The Rise Of Xueyue Chapter 12
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The days leisurely went by and soon, a week had passed.
Duchess Wang Qixing had requested an Imperial Decree that would make Xueyue her legal daughter. Because Duchess Wang Qixing had deep connections to the Imperial Palace, the decree came within three days and soon, Bai Xueyue inherited the Li family name.
She was officially Li Xueyue.
Duke Li Shenyang made sure the entire ordeal was kept private. None of the nosy scholars or backstabbing ministers heard a single whisper of what happened.
Each servant stayed loyal to their Master because the majority of them were hand-picked by the Duke and Duchess, whereas the remainder were people that were offered a second chance at life. Many of the servants used to be orphans from the streets, the unwanted people of society, and the Lis gave them a place to stay.
Because the servants were always well-treated, always had a warm room to sleep in, were generously fed, clothed, and had a good wage, their loyalty was firm. None of them spoke about what happened in the past seven days, and none would dare to.
However, Duke Li and Duchess Wang's greatest concern wasn't the court's reaction, but how their eldest sons Li Wenmin and Li Chenyang would react. They were eighteen, and it would be hard to force a new sibling onto them.
If they disliked someone, it would be extremely hard to overturn their decision. Xueyue didn't want to suddenly barge into their life and demand a spot as their sister. Instead, she wanted to slowly get to know them.
When Duchess Wang Qixing offered Xueyue a chance for a proper introduction, she had politely declined.
"That's alright." She had said, "I'd like to meet them naturally."
"Are you sure?" Duchess Wang Qixing worriedly asked.
Xueyue replied, "Yes, of course."
But two days had passed and Xueyue hadn't seen any of them. She knew they were always somewhere in the expansive manor. After asking a few hesitant servants, she finally discovered the twin's favorite spot was the training grounds behind the Li Manor.
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The training grounds were an enormous open field behind the Li Manor. It had luscious green grass that seemed to stretch for miles on.
The Li twins were often found in that area practicing their swords or horseback riding. Although none of the boys were that good with archery, there were still a few target posts present in the field.
Stepping onto the open field, Xueyue was in the process of tying her long hair into a ponytail. The corner of her rosy lips tilted up when the spring breeze whirled past her, and played with her hair. In a fitted training robe, she walked into the field with a bow and quiver in her hands.
"It's been a while, old friend." she murmured to her bow.
Archery was a sport she exceptionally excelled in. She didn't know where and how she picked up on it, but eventually, it was the only thing she found happiness within.
The glee was short-lived when Viscountess Mu Yihua forbade Xueyue from attending her lessons.
Viscountess Mu Yihua had feared the sport would make her too masculine to appeal to a suitor. Eager to please her mother in any way she could, she dropped the sport along with martial arts, sword fighting, and horseback riding.
At first, Xueyue was reluctant to practice other hobbies. Her mother had convinced Leiyu to convince Xueyue to pick up on things that were unsuitable for her.
The naive little Xueyue believed in him more than anyone in the world. Thus, she forced her strong fingers to practice the zither until her fingers bleed.
Her strengthened body was starved in order to be molded into a "perfect aristocratic daughter" who excelled in flower dances. Her fingers were constantly pricked by the embroidery that her hands were always covered with bandages.
Xueyue tried to push the unhappy thoughts away. The more she thought about them, the more her heart burned with vows of vengeance. "Soon… I'll have my revenge," she quietly said.
Bending down, she plucked a chunk of grass. Rubbing her hands into it, she made sure her hands were dry. Letting the grass fall, Xueyue was able to analyze where the wind was blowing.
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In order for one to master the bow, one had to master the wind first.
Since the wind blew west, she aligned her body for a suitable position. "Deep breaths..." she muttered to herself when she loaded the first arrow.
From a distance, there were two boys intently watching Xueyue. They sat under a willow tree whose long branches were shades from the bright sun.
As per Duke Li Shenyang's strict instructions, the boys had been training since the early morning. Their lessons had gone deep into the afternoon, and their instructors just left a few minutes ago.
"Chenyang, what do you think about the odds of her getting a bullseye?" Li Wenmin leaned against the tree bark and tilted his head towards his younger brother.
Li Chenyang, the quieter and colder brother, stared at the girl. His dark eyes twirled with disapproval. "Thin frame, tiny arms, shaky posture, I doubt it," he quietly answered.
Li Wenmin nodded his head in agreement, but felt a slight hint of doubt. She was, indeed, very frail, but her posture seemed flawless. It was as if she had practiced this form many times before.
"Mother decided to adopt her as our little sister."
Li Chenyang felt his mood dampen. His eyes tore the girl apart and took in every detail about her.
Long hair that was held up in a high ponytail, skin as translucent and pale as the rare white jade, hazel eyes fiercer than any girl he has seen, yet soft and delicate features of a porcelain doll, he understood why his mother took a liking to the girl.
She was breathtakingly beautiful at a young age, and with no doubt, her beauty would blossom as she aged. Duchess Wang Qixing gained not only a daughter, but a suitable girl to marry off in case the Li Family needed more wealth.
"The first night she came into our manor, I snuck into her room to catch a glimpse of her. With her eyes closed, she slightly resembled our Minghua. But now that she's awake and her eyes are open, I don't see the similarity anymore..." Li Wenmin's voice trailed off, and he stopped talking when he saw the dark, gloomy look on Chenyang's face.
Li Chenyang quietly snarled, "Don't talk about her." Speaking Li Minghua's name was like a taboo. His parents might've seen the innocent angel within her, but he knew the truth. Li Minghua was no angel.
Li Chenyang's eyes never left Xueyue. She was readjusting the tightness of the strings. The more he watched her, the more he felt agitated. "She doesn't belong here—"
Xueyue had released the arrow. It released a light 'ping' and flew into the air.
Li Wenmin held his breath.
THUD!
Li Wenmin could not believe his eyes. The arrow landed perfectly in the center of the farthest target. "No way..." he breathed out in shock.
"That was a lucky shot," Chenyang grumbled.
Xueyue loaded her second arrow. Now that she had her bowstring perfectly adjusted and the wind had slowed down, she would begin her performance.
Closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath, Xueyue released her second arrow.
THUD!
Chenyang felt his throat tighten.
The second arrow had not only struck the center, but it had split the first arrow in half.
"Another lucky shot—" Chenyang's voice died out when Xueyue released her third arrow. This time, it went through the second arrow.
And then she loaded her fourth arrow, until all five arrows were used up.
Li Wenmin and Li Chenyang could not believe their eyes. Every arrow had split the one before it and she was aiming for the farthest target.
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Disclaimer: I'm not continuing this story. Check out Azarinth Healer, it's a more current story where I worked on a lot of things I found wrong with this one. Main character is somewhat similar as well so if you like Eleonora, you'll probably like Ilea. I still invested a ton of time writing this so check it out if you feel like it. There's gonna be 20 Chapters 39k words total. Hey everyone. This is a story I've started writing like a year ago and thought why not post it now. This story is about fighting and magic in a pretty standard fantasy world. The story follows Eleonora through her daily life in Duneswatch and on her way to become an adventurer. No secrets here, it's pretty generic. Should be decently paced so just give it a shot if you want to. I'm not gonna sell it to you in this quick summary. The range of writing on RR is so wide we both know you just have to give it a chapter...or a paragraph depending on how unique the grammar is. Please do criticize harshly. I'm definitely no writer but everybody can improve with pointers in the right direction. Don't expect regular updates.
8 154A Fool's Journey, or the Vagrancies of a Man in Exotic Lands
What does a sad bastard do when fate, literally, decides to throw him into a fantasy world? Solon just wanted to lead a normal life; work, share some pizza with friends, work, play some videogames or read something, work, maybe sleep?, work... Pretty much the usual, rinse and repeat. It was far from perfect, but life was nicely boring and comfy enough. Truth be told, he had hoped it would go on forever, or until he got married, or until the apocalypse finally decided to bring an end to everything. As far as he could tell, though, the former was about as likely as the latter; not very. And perhaps even somewhat related, if it ever came to it. Unfortunately, he saw himself involved in some sort of cosmic fart that screwed him over, brutally severing his life-plan. Or, maybe, would it be more suitable to say that Fate had other plans? Sure, he's yet to find out exactly what those plans might be, but, at the very least, they do seem to involve him being shoved into another world, fighting off a couple of horrendous creepers, and -almost- an accidental liaison with a baboon. Needless to say, the job doesn't come with dental care, and death seems more likely than retirement... Yep, when he got yoinked out of Earth, there were no princesses waiting for him, no sexy goddesses, and no severe Gandalf-wannabes! Heck, not even a bunch of demonic cultists! All he got for the trouble was a bunch of snarky windows and the honest desire to punch whatever bastard happens to be behind the smug System. Well, that, and a few forced trips to the so-called Tower of Ascension. Not exactly what he would have expected but, on the plus side, he does get to do some magic. Though, not quite the wand-waving kind. Whatever. One thing’s patently clear, though, he’s certainly not the chosen one, nor the summoned hero, nor the Savior. If anything, he himself might be in need of some saving... Just what kind of fool does the System take him for? Please do consider the tags. Also, 'Strong Lead' here means weak to strong, over a decent amount of time, not op from the very beginning. Things to expect: decent grammar, cheeky goats. Things not to expect: Harems, a decent sense of fashion.
8 197Angel and Wolf
A man given power after being zapped by a power crystal, making him an Enhanced Individual of Power. A housekeeper with a secret. A world on the brink of chaos.
8 146Rise of the Dark Council (Star Wars x Male Sith Reader)
A sequel to my fanfiction Lure of the Dark Side (Star Wars x Male Inquisitor Reader). After the battle on Malachor, Y/N returns to Korriban to begin constructing his new Dark Council. I do not own Star Wars. All characters, rights and themes belong to Lucasfilm and Walt Disney Studios. Also all images belong to there respectful owners.
8 84Eternity's Wake
John lives a moderately succcessful life of many regrets as a middle manager in the guild of sorrows in the VRMMO Eternity's Wake before an untimely betrayal. After tragic consequences, he miraculously reincarnates 15 years in the past. He resolves to do things differently this time and ease the regrets that trouble his heart. Will his knowledge and extra experience be enough, or will his talent not be sufficient to reach the very top of Eternity's Wake? Can he create his own guild successfully or will powerful forces beyond his control prove too much?
8 60A crumbling autumn leaf
DROPED That systems comes out of nowhere, he's fine with that, it will be hard, but he can bring everyone... What do you mean we don't get to go to the tutorial? Well fuck. How did everyone else die anyway? They just needed to stay silent and not touch webs! Magic isn't even that hard, they could have survived this if they had just listened! Now his family is gone and Aki has nothing but time and the system notifications to figure out what actually happened to the rest of the world, perhaps even finding another reason to live after he finishes destroying the dungeon he spawned at from inside out. ***** This novel bases heavily on novels like Defiance of the fall, The new world and The Legend of Randidly Ghosthound. I would like to think that's it though, so please point out any sort of copying. As someone has pointed out though, i warn now that the main character is bisexual, so please, don't waste your time if that bothers you.
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