Between the lines

New friends

She was furious. Disappointed. She'd known he wouldn't give up so easily, but still, she hoped those weeks spent together had changed him. But when she looked. When she really looked inside of him she saw the same thirst for the power she'd noticed the first day. It wasn't his fault. It was hers for being too caught into her own troubles to do more. But she didn't know what she could do. What she should do.

She left the house. She needed so air. Some space. A little time alone to think and find solutions. If there was any solution.

"Take care of the kitten." She demanded but her voice lacked the energy and the determination to sound imposing. She was tired and disappointed. Very disappointed. "He needs to eat. Do not leave it alone. I'll be back. See what you can do around the house."

"Yes." Zhu Ran agreed. Not because he was afraid of her or because he was her servant, he agreed because he knew she had enough on her plate and it was the least he could do to make her life easier. When had he started to care for her? He couldn't tell the time for sure. A part of him had cared for her since the first day she'd been brought to him. Yet he was too focused on his hatred towards Chang Liu and on his greed for the Desolation Energy to allow his feeling to dictate his actions.

Now, he had nothing to lose and nothing to win. He'd heard Mo Yan had retreated into isolation to pay for his crimes. The news left him numb. He wanted to forget that hatred that kept consuming him day by day and it was frustrating to find out that the man he'd despised all his life had, though, a little sparkle of humanity left inside of him. Zhu Ran didn't know what exactly caused him to change his mind and see his errors. But Mo Yan's humanity made Zhu Ran feel like he were the villain and not the other way around.

Tom stood in a corner. Quiet. He hadn't meant to upset her. No, everything had been so good. He was...happy, but he'd ruined it. He wondered if his ambitions are worth losing her and Zhu Ran.

A smooth, quiet form sneaked right in his arms, light and gracious like a flower. Two yellow eyes searched his own. He was so small, so fragile, and yet, he had so much space in his heart for all of them. He meowed once, hardly imperceptible. Then, he tried again, this time a bit harder. He looked up at Tom's face. He was sure he'd heard him, but to be certain he started to climb on him and decided to reach his face. He had to see him even if he didn't want to look.

It was impossible not to notice him as the kitten was pretty insistent and from all the places he could have gone he'd decided to land on Tom's lap and climb up his chest. Skinny as he was, the furry creature had long, strong claws and Tom realized he was lucky he had that cloak on him.

"Where do you intend to go?" He took the kitten down and questioned it. The kitten watched him in the eye and faked innocence. The mischievous creature was anything but innocent. Yet he was so fragile and small in his hands. He couldn't believe that ambitious creature would have enough space in his palms. "I've got on Hua Qiangu's nerves." He revealed to the kitten. "And it's very bad. She's going to be very, very mad at me."

"Tom, do not tell me you started to like the kitten." Zhu Ran laughed. He was busy trying to cook something. "Are you going to help me or are you going to spend the day talking with a kitten?" He reproached him.

"I can't move. The kitten must sleep. Hua Qiangu will be unhappy if..."

"TOM." He shouted. "Move your useless bones next to the fire and stop fussing around."

"Are you jealous the kitten likes me?" He challenged Zhu Ran.

"Can you stop looking for excuses?"

"Honesty?...No."

Hua Qiangu wandered around the nearby villages, searching for people who might need her help. She'd changed into ordinary clothes and hid her mark with a simple spell. As her features relaxed, Hua Qiangu resembled an ordinary 16-years-old girl. Even if she had long passed that age. Though, her time seemed to have stopped at that moment. A time she missed so much. She had everything and she hadn't realized it until she lost all.

Everything she'd done. Her ambition, her dedication. They were all for him. She'd wanted to be his disciple. She wanted him to be proud of her. But at the end of the day, she got way stronger than any of Chang Liu's disciples. Stronger than the seniors. Stronger than any man ever alive. And everything was in vain. All that was left for her was to help others. Tom, including. Maybe, it was time to tell him her story. Maybe, he would finally understand why power wouldn't make him happy. Why it hadn't made her happy, either.

She watched an old lady begging for a bit of mercy from the passers-by. She hadn't had a decent meal for longer she could remember. Next to her, a small puppy waited patiently wrapped into a rugged blanket. Hua Qiangu approached her.

"Do you have a family?" She asked the lady gently. The misery and hunger had made the woman look years older than she really was. Her body was skinny and withered like a long-forgotten flower left inside a dusty book. A flower that would turn into dust the moment one would try to remove it.

"Not anymore." Her voice was rugged. "It's just I and the puppy."

"Do you have a house?" Hua Qiangu asked again as she approached to pet the puppy. It was so small and scared. Most certainly as hungry as his owner. He hid deeper under the raged blanket.

"There is nothing left of it. The house is destroyed. The birds died. He never returned." The woman mumbled through tears.

"Your husband?" Hua Qiangu continued her conversation.

"My lover. We met when we were both young. We loved each other. We wanted to build a home, and have a family. We imagined our big orchard and the few hens were going to have...and the kids. But the war came. He didn't come back. I've waited."

"Come with me. You'll never lack food and a shelter." Hua Qiangu promised. The woman watched her with big eyes. She couldn't believe someone would invite her to their house. "It's not much, but together we can turn it into a house. Do you want to come?" The woman nodded with tears in her eyes. "But we aren't ordinary. Please don't be afraid of us. We mean no harm to anyone."

Hua Qiangu had rarely used her powers to heal someone else before. She was afraid people would get scared if she were to use those powers in front of so many people. Yet she had to. The woman was too skinny and hungry to walk for so long. With a move of the demoness's hand, all the wrinkles on the lady's face disappear and she felt young and strong again.

The woman couldn't believe it. She kept studying her now smooth hands, and turned them around, up and down. She touched her own face and a big smile appeared on her face.

"Are you one of those good immortals?" The woman asked. "He used to tell me stories about them. So, they were real. He was telling the truth."

"As a matter of fact, I'm a demon. An immortal wouldn't have used his powers to make you young and healthy. In fact, I doubt they would have even stopped to talk with you." She answered a bit too harshly. "Now, let's go to eat something."

"What do I have to do for this?" She motioned towards her face.

Some people watched them suspiciously, but they put everything on them being too tired and on their eyes deceiving them. Most of them hadn't paid attention to the old woman and so they weren't surprised to see a younger woman pass by.

"Let's go. I'll tell you on the way to the inn about my intentions." Hua Qiangu suggested. Then she added, "Congratulations. You are about to be my first disciple if that's alright with you."