The first page wasn't anything dramatic.
Just… gardening notes.
Explanations about which flowers and herbs could be found in his garden, how to tend to them and what their uses were.
Every line was delicate, written with an elegant and steady hand — likely a woman's, though that was just a guess.
And Riven assumed not Mira's notes.
They were far too detailed for her knowledge.
He turned the pages.
Eventually he stopped.
Velvet-needle Flower.
Pale lilac petals. Blossoms only under moonlight.
Petals emit a mild nerve-dulling aroma when bruised.
Steeping petals in low heat water yields a numbing infusion.
High doses impair motor function.
Riven cross-checked with the flower he'd found in Mira's drawer.
This is the one.
He was sure of it. That was what she had used to drug him.
So that's where she got the information from...
Unlike Riven — who didn't give a single damn about his residence's unusual flower garden — she'd scoured it.
Of course she did.
She was a servant.
Cleaning the place. Maintaining it.
Those were part of her duties.
She must have chanced upon this booklet during her rounds. It was probably left on a shelf. Or tucked into a drawer. Most likely by whoever the previous disciple was.
And once she had it?
Of course she read it.
Of course she studied it.
What else could she do?
No cultivation method.
No training.
No guidance.
But suddenly, in this neglected residence — she found knowledge.
Not about swordsmanship.
Not about cultivation or martial paths.
But about plants.
Poison.
Control.
Things she could actually use.
Riven's fingers rested lightly on the edge of the next page.
Some other disciple had lived here. Written this. Planted the garden. Left their strange, flowery legacy behind.
They probably hadn't thought twice about it.
And years later —
A bitter girl, desperate for control, had used that legacy to try to kill him.
Riven exhaled slowly through his nose.
Then turned the page again.
And then — something changed.
The parchment beneath his fingers felt older. Thinner.
The ink was still elegant, but the script was different — slightly sharper in its curves, more formal in structure.
He looked closer.
These pages weren't from the same author.
They weren't even part of the same booklet.
They'd been carefully pasted in.
Bound into the back half, as if someone had tried to hide them in plain sight.
And on the next page, at the top, in dark ink:
[Velvet Thorn Acupuncture]
"Soft as velvet, sharp as remorse; the maiden's hand comforts and kills alike."
Riven blinked.
This wasn't about flowers anymore.
He read on.
The next few sentences were about the origin of the technique.
Apparently some expert ironically called Gentle Maiden had both saved and killed hundreds of people with her acupuncture techniques and then, after the end of a great war, established a sect.
This technique was from that sect.
He wondered how it had ended up here, but curious about its contents he continued flicking through the pages.
Velvet Thorn Acupunture apparently was a kind of martial skill.
As far as he could tell it was about using qi infused needles as a weapon.
There were four stages to that.
1. Velvet Touch
The ability to produce the "velvet sheath" that hides the sting and sheen of the needles.
Measured by how invisibly and painlessly you can insert needles, even through armor or defensive qi.
Mastering this would allow you to unnoticedly insert needles into the enemy and then detonate the qi at an opportune moment.
2. Blooming Accuracy
The ability to sense another person's internal structure and insert needles without error.
Measured by being able to hit micro-meridians, nerve clusters, or blind acupoints in motion.
3. Maiden's Requiem
The ability to control multiple qi infused needles simultaneously. Measured by their ability to act in harmony and even form multi-needle formations.
And lastly.
4. Gentle Maiden
A tier named after the techniques creator. This was apparently the ability to enhance the needles effects with emotional resonance? The book said it oculd be measured by how well the user mantains a "gentle" emotional facade that fools even spiritual senses.
I'm just glad I don't have to shout these names if I use the skills.
Riven shook his head.
The booklet didn't mention the techniques rank but just judging from the descriptions Riven assumed that it couldn't be low.
The only issue he had were the names.
I can never let Lumi know about this.
But even then Riven wanted to practice this.
For the simple reason, that using these needles could serve as a weapon without blocking his only hand.
He figured it was at least worth trying.
Riven exhaled.
He gently closed the booklet, wrapped it back in the cloth it came in, and slid it into the inner pocket of his robe. He'd look at it in more detail later.
But for now… he still hadn't found anything of Mira's worth burying.
No letters. No trinkets. No picture of her brother.
Nothing to say who she was.
Eventually, he spotted something small on the desk — a single, plain bronze hairpin. Worn down at the edges, one of the tiny prongs slightly bent. Not beautiful. But clearly used.
That would have to do.
He left the room, walked back through the garden, and returned to the shallow grave.
The dirt was still unsettled. Waiting.
He set the hairpin gently into the earth, and began to cover it all again.
No words. No rituals.
Just silence.
And when it was done… he felt even more empty than before.
There was no meaning in it. No sense of closure.
He went to bed shortly after.
Sleep came easily. Not because he was at peace — but because he was too tired to fight the weight pressing down on his thoughts.
>>>
The next morning, the sun was already rising by the time Riven stirred.
No dreams.
Just pale light warming the room and a faint ache in his chest that didn't seem to belong to his body.
He got up, dressed in silence, and headed down the path toward the Resource Hall.
He hadn't collected his rewards yet. It was time to see what he earned.
He adjusted his robe, pushed open the courtyard gate—
Made his way towards the Resource Hall—
Opened the heavy doors—
And immediately regretted it.
Because waiting right at the counter, arms crossed, eyes gleaming.
Was Lumi.
Grinning.
"Oh?" she called up cheerfully. "Is our core disciple gracing us with his presence?"
Riven sighed.
He forgot about this human-shaped monster.