Heaven's Daughter

Chapter 3 - The Ill-fated Couple

"Can I really?" Kairi exclaimed. The first thing she asked when she got back was to learn martial arts and neither Grandmaster Liu nor Madam Liu objected. In fact, they were thrilled. They haven't seen anyone as exceptional as Kairi before. Wei Xing was given the role of becoming her Shifu. She eventually learned that in the world she lived in, there were normal human beings and then human beings who could cultivate. Those human beings were defined as mystics. One can build their foundation using the golden core they were born with. These mystics could either become practitioners or mages. Practitioners could use martial arts and learn magic powers while mages could control magical beasts and create magic pills from magical herbs. It was rare for one to have both abilities but it wasn't impossible. Kairi was categorized as a practitioner and she was quickly given a strict regime. In the morning, Kairi traveled up and down the mountain with Wei Xing to hunt for magical demon beasts to build up her stamina. Then in the afternoon, she would learn how to fight with a sword, and by nighttime she would meditate. For three whole months, she stuck with the same schedule and by the time a full year came, she would travel up and down the mountain by herself. She would spar with Jiang Liu or Wei Xing's men and even squeezed in extra time to learn about magical herbs. When she wasn't meditating, she would read up all the literature about the world she was living in. When the second year struck, she noticed a difference. Despite having a body of a twelve year old now, she could easily keep up with the men, she could memorize an entire book by the end of the day, and she could even go days without eating and still be fine. Everything was going smoothly until she was given her first assignment at the age of twelve.

"Take Kairi with you into town to sell our magical herbs and pills," Grandmaster Liu said suddenly. Kairi's eyes lit up at the thought of being able to venture out of the mountains for once.

"How exciting! I can't wait! I've been curious about the outside world since I've read the books!" Kairi cried. She quickly toned down her excitement when she saw the stern look in Grandmaster Liu's eyes. Looking down, she bowed respectfully. Wei Xing snuck her a thumbs up only to get caught by Grandmaster Liu. They both of them obediently looked back down to avoid his strict gaze. After a few seconds, they heard a heavy sigh escape his lips.

"Xiao You ah, don't cause any trouble when you go into town," Grandmaster Liu warned before he got up from his seat. Kairi waited until Grandmaster Liu left the room and grinned at Wei Xing.

"Shifu, when are we leaving? I can't wait. Ah! I need to tell Mei Er Jie Jie!" she exclaimed. Before Wei Xing could say anything, Kairi took off.

"Sigh... I haven't even told her the time yet. What am I going to do with that disciple of mine?" Wei Xing shook his head only for Jiang Liu to grab his shoulder.

"Don't worry. She's still a child after all. We're leaving at the usual time, right? I'll go on ahead and let her know. We all know how you get when you're around Mei Er." Jiang Liu laughed loudly and took before Wei Xing could smack him in the head. He had kept his feelings for Mei Er a complete secret until Kairi found out. That sneaky disciple of his was smarter than she looks. In fact, her entire demeanor was like that of an adult. Even though the both of them were disciple and Shifu, he felt like his disciple was more of a friend or a dear xiao mei. So even when Kairi found out and told Jiang Liu about his secret, he didn't reprimand her. Even if his feelings had been found out, he knew that his love for Mei Er will never bear fruit. She had been betrothed to Marquis Qi's son since she was young. Come next year will be the time when the Qi Family comes to ask for Mei Er's hand in marriage. He sighed and then quickly turned his thought on his task at hand instead.

The sun had just risen above the horizon when Kairi rushed through the hallways. Madam Liu was in the middle of cooking breakfast when Kairi burst into the kitchen.
"Goodness, Xiao You! You'll give me a heart attack! What's wrong?" Madam Liu asked as she whipped around to face her.