Amelia's Dilemma: A Millennium Ago

"Damn it, I've turned into a midget! How unlucky can I get? First blind, now a dwarf—might as well just kill me already." 

Scarlett asked, "What are you doing? Have you trained in martial arts?" 

Seeing how quickly Elliott had just examined his own body, Scarlett grew even more certain of her suspicions. 

"Nothing much, just checking if any parts are missing," Elliott replied. 

Truthfully, he was frustrated—he just couldn't lose his temper in front of the woman who had saved him. 

Scarlett continued, "Why is a ten-year-old boy like you blind? And what's your name?" 

"Elliott," he answered. "And what do you mean, ten-year-old boy? I'm not!" 

Scarlett chuckled. "Alright, you're not a little boy. Here, have something to eat." She brought a pastry to Elliott's lips. 

Elliott was at a loss—Scarlett had clearly decided to treat him like a child. And when she asked why he was blind, he wanted to snap back, Can't you see for yourself? 

Outside the window, onlookers were baffled. Why had their mistress suddenly changed her demeanor? Being so kind to a man was completely unlike her. Could it be… she's taken a peculiar interest in this boy? 

While everyone speculated, Scarlett had already moved on to her next plan. She said to Elliott, "Your injuries are severe. We can treat the external wounds, but the internal ones—you'll have to heal those yourself." 

"Oh," Elliott responded absentmindedly—then jolted. "Wait, what? How am I supposed to heal internal injuries myself?" Only now did he realize just how dire the situation was. Damn it, what do I do now? 

Scarlett merely smiled and said nothing. Instead, she turned to her servants. "Go fetch my daughter. Tell her I need her." 

The servants hurried off, and soon after, a strikingly beautiful young girl with delicate features entered. "Mother, you called for me?" 

Scarlett gestured for her to come closer. "This is Elliott. From now on, you'll call him 'brother.' Also, since you've read many martial arts manuals, find him a good one to cultivate his internal energy—he's suffering from internal injuries." 

The girl's bright eyes flickered thoughtfully. "Understood, Mother. Does he need to train in anything else?" 

Scarlett smiled, pleased by her daughter's cleverness. "Elliott, do you want to learn anything else?" 

This left Elliott utterly confused. Are they seriously not putting on an act? He hesitated, then said, "No, not for now." 

Scarlett nodded. "My daughter's name is Amelia—she shares my surname, Wang. We'll leave you to rest now." 

As they exited, Elliott muttered under his breath, "Amelia… Amelia… over a thousand years ago?!" His eyes widened in shock—though he couldn't see. 

Meanwhile, Amelia sat on a chair, swinging her legs as she pondered which internal cultivation technique to give the boy. 

Definitely can't teach him Cousin's "Divine Skill of Shifting Stars." 

Can't give him anything too powerful either—otherwise, how would Cousin suppress him? 

The Poison Arts of the Star Sect are out of the question—even if they're weaker, what if Cousin gets poisoned? 

Thunder Blade Technique? Raging Hammer? Swordplay? The little girl found herself troubled for the very first time. Her gaze wandered aimlessly until it landed on a book lying on the desk. 

Amelia picked it up, flipping through the pages—then suddenly grinned. This thing called the "Nine Yin Manual" doesn't seem much like a martial arts scripture. 

The contents seemed more like philosophical musings on the Dao. But if I give it to him in good faith, I can always claim ignorance later. 

Whether he succeeds or not is up to him. 

Besides, this book just appeared in my room out of nowhere. I was wondering why—maybe it's fate that it ended up with him!