Chapter 164 - Respect Is Earned, Not Imposed

They stayed in the room, waiting for the two to wake up. Thanks to Tyriece making the flooring into solid rock and for Lofey drying the place, the room was spick-and-span in no time.

Xinyi was sullen, sitting beside the sleeping Nianshi. Apprehensions flooded her mind. The Hutyuns went into hibernation while she had no inkling when Nianshi and Meirga would wake up. Aside from the Godingan heroes, Lengshui was the only one left for her in times of need. 

She thought of doing the naming ritual with the other two spirit guardians in her artifacts so they could help her like Lengshui, but Alva told her she could only do the ritual inside her domain. 

Suddenly she realized something. It came like a slap on her face, making her ashamed of herself. Ashamed for sending Nianshi, Meirga, and the Hutyuns into this predicament and for hurriedly thinking of naming the two spirit guardians so that someone could aid her, as if she were in a hurry to replace them. Her shoulders slumped.

Without understanding Xinyi's heaviness, Tyriece didn't miss asking where she went when they got separated in that snowy land, but he asked out of genuine concern for her well-being. Meirga only gave them a vague explanation earlier, expecting Xinyi to explain later. He also asked the exact nature of the additional person in their team, Lengshui. 

Tired, Xinyi only glanced at him for a second and looked at the sleeping Nianshi. Facing all those unexpected events exhausted her. She had no heart to explain anything. Rest and peace of mind, that was what she wanted now. 

Good thing Lengshui talked about his nature as another spirit guardian of whom she met while they were in the snowy land as a cover story until such time Xinyi would openly divulge everything. 

Lengshui's explanation was kind of vague for Tyriece, but he accepted the explanation without asking for more. He didn't want to make it difficult for Xinyi and Lengshui.

Although, Lofey sensed something was off but left the topic as it was. He had no desire to interfere in Xinyi's matter. As long as she's back safe and sound was fine with him. To have another reliable companion such as Lengshui was good news to him too.

However, Lengshui's constant bickering with the fox-spider left a bitter taste in the fox-spider's tongue. With a smug on its face, the fox-spider went to a corner to avoid Lengshui. Xinyi saw this, but let them be. The spider was also a spirit guardian under her, but she still had to leave a mark on it to make it fully obey her. 

In fact, after marking Alva, she felt a sense of unity with all the spirit guardians in Chiji. She understood how the guardians protect and help each other. No wonder the fox-spider helped them when Nianshi and Meirga were in danger. Mostly, two spirit guardians' lives were at stake. 

However, she sensed something incomprehensible happened after marking Alva but couldn't tell what it was. As if mysterious eyes were watching her from various places, she couldn't tell where. Yet, it was not life threatening, so she dismissed the feeling by thinking those were the spirit guardians watching her from afar and did not bother to ask Alva about it.

To diligently study and build her knowledge and experience were her goals now.

Her eyes went to the two heroes from Goding sitting in the corner, in deep thoughts too. She thought of asking them to teach her their fighting style. She learned martial arts from Yan Ma, but focused on self-defense. The elder was not even a Chiangda. Xinyi needed someone to teach her how to fight using power against power. 

Fighting against the mind-controller Mafan, being trapped in the spider's domain, meeting the headstrong Meirga, fighting against Alva in the library ignited her desire to learn other fighting arts so she would have the confidence to face anything along the way. 

Relying on others to help her when she was in dire circ.u.mstances was no longer an option. She wouldn't deny she was weak and would welcome a helping hand from friends, but she had to learn to stand on her own too.

Thinking about what her predecessors had done in their times, Xinyi believed she had the power and capacity to fight against powerful enemies and face fatal incidents like with Nianshi and Meirga's mishaps. But she also humbly admitted in her heart that she lacked knowledge in most aspects about her powers. This was her major concern and realized it could be her downfall.

A firm determination to learn and improve bloomed in her.

Her heart longed to see Ming too. She recalled how he protected her in the cave and even kept her from facing awkward situations about her being a Sorceress. She fervently hoped to reach the chameleon's lair and see him soon so she would be at ease to focus on learning, but the spirit guardians who could guide her to Ming were Meirga and the fox-spider. With Meirga unconscious, she had to settle with the indifferent spider.

"Spider, what is your name?" She suddenly asked.

The spider only looked at her and regarded her with contempt. Lengshui, in his handsome and charming human form, scowled at the spider. 

How dare you? He spoke in the spider's mind. Xinyi could hear him too. The spider shirked in fear after seeing the other one was his Senior, someone who had been a spirit guardian ahead of her. 

The fox-spider also felt the power of the Chief Guardian from Xinyi after she came back from her domain, but reluctant to accept her with her meager knowledge as a Sorceress. 

"It's fine if you don't want to reveal your name. I really appreciate your guidance. Because of you, Nianshi and Meirga's life were saved," she said, staring at the two unconscious human-dragons. She didn't press the spider further. Respect is earned, not imposed. This was an adage saying she understood well.

"I know I'm not worthy of your respect for now. As the Hutyuns said I'm still learning. I'm ashamed to admit it, but it's the truth. But I can assure you, someday I will be worthy of that respect." 

Her humble admittance slightly shamed the fox-spider with its mockery earlier, but still reluctant to submit. The Godingans also heard her, and honorably admired her courage and humbleness. She had the power, yet she never flaunted or acted proud against an indifferent spirit beast far below her. 

After speaking, Xinyi sat cross-legged at a corner. She let the essence she received from the Kore to revolve in her. Also, she familiarized herself with the power source inside her. There, she saw more images representing the essences. She recognized some, but most were new to her. 

As she took time to analyze each, two types of plant essence among the symbols drew her attention. One was sparkling bluish seed while the other was deep green seed. Her inner self touched the latter, and a seedling sprouted from her inner palm. This was the plant's essence. 

When she touched the bluish one, her palm emitted a soothing warmth she couldn't explain. For sure it was not fire. The flame symbol in her undoubtedly was for fire. So what was this bluish seed for? She let the warmth move in her body and her eyes widened out of a sudden. "Healing essence?"

"Alva?" She called in her mind, but this time only the domain guardian could hear. 

"Xinyi?" Alva replied while she was in the middle of her cooking spree for Xinyi. With an apron around her waists, Alva stood inside Xinyi's room facing a simmering dish inside a stewing pot floating in mid-air with no fire or stove underneath. 

"Do we have a complete book about my healing powers? Wait, all about my powers." Xinyi asked while hearing something boiling in the background.

"Yes. I can send it to you. Where do you want to receive it?" Alva lifted a hand and a spoonful of simmering soup flew toward her waiting opened mouth. "Hmm, delicious," she said, letting Xinyi's mind wonder what she was cooking. 

"In my bag," Xinyi said with mouth watering, thinking of a delectable soup Alva commented as 'delicious'. 

With a snap of a finger, the books went in Xinyi's bag. "Okay. It's there now," Alva said.

It shocked Xinyi. It didn't even take a second, and the books were already in the bag. She took the two. It turned out the one Alva mentioned was the book the first Sorceress wrote. The other book was about healing, but no author's name. The second book went back to her bag and lay the first book on her lap.

She opened the first page and her mouth went dry because the language was foreign to her. However, the S-shaped was there too. With no further thinking, she brought out the S-shaped metal again and placed it on top of it. The words suddenly blurred and as it cleared up, it was now in her language.

She read the first paragraph and learned the first Sorceress name was Devina and dedicated the book to the incoming Sorceress to Chiji. It was said she painstakingly took time to understand her powers and wrote this book so that her future successors would have a guide to use it efficiently.