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58.38% Learning To Live As A Cultivator / Chapter 188: Chapter One Hundred And Eighty Eight - I thought she’d given up

Chapter 188: Chapter One Hundred And Eighty Eight - I thought she’d given up

The lid of the keg sealed together with a soft thump and Leon rocked back onto his feet and stood almost gracefully, satisfied with how the Serene Milk salts were forming. He was planning on using the salts, once they were complete, to make his Bath Salts, instead of using the salty spring water from the distant cave he originally found Jin Li in. He hoped that the Serene Milk Salts would be a viable substitute seeing as they were one of the ingredients in the much used Light Chi Elixir (What Cultivators often placed in their bath waters at present).

Dusting off his plain hemp robes, he began to consider what else he could make today, when a familiar voice broke into his contemplation. "Leon!" She rushed inside, through the open door without qualms. Fortunately, because the inside of Leon's hut was not large, she refrained from pouncing upon him in her usual, affectionate way.

"Hey, M-Maimai," he gave her a light smile before reaching for a spare cup from the shelf to make her a cup of tea. It was a bit dusty, so he decided to give it a quick rinse first. This cup wasn't used too often, meant for guests as Jin Li had one that he considered his own, a rounded, black and grey China cup and Leon favoured a simple, brown one.

Steaming tea placed before her, she flopped upon the floor beside the table, ignoring all lady-like proprieties that she had been taught until wanting to scream, and took a sip. The flavour was much how she liked it, strong and sweet. Usually, the majority of the servants in the woman's quarters of her father's mansion served delicately flavoured teas as that was how the Madam and Merylin liked to drink it. Only her personal servants would serve her strong teas and then only while she did not have company. Therefore, she appreciated the freedom the school gave her more. Smacking her lips together happily, she waited until Leon sat opposite her before confessing something that had been weighing on her mind.

"I'm really, really sorry!" She apologised ahead of time.

"F-for What?" Leon asked, a bit confused.

"My sister, she has a bit of interest in Jin Li," Maimai admitted. Leon already knew this and thought this statement was understated. "I've warned her away, I mean, it is so clear that Jin Li has never had any time nor interest in her, but she..."

Leon smiled, wryly. "Th-thinks otherwise?" Whether in this world or in Leon's previous world, people who were in love could be very blinkered. He recalled how he had blindly accepted all of his old crush's whims and received nothing in return for his troubles, but heartache. However, he did not believe Miss Merylin was the sort of girl to trail after her love like a lost puppy and watch him walk away in the end. He didn't think her pride would allow it. Actually, as their paths had not crossed for a while, he rather thought she had stepped back and decided Jin Li was not worth her time. If Maimai was mentioning her now, clearly he had thought wrongly.

"En," Maimai agreed. "But she's gone too far! She's been trying to convince daddy to recruit Jin Li into the Sect and make him his succeeding disciple. As the eldest di-daughter, she would then marry him after a time." The cup in Leon's hand trembled and he placed it upon the table carefully, less he spill the hot beverage upon himself.

"Wh-What d-did your father say t-to that?" Leon stuttered, heavily as he asked this. Jin Li was strong, well worth a good position in a good Sect, should he choose. Although, when they first met, Jin Li's aspiration was to return home, to the Higher Realm, he hadn't mentioned going back for sometime now. So could he be tempted by something like this?

Maimai's brows raised and she shook her head with an inward sigh. Leon clearly had not been loved enough by his gong if he still thought another could turn Jin Li's head. "Silly," she teased him. "As if Jin Li would chose my sister over you." She placed her empty tea cup down. "But that's neither here nor there. As much as daddy likes to indulge us, he won't allow us to affect his decisions when it comes to the Sect. There are already a few potential youths in the Sect he might pick to eventually succeed him, not to mention a few brothers. Granted they are shu-born, so the Madam might protest, but daddy will choose whom he chooses, not who Merylin chooses for him. He also would never force anyone to join the Sect. That does not make for loyal disciples."

Leon's lips curved into a reassured smile, but it did not quite reach his eyes. Maimai wondered if she should have kept her mouth shut and not warned him at all, but she had wanted to arm him, in case Merylin tried something else to gain Jin Li's attentions. However, before his best friend could form anymore words to make him feel better, an clicking noise of irritation interrupted them.

Speak of the devil...

Jin Li stood, arms crossed about his chest in the doorway of the small hut. Were it not for the light already becoming dim due to the thickening clouds in the sky, they would have noticed his shadow cast over the table and welcomed him sooner. The man glared at Maimai, coldly, only for the glare to be returned with a sly grin, before he was completely ignored. Narrowing his eyes, he stormed the three steps necessary to reach his small lover and gathered him into his arms in a way that was somehow possessive, but tender, causing Leon to blush profusely. Jin Li then indicated with a dismissive wave that Maimai's presence was no longer appreciated.

The girl just rolled her eyes in a very obvious way, before rising to her feet and leaving. She glanced once over her shoulder to see the intense, fiery way the man gazed at her best friend, who met the stare with adoration. If her sister could see this, could see that there was no space for her to squeeze herself in between them, would she finally give up?


Chapter 189: Chapter One Hundred And Eighty Nine - I gave away another clue

A heavy sigh was followed by the rubbing of closed eyes, before the pair of wired spectacles were placed upon his nose, covering the redness now beneath them. Two large blue eyes despondently met them for a moment, before the owner curled into a ball and ignored the man trying to help it. It's shadowy guardian was hissing, angrily. If it weren't for the restraint about its neck, it would have lashed out at the two legged-person before them. It had no time for the two-legged beings.

Volun stepped backwards out of the stable and indicated to his students that they should release the adolescent Coeurl from its restraints. He hadn't wanted to resort to force, but the other occupant in the stable had lost its appetite of late and had begun to weaken. All of the student body within the outer beast taming school were particularly fond of the runt cub, that had defied expectations and grown to a reasonable and healthy weight for its age and were upset that it had suddenly begun to refuse food. Not even its small wooden charm could entice it. So Volun had come to see if he could diagnose whether it was ill or just being fussy. However, from what he could tell, it seemed like the cub was physically healthy and the food hadn't changed in either quality nor quantity. The cub just seemed... unhappy.

The adolescent, on the other hand, had not appreciated that someone wanted to invade its territory (it had decided that providing food was not invasion, rather it was a favourable offering towards it) and had appreciated less that someone wanted to poke and prod its younger brother. It was very protective of the small cub, but even it would admit (inwardly, deep, deep down) that it could not encourage the little one to return to its normal, jovial self and to eat the presented food.

"What do we do now?" Teacher Maki queried, stroking the finger length beard upon his chin. He was quite proud of his facial hair and had a habit whenever possible to remind others of its presence, hence stroking it when in deep thought... or even shallow thought... or just when he was talking really. "Lord Garius was quite hopeful that we would place the Coeurls into his care."

Teacher Volun frowned. He'd never agreed to accept Lord Garius' proposal. For one, the adolescent Coeurl was still quite wild in its temperament and Lord Garius' pride would not accept such behaviour. Lord Garius' female Coeurl had eyes that were empty and lacking vitality. So Volun believed that Lord Garius would definitely seek to break the adolescent and tame it. However, Teacher Volun knew that there were many ways to tame a beast and not all methods were kind. He really did not want to see this proud and stunning Coeurl ruined by any man's hand. As for the cub, it was docile for the most part, but also had a mischievous side. Again, Volun couldn't see this being a temperament suited to a noble rider's mount.

However, although he protested, the other Teachers were still leaning towards this option. After all, neither beast were accepting of potential partners and increasingly becoming a burden upon the school. They would have attempted to release the adolescent back into the wilds, for they felt it had a strong chance of survival, but it refused to leave the cub, that had none outside of a stable.

"Teacher, are we really sending them away?" A voice came from behind the two men. It was Tor, he was often in charge of feeding the school mounts and that duty happened to include the Coeurls. He liked completing this task and others were happy to leave him to it.

"We don't wish to," Teacher Volun attempted to appease the youth, despite the frown upon his colleague's face. Well, they certainly would not be able to 'sell' Lord Garius a sick cub and the adolescent wouldn't leave the child, thus it was a moot point anyway. "But we are concerned about the cub's health. Do you know how long it has been acting this way."

Tor thought back for a moment and attempted to recall. "I think it has been three days," he answered after a while. "Cetus was on feeding duty and happened to mention that the cub only sniffed at the food before burying itself in its nest. I didn't think much of it at the time." He'd been distracted, having bumped into... he fingered the small wooden talisman that Now was hooked upon his belt. It was carved into the shape of his Cooshee. "It's not like it hasn't behaved strangely before."

"What do you mean?" Teacher Maki queried, while Teacher Volun's eyes were drawn elsewhere.

"Well, it was yowling all excitedly the other afternoon," Tor mentioned. "And wouldn't eat much that evening either. I thought it had just tired itself out playing. But it ate in the morning." Funny, that day that he also had crossed paths with that person. He hadn't thought that after their conversation, he would carve him this charm. Tor wasn't sure whether he should be pleased or distressed that he was considered a 'good friend.'

"Tor," Teacher Volun's eyes had not left the boy's belt in sometime and he even pointed towards it with a slightly shaking finger. There was a sparkle of excitement behind those spectacles. "Where did you get that charm?"

"This?" Tor paused, holding the little carving still as he followed the Teacher's gaze. "This was carved by Leon, a... a friend from the outer alchemist school."

"Wait, what does that have to with the cub?" Teacher Maki asked, confused.

"May I?" Teacher Volun asked Tor, ignoring the other man. Tor amicably passed him the small charm and the Teacher's slender fingers ran over it, a bright smile appearing on his face unbidden. It was just as he thought! "When did you get this? Did it happen to be on the day that the cub stopped eating?"

Tor hesitated before nodding. "Yes..." his eyes widened as he noticed that the cub's large eyes were also fixated on the wooden cooshee carving. "You don't mean..." Teacher Volun did not confirm his suspicions, simply continued to grin, cheerfully.

"Could someone please tell me what is going on?" The confused Teacher Maki demanded.


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