Path of the Lilies: Early Beginnings

On the days Ye Jiao spent on the ship, no one bothered her in her resting room. Every child seemed to come into an unspoken agreement that they would never bother her. She could use the training room as she wished and no one would come to her or to speak to her. Even during meals, they would stay as far away as possible.     

She felt as if they were wary of her, but she couldn't bring herself to care about their attitude. The warning that her senior brother gave her was still fresh in her mind and the low survival rate made her also a bit tense.     

This ship alone only contained around 50 to 60 children.     

From that, she could guess that the number of children that could survive was probably only one or two children. The rest would die on the island due to the harsh training that they have.     

"Get to the deck!"     

Ye Jiao's body jolted when she heard the sudden voice rang in her ear. She sprinted from her room and locked it before returning the key to its position. Her legs brought her to the deck as fast as possible along with the other children.     

Her eyes were locked straight to the island in front of her. It was a beautiful large island that was filled with trees. The surrounding fog made it look mysterious, but overall, it was enchanting.     

She really wanted to go there right now.     

As the ship cut the sea open, they came closer to the dock. The ship moved sideways, following the movements of the waves. While the children were doing everything they could to stay straight, Ye Jiao stayed calm and firm in her place.     

Thanks to her personal training, she didn't have any problem standing firmly even when there was a large wave. It would be a different case when she had to fight, but at least, she didn't have to cling to every item around her.     

As the ship stopped by the dock, the men took out a plank to let the children out of the ship. Several men were already waiting by the place.     

"How many children?"     

"57 children, 38 boys and 19 girls," one of the men replied.     

"Kids, follow after me."     

The children followed after the men while they looked around with curiosity. The place was filled with trees and other plants, giving the impression that nature was all they could see.     

Ye Jiao followed attentively. Despite the fact that the place was covered in nature completely, she could sense the tense atmosphere. There was also a faint smell of blood that lingered in the air, telling her the danger hidden in the seemingly ordinary place.     

Before long, they entered a wide area where they could see other numerous children. The children looked exhausted and many of them were wounded, yet they kept their expression firm and tended to their wounds. Some of the children also bawled but no one paid any attention to those children.     

Ye Jiao's pupil contracted at the gory sight of the children before her. She could guess that the smell of blood must be coming from them, but what kind of practice they had to go through?     

"Girls head to the right and boys to the left," a man said to the newly arrived children.     

The children dispersed according to the instructions. They came across a large building, which seemed so weak that it could crash down at any given time. The girls stayed quiet as they walked inside. Most of them were orphans, so they didn't have much qualm with getting a rundown place to stay at all.     

A man was already inside, holding a piece of paper. He glanced at the children before pointing to one of the corridors. The girls looked at one another before they decided to just follow the instructions.     

'It smells really bad.'     

Ye Jiao really wondered whether they cleaned up the place or not. She noticed that a paper was glued to a door frame, telling them who should be inside the room. The names of four children were written there.     

Since she couldn't find her name on the first door, Ye Jiao continued to walk. She looked at the second door before walking again. She found her name on the fourth door, so she directly walked inside after knocking on the door. Inside the room, she saw that two girls with slightly haggard appearances were sitting on their respective beds.     

"Those two are empty," one of them opened her mouth. "You can pick whichever one you want."     

The two empty beds were located at the top and at the bottom. Ye Jiao picked the upper one. She climbed up the stairs and sat down, not caring that her clothes might be dirty. The two girls ignored her as they focused on their training, circulating Eon Energy in their body.     

Another girl walked inside when the three of them were busy practicing. She glanced in Ye Jiao's direction, but didn't have any intention to fight for the bed. Everyone who had seen her fought before wouldn't even think to challenge her in the slightest. They still wanted to live.     

'The concentration of Eon Energy in this place is not bad.'     

Ye Jiao was pleased when she realized that the amount of Eon Energy in this place was much more than what she usually found in the city. After she had finished circulating her Eon Energy, she started to absorb Eon Energy from the outside to fill her core. It felt so comfortable that she ended up sleeping in a sitting position again.     

By the time she woke up, it was already early in the morning.     

"WAKE UP!"     

The loud yell from outside jolted the children awake from their slumber. Despite being already awake, Ye Jiao was not ready to receive such a greeting early in the morning.     

"You two better not be late," one of the older girls warned before she dashed to the bathroom. She didn't even bother locking it because she only washed her face before running out of the room.     

Ye Jiao jumped down from her bed and washed her face as fast as possible. Her eyes sparkled with interest and expectation for the training they would give to the children.