The Dilapidated School

The young man's name, was Hua Yao.

Wuxie got him clothes to wear, stealing a uniform from the supplies warehouse while he was bathing using her soap and shampoo...and grooming himself after weeks of torture.

Then come diagnosis, she refined pills to detoxify him, and make his condition in peak state like that of her family's.

'So you came here to be a doctor, only, you didn't get what you came here for?' Wuxie asked him when he left the bathroom, clean and groomed.

'I didn't come here to be a student.' said Hua Yao. 'I came here for a map. I thought it'd be in Ke Cangju's hands so I played along, only to learn that the way out of that torture chamber is from the outside. And I can't fight a poisoner and end up worse. So before the door shut, I called for rescue with my familiar. But they'll have to infiltrate as a student hopeful to bail me out.'

'I see...at any rate, take these medication with you for full-recovery.' said Wuxie, giving him bottle of pills. 'Map...what kind?'

'It's a human skin map.'

Wuxie choked. He's looking for it?

'Er...we might have it since we raided Blue Cloud Peak?' she squeaked out. So there was someone who wanted that thing and it's this guy?

Hua Yao perked up as Ye Mei reached into his magical bag and took out a human skin map.

'This is it!' he cried, shakily taking the map. 'And I endured poison and torture for nothing, choosing the wrong peak.' he was gloomy about that. Yeah, that was wasted suffering, Wuxie thought. It would really suck, if you did all that for nothing!

'What's special about that though?' Wuxie asked him curiously.

'...there are seven more of these things.' said Hua Yao softly, looking at the map with hollow eyes. 'Eight clans and families or in my case, my tribe killed for this after being enslaved for so long just to complete this map. I and three others were kids at the time and only survivors. We swore vengeance and getting them back and we were all rescued and taken in by our current master and guardian. Life on the road was rough but we had to keep running and hiding because we knew the truth and they want that truth buried.' he explained.

'These maps were from the skins off our relatives' backs.' he informed them and the origins of the maps shocked Wuxie. 'It may be unwitting on your part, but thank you for helping me.' he bowed before Wuxie. 'And I may have to trouble you again in exchange for my aiding you.' he swore to her. 'You seem to want this peak annihilated?'

'No, we want this entire Sect dead and any prisoners rescued.' said Wuxie coolly. 'We will only spare one Peak.'

'I can guess which one.' said Hua Yao ruefully. 'And it's well-deserved. Very well, you'll have my aid at least in regarding the prisoners. My double-headed snake will function as a ride if they can't walk.' he offered. Wuxie nodded appreciatively.

'We will make Hidden Cloud Peak our base of operations after killing everyone here.' said Wuxie. 'We need the herb farms to cure the prisoners as well as give them a medicinal meal before we send them for rehabilitation. I will post you here after we clean this place up. Ye Mei.' she glanced at Ye Mei. 'Same process.'

'Yes, miss.' and he was gone.

'Process?'

'Look for innocents and drug them to sleep, before we poison the sect to death and rescue the unfortunate test subjects.'

'Ah.'

Makes sense, Hua Yao thought. They're killing the worst of humanity within the Sect after all.

'For now, take this with you.' Wuxie gave him ten gold taels to his shock. His eyes damn-near bugged out of its sockets in shock at having such money.

For Hua Yao, he and his gang lived in poverty they often had to split what little they have among themselves for years, and suddenly this lands on him?! His mind couldn't imagine getting the chance to spend a fortune!

'Being on the run could not have been easy. And blending in will be hard if you don't even have the basics.' Wuxie told him kindly.

'Er...t-thanks?'

'Heehee, you're welcome~'

It took hours, until Ye Mei came back for them.

'Missy, it is done.'

'Good. Time to act~' Wuxie chimed as she got up.

'Right, what about the other spared disciples?' Hua Yao asked her as Wuxie got her bag of poisons ready.

'We dump them on Mu Chen's doorstep with a note stuck to someone's head using resin off a tree, I'm counting on you!'

xxx

Cloud Treading Peak...

'Master! We found sleeping people stuffed in sacks outside with this note!' a disciple barged into Mu Chen's office and he was busy checking exams. The disciple gave Mu Chen the note.

- We will spare genuine innocents and rescue prisoners.
The rest will DIE. Kindly take them in as by the time this
is over, you will now be Qingyun Sovereign and the vast
wealth of the crooked will belong to you. Though for his
near crime against my kind, I'm rightfully raiding two
Peaks of their gold and treasures as compensation.

PS- they're from Hidden Cloud Peak. Take in the others
when all this ends. You will know it's over through fireworks.

PS- who'll take care of that valuable herb farm? That's your
problem too.

- The Killer

'Well, they sure made their intentions clear.' Mu Chen twitched. 'I'll wake them up and I'll have to...explain their new situation. Get some help to prepare rooms for our newcomers.' he instructed.

'Yes, sir!'

Mu Chen felt Karma finally came, after all these years.

He was the TRUE HEIR of Qingyun Sect. But Qin Yue stole everything from him with Ke Cangju's help as when that bastard came, his father died. And the other Elders chose to follow Qin Yue instead of supporting him, the boy everyone practically raised as successor. It was abandonment and betrayal at its worst and when he became an Elder in just name, he was suppressed.

He suffered his heartbreak and boiling anger for years and suddenly, this chance came. Mu Chen could never be strong as he was suppressed. For an Elder, he was a mere Orange Level while others were in Greens and in Qin Yue's and his suck-up Jiang Chengqing's case, Blue-level. He could not retaliate. He bore his misery in silence and put up a strong front to his disciples who looked up to him.

He raised them well, as well as teaching them how the world works, so none of them end up like he did. He gave them all he could. In turn, he had their faith and loyalty he felt they were his sons in all but blood.

It seems Qin Yue and one other pissed off a powerful one they stupidly crossed. And now, all these traitors will pay for it.

It was a shame he could not kill them himself, but he'll settle for what he can have.

xxx

Hua Yao's job was cooking.

After the whole sect was killed off, he's cooking a recipe Wuxie instructed him to do.

Medicinal Congee good for both detoxifying and triggering regeneration of healthy cells so he has to do a veeeeery complicatedly-complex recipe he felt he's making a potion rather than congee. He had to boil all the herbs to extract their medicinal properties, before adding a ton of spices and a lot of poultry stock that cause energy boost and invigoration, then finally, add the rice!

Wuxie and Ye Mei borrowed his familiar as a steed for prisoners as they will act during mealtimes to sneak her poisons in. Not far from him unknown to him was Yingsu in his flower form, cultivating and pretending to be a typical flower that rather stands out among the sea of green.

Once it was done, he was to stuff his face with it so he'll recover from poisoning and anemia, and take his pills while they were gone.

While things are cooking, he decided to raid the rooms for stuff his and his gang's sizes to bring home. Its bad to waste free resources after all. These damn rich brats sure have good stuff! And with money given to him, he can buy Master good clothes, and shut up that money-grubbing school!

He had to wash the shoes and socks though. He can at least, concoct a disinfectant solution in boiling water. Who knows what their feet's got!

xxx

Two Peaks were robbed.

Blue Cloud Peak and Ash Cloud Peak belonging to Qin Yue and Jiang Chenqing respectively. Mu Chen knew these two started everything against the Killer.

Each massacre, Cloud Treading Peak gets a mountain of gold taels dumped in the Peak's treasury. And Mu Chen gets notified each time by seeing a note stuck ON HIS OWN FACE, INSIDE HIS BEDROOM. He really felt he should study martial arts after this...

Once the remaining Peaks are emptied and killed off, as well as survivors dumped in Mu Chen's Peak...the man had to explain to the survivors that Qingyun Sect, or rather, the other Elders offended someone more powerful than they and extracted revenge. That safe to say, they who are currently on Cloud Treading Peak, are the Qingyun Sect now.

The final note he got was he had no need to worry about Qin Yuyan. She was killed off alongside Jiang Chenqing and the retinue she brought with her.

Due to this, Mu Chen had to let out a public bulletin, having his personal disciples post up bulletins all over the land that Qingyun Sect, is closed as a result of 'The Purge of Revenge'. He will however, keep the surviving disciples in his tutelage in hopes that the best among them, will become the next generation of Elders and the others, as instructors. It'll be...six years before they take in new students again, as well as accepting customers to reform the sect!

His declaration caused a massive shock across the Lower Realm. He also called for massive help to help him clean up thousands of corpses, and rebuild. Thus a lot of carpenters and artisans were hired...and a lot of letters were sent to families regarding their murdered children. And he had to word thousands of letters carefully as politics is on the line here!

While in the shadows, a pair of annoyed men watched as thousands of people are in the Twelve Peaks for a specific purpose: bring home their dead children for burial, demolition and rebuilding all palaces to Mu Chen's taste, and relocating himself and the remaining students to Blue Cloud Peak, his former home.

'Now what? Whoever Qin Yue pissed off took the map we lent him!' the man on the left whined. They searched the Sects, nothing!

'Someone else is moving for 'that place'. We have to track them down. We need to find the Qingyun Slayer. They surely have it!' said his companion. 'And bastard can be anywhere. Let's search out every one who possesses at least an Indigo Spirit.'

'Er, this realm is the equivalent of spiritual poverty that its only Indigo Spirit is Wen Xinhan and he's on the run due to persecution by Yan Country. I doubt he'd have it.'

'Can't hurt to be sure. Mu Chen's Bulletin Post says someone powerful was offended and took revenge, leaving Mu Chen notes. Only Qin Yue's Blue Cloud Peak was robbed as well as Ash Cloud Peak of Jiang Chenqing. We can start there for clues before these carpenters burn everything for rebuilding. It was good they started on lower peaks first.'

(They found nary a trace...Ye Mei was thorough)

xxx

Phoenix Academy...

On a stolen Qingyun Carriage though they had to remove the Sect Banner...the carriage was mostly, for Hua Yao who was still on the mend, and the fact that he raided the sect for clothes for himself and his friends so he had quite the luggage. Heck, the boxes are all labelled with to whom a box goes to!

Not only that, with the group in terrible poverty, Wuxie was kind enough to steal supplies as well. She emptied the kitchens of Hidden Cloud Peak which was enough to feed 5000 people!

Wuxie also has the displeasure, of hearing about Phoenix Academy where they were hiding at in.

Once upon a time, Phoenix Academy was a fairly prosperous school.

But one day, a huge fire broke out and killed many teachers and students. Though people donated to restore the school, its glory didn't return with it.

During the rebuilding, the school was defunct that many teachers left, wanting employment. The Headmaster was thus, forced to lower the Criteria for Enrollment. It was once open to only the talented, now it accepts just about anybody!

Only three wings were repaired, but not the East Wing where they reside.

His master tried to work as Teacher for money, but for obvious reasons, he didn't get students as students don't wanna stay in a dilapidated Courtyard. He wasn't thus, contributing to the school thus was harassed for money and costs. Wuxie's opinion hence, plunged like a rock being dropped to the ground.

Hua Yao begged her help to cure his master's injury. He asked her because she wasn't like any doctor they met. She was willing to help for free while other doctors charge what they clearly don't have!

So now here they are.

Dilapidated buildings with overgrown weeds. Moss grew on walls. Scorch marks caused by flames. Truly, a place left behind by time.

'Urrrgh...you know, money can be earned if the Headmaster was any smarter and had any business-savvy.' Wuxie pursed her lips in disgust. 'But it seems he just wants money to rain on him effortlessly through the students since becoming Headmaster. What a moron. This school isn't gonna last once its remaining teachers get fed up from a lackluster salary and this school's dismal reputation causing future employment prospects to be grim. That in the future, people will say that Phoenix Academy is where the unfortunate go to. And given how nobles operate, the unwanted children most likely get thrown here while favored children go to classier schools.'

'Alas, such is life.' Hua Yao shrugged wryly. 'Well, we won't be here for long. We just wanted the map from Qingyun Sect and a doctor to cure Master.' he told her. 'He couldn't travel like we used to be so we're stuck here, enduring harassment after another. And while it's our right to defend ourselves...'

'You cannot or risk getting kicked out.'

'...that.'

'Well, good things come to those who endure. Although I need to see your master first. I'm not even sure if the prescription you wrote was right for his condition.'

xxx

In a dilapidated courtyard...

'Master, guys, I'm back.' Hua Yao called out while dressed in finery and carrying four boxes.

'Brother Hua, you're back!' there were three other youths who...wore threadbare, patchwork rags and hasn't seen to a proper bath in ages. However, in Ye Mei's mind, he recognized the old man despite his condition.

He was Yan Bugui, formerly from the All-Life Palace.

According to the youth, these children's families were massacred for the tattooed maps on their relatives' backs, clearly skinned to obtain them, and there were seven more out there. And Hua Yao was from the Bone Shifter Tribe.

They're from the Middle Realms. He has to watch out for missy! These guys aren't simple, given their origins!

'Waaah, are they for us?!' the blonde beamed excitedly.

'Get the ones with your names on it.' said Hua Yao. 'How I got them is a long story...and Miss Jun gave me ten gold taels. Enough to pay our debts here so we can finally leave this place and the rest we keep for a short period of better life.'

Wuxie twitched.

Do these guys have no money sense?

Ten gold taels for a short period of good life, he says...? Does he have any idea how much they cost in silver?!

Judging by Yan Bugui's shocked reaction, he knew too.

'Er, Yao'er, ten gold taels is enough to set us for life.' he deadpanned. 'Its also my failures to not teach you kids much about money since we rarely ever get any anyway, but ten taels of gold is 5 million silver coins! We can live a life of comfort our whole lives if we lived as just civilians!'

The four older teenagers froze in shock.

'F-f-five...million...coins?' the lone androgynous girl squeaked in disbelief, as the effeminate boy fainted.

'We usually have to split a single silver coin between ourselves...and s-suddenly we're millionaires?!' the blonde freaked out. 'Somebody hit me!' Hua Yao obliged and smacked him. 'IT'S NOT A DREAM!' he cried with a bruised cheek.

'M-Miss Jun, is this really OK?!' Hua Yao quickly turned to Wuxie in freakout. 'You freely gave it away!'

'She WHAT?!'

'Now now, it's good to help others in need if you have the ability to do so.' Wuxie smiled. 'As long as you don't neglect yourself and those close to you. Now then, I've seen the prescription, I should check on your master.'

'Hey Brother Hua, is Miss Jun really a doctor?' the girl asked Hua Yao. 'No matter how you look at her, she looks like...' she croaked out, looking at Ye Mei nervously.

SHE LOOKS LIKE AN ASSASSIN!

'Well, to be fair she killed a whole Sect by herself for all their crimes.' said Hua Yao as his gang gawked at him in shock, complete with a thunderstrike background.

'Well, it was stupidly easy and boring, but their affluence threatened what I'm protecting, so its a matter of who kills who first.' said Wuxie as she took Yan Bugui's pulse. '...not only were you suffering from severe muscle and organ trauma, your meridians are damaged too. Your prescription is too weak for this grade of injury...' her words caused the impoverished group utter dismay. 'Ye Mei, take out our stock in neatly organized piles and my censer, enough for me to make enough pills to last a month.'

Ye Mei took out a small black bag, and took out small piles of different kinds of medicinal herbs. They raided the farms, so they have enough for a year.

She selected herbs...refined them and put them all in bottles with labels. Each refinement produced such a sweet but strong medicinal aroma it smells too good!

"Missy is handing out Grade 9 pills again!" Ye Mei squawked, bug-eyed. And didn't she complain about finances before?! Then again, they have a mountain of gold now...

'Well, Master Yan should take all these in the morning after breakfast.' said Wuxie. 'Then time for the final touch...please disrobe your upper clothing.' she politely requested as Yan Bugui did so...and with a ki-covered finger, poked his chest and a grisly sight of the world under the skin was visible. They can see his bones, muscles and organs, and how the injury looks from inside.

The teenagers went blue from shock.

'T-this is what the inside looks like?!'

'Yes, the world under our skins~ scary isn't it~?' Wuxie was in full teasing mode, the morbid version.

Ye Mei wondered what made her a great doctor in Rui Lin Army but to think she can see the inside of the body with a spell, making it easy to see and understand afflictions for treatment...! This is too advanced and incredible!

She then gathered ki and focused on fixing Yan Bugui's crushed body parts, and restoring his crushed meridians to where it should be though during the process, Yan Bugui endured pain as his organs shifted and moved about, but endured it. It was a fascinating, but morbid sight.

'Phew...then Master Yan, keep taking your prescription one of each pill every morning, and kindly eat healthy...as well as eat edible mushrooms, and lots of eggs.' Wuxie advised 'And take care NOT to get hit as until you finish all your medicine combined with eating well, the current you is as brittle as a spirit stone. Absolutely no fighting or using ki in this crucial healing period, so start taking the pills an hour after breakfast, OK? Eat a lot enough for three people every meal time, and you need to rest most of the time.' she instructed. 'Absolutely no fighting and no ki usage for one month straight as I just fixed your meridians.'

'Will do, young lady.' said Yan Bugui sheepishly. 'It's not every day I get treated for free and see how worse I really am.'

'But in any case something happens, where can we find Miss Jun?' blonde boy asked Wuxie nervously.

'Hummm, Weiguo City in Qi Kingdom, that's where I live.' said Wuxie. 'Well, this concludes our business here, so I have to go back to the city since I'm the family doctor as well I can't be gone for too long~'

'So you're mostly a doctor if you're not an assassin?' the blonde piped up.

'Now now, assassins and doctors have one thing in common!' said Wuxie cheerily in a cutesy manner. 'That is, the complete understanding and mastery of the human body! For doctors, that mastery is to know how to cure and save quicker, for assassins its either how to make your death quick, or suuuuuper sloooow you're tortured till you die~!' her words made the teenagers meep, her words instilling fear of her in their minds. 'Acupuncture or pills can accomplish either!' she taught them in a cutesy lecture mode. 'So I have two occupations, see?'

'Er missy, you forgot being the Lady of your Residence. That's your occupation too.' Ye Mei reminded her.

'Gee, I'm not sure about that anymore, Ye Mei, politics aren't really my forte grandfather, uncle and Wuyao handles that stuff...I'm much better at dealing with bodies and medicine...' said Wuxie in a thoughtful pose.

Miss Jun is actually a noblewoman?!

'And I don't do what noble ladies do either. What's so fun about gossiping, comparing outfits and fiancees and somebody's latest dirt while having tea parties? Their lives are so boring!' Wuxie snarked in utter disinterest.

And how very unlike a noblewoman she is!

'Ehhh but still, you have to do those things...' Ye Mei sweatdropped. 'As a lady of the household, you must eventually hold events in your own home when you turn sixteen. Organizing social events you'd host. Gaining information through flowery words. Watching out for social pitfalls, things like those as most noble ladies are poisonous flowers. Something missy isn't, that you must prepare for vipers waiting to strike, and defend the family in the socialite world.'

'Urrrgh.' Wuxie balked in utter disgust at the notion.

'Young master will gladly teach you.' Ye Mei recommended. 'He's known how to handle poisonous flowers moreso than anyone else.' he advised. 'He'll teach you well.'

'Oh all right, I'll consider...' Wuxie sighed with sagging shoulders. 'I'm more at home with my jobs, not some prissy-fancy princess whose lives are so boring.'

"Missy, if these girls hear how you live, they'll think you're boring too given how their mind works." Ye Mei thought helplessly. Wuxie was happier helping her family out and enjoying his master's embraces and affection than dealing with politics and socializing, while girls her age only know how to have fun while spending money like water. But she can't run from this stuff forever as an eligible single lady...until she and master announces that they're together, that is!

xxx

'Wow Brother Hua, Miss Jun is a very weird person.' Qiao Chu remarked. 'For an assassin and noble lady, she's sorta...out there?'

Before leaving, Wuxie dumped a lot of food in the courtyard. Food she stole from Hidden Cloud Peak, so they have months of full bellies since they got scolded for malnutrition, she also gave them the same pills their master and Hua Yao have to fortify bones and muscles each time they eat, and left them papers of recipes. They had to quickly hide all the goodies inside Yan Bugui's Cosmos Sack.

'Yes...apparently, the sect greatly threatened her family so it's a matter of who kills who first.' said Hua Yao softly. 'She spares the innocent and killed the rest. She also cured the prisoners of Qingyun Sect, the villagers who once lived at the bottom of the peaks, but were taken against their wills as test subjects for experiments, and lived a life of hell for years, unable to die.' he told them. 'She took them to her country for treatment by summoning a convoy of soldiers, and give them a new lease on life using the fortune she took.'

'Ah...'

'For now, let's get physically stronger and eat now.' said Yan Bugui. 'And pretend you young un's don't have new clothes yet. If they see you wear your new fineries, they'll definitely come charging with greed.' he warned them. 'Once this old man is frail no more, we can go to town and trade a tael for silver coins, and shut them up by finally paying our debts before we leave this place for good. Qi Country sounds a good idea.'

His students scowled at the reminder.

Since coming to the Academy...the annual Tuition Fee is 1000 silver taels. Which they couldn't pay and thus constantly harassed or bullied for 'being beggars'. Not only that, Food and Lodging were additional AND separate expenses, too! So that's about, 5000 more in silver coins, thankfully not Taels!

And they're here for a year now...

One more month of indignity...!