"Ugh..."
Henrietta stirred, waking from her sleep. She slowly opened her eyes, but to her surprise, her vision had changed... dramatically.
"This is...?" she whispered, looking at the flying wisps of light around her, following them with her gaze.
"That’s Latent Qi in the air."
"...!"
To her surprise, a voice responded to her casual musing. Turning her head, she noticed a child-like figure sitting on the chair beside her bed, smiling at her.
"Still not fully awake?" the figure—Yifa—asked.
"H-Head Maid Yifa, I...!"
Henrietta shot up, but the sudden movent made her vision spin.
Her stomach churned and the world tilted—nausea and vertigo hitting at once.
However, the ingrained reflex of standing up the mont she saw Yifa was hard to suppress. She wobbled as she struggled to rise, only for Yifa to push her nodding head gently back down onto the pillow.
"Silly girl, just lie down. You’ve been undergoing painful torture for forty hours straight. It’s normal to feel sick," Yifa said with a thin smile. "Need anything? Soup? A drink?"
"Uhh... Wa... Water, then?"
Although Henrietta answered reflexively, it was her first ti actually seeing Yifa act like a maid.
Usually, she’d push the job onto others while overseeing things like so site supervisor. But now, she moved personally—hopping off the chair, walking to the small fridge in the room, grabbing a bottle of water, and returning.
Without hesitation, she extended her hand and offered it to Henrietta. "Here. Drink slowly and carefully."
To help her drink while lying down, Yifa waved her hand, using so unknown technique to elevate the pillow behind Henrietta’s head just slightly—enough so she wouldn’t choke while drinking.
Henrietta twisted the cap open and placed the bottle against her lips. One gulp of water, and she was done.
"...!"
But drinking the water felt... strange.
The water hit her like warm lightning—flickering across her body before settling into her core. It spiraled outward, spreading through her ridians and rging with her natural Qi circulation. Like a single drop striking a calm lake, it caused ripples to radiate, accelerating her Qi flow.
Soon enough, golden wisps of light began rising from her entire body—a mystical, yet familiar scene to her.
Henrietta’s eyes widened as realization dawned, and she muttered:
"This... I’ve reached Gold Rank?!"
Yifa, observing her stable output without the slightest hint of disarray, gave a satisfied smile. "Yes, you did. Congratulations, I guess?"
Hearing this, Henrietta gasped. Her eyes sparkled like those of an excited child discovering a new toy.
She quickly closed her eyes and dove into her inner self, ditating. She found a single golden core floating in her lower Dantian, radiating a steady, mysterious glow—warm and gentle in power.
"It’s really real...!" she gasped, confirming her cultivation stage. "I’ve reached Gold Rank Level 1!"
Henrietta looked like she wanted to cheer, jump around, and celebrate—but the mont she tried to get up, her celebration was cut short.
"Ueeegh...!"
"Idiot girl... try not to die from excitent. Just rest." Yifa said, shaking her head and laughing openly. "I’ll tell Uriel that you woke up... And maybe I’ll relay the news to that Master of yours~?"
"...Huh?"
Hearing her tone, Henrietta’s womanly instincts suddenly kicked in. It wasn’t the pain in her body, nor the dizziness in her head—it was that look in Yifa’s eyes. She wasn’t just a maid anymore.
She could feel it—Yifa had just beco a "threat." A new rival.
But at the mont, she could do nothing about it.
🔷🔷🔷
After Henrietta had rested enough, she ca down to the underground training area with Uriel. She wasn’t told why—just that it was their Master’s command.
"You’re here."
Xu Tao greeted them from the entrance, hands tucked into his sleeves. "How do you feel now, Henrietta? Had enough rest?"
"Y-Yes, Master!" she replied, bowing and cupping her fists tightly. "I’ve stabilized my strength at Gold Level 1. It’s all thanks to Master’s teachings!"
Xu Tao smiled but shook his head.
"I only raised your cultivation. I haven’t taught you anything specific yet."
"Still, it’s thanks to you that I reached this stage. I can’t be thankful enough!"
"Well, that’s true." Xu Tao shrugged. "And you, Uriel? How’s your progress with the scroll?"
It had been two days since Xu Tao had passed the scroll to Uriel and the guards. While he could confirm that the guards were progressing well, Uriel hadn’t shown any obvious improvents—or at least, none that could be seen at a glance.
"Yes, Master. I’ve succeeded in comprehending the first ten lines of the scroll," Uriel answered respectfully, bowing. "Thanks to that, my internal cultivation technique has improved greatly."
"Good..."
Xu Tao nodded, then turned his gaze to a spot behind the two girls. "And what’s Miss Yifa doing down here?"
"Huh?"
Both Henrietta and Uriel voiced their confusion aloud. After all, only the two of them had co down to the basent. Yifa should still be sowhere above, within the mansion.
"Fufu, so you weren’t bluffing when you said you could see ~!"
To their shock, a figure erged from the shadows along the passage—a petite girl with long, verdant green hair and eyes of the sa hue.
"That cold, disinterested gaze... It sends shivers down my spine~!" She hugged her small fra, trembling as she watched Xu Tao with a blank stare. "And I just ca here to spectate. Why? Is it a problem if I watch my forr disciple, Mr. Master~?"
Her tone was playful, laced with subtle criticism—but Xu Tao didn’t blink, replying flatly:
"Not really. Feel free to watch. But please don’t interrupt the training."
Whether intentional or not, Xu Tao didn’t acknowledge the "forr disciple" remark, nor did he bring up the matter of her secretly attacking him during their first eting.
Uriel—the "forr disciple" in question—was already feeling awkward from just that brief ntion, and was silently grateful he let the subject drop.
"...Alright, I’ll just sit in the corner and watch," Yifa said, shrugging with a sly smile.
All eyes followed her as she moved to the edge of the room and sat down on a chair made entirely out of shadows, looking quite at ease as she settled in to observe.
Xu Tao paid her little mind and turned back to his two disciples.
"Henrietta rose to Golden Core rapidly, so you need to increase your control over your power. As for Uriel, you need to apply what you learned from the scroll in live practice."
He didn’t beat around the bush.
"Therefore, I want the two of you to spar. Right here, right now."
But his declaration caught both girls off guard.
"A... spar?"
The two exchanged confused glances, uncertain of what exactly was about to happen to them.
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