The Rise of the Divine Oracle

Chapter 67 - Little Turtle

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Thirty eight years ago, a prominent cultivator from the Fu Clan was blessed with a baby girl. He named her Fu Suhai. After two years, per traditions, he took his wife and sweet girl to visit a wise man a few villages over to have her fortune told. All Fu Clan members must have a clear vision of their future to choose the right path in cultivation. They might be a small clan but they're proud of the generations of clean cut men and women they've trained and set free into the world. The Fu Clan was in a low-key war against the Koi Clan for many years. It started with a misunderstanding and escalated into planned assassinations and indirect slander.

They've never declared an all out war but everyone knew they despised each other. Suhai's father was carrying his daughter on his back, listening to her sing out of tune when he heard swords clashing from afar. Normally, he would be morally obligated to go check out the conflict and try to help in any way. But with his wife and daughter present, he had no choice but to ignore it and change course to avoid it.

His conscience was burdened with guilt. By the time they reached the nearest village, he decided to leave his wife and daughter at the nearest tea house and travel back to make sure the fighting he heard earlier was over. He ran all the way until he was met with a scene that broke his heart. A family of five were all murdered; a woman, three boys and one girl. The girl was the same age as his daughter and he couldn't help but shed a few tears while caressing her bloody hair. No one deserves this kind of unjust death. If he only stopped to help this poor family, some of them might have survived.

He was distracted with his guilt to notice a man shaking with rage approach him shouting: "YOU EVIL MONSTER! WHAT DID YOU DO!"

He was shocked by the accusation: "It wasn't me! I just stopped by to help!"

The man before him was wearing Koi Clan sigil. He took out his sword shedding tears and yelling: "YOU KILLED MY FAMILY!"

Suhai's father stood, holding his hands up and mumbling his innocence. His pleas fell on deaf ears. The father of the dead family saw blood on his hands and without a second thought used his sword to strike the man dead. His family is gone but now they will rest in peace knowing that they have been avenged.

He sat between the corpses and felt despair consume him. His family are all dead. He has nothing to live for. How could this happen? He was not an evil man. Why would anyone do this?

He heard someone approaching from behind and his reflexes kicked in. He swung his sword, eliminating the threat in one sweep. His ears were ringing from the rush of events and after a few seconds, he heard a child crying. His eyes watered with relief: "Ashi, is that you?"

His daughter was sobbing underneath a strange woman and the father in him wanted nothing more than to hold her and comfort her. He picked up his bloody child and rocked her until she fell asleep. He stroked her hair whispering: "Don't worry. I will protect you. I will keep you safe."

He kept his promise for many years. His daughter, Koi Shi, grew up to become a very strong cultivator. After that day, the man vowed to never let his daughter witness bloodshed again. He encouraged her to pursue a more noble profession; medicine. He sent her to well known doctors around the sect to learn new techniques. Then urged her to travel around from city to city to refine her skills. By the age of 30, she developed a very reputable name as a healer.

One day, Koi Shi asked her father about a physician she wishes to study under. He was a man from the Fu Clan. Her father initially refused because of the animosity between the clans but she snuck out and went to study under the Fu Clan physician using an alias. During her stay there, she felt a deep connection to an old lady that supplies herbs to the clan. The lady would deliver supplies every other day and sit with Shi, telling her stories about the past.