Dark Desires for Power

Chapter 17

With reading the scroll completely the day had passed by and it was time for dinner. This time I made the food and served it without using Qi. The normally hyperactive teacher was quiet and waited for the food to get served patiently. He entered the kitchen a few times where he tried to sneak food out. My only instinct was to give him a slight warning. With a sad face and visibly annoyed by my sensible senses he went back to the Grand Hall with a sulky facial expression. As soon as he had left the kitchen I couldn't stop laughing and hurried up with making the dough for the steamed buns. While they were steaming in a basket on the fire stove, I went over to making a few vegetable dishes by cutting and frying in the big frying pans.

After half an hour I was done and brought out the dishes balancing a tray on both of my hands. One contained the food, while the other contained the chopsticks and the tea including the small porcelain plates and cups.

Eating dinner was different from the usual way of being. My teacher was unusually quiet and looked at me with deep worry in his eyes. Shaking pupils showed me his nervousness. I couldn't stand the secrecy anymore and just bluntly asked him what was bothering him.

"Teacher, why are so silent today? Did you receive concerning news from a thief?"-"Yes, I did.-And it is definitely a thing to worry about. You might have read about the curse of the fortune teller of Zhounian Mountain. The problem is, a few maidens were killed in a massacre and they normally wander around the whole world for 100 years after passing away through a cruel death. They are said to avenge their life and to take revenge on people connected to the killers. Does that sound familiar to you?"-"I think it does. Didn't I read about this curse just a few hours ago in the last parts of the scroll?"-"Yeah, you are right. The students learn about the curse and the consequences fast because if you meet one of these maidens death is a certain option. There is no way of surviving. Your corpse will be found with a slashed face and twisted limbs as the bones get broken and twisted. The robes will be nothing more than covering your chest a little bit. A pool of blood surrounding the corpse is the biggest fear. Is the blood still running an dthe pool growing in size, is the maiden still watching you closely and decides to kill you depending on intensity of hate and thirst for vengeance."

Like that an evening in the library was already a sure thing. I ate up and yawned.

"Okay teacher, what is up next? Can I do some more research on the curse in the library?"-"Naturally dear, I want to get enough sleep though so don't stay up too late."

A caring look in his eyes and then he turned away. In a rush, he left and went to his room. Being left behind, I cleaned up and took a bath. On the one hand my hair was still wet, on the other hand the curiosity was getting more. So I decided to dry my hair a bit and go to the library to do some remaining research. Stretching my arms out of tiredness, I dressed myself and left my room closing the door carefully. The light in my hand was shaking from the wind breeze and I looked up into the sky. I stared at the stars I could finally see after weeks without clouds covering them again.