After suffering of not being able to breathe underwater, I let out a satisfied gasped as the fresh air entered my nose and my lungs was finally refreshed. I crawled out of the pond and laid on my back as I winced in pain the moment I saw the barnacles still gnawing on my flesh.
With a groan, I moved my shattered arm and then bit through the pain as I removed the barnacles out of my body, my skin was being torn off as the barnacle was being pulled out. I only managed to take out 3 barnacles before I gave up. There are still 6 of them, including the ones in my face.
"Congratulations"
As I was suffering from the disgusting feel of barnacle, I saw my master coming towards me with a smile and was clapping. I did not have any strength left to spite him so I just sighed and replied.
"I did not bring the dinner. Apologies."
Hearing me say that, my master widened his eyes for a moment before chuckling as though he found it unexpected of me to say that.
"Woah, Roan did not throw a hateful remark? Did the Barnacles eat your brain?"
Somehow, I was pissed at his words. Vein popped in my temple but I did not bother to argue. I just, laid down there.
I felt....my consciousness...slipping out.
Then infront of my Master, I fainted.
——————
Staring at the passed out figure of Roanoke, Li Sheng mused to himself and then willed his Ki to remove the Barnacles on Roanoke's flesh. Surprisingly, the Barnacles removed itself without wounding Roanoke as Li Sheng then dragged his disciple inside the Cabin and nursed him.
"You did well"
Li Sheng uttered to his disciple with a smile as he was treating his disciple's wounds.
——————
I had a dream, a dream where my Master was praising me. What a creepy dream.
In that dream also, I saw a very beautiful woman. She had a long braided purple hair, fair skin tone like that of a snow, the color of her eyes were like the most expensive amethyst and her rosey red lips were curled into a smile. She looked playful and free.
While playing around with the people in the ballroom, The Beautiful Lady spotted me as she soon winked at me?
The Beautiful Lady then headed out of the hall and went to the direction of the Training Hall. Following her, I spied on her as she performed her swordsmanship.
Somehow, her swordsmanship looked very beautiful....it was a reminiscent of a Flower blooming in the midst of winter, it was also a reminiscent of a moon dancing in the quiet evening.
Words cannot describe on how beautiful it was as I tried to engrave her every movement in my head.
I was about to perform the swordsmanship myself when I was jolted awake, I felt pain coursing through my whole body and soon I found myself on my bed in my master's Cabin. I got up from the bed and looked around, by the window I could see that the sun had risen up and it is almost...noon? Then by my bedside, I saw my Master's stick sword...leaning on my bedframe quite eerily.
I shivered.
I looked down on my body and found that I was covered in gauze, then I got up from my bed and stretched.
'Did my master nurse me? How kind of him'
I stretched my muscles and did not find anything hurting me. My forearm also felt somewhat new as if it was not shattered before, then I checked my Ki...it was good and refreshed too.
Then I remembered the dream that I just had. Trying to recall the beautiful lady's movements, I looked around to find my master and when I did not see him, I then grabbed his stick sword to train. I don't know why but I felt like using it.
Holding it...felt heavy, the moment it was on my grip, I was enchanted to it already. I tried to swing it but before I could even do so, my Master stepped into the room and saw me.
With a swift moment, or not even on the blink of the eye....My master grabbed my wrist and smiled quite eerily. This is the first time I saw this expression of his, it was not like his usual playful smile, just an eerie smile. As if he was warning me.
"Do not touch that."
He uttered in a solemn tone and then confiscated the sword from me. After the sword was out of my grip, I then felt a sense of clarity.
What just happened? What did I do?
Turning to my master with a confused expression, I was about to ask him when he just smiled and answered.
"You have been bewitched by my blade. Do not touch this next time, okay? You might get consumed by her"
He just chuckled and then put away his sword and grabbed the basin full of wet and dirty towel. Was he really nursing me? How unusual.
Anyways, if it was bewitched then why did this bastard leave it around? And not even warn me? And what does he mean by Her? Did he name the sword with a woman's? What the fuck?
Then as if trying to answer my thoughts or reading it. Master spoke.
"I was looking for her, and it seems like she slipped out of my grasp. Sometimes, this sword is alive so it will escape from me. Whenever that happens, do not listen to Her"
My master turned to glance at me right on the periphery of his eyes and then chuckled stepping out of the room. As I stared at him stepping out of the room, I could not help but see a phantom of a woman shaped mist hugging my master from the back.
Yikes, he is being haunted by a Ghost.
Shaking my head, I just tried to forget things about it and followed my master out of my room.
"How long was I out? What happened to the Crab? Did you get it out? Is it our dinner now?"
Trying to assume that it has not been that long since I defeated that Crab, I asked my master about its meat. It looked good underwater so I want to have a taste of it.
"You have been out for 4 days. I ate all of it myself"
Then breaking me out of my foodie reverie, my master uttered those ridiculous words with a sneer.
What was...the point of me fighting then? Curses.
Collapsing on my knees, I wanted to curse my master for eating all of it by himself. Then with a chuckle, he uttered something which made me raise my head from grief.
"You must have recovered by now, dress up and grab some mask. We will head to the Town"
Hearing him say that, Joy suddenly filled me as I hurriedly grabbed some clothes on the closet and looked for a mask. Only to find a clown mask. I heard from my Master that the reason why he can go around despite him being a subject of terror....to some who remembered him. He would wear a clown mask and pretend to be a jester.
Yeah, I can totally imagine him doing that.
But there is only one now....so how is he supposed to disguise himself?
"How are you going to disguise yourself if we only have one?"
I asked my Master who had finished putting away the items he used to nurse me. Smiling from my question, He shrugged and then answered me.
"Don't worry about that. I have my ways"
He winked at me with a playful smile as I stared at him unamused. Why is this guy even my master? Whatever. He said it himself, and not like anyone can pose a trouble to someone like him.
I put on the clown mask that my Master had always worn and then stepped out of the Cabin with him.
"Why are we going to town, anyway?"
I asked him as he just chuckled and walked with me out of our abode, for the first time in a while...I am finally going to meet someone else aside from this damned master of mine.
"To buy a weapon for you, of course. You need a proper weapon for the swordsmanship that I am going to teach you."
My master answered, in which it then lit up a light in my heart and saw him in a whole new light. Dropping my feelings aside, I bowed to my master and sang words of praises to him.
"Hooray! My Master is the coolest!"