"Can I ask you a stupid question?"
I looked up from the book I was reading. Liling was standing in the doorway of the study, biting her lower lip in that way she did when something was weighing on her mind.
"There are no stupid questions. Only fools who don't ask."
She stepped inside and sat across from me, her expression still hesitant.
"The Mistress has been... different. More lively. She's eating better, sleeping better. She even smiles sometimes when she thinks I'm not looking."
"And is that a bad thing?"
"No, it's wonderful. But..." Liling leaned forward. "What if we stop doing what we're doing and she goes back to the way she was before? What if this is just temporary?"
It was the fifteenth day. Two full weeks at the Silent Bamboo Pavilion. And Liling, who usually overflowed with confidence, was showing real vulnerability.
"Improvements aren't temporary if they become part of the routine," I said. "We aren't experimenting anymore. We're establishing a new standard."
"Is it that simple?"
"It's that simple."
Liling studied me for a moment, then sighed.
"Sometimes I wish I had your way of seeing things. Everything seems more manageable when you explain it."
"It's just practice. You break big problems down into small pieces."
"You say that like it's easy."
I shrugged.
"I never said it was easy. I only said it was possible."
She laughed softly, and the tension in her shoulders relaxed.
"Well, whatever it is you're doing, keep doing it. The Mistress is... better. And that's the only thing that matters to me."
The following days continued to show those small improvements. Xiao Yue spoke a bit more during meals. Nothing dramatic, just brief comments about the weather or a book she was reading. But for someone who used to eat in absolute silence, it was a notable change.
On the eighteenth day, while I was serving breakfast, Xiao Yue surprised me with a direct question.
"Kenji, how many books have you read from my collection?"
"Seven, Mistress."
"In two weeks?"
"Yes."
She took a sip of tea, considering this.
"And did you understand them?"
"The basic concepts, yes. The more complex details require more study."
"Most outer disciples take months to read those same texts."
"Perhaps they have other responsibilities. I only have my duties here and my free time."
"Or perhaps you are more intelligent than you appear."
I didn't know how to respond to that. Xiao Yue smiled slightly, noticing my discomfort.
"It is not an insult. It is just an observation."
"Thank you, Mistress."
When we left the room, Liling looked at me with bright eyes and proceeded to nudge me playfully with her shoulder.
The twentieth day brought the first moment Xiao Yue asked me for something that wasn't strictly part of my duties. I was in the study when she entered, holding a thick book with yellowed pages.
"Kenji."
I stood up immediately.
"Mistress."
"This text discusses the relationship between emotions and the flow of Qi. I have read the chapter three times and I cannot understand what the author is trying to explain."
She handed me the book, open to a specific page. I read the passage. It was deliberately obscure, written in that pretentious style some ancient authors adored.
"Which part is confusing?"
"This section about how anger blocks the liver meridian. It says anger is fire, but it is also wood. It makes no sense."
I read it again, slower this time.
"I think the author is using a metaphor for the five elements. Anger originates in the liver, which corresponds to wood. But when anger is expressed, it manifests as fire."
Xiao Yue frowned.
"So anger is two things?"
"Not exactly. It's one thing in different states. Like how water can be liquid, ice, or vapor."
She looked at me for a long moment.
"That is a good explanation. Clearer than the text."
"The text was written three hundred years ago. Ancient authors preferred sounding profound over being clear."
Xiao Yue let out something that almost sounded like a laugh.
"A cynical observation, but likely accurate."
She took the book from my hands but didn't leave immediately.
"If I find more confusing passages, may I ask you to review them?"
"Of course, Mistress."
"Good."
When she left, I sat down again, processing what had just happened. Xiao Yue had just asked me for academic help. It wasn't much, but it was an opening. A crack in her armor of self-sufficiency.
Liling appeared a few minutes later, clearly having overheard the conversation from the hallway.
"The Mistress asked you to explain a text to her?"
"Yes."
"Kenji, that's huge. The Mistress never asks for help with anything. Never."
"Maybe she just needed a second opinion."
"No." Liling sat beside me. "She trusts your judgment. And for someone like the Mistress, that is almost impossible to earn."
On the twenty-fourth day, Xiao Yue asked me something else.
"I have a hypothetical question."
We were in the garden. I was watering the plants while she read on a nearby bench. It was the second time we had shared a space without Liling present.
"Go ahead, Mistress."
"If a cultivator were stuck at one level for a prolonged period, what would be the most common causes?"
It's not hypothetical. She's asking about herself.
"Several possibilities. Physical blockages in the meridians. Incorrect technique that became a habit. Inadequate nutrition. Unresolved emotional trauma creating internal resistance."
Xiao Yue didn't look up from her book, but I noticed her fingers tighten slightly around the pages.
"And how would one identify which is the problem?"
"Elimination. You fix the easiest things first. Nutrition, rest, basic habits. If those don't work, you examine the technique. If the technique is correct, you look for deeper blockages."
"I see."
Silence. I continued watering the plants. After a minute, Xiao Yue spoke again.
"And if the technique seems correct but something still feels... wrong?"
I set down the watering can and stepped closer, maintaining a respectful distance.
"Wrong how?"
"As if there were friction. As if the Qi had to force itself through something instead of flowing naturally."
She's describing exactly what I observed in her training.
"That sounds like a mismatch between the technique and the person. Sometimes techniques are designed for a specific type of cultivation or a particular constitution. If someone tries to force a technique that doesn't suit their nature, it creates resistance."
Xiao Yue finally looked at me.
"How is that corrected?"
"The technique is adapted. Or a different technique is found that fits the cultivator's nature better."
"And if that person has no one who can help them with that?"
The question held more pain than she likely intended to show. I chose my words carefully.
"Then that person needs to be observed by someone on the outside. Sometimes, when you are inside the problem, you can't see it clearly. Someone outside can notice things you don't."
"Like a servant who reads too much?"
There was a hint of humor in her voice. Almost imperceptible, but it was there.
"Exactly like that, Mistress."
She closed her book.
"Return to your work, Kenji. And thank you for answering my hypothetical question."
"Anytime, Mistress."
That night, Liling practically attacked me with questions.
"What did you talk about in the garden? I saw you two talking for almost ten minutes."
"Hypothetical questions about cultivation."
"Hypothetical?" Liling looked at me skeptically. "The Mistress doesn't do hypothetical. If she asked, it's because she's thinking about something specific."
"I know."
"And?"
"And I gave her honest answers without making it obvious that I knew they weren't hypothetical."
Liling smiled widely.
"You're craftier than you look, you know?"
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"You should."
On the twenty-eighth day, something changed in my routine. Xiao Yue asked me to stay after serving breakfast.
"Kenji, I want you to observe something."
She led me to her private training courtyard. It was the first time she had directly invited me to watch her train.
"I am going to perform a sequence. I want you to tell me if you notice anything... wrong."
Here it is. The real test.
"Are you sure, Mistress? I have no formal training."
"You see things others do not. That is more valuable than formal training."
She positioned herself in the center of the yard. She took a deep breath, and then she began.
The sequence was beautiful. Fluid, precise, powerful. But it was there. The problem I had seen before. In the transition from the low stance to the high strike, her Qi flickered. It was a minimal waste, but constant.
When she finished, she looked at me expectantly.
"Well?"
I chose my words with extreme care.
"Your form is impeccable, Mistress. Every movement is technically perfect."
"But."
"But there is a moment, in the transition from low to high, where the energy disperses slightly. It's almost imperceptible, but it's there."
Xiao Yue didn't take offense. Instead, she seemed... relieved.
"You saw it?"
"Yes."
"I have been trying to identify that problem for months. I knew something wasn't right, but I couldn't point out exactly what."
She stepped closer, her expression more open than I had ever seen it.
"Do you have any idea why it happens?"
"A theory. But it's just a theory, and I could be completely wrong."
"Tell me anyway."
"The transition requires your Qi to change direction abruptly. Low to high, at an angle of almost ninety degrees. But Qi, like any flow of energy, prefers curved movements. Forcing it into sharp angles creates turbulence."
Xiao Yue blinked.
"Turbulence?"
"It's... a term I read. It means an interruption in the flow."
"I understand the concept." She looked at her hand, pensive. "So, the solution would be to soften the transition?"
"Perhaps. Make the change more gradual. Or synchronize the physical movement with the internal flow differently."
"Can you show me?"
I froze.
"Mistress, I don't know how to cultivate. I have no Qi I can demonstrate."
"Then show me the physical movement. Without energy."
It was a reasonable request, but I felt completely out of my depth. Even so, I tried to replicate what I had seen, moving my body through the sequence but adding a smooth curve in the transition instead of the sharp angle she used.
Xiao Yue watched intently. Then she repeated the form, incorporating the change.
This time, when she reached the transition, there was no flicker. The flow was continuous.
She stopped, looking at her hands with genuine awe.
"It worked."
"It did?"
"Yes." She looked at me, and for the first time, I saw something that could have been real respect in her expression. "Kenji, you just solved a problem I've had for nearly a year."
"I only... observed. You did the real work."
"Don't be modest. It was your observation that made it possible."
She called for Liling, who appeared almost instantly.
"Liling, from today on, I want Kenji to observe my morning training regularly. If he sees other things, I want to know."
Liling looked at me with a mix of pride and satisfaction.
"Yes, Mistress."
When Xiao Yue retired to bathe, Liling practically jumped on me.
"You did it! You solved her transition problem!"
"It was luck."
"It wasn't luck. It was intelligent observation and an understanding of basic principles." Liling hugged me impulsively. "The Mistress is so happy. I haven't seen her like this in years."
Over the next few days, the dynamic changed noticeably. Xiao Yue started asking for my opinion on small things. Which book she should read next. Whether a certain medicinal herb was better in the morning or the afternoon. How to organize her study schedule to maximize retention.
They weren't deep questions about cultivation. They were practical, everyday things. But each question was a sign of growing trust.
On the thirty-second day, during dinner, Xiao Yue made a casual observation that caught me off guard.
"Kenji, you have been here nearly a month. You haven't had a day off."
"I don't need one, Mistress."
"Everyone needs rest. Tomorrow, take the day for yourself. Read, sleep, do whatever you like."
"But your meals..."
"Liling can handle them alone for one day. I insist."
When we left, Liling nudged me in the ribs.
"The Mistress worrying about the well-being of a servant. That's new."
"Doesn't she usually do that?"
"It's not that she's mean, it's just that she simply doesn't pay attention to what anyone else is doing." Liling smiled. "But you're different. To her, you aren't just a servant anymore."
"Then what am I?"
"I don't know exactly. But it's something better."
The day off was strange. I wasn't used to not having specific tasks. I spent most of the time reading, but I also walked through the clan gardens, observing the daily life that usually went unnoticed.
I saw disciples training, servants working, elders talking in low voices. The entire ecosystem of the Silver Cloud Clan functioning in its established routine.
"Kenji?"
I turned around. It was Mei, the woman I had met during my initial interview. She was carrying a basket of clean laundry.
"Hello, Mei."
"Look at you!" She set the basket down and examined me from head to toe. "You look better. Less skeletal."
"Regular meals help."
"I heard you're working for Lady Xiao Yue now. How is that?"
"Challenging. But good."
"Is she as cold as they say?"
I considered the question. The public answer versus the private truth.
"She's... careful. But not cruel."
Mei nodded, as if that confirmed something she already suspected.
"I'm glad you're doing well, weird boy. I knew you had something special about you."
When I returned to the pavilion that night, Liling intercepted me at the door.
"The Mistress asked about you today. Three times."
"Asked what?"
"If you had eaten. If you were resting. If you needed anything." Liling looked at me with that knowing expression. "I think she missed you."
"That's unlikely."
"Kenji, for someone so smart, sometimes you're incredibly dense with emotions."
The thirty-sixth day brought another "hypothetical" consultation. Xiao Yue and I were in the study, she was reading while I organized her books in an order that made more sense.
"If someone had emotional blockages affecting their cultivation, how would they identify them?"
I stopped organizing and turned toward her.
"Does that person know they have emotional blockages?"
"Let's say... they suspect."
"Then the first step would be to identify which specific emotions are causing the problem. The books say each emotion affects different meridians."
"I have read that. But how do you differentiate between normal emotion and emotion that causes a blockage?"
It was a complicated question. And a personal one.
"I think it has to do with intensity and duration. Being sad sometimes is normal. Being trapped in deep sadness for years likely creates problems."
Xiao Yue didn't respond immediately. When she spoke, her voice was softer.
"And if that sadness is justified? If there are real reasons to feel it?"
She's talking about her mother. About her family's abandonment.
"The reasons don't matter to the blockage. Qi doesn't distinguish between justified and unjustified sadness. It only registers the emotion itself."
"So, what? That person should just... let those emotions go? Pretend the things that hurt them don't matter?"
"No. I think that person needs to process them. Acknowledge them, feel them completely, and then allow them to move instead of letting them stay stuck."
Xiao Yue looked directly at me.
"You talk like you know what you're talking about."
"I've read a lot on the subject."
"You aren't talking from books. You're talking from experience."
She was right. I was thinking about my own death, about my previous life. About how I had worked myself to death because I didn't know how to process the void I felt.
"Maybe a little."
"Do you have stuck emotions too, Kenji?"
"Probably. But I don't have Qi to block, so it's less of a problem."
She almost smiled at that.
"A practical perspective. Typical of you."
The fortieth day brought a different conversation. A lighter one.
"Liling says your birthday is coming up," Xiao Yue commented during breakfast.
"Is it?" I looked at Liling, who looked guilty. "I didn't know I had mentioned that."
"It was casual," Liling said quickly. "We were just talking and it came up."
"How old are you turning?" Xiao Yue asked.
"Nineteen, I think. Or eighteen. I'm not sure."
"You aren't sure of your own age?"
"I've had... a complicated life."
Xiao Yue studied my face.
"Clearly." She took a sip of her tea. "Well, if it is your birthday, you should celebrate it."
"It's not necessary, Mistress."
"I didn't say it was necessary. I said you should do it."
On the forty-second day, my supposed birthday, I arrived at the pavilion to find a small surprise. On the study table was a package wrapped in simple cloth.
"Happy birthday," Liling said, practically bouncing with excitement.
"What is this?"
"Open it."
I unwrapped it carefully. Inside was a set of new clothes. It wasn't luxurious, but it was better quality than my usual servant uniform. Dark gray, with discreet embroidery on the cuffs.
"The Mistress ordered them specially for you," Liling explained. "She said if you're going to be observing her training regularly, you should dress better."
"This is... thank you."
"Don't thank me. Thank her."
I found Xiao Yue in the garden, reading under her favorite tree.
"Mistress, thank you for the clothes."
She looked up.
"It is practical; if you are going to be visible in my private areas, your appearance reflects on me."
"Even so, thank you."
"Wear them well." She went back to her book but added, "And happy birthday, Kenji. Even if you aren't sure if it's actually today."
That night, while I was changing into my new clothes, Liling appeared at my bedroom door with a mischievous smile.
"Do you like them?"
"They're good. Comfortable."
"The Mistress spent two hours picking the right fabric. She wanted something that looked professional but not ostentatious."
"She... spent two hours?"
"Yes." Liling leaned against the doorframe. "Kenji, do you realize what's happening here?"
"That I'm lucky to have a generous employer?"
"No, silly. The Mistress values you."
"It's because I'm useful."
"No." Liling walked in and sat on the edge of my bed. "It's because you're you. The way you talk, the way you think, the way you care without making a show of it. She hasn't had that in her life since her mother died."
I didn't know what to say to that. Liling looked at me with those big, warm eyes.
"Just... now that you have her trust... don't hurt her, okay? She's been hurt enough."
"I have no intention of hurting her."
"I know. That's why I'm happy you're here."
When Liling left, I sat in my new room, wearing my new clothes, thinking about how I had gone from a dead CEO to a valued servant in a world I barely understood.