Promise

Born in a war-torn world, Luo Yi lost her parents at the age of six and began struggling to survive on the streets alone. Nobody had ever shown her kindness. All she ever knew was indifference and disdain.

Eighteen years ago, the Grandmaster of Elysium Sect met the helpless young girl on his journey. He saw the cold and guarded look in Luo Yi's eyes, devoid of the innocence a child of her age should have. The man didn't bear to leave her alone, so he took her back to his sect.

In Elysium Sect, Luo Yi was protected from the world of malice. A new life awaited her. All the elders and senior disciples showed her the greatest kindness. The Grandmaster treated her as his own daughter, teaching her philosophies and spells, and gifting her two koi fish - Aureate and Cerulean Koi as company.

But being homeless for years, she found it hard to let down her guard. There was still coldness and caution behind her eyes, but she was also trying to return the favor in her own way. She kept practicing day and night in the hope of repaying the sect one day.

The Grandmaster once said, "The Jadeite Whisk is a divine artifact with immense powers. It has been passed on for a thousand years in the sect. If the safety of the world is threatened after I'm gone, the disciple who can command the whisk will have to protect the world on my behalf." Luo Yi swore to herself that she would become the one commanding the Jadeite Whisk.

With this goal in mind, Luo Yi had attempted to compel the whisk many times ever since, but not once had she received any response. Gradually, she grew frustrated.

The Grandmaster smiled. "To command the whisk, you need to be willing to give it your all, for a cause that is worth it to you," he said. "By then, you will finally be able to take care of all the lives in this world."

The girl blinked, not sure if she had fully understood the word, and asked, "What if there is no such cause?"

"If so, the world will be doomed, and you won't have to keep the promise we made."

"I see..."

The young girl took a bite off the red sage, swinging her black ponytail. Give it all for someone else? Even though she was still young, her internalized apathy made her believe that something like that would never happen.

However, something soon changed. One day, the two koi fish that had always kept her company suddenly died. The Grandmaster tried to explain to her that death was unavoidable for all lives. For the first time, emotions were seen behind her icy-cold eyes. It was also the first time she received a response from the Jadeite Whisk because of the sadness she felt.

Time flew, and when Luo Yi was thirteen, the demons finally broke the celestial barrier after a thousand years of planning. They showed up in Luo Yi's world. The barren mountains spreading thousands of miles became the last line of defense against the demons' invasion, and the Southern Fort was the most important strategic base.

The sects and clans sent their most elite troops to defend the Southern Fort and fend off demons. As the war intensified, more and more Elysium disciples headed for the fort, but rarely did they come back. The girl asked her master out of curiosity, "Where did my seniors go?"

The old man was caught up in a daze, staring into the distance, "They went on a journey."

"When will they be back?"

"I can't say for sure. If they don't come back, I will go and bring them back."

A few days later, the old man himself left the sect with his disciples for the war...

The girl sat or stood just outside the sect every day, eagerly waiting for the return of her master and seniors. A month or so later, a group of familiar figures appeared.

Luo Yi saw her master again. Only this time, the old man didn't bend down to pat her on the head or kid with her. What she feared the most up to this point finally happened.

She didn't cry out loud with her mouth open, but tears and snot covered her face. Standing inside the main temple of the sect, she gazed at the old man sitting in meditation with his eyes closed. She spoke with a shaky voice, "Don't sleep, master."

But the old man didn't respond like he used to.

Luo Yi stood firmly in the usual training pose and cried, "Get up, Grandmaster! Time for your lessons."

All of her seniors stood behind her with an unreadable look in their eyes.

One of them walked up to Luo Yi and gently put his hand on her palm, "Master is gone."

But the senior soon realized that he couldn't move her palm even the slightest. The girl murmured to herself, "Wake up, master. You're home now..."

The senior persuaded her for a long while before she finally came back to her senses. She squatted down and started crying her heart out, her eyes fixed on the old man. Nobody would ever again tap on her head when she slacked off during practice, or hold her hand while they journeyed the world together. It was at that moment that Luo Yi realized all she ever cared about were her master and the people of her sect.

Two glowing orbs of light floated out of the old man's body. They are the manifestation of his life energy.

The girl stood up when a fly-whisk hovered in the air in front of her, and the two glowing orbs turned into two koi fish, slowly swimming around her. No one had thought the divine artifact of the sect would appear in front of Luo Yi at a moment like this.

Dazed, Luo Yi seemed to have heard her master's gentle voice again, "The Jadeite Whisk has chosen you. It will be your responsibility to protect the sect now!"

She reached out to hold the whisk, her eyes determined.

The once mischievous girl was gone. Instead, she started practicing and honing her skills without complaining about the hard, painful and tedious routine. She wanted to become strong and powerful enough to protect those she cared about. It was what her master taught her not with words, but in actions.

Five years later, Luo Yi showed up on the barren battlefields and achieved fame far and wide with a mere fly-whisk in her hand. She only wanted the disciples of the sect to return home safely, and anyone standing in her way would be crushed under her mighty weapon.

"I'm finally able to keep my promise to you, master."

"I've found what I'm willing to protect, even at the cost of my life..."