บท 24: 1.24

"Meilin?"

I tried my hardest these last six weeks to not be such a startled rabbit amongst all these wolves, yet seeing her standing there, hand on her hip, in the gym as I walked in made me squeal and almost turn to flee.

"Ah, so you've met her already," Lex walked in behind me, passing to greet her with a friendly smile, "Meilin's the best with a blade and has a similar fighting style to you, she's the best instructor for you."

When Lex had told me yesterday that I was to get a new instructor I'd spent the night imagining so many different faces. The last face I expected was one belonging to a member of the very clan that attached a death curse on me.

"Nice to see you again little sis," she smiled warmly.

Dressed in her sports gear, with such a friendly face, it was a total one-eighty compared to the cold businesswoman I'd met in my penthouse.

"Were we that close?" I asked, confused at the new nickname.

"Ah, yes, you really lost your memories then, it's not just one of your plots?" She asked, looking at Lex, not me.

"Yes, unfortunately, she cannot recall anything," Lex sighed, clearly lying, he knew I could recall Zhiyue's memories from after she entered the orphanage. He turned to me, "anyway, before the orphanage you were close and Meilin has been working with me and the loyal Li clan members for years now, don't worry Luna."

The Li clan were the subordinates of the Mo clan, entrusted to their security. Wang Lei, was one of them and that was why he had been watching over her in the orphanage pretending to the outside world to be her brother.

Still, how was that reassuring, she had been working with Wang Lei, or more specifically, that psychopath Lixin, for years now. Could I really trust her? Why did Lex? Not to mention she was close to Jianyu, and Jianyu wanted to use me for power.

I had not told Wang Lei about my thoughts on Jianyu, only that I had asked for a divorce. Using the excuse that I was not Zhiyue, I'd only played along because I knew no better. It was hard to actually tell him that I had been stupidly falling in love with the bastard.

Regardless of my knowledge about Jianyu's intentions, as far as I was aware, none of them knew. Besides Jianyu wanted me alive more than I did at this point. If Lex said it was okay, then I had to acknowledge it, for now.

"Yes, Jianyu and Rui filled me in as well," she nodded, looking like an eager puppy wanting to play.

I noticed Lex's fists clench at Jianyu's name. So did Meilin.

She cleared her throat and took a step toward me.

"Wang Lei's told me you were trained in using blades whilst in the orphanage, so hopefully muscle memory will do most of the work for you even if you."

Well, here was another lie. Let's just add that into this intricate web we were spinning, praying we did not get too entangled we couldn't find a way out.

Being immortal was hard work, both physically and mentally. How many lies would I have to tell just to survive? Never mind how much it would take to make the body's owner happy.

"Yeah, hopefully," I sighed, he must have meant that I, Luna, had been trained in blades, but this was Zhiyue's body, muscle memory would do squat.

"As I said before, I have to leave for a few days, maybe a week," Lex looked reluctant, "be a good girl and listen to Meilin. If you need anything James has been instructed to follow your orders."

James was Wang Lei's right-hand man, though young he was a technological wizard and loyal to a fault.

At the mention of being given power, I almost bounced on the spot. He trusted me. He really trusted me. I wasn't being left to sit pretty and wait, but to train and grow in my strength.

"Yes sir," I mock saluted then turned to Meilin, ignoring the lingering gaze he gave me before he left.

Once sure he was out of earshot I blurted the question that haunted me for weeks now, "what is Jianyu doing, has he agreed to the divorce?"

Meilin's eyes darted to the door, likely she also was nervous about Lex overhearing.

"Honestly, I have no idea what's going on between you two, but he is an emotional wreck right now," she ignored my pained expression and walked over to grab my hand and pull me into a room I hadn't entered before, "never mind the men, come let me introduce you to my babies."

Her babies were a variety of blades, from the tiniest of throwing knives to a sword as long as my leg. The rectangular room we were in had various blades mounted on both the long walls. To the far end were dummies evenly spaced out.

"Pick them up one at a time, see how you feel once the hilts are in your grasp, let me know if anything comes back to you, or what feels comfortable," she waved her hands to the walls then sat on a bench, leaning back against the wall to watch.

"But be careful," she raised her arm as I picked up the first sword, they weren't blunt at all. One wrong move and I could easily impale myself or lose a limb.

I smiled faintly. Detecting genuine worry in her voice felt comforting, "sure."

After a while I held a pair of blades of equal length, it felt like they were merely extensions of my own arms.

"Wang Lei said you'd like them, guess he was right, again," she stood up, walking over, "these are twin dao blades."

"Right, now I'm confident you'll be the happiest dual wielding, let's put the babies away and get out the wooden swords." She took both blades and sheathed them, then tossed two wooden swords at me consecutively. Surprisingly I caught both.

"First let's build up your arm strength whilst taking out your frustrations," she smiled eerily sweet, "picture the person you want to hit the most and swing at the dummy here."

Jianyu's face was the first to come to mind and my right arm swung the wooden blade swiftly down so hard my entire arm ached from the rebound.

"Your forms okay, but," she adjusted my body, not caring to ask permission for where she touched, "swing again."

This time it hurt less.

"Good, keep going, do twenty strikes then switch arms, then repeat, I'm going to make us some tea," she patted my shoulder and left me to vent the rage I never realised I had bottled up inside of me.

***

He said it would take days or a week, yet it had been two weeks and there was still no sign of Lex returning.

James, the skinny gothic teenager that usually followed him around like a little lapdog was now following me around the same way, so much so that Meilin had to keep chucking him out of the room.

It also made me feel slightly uneasy as if James wasn't there to help but surveil me, or maybe it was Meilin. Maybe Lex did not trust her as much as he said he did.

It did not matter, I had long accustomed to the idea that nobody was safe, everybody lied, including myself. Just use them to get what I need, which was strength.

"Good, you're getting better," Meilin praised me as she rubbed her aching waist, "I think I'm going to have to get James in to practice with you, it's starting to actually hurt."

I laughed, putting the blunted hidden blade to one side. For the last two weeks, she had focused on building my strength and incorporating hidden blades into the self-defense techniques when fleeing wasn't an option.

Despite it being a short time we spent together, I felt a familial connection with Meilin that had me accidentally calling her big sis without even intending to. As if the body recognised hers. Yet I would not let down the walls I had now firmly built up around my heart.

"Right, let's shower then get some supper," she rubbed her stomach now, "I'm starved."

My stomach grumbled in response. I hadn't even realised the sun had set.

On the way back from our meal Meilin suddenly bowed over and threw up her meal in the hallway.

James, who had been lingering a few feet behind us, pull out a phone to ring someone to clean it up, at least he was efficient.

"What's wrong?" I asked, pulling her hair out of her face, not caring that her vomit was now mixed in it.

"Fuck," she swore, her voice hoarse. She looked up at me, tears in her eyes, "lil sis I think I've really fucked up," her hand rested on her lower abdomen. My eyes widened at the realisation of what she meant. A baby.

Bile rose to my own throat at the thought of going through the same. Had I not had a System to prevent it, maybe I'd have fallen into the same quagmire. Better her than me, whoever had planted it, hopefully, had better intentions than that man.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it," my hand stroked her back as I guided her to her room, feeling guilty about my own thoughts.

Once I heard the running of the water in the shower I left to find James still standing dutifully in the hallway.

"Here," I beckoned him over, then pulled his lanky self at an awkward angle to talk quietly into his ear, aware that the people in this household were all trained in martial arts.

"Buy me a pregnancy test and make it discrete," I let go of him and walked away to go get a shower of my own.

Exhausted, I stumbled out of the ensuite to find not one, but two men in my bed. The two men I least expected to lie side by side quietly talking. One my husband, the other my soulmate.

Jianyu laid arms behind his head, staring at the ceiling like it was the night sky, ignoring me completely. Whilst Lex sat up eagerly, a big smile on his face, "Luna, did you miss me?"

"Y-yes…" my heart beat a million miles per hour in my chest, threatening to break out at any moment. How was Jianyu so calm? Didn't Meilin tell me he had been an emotional wreck? What a farce.

"Why, no, how, no, what is going on?" I stumbled with my words and my footing as I moved to the chest of drawers for my pyjamas, grateful I'd worn a bathrobe.

"I found master," he sounded so excited, like a kid who'd found his favourite toy, "I can't believe my luck, I'm here five minutes and I find both of you so soon."

I frowned, reexamining Jianyu. "Master?"

"Oh, right, yes, memory," Lex's smile dropped, "Master is also now an immortal, I was lucky he recognised me and didn't try and banish me the second he saw me walking around in Wang Lei's body." He nervously chuckled, scratching the back of his neck.

Jianyu's eyes finally moved to look at him, then at me.

This bastard was immortal too. Were they all immortals pretending to be humans?

Not only did he know I wasn't Zhiyue, but he actually knew me, Luna. Despite this, he had kept it a secret and continued to toy with my emotions to get my affection.

"Get out," I mumbled, shrugging Lex off me, "both of you get out," I screamed even louder.

"Luna, calm down," Lex backed off a few steps, his hands hovering in the air, "tell me what's wrong? Have you finally remembered something from your past life?"

My heart ached at his last question. Why should memories of my past life bring me to anger them?

"If you won't leave, I will," I gathered the strength in my legs and stormed out to go to Meilin's room to sleep for the night.