“My name is Li Qing!” the little girl said with a happy bounce to her step. The little butterflies attached to her two buns swayed as she turned her head to look back at Wu Lingtian. “My master is Sect Leader Fan!”

Wu Lingtian hummed and watched the girl bounce about enthusiastically. He reached out and stopped her once they reached one of the landings.

Li Qing turned back to Wu Lingtian in confusion and watched him kneel down and pull out a handkerchief. He carefully rolled it up before wrapping it around her knee.

“Make sure to clean it so it doesn’t get infected later,” Wu Lingtian said before standing back up.

Li Qing stared at Wu Lingtian for a moment before shyly shuffling her feet. “Mister, you’re quite good looking.”

At Li Qing’s cute and shy appearance Wu Lingtian’s indifferent expression softened. He patted Li Qing’s head and the pair continued down the steps.

“Wait, mister, you still haven’t told me what your name is!” Li Qing said with a slight pout.

“Wu Lingtian.”

Li Qing’s steps faltered and she nearly fell again. She looked up at the elegant, scholarly man in front of her and felt a shock in her heart. “Y-You’re Yu Lan Sword Immortal.”

Wu Lingtian cast his gaze down to look at her. After a moment of deliberation, he hummed.

Li Qing gasped sharply and stopped walking all together.

Wu Lingtian turned around. “Is something wrong?”

“T-that! Um! Three years ago! Thank you for saving me!”

Wu Lingtian calmly looked at her. “I saved you?”

“Mn! Lord Immortal is probably busy and has already forgotten about me, but three years ago, during the Willow Creek Competition, you saved me from a Phoenix Snake.”

Wu Lingtian really had no recollection, but he nodded anyway.

Li Qing’s smile grew at Wu Lingtian’s acknowledgement. “Y-you were very cool back then, Lord Immortal! I fell for you at first sight!”

Wu Lingtian’s expression remained neutral as Li Qing began to recount the event with great gusto and the aftermath as they continued down the rest of the stairs and began to walk towards the dining hall.

“But thankfully no one told Master,” Li Qing patted her little chest. She turned to Wu Lingtian with a bright grin. “Lord Immortal, are you feeling better?”

“Mn, better,” Wu Lingtian thought for a moment before asking, “How did you get into the Willow Creek Competition?”

“Easy,” Li Qing tilted her head. “Just register as a rogue cultivator. That’s what we always do.”

If an unorthodox sect disciple wanted to enter a competition to see the world, they couldn’t register under their own sect, but they could register under “rogue”. If you were still a sword cultivator, you would most likely pass.

Wu Lingtian thought about the events of that year and fell silent.

That year hadn’t gone without a hitch. Wu Lingtian and another cultivator of his generation were in charge of watching over it and there had been many young masters from prominent sects that used underhanded methods to win or gain an upper hand. However, he had not heard of any of the rogue cultivators breaking the rules.

“Lord Immortal?”

“Mm?”

“You seem to be thinking really hard.”

Faced with Li Qing’s innocent round eyes, Wu Lingtian could only lower his gaze. “I am thinking about what makes an unorthodox sect unlawful and a righteous sect righteous.”

Li Qing frowned. She was only three when she was picked up by Screeching Sparrow Sect. They treated her well and fed her well. To her, righteous and unorthodox were one and the same.

“What’s the difference?” Li Qing ended up asking, rather sheepishly.

“…Maybe in present day, there is no difference.”

Li Qing hummed happily. She also thought so.

By the time they made it to the dining hall, most of the disciples had already dispersed and none of the Pillars could be seen.

“This is the common area,” Li Qing helpfully introduced. “Over there is the dining hall and down the slope is the training hall. Down that path is the library. It’s called the common area because it’s very close to the main hall and when the disciples have down time, they gather here to relax and eat snacks. Oh, right, the disciples’ dorms are actually down that way. We already passed them.”

Wu Lingtian’s head followed the places Li Qing pointed and he would hum to the things Li Qing said. He was completely respectful and attentive.

At this point, many people’s attention was drawn to the noble looking martial artist that walked beside the little fire ball, Li Qing. Few wanted to approach and ask, but they were shot down by Wu Lingtian’s charisma and didn’t dare move forward.

It was only when Li Qing saw Wen Yi did she jump forward and tugged on Wen Yi’s robes.

“Yi-jiejie, have you seen either Martial Uncles?”

“Martial Uncle Tian should be by the front gates again. And Master…wait, A-Qing, what happened to your knee?” Wen Yi frowned. She squatted and looked Li Qing over.

“Big Bao got hurt and he went around clawing at people and I fell down the stairs. But Lord Immortal came out and saved us!”

“Lord Immortal?” Wen Yi lifted her gaze and found Wu Lingtian standing behind the child with his hands clasped behind his back.

The disciples in the surrounding area collectively stiffened.

Li Qing leaned over and whispered in a volume that most everyone could here. “He’s Yu Lan Sword Immortal.”

Wu Lingtian bowed his head. “I was actually just taking a look around. I do not need your masters for anything.”

Li Qing bounced back and grinned at Wu Lingtian. “If that’s the case, then let’s go! I’ll show you more places.”

Wu Lingtian nodded and followed the child away.

“Did…A-Qing just say he was Yu Lan Sword Immortal?”

“…Mm.”

“Oh my lord.”

“Goodness, how can a man be that good looking?”

“I think I almost peed my pants. He’s so scary.”

“Are you serious, he looks like a virtuous gentleman!”

“It’s like you’ve forgotten all about his deeds, you face-con.”

Wen Yi watched Wu Lingtian walk away undisturbed and with a straight back and noticed his patience with Li Qing, who continued to rattle her little mouth as they walked along.

Wu Lingtian…really can’t be a bad person, right?

 

“Sect Leader Zhong.”

“Fan Yi, you’ve arrived,” the elderly man didn’t raise his head as he stared down at the chessboard. He vaguely waved his hand. “Sit.”

Fan Yi pulled the medicine bag from his shoulders and set it onto the ground before stepping on the slightly raised platform and sitting on the cushion. He looked down at the chessboard before looking up at Sect Leader Zhong.

“Sect Leader Zhong, if right now is not a good time, Fan Yi can return at a later date.”

“Nonsense,” Sect Leader Zhong waved his wrinkled hand. “Just wait a moment. Can’t you? Young people are so impatient.”

Fan Yi, who was over a hundred years old, could only close his mouth and obediently sit in silence as he watched Sect Leader Zhong defeat himself in a game of chess.

Once Sect Leader Zhong finished, he set up the chessboard and gestured for Fan Yi to make the first move.

“Sect Leader Zhong, I only came because you said that you wanted me to check your body’s condition,” Fan Yi said as he moved the chess piece.

“If I did not say that, would you have come so fast?” Sect Leader Zhong asked.

Fan Yi glanced up at the elderly man and said nothing.

“Fan Yi, I’m getting old. It would be nice if you came by to see me a few more times before I pass.”

Fan Yi smiled. “Sect Leader Zhong is very healthy. There is no need to worry that you will pass away any time soon.”

“Are you saying you refuse to visit me?”

“…Fan Yi will visit more often.”

Sect Leader Zhong harrumphed. “Only using this method will you say something like that.”

Fan Yi smiled a little helplessly. He allowed his eyes to stay concentrated on the chessboard. “What was the real reason you asked me to come here, Sect Leader Zhong?”

“It’s almost been two weeks. How is that child holding up?”

Fan Yi’s finger hovered over a spot before he set the piece back down and picked up another. “Which child?”

“You know which.”

Fan Yi hummed. So, it was because of this issue.

He was not surprised in the slightest. Even if it was not out of concern for himself, Fan Yi knew that, at one point or other, someone from the Hall of Impartiality would come to inquire about Wu Lingtian’s situation.

Hall of Impartiality was unlike any other sect. They were neither good nor bad and aligned themselves with neither righteous nor unorthodox. Many millennia ago, they had taken on the arduous task to become the cultivation world’s historians. They had always remained neutral and with their secret cultivation technique that allowed them to live longer than even the average cultivator plus their superior memory, it only seemed fitting that this task was placed into the hands of the Hall of Impartiality.

The Hall of Impartiality had long sealed their doors to the outside world, only exiting to record the happenings of the secular world. They had disciples listen in on rumors and sent others to inquire about the specifics. However, even without these things, they would still know. They were gifted with Heaven’s Eye by a god, long ago, which allowed them to see most happenings even without exiting their secluded sect. Though, this Heaven’s Eye technique was only given to the elders of the sect and would only be passed down to their disciples when they were ready to depart from the mortal plane.

But the elderly stuck by their old techniques. It was still best to get the perspectives of the two parties involved, other than just an omniscient view.

It just so happened that Sect Leader Zhong and Fan Yi had a relationship of a teacher guiding a student once upon a time, so it was easy for Sect Leader Zhong to simply summon Fan Yi in this way and speak a few words to him.

“He is recovering,” Fan Yi replied.

“That’s good, that’s good,” Sect Leader Zhong hummed.

Fan Yi waited for Sect Leader Zhong’s next move, but it failed to come.

He lifted his head and smiled at Sect Leader Zhong, who massaged the chess piece in his hand as he stared at Fan Yi.

“Fan Yi…”

“Yes, Sect Leader Zhong?”

“You…are doing fine as well?”

Fan Yi smiled politely. “Yes, Sect Leader Zhong. I am doing perfectly fine.”

Sect Leader Zhong’s eyelids drooped as he sighed and set down his chess piece. “I have lived a long time.”

Fan Yi waited for Sect Leader Zhong to continue as he set down his next piece.

“And I have learned a lot,” Sect Leader Zhong lifted up the cannon. “It is a lie when they say time is the best medicine. The memories have already been painfully etched into your soul and the scars in your heart will remain. The shadows of events past will haunt you again when you least expect it…Fan Yi…are you truly alright?”

“I am.”

Sect Leader Zhong set his piece down. “I have a word of advice for you.”

Fan Yi straightened and looked at Sect Leader Zhong.

“The child,” Sect Leader Zhong let out a long sigh as he took a sip of tea. “I’ve spoken to him before.”

Fan Yi waited patiently for Sect Leader Zhong to continue.

“It was…a long time ago. When…when he was only fourteen,” Sect Leader Zhong’s gaze seemed to be looking into the distant past. “Did you know him then?”

“I only saw him in passing,” Fan Yi said.

He recalled the Wu Lingtian of more than ten years ago. His eyes were empty and his face was expressionless. He stood out among the crowd with his heroic aura. He was dressed in his signature red clothes with the beautiful Yu Lan Sword by his side. Even though he was surrounded by smiling, flattering faces, he was utterly isolated.

“I spoke to him,” Sect Leader Zhong repeated. “He was very polite. He did not bother with a warm greeting and he kept a distance from me, but I could tell that he was much more sincere than any other youngster I’ve spoken to before.”

There was a pause.

“He reminded me a bit of you when you were younger.”

Fan Yi couldn’t help but quirk his lips up slightly.

“But his heart is not clear,” Sect Leader Zhong said. “He did not speak as a child his age might. He was careful. Even those in a lower position spoke more freely than him.”

Fan Yi made his next move.

“They say that Yu Lan Sword Immortal was destined to succeed Drifting Clouds Mountain Sect. He is a prodigy that hasn’t been seen in years. He is a natural leader that everyone wants to follow,” Sect Leader Zhong continued. He set down the piece. “Checkmate.”

Fan Yi smiled and began to sort the chessboard back out. “I can never win against Sect Leader Zhong.”

“Perhaps if you put more attention into it, you might.”

“I am trying very hard.”

“That child,” Sect Leader Zhong lifted his gaze to look at Fan Yi. “Be wary of him.”

Fan Yi’s hands froze.

The words spoken thus far had made Fan Yi feel like Sect Leader Zhong was complimenting Wu Lingtian, but now…

“He is a child raised by Rong Meihua,” Sect Leader Zhong said. “Even with the grievances he suffered, he has a ferocious loyalty towards that sect.”

Fan Yi hummed. His eyes drifted about. “Sect Leader Zhong, where is your spirit panther?”

“Passed away last year. You would know if you came to visit more often.”

Fan Yi chuckled when he heard the hint of grievance in Sect Leader Zhong’s voice. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“It has already been a year. What can your sorry do?” Sect Leader Zhong raised an eyebrow.

Fan Yi only smiled again. “But, Sect Leader Zhong, your spiritual panther used to belong to another person, didn’t it?”

“He did,” Sect Leader Zhong nodded. “I took him in because he was getting sorely mistreated.”

“But, even then, this panther bit when it was told to bite and attacked when it was told to attack by its original owner, correct?”

“Correct.”

“But by the end of its life, its loyalty had shifted over to Sect Leader Zhong.”

“Do you want to make that child to become your Tingting?”

“No,” Fan Yi shook his head. “But Sect Leader Zhong should know the pain of seeing such a strong creature be abused to the point that they think any bit of attention from their abuser is good enough. Even just a look without contempt is fine…I cannot say I know Wu Lingtian well. In fact, there is a lot about his past that I do not know about. However, I do know…I feel that…Wu Lingtian does not deserve to be treated like he is an animal.”

Fan Yi place the missing piece back on the chessboard. “And you are right, Sect Leader Zhong. Time does not help one heal. A simple event can dredge up all the unpleasant memories again. I…since I can help him now, I do not want him to end up being a second Fu Yishan.”

Sect Leader Zhong tensed at the sound of that name and let out a long sigh. “…That time…I am sorry.”

Fan Yi shook his head. “As the Sect Leader of Hall of Impartiality there was little you could do. You cannot intervene.”

“…And an apology now cannot make up for back then, correct?”

Fan Yi chuckled slightly.

“It is good that child has someone like you now,” Sect Leader Zhong said. “If his heart is sincere, he is a good person to have by your side.”

“And if it isn’t, I can get rid of him swiftly,” Fan Yi replied.

After another round of chess, Fan Yi looked up towards the sky.

“Sect Leader Zhong, if there is nothing else, I should head back.”

“Stay a few days. We haven’t spoken in a few years.”

“Fan Yi will visit again another time,” Fan Yi promised. “However, I feel unsettled just leaving that child by himself. I actually also have other patients to visit.”

“The same excuse as last time,” Sect Leader Zhong grumbled unhappily.

“This time, I will definitely visit Sect Leader Zhong again,” Fan Yi stood and pulled the medicine box on. “But Sect Leader Zhong truly does not have any illness?”

“None.”

“I hope you will remain healthy until the next time we meet,” Fan Yi smiled. “I still need to have someone around to reminisce with, after all."

Sect Leader Zhong scoffed. “Those rotten memories—why would anyone want to reminisce those?”

“I would,” Fan Yi said softly. “So, Sect Leader Zhong has to remain healthy for a very long time.”

Sect Leader Zhong stared at Fan Yi for a long time. “Fan Yi, you really have grown up.”

Fan Yi merely chuckled and bowed his head. “Then, until next time, Sect Leader Zhong.”

“Until next time…You take care of yourself as well.”

“I will.”