No Longer Spring - Writings of tomorrow

XII

The shadows I kept seeing in corner of my eyes couldn't offer me a second of peace. I knew that I must have been seeing things- nothing more, nothing less.
It was a stressful period and I couldn't find it in me to feel anything weird about it.
When I looked at Li Wang, I saw nothing but every option that I had of trying to play him and make it work. I was cursed and far away from my home and connections. I had to find my power inward and forward it. There must have been something worth it that would have given me at least a little bit of advance.
Realistically, hoping that an attack would work was nothing but a rookie mistake, yet he said that he curse had been sealed off until recently, so maybe it wasn't entirely activated. If I were to find a moment of weakness and manage to strike, I could have killed him. I wasn't aware of how strong he was, exactly why risking an entire fight would have been a bad idea.
"If only I'd find the right moment, I'd strike," I told myself, over and over.
I wanted to get rid of them all. Not attempting murder was a good way of gaining a little bit of his trust.

"You're not looking, but I can somehow feel you staring," Li Wang yawned, nonchalant as ever.

"Must be your mind," I said, "or the puppet."

He raised a brow, "Do you feel it as well?", he said in a faint whisper, raising a brow.

I nodded.

Seeing that we were on the same page, he suddenly turned and walked towards a more private area, guiding me. There was no more than one person walking on it, not daring to look up and see who had joined her.
Li Wang grabbed my hand and kept on walking, holding it tightly. It all felt like a game, so I didn't bother to react.
I waited, going to watch and see what he was about to do. The neutral expression on his face was hardly giving away any of his thoughts, that much I knew.
Then and there, my heart was empty, but my head was clear enough for me to tell that I should have interfered and that the sunlight road had an ominous aura to it.

"What's happening?" I asked, not caring if I ruined his plan with my voice.

Li Wang sighed. He looking behind us, but there was nothing to notice.

"Did you see that puppet over there? This is what the HuoLong sect takes care of. Even if we mostly work through a hidden link and have many camps, there is always one principle; HuoLong is HuoLong."

I simply nodded again, listening to the passion he spoke with. It felt rather learned, as if those weren't his actual words.
Was he really that indoctrinated?
Was all of the potential he had wasted on the wrong family?

"Yes," I said, waiting for him to continue. Apparently, my instinct had been right.

"Since we're taking care of these, you should now learn from us."

Something inside of me flared up, and I could simply not keep my mouth shut, "I've travelled far and wide before, I do know how to manage different beings."

"Then you should know that, since you're being captive, you should simply listen."

"Didn't you want me to be your wife?" I asked, "How could your wife be captive?"

Still, the man didn't lose any of this patience. With someone on our hills and him getting angry I might have achieved the greater good. Now, however, I was simply frustrated at how calm he was.
A complicated man, that is. Complicated, yet so simple. I knew it. I could see through him.

"You're just trying to toy with me," he said, "It isn't going to work."

"How is this the relationship that you want?" I pressed on, not really caring.

"It isn't. That's why I treat you so well," he answered, "And I'd like it for you to come and tell me that you want to proceed. It would be benefic for us both. You would no longer be looked at as you are now, and I would finally have fulfilled my wish."