Story 5 – A Sharp Inheritance (1/3)

Every little thing ached. My head. My palms. My again. Was {that a} rock digging into my kidney?

I ought to stand up, however I did not need to transfer. Invisible weights pressed my physique down into the chilly stone ground.

However worse than my immobility was the burden that crushed down on my thoughts, whispering darkish ideas.

They known as in candy voices, ‘Hey, you, why don’t you simply return to sleep? Wouldn’t that be enjoyable?’ or the extra insidious, ‘Beginning the day is simply too arduous, mendacity nonetheless is less complicated and extra enjoyable!’

Why even attempt to do something? That was a lot work! Particularly after I might do nothing.

However there was a thought tickling the again of my thoughts.

Fairy Lin. Was she okay?

I had skilled that new sensation of sword Qi extending out from my blade. This time it felt proper. What I’d been lacking all these different occasions… I lastly understood. After which Senior Justice Reaching Divine Blade’s assault landed too arduous. I flew backward. Every little thing blurred.

Every little thing besides the priority on Fairy Lin’s face…

My martial sister did not all the time present it, however she nervous about me.

Me and all the things.

Once I first noticed her earlier than she remembered her previous life, she’d been the village’s woman who wasn’t all there. However the folks there did not pay her antics any thoughts. And there have been loads of worse-looking kids who did far stranger issues.

Then, at my darkest second, she walked into my dreary life like a storm of loopy. And she or he wanted me simply as a lot as I wanted her.

Not within the massive methods. However — as I later realized — the little essential methods. The ways in which mattered however no one considered or in the event that they did, they did not suppose a lot of them.

These little issues made life value residing.

Simply this morning, I’d snuck out early — once more — to maneuver the formation flags again to their unique positions. This was to cover her spectacular expertise from these cultivators. I had a nasty feeling about them.

There was additionally the time simply after we’d woken up and altered to contemporary garments, I’d seen that her belt was askew.

She had been mumbling one thing about beating somebody up and hadn’t been paying consideration. With a sigh and a fast tug, I fastened it for her.

I’d thought that she hadn’t seen, however she quickly seemed me proper within the eye and — with a smile — mentioned I did an excellent job.

That was the factor with Fairy Lin. She all the time had one thing misplaced.

It wasn’t that she did not care about her look. As a result of she did. It was extra that her thoughts labored in a different way.

She was usually targeted on ideas I could not even comprehend given 100 years. After which, she’d transfer on to one thing else totally earlier than going again to the unique subject. And if that wasn’t unusual sufficient, she’d join the 2 in unimaginable methods.

Or at the very least that was what it appeared like after I requested her about what she was pondering in the future. I rapidly discovered not to do this.

However this additionally defined why she was all the time so… distracted. And her being distracted led to her not seeing issues. Usually these issues have been apparent to me. Like a leaf in her hair, or a droopy hairpin.

She was very attentive, however when she grew to become targeted on her ideas and zoned out — or grew to become hyper targeted on one factor — she might miss issues.

As an example, once we’d gone purchasing in Golden Side Metropolis…

***

I trudged alongside behind her, waving a fan to maintain myself cool within the scorching noon solar.

Her eyes targeted on an inkstone and brush set resting on a service provider’s fabric. She advised me she completely needed to have these. At any price.

There had been a crew of pickpockets working the close by streets, stealing small baggage and spatial rings.

As a result of she’d taught me to look out for uncommon happenings, I’d turn into conscious of them once they moved onto our avenue.

However she hadn’t.

Not as a result of she couldn’t, however as a result of she was too targeted on one thing else on the time. One thing essential. And if it was this essential then it most likely needed to do with our survival.

So I needed to step up.

A skinny man walked in direction of us. I’d seen him earlier as he grabbed a thick spatial bag off an unsuspecting sufferer. He was about to pretend a visit proper subsequent to Fairy Lin who was targeted on bartering with the service provider.

I fashioned a seal and used a way to create a non secular hand. It steadied the person, stopping his pretend fall, and moved him alongside.

He didn’t hassle wanting again and ran away as if I’d chased after him.

***

I wished to maintain serving to her like that… as a result of it made me glad.

The burden urgent down on my thoughts vanished.

However stress nonetheless pressured my physique to remain nonetheless. Since that was the case…

I attempted to entry my house, however not take something from it. Good. I might! I might step into it if I wished to. However I presently wasn’t in peril and Rule Two was: Preserve the Area Hidden. Preserve Myself Protected.

It was an essential rule.

As soon as I requested her why we couldn’t simply faux to take the gadgets in my house out from my bag.

***

“Most cultivators wouldn’t discover. However we’re not hiding from most cultivators.” She grinned at me, a touch of viciousness confirmed in the best way she lifted her lips to indicate enamel. “We’re hiding from monsters within the Immortal Bone Creation or increased. They may rip out our souls, crush our our bodies then take your house earlier than we even knew what hit us. Then they’d kill everybody within the space simply to cover their tracks. Individuals like that wouldn’t even hassle asking us ants to provide your house to them first.”

She leaned in as if telling me a darkish secret.

“And what’s even scarier… cultivators of that stage would divine it from hundreds of li away. We’d haven’t any method of figuring out that we’d stepped into their divine sense vary… So we’ve got to take correct precautions. And since all it takes is a bit of obfuscation array, why not be protected moderately than lifeless?”

***

After that, I did as she really useful.

I didn’t know if I used to be alone right here, however I couldn’t take the possibility that I wasn’t.

Wait a second. I wasn’t alone right here!

I used the telepathy approach to ship a message to the soul inside my necklace. He was in the course of working towards an adjusted approach my sister had given him to extend his energy sooner.

I grabbed the stacks of homework I’d written over the previous few months and handed them up. I didn’t know if Ghosty might do something with it since he was only a soul.

::Shut your eyes. And don’t even attempt to peek. If I allow you to see this, Fairy Lin would possibly truly kill me.::

I did so. The sound of 100 papers tearing echoed by means of the small room. They crinkled and swished by means of the air earlier than they slid onto one thing.

::Okay. Open them.::

I opened my eyes to see scraps of my homework appearing as garments for the ladies depicted within the murals.A number of squares have been virtually totally lined with paper!

I turned to Ghosty and raised a questioning forehead.

::I’ll inform you about it whenever you’re an grownup, child.::

::I don’t suppose I’ll need to know.::

::Oh, you’ll need to know.::

Ah. Was he planning on utilizing this to get me to do stuff once more? I folded my arms.

Not taking place.

It turned out that not all of the figures within the mural had my homework scraps masking them. However each picture featured the identical man. He had a topknot and a white jade crown. A crimson sword was all the time both sheathed at his waist or pointing in direction of massive spirit beasts out of legend.

That have to be the creator of this house. Wait, was he utilizing this mural to brag? That couldn’t be everything of it, proper?

I seemed round for an exit to this place however solely noticed the opening the place I’d come into the room.

“Why would you try this to my lovely murals?!”

The voice reappeared once more. He sounded genuinely upset.

“You lined the wonderful twin peaks of my favourite conquest!”

I seemed across the mural to attempt to discover which mountains he was speaking about. There actually wasn’t a lot in the best way of background to this art work, however what was there didn’t present any mountain peaks. There have been, nonetheless, apparent containers round every particular person picture.

I glanced at Ghosty, hoping he would illuminate the reply for me. His translucent cheeks turned crimson. He turned his head and cleared his throat, clearly not keen to reply my query.

I sighed.

“And what did you do to Fairy Dry Almond? She was one among my favorites. And let me inform you, after I was completed along with her, she wasn’t dry in any respect.” The voice chuckled.

I… actually didn’t perceive. I as soon as once more turned to Ghosty. His face turned redder than a hawthorn berry.

::Do me a favor, child. Inform this man that you simply’re only a child and to be extra applicable::

::Can’t you do it?::

::He might simply be a chunk of will left by the creator of this dimension. If that’s the case then, it’s high-quality. But when he’s a soul like me, then I’d make a pleasant snack for him. Proper now, solely you possibly can hear and see me.::

I repeated what Senior Ghosty advised me to say.

“Ah! So that you’re speaking to me, lastly!” He chuckled. “Inform me. What did you suppose to cross my take a look at of the thoughts? Was it revenge?”

I ignored him. My eyes caught on one thing on the backside proper on every of the mural partitions. There seemed to be a sq. lacking.

“Okay, so it’s not revenge.”

If it wasn’t for Fairy Lin, I most likely would have been obsessive about discovering out the reality of what occurred to my mom. I wouldn’t have stopped till I came upon the reality and punished those that have been accountable. Whereas I nonetheless deliberate to search out out and get robust sufficient to actual revenge, it wasn’t my entire world. I nonetheless had a martial sister who cared about me. And if I attempted to search out out the reality now, whereas we have been each nonetheless weak, then we’d be in peril.

I’d additionally already discovered a lesson in revenge from my sister.

***

I watched her pay extra for a non secular plant than it was value. I did, attempt to get him to decrease the fee however he handled us each as if we have been dumb wealthy youngsters.

It infuriated me.

However Fairy Lin didn’t appear to care.

As I wallowed in my must get again at that vendor, she grinned. “Do you suppose I don’t know what he did?” She ruffled my hair.

I hated when she did that and scowled in displeasure. Her laughter sounded nice and considerably soothed me.

“Let’s say, a fly determined to land on my arm. If I killed it there, I’d be getting its guts throughout myself. It will be pointless and gross. It’s only a fly.”

“However, he has the next cultivation. That’s somebody who isn’t a mere fly,” I identified well.

“Oh yeah? Let’s say I did need revenge in opposition to him. Like, actually desperately wished revenge. At my present stage, it could be pointless. He would smack me down. However, I’m an immortal cultivator who is aware of that I can domesticate sooner than him. I’ll stay for hundreds of years, perhaps even tens of millions if I attain immortality. For this one single man who slighted me… I might domesticate till I used to be a lot increased than him, after which crush him like a bug. As a result of this world solely appreciates energy.”

She flicked her sleeve and strode off, head held excessive and smiling.

“While you domesticate sooner than everybody else alive, revenge can all the time wait. And should not even be obligatory in any respect.”

***

“Then, it have to be a lady. Or household? A girl who can also be your loved ones?”

I clenched my jaw to cease myself from telling him to close up.

“So it’s! Hah!”

After staring on the mural. I lastly figured it out.

“Why don’t you inform me about her? Is she fairly? Is it your mom maybe? No. Then sister? Not blood-related then? Your grasp? No.”

I pushed one of many mural squares towards the empty slot. It moved!

Simply to attempt it out, I began shifting one other.

“Your little fiancée?”

My hand slipped.

To start with, I used to be solely eight!