No Loose Ends
[Jin Xiangling's POV]
The candlelight flickered against the obsidian walls of the grand hall, casting dancing shadows that seemed to writhe with malevolent life. Golden flames reflected off polished surfaces, creating an atmosphere of dark opulence that spoke of wealth built on the suffering of others.
A man in a black cloak knelt before the raised throne, his body trembling despite his attempts to maintain composure. The marble floor was cold against his knees, but not as cold as the gaze of the woman who sat above him.
Jin Xiangling lounged on her throne with predatory grace, her golden hair cascading over one shoulder like spun sunlight against the darkness of the hall. Her golden eyes, sharp as cut gems, studied the kneeling figure with the detached interest of a cat observing a wounded mouse.
"Young miss, the Ming family has been eliminated as ordered. There were complications as Duke Ming and his wife managed to flee the capital. We dispatched a unit of our guard disguised as bandits to take care of them."
"You dare lie to me?" The words echoed menacingly in the wide hall, making the man shiver in his boots. "I received a report that their 10-year-old daughter managed to flee into the Darkwood forest while the bandits were distracted with the bodyguards. What do you have to say for yourself?!"
"Y-your grace, please calm yourself. You should know that the Darkwood forest is way too dangerous for a small child to survive."
Jin Xiangling's golden eyes flashed with murderous intent as she slowly rose from her throne. The air in the hall grew thick and oppressive, as if the very atmosphere recoiled from her rising fury. Her silk robes rustled like the whisper of death as she descended the marble steps, each footfall echoing with ominous finality.
"I don't need your pathetic excuses for messing up your mission. If you want to live, you better bring me proof of her death," she hissed, her voice now carrying an edge that could cut steel.
The servant pressed his forehead to the floor, his entire body shaking. He had served the Jin family for twenty years and had witnessed the mercilessness of the young scions of the Jin family. He knew exactly what happened to those who disappointed Jin Xiangling.
Merciful heavens... my life is truly over if i don't fix this, he screamed internally. Although the Young Miss was only 17 years old, her wrath was legendary. Just last month, she had a servant's entire family executed for bringing her tea that had gone cold during the walk from the kitchen. All that just because she was in a bad mood...
"Find the corpse, or at the very least any evidence you can find that confirms her death," Jin Xiangling commanded, her voice dropping to a whisper that somehow carried more menace than any scream. She stopped mere inches from the trembling servant, her golden eyes boring into his skull like molten metal.
"Organize search parties. Hire every hunter in the region. Turn that cursed forest inside out if you have to, but bring me evidence within one month." Her lips curved into a smile that held no warmth, only the promise of unspeakable torment. "Fail me again, and I'll make sure your death is so creative that bards will sing songs of your suffering for generations. Do I make myself clear?"
The servant's voice cracked as he scrambled to respond, not daring to lift his head from the cold marble. "Y-yes, Young Miss! Crystal clear! I won't disappoint you again. I'll mobilize every resource at our disposal at once!"
Jin Xiangling stepped back with fluid grace, her expression shifting to one of cold satisfaction. "Good. Now get out of my sight before I decide to give you a taste of what awaits you if you disappoint me again."
The man fled the hall as if his very soul depended on it, leaving Jin Xiangling alone with the dancing shadows and flickering candlelight. She returned to her throne, settling back into its embrace with the languid movements of a predator confident in her dominion.
The Young Master specifically requested the complete elimination of the Ming bloodline, she mused, her fingers drumming against the armrest in a rhythm like a funeral dirge. I have to make sure there are no loose ends. I can't mess this up... not when we're so close to finally earning his favor and securing those cultivation techniques and resources he promised.
I don't know why he specifically requested the Ming family to be exterminated, but I don't want to stick my nose in matters that could get me killed.
Her reflection in the polished obsidian walls seemed to smile back at her with anticipation. Our Jin family has served the Qiyue Kingdom for generations, but true power lies with the cultivators. This may be our only chance to abandon mortality and to become something greater than mere underlings of mortal royalty playing political games in a kingdom of insects.
---
[Hong Yue's POV]
The morning sunlight filtering through the small window felt like liquid gold against Hong Yue's face. Her white eyelashes fluttered open, revealing crimson eyes shining like rubies. For a moment, she lay still, savoring the sensation of waking up in a safe, cozy warm bed with a full stomach.
Then she remembered her status panel. She had looked at it briefly back in the forest but didn't really have the luxury to spend time going through everything.
--
[Status Panel]
Name: Hong Yue
Race: Human
Age: 10 years
Lifespan: ∞
Existence Tier: Tier 0 (Mortal)
Cultivation Level: None
Techniques: None
Divine Abilities: None
Bloodlines: None
Gifts:
- Indestructible Existence: Indestructible body, mind, and soul
- Ageless Body: Control over physical aging
- Golden Ratio Physique: Perfect proportions enhancing all attributes
- Appraisal: Identification of any living entity
Talent:
- Immortal Cultivation: ✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦
- Martial Arts: ★★★★★★★★☆☆
- Magic: ★★★★★★★★☆☆
Description: Transcendental Innate Talent in All Aspects of Immortal Cultivation - Qi, Body and Soul. An indestructible existence and owner of the unparalleled Golden Ratio Physique enhancing every aspect of the body to its absolute limit.
---
I can't get over these OP gifts and talents. This is so broken.
*Shhhh*
Her mouth almost watered.
Indestructible Existence means I'm probably unkillable, even if a cultivation god descends and wants to finish me off I'll just get right back up after he leaves. I guess that gift is probably also connected to the reason why I have infinite lifespan right from the start...
Kukuku, her tiny head shuddered as she laughed like a maniac internally, thinking about all the problems she won't have that protagonists of cultivation novels she's read had to go through.
And 11 star cultivation potential and also in my favorite path, immortal cultivation...
Wait, why does the panel look like that? The normal stars (★) seem to max out at 10 stars and then it switches to those other stars (✦)...
Hmm, lets try this... She tried to focus her appraisal on her Immortal Cultivation talent.
---
Immortal Cultivation: ✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦
Description: Transcendent talent in all aspects of Immortal cultivation; qi cultivation, as well as body and soul cultivation. The ✦ symbols represent cultivation potential beyond the standard 10-star rating system, breaking the established absolute limit theorized to exist for talents.
---
*Pfff*
She couldn't hold back her chuckles at this point. Her talent was so ridiculous that normally she would be scared for life and wouldn't dare to ever get near anyone, enough to make her close herself off and cultivate in seclusion forever. There had to be swarms of old monsters lying in waiting for billions of years just to get even a hint of breaking that so called 'absolute limit'.
But why would I do that? I literally have the most OP cheat that makes me unkillable. No cliche protagonist being chased, having to constantly run for their life for thousands of years because of them being too talented.
She had to hold herself back from jumping right out of her bed to try and reach immortality in a single step. Next, she wanted to look at her other gifts she had. The ageless body gift didn't really seem to have any direct effects on her that she could recognize.
Hmm, it says 'control over physical aging'. What does that mean exactly?
She focused her appraisal on it.
---
Ageless Body
Description: A gift connected to the body that allows for control over physical aging. When active, completely stops aging of the physical body. Active at all times by default, can be deactivated. As long as it is deactivated, aging occurs at natural rate according to cultivation realm.
Current Setting: Active
---
So the gift works only one way and like a passive ability that can be turned on or off. Meaning, there is no way for me to turn back my age. So I better be careful with the deactivation if I don't want to look old and shriveled for the rest of eternity.
She still had to test how it worked unless she wanted to be 10 years old forever.
She focused deeply on her body trying to find any way to test how to deactivate the gift. After focusing for a few minutes and specifically looked for it, she found something resembling a switch she could flip with her mind.
*Clink*
She heard a clink resounding through her body, making her feel like something was different, but she could not make out where that feeling came from.
*Clink*
She hurriedly switched it back on as she remembered that a cultivator had to start their path at a very early age or they'd ruin their talent and live in regret forever.
For all I know, I could be stuck in some backwater place and take decades to even find the next sect from what I've read about cultivation worlds. Better to keep it on for now to start at the perfect age and not waste my talent.
She shook her head, moving onto the last part she wanted to look at.
Alright, now what exactly is that Golden Ratio Physique about? From what I felt, this seems to have the biggest direct effect on me right now.
---
Golden Ratio Physique
Description: An Unparalleled Physique, representing the pinnacle of physical perfection achievable within the absolute limit for each realm. Body naturally conforms to mathematically perfect proportions resulting in unparalleled beauty. Perfect energy flow channels. All physical attributes enhanced to theoretical maximum efficiency and perfect sensory perception.
---
Incredible...
Her perfect body with inhuman senses had massively thrown her off at the start and overwhelmed her as everything suddenly was so incredibly different, but now she was starting to appreciate just how incredible this gift truly was.
Her vision was at least a hundred times sharper, if not hundreds of times, while still being a mortal without any cultivation. She could see individual dust motes dancing in the morning light, make out the intricate grain patterns in the wooden walls, and even notice the tiny expressions that flickered across people's faces, micro-emotions that would have been completely invisible to normal eyes. When she looked out the small window, she could clearly see villagers moving about their morning routines at distances that should have rendered them as mere dots.
Her hearing was also hundreds of times more acute. She could hear the Lin family's quiet conversation in the next room as clearly as if they were sitting beside her, distinguish between the different types of birds calling outside, and even pick up the subtle variations in each person's breathing patterns. The sound of her own heartbeat was like a steady drum, and she could hear the blood flowing through her veins with crystalline clarity.
All her senses were sharpened to an unbelievable degree. Her sense of smell could distinguish dozens of different scents layering the morning air - the woodsmoke from cooking fires, the lingering aroma of last night's dinner, the clean scent of recently washed cloth, and even the unique personal scents of each family member. Her sense of touch was so refined that she could feel the individual threads in the rough blanket, the microscopic imperfections in the wooden floor beneath her feet, and even the subtle air currents moving through the room.
The sheer amount of detail her enhanced perception provided was like having the resolution of reality itself turned up to maximum clarity.
Her balance felt literally perfect, and when she breathed, she still felt that pulse from her environment resonating with her breath, just like what she felt back in the forest before and even during sleep, charging her with a soft form of energy.
It was as if her body was naturally attuned to draw in... something from the world around her. Qi, perhaps? Though that part was definitely because of her talent. Though the way the energy flowed through her body was incredibly smooth, which was clearly an aspect of that amazing Golden Ratio Physique.
I can't wait to see what this physique will be like once I actually start cultivating, she thought with growing excitement. If this is what 'mortal perfection' feels like, then what will happen when I break through to the first realm?
*Knock*
*Knock*
A soft knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.
"Hong Yue? Are you awake, little one?" Lin Mei's gentle voice carried through the wooden door.
Hong Yue quickly moved to open it ...
"I hope you slept well," Lin Mei said, stepping into the small room. "I brought you something."
Even without understanding all the words, Hong Yue could see the caring intention in Lin Mei's posture and tone. The woman held up what was clearly a set of clothes - a simple but well-made robe in deep blue fabric, along with a matching sash and what looked like soft cloth shoes.
"For...?" Hong Yue tried to ask in their language, but didn't know the translation for 'me', so she just pointed at herself and tilted her head.
Lin Mei nodded with a bright smile. "Yes, for you. Those rags you're wearing..." She gestured toward Hong Yue's current attire with obvious concern. "They're practically falling apart. A growing girl needs proper clothes."
Hong Yue looked down at herself, and sure enough, the brown robe she had just picked up the day before was tattered and ripped in some places. It definitely was better than nothing, but now that she received something better she naturally wouldn't refuse.
She gladly accepted the robe and immediately tried it on. It fit perfectly, as if it had been tailored specifically for her body. Hong Yue caught sight of herself in the small bronze mirror hanging on the wall and was taken aback. The reflection staring back at her was breathtaking - even in simple village clothes, she looked like a young fairy who had descended from the heavens.
The deep blue fabric complemented her pale skin and white hair perfectly, while the cut naturally accentuated her Golden Ratio Physique's perfect proportions. Even at ten years old, there was an otherworldly grace to how the clothes draped on her small frame.
"Beautiful..." she whispered in English, then caught herself. "Thank... you... Lin Mei," she said slowly, mixing the few words she had picked up with gestures.
Lin Mei's face lit up with joy. "You're very welcome, little one. Come, let's get some breakfast, and then perhaps you can help me with the morning chores. You'll learn our language faster that way."
Hong Yue nodded eagerly, though she only caught about half of what Lin Mei said. "Food... good... yester-day," she managed, pointing toward the main room.
As they walked through the house, Hong Yue practiced more simple phrases. "Me... Ho...ng Yue... you... Lin Mei," she said, pointing between them to establish the connection.
"That's right!" Lin Mei clapped her hands together. "I am Lin Mei, you are Hong Yue."
During breakfast, Hong Yue sat with the Lin family and Chen Lan, quietly observing them while practicing her new vocabulary. Between bites of rice porridge, she discretely used her Appraisal ability on her hosts.
---
[Status Panel]
Name: Chen Lan
Race: Human
Age: 54 years
Lifespan: 85 years
Existence Tier: Tier 0 (Mortal)
Gifts: Keen Sight
Talent: None
Description: Mortal with enhanced visual perception. Otherwise average.
--
--
[Status Panel]
Name: Lin Mei
Race: Human
Age: 35 years
Lifespan: 85 years
Existence Tier: Tier 0 (Mortal)
Gifts: None
Talent: None
Description: Average mortal without cultivation potential.
--
[Status Panel]
Name: Lin Qiang
Race: Human
Age: 42 years
Lifespan: 80 years
Existence Tier: Tier 0 (Mortal)
Gifts: None
Talent: None
Description: Average mortal without cultivation potential.
--
[Status Panel]
Name: Lin Ye
Race: Human
Age: 16 years
Lifespan: 80 years
Existence Tier: Tier 0 (Mortal)
Gifts: None
Talent: None
Description: Average mortal without cultivation potential.
--
Interesting that Chen Lan has that minor gift, Hong Yue noted. That might explain why she seemed more perceptive yesterday.
Other than that, the status of the three looked rather unimpressive to her, but then again, she had no idea what the standards in this world were. It seemed that the average person here did not have any cultivation potential at all.
As the conversation flowed around her, Hong Yue realized something remarkable was happening. Her enhanced perception wasn't just allowing her to hear the subtle differences in pronunciation - she seemed to have perfect memory as well, able to recall every single word, tone, and grammatical pattern she encountered. That was probably connected to her incredible comprehension abilities given her cultivation talent.
So through her memory combined with her supernatural comprehension abilities, she was absorbing the language at an incredible rate. After just these few hours since arriving yesterday afternoon, she could already understand roughly a third of what was being said around her, even if she couldn't speak it fluently yet.
---
After breakfast, Lin Mei gestured for Hong Yue to follow her outside. "Come, little one. Help... me... work," she said slowly, using simple words and gestures to make her meaning clear.
Hong Yue nodded eagerly. "Yes... I... help... Lin Mei."
They started with gathering vegetables from the small garden behind the house. Lin Mei would point to each plant and clearly pronounce its name. "Cabbage. Radish. Carrots." Hong Yue repeated each word carefully, her perfect memory storing not just the pronunciation but the subtle tonal variations that gave the words meaning.
"Hong Yue... very... smart," Lin Mei observed with obvious delight as the girl picked up new vocabulary at an astounding pace. "You learn... fast... fast."
"I... like... learn," Hong Yue replied, her broken speech gradually becoming more fluid as patterns clicked into place in her enhanced mind.
As they worked, other villagers began approaching their small garden. Word had clearly spread about the mysterious child with otherworldly beauty, and curiosity was winning out over caution.
An elderly man with graying hair and kind brown eyes was the first to approach. "Lin Mei, is this the child everyone is talking about?"
"Yes, Uncle Wang. This is Hong Yue. Hong Yue, this is Wang Shu - he's our village carpenter."
Hong Yue bowed politely, having observed this was the proper greeting. "Hello... Wang Shu."
The carpenter's eyes widened at her appearance, but his expression remained kindly. "Such a well-mannered child. Those eyes..."
More villagers gradually gathered - a middle-aged woman with braided black hair named Zhou Min who tended the village's small herb garden, and a weathered farmer called Hu Jian whose calloused hands spoke of decades working the fields. Each introduction added new words to Hong Yue's rapidly expanding vocabulary.
As more and more people walked by to catch a glimpse of the new mysterious child, Hong Yue discretely used her Appraisal ability on several villagers. The pattern was consistent - everyone she checked was a completely ordinary mortal with no cultivation potential whatsoever. It seemed this truly was a backwater village with no connection to the cultivation world.
"Where... Hong Yue... from?" Zhou Min asked gently, her dark eyes curious but not prying.
Hong Yue hesitated, glancing at Lin Mei for help. "Forest... I... from forest. Lost."
The villagers exchanged concerned looks. Everyone knew the Darkwood Forest was no place for a child to survive alone.
"Poor little thing," Zhou Min murmured. "She must have gone through a lot."
As the morning progressed, Hong Yue found herself the center of attention wherever they went. Her enhanced hearing caught fragments of whispered conversations:
"...never seen such beautiful eyes, and her hair..."
"...she must be blessed by the heavens..."
"...speaks so strangely, where could she be from?"
"...Lin Mei has a good heart, taking her in..."
Despite the attention, Hong Yue felt a growing warmth toward these simple, kind people. There was no malice in their curiosity, no hidden agendas - just genuine concern for a lost child.
After they finished gathering vegetables, Lin Mei wiped her hands on her apron and looked thoughtful.
"Hong Yue, why don't we...go...find...you...a friend. I know...a good...girl. Liu Ying. She...can...help...you...learn our... language."
"Liu Ying?" Hong Yue repeated the name, curious.
"Yes. She is...fifteen. She's...very... kind. A smart girl. She... teaches small children... sometimes." Lin Mei gestured toward the village center. "Shall... we... go... find her?"
Hong Yue nodded eagerly. Having someone that could help her learn faster would indeed be wonderful. Although she found it a bit awkward to make friends with someone that young while she felt like she was mentally so much older, she would not push away any hand offered to her.
They walked from the garden toward the village center, and Lin Mei pointed out various landmarks as they went. Near the village well, they spotted a girl sitting in the shade, mending a torn fishing net with practiced movements.
Liu Ying had long, dark hair styled with a red floral accessory, catching the sunlight, and warm brown eyes that looked up curiously as Hong Yue and Lin Mei approached. Despite being only fifteen, Liu Ying carried herself with a quiet confidence that spoke of responsibility beyond her years. Her elaborate kimono was well-maintained, and there was an alertness in her gaze that immediately caught Hong Yue's attention.
Wait, a kimono?! Internally, Hong Yue felt a gentle wave of curiosity. She had anticipated the people of this cultivation world to wear more traditional Chinese robes, not the elegant kimonos that Liu Ying wore, a style she associated with a different land entirely.
"Liu Ying!" Lin Mei called out warmly. "Come meet Hong Yue. She's staying with us now."
Hong Yue quickly activated her Appraisal ability.
--
[Status Panel]
Name: Liu Ying
Race: Human
Age: 15 years
Lifespan: 90 years
Existence Tier: Tier 0 (Mortal)
Gifts: None
Talent: Immortal Cultivation: ★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
Description: Mortal with minimal Cultivation Potential
--
Hong Yue's shining crimson eyes widened slightly. Finally! She thought with excitement. Someone with at least some cultivation potential, even if it's only a single star.
Liu Ying set down her mending and approached with graceful steps. Up close, Hong Yue could see she was quite pretty in a natural, unpretentious way - the kind of beauty that came from good health and inner contentment rather than perfect features.
"Hello, Hong Yue," Liu Ying said with a friendly smile. "I'm Liu Ying. Everyone's been talking about you."
"Hello... Liu Ying. I... happy... meet you," Hong Yue replied, immediately feeling drawn to the older girl's genuine warmth.
"Your way of speaking is interesting," Liu Ying observed without mockery. "What language did you speak before?"
Hong Yue struggled for words to explain. "Different... very different. Not... know... how say."
Liu Ying's eyes lit up with understanding rather than confusion. "That's alright. You must've come from a pretty far away place then."
"I'd love to help you learn our language properly. I help teach the younger children sometimes."
"You... teach me?" Hong Yue asked hopefully.
"Of course!" Liu Ying's smile was radiant. "We could meet every afternoon when I finish helping my parents with their work. Would you like that?"
Hong Yue nodded eagerly. "I... would... like... very much," she said, her broken speech gradually becoming more fluid as patterns clicked into place in her enhanced mind.
Lin Mei beamed at both girls. "Wonderful! Liu Ying, you're such a kind girl. Hong Yue is very smart - she learns incredibly fast."
"Really?" Liu Ying's eyes sparkled with interest. "Then this should be fun. Why don't we start right now? We could sit by the well - it's nice and shady."
As they settled onto the smooth stones surrounding the village well, Liu Ying pulled out a small piece of chalk and began drawing simple characters on a flat stone.
"Let's start with the basics. This character means 'person'..." Liu Ying traced the strokes carefully. "And this one means 'good'..."
Hong Yue watched intently, her perfect memory absorbing not just the visual form but the subtle movements of Liu Ying's hand. "Person... good," she repeated, then attempted to copy the characters. Her first try was clumsy, but by the third attempt, her strokes were nearly identical to Liu Ying's.
"Amazing!" Liu Ying gasped. "It usually takes children weeks to draw characters this neatly. Are you sure you've never seen our writing before?"
"Never... see... before," Hong Yue confirmed. "But... I... remember... easy."
They spent the next hour working through basic vocabulary and sentence structure. Hong Yue's progress was so rapid that Liu Ying kept increasing the complexity of her lessons.
"Hong Yue, can you tell me about your family?" Liu Ying asked gently. "Where did you live before the forest?"
Hong Yue hesitated. She couldn't exactly explain about her previous life or the mysterious circumstances of her arrival. "I... not... remember... clear. Family... gone. I... alone... in forest... very scared."
Liu Ying's expression softened with sympathy. "I'm so sorry. That must have been terrifying. But you're safe now. The Lin family are good people, and our village will take care of you."
"Want... learn... more," Hong Yue said earnestly, her broken speech showing rapid improvement even within this single conversation. "Liu Ying... very... good... teacher."
"You're too kind," Liu Ying laughed, genuinely pleased. She drew several more complex characters on the stone. "These represent different family relationships. This one means 'elder sister,' this one 'younger brother,' and this one..."
"Elder sister, younger brother, grandmother," Hong Yue repeated flawlessly, her crimson eyes fixed on the chalk-drawn characters. She traced them herself, her strokes now nearly indistinguishable from Liu Ying's.
"You can call me Elder Sister Ying," Liu Ying said warmly, her brown eyes sparkling with affection. "It's what the younger kids call me when I teach them. Since you're learning so fast, it feels like you're already part of our village family."
Hong Yue's lips curved into a soft smile. "Elder Sister Ying," she said, testing the words. Warmth bloomed in Hong Yue's chest at Liu Ying's kindness, even though they'd only just met.
Liu Ying's smile widened, and she reached out to gently pat Hong Yue's head. "Good. Then it's settled. You're my little sister now, and I'll take care of you."
Their bonding moment was interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps. A group of village children had gathered at a respectful distance, clearly curious about the mysterious newcomer but too intimidated by her otherworldly beauty to approach directly.
"Liu Ying," called out a boy who looked to be about twelve, "is it true she speaks a completely different language?"
"Come meet her yourselves," Liu Ying encouraged. "Hong Yue, these are some of the other children from our village."
Hong Yue watched as three children approached hesitantly. The boy who had spoken first was lean and energetic with dirt-stained clothes that spoke of outdoor adventures and stood almost an entire head taller than her. Behind him came two girls, one about eight years old with pigtails, and another around eleven with a serious expression.
"Hello," Hong Yue said carefully, bowing politely. "I... Hong Yue."
The eight-year-old girl with pigtails gasped. "Her eyes are so pretty! They're like... like red jewels!"
"And her hair!" the older girl added, less tactfully. "It's completely white, but she's not old at all!"
The boy stepped forward with the boldness typical of his age. "Are you really from the deep forest? Did you fight any beasts?!"
"Only... saw black... uhmm..."
*Hiss*
She raised her arms, curling her fingers inward like claws and arching her hands in a stiff, pawing motion. Her lips parted as she let out a breathy hiss, trying her best to mimic the sound and stance of the intimidating Shadowfang Tiger she encountered.
"Kyaaah, so cute!" Liu Ying squealed, rushing over to hug her, while the other children broke into laughter and excited whispers.
Realizing what she'd just done, Hong Yue's face flushed scarlet. How shameful, she thought, stiffening under Liu Ying's embrace. Why am I acting like this?
Before she could dwell on her embarrassment, more of the children's questions came rushing in.
"Can you teach us words from your language?" the serious eleven-year-old asked.
Hong Yue hesitated. How could she explain that her 'language' was English from a completely different world? "My... language... very different. Hard... to... teach."
"Just one word?" the boy pressed. "Something simple?"
"Okay," Hong Yue said, thinking quickly. "Hello... in my language... is 'hello'.'" She pronounced the English word clearly.
"Hel...lo," the children repeated, giggling at the strange sounds. "Hel-lo, Hong Yue!"
Despite the awkwardness of the situation, Hong Yue found herself smiling. These children were so innocent and welcoming, accepting her strangeness as simply another interesting aspect of their world.
After the children ran off to play, chattering excitedly about their new friend and her strange language, Liu Ying turned back to Hong Yue with a thoughtful expression.
"Hong Yue, would you like me to show you around our village? You should know where everything is if you're going to be living here."
"Yes! I... want... see... village," Hong Yue replied eagerly.
As they walked through the winding paths, Liu Ying pointed out various landmarks. "That's the village headman's house - he's called Elder Chen, and he's Chen Lan's older brother. That building there is where we store grain for winter. And over there..."