It's been a week since De Ming successfully imitated/learned the Crimson Flame Palm, he continued to train diligently
His daily schedule for the past week is as follows. De Ming wakes up sore and tired from his relentless routine at dawn, lightly washes himself in a secluded corner by the nearby creek, and then starts doing chores, the exact errands vary each day but he always manages to finish them before sundown without fail. Thereafter, he would sneak off to the forest's clearing and start practicing using the Crimson Flame Palm technique, refining the Qi flow, getting used to its movements, and quickening his execution.
By the three-hour mark, he would pack up his things and promptly return to not raise suspicion, spending the rest of the night on self-hygiene, food, and cultivating with the Qi Gathering Breathe technique, bolstering his cultivation base ever so slightly each night
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Today was supposed to be just another day of training for Ming, but while drying some laundry, he noticed a sudden shift in the atmosphere within the manor, his fellow servants seemed busier than usual, albeit nowhere as busy as him on the daily but that's beside the point, they were complaining about an increased workload, the kitchens were bustling with activities as the maids were scrambling about, cooking an obscene amount of food, the workers were going in and out of the manor with ornate chairs, fabrics, table cloths and a multitude of their decors. A lively scene of hustling labor mixed with a festive cheer
It soon became apparent to De Ming that the manor was preparing for a celebration of sorts, and it was clear that they were gonna be hosting guests. But for what? De Ming thought to himself as he drew a blank, wracking his brains for any approaching holidays and events
He walked up to a young maid who seemed to be around two or three years younger than him, gestured for her to come closer, and asked
" Um, Nan'er? What's with all of this decor? What's the occasion?"
De Ming asked straightforwardly in a business-like and no-nonsense tone, a part of him that never comes out when interacting with Elder Hu or members of the main Crimson Cloud bloodline
" You don't remember? Elder Hu gathered us at sunset and told us to prepare for young Miss Zhu Lian's departure party, remember?"
The young maid, brown hair, black eyes, and freckles recounted in a matter-of-fact tone
The revelation that his training caused him to miss important news made De Ming crack a nervous smile, scratching the back of his head as he tried to play it cool, and justify his irregular obliviousness
"Oh yeah! I remember now, haha. My mind must have been elsewhere at the time, always thinking about chores ya know?"
De Ming gave Nan'er a rigid answer before waltzing away, and back to drying laundry
Nan'er gave him a weird look as he left, thinking to herself "He's not good at lying at all, but that's none of my business"
Recalling that She didn't see De Ming at all yesterday when Elder Hu called for them
Elder Hu would usually assign him a bunch of tasks every time they hosted an event, but he didn't even acknowledge that De Ming wasn't present yesterday, almost as if he was covering up for his absence. Strange, but it wasn't anything important to Nan'er so she moved on with her day, performing chores lazily, but oddly efficiently as usual
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Evening comes as De Ming finishes his work, today was especially rough considering that he spent most of it managing and fixing the other servants' jobs, seeing as how he's essentially the "Head butler" of this household with his expertise over all of the chores in addition of his uncanny memory and sharp insight. In terms of being a servant, he was nothing short of a once-in-a-lifetime prodigy, he's not proud of it though. Being the world's best servant isn't exactly a brag-worthy title
After a grueling day of work, De Ming decided to take a break from training for the day, he cleaned himself, cooked up, and chowed downed some of the Zhu's leftovers before going back to his room and cultivating
At this point, his diligence had already gotten De Ming used to the Qi Gathering Breath technique and the subtle suppression of his chaotic Qi while performing it.
Yet, he couldn't concentrate today for the life of him, and each of his mistakes and slips resulted in a painful jolt of jagged Qi, briefly ravaging his meridians
Feeling that his mind was unwell, he soon gave up the thought of cultivating and laid down on his bamboo bed
He's been keeping a straight face the whole day but in reality, his psyche was anything but. Zhu Lian was having her send-off party tomorrow. Her leave was drawing near, way too fast for De Ming to accept
Even if he had finally become a martial artist, and somewhat changed himself. He felt as if his promise to Zhu Lian was still unfulfilled
Deep down, where his true desires lurk, he knows that he wanted Zhu Lian to witness his change herself, not in some faraway sect of gods-know-where, but right by his side. De Ming knows that such thoughts are foolish and practically implausible, but they wouldn't leave
He was still holding on to Zhu Lian's warmth, as dim as it may be at the moment, emotionally reliant on it, even if he didn't want to, he had no choice but to admit that it was the only thing that kept him grounded all these years
Tomorrow's it, they're gonna celebrate her departure, and subsequently her debut in Jianghu, she was swiftly getting out of reach, De Ming didn't like that, he deeply wanted her to keep being next to him, and he needed her support, he knows he can't do this alone, not with Zhu Feng harassing him every chance he got
Thoughts of solutions crept into his mind, stopping her from going, joining her journey, and even proposing that Zhu Feng go instead, etc. Countless options plague his mind but he knew for a fact that none of them would work. After all, he's just a servant, what power does he have over the decisions of these nobles and elites?
Things felt hopeless as De Ming fell into despair, his eyes longingly looking out the window, the moon felt lonely amidst a star-scattered canvas of pitch-black, the celestial melancholy reflected upon his dilating pupils, accentuating his dive into the abyss of the mind
The night sky was too painful to stare at, De Ming scowled at his fate and cursed the heavens as he turned away, his eyes darting around his room, desperately searching for anything to ground his troubled mind
He swept the small and modest room a few times over before landing his gaze on a wooden token, carved beautifully with the words "Participation accepted", upright, leaning on the old half-rotted wooden stool by his bed
He held his breath as memories of that day flooded back, the fleeting words of the strange martial master before his abrupt disappearance, leaving behind a dazed De Ming with this very token in his hand, a promise of his latent potential
De Ming jolted up from his bed, eyes widened, struck with a revelation
A servant had no say here… that's true, But, what if I show them that I wasn't "just" a servant, what if I prove to them my worth as a martial artist? De Ming pondered as a cheeky smile returned to his face, renewed by hope and anticipation
Tomorrow he'll show them, they will bear witness that he's a lowly servant no longer, and the De Ming they knew of is no more