That Fair-Faced 'Sage' {Completed}

85. The Shuǐ Orphan

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For almost a month, Shuǐ ChangSheng and Lien lived in the peaceful countryside home, but one quiet, moonless night, a group of masked men attacked the small household.

The attackers had been strong, with most being in the late Purple realm.

"Protect Lady Yun!" Shuǐ ChangSheng had ordered, and he had left with a few guards to head off the attackers, leaving Lien with the strongest.

They had been in a hidden room at the back of the residence, as they heard the battle outside.

Lien was apprehensive.

It made more sense for her to be the one out there, since she was far stronger than Shuǐ ChangSheng!

She had been poisoned, but surely, she would still be able to handle those in the Purple realm.

But as she stepped toward the door, she heard a thud behind her, and she turned to see one of the cultivators, drop to the ground.

Before she could rush to him, the others began to drop to the ground.

"How-?" But then, the scent reached her nose. 'Isn't this-?

"Yes, my Lady. They have been poisoned." Yi told her, and she swivelled to face him. Her jumped in her throat, when she saw that he was right next to the bed, where her baby was sleeping.

His sword had appeared, surrounded by angry red flames, and it drew closer to the baby.

'Eastern Region!' Lien observed, even as her heart pounded in fear. Her furious aura swept through the room, but she forced herself to keep calm.

"You... Why are you doing this?" she asked, but Yi just smiled, making his innocent face seem colder than usual.

The 'orphan of the Shuǐ Clan', as Yi was usually referred to, was not really an orphan at all...

"From the moment I was found, till now, my sole goal has been to keep an eye on Shuǐ Chang, report his every action, and be ready to act, if necessary.

"Hmmm. Why do you think all this while, despite being trained with Shuǐ Chang, no one ever saw my core aura? I knew I had to hide it, to avoid suspicion, so I depended on only talismans and basic swordplay.

"But it's time for me to act, so I don't need to hide anymore." He shook his head at the guards on the floor. "These guards will all be dead in mere minutes. Come with me, and I won't harm your child."

"How could you kill people so easily?" Lien's eyes had darted to the dead men on the floor, before returning to her son.

Yi scoffed. "Are you asking me 'How'? That has always been my purpose here... To kill Shuǐ Chang, if he eventually becomes a problem.

"However, for months, my orders were to kill you and bring you to the elder." He said it so calmly, that it was as if they were discussing going out for a walk.

Lien's eyes had widened. "You-! You even joined hands with the 'elder'?"

"Yes." Yi just smiled. "There was no way to do it without arousing suspicion, so I had to poison you slowly."

A small urn appeared in his hand. "I must say you are quite powerful... It was certainly no easy feat. I had to first create a poison that would work against someone like you. A poison that would preserve your essence, even after your death, so I could take you to the Elder.

"It took a long while, but with the Elder's help, I finally succeeded in creating a poison that would kill you slowly. But Shuǐ Chang, he..." He sighed, shaking his head.