CHAPTER 3

After breakfast, Fusheng instructed the maid to ensure that nobody disturbed her while she recuperated from the flu. She even told her that, for the next few days, when bringing her meals, she could simply leave the food at the door. The maid, Ah Wan, was more than eager to avoid entering the same room as Fusheng. Lately, she had felt an unexplainable oppressive atmosphere surrounding her mistress, so she quickly agreed to the instructions and left in a hurry. Fusheng then tidied herself up and began her search, starting with the various chests in the room. Most of them contained nothing but her mother's clothes, but the clothes were of good quality, better than all the clothes that the new Meng Furen gave her. The clothes had a distinct style, different from the normal clothes that Meilan wore, it did not have wide sleeves and did not look coquettish. But thinking about her mother's position as a general, it really made sense that her clothes would have a different touch to it. The coat had a patterned texture and appears to be made of a leather-like material. It features long sleeves with cuffs, a belted waist with a studded or embellished belt, and a relatively straight, loose fit. It was exactly what the female version of a general's uniform would look like, then there was another chest made entirely of red undergarments, which was to match with the clothes. After observing the clothes, Fusheng made a decision to stop wearing the clothes that the new Furen gives her and instead wear the clothes her mother left her, she subconsciously wanted to feel close to her mother. 

After going through the various chests in the room, Fusheng not only discovered clothes, but also boots, small knives, maps, various cultivation books. She decided to go through the shelves, something told her that she has to finish searching the entire room that day or she would miss out on something very crucial. It was her gut feeling and she remembered her grandfather teaching her to never overlook her gut feeling. While going through the old books about maps a piece of paper fell off the shelf, it was crumpled like a waste paper. Fusheng stared at it before deciding to pick it up, and upon opening it she could not believe what she was looking at. It was a letter addressed to her from the Royal Academy.

"MISS MENG FUSHENG 

This is your last chance to redeem your admission at the Royal Dragon Academy. You have been offered an admission to the academy, but you have delayed in getting registered into the Academy. This is the last notice that will be given to you from our institution. You are to bring a total of 1000 gold teals to the institution to officially register into the Royal Dragon Academy, before the 20th of the month. Failure to do so will result in the nullification of your admission.

THE ROYAL DRAGON ACADEMY."

Fusheng could not believe her eyes she stared intently at the letter, she had been told by her father and the woman he brought back home that her admission had been revoked because she was now a waste. Fusheng could not believe their guts and her bad luck. She had been offered an admission just before she lost her cultivation, she felt that her admission could not be revoked even if she lost her cultivation, because there was a section of the academy that dealt with martial arts and she was very good in martial arts, but surprisingly her Father told her that they revoked her admission.

***

"Father, Fusheng just remembered that she was offered an admission into the Royal Dragon Academy. This one knows that she has let grandfather and mother down, but she promises to rise again." 10 year old Fusheng said to get father after reconciling with the fact that she has lost her cultivation.

A chuckle could be heard in the main hall and a female coquettish voice said "Could it be that you have damaged your memory after loosing your cultivation? Don't you remember that you are now a waste? That there is no place for you in the Academy? The academy is for the best of the best, but you're not anymore so you naturally can not attend the Academy."

Fusheng stood her ground never lowering her head and argued back "Yes it is true I no longer have my cultivation, but I still have my martial arts, and I remember that there is a section of the Academy that specializes in martial arts. I believe I still have a chance at the Academy."

The coquettish voice that belonged to none other than the new woman brought into the house was about to say something to counter but Fusheng's father Meng Wuzhong cut her short and said "You are right there is indeed a section that deals with martial arts."

Little Fusheng brightened up with joy and hope after hearing this, but the next words of her father completely shattered that hope.

"But I received a letter a couple of days ago, that your admission had been revoked, so there is absolutely no chance of you getting into the academy. I suggest you learn needlework, play the zither, but just forget about going to the Academy."

Fusheng widened her eyes in disbelief, for the first time Fusheng raised her voice at her father. She did not react like this when she lost her mother and grandfather, not even when she lost her cultivation, but she could not accept this. "That's impossible!! You are lying!! I need to go to the Academy and speak to the principal, no better still I will go to the Emperor himself, he promised me unconditional admission into the Royal Dragon Academy, how could he take it back just because I lost my cultivation. That's impossible!! You all are lying!! Father how could you scheme with a concubine against your own biological daughter? I.. I will not accept..."

The rest of the words died in her mouth as she was heavily slapped by Meng meixin(the stepmother). "How dare you? How dare you speak to your father like that? How dare you call me a concubine? Who do you think you are? You are just a useless trash, no cultivation, no respect, no manners. You are as despicable as your mother. The Academy does not accept trash and you want to get upset about it. Who knows where you got the illness that ruined you and you dare blame me and your father? You are to return to your room, never ever step out of it and you will not receive any food until I decide that you have changed. Let me not hear that you left this house to go to the Academy, because if you do not have shame, at least try not to embarrass your grandfather's legacy."

Little Fusheng was stunned by the slap, that she did not even understand what was happening until her step mother's head maid came to her room with a whip and used it on her. That was the first time she had ever been flogged, and that was also the beginning of her low self esteem.

***

Fusheng stood looking at the letter in disbelief, because her father had sat down right in front of the ancestral hall and lied to her about her admission to the Academy, stayed put and overlooked that concubine beat her and made her feel useless and did nothing about it. A tear slid down her right eye, but she hurriedly wiped it. She will make sure they regret it, make sure the feel the pain of regret right in their bones and will not be able to do anything about it. They will also feel the meaning of being useless.

Fusheng decided to focus on the more pending issues, based on the date that the letter was addressed, the 20th is already two days away, and she does not have any money on her. She took a deep breath and smiled, her first ever smile after being reborn. She has to thank Ah Wan for being so clueless as to keep the letter in this room. She decided to take things one at a time. She securely put the letter inside her sleeves and continued her search, but as night fell she did not see anything important other than the letter from the Royal Dragon Academy. After eating dinner she slept off, because she was feeling surprisingly tired. 

The next day she got up early and handled her morning duties ate her breakfast and continued her search. The mysterious woman in her dreams kept her word and did not come again to Fusheng and surprisingly nobody from the main mansion had come to trouble her, seems like they really believed her flu story. But Fusheng did not care as it was even better that they did not come to trouble her. Today's search was even more futile, but Fusheng could not shake out the thought that there was something that she was overlooking. It was not until evening approached that she saw an uneven pattern in the wall of the room. The touched it and a glass like little bottle fell off onto her bed. Curious she picked it up and studied it. It was like a vial and it looked empty. 

Fusheng thought to herself "Whatever this was, it is very important that this was hidden. But why will someone hid an empty bottle." 

She decided to open it and white smoke came out from the seemingly empty bottle. Fusheng was literally so shocked, not even the issue of her rebirth caused her to be so shocked. What made her so shocked was not the smoke, but the fact that inside her room was a little floating white dragon. She had to blink to make sure she was not seeing things. When she thought the dragon was just going to float, the dragon opened it eyes and spoke. It took years of her grandfather's training to stop her from shouting and running.

The dragon said "Hahahaha I am finally free. Humph I told those puny humans that they could not drag me down forever. I will now proceed with my plans of destroying this world. I can not believe they kept me FEILONG trapped for so many years. I am their ancestor, humankind so ungrateful, help a dog and get a friend, but as for humankind, help a human and get a potential enemy."

As Fusheng watched him rant like he was the only one in the room, she could not deny the fact that he was really cute. She did not know when she chuckled alerting the dragon of her presence. The dragon turned and stared at her "Who let you inside this place?"

Fusheng was rendered speechless by that "You are in this one's room, yet you ask me that?"

The dragon floated around her and said "You must be the one that released me. But why do you look so familiar?"

Fusheng could not stand him muttering to himself and she said "who are you and why were you in a bottle?"

The dragon could not believe his ears, how dumb could this human be? "Humans are becoming dumber by the generation, why else would I be in a bottle if not for you puny humans. Do you think I was taking a holiday inside the bottle? Humph I can't believe I am stuck with this human. I am Feilong, the might god of the seven seas, the only dragon to ever exist, the most powerful being to ever exist..."

Fusheng interrupted his barrage of praise "Hold on, are you sure you are the most powerful being to exist? I mean you were literally in a bottle just now. And what do you mean by you can't believe you're stuck with me."

Feilong was stumped "Wait you do not know what I am? How did you find me? Where are your parents?"

Fusheng frowned and said coldly "I am an orphan."

Feilong sighed and said "You are right I might be a mighty dragon, but I was cursed and chained to vial whosoever that opens the vial gets to be my master for a lifetime. I only have one master per generation and for this generation you are my master. I have helped countless people to get wealth, power and conquer their enemies, but I can not marry anybody, just telling you so you can get rid of any intention to get married to me."

Fusheng sighed exasperated and said "I am your master? And hold on what makes you think I will marry a dragon just because he is powerful?"

Feilong seemed like he remembered something and said "hold on"

Immediately a bright light emanated from his body, Fusheng had to close her eyes. When the light receded she opened her eyes and in the place of the dragon stood a very handsome if not beautiful young man with white hair. She gradually understood where Feilong's confidence came from. He was very handsome, with well shaped thick eye brows, bright Phoenix eyes, long thick eyelashes, perfectly shaped nose, red lips and very clear smooth skin, even with the white hair he did not look out of place. She had to admit he was the most handsome man she had ever seen. 

Feilong obviously enjoying the attention said "You see, I am not just a mighty dragon, I am the most handsome man to ever live."

Fusheng rolled her eyes and said "Okay point well made. But about the contract thing, how do I know you're not just a noise making dragon-human?"

Feilong maybe being shocked at the fact that he met a human that doubted him, had to walk around the room for sometime to relieve his frustration looked intently at Fusheng and said "You're 16 going to 17."

Fusheng raised one of her eyebrows and said "is that all you have? Don't tell me you're a fortune teller?"

Feilong rolled his eyes and said "be patient you puny human. There is poison in your system, the type that will wipe you out slowly, you will not even notice. The poison was meant to kill you on the night you turn 17. Bring your wrist"

Fusheng hesitated for a while before handing over wrist, her looking very serious.

Feilong held her wist for a while and said "You lost your cultivation, because your dantian was damaged which was also the work of the poison. How did you survive for so long with the poison in your system? You? Who did you offend? This is rarest poison ever and I have roamed the world for so long, I can count how many times I have seen this poison."

Fusheng was surprisingly calm after hearing the news. She always suspected that the issue of her loosing her cultivation was not a small one, she knew that concubine never liked her but she did not expect the woman to hate her to the point of using the rarest poison to finish her off. What exactly had she done wrong? When her mother died, despite knowing that her father did a bad thing by bringing the woman back, she never disrespected the woman, even when the Emperor asked her if she wanted the woman and her father out of the house, she refused because she still had hopes and regards about her father. How could they do this to her? She never caused them trouble, but yet what did she get? Nothing just sadness, pain, humiliation. 

She snapped out of her thoughts and said seriously to Feilong "Can you help me fix it?"