Rebirth of the Female Antagonist: XUANRONG

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"Listen well, master will now teach you how to use 'command'."

Yue Xiao Xiao stared at the window and recalled the teachings of their clan elders.

"The necklace I gave you serves as the container of the Gu eggs and at the same time, it is a tool used for 'command'. Same with an empire's army. No matter who, even if the person is a general or the emperor himself, if he does not carry the military token, the soldiers will not move and will refuse to follow him. The Gu pairs are the same, even if you are the host, the one who feeds them, they will refuse to follow you unless you use the necklace I gave you. Once the host dies, the Gu pair will be placed inside the hollow necklace and would copulate until the female Gu gives birth to Gu eggs. The male Gu dies after mating and the female Gu dies after giving birth. The cycle continues repeatedly. That's why you have to make sure not to lose the necklace. Since you will only receive the female Gu, that necklace will help you lessen the pain you during full moon."

When XuanRrong heard Yue Xiao Xiao's words, she could not help but be startled. If the necklace could help lessen the pain during full moon, why would her master give the necklace to her instead of using it to alleviate her pain?

Looking at XuanRong's face, Yue Xiao Xiao sighed.

"You must be thinking why I decided to give you the necklace even though it could help alleviate the pain during full moon, am I right?"

XuanRong slowly nodded.

Why would her master choose not to use the necklace and instead gave it to her for safekeeping?

What was her reason?

Yue Xiao Xiao chuckled. She raised her hand and reached XuanRong's head, patting it slowly.

"You are still young. You will not understand master's decision. You may think that master is an idiot for torturing myself but master thinks that experiencing the pain will always remind me that master is still alive, that I, Yue Xiao Xiao, am still alive and I will not forget everything—the hatred and anger, even if I'm dead."

XuanRong's inwardly bit her lips. What her master was saying, she understood. The feeling her master felt towards those people who harmed her and her clan, the hatred she felt towards herself for being weak, and the unwillingness to concede without a fight, XuanRong also felt the same… because she was similar with her master. She and Yue Xiao Xiao were both similar with each other. She was also someone who could not escape from the curse of her past. That no matter what she did, she could not break free and move on… even in death.

Same with her master, she was afraid… afraid that once her heart wavered and lose the desire to avenge her previous self, she could no longer move forward and be stuck in an empty place forever… She feared that no matter how much effort she put in, she would not be able to repair herself.

In the end, XuanRong could not utter a single word to Yue Xiao Xiao. It was her master's choice, she had to respect it. The only thing she could do was to safely guard the necklace and help her avenge her clansmen.

Sensing the depressing air around them, Yue Xiao Xiao decided to lighten up the mood by giving reminders.

"Rong'er, listen carefully to master. Once you receive the female Gu, you must locate the male Gu immediately in order to balance the poison within your body. One cannot exist without the other. One would die without the other half. Remember, Gu are always in pair."

"Master… are you saying that the Gu pairs are always 'husband and wife' and not 'mother and child'?"

According to the annals of Qian Zou, a pair of Gu was composed of a mother and a child. How come it was different from her master's teaching?

Hearing XuanRong's confused question, Yue Xiao Xiao's eyes darkened as she angrily answered her questions. Hatred was starting to burn inside her heart when she recalled the unforgettable memories of her past, the struggles of her clansmen as they were being hunted like a bunch of animals.

"What was recorded in your history were based on the results of their research and not a hundred percent correct. Those people repeatedly kidnapped my clan's young ones and raped our females just to experiment the sacred art of Gu but in the end, they were unsuccessful--- *cough* *cough*"

Being agitated due to anger, Yue Xiao Xiao released a series of cough.

"Master…."

XuanRong wanted to leave the bed and help Yue Xiao Xiao but Yue Xiao Xiao raised her hand and shook her head, signaling XuanRong to stay put and remain lying.

"No need to worry, master is okay. *cough* Tonight is full moon, so, master's body is currently weak. Rong'er ah… *cough* did you not really regret accepting the sacred art of Gu? Dear child, every time--- *cough* every time master sees you, master can't help but feel sad. You are still young, yet--- *cough* your heart already carries a deep scar. Ai. Master is sorry for not providing you the best. If the male Gu was still here, you wouldn't have to----"

*cough* *cough* *cough*

Before Yue Xiao Xiao could even finish her words, her coughing intensified until she puked blood.

*drip*

*drip*

*drip*

No matter who much effort Yue Xiao Xiao put in to stop the blood from coming out of her mouth, the blood slowly trickled from the corner of her lips.

"Master!!"

XuanRong panicked when she saw the black blood dripping on Yue Xiao Xiao's clothes. She used her elbows to propel herself upward, but Yue Xiao Xiao grabbed her shoulder. Trying to stop her from moving.

"Don't. Your body is still weak. *cough* If you move now, you won't be able to endure the next session."

"But---!!!"

*cough* *cough*

"I'm fine. Master is already accustomed to this kind of thing."

Yue Xiao Xiao smiled but her smile did not contain any happiness.

'Ai, it seems like my time is almost up. Little Yi, mother wanted to see you before mother pass away… too bad… mother thinks that being able to see you once again is not possible.'

--------

In a certain room, a man with a silver mask was kneeling on the floor.

"Yue Shen, why are you kneeling?"

A baritone voice suddenly spoke behind the curtain covering the large bed in the inner chamber.

"This servant has caused trouble to His Lordship."

"Oh?"

After responding obscurely, the man behind the closed curtain did not continue speaking.

"Your Lordship, this servant was not able to hold himself back and almost caused His Lordship's identity to be discovered. This servant----"

"Yue Shen."

"Y-Yes, Your Lordship?"

The man with a silver mask inwardly shivered when suddenly felt the increase of temperature in the surroundings.

"When we return, go to the Dark Palace's punishment hall and receive your punishment."

"This servant will accept Your Lordship's punishment."

It took a couple of minutes before the man behind the closed curtain spoke once again.

"…I know you mean no harm. Yue Shen, remember our purpose here in Jing. No matter what you see, no matter what you hear, you must hold back. Now is not the time to alert our enemies. Do not forget, we are not in Qian Zou. Before the separation of each empire, forming into four smaller countries, the Jing royalties were the ones who hold the power in the entire continent. Moon Pavilion might be one of the top tier organizations within the Jianghu[1] but This Lordship thinks that we are slightly weaker than Jing country's forces. Do not forget, there are many hidden lions and crouching tigers everywhere. Among all the people in our Moon Pavilion, only you and shadow were chosen to stay by my side. I have high expectation on both of you. Do not fail me."

The man with a silver mask obediently lowered his head. Indeed, in this foreign country called Jing, they could not act impulsive and should always be vigilant. It was a sudden moment of anger that made him lose his composure. He hated the fact that His Lordship had to hide his identity in order to fool their enemies. Watching him struggles every day made his heart ache for him. Thus, when he could no longer contain the anger he felt, he crippled a certain prince's hand. It was already too late before he realized that he should have killed him instead of crippling his hand. Too bad, the physicians in Jing were all first rank and they were able to heal his broken bones.

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[1]. Martial Arts World