章 91: Chapter – 91 - Disciple of the Sect Leader in the Main Sect in Main City.

Beibei stepped over the stones doorway of her room, casually banging the metal door shut behind her back. She rarely ever stayed in this room, and nothing of important was ever kept here. So there was no point in locking up this tiny room. Unlike the others, she couldn't even bother wasting her money on getting an array inscribed around this room. No matter who asked, her answer was always the same - 'Why should I waste my time and effort?! Could spend that time to catch up on some sleep or eat something more delicious, or even beat you up to entertain myself!'

Yeah, she was one crazy, weird character, and no one wanted to be in her way whenever she stormed through the paths of the academy, which was actually about four times in five years.

But then, the chaos she created both times - beating up people all over the academy; hanging some of the old guards of the city at the South Gates of the city; ripping apart the clothes of one of the higher grade soldiers, tying him to the North Gate Beam and carving vicious and lecherous words all over his naked body...the whole city was in a turmoil over such lascivious and uncontrolled behavior.

Unfortunately, this girl had been taken as the last disciple of the Sect Head, Lunaeri, who herself was the last disciple of Kartenu. Be it power, stature or backing, there was nowhere the people go to protest against the injustice.

So, they simply stayed far away, preferably locking themselves up at home, whenever she decided to visit the academy. She didn't seem to be interested in attending any of the courses in any of the branches of the academy, and most of the time no one knew where she was and what she was doing. If some of them were not convinced by how she managed to become a disciple of the Great Sect Leader, especially since she was a commoner trash.....well no one came forward to protest this either. After all, no one would willingly put their head in the guillotine and then ask the executioner to slam down the blade....would they?!

Beibei walked down the stone paved path, looking over the flowing streams of yellow and red flowers, abundantly bordering the walkways everywhere. From afar they looked like little rivers of yellow and red gurgling past the somber stone paths.

Beibei sighed inwardly. How could she tell the people...that she herself wasn't clear about why the Sect Leader had suddenly taken her in as the last disciple! Not that she cared what the people thought of her. When the Sect Leader had proposed this decision, Beibei had shamelessly asked for Menji and the other man as well the bull to be included in the proposal.

She knew from the start that Lunaeri didn't like her....which made it all the more puzzling as to why she chose her! Though she seemed very much angered by such callous demands, she just swallowed in all her temper, and complied with the demands, albeit very unwillingly. And she did not mind telling Beibei just how unwilling she was! As part of punishment for unrealistic and unreasonable demands, for the next six months, Beibei had to complete three times the amount of tasks and homework as the other students.

But even though Lunaeri clearly did not like her, or rather....she seemed to be cautious around her for some reason, she never really made her life too difficult. Also, though she was Lunaeri's last disciple, Beibei always felt that all the proposals for her training and education actually came from somewhere else. Very often, Lunaeri seemed perplexed by the details of the methods and techniques to be used as her training method.

Beibei sighed once more, but then caught the faint scent of fresh Keopak sweets and glanced up. The lone figure of a handsome young man leaning against the Dadua Tree in the middle of a patterned sand mural set in the open ground caught her eyes. The ground had symbols spreading out from the foot of the tree, and since the man was standing there, the words and symbols seemed to encompassing his being, spreading out from his lonely form, stretching towards the eternity of the world.

Beibei had paused in her walk to appreciate the natural art-work of man and tree and sand, her lips unknowingly twitching upwards, her eyes to gentling their sharpness. The man at some point had turned to glance towards the path, and seeing the musing face of the person he was waiting for, he flashed a brilliant smile and jumped forward.....completely disrupting the beautiful picture.

"Tsk! Still as fidgety as before....no wonder your energy has entered a Warp-Block!"

"Ah! Nanate told you everything! But you are right. I just can't seem to get past this block! Every time I feel I am about to touch the boundary of the Cross-over, and then all of a sudden the energy just dissipates, and I have fallen back to the Leap-Line. I keep trying and trying, but just can't cross over!"

"Hmmm....sometimes trying too hard is no helpful. Perhaps you need a change in your perspective."

Beibei started moving once more, her lazy countenance hiding the sharp glint in her very essence. Kunwa walked behind her, appreciating the gait and form of the girl even as she moved at a slow pace. She gave of a feel of a wild beast at leisure - relaxed after a hearty meal, yet hiding an unquestionable ruthlessness beneath the outer layer of her skin.

"How come you are in the academy today? Nanate just returned from the old den, but he never said anything about you coming over!"

"He doesn't know. I was summoned by Peretie. Lunaeri wants me to take a look around the Last Boundaries."

Kunwa was following, his head hung a little lower, eyes scrunched into a deep frown as he looked lost in thought.

"...I remember...the last few groups of mercenaries sent to the Ancient Sand Runes came back with strange reports. Many had disappeared....said to have disappeared in the Ancient Sand Runes. Also, there were reports about strange sightings and flickering lights."

"Hmmm.....that must be it then. I am supposed to make a team of my own and follow the path to the Ancient Sand Runes."

Kunwa looked up, his eyes shining brightly as he almost jumped onto her back in excitement.

"Ahem.....didn't you say that I need to take a break and change my perspective. I think so too. Maybe a change of place and experiencing something different can also change my perspective!"

Beibei frowned at this sudden change in attitude and aspiration of the young boy. Truly....good looks could not buy you brains."

"You do remember you signed up for the Bedetin Group last time...which means no matter where I go and what mission I take on in the future.....you will always be a part of the team. As will Nanate and the two beasts you both own. Whether you like it or not...as long as I am the team leader of Bedetin, you both have no choice."

Kunwa almost stumbled on his steps. He tended to forget the bandit like character of this girl. Even the name of the group meant 'Unruly-Rogues'!

He thought back to that fateful day, when Lunaeri had sent someone to call both him and Nanate to come to the tiny chamber at the back of her Floating Residence. Generally no one was allowed there. And being simple students of the Outer Partial Trainee of the Core Academy, well.....they had never even crossed into the periphery of the Inner Regions where the residences of all the lecturers, Mentors, Instructors, and the Heads of the Different Departments were.

Both Nanate had never met each other prior to that day. He was in the Enchanter-Priest department, with an aptitude for spells, curses, poison traps and arrays, whereas Nanate was clearly a swordsman. So he couldn't stop himself from giving Nanate a few more glances as they were led down the large stone slab set path, with bright flowers and plants bordering the wide walkway, and stone columns forming an arch over the path, supporting large slabs of rectangular stones, forming a shade for the people walking down this path. The columns and slabs overhead were carved with intrinsic designs or runes, and wild gay creepers crawled all over the stone pillars.

Then they were led down the path till the end, where the path itself almost vanished, and the garden became a motley of overgrown flowering plants crawling all over the ground and up the sides of the walls and houses. Kunwa felt he had suddenly entered a forest...in the middle of a desert!

Lunaeri was waiting for them.....alongside an unconscious girl lying prone on the single bed in the room. Kunwa heard the tiny gasp from Nanate. At first he was puzzled, but as his eyes turned to the little girl on the bed, he himself shivered, letting out an audible gasp. Both of them couldn't believe that this girl was still alive!

Lunaeri had made a deal with them. She would let them enter the Inner Sect Disciples, provide them with higher level resources and also allot special instructors for their specialised training and enhancement of skills.

In return.....they needed to be with this girl at all times. She had told them that she was different, but no one else in the academy was allowed to know how different she was. Their task was to ensure her safety, help her as and when she needed them, and completely hide her real identity in the academy. Where she went, what she did, what was her potential and skill.....nothing was to be leaked.

And since then the two boys and two pets had been following her. At first they couldn't understand what the Sect Leader expected out of her. Now they didn't care. She was very different from them...not just in the methods she used for her own cultivation....but also her general attitude.

'Never get involved in matters of others needlessly. But if you do decide to get involved.....then see it to the end....and be sure to win! People talk.....that is their character. You need not pay attention to baseless gossip - that is a waste of energy. But laying low and being laid-back doesn't equate to being easy to bully. When you have to attack.....then attack just once. Sharp, clean and ruthless. Let the people know and fear you...so they never dare to attack again.'

Yeah....she looked easy going, but down to the core of every bone in her body.....she was a lawless, unbound rogue. She just didn't flare up that easily.

"Are we returning back to the base?"

"I am. Are you sure you want to follow me like this? We'll be heading straight out for the mission after we reach the base. Don't you have anything to pack?"

Kunwa grinned in embarrassment, lifting a hand to scratch his unruly head. Beibei gave him a cursory glance out of the corners of her eyes, never breaking in her leisurely steps.

"Get Nanate to come with you when you come over. And the two pets. We'll leave the day after tomorrow. So be there by tomorrow morning."

Beibei waved a hand at Kunwa and kept walking towards the large statue of Nanamako, which stood overlooking the entire Main Academy. Nanamako was the founding father of the Main Academy. No one knew or remembered how many years ago this academy was established. But everyone knew that Nanamako was a Divine Level Swordsman. Many of his original methods of sword cultivation, which he had developed over his lifetime, were held as relics of great importance in the Legacy Hall of the Main City.

Beibei walked up to the row of stairs leading underground from the base of the stairs. She was not going to enter the main city, so she didn't need to head to the gate behind the statue. This underground path was restricted to only a handful who had the authority and token to use it. Thanks to Lunaeri, she was also one of the few. After all, not many people were aware of the existence of the Ancient Graveyard Ruins where this passage led to.