Chapter 2: From Prodigy to Waitress
With her extravagant core disciple robes traded for a plain white one, Xiao fixed her hair into a bun so it wouldn't interfere with her temporary job as a waitress. One that would support her until the other sects opened up for recruitment.
Thanks to Lin, she was able to secure a job at a restaurant that the An family owned after getting kicked out for what the elders had considered to be a 'scandalous'' affair.
Add to the fact that Liu brought to light her hidden stash of dual cultivation scrolls. For a prestigious sect like the tranquil waterfall that values purity alongside skill, dual cultivation was the height of immorality. Thus, they showed no mercy towards Xiao's judgment.
Naturally, Lin being removed from the sect was a thought that the sect master along with the elders didn't even entertain. Lovestruck as she is, Lin wanted to leave the sect as well and follow Xiao.
Xiao believes that getting kicked out will not be the end for them so she convinced Lin to stay for Lin would blossom more with provisions provided by the sect and her family. Not only would she get estranged if she followed Xiao, the young mistress would also get dragged into sudden poverty.
As an orphan, Xiao had started with nothing in life so her prestige being stripped from wasn't nearly as devastating. There is comfort in the thought that her knowledge along with her strength is something that would never be taken from her. In a sense her only regrets are being separated from Lin and the fact that she wouldn't have easy access to the alchemy ingredients she needed to practice her alchemy.
She closed the door to her shabby apartment as she headed out for work.
Xiao blended into the busy streets of Jiang Shan, walking amongst the crowd. Her thoughts drift, perhaps there might be one other lingering regret after all.
She should've broken Liu's arm when she had the chance.
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Inside the corridor of the tranquil waterfall sect, An Lin and Shen Liu are about to cross each other's path.
"Rug muncher." Liu sneered, making sure that Lin heard her right before they passed each other.
Lin's response was a gaze cold as ice, containing nothing but apathy. Interacting with the red haired bitch was a waste of breath.
Anger flared up within Liu as the blue haired woman passed by her without a word, how dare that deviant of a woman ignore her!
Lin turned around to grab her shoulder, "Hey, I'm talking to you!"
As soon as her hand laid on Lin's robes, electricity crackled. *bzzzt* The blue haired woman's qi electrocuted Liu, tempted to raise the voltage enough to kill the bitch that exposed their affair, Lin settled for paralyzation.
The unmoving Liu was a ripe target as the electricity that coursed through her locked her in place.
Lin's fist that swirled with electric currents barreled into Liu's abdomen. The red haired bitch temporarily blacked out from the magnitude of the current causing her to wobble backwards before she fell to the floor, pitifully clutching her stomach as she vomited blood.
"I am not like Xiao, I have no patience for someone like you. I am already in the Grand Master realm, your pathetic obsession over Xiao had left you stuck in Dao Challenger. Add to the fact that my family could also easily crush yours. If this warning of mine isn't enough then by all means continue being stupid, I would love nothing more than to put you in your place every day."
Despite her stomach reeling in agony, Liu's pride won't allow the blue haired woman to have the last laugh. Wiping the blood off her lips, she gave her vitriolic retort.
"You should have followed that whore Xiao when she left, laying with your fellow woman, how sickening!"
"Sickening? Ahahaha! What we had was something pure, something that you would never understand because no man or woman would ever want to be with you, you are nothing but rotten underneath."
As soon as Lin was done laughing at her face, Lin turned her back against Liu, leaving her with one last remark, "You know, Xiao said you are but a misguided soul. You could've been genuine friends with Xiao, something that no amount of spirit stones could buy. Now, you lost the only person who showed genuine interest in you."
With that, Lin left as the red haired woman was still clutching her stomach.
Liu stands up. Clicking her tongue in annoyance.
"Ridiculous. Who would want to be friends with a filthy commoner like Xiao?"
+++
"You want to be more than friends with Xiao? She's only been here for a week!"
Wu Zhang, a fair looking boy with green hair who happens to be Xiao's coworker. He is currently idling at the kitchen table next to her sister, Wu Mei.
"I know, but she's just so gallant and dreamy! Add to the fact that she's certainly not a pompous bitch like most cultivators." Mei swooned, the petite woman with green wavy hair wore purple robes.
"That's just infatuation mei mei, Besides, we're not even sure if she's someone like you who prefers women."
"Who prefers women?"
Without warning, Xiao appeared behind them, her hands resting behind her back.
Mei waved her hand in panic mode, stuttering all the while, "I…ugh…you…it's Zhang! He prefers women!"
A patron had entered the premises, calling for the attention of one of them. In order to avoid the topic and calm her beating heart, Mei was about to get to the customer until her brother had raced to the door.
"Sorry, sis. Why don't you entertain Xiao for a bit, hmm?" Zhang gave her sister a smug grin before crossing the door.
"Zhang, you asshole!"
"Am I a bother to you, mei mei?" Xiao calmly asked as she took the seat that Zhang had just vacated.
"No! Oh god, never." Mei returned back to her seat right next to Xiao. "Have you adjusted to the life of a waitress yet? Must be pretty boring compared to being a cultivator."
"I have, all thanks to your guidance. It's not boring at all, there's never a dull moment with you, especially in the beginning when you kept drilling into my head over and over never to break a single plate."
"I just didn't want you to break them, okay! They cost a lot and would get deducted from your spirit stones. Do you know how many plates I broke on my first day? 20! I had to work for free for an entire month just to pay it off."
Xiao giggled at the boisterous mei mei, she is definitely going to miss her once she resumes her life as a cultivator.
Xiao cups her hand towards mei, "Well, this one thanks master mei mei for her sagely advice regarding the plates."
"What sagely advice? All I had to do was to show you how to carry plates and take orders from customers. Besides, you were amazing, I mean how are you able to carry six plates at once!?"
"With proper training, I'm sure even you could do that as well." Xiao said.
"Me? With six plates? Hahaha! I'm sure those plates would come crashing into the floor before I even take a single step."
"Come now, mei mei. You might be short, but that doesn't mean you should sell yourself short."
Mei mei gasped before lightly punching Xiao by the shoulder. Mei hates it when somebody makes fun of her height, but somehow it doesn't bother her at all when Xiao does it.
As their banter continued for a little while, the realization that Xiao is not a permanent in the restaurant dawned on Mei.
Xiao is a cultivator, she lives in a world far removed from Mei's. Somewhere Mei could never go. If she wouldn't take advantage of the opportunity now then when?
Mei takes a nervous gulp as she gathers all of her courage.
"Xiao, do you by any chance prefer…"
"We've got customers!" The voice of the owner boomed, calling for one of them to assist the hooded figures that just entered.
Her confession cut short, Mei mei heaved an annoyed sigh. "I'll handle it."
With Mei mei gone, Xiao was left to ruminate alone. She had an inkling what Mei was going to ask. To be frank, Xiao found Mei mei attractive and cute, but she's not sure if it would be a wise move to bring an ordinary person like Mei mei into her world filled with strife and the constant desire to become strong.
Then, Xiao heard a loud scream coming from inside the restaurant.
It was Mei Mei's.
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Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone