Murim Recurve

Chapter 13 - Withered Courtyard

"I want Lady Ju'Tha to die a gruesome death. I wish her body would rot and be dumped into the ground just like what they did to my husband."

"How will we kill Lady Re'Kha? Lady Ju'Tha was constantly keeping watch until now. And, even if we kill her now, she would just bury the news. Only when she sends a messenger to the Burkurel Re Clan can we kill her."

"The moment she sends a messenger, she might very well come to stand guard for Lady Re'Kha. Lady Ju'Tha is a powerful Harmoniser, and even if she is now blind, that's Burkurel Re'Kha, the real deal. Our plans would fail the moment she unleashes her Pranic Avatar."

"And, what is in her bag? If she were hiding an Artifact in it, it would further make our situation worse."

"Unfortunately, I couldn't open it. I even saw Lady Ju'Tha try to stealthily open it once but failed. In fear that it might not contain anything important, and that she would have risked killing Re'Kha for no returns, she didn't try any significant methods on it. She just decided that it was better to play it safe and be content with the reward the Burkurel Re Clan would give her for saving Lady Re'Kha."

"Then, how are we supposed to kill her?"

"Relax, I found an item of help." Re'Kha identified it as the voice of the maid who served her. "I found a hairclip of the girl who had her eyes recently be stolen."

"You mean to use it and attract that Sha that has been terrorising Burkurel City for over a month now…awesome."

"Using that, we can definitely lure it over. Since Lady Re'Kha had damaged it quite a few times, it would try to attack her even though she no longer has her eyes. This would make her a target and would force Lady Ju'Tha to defend her. We can use the situation to possibly injure or even kill Lady Ju'Tha."

"I like the sound of a blind Lady Ju'Tha, kekeke."

"For an opportunist like her who would sell her own people just to appeal for benefits, becoming blind would teach her a lesson. We can then make her pay for her crimes until she commits suicide."

"Vengeance should only be delivered onto the person that deserves it. As for the innocent, you either show kindness or display your apathy." The three maids jolted in shock as they watched Re'Kha stand at the entrance, having draped the fur blanket over her shoulder. She didn't speak any further, gazing at them in calm.

"H-How can you see us?" The maid that had served her before stuttered in fear.

"I can hear and smell you fine," Re'Kha waved her hand, "I am an outsider. I won't interfere in the affairs of your settlement. But if you still wish to involve me in this, I won't hold back."

"Too late, my lady." One of the maids laughed, her laughter turning a tad shrill, like a hyena's cackle, "You had become a participant the moment you stepped foot here."

"I see," Re'Kha deactivated her Wind Qi perception, condensing blue radiance into her hand, craning it to the back as she clenched it into a fist. She moved her hand towards the ceiling, unleashing a projection of her palm that slammed into it, breaking through. The palm projection dispersed into the surroundings, getting absorbed by the raindrops.

Rain fell in through the gap as Re'Kha stepped backward, activating her Wind Qi perception once again, watching numerous tiny spots of blankness descend onto the three maids. The moment the rain fell on them, the three maids screamed in pain, clutching their heads as their skin began to peel off.

When they tried to escape, Re'Kha jumped forth and unleashed a low kick, tumbling them to the floor. The rain fell on their legs, causing their clothes to evaporate while their skin melted, quickly displaying the bones underneath.

When one of the maids tried to crawl past, Re'Kha unleashed a kick on her face, sending her reeling into the place the rain fell. The hole in the ceiling wasn't wide, only enough to fit in two people. The area the rain fell wasn't wide enough to trap the three maids so Re'Kha had to constantly attack them with fists and kicks.

"H-How did you know?" The maid that served her before craned using her hands, dragging her body forward. Her lower half had melted into wax by now, dissipating as specks of light.

"First, the wooden walls of the house. The floor squeaked when I stepped foot. Every member of the Ju Clan hates such fragile housing. They would always have metal flooring in solid houses made of stone." Re'Kha gazed at the figure of a maid collapse into the space of blankness in her perception.

The second maid no longer screamed, eerily gazing at Re'Kha as her eyes fell off, "What was the second difference?"

"After noticing that the walls were made of wood, I placed my ears on them to listen to the sounds outside. But, I never heard any clamour beyond them except for the sounds of rain. In settlements where lives are at a higher risk, soldiers should be patrolling nonstop, even during rainy times. But I never heard any." Re'Kha watched the mouth of the second maid curl up into a smile as the skin peeled off, revealing the skeleton behind that cracked and vanished.

"And, what was the final clue?" The maid that had served her before inquired. Re'Kha didn't answer, kicking the maid's face as she sent her flying into the raining area. The maid's eyes darted to the ceiling as the rainwater bore holes through her eyes, leaking out from her severed hips.

Her neck broke off as her head fell, rolling on the floor while the tongue darted out, melting while the mouth moved, "Welcome to the Withered Courtyard."

Re'Kha watched the maid's head dissipate into the space of blankness, noticing the grey sand around her decrease in density, the floor getting erased bit by bit as the rainwater covered it. She craned her right hand forward, placing the tip of her index finger in the path of the rain, watching a couple of raindrops fall on it.

They stung, making her retract her finger in reflex. She then wiped the water on her dress and felt her finger, noticing that it was whole, lacking any damage.

'I still haven't progressed beyond hope yet.' She sighed in relief, placing her hand into the rain, grunting at the pain.