Kapitel 25: Qin Rui
Qin Rui took a sip of her warm tea, tasting the natural sweetness on her tongue and closing her eyes for a moment to savor the taste properly. Morning Leaf was certainly one of the best elixir concoctions ever created.
As she opened her eyes, they shone with a renewed clarity. She picked up her brush and started scribbling on the scroll, finding each stroke smooth and gentle. There was a finesse to her movement only found in the masters of their craft.
Her gaze alternated from the piece of talisman carved with perfect lines to what she could only describe as pinnacle craftsmanship. It was the most beautiful specimen she had ever had the privilege of copying.
That's right. Qin Rui, an expert rank inscription master, was currently focused on copying a work that was vastly inferior to her level. A mere Tier 1 Talisman.
But she didn't find the act disgraceful.
As her grandfather used to say, 'There's no precedent to learning that states you can only learn from those above you. The very act of learning means to grow but never achieve perfection. Even the roads you have traversed remain mysterious, and the path to learning is a never-ending maze.'
Even if this was but a simple talisman, Qin Rui was learning much from it.
A near-perfect object.
'Is that even possible?' She had once asked her grandfather.
He had replied. 'A work isn't just the result of following instructions. It embodies passion, truth, and, most of all, experience. Even if you feel like you have achieved perfection, there will always be someone who knows just a bit more than you and will be able to open an entire realm of possibilities.'
And she now understood that truth.
Whoever the creator of this talisman was, they were more experienced than her. That extra bit of reach provided an entirely new perspective, and now she was busy trying to peek through the window they had left behind.
Qin Rui finished the last stroke of her brush, feeling a trickle of her Qi—a mere inconsequential amount—disappear from her reserves, only to reform a moment later.
As she lifted her gaze, she glanced between the two talismans, comparing. Despite this being her 100th time doing this same activity, Qin Rui realized she had barely made any progress, if at all.
Sighing, she set aside the brush and focused on her tea. Just then a knock resounded on her door.
"Come in."
The door opened to reveal an extremely beautiful woman with long black hair and electric blue eyes. She wore a tight-fitting garment that accentuated her bountiful and curvaceous figure. Her cheeks were rosy and her lips glossy. She respectfully bowed her head. "Yan Mei greets master."
"Mm." She nodded in an inquiring manner.
Yan Mei cleared her throat and spoke. "Master, I wish to travel to White Crane Peak to attend to some important matter."
"Did you finish the task I gave you?" Qin Rui asked.
"That..." Yan Mei hesitated, a conflicted expression taking over her features.
"You were going to leave without finishing your work?" Qin Rui frowned. "You do understand that you're still under punishment, right?"
"Master that—"
"That's enough." She raised a palm. "I do not wish to hear anymore from you. You're not permitted to leave until you have completed your assignment."
Color drained from Yan Mei's face, and Qin Rui almost felt a pang of guilt assault her heart. Almost.
"Leave now."
Her orders brokered no argument, yet Qin Rui was surprised when she found Yan Mei not moving from her position. Tense silence overtook the atmosphere with neither breaking ice.
In the end, Yan Mei bowed deeply and said, "I understand the mistake I have made, and I will do my best to deliver on my promise. But please, allow me this once to leave the mountain, I beg of you."
Qin Rui couldn't bear it anymore. She had raised Yan Mei like her daughter, and seeing her like that pained her deeply.
Sighing, she asked, "Alright, speak; what matter is so urgent that you would even defy your master's order?"
A smile bloomed on Yan Mei's face, though she hid it quickly. Or so she thought, as Qin Rui had caught the act with crystal clarity.
"Well, there's this boy I have been keeping an eye on for a while now." As Yan Mei spoke up to there, Qin Rui couldn't help but raise a brow. As far as she remembered, Yan Mei had never shown any interest in a person of the opposite sex, so this came as a surprise.
"I heard he has applied for an evaluation to be promoted to Servant Disciple, and I wish to take him under my care."
A boy, she had said. With a smile to boot. Qin Rui felt almost as confused as when she tried to comprehend the principles within that talisman.
"And you like this boy?" She questioned.
Yan Mei tensed and then shook her head. "No, no. I mean, I don't like him."
"So, you... hate him?"
"No! I don't hate him." Yan Mei refused staunchly.
Qin Rui crinkled her eyes and smiled. "You don't like him, and you don't hate him. Which is it? Decide first."
"Master..." Yan Mei groused. "Please, I will be running late already."
"Alright, alright." She raised her hands in defeat. "At least tell me his name?"
"Lin Fei. Can I go now?"
"Leave. And finish your work after you come back!"
By the time Qin Rui finished her sentence, Yan Mei had already disappeared. She shook her head and sighed.
Then gazing nowhere in particular, Qin Rui spoke. "You've been waiting for some time now; come on out."
Suddenly the room she sat in darkened by a degree. From one of the corners the shadow stretched, and out walked a man.
"Young Lady." He bowed slightly.
"Speak? Do we have new information?"
The man inclined his head and answered. "Yes. Recently two young men came to my market to sell talismans. The very same ones we had been tracing."
Qin Rui's eyes lit up. "And?" She probed.
"We managed to track both of them to their places. Our prime suspect is a trial disciple."
"A Trial Disciple." Her brow up in surprise. "What do you have on him? Name?"
"Not much yet, but we are doing the digging. As for his name, he goes by Lin Fei."
Lin Fei? Lin Fei!
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein