บท 19: The Time She Met the Anomaly
"What makes you think that Ruan Clan are such easy targets? We have the willpower of the Vermilion Bird, the force of the White Tiger, the wisdom of the Black Tortoise, and the Pride of the Azure Dragon. Our hearts are not so easy to tempt."
Ruan Xiaomen, "The Bamboo Chronicles of a Good-for-Nothing"
When she first met him, she felt wantonly in love him. His bright intelligent eyes framed with a pair of strong and dark eyebrows. They were an ambiguous shade of dark brown with a hue of purple. His dark hair and clear, water-like skin brought out the complement of his eyes and his rose-colored lips.
"You have eyes that see color, but only see black and white," a deep voice rung in her ears as he coldly rebutted the shop owner.
"... Are you insulting me right now?" the shop owner blinked a couple times. "Well, you're nothing more than a good-for-nothing beggar!"
To be fair, in contrast to the man that the Lotus Lady saw, the actual appearance of the man was quite horrendous. He was covered in dirt and dressed in rags. There were even leaves and wooden sticks stuck in his hair.
"Wait! Wait, wait!" Ruan Shanqiao cut off the Lotus Lady as she started her story. However, being the nice lady she was, the Lotus Lady patiently awaited her question. "How did you see his appearance as the ideal visual of a man if he was covered in dirt and rags?"
"As the Lotus Lady, I see the truth in people. To me they are as clear as spring water."
"..." For some reason, the words sounded a little cheesy to Shanqiao.
"Not to continue my story…"
Indeed this was the author of the Bamboo Chronicles of a Good-for-Nothing, Ruan Xiaomen.
"A good-for-nothing?" his eyes turned red. "Then, try to beat me."
"Hah, how funny," the shop owner released his aura onto Xiaomen. "What can a good-for-nothing do to a Third Rank cultivator?"
The surrounding people started gathering to watch the fight. Many of them were whispering about the impossibilities of a good-for-nothing beating a Third Rank cultivator.
"The strength between the a good-for-nothing and any cultivator is like that of the difference between the Earth and the Heavens."
"What does he think he'll be able to achieve by fighting a cultivator?"
"His death," one spectator said sarcastically.
Despite the taunts surrounding him, Ruan Xiaomen stood astute in his standing.
It was his confidence that cowed the cultivator, but he shook his head in disbelief at his own cowardice.
"Then let us fight!" the shop owner declared as he sent a punch towards Xiaomen.
However, Xiaomen drew a dagger and rushed at the owner recklessly as his right hand flailed with the dagger.
"Lady," an attendant said quietly from next to her, "to avoid commotion, I think it would be best to move away."
She held up a hand. "No, he's immensely interesting."
"In what way, my lady?" her disciple asked gently. "The way he moves his hand is inefficient and non uniform. It's indeed fast for a non cultivator, but such movements don't tend to be effective for a cultivator or a non cultivator."
"That is where you are wrong."
"Huh?"
"Those movements… match the ancient arrays."
From afar, the Lotus Lady watched fascinated. Her eyes twinkled much like the stars in the night sky. The records of the ancient arrays had been destroyed even before her master had been born.
"L-l-lightning!"
There was a collective gasp as lightning sparked around the two fighters.
In contrary to the surprise of the spectators, the Lotus Lady was unsurprised. The arrays that he had used were one of the few that her master had retained and taught to her. It was an array if perfected that unleash lightning storms.
"The only problem was that cultivators trained themselves to surpass nature," she remembered her master tell her, "and ancient arrays require one to become one with nature. Cultivators are unable to harness the elements because they are unnatural beings. However, to perfect the arrays without help of cultivation…"
The sky darkened and lightning storms striked through the skies.
"Master, I met someone who perfected it. A person who has achieved the impossibility you described."
The Lotus Lady covered her face with a veil and signaled for her attendant. She whispered words into the ear of the girl and before long she left.
"I promise, I'll capture your heart and your technique," she swore as she left.
"Soooo, you never did capture his heart, did you?" Shanqiao yawned.
"No. But he took pity on me."
"Hmm?"
"He told how he managed to perfect the method of the ancient arrays."
A long silence ensued.
"He… gifted me something, you know," the Lotus Lady finally interrupted the silence. "I think he meant to give it to a successor, but he must have known he wouldn't find one in his lifetime."
"..."
"The needles colder than ice and the strings more transparent than dew. I'll give them to you…"
Snore!
The Lotus Lady turned towards the noise and found Ruan Shanqiao sleeping soundly. She laughed bitterly.
"So, even your successor won't give me her heart. Will I capture the heart of at least one Ruan Clan member?"
"..."
"I already know it's impossible," she sighed as she placed the needles and the string wrapped in beautiful blue silk next to Ruan Shanqiao.
"Such a young girl, why have you wandered so far thus?" she whispered…
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