Hu Rongming’s boisterous laughter seemed to stay even after he had long left the sect. What could be salvaged was salvaged and Wu Lingtian watched as the disciples bustled about to prepare for tomorrow’s duel.

The disciples gathered around Wu Lingtian and Hua Anting was the first to speak. “Fourth Pillar, is this okay?”

“Fourth Pillar you don’t have to. Second and Third Pillar only went out to gather more supplies to make weapons. They should be back in another few days. We can stall until then,” one disciple spoke up.

Li Qing broke through the crowd and tearfully hugged Wu Lingtian’s waist. “Martial Uncle, if you’re not feeling well don’t fight him! Sect Leader Hu is scary!”

Wu Lingtian looked down at the child that was crying into his stomach and patted her head lightly. He looked at the concerned expressions on the disciples and turned to Hua Anting.

“The reason the ghost had a chance last time was because she got lucky and attacked one of my injuries. I was not completely healed and my cultivation had been slightly damaged, so I could not sustain the attack. My injuries are healed now and my cultivation is about forty-five percent patched. I will be fine.”

The disciples still seemed unsure by this explanation, but Wu Lingtian was currently the only elder and authority figure in the sect. They couldn’t exactly do much to convince Wu Lingtian out of it.

“I will not get injured.”

The disciples nodded after hearing Wu Lingtian’s calming voice. They felt a little more reassured and allowed themselves to be shooed off to get some rest.

“Li Qing,” Wu Lingtian gently pulled the little girl that stick to his waist. He lightly swiped her cheeks with the pads of her thumb. “Don’t cry anymore. I’m fine.”

“Martial Uncle said you’d only be gone for a few months, but it was actually half a year,” Li Qing pouted.

Wu Lingtian patted Li Qing’s head. “It took a little longer than expected.”

“Martial Uncle, will you be returning into seclusion after this?” Liang Jun asked worriedly.

“Once the other Pillars come back, I have other business to attend to,” Wu Lingtian nodded. He can’t leave the sect unattended, after all.

Li Qing’s lips pushed out into a sorrowful pout. “Is Martial Uncle going to be gone for six months again?”

“Li Qing, don’t whine,” Su Han said. “Martial Uncle can’t be around all the time.”

Li Qing clung onto Wu Lingtian’s sleeves and her lips pressed further into a pout. Tears were threatening to pour out from her large, round eyes.

“See, we really do spoil her too much,” Hua Anting squished Li Qing’s cheeks and sighed.

“Who told her to be the youngest one,” Su Han murmured helplessly. He reached out his hand. “Be good. Leave Martial Uncle alone now. He needs to get rest.”

Li Qing looked up at Wu Lingtian. Her eyes seemed to be pleading for something, but without her saying it, Wu Lingtian was not quite sure what she was hinting at.

“I wanna stay with Martial Uncle,” Li Qing clung tighter.

“Li Qing, stop acting so spoiled,” Su Han scolded. “How old are you now? You can’t go around and act like this forever. In a few years, you can go down the mountain by yourself. What are you going to do then?”

“That’s still a few more years,” Li Qing stubbornly buried her head into Wu Lingtian and refused to come out.

“Li Qing, you really aren’t going to listen to your Chief Martial Brother?” Su Han’s brows furrowed.

Wu Lingtian smoothed his hand over the back of Li Qing’s head. He looked up at Su Han. “Would Sect Leader tuck Li Qing in sometimes?”

“When she’s being fussy,” Su Han said. “But Martial Uncle, you shouldn’t indulge her.”

“Just let her sleep in my room tonight,” Wu Lingtian said.

Hearing this, Liang Jun and Hua Anting’s eyes lit up.

“Then, Martial Uncle, can I sleep in your room too?” Hua Anting raised her hand.

“Me too,” Liang Jun pushed out his lower lip cutely.

“You two—” Su Han frowned at them and let out a stiff sigh. He glanced at Wu Lingtian, who nodded in consent.

Who dared to say Yu Lan Sword Immortal didn’t have a good temper? Next time anyone said that, Su Han would personally fight them himself.

“It is no bother,” Wu Lingtian reassured Su Han.

Because of his emotionless expression, Su Han really couldn’t see if Wu Lingtian was simply saying so to avoid being bothered any longer. Still, it had come to this point. Su Han could only nod his head and mumble an apology to his martial uncle.

Wu Lingtian shook his head. He looked back over at the disciples who were still cleaning and turned back to Su Han. “Tell them to stop for the night. We can deal with it tomorrow.”

“Yes, Martial Uncle,” Su Han cupped his hands together and bowed.

Wu Lingtian dipped his head and turned to leave with the three little ducklings following after him.

Su Han sighed before he turned to tell the disciples to stop for the night.

On the way back to Wu Lingtian’s courtyard, the three disciples happily filled Wu Lingtian in on what had happened during these past six months.

Life on Screeching Sparrow Sect was quite mundane. As an unorthodox sect that didn’t plan on world domination and didn’t have much contact with the outside world, they kept to themselves and most activities the disciples did remained within the sect. Before, they would be able to leave with permission from the sect leader or their master, but now, more than before, the disciples had trouble getting permission to leave the mountain because the cultivation world had become a complete mess.

The tipping point was attributed, by many, to Wu Lingtian defecting.

Wu Lingtian—or, rather, Yu Lan Sword Immortal—had been the pinnacle of righteousness. If there was any sect that was accused of demonic acts, fraternizing with ghost or demons, or turning to the dark arts, Yu Lan Sword Immortal would be there to bring justice and slay evil. His reputation precedes him and he was the head of his generation. People admired him; people fawned over him; and most importantly, people needed him. They needed someone to believe in and he was their purest symbol of hope for the younger generation.

He was promising in his youth and as he aged, he solidified, in the eyes of many, as the one person who could fish the sects from the mud that they were all sinking into.

But now?

Yu Lan Sword Immortal not only defected, but had killed his own master. Not to mention, Screeching Sparrow Sect was moving to expand their territory. They had a new trump card. The sparrow that now had new wings could soar the skies!

The delicate balance from before completely tipped.

What symbol of righteousness? What beckon of hope? It was all fake! Just like the rest of the righteous sects! On the surface, they wanted to exterminate evil, but underneath, they had ugly dealings with demons and the devil cults.

The great sects became the laughingstock of the cultivation world, but at the same time, people feared for their safety.

Yu Lan Sword Immortal and Feng Ling Immortal were the barriers that kept devil cults, demons, and ghosts from running amuck. They were the guardians for, not only the cultivation world, but also the mortal realm. But now this barrier had been punctured. Only Feng Ling Immortal remained and Feng Ling Immortal was never as diligent as Yu Lan Sword Immortal.

Although Feng Ling Immortal was more amicable, he was similar to the righteous sects. On the surface, he was gentle, but beneath he sneered at the world and its stupidity. He’d much rather sit back and watch the world crumble than extend a helping hand to those two-faced pretentious cultivators that had brought them to this stage.

If Feng Ling Immortal was going to protect anyone—he would only have attention on the common people. He would not lift a single finger to help the cultivators from the ire of the devil cults or demons that were lurking in the corner, waiting to strike.

He was nothing like his father, Situ An, and this became apparent the night the Jade Orchid Sect fell under attack by the Six Petals Cult.

The entire sect was razed to the ground overnight, leaving only two elders surviving and a handful of disciples that escaped. All the history and techniques that had accumulated over the years were destroyed in the blink of an eye. The stench of burning flesh and the metallic scent of blood curled into the night sky, creating a dastardly scene that remain etched in the minds of the ones that escaped and the ones that came to the rescue a little too late.

This event wouldn’t have come to pass in such a gruesome way if Yu Lan Sword Immortal was still around. But Feng Ling Immortal was in seclusion eleven months out of the year and even when he wasn’t, he was as elusive as the Xuanwu beast and couldn’t even be pinned down by his father.

The gruesome event was carried through the wind and into the ears of many.

The righteous cultivators were just about to regroup to suppress the devil cultivators when the demons slipped into the mortal realm and began causing a ruckus as well. They began to tear at the ghost realm’s boundaries and allowed them to flow into the mortal realm.

The mortal realm, which had experienced peace for more than a thousand years, and even more so in the past few decades, became terrorized and frozen in fear in just under three months.

“Recently Master and the other Pillars have been traveling between Hall of Impartiality and here,” Liang Jun said. “But what they’re doing, we can’t really be sure.”

“Chief Martial Brother might know though!” Li Qing offered. “And Senior Martial Sister Wen.”

“Sometimes they go with them,” Hua Anting nodded.

Wu Lingtian silently absorbed the information and hummed after a moment. “You said that the demons are breaking the boundaries between the ghost realm and the mortal realm?”

“Trying to,” Liang Jun said. “That’s the last we heard. We haven’t left the sect in four months, so we really don’t know what the situation is like outside right now.”

Wu Lingtian fell silent. If the boundary between the ghost realm and mortal realm truly became ruptured, then the task of fixing it would be very difficult. At that time the Underworld and the human world would merge together, creating a catastrophe that would last for the unforeseeable future.

“The devil cults and the demons are not working together?”

“Not that the public know,” Hua Anting replied.

Wu Lingtian hummed.

Demons and humans had been on opposing sides since the beginning of time, but devil cultivators were an exception. They had completely fallen into the dark arts, allowing demonic energy to consume their mind and body.

While they were not the subjects of demons, Wu Lingtian would not be surprised if, during this time, they had a secret dealing with each other.

“Martial Uncle, do you think something bad is going to happen?” Hua Anting asked. “To us.”

“Why would you think that?” Wu Lingtian asked.

“Drifting Clouds Mountain Sect have their hands full to the point that they’ve even stopped searching for Martial Uncle. If a big sect like that is having trouble dealing with the situation, won’t the rest of the cultivation world have more trouble?” Hua Anting reasoned.

Wu Lingtian glanced up at the moon that was slowly being obscured by the clouds.

The dry summer wind grazed his cheek, but it did not make him feel uncomfortable at all. Instead, he felt quite relaxed.

“Drifting Clouds Mountain Sect may seem to have been the strongest, but they are really the weakest link. Purple Bamboo School is still faring well, is it not?”

“It is.”

“Then, we have nothing to worry about.”

The little disciples relaxed with just a few words and regained their previous vigor.

Once they reached Wu Lingtian’s courtyard, Wu Lingtian went to the empty room beside his and helped lay out a few blankets and pillows for them to sleep on. Li Qing was far too energetic from the events of the night, so she was still quite reluctant to sleep.

“Martial Uncle, tell us a story,” Li Qing begged.

“A story?” Wu Lingtian watched the three expectant eyes. “I am not good at telling stories.”

“It can be any sort of story. It could be about the spirits and demons you defeated too,” Li Qing said expectantly.

“There is nothing to tell about those.”

To most, these words would sound cold and cutting, but by this point Li Qing, Hua Anting, and Liang Jun understood their martial uncle a little. With those indifferent, dull eyes that watched them silently, they could see a hint of confusion. It wasn’t that Wu Lingtian didn’t want to try, but because he really wasn’t sure what there was to tell.

“If Martial Uncle can’t tell a story, then I’ll tell a story!” Hua Anting smiled as she tucked Li Qing back into bed.

“But I’ve heard your stories so many times already,” Li Qing grumbled unhappily.

“I can also tell a story,” Liang Jun volunteered.

Wu Lingtian sat on the Luohan bed and watched as the two disciples scrambled to find something that their little martial sister would enjoy listening to for bed time.

But Li Qing paid her two martial siblings no mind. She looked back up at Wu Lingtian and tilted her head. “Martial Uncle, why are you staring at us like that?”

Liang Jun and Hua Anting looked up.

Wu Lingtian didn’t seem to know how he had been staring either. He lowered his gaze for a moment looking back up.

“You three get along.”

Li Qing frowned in confusion. “Of course, we get along! We’re family.”

“Yeah, we’re family,” Hua Anting squished Li Qing’s cheeks.

Liang Jun nodded profusely as he smoothly tucked Li Qing into bed. “That’s why it’s our job to spoil the youngest but make sure she grows up healthy. And one of those ways is to make sure she sleeps early.”

“But I don’t wanna sleep yet!” Li Qing pouted.

“Be good! Martial Uncle is already letting us stay in his room. And he has a fight tomorrow. He needs all the rest he can get,” Hua Anting scolded.

Li Qing glanced at the indifferent Wu Lingtian and unwillingly allowed herself to be tucked in again.

Liang Jun stood up as Hua Anting soothed Li Qing’s energy and began blowing out the candles. He approached the candle right beside the Luohan bed but was stopped by Wu Lingtian.

“Leave this one. I am going to read a while longer.”

Liang Jun frowned. “Martial Uncle should get some rest.”

“It is fine.”

“But Martial Uncle is also part of our family, so that means I also have to take care of Martial Uncle,” Liang Jun swiftly snuffed the flame out. In the darkness of the room, Wu Lingtian’s eyes quickly readjusted and he could see the small smile on Liang Jun’s face. “If anything happens to Martial Uncle tomorrow because you are tired, Liang Jun’s heart will ache.”

Hearing Liang Jun put it like that, Wu Lingtian set aside the book he had in his hand and nodded his head.

Liang Jun’s smile only grew and went back over to the little princess kicking up a fuss.

Wu Lingtian watched the shadows for a moment before closing his eyes.

…Family, huh?