tian, don't cry. Be strong, unlike me." said Mr. M. in a gentle voice, patting Mai on her right shoulder, indicating she should let go.

She let go while her hands shook, suddenly finding it hard to breathe.

Mr. M. walked over to General Wu Tianpeng and turned to Mai.

He knelt and smiled kindly at her. "Don't cry. I'm not worth your tears, little Luo Tian. Live the life you didn't get to. Remember, with power comes responsibility."

Suddenly, it became blurry for Mai, and tears poured out. She hurt all over, and her legs felt tender.

"Master, why aren't you using your powers?" she sniffled and sobbed softly.

"What powers? I'm just a human." replied Mr. M., holding his hands behind his neck, and clenching his fists.

General Wu Tianpeng drew his sword, and with a swift motion, he aimed at Mr. M.'s neck, murmuring some unknown words. The sharp blade hit the neck, slicing it neatly, and the head rolled towards Mai.

A pair of eyes stared up at her.

They blinked and closed with a smile on the lips.

The body fell lifelessly on the grass, blood gushing from the neck. A strong smell of blood spread, and Mai breathed it in, feeling nauseous. Her stomach tightened, and she wrinkled her nose. She covered her mouth and coughed. Her legs trembled, and she lost her balance. She crawled towards the head and touched the face so she could remember it one last time.

"Master, you promised..."

She let out all her emotions and cried loudly.

She was tired.

She just wanted to live a completely normal life.

But it seemed like fate wouldn't allow it.

Her head was empty, and she sniffled, staring at the face.

He looks like he's peacefully sleeping with that smile.

"General, what do we do with the boy?" asked the soldier with the decree, looking at Mai.

General Wu Tianpeng looked at her and furrowed his brows. "He belongs to Wang Tao, so dispose of him." he said, shaking the blood off his sword and wiping it with a white cloth.

He waved his right hand and turned around walking towards his horse.

A soldier approached Mai drawing his sword and when Mai heard the blade scraping against the grass, she looked up at him. Anger was already bubbling inside her, and she didn't need any more idiots.

They had invaded a sacred ground.

This is Master's temple!

She stood up and positioned herself in front of Mr. M.'s head. She stretched out her arms and gave the soldier a sharp look.

"Little friend, it's not your fault, but unfortunately, you're complicit." said the soldier, lifting his sword over her.

Mai narrowed her eyes, and slowly she moved her left foot back, sliding lightly on the grass, but it was enough for General Wu Tianpeng to hear it. He slowly turned his head and looked at her.

Mai had learned to defend herself but had never used it against anyone, and she didn't know if it would work. The man was two meters tall, and with a quick movement, he swung down towards her neck. She quickly pulled her right arm back and pivoted her hips. With a swift motion, she pushed her arm forward and struck her palm hard on the man's left chest. He was pushed back and dropped his sword. He coughed, holding onto his chest, and spat out blood. But he hadn't lost his balance and still stood firmly on two legs. He wiped his mouth and picked up his sword.

He glared at Mai and said in a cold voice, "You little shit. How dare you!"

He pulled his sword to the right side and ran towards Mai, who positioned herself sideways and prepared herself.

These were just defense exercises, and she had only pushed him lightly, but still, he had been sent flying far back.

Her heart pounded in excitement, and she was glad it had worked.

I can do it again. 

She clenched her right fist and slowly pulled her arm back.

As the soldier approached her, General Wu Tianpeng suddenly shouted, "Stop! Bring him with us!"

The soldier stopped, panting, and looked at him. "General, he has attacked an imperial soldier."

"Whether he had attacked your mother, I couldn't care less. I don't need to repeat myself. Bring him with us!" said General Wu Tianpeng in a cold, quivering voice.

The soldier gritted his teeth and glared at Mai, who glared back. He adjusted his gear and reached out for her, but she struck hard, but suddenly she hit something hard and felt pain in her fist. Startled, she backed out and saw General Wu Tianpeng standing in front of her.

What the fuck! 

Her heart skipped a beat.

How did he get here so fast? 

"You cheat! This was a fight between him and me. Have you no honor as an imperial soldier?" she shouted, her body trembling.

Who the fuck is he? 

General Wu Tianpeng studied her carefully and nodded. He approached her as she tried to back away, but her legs were shaking too much, and she was frozen in place.

"Stay away from me!" she shouted, lashing out at him.

"Heh. There's spirit in you. That's exactly the kind of energy we need in the army."

Before Mai could react, General Wu Tianpeng grabbed her by the neck and dragged her along the grass towards his horse.

"I won't. Let go of me. You're a bunch of bandits, murderers! You have no morals! Shame on you!" she shouted, refusing to give up.

A black cloth was shoved into her mouth, and she felt ropes being tied around her. She was lifted onto General Wu Tianpeng's horse, and he sat behind her. He lightly pulled on the reins, and the horse let out a loud neigh as it quickly rode off towards the Thousand Blossom City.

"You can take your revenge in the future if you're still interested in my life by then." Said General Wu Tianpeng, and Mai felt chills down her spine.

She turned her head to the left and saw Mr. M.'s head slowly opening its eyes. His mouth suddenly opened.

"Be strong. Be yourself." he said in a gentle voice, and suddenly his head disappeared, resembling golden dust floating up towards the sky.

Mai felt a piercing pain in her heart and couldn't hold back her tears. She sniffled and turned towards the Thousand Blossom City.

Master, I promise not to disappoint you. 

It hurt terribly, and she had a bitter and sour taste in her mouth.

Mai promised herself never to emotionally attach herself to anyone again.

It was better to live alone.

She couldn't bear to lose anyone else.

Her dog from her previous world and now master.

For all these years, she had wondered what had happened to her dog.

Is he in heaven like master?