Black Feather Society

Li Ning 'regained' her consciousness when Xiao Yi started undressing her to change her clothes. She was not comfortable with someone changing her dress yet. Even if, from her memories, Xiao Yi had done it for her multiple times.

"Help me dry my hair."

But she was okay with someone helping her drying her hair. In fact, she enjoyed the treatment. Basking in the sunrays that entered through the window while someone was rubbing her head and hair with a soft towel. She was just starting to doze of when she heard someone enter.

"Is Li Ning okay?"

It was Madam Li.

Now… Li Ning was troubles thinking about how she should act. Should she continue with her fool persona. Or should she act normal. If it was later, she could say that falling into the water cured her illness. But… thinking about the advantages of being a fool, she decided against it.

"…"

Li Ning just stared at the madam for a few seconds. Her eyes opened wide, pouting her lips a bit before she turned away and started to play with the tips of not yet fully dried hair.

Xiao Yi had been with her lady with more than just a few years. Every movement of hers she could recognise them. She noticed the changes in her miss ever since she woke up. From her speech to the why she walked, the way she sat… There were familiarity and yet also something new.

Like now, her miss was behaving normal. Not hiding anything from her. But as soon as Madam Li entered, her whole demeanor changed. It was as if she had turned back to being a fool once again. She then remembered the Taoist words.

"The Young Lady would be a powerful figure when her souls reunite. Her path is filled with colorful petals and also thorns."

Then he told her to take her to Qing Shan and offer prayers to the Nuwa, fifteen of every month. He predicted one day she would reunite with the missing part of her soul.

'Looks like Miss has reunited with herself.'

"Young Miss is doing okay, Madam." Xiao Yi replied to Madam Li after giving her a bow.

"That good. That good. Then did you know how Li Ning fell into the lake?"

"No. Madam. I only found young miss struggling in the water when I went looking for her." Xiao Yi honestly did not know how Li Ning fell into the water.

But Madam Li had an idea of how it could have happened. After Xiao Yi took the fool away, she bought her reckless daughter into a corner to question her on what happened. According to the girl, she and the rest of the girls wanted to scare Li Ning a little by leaving her in the woods on her own after pretending to play hide and seek with her.

But on her way back, Li Yan Yan found the embroiled figurine that Li Ning always carried with her on the ground. Without thinking much, she just threw the figurine into the lake. Li Ning must have fallen into the lake trying to get that figurine.

She was thankful that no one had seen her daughter throw that into the lake.

"Do you have anything to say? Should I send some charcoal for Li Ning to warm up?"

"No!!" Li Ning suddenly stood up. "Li Ning want no charcoal!! Li Ning want… Li Ning want… Peaches… Li Ning want peaches."

"Young miss… please sit down. Let Xiao Yi dry your hair."

"But… Peaches…." Li Ning pouted and stomped her feet a little.

"Young miss can get as much peaches as she likes when we reach the Li mansion. Now we are in the temple. Will young miss wait for a while? We will go back as soon as your hair dries up."

"Okay wait. Li Ning wait." Xiao Yi calm words had easily consoled the little fool Li Ning. The young lady then took the towel and passed it to her maid before sitting back on her seat.

"Yi Yi. Dry Li Ning's hair. Fast. Go back and eat peaches. Fast"

Xiao Yi chuckled as she began to dry the hair once again.

"Yes… Xiao Yi will dry young miss's hair faster so that we can go back and eat peaches sooner."

Seeing that there seemed to be no problem and that the maid seemed to not suspect her daughter, Madam Li left. She had to scold all those young ladies first before warning them to keep their mouth shut.

As soon as the woman got out of the room, Li Ning turned back to herself. Xiao Yi paused for a second.

"Young miss."

Li Ning turned back and looked at her companion who had been with her since she could remember. If she was told to select only one person whom she believed…no… whom she knew was fully loyal to her, that person would be Xiao Yi. The girl who was five years older than her had been her companion, protector, a motherly figure, a sister, and many more.

Li Ning before she came here wondered if she could ever get close to someone. After all in her other lives, she lived like a plague. People hated her. And she did not like the company of others after having though many betrayal by her so called friends.

But after seeing Xiao Yi, she knew that she could after all get close to another person. Maybe... the missing part of her soul had healed her broken self and rejuvenated her hope of living a happy life once again.

She trusted Xiao Yi.

She was indeed the closest person to Li Ning. And hence, the reason for her to not fear of revealing anything to her. Well… Anything… But not everything.

The maid could see it. The clarity in Li Ning's eyes. They were not the bright orbs filled with innocence. But deep and understanding. Her miss had indeed cleared her mind.

"My lady... you…"

"Thank you for taking care of me for all these years… Xiao Yi."

Those words form Li Ning was the prove. Xiao Yi instantly kneeled down and bowed.

"Young Miss... I'm sure the Old Master Li too will be overjoyed."

"No. It is not the time yet." Li Ning rejected the idea of making others know of her condition. "There are a lot of things I have to do. If we want to live a good life in the future, we have to get out of the Li Family."

Xiao Yi immediately knew what her master was talking about. There were tensions in the Li family regarding the right to the Li Merchant Guild. Although, her miss was just an adopted grand daughter of the old master Li, his sons had suspicion that she was his illegitimate child. Even if they did not fear of her snatching the properties of the Li family, the ladies of the Li family feared that the old man would leave her a good amount of dowry.

Although old master Li's support was the strongest one could ever get in the Li family, she feared that her grandfather could not last long.

The madams had already tried to send her off though marriage. It was only because of her mental condition that the old master was reluctant to marry her off. If by chance, they came to know that she was all better now, they would at first fear for her retaliation. Then would match her up with people as soon as possible.

Li Ning had just entered this world. And how old was she now? 17… Too young for her modern mindset. Now, she aimed to be a rich woman. Something she could not be in her past lives. She was not in a hurry to get married.

And Xiao Yi knew of this too… She knew better than anyone that her miss was not a complete like everyone thought. Although her miss lacked some intelligence and could not easily understand things that other find easy, she was able to perceive human intentions and had kind heart. She was just a bit timid to retaliate.

And as a defense mechanism, she sometimes acted crazy when she could not handle certain situations, earning herself the name 'Crazy Fool of the Li Family.' Every time she was forced to act as such, she would come back and pout in despair.

"Why do everyone leave me alone only when I act crazy?" She would complain to Xiao Yi.

Now looking at the calmness she had never seen before in young miss's eyes, Xiao Yi could not help but feel a certain excitement. She felt like she could though down a bull in a fight. 

"How can I assist you, my lady?"