Second Time

Chapter 11 - Departure

On the night of Shao Yue's sixteenth birthday, while everyone in the sect slept soundly, she slipped into Ren Meili's room. She sat on the edge of the bed and slowly stroked her disciple's hair.

"Mm?" Ren Meili opened her eyes, blinking. "Master?"

"I'm leaving tonight," Shao Yue stated.

Ren Meili shot wide awake and pushed herself up. "Leaving?!"

"So, as promised, I'll tell you my secret."

Ren Meili swallowed and moved into a comfortable sitting position, listening intently.

"This might be hard to believe, or maybe it'll be easy to believe," Shao Yue began. "I'm like a reincarnated person or a time traveller, sort of both. I sent my soul back in time and possessed my own body to start again. My previous cultivation was Emperor Realm Seventh Stage."

Ren Meili's eyes widened. "Emperor Realm?"

Shao Yue released a little bit of her Authority, only enough to force Ren Meili down a few inches. "Indeed. I determined that I had to do this in order to ascend to the realm above the Emperor Realm. Time will tell if I was right."

Ren Meili's expression became one of pure reverence.

"In my thousands of years of life, I never took a disciple. You were the first, and you didn't disappoint. I'm sorry I couldn't give you more good things."

"You've given me plenty, master."

Shao Yue shook her head, then pulled three martial arts manuals from her storage ring. She'd written them with the same infused ink as the Steel Body Transmutation Technique manual, so only Ren Meili could read them.

"Take these," Shao Yue said. "There's a grade five cultivation technique that should be sufficient through the Nascent Soul Realm and beyond. This one is a grade four technique for strengthening your soul for when you reach that point. And, since you mentioned wanting a flying artifact, this is a grade six technique that allows for short-distance flight. I don't know if you can comprehend it, but you can try."

Ren Meili accepted the manuals in a daze, wondering if she were dreaming.

Next, Shao Yue pulled out a dozen bottles of pills and set them to the side. "These cultivation pills should last you a while. Finally, I need a bit of your blood."

Shao Yue held out a jade token. She took Ren Meili's hand and made a small incision on the palm. Blood dripped onto the token and was absorbed.

"This is a Life Slip. If you die, it will shatter. I'm going to hold onto it for peace of mind."

Ren Meili glanced at her palm, but the wound had already closed. "Are you really leaving?"

Shao Yue nodded. "I'll be going to the mainland. When you get stronger, you should also make the journey. After I reach the Emperor Realm, it'll be easy to find me. If you do, I guarantee I'll bring you to at least the Heavenly Realm."

"I definitely will," Ren Meili said, giving a determined nod.

"I'll be waiting. Stay safe." Shao Yue smiled and handed over a letter. "Give this to the elders. It explains that I'm leaving and requests they take care of you well, with the threat that if you die under their protection I'll wipe their sect from the map. You shouldn't need to worry."

"I'll deliver it."

Shao Yue spent an hour giving Ren Meili some advice on how to break through to the next two realms, imparting a bit of her knowledge of the Martial Dao.

"I need to get going," Shao Yue said. "It's goodbye for now, but I believe we'll meet again."

"I hope so!"