Book 3: Chapter 13: Young Mistresses of the Hu Clan |
Shui was considering murder.
Open in daylight, brutal, slow, agonizing, and everything else she could think of at the moment. Closing her eyes and tearing her sight from the object of her wrath was the only way to prevent its annihilation. Except she still heard the old man trembling before her. The baker next to him equally as terrified making the plates in his hand clatter and clank unintentionally.
Hu Shui let out a long breath and let the anger fade.
She was getting better at it ever since she tried to murder a couple of squirrels for laughing at her.
Her master had not been pleased with the destruction of the forest she caused.
Calmness. Be like master. Nothing can affect you…
She opened her eyes and saw the abomination that sat before her. Her eyes flashed with menacing intent that made both men before her turn pale. It looked so good. So puffy and covered in cold cream that should have tasted wonder. Everything should have been perfect. The smell was heavenly. All the ingredients were mixed with professional speed and experience by supposedly one of the best bakers near them that the old man knew.
The fat baker even had a store front just for his sweets.
Shui had seen a few kids with family members laughing and moaning at the wonderful treats they carried out with them when she first walked in.
Why does it taste so bad?!
The abomination of a glorious looking cake sat there with a single slice cut out and placed onto a plate. Said slice had a single bite out of it…
Except It tasted worse than the cookie Shui had tried to stuff into Jun’s face. So she did the only thing she could think of. Shui grabbed a piece of every single sweet within the entire bakery and stuffed her face with them to test. Nothing was edible. Everything was worse than mud and ash in her mouth. Not the donuts, or the iced cream, or even the wrapped treats stuffed with cream in the middle.
It was all worth of destroying this building down tot he foundations it had been built upon.
The baker had been insulted and even tried to kick her out… and then Shui couldn’t hold her straight face any longer and released her anger.
Said yelling fat man suddenly turned quiet.
How the hell do I find Master anything he’d like if everything tastes this bad?
“Why?” Shui took a deep breath. “Tell me why?”
The baker whimpered. “I don’t understand what happening, Misteress Cultivator.”
Shui turned her attention to the old man. The original source of everything she had to suffer so far. If someone was going to give her a proper explanation then it would have to be the bastard. Terrible ingredients without a single ounce of Qi, even worse directional navigation–his house was in the opposite direction he had been running–and now he led her to a baker who couldn’t even bake properly.
She took a step toward him.
“W-Wait!” the old man shouted, backing up but finding no where to go in the kitchen. “I can explain! I swear! It’ll make sense!”
“Go ahead. Explain,” her voice was low and dangerous.
“Y-Your a cultivator, right? A strong cultivator, right?”
Shui nodded.
She was the strongest person on the planet. With the strongest hammer and the strongest spirit and the strongest cultivation too…
Except for Ancestor…
And maybe Jun. Zhong Da and his wife too with their recent boost.
Hu Rong is pretty strong too…
She shook her head. “Yeah! I’m awesome. What about my awesomeness?”
“These are all mortal ingredients. Stuff we can eat. But apparently not cultivators…” The old man said. The baker gave him a questioning expression, but was ignored as he continued. “What you need are proper cultivator goods that only the highest of powers have. Because you’re so powerful, and gorgeous, and strong, and fast too. The perfect young mistress of a mighty Clan that deserves nothing but the best of the best and nothing less–”
Shui preened at the compliments.
“We can’t help with our lowly items and baking skills. You would need to find the ones with the highest amounts of Qi within them just to have a chance.”
“That…” Shui paused and tapped her chin.
The old man gulped and the baker trembled ever so slightly more.
“…makes a lot of sense! I am the best young mistress of my clan after all!” Shui was convinced. The man spoke truths about her amazing prowess, which she knew beforehand of course, and then spoke more truth about the situation at hand. It made sense that these lowly ingredients were trash to her. It wasn’t the goods per se’, but rather her that was so elevated that they had no hope but to taste like mud.
Both men’s shoulders sagged in relief.
“And where do I find these special ingredients? I don’t know much about where merchants would sell these types of things.” Shui said.
The old man shook his head. “Merchants don’t sell them.”
“What? Why not?”
“Err… I don’t know, but what I do know is that the only place you could probably find stuff of that tier are in the highest rankings of the noble quarters. They supposedly have shops that are worthy of your cultivation and powerful Qi.”
“Okay,” Shui jumped from her seat and strode right out the door way. Only to pause and walk back in. “Well? Aren’t you coming?”
The old man gave the baker a pleading look which the portly man acted like it never existed. “I don’t think I should–”
“Don’t think. Do. C’mon. We are wasting daylight time and energy just standing there!”
Jun walked down the road with Wu Xui. Every once in a while she would give the older woman a surreptitious look to study her stormy expression. Ever since she told Ancestor her source of anger. No one dared to stop them and anyone in their path ran to the other side of the street. A quick look made anyone stupid enough not to notice the quiet ire run away without hesitation.
I’d never expected her to have such a short temper. Maybe it’s just to do with the market and atmosphere of this area. She's a kind, righteous lady.
Zhong Da was lucky to have such a perfect, wonderful wife that would not dare hurt a fly.
Usually wouldn't hurt a fly. Unless they tried to sell and haggle with her in a store. Then all the rules were off.
Jun shook her head and focused on the area around them. The road they walked was wide, but was surrounded by continuous walls of buildings pressing into one another without stop. The largest section of Cultivators-Row based on what Jun had gathered from the few people she asked. The exact portion that she and the rest of their Hu Clan had been led by the little girl from the bureaucratic building a week ago.
The same scene sprawled before her of many dojos that were active with disciples.
Masters guiding students.
Small sects and clan members teaching their young ones while their eldest brothers and sisters watched from a distance, sipping tea and having pleasant conversations.
Jun frowned, unsure what to do next.
“Which one do you want to tackle first?” Wu Xui asked as she noticed her stop.
“I… don’t know.”
Wu Xui blinked at her. “Pick one. It really doesn’t matter which one you choose. They’re all the same in the grand scheme of things.”
“What do you mean all the same?” Jun hadn’t had the opportunity to really have any long conversations with Wu Xui to get to know her. The circumstance of their escape, running through the Bleak Forests, and more had made the opportunities few and far in between. Which tended to be used up with moments between Wu Xui and her husband rather than socializing with the rest of them.
She played her role and was someone Jun could learn from, but she didn’t really know her.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Wu Xui tilted her head. “If these…” She made air quotes. “...cultivators trained for a thousand years. None of them would reach the heights you would soon touch upon if you stay on the path the Patriarch has set for you. I and Lord Husband have only gotten miraculous gifts through conditions of necessity and we’ve advanced more in this short amount of time than we could have in a lifetime. You, Lady Jun, are one of two Young Mistresses of the Hu Clan. You should act like it more.”
Jun stared at her for what felt like eons.
Me? A Young Mistress of the Hu Clan? H-How do I act like a Young Mistress?
“Go ahead,” Wu Xui continued. “Point.”
Jun hesitated for a only a moment before she found a large, but obscure dojo. One with few on the outside, but she could feel many Qi signatures within the larger than expected area. A giant courtyard that connected five buildings around it. With one main structure at the head where the strongest person resided. That person had to be master of the dojo because it noticed her gaze and turned toward her and Wu Xui.
“Good.” Wu Xui turned and walked toward the building.
They continued until they stopped directly before the courtyards gateway. Wu Xui knocked. Hard.