Release Schedule: Once per week.
With no recollection of her past or even her own name, our heroine has merely been existing since waking in a place known as the Obsidian Terraces. Uncertain how to fend for herself or earn coin, she turned to protec...
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"Everyone, the patriarch is here!" A young male voice called from high in the trees above us. I glanced upward and narrowed my eyes, finding a boy in familiar black and purple attire. He let out a squeak when I spotted him and went running through the branches.
"Patriarch?" I asked, shooting Yahui a doubtful look.
"I am the founder of my own sect," Yahui stated dismissively. "They all see me as a father figure. In a manner of speaking, they are my adopted sons...unofficially. Some are orphans, others are from various families within the empire. The one thing they all share in common is an affinity for true dark arts."
True dark arts? I mused to myself. He must mean they're like him in some way, unable to be harmed by the powers they're wielding. Or is there some unique facet to his teachings?
"Master, you really brought Lady Mingzhu?" A uniformed man appeared beside our qilin, his glowing yellow eyes checking us and our steed over before looking up to his emperor. "I smell humans on you."
"It was an eventful journey," Yahui remarked dryly. "We will have to be more careful than I anticipated. Gather everyone and instruct them to begin preparing dinner. I will brief everyone over our meal."
Their camp was just about as lackluster as I had imagined it would be. There were a few dozen bedrolls spread out around a large fire pit that had been constructed of stones. Their qilins and carts were nearby and under the cover of an erected canopy. It appeared that all of their supplies were in those carts, including spare weaponry and bedrolls. Most of the disciples milling about the camp were young, with only a few elder brothers to supervise them.
"My lady." Yahui offered me a hand after dismounting his qilin. I accepted his help, and my legs almost buckled the moment my feet hit the ground. He chuckled and braced me. "You will get used to it with time. If it weren't for the busy roads on our way here, I would have let you take more rests."
"Busy roads?" A man I recognized from the palace grounds approached us as Yahui released me. "All was quiet during our journey, Father."
"Fang, assign men to shifting patrols throughout the night," Yahui ordered, earning a deep bow in reply. "If they come across anything, they are not to engage. I want them to return to camp to fetch Mingzhu and I. We will handle any threats that appear."
Fang mouthed in surprise for a moment, looking between Yahui and me, before bowing deeper. Finally, he ran off to carry out his orders.
"I've always wanted a sister!" One of the youngest boys barreled into my legs and hugged me around the hips. "Lady Mingzhu is our new sister, right?! She's older than me, but she's new to the school. So, is she Sister or Elder Sister? Can she play with us?"
"Gang, Mingzhu can hunt with me. If you must, Elder Sister is appropriate." Yahui let out a tired sigh and gave the boy a small smile. "However, our school is watching over her, not training her. Mingzhu's affinity is not for the dark arts...though what an interesting turn that would be."
