: Master

3

THUD.

The wooden box hit the ground with a thud, sending a cloud of dust into the air.

The looks on both their faces grew even more disdainful.

But to preserve my Remnant Soul, they still crouched on the ground and began to search.

"Elara what? What is this mess of a character?" the Artifact Spirit asked, leaning in close to the wooden box.

Master froze.

I knew why.

He must have been remembering the day we first met.

Back then, I had just undergone Metamorphosis. I was born adorable, and Celestials often came over to play with me.

Master was one of them.

But that day, he watched me from the side for half the day before finally coming over.

At that point, I had already turned myself into a little calico cat.

"Little Koi, what's the matter?" he asked, his expression kind.

I told him that I wanted to write my name on my little box, but the final character of my name was just too complex, with far too many strokes.

He took the brush and, for me, wrote that final, intricate character on my little box. It was the most beautiful calligraphy.

"Wow! You're amazing, Grandpa! Your handwriting is the most beautiful I've ever seen. This is the most beautiful my name has ever looked! I'll treasure it forever!" I cheered happily. I hugged the little box, my face smeared with ink, but my smile was radiant.

He smiled, too.

Like the other Celestials, he would come to the Koi Pond to play with me whenever he had free time.

I would blow the most beautiful rainbow bubbles for him.

I told him I only showed those to the people I was closest to.

He roared with laughter, and sometime after, he took me as his disciple.

I felt so happy back then.

I had a brother, and now I had a Master, too.

And my Master was the one who could write my name more beautifully than anyone else.

Master stood up. "I have some business to attend to with Lord Lao Zi of the Great Monad."

And with that, Master left.

Senior Brother tried to leave as well, but the Artifact Spirit stopped him.

"You can't just bring these things here and call it a day," the spirit said. "This will only work if you can find her deepest connection to these objects."

This "deepest connection" referred to how I had obtained the objects, and what special meaning they held when I received them. It was all meant to stimulate my soul.

Forced to stay, Senior Brother opened the small box with extreme reluctance.

"Elara Aurelian, you truly are vicious, aren't you? Not giving anyone peace even in death."

I shook my head. 'It wasn't like that.'

But my memories couldn't help but drift back, reminding me of the first time Senior Brother had called me vicious.

Back then, Silas Aurelian had gone into seclusion. He hadn't come to see me in a long time, and I was very worried about him.

So I ran to ask Master about it.

Master wasn't my master yet back then. I simply asked him, "You're a High Immortal. Do you happen to know a Koi named Silas Aurelian?"

Master told me that Silas Aurelian was his disciple and was currently in seclusion.

"So you're my master!" I exclaimed, completely unaware of how reckless I was being.

After all, Silas Aurelian had always told me his master would be my master, and that one day he would ask him to take me on as a disciple.

I believed Silas's words without a doubt, so when I learned this man was his master, I couldn't help but cry out.

The old master was clearly stunned, but he still took me in as his disciple.

I was thrilled. After being accepted as the Koi Sovereign's disciple, my world was no longer confined to just the Western Koi Pond.

I could go to so many new places, and Master even told me where Silas Aurelian was secluded.

I went to see him often.

4

I was ecstatic. I wanted to tell Silas Aurelian, "Senior Brother, I'm officially Master's disciple now. I'm truly your sister."

I couldn't wait to share my joy with him.

He came out of his seclusion. But for some reason, when he heard I had become a disciple, he wasn't the least bit excited. Instead, the look he gave me was incredibly complex.

"You wanted to become a disciple that badly? You couldn't even wait for me to come out of seclusion?"

I didn't understand why Silas Aurelian was angry.

He was the one who told me to take his Master as my own. That way, I would become his true sister.

But why?

Why did he get angry when I became Master's disciple?

Silas Aurelian rummaged through my little chest and pulled out a small, faded leather ball.

He said, his face expressionless, "This is the first ball I ever gave you."

Then, he fell silent for a long time.

The Artifact Spirit couldn't stand it any longer and came over to hurry him along.

"Hey, come on, big shot! 'This is the first ball I ever gave you,' and that's it? What about the rest of the story? The things you said when you gave it to her, the things that happened—say them! And what's with that tone? This is your Junior Sister! Not some stray cat or dog off the street. Put some emotion into it!" The Artifact Spirit was hopping mad.

It mimicked Silas Aurelian's tone, dripping with sarcasm.

Silas Aurelian shot the Artifact Spirit a vicious glare, looking as if he was about to strike.

"Go on, hit me! If you so much as touch me, I guarantee this Remnant Soul will scatter instantly," the Artifact Spirit yelled, completely unafraid.

Silas Aurelian restrained himself.

Holding the small ball, the look on his face softened slightly.

"This is the ball I gave you when we first met. I told you back then that the path of cultivation, lasting for tens of thousands of years, was too bitter. I wanted to find a sister for myself..."

Silas Aurelian paused for a moment before continuing, "You told me excitedly that you were the only Koi in the Western Koi Pond, and that you wanted a big brother, too. You said you would definitely become my sister."

'That's right. You were the one who wanted to find a sister. So why did you turn on me with such harsh words after I became one?'

"Keep talking! Did she become your sister in the end? You two must have played with this little ball together all the time, right? Get to the details!" the Artifact Spirit urged frantically. It was because I was resisting the absorption of Soul Power, and my Remnant Soul was growing dimmer and dimmer.

'The Artifact Spirit genuinely wanted to save me.'

'But I was beyond saving.'