(19) The Resounding Soul Clan Residence

In front of a large door gate, an elegant plate was hung on top with the words: Resounding Soul Clan Residence. The luxurious residence was large with the outside structure mostly covered in light colors mostly in white and tones of blue and brown. Delicate and clean details were carved into the gate, which would be seen throughout the residence, and two expensive antique dragon statues stood on the sides of the gate gallantly. Only the best material was used to make the tiles, walls, and doors, and even the best paint was used. Each tree, plant, and pebble on the ground was placed with a purpose - only a clan in the top four most powerful clans can afford such grandeur.

Two guards dressed with a blue uniform, embroidered with the clan symbol resembling clouds and winds, and with a sword hanging on their belt, stood with their backs straight and eyes clear. From time to time, they would chat with small smiles on their faces but their eyes constantly observed their surroundings. Soon, one of them spotted a figure approaching them and his eyes brightened as he stood straighter.

Both guards bowed.

"Second Young Master, you've returned."

A handsome man with gentle eyebrows, a long-pointed nose, clear eyes, and a small smile walked with poise and emitted a profound aura as he entered the Resounding Soul Clan Residence leisurely. His elegant robes of white and beige mixed in with embroidery designs of the crane and clouds shows his position as a direct disciple of the Blue Crane Sect. He had an elegant silver crown to keep his high bun up and showed a gentle smile as he nodded to the guards.

"Second Older Brother!"

Bai ZhiJun, the handsome young master who just returned, looked in the distance to see a young boy not older than eight years run towards him with a cute smile. The boy ran too fast in excitement and tripped, making the servants watching yell in surprise.

The second young master vanished from his position and appeared next to his younger brother, carrying him in his arms.

"Ah'Ming, how many times have I told you not to run so much?" he berated in a gentle voice.

Bai XiaoMing grinned and put his arms around his second oldest brother's neck. "But you rarely visit!"

ZhiJun smiled and put his brother down. "How come you haven't improved to the next stage like you promised me?" He pinched his cute brother's cheek.

XiaoMing looked down dejectedly. "I tried, but it was just too hard… my body doesn't move the way I want it to."

"Alright then. How about I look at how you've progressed so far? As long as I've seen that you worked hard, I won't say anything."

Bai XiaoMing pouted but nodded. "Okay…I'll show you."

Since XiaoMing was heavily spoiled in their family, they let the boy do whatever he wanted so his cultivation level hasn't risen in the past year, which they soon found to be troubling. Therefore, they recently decided to be stricter on his cultivation. Bai ZhiJun has been increasing his returns to look after his younger brother since his father and older brother were usually too busy to look after him.

ZhiJun frowned and sighed inside when he watched his baby brother make a few martial arts moves. Learning martial arts early on was important in building one's foundation in fighting and agility. He seems to have been practicing like he said… but he was clearly slacking off with his strikes being as weak as a tap on the shoulder.

"Fix your posture," he said as he stood up to guide his youngest brother. "Stand straighter." If his younger brother wasn't skilled in the martial arts area, then he would have to train him more in the art of evading and using spells. He has also been looking into hiring a teacher to teach XiaoMing to practice using instruments should he have an affinity with one like him. In their family, it was common to be skilled in using an instrument as a weapon.

Once they were done with their lesson, XiaoMing was sweating and his face was flushed. But he still grinned widely and sat next to his brother.

Bai XiaoMing's servant, Xiao Hai, smiled. Only their Second Young Master could push their Third Young Master around without any trouble. Ah, just yesterday when the First Young Master was looking after him, Bai XiaoMing complained about how sore his back was and had tears in his eyes which made the First Young Master give up half-way.

"Second Older Brother! Second Older Brother! Since you're here, can we go out to play?" XiaoMing's face was beaming as he stared at ZhiJun with bright eyes, his face still flushed from having to move around with his small body.

Bai ZhiJun smiled as he poured a cup of water for his brother.

"Third Young Master… perhaps you should let Second Young Master rest first. He must be tired from his travels back," Xiao Hai suggested with a whisper.

Bai XiaoMing realized and quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, Second Older Brother! Then tomorrow! Promise to go out to town with me, okay? Please? Please?" His servant was smart! If his brother was tired, then their trip would be a short one. Best to go the next day and spend the whole day out!

ZhiJun patted XiaoMing's head softly. "Alright. We can go and buy your favorite snacks."

XiaoMing nodded fervently. Of course! His Second Brother treated him best!

Once ZhiJun was alone inside of his room that was kept neat and clean even as he was away from home, a shadow appeared behind him.

"Master, we found out that the rest of the slave bases were already obliterated by the time we arrived."

Bai ZhiJun sat down and poured himself a cup of hot tea. With lowered lashes, "It is highly likely to be the doing of that young lady… but how did she pinpoint their bases so easily, when it even took me this long to find information on them?" By tracking back on that lightning skill, he could guess who it was. But because they liked to lay low and didn't show off too much on their skills, it took a little time.

"She must have a backing," his shadow guard said. "We could tell she was using a spell to disguise her sword."

"So she must have wanted to take care of these people in secret." Bai ZhiJun took a sip of his tea. "But it is of no matter." Though he was curious as to how she was able to cut through lightning, the matter has already passed. He will most likely not meet her again. "Since they were obliterated, then all is well. We didn't find any information on who the mastermind is, but with the words that girl left, we can assume her real goal is to take down their main leader. Han YanLing should be satisfied with this."

"Master…should I send Miss Han a letter to inform her of this?"

Bai ZhiJun smiled. "No need. I can do it myself."

His shadow guard paused for a moment, nodded and then vanished.

A woman dressed in pretty green robes appeared in his mind. She was smiling sweetly at him while calling him over. She showed him the new pill she made and described what it did with bright eyes. His smile warmed up a little and he took out a paper to write on it.

The next day.

A cute boy was glancing around with rabbit eyes, as if he was looking for a big carrot that he lost while he stood in line for the famous Sweet Cake Shop in the Flying Bird Village. This was his favorite cake shop and he frequently came here at least once a month since their clan was located only a few villages away. Not finding what he wanted, Bai XiaoMing sighed after a while and dejectedly stared at his feet.

Bai ZhiJun raised one of his gentle eyebrows and looked at Xiao Hai. This has happened a few times already since they came in line.

Xiao Hai forced an awkward smile and cleared his throat, looking away as if he knew nothing.

"Ah'Ming, what's the matter?" Bai ZhiJun asked in a soft voice. "You don't enjoy being here with me?"

Bai XiaoMing looked up and shook his head. "No! It's the greatest day ever!" Then he glanced towards the sweetshop and then looked down at his feet again. His actions clearly contradicted his words.

"What were you looking for?" Bai ZhiJun couldn't help looking around as well.

"Seeing the shop again, I just miss the pretty lady…" he muttered.

"What?" Bai ZhiJun blinked and then he smiled, feeling amused. "Can you repeat that? Is it your new friend?" Perhaps a little friend he made the last time he came here?

Bai XiaoMing bobbed his head with a serious face. "Big Sister LiJing! She's very, very pretty! And kind! Even though she looks as old as Second Older Brother, she was punished severely the last time we met! So I gave her some cake to cheer her up! I want to see if her hands have healed by now!" He sighed and glanced around. "But I don't think I'll see her again…"

Bai ZhiJun's eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Ah'Ming… is this the same lady who gave you the cakes from last time?"

Bai XiaoMing quickly nodded his head. "Yes! The very pretty lady! We shared her cakes together!"

Xiao Hai wanted to smack his head in embarrassment. His young master… had a limited vocabulary. There were a lot of pretty ladies that he knew, so if he just claimed to miss a pretty lady, it would be hard to remember which one. But since he specifically stated her name and the situation this time, they knew who he was talking about.

Bai ZhiJun slowly nodded and was lost in thought. Then he looked at Bai XiaoMing with a serious expression as his smile fell. He bent down and held his brother's shoulders to look him in the eyes. "Ah'Ming, next time if you are not alone, do not meet up with her even if you see her, alright?"

Bai XiaoMing's eyebrows raised. "But why? She's nice." And very pretty.

Bai ZhiJun sighed. "She may seem nice for now. But you should be cautious. Are you not the Third Young Master of the Resounding Soul Clan?"

Bai XiaoMing pursed his lips. "But she saved me! We only met for a bit, but she carried me and stopped me from being attacked!"

The gentleman sighed. He was worried about his younger brother the most because of his gullible nature. That was why they limited his time outside the manor even if they had secret guards with him at all times. When Bai ZhiJun first heard of this event, he felt grateful towards this lady. But now, he wasn't so sure. What are the odds of meeting the same person, a stranger at that, in another place twice?

He patted his younger brother's head. He didn't think his brother was going to listen. It seems he will just have to occupy Ah'Ming's mind with cultivation instead until he forgets this lady and shorten his time going outside. After all, kids tend to forget things easily.

Not knowing that he was soon to be tortured with cultivating with his snacks on the line, Bai XiaoMing continued to show a silly smile at his favorite brother as his brother changed the topic and talked about something else.

Wu LiJing sneezed. It wasn't even that cold inside… Why was she sneezing out of nowhere? She looked at Jin RuiYing, who was sitting across from her while looking outside. He glanced at her and smirked. This was the first time he saw her look so haggard. Her robes and hair were still neatly in place, however, her dark under eyes told another story.

"Are you catching a cold? And you look awful." He looked amused.

Wu LiJing stared at him with uncaring eyes as she sat with her back straight. "The last time I caught a cold was when I was a child. Now, just tell me if you have the results or not?" It has already been a week before Jin RuiYing finally called her over.

Jin RuiYing rolled his eyes. "Alright, fine. Always straight to business… but first, you have to tell me why you look like this." He rested his chin on his hand as he leaned on the table with a mischievous smile.

Wu LiJing rolled her eyes inside but answered without changing her expression, "I've been reading."

Jin RuiYing frowned. "Reading? For what?"

"I've told you the reason," Wu LiJing made a point.

With pursed lips and feeling dissatisfied, Jin RuiYing took out the handkerchief with a note.

Wu LiJing took it and slowly opened the small paper. "Pinpoint Powder," she muttered as her hand unconsciously crushed the paper.

Jin RuiYing felt the hairs on his neck rise and he cleared his throat. "The poison is not well known because it only works on those below the Third Tier. However, it is also not easily obtained and quite expensive given its effects of destroying one's cultivation base and sucking them dry. It can only be made by drying and crushing the petals of the Pinpoint Flower, a rare plant that is extremely hard to find in a cold winter. One's meridians would be blocked as well, making one unable to circulate spiritual energy. Therefore… the cure for it is also unknown. Whoever did this must not have a normal backing."

She stared silently at her cup as she listened. She only replied after a long while, "Mm."

She stood up and bowed. "Many thanks, RuiYing." Then she left.

Jin RuiYing's eyes bulged. What? Did he hear wrong? Did he just hear her thank him? And even call him without an honorific? By his first name? Oh my god! "Am I going crazy?!" It took her all these years… just to call him by his name! No matter how much he brought it up, she never cared to listen!

He grinned, feeling proud for some reason. "Hehehe! Of course! I am the great Jin RuiYing, of the Majestic Golden Fox Clan!" He let out a laugh and opened his fan cheerily, moving it back and forth. If it's him, he can melt the heart of even the coldest maiden!

There was a mild smile on Wu LiJing's face as she heard Jin RuiYing make a ruckus inside the room. She shook her head. Then her eyes narrowed when she felt the crushed paper in her hands.

When the direct disciple returned to the Moon Sect, she went straight to her master's manor.

Currently, her senior brother was with her master in his study room.

Wu LiJing bowed and was straight to the point, "Master, do you know if there is a cure for the Pinpoint Powder?"

Wang WeiYue was taken aback that his disciple came to ask about this so randomly. He thought about the name for just a split second and realized what powder LiJing was talking about. Why was she concerned about this poison? Unless… He frowned.

"Wu QiaoHua was poisoned by this powder?" This wasn't a question, but more like the sect master confirming his thoughts as he spoke.

Sect Master Wang shook his head, showing he didn't know about it. He was about to say something, then he noticed his disciple's tired eyes and sighed.

"Wu LiJing, I know you are worried about your cousin's condition. But you have to remember to take care of yourself." It took him all these years to drill the fact that she must at least sleep for five hours and rest so that she developed healthier habits. If she went back to doing whatever she wanted, his hard work would go to waste.

Wu LiJing paused and nodded.

Lai RongYi glanced at her with lazy eyes. "I thought you were the one who poisoned your cousin?" He was currently eating the grapes that he got from their master's table.

Wu LiJing was just silent and ignored him. She bowed. "Then master, I shall excuse myself." She turned around and left just as soon as she arrived, with her purple robes fluttering behind her.

Lai RongYi frowned and clicked his tongue. "So not cute," he muttered. He looked down at the similar robes he was wearing. Ah, he didn't like that girl wearing similar robes as him.

Sect Master Wang hit his disciple's head. "Stop bullying your junior sister!"

Lai RongYi looked wronged and rubbed his aching head. "You only take her side." He looked at the entranceway and went back to eating his grapes. Why should he care about her? - is what he decided a few days ago. Her cultivation level was just a bit higher than he expected, that's all! He was still his master's best disciple. He should just ignore her lest it worsens his days.

Wang WeiYue sighed and took the grapes from Lai RongYi's hands away.

"What? Master!"

"I don't feel like eating grapes anymore, so you can't either." Wang WeiYue went to sit on his round tea table and poured himself some tea. "Now tell me, what have you found out?" He raised his hands and drew out the usual formation to stop others from hearing their voices, even if it was by accident.

Lai RongYi groaned and grudgingly sat down. "You're not going to pour me any?" he gestured towards the empty teacup.

"Don't waste my tea if you can't even enjoy it," Wang WeiYue sighed.

Wu LiJing spent the next week in the library, reading all of the books about any possibilities of curing a condition of blocked meridians and found out that if the cause of the problem, the poison, is not cured, then trying to unblock the meridians was still of no use.

Then she moved onto learning more about the Pinpoint Flower and its poison, as well as other flowers that may work similarly. There was too little information on it. She rubbed the middle of her eyebrows. She even asked her master to let her enter the third and fourth floor but found nothing of use.

More days passed and Wu LiJing no longer had baggy eyes as she went back to her normal schedule of sleeping, cultivating, swinging her sword, and then going back to the library with her spare time - but she still spent most of her time in the library. Her sudden presence was known to many of the disciples, who didn't dare to go to the second floor and left her alone, curious and completely unable to peek because of the serious atmosphere that always surrounded her.

"Hey… what do you think she's reading so seriously about? It's been more than a few days now," Peng MinYi, the boy who had been in a team with Wu QiaoHua in the Disappearing Forest asked Luo Li, the other boy who was also there with him. Even with their different personalities, they still ended up becoming friends after the test was over since they found out they worked well together.

Luo Li stared at Peng MinYi and sighed. "I don't know. Possibly about some kind of herb… maybe she's searching for something." Luo Li liked to go to the library sometimes and read up on interesting things, so looking at the sections Wu LiJing was going through, he could mildly guess that she was looking for some kind of herb.

Peng MinYi tugged on Luo Li's sleeve. "Do you think she'll mind if I go up and ask her for advice?"

Luo Li's jaw dropped. "No."

"No? I think so too. I don't think she'll mind. I should just go!" He sighed in relief and smiled, about to take a step forward but Luo Li quickly grabbed the collar of his robes and dragged him out of the library.

"Are you crazy?!" Luo Li yelled. "Do you want to end your measly life?! I know you admire her, but right now is not a good time! Especially with the recent rumors…" Luo Li lowered his voice and glanced around cautiously. Compared to his friend who loved to fight and was also pig-headed sometimes with his straightforward-ness, Luo Li was more cautious and scheming.

Peng MinYi frowned. "But they're just rumors…"

Luo Li rolled his eyes. "Okay, but you are only an ant compared to our eldest senior sister… so just keep to yourself. Also, she looks busy."

Peng MinYi dejectedly glanced towards the library entrance. "Fine…"

Luo Li sighed in relief that he was able to convince his power-crazy friend from doing something unnecessary. Only someone like Peng MinYi, who didn't think too much, would do whatever he wanted. Since no one knew the truth, it was best to stay away.

One didn't have to believe in the rumors, but stepping on poop when one knows it could be there was not Luo Li's style at all. He didn't want to care, but since Peng MinYi was his friend, he also had to prevent him from stepping on the poop that may or may not be there.

As Peng MinYi kicked a pebble and muttered to himself, LuoLi couldn't help glancing towards the library. Though it was really odd for their eldest senior sister to read like crazy in the library for so long… What was she trying to find?

…

A short girl in her early twenties, with a small face, making her look much younger than her age, and cute big eyes that seemed a bit dim, was standing in front two other girls, who were looking at her with displeasure.

"The least you can do is wash our clothes, since you're basically useless now," one of them sneered.

"I don't know why the Moon Sect is still keeping someone like you, demoted to an outer disciple after breaking into our Sect Master's room, and now…" she snickered.

"Let's go. You better finish up before dinner!"

Wu QiaoHua stared at the two of them and then glanced down at the basket of clothes with a sigh.

"QiaoHua!" Xin Mei was out of breath when she found her.

Wu QiaoHua turned to Xin Mei with a warm smile. "Xin Mei."

Xin Mei looked at the clothes on the ground and could already guess what happened. "These girls! Who was it?! I'll show them what's up!" She couldn't believe that even after Wu LiJing warned the disciples not to mess with QiaoHua a few days ago, some still had the guts to bully her!

Xin Mei was about to turn around and find out who had thrown these clothes here but Wu QiaoHua quickly stopped her and grabbed her arm.

"It's okay! Actually… they are telling the truth. I've thought about it and… I decided that it's better to be useful than to just sit around doing nothing." A tear slipped down her cheek as she bit her lip.

Xin Mei's eyes saddened. "But…" She bit her lips and stared at the dejected QiaoHua. She sighed and squatted down, picking up some of the clothes that fell on the ground. "Then I'll help you. Also, ignore them next time. You can do other things, like take on simple missions. Don't do these stupid things that bring no benefit to you."

Wu QiaoHua nodded and quickly wiped her tears. She smiled. "Thanks, Mei," she said with a shaking voice.

Xin Mei grinned and patted Wu QiaoHua's back. "Aren't we friends? Now, let's hurry."

Once Wu LiJing returned back to her room, she heard a knock and opened the door to find Cheng ChunHua carrying a tray of food.

"Master, you forgot to return for dinner again. I made some light foods so you wouldn't have a stomach-ache when you go to sleep."

Wu LiJing nodded. "Thanks, leave it on the table." She returned to eat but had forgotten as she was reading while walking in her garden of flowers.

Cheng ChunHua glanced at Wu LiJing, who brought some books from the library back to her room as well. She wanted to say something but after mulling over it, she decided to just keep quiet as she sighed and left.

Once Cheng ChunHua's steps could no longer be heard, Wu LiJing stepped out onto her terrace and took out a leaf to blow on it, creating a sound. After the signal was sent, a woman with straight thick eyebrows suddenly appeared in front of her with a smile.

Wan Ting saluted.

"Miss LiJing."

"How is QiaoHua?" Wu LiJing hesitated but ended up asking.

"Ah… well, nothing surprising has been happening. Just some bullying here and there…"

"Again?"

Wan Ting nodded. "Yes. I believe one or two tried to trip her… and then two girls asked her to do their laundry before dinner. But all was well since her friend, Xin Mei helped her."

Wu LiJing frowned. "Alright then… deal with the two girls… I am going to leave and probably won't return anytime soon. I've already informed Master about your stay so he won't mind. You can continue to use the west wing room in my manor should you need to."

Wan Ting nodded with understanding and then took a step back before she vanished.

Wu LiJing stared up into the stars with distant eyes. Besides living in the library, she's also been eavesdropping on some conversations and trying to do her own investigation with Wan Ting's help in secret… but she had no clues.

She thought that perhaps the three who were kicked out were able to sneak in somehow, but they were living with their families and there were no signs of them leaving or returning to the sect. Also… there were too many who disliked QiaoHua, more than she thought. If she questioned the disciples directly, the culprit behind the poisoning may escape before she or he is caught. She felt a headache and rubbed her temple, closing her eyes with a sigh. She went back into her room and looked at the food on the table.

Wu LiJing grabbed a book and sat down with chopsticks on one hand.

A few days later.

Wu LiJing decided to leave the sect. She didn't know how long it would take, but probably a few months.

"You won't return until the competition?" Wang WeiYue asked, sitting outside around his stone table.

Wu LiJing nodded. "Yes, master."

Wang WeiYue stared at his disciple who showed clear almond eyes. After a moment of silence, he nodded. "Okay… but you have to promise me you'll still stay focused on your cultivation and be ready for the competition. Also, I might have to send you a few missions. I'm having your senior brother deal with most of it, but there's only so much he can do."

With a nod, Wu LiJing saluted and left.

Wang WeiYue stared at his second disciple as she left with slight apprehension. His hand played with the jade bracelet on his wrist. He gripped it for a moment before he let go and his sleeve fell into place, covering it. He stared at the sky and observed the white clouds. He hoped… things would go well.

Once Wu LiJing was back in her room, she packed a few things and put them inside her silver spatial ring.

"You're doing so much for this small cousin of yours. From what I heard, she doesn't seem to appreciate your efforts… even resentful of what happened back then? If it were me," he sighed, "I would have cut off her hands at least, for entering Master's room and stealing something." His lips upturned into a smile full of malice.

Wu LiJing froze and she frowned as she looked towards Lai RongYi, who was leaning onto her bed frame. She didn't even detect him… she really needed to train harder. The next time they fight, she wouldn't lose, especially to someone so petty.

"Senior Brother, it is rude to enter one's room without asking," her tone was cold. "And please refrain from talking about my cousin in that way."

Lai RongYi smiled. "Oh, my bad. I could step into any place within the Moon Sect and wouldn't get in trouble so I forgot my manners. I also forgot that you're included as Master's disciple…"

"What do you want?" She wasn't in the mood to play his games.

He nodded and sighed, looking around nonchalantly. "This room is not bad. I just came here to say - you don't need to come back."

Wu LiJing just quietly stared at him without replying. After a moment of silence, she said, "Are you done? Then please leave before I report you."

Lai RongYi smiled and nodded, feeling a vein bulge from his forehead again. How can she react like this every time?! He left her room using the front door. He should have just left her, and not give in to his desires to taunt her just because he heard Master say a few compliments about her. He nodded inside. Yes, ignore her from now on! Don't even step near her - or his life will be shortened by these anger bursts because of her! Just be his usual cool self!

Wu LiJing sighed and also felt a vein on her forehead twitching. One good thing from leaving the sect was that she wouldn't have to deal with her unreasonable senior brother. After she packed all she thought she needed, she left.