Murim Recurve

The Elder frowned, noticing the Ghost Qi around Ki'Nua dissipate. She also noticed the ethereal connection between Ki'Nua and the Withered Courtyard had disappeared. It seemed as if the connection hadn't existed in the first place.

Re'Kha too noticed the issue. But, she neither understood the context of the situation nor had any solutions in place to solve it. She could only watch as the cocoon of blank space around Ki'Nua gently dissipate.

Then, Ki'Nua gently moved, noticing the disturbance in her surroundings as her eyes shot open. She then looked at the four people standing around her, looking confused as she gazed at Ki'Nha, "Mom, what happened?"

"Oh Ki'Nua," Ki'Nha hugged her tightly, only now feeling a sense of relief as she felt the warmth of her daughter, "It is good that you returned safely."

"I feel free now, mom." Ki'Nua smiled as she consoled her mother, "My connection with the Withered Courtyard was snapped for some reasons. It happened when I arrived at the same place as before. But now, something crashed into it and severed my connection with the place."

"Elder, please." Ki'Nha looked at the Elder, bowing towards her, asking for her to inspect the condition of Ki'Nua.

The Elder didn't say anything and inspected Ki'Nua. For a moment, her eyes lost their focus as she shook her head once, taking a second glance as she smiled in content, "She's normal now. All the Ghost Qi forming her meridians and Pranic Heart has vanished mysteriously. She's a normal Harmoniser now."

Then, as if she was brought about to speak, for reasons unknown to her, the Elder spoke, "But, I suggest she doesn't train as a Harmoniser or learn any Pranic Arts for the time being. At least, give her a year. Only after that can we decide that she is free from all troubles. And, even if something was damaged, this would be enough time for her to completely recover."

"Yes, Elder." Ki'Nua looked sad for a moment at the fact that she couldn't be active as a Harmoniser for a year. Though, it wasn't what she felt in reality, but was putting on an act.

It wasn't as if she had mastered the method to act and lie overnight. Rather, she was using the mask given to her by the First Celestial Emperor to subtly change her facial expressions. Her actual expression was one of calm, but in the eyes of others, she looked sad.

That was what she was making them perceive. The mask was akin to a Pranic Art, so she already knew everything to know about it and was able to fully wield it. Moreover, she was using it to cause the Elder from seeing through her.

After all, flowing through her meridians at present was a thick stream of Ghost Qi, totalling 10 units. It was a considerable amount, enough to shock anyone. After all, only one of the four elements—water, metal, fire, and lightning—ought to flow through her meridians.

The fact that Ghost Qi was flowing through it would cause their reactions to turn volatile. For a moment, when she thought of how her family would react to the truth, her heart lurched. But upon recalling her mission, she firmed herself.

It was something the First Celestial Emperor had personally handed to her. So, she planned to devote her entire existence to fulfilling it. That was her pride, as a member of the Royal Clan that protected and governed their race, the race of Kalki.

She was also using the face mask to prevent them from noticing the change in her Tikka jewellery. The gem on it currently showcased a lustreless swirling black. It was different from the solid black of the Harmonisers using Metal Qi. After all, their gem had a faint lustre to it.

The difference, though subtle, would be apparent to anyone from her race who had lived all their lives looking at the Tikka jewellery of the other people. So, even if they didn't take a closer look, a glance was all they needed to notice something was amiss in her Tikka jewellery.

That was why she hid it instantly the moment she woke up. Before that, the First Celestial Emperor's arrangements prevented the others from sensing the changes in her.

Her face mask behaved like a passive ability. As long as she inputted a certain change in it, it would maintain that change unless she decided otherwise. So, after she made the changes so that the people around her would perceive the gem on her tikka jewellery to radiate with a blue glow, even the Elder couldn't see otherwise.

And, thanks to the mask, her action was perfect. After some inspections, everyone left the room, motioning for Ki'Nua to return to her sleep. Ki'Nua closed her eyes after that and swiftly fell asleep, at least, that was how she looked to the onlookers.

In actuality, she was testing out all the changes in her, mentally, while trying to change her mindset and allow the fact that she was a pseudo-Sha to sink in.

Re'Kha bowed to the Elder and returned to her room, all the while keeping an eye on Ki'Nua through her Wind Qi perception. She felt it was weird that nothing happened to Ki'Nua. After all, she was prepared to be pulled into the Withered Courtyard along with Ki'Nua.

She had thought through the routes in the Withered Courtyard, the path they must take to reach the exit, the method they had to use to scale up the walls, etc. But in actuality, nothing unusual happened. Moreover, even if she wished to look at the condition of Ki'Nua with a hint of suspicion, for some reason, she was unable to be suspicious of her.

Something was altering her thought process, preventing her from looking at Ki'Nua with a hint of suspicion. As time passed in such a fashion, the idea that Ki'Nua had tided through her problem settled in her mind. Soon, she fell asleep.

Ki'Nha and her husband too weren't any different. They heaved a sigh of relief at the fact their daughter was safe, not even realising that something could happen to her once again. They seemed to be on the thought that Ki'Nua was perfectly alright.

The Elder was slightly different from them as she gazed at Ki'Nua from beyond the door, eventually sighing when the thought set in her mind too. Shaking her head, she disappeared from the place.