Pep Talk
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Just a note, there's a chapter I forgot to post before so anyone interested should reread at least from 'as time goes by'. My dumbass somehow forgot to post the chapter following it so it should explain somethings. Sorry~

*****

Xinyue had been walking around the sect grounds, her chaperones and guide leading them to the sect leaders quarters when she had noticed someone nearby. Even from afar, she could recognize the man she'd met before. 

All throughout the tour, she'd been peeking from behind her fan, hoping to catch sight of Brother Xieren. He had told her he was a member of this sect and by luck, she just so happened to be coming by to visit a family member.

The stars must have predestined their meeting!

Courteously excusing herself, she ran over, wanting to greet the man so they could talk more. Perhaps grow closer since they couldn't before. Yet before she could get close, another woman stepped up to him, their posture intimate and casual.

Very much different from her interaction with the man.

So she called out to them. Seeing the two, it was hard not to pair them. A beautiful young lady who looked soft and amiable next to a strong and tall handsome man. Just looking at them, so close together, one couldn't help but wonder how close they were.

Xinyue immediately saw a rival yet smiled gently.

"Brother Xieren, how fortunate to see you again. It's been some time." She said, greeting him with a smile. She then turned to Xinyi, her eyes considerably less soft. "Ah, and this lovely young lady as well. May I ask your name, elder sister."

Xinyi was initially confused as to why she was feeling so uncomfortable but soon found the source. This young miss was challenging her? Even going so far as to call her 'elder'.

We'll see about that. She thought, returning an equally fake but outwardly sincere looking smile.

"Elder? Please, don't say such silly things." She laughed, waving off her implication. "This little sister wishes to know your name first, since you wish to know mine."

Since this... young miss knew her brother, she wasn't about to let some stranger walk all over her. Xinyue accepted the silent challenge. What kind of sister would she be?

"Un, I am Xinyue, third daughter of the Su clan." She said, greeting Xinyue as was proper. As a young miss from a proper and well established family, her mannerisms were worlds apart from Xinyi, who was of humble birth.

Yet that didn't deter the ever confident Xinyi.

"Xinyi, head apprentice to Elder Zhihao." She said, throwing her own prestige at the young miss before her. If she thought just being born into a noble family was so great, just being born was such a feat, how would she feel when compared to her, a low class girl who earned a coveted spot with effort and talent. "A pleasure to meet you."

"I as well."

The two shared a laugh that sounded jovial but Xieren could feel the tension boiling between the two. Part of him wanted to run, confused at why those smiles never reached their eyes. His chance to escape however passed him by when the two girls turned him.

You should have run when you had the chance, his male instincts told him. Still, he chose to remain, mostly due to having no means of escape. He was stuck between the two girls and his best friend, the tree.

"Ne, A-ren who is this girl?" Xinyi leaned on his shoulder, inwardly smirking at Xinyue, whose smile stiffened at their closeness. Xieren was very particular with who he allowed to touch him and Xinyue knew she was not one of them. "Is she close to you?"

"No, we met in town I think." He replied, really not wanting to get involved in whatever this was becoming. He could see the sneakiness in Xinyi's eyes and knew he was stuck. He just hoped it wasn't too bothersome.

Xinyue took a step forward, edging close to Xieren's free arm but not touching.

"Brother Xieren saved me from some hooligans." She looked up at the man in question, her voice low and coquettish. "I was so scared but he came to my rescue."

"Did he now?" Xinyi muttered, looking to Xieren for confirmation. He was wise enough to keep quiet. Thinking about it, Xinyi was doubtful. Xieren was 'nice' but not in general. He rarely did anything without a reason so perhaps...

Xieren felt the gaze of his sister burning into his skull. He didn't have to look to know what she wanted.

"It would be dishonorable for a man to allow someone in need to suffer." He sighed, knowing he couldn't keep quiet much longer.

There it was. Xinyi nodded, understanding completely. It was something Elder Shao said pretty often so of course her silly brother went along with it. The man could ask Xieren to walk off a cliff and this love struck fool would be halfway there before he even finished.

Part of her worried about Xieren, concerned he might be doomed to an eternity of unrequited love. While she was unfamiliar with love, she could imagine how frustrating it was to love another but not receive it back.

Xuejie was naive enough to write it all off as just admiration but Xinyi was smarter than that. She saw the way her brother would stare after Elder Shao. While she had no name to place on it, her female instincts told her that there was no way that such looks were just 'admiration'.

Even if Xieren insisted otherwise.

"I see." She said, a bit amused. A sharp bell sounded somewhere, reminding Xinyi that she indeed had other matters to attend to.She sighed. "Well I have to go now, A-Ren. I still have errands to attend to."

"You don't need any help?" Xieren turned to her, his expression clearly frustrated. The sight made her chuckle, even as she felt a twinge of guilt for leaving him with this young miss. He clearly wanted to leave.

Yet she doubted he would be allowed to just slip away.

"Sorry, I'm going to the Alchemy division and you need a pass to enter." She explained, a bit sad she couldn't just snatch him away but she couldn't risk offending a noble lady too much. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Lady Su Xinyue."

With a bow, she left, leaving the two standing by the tree. Xieren sighed, feeling abandoned. How annoying.

Xinyue, on the other hand, was beaming, happy to finally have some time alone with Xieren. They were even in an open field, so it shouldn't be deemed inappropriate.

"Brother Xieren, I-" She started only to be interrupted.

"My lady?" They both turned to see a handsome young man ran up to them. While his appearance was that of a man in his 20's, his demeanor was refined. Xing He stopped beside Xinyue.

"Brother Xing He? Why are you here?" She asked, disappointed. She had thought she had more time. "Did you need me?"

"Yes, we are expected..." He started but quickly stopped to glance at Xieren, who was glowering at him. "elsewhere so please come with me."

"B-but-"

"My lady, please come with me."

"Fine. I'm sorry Brother Xieren." She sighed, turning back to Xieren. She was surprised to see that, rather than looking at her, he was glaring at Xing He. Seeing the look, Xinyue felt a bit giddy, assuming he was upset their time had been cut short.

She was in his heart!

"Perhaps we can talk after our matter here is dealt with." she said, hoping to comfort the very annoyed young man before her. "We'll be here for a few days."

"My lady." Xing He led her away, ignoring her friendly wave at Xieren. He had no issue with her interest, though they had more pressing issues to attend to. One being the fact that he could still feel the younger man's eyes burning holes into his back. He didn't turn around but he could feel such malice. But why? He hadn't-

He briefly recalled the last time he felt such a presence. It had been in the town nearby where he and his charge had gotten into a scuffle with some stranger. He had been wearing a mask and somehow managed to fend off cultivators with nothing by a club. He'd even sprained his wrist like nothing. It had infuriated him at the time.

Yet throughout the whole ordeal, he felt a malicious gaze burning into him, as if he was being watched by a stalking beast. He'd ignored it since the man before him was more of a threat but now...

There had been a young boy standing behind that masked man but he couldn't recall what he looked like. All he remembered was the feeling of being watched.

He briefly looked back, only to find there was no one there. Letting out a breath, Xing He scolded himself for acting so paranoid. Even if that young man and the kid were one and the same, he was still much stronger than him.

There was no need to be sweating like he was.

***

Xieren's mood was getting worse by the minute. Not only did he end up bumping into that bastard again, but their daily routine was postponed as well since Shizun was going to leave sooner than expected.

The news shocked everyone since they had thought he'd be leaving in a few days. Xieren however, was devastated. He'd wanted to see Shizun, even if the thought of talking to him made him want to run away.

He felt ashamed for having used the image of Shizun in such a way but seeing him was why he even bothered getting up everyday. It was a comforting ritual, if nothing else.

And now he couldn't even do that.

He walked into to food hall, happy to see that there weren't that many disciples present. His mood was not ready to deal with the general stupidity of people.

Speaking of.

"Yo bro, over here!" Xuejie called out, gaining the attention of everyone present. Ignoring the looks, he walked over. As soon as he sat down, he was pinned by the young man's gaze.

"So?"

Xieren blinked, question marks clearly in view.

"So?" He echoed.

"My present? Did you like it?"

Thinking about the night before, his face flushed and he looked away, letting his bangs shield him from Xuejie's scrutiny. He still was having trouble coming to terms with... thinking such things about Shizun, about a man.

Yet even the thought of the pleasure he felt made him want to run back to his room to fantasize even more. The book he'd been given was filled with pretty women yet all he could think of was a man who never smiled yet made Xieren's heart race.

What was wrong with him!?

"I... I don't want to talk about it." He muttered, snatching a cup to help cover his nervousness. The fact the cup was empty was not, in any way important.

"Ah, I get it, I get it." Xuejie chuckled, amused at seeing a 'shy' Xieren. Who knew cold and cool Xieren could be so demure. "It'd be weird to talk about those kind of things but honestly, I'm more shocked you had no clue about this."

"Who could I possibly ask?" He countered, cocking a brow. In the sect, while housing both young men and women, the two groups rarely congregated so such matters would not usually come up. It was the reason why Xieren, Xinyi and Xuejie spending so much time together was considered an oddity.

"Fair enough. But at least you know now." He shrugged, pouring himself a cup. "I'm now expecting a lot out of you, bro."

Xieren blinked, again confused but curious. Xuejie huffed, frustrated at this strange guy.

"I mean, no more acting all nonchalant with all the girls throwing themselves at you." He cried, feeling both envious and resentful toward his friend. The guy was sought after by so many pretty girls yet remained so intent on staying pure! He even acted as if he was unaware of their interest. How dense was he?! "It's super cool but also frustrating for those of us who can't get girls!"

"Perhaps it isn't meant to be?" Xieren mused, finding the interaction entertaining. Xuejie slammed his cup down.

"You!"

Xieren was chuckling himself, his mood slightly improving, when a thought occurred to him.

"Ah!"

"Hm, what is it?"

"I just realized..." Xieren frowned, his expression gravely serious. Xuejie unconsciously swallowed nervously. "Xinyi, she's also female, right?"

"Eh!?" Xuejie, at first, was struck. Then when the words said hit him, he couldn't help but cry out. "W-what did you think she was? A protozoa?!"

Xieren had no clue what a protozoa was but figured that it didn't matter.

"It's not that, just... I never noticed." Thinking of the night before, Xieren felt a bit flustered but the notion that the images he'd seen in the book were the same sex as Xinyi was hard to fathom. He couldn't imagine Xinyi in such a way.

The thought alone made him shudder with distaste.

"You never noticed Xinyi was a girl?" Xuejie looked doubtful, because surely this man before wasn't that unaware.

"Xinyi is Xinyi."

"And girls are girls!" Xuejie cried, frustrated. "Xinyi is a beauty, the most beautiful girl in the sect and you are telling me, in all this time, you never noticed!?"

Xieren didn't know what to say to that. Had he known Xinyi was considered the most beautiful? Of course. Most of his time spent in the sect was him being harassed and bullied for being around the lovely flower. But Xinyi being beautiful was different than her being a female. At least to him.

Before he could speak his mind, the flower of the Tianjian sect joined them, smiling blissfully as she sat beside them. Her eyes glowed with mirth.

"Ah, what are you two talking about so passionately? Perhaps I might take part?" She offered, excited at the prospect of joining in. Her two favorite brothers were speaking so fiercely, it must be interesting.

"A-ah, Lovely Xinyi, I don't think-" Xuejie tried to speak but was interrupted by Xieren, who spoke in his usual matter-of-fact way.

"I was just asking Xuejie if you were female." He stated shamelessly, as Xuejie looked on, helpless in the face of this tragedy unfolding.

Xinyi froze, her mind blank. Of all the things she expected... this was no where close to what she thought was being spoken about. She blinked, trying to wrap her head around this.

"I-is that a question?" She asked, after coming to grips with the fact that, yes, this was what was happening right now. "Were you in doubt before this?"

"No, not really. I just didn't notice until now." He explained, not wanting to tell her everything. It was not right to discuss such things with a lady present after all. However, Xuejie felt the need to continue.

"Shizun told him to be gentle with girls and try to be nice." He lied, coming up with the perfect excuse to cover them. If Shizun was involved, Xieren was prone to acting and saying strange things.

"Of course Elder Shao is involved." She muttered, sighing helplessly. Usually, Xieren's strangeness only came out when that man said anything. "Wait, does this have to do with that girl who was all over A-Ren today?"

"Oh?" Xuejie cried, excited to hear his bro had already snagged a girl. "There was a girl like that?"

"Yeah, that girl was so sticky, it was strange." She complained, serving herself some food. "This big sister doesn't approve of such a partner for my family's A-Ren."

"I wasn't planning on getting any closer." Xieren snorted, thinking about the Xing He guy. If he kept talking to her, he'd have to deal with that bastard as well.

"Ah, but why not?! She's pretty and nice, right?" Xuejie asked, surprised at the double rejection.

"I don't know. Maybe." Xieren was a bit doubtful. He had been ignoring her mostly, since he had no interest in her. She was a liar and manipulator so he felt very guarded around her. "She should at least keep better company though."

"Better company?" Xinyi blinked at that, thinking she must have missed something.

"Her companions are..." Again, he thought about Xing He attacking Tankian and trying to harm that person and his mood plummeted. "Annoying."

Both his friends shared a look, clearly not believing that 'annoying' was the word he'd wanted to use.

"How so?" 

"They-" He started but was interrupted by a crash. People were still just waking up so it caught everyone by surprise when they heard a voice shouting.

"Hey, now, what kind of garbage is this?!" An unfamiliar face yelled, staring a bowl of red pot on the floor. The ominous red concoction had been tossed to the ground as soon as he'd taken a bite. "It's inedible!"

"How childish." Xinyi rolled her eyes, unamused by the man who continued on. It quickly became clear who this person was, since they were so 'kind' enough to proclaim their name to the heavens, lest the mere mortals miss it.

He Qiang.

Xuejie frowned, confused. Why was this person here?

"Those guys are-" He started when Xieren spoke up.

"It's them, the annoying ones." He grumbled, clenching his teeth. He Qiang started demanding to be served better food than what was before him.

"Y-you know them?" Xuejie asked, clearly very shocked.

"I met them a long time ago." He replied vaguely, not wanting to explain.

"Not today?" He asked, staring at the table as if waiting for it to reveal the answers to his questions.

"Were you not listening, A-jie?" Xinyi sighed, thinking Xuejie was just being silly. "That's what he said."

The conversation went on, unaware of the drastic change in plot that had already derailed the story. The plot continued on, moving forward despite the changes. While the interaction between He Qiang and Xieren was negative, it was now even worse than the original since Xieren had met them before as a child.

The small child who clung to the mysterious masked towns-person, was never supposed to be there. Even the masked man was never meant to exist at all.

But who could you really blame? How could that absent minded man who never read the story know just how much damage his simple decision to go into seclusion and hang around town would cause. People who were never meant to meet until later, met and animosity that was supposed to be tame had transformed into full on hatred.

Tired of hearing the man berate the cooks, Xieren stormed over, his anger reaching a boiling point. He stepped between He Qiang and the cooking ladies, who were already haggard from their regular jobs. To be chastised for things they couldn't help was too much.

"Who are you?" He demanded, scowling at this person. He was already in a bad mood since he'd been told to go eat elsewhere despite the fact that Xinyue was allowed to eat with the sect leader. They'd come together yet he was treated as lesser. Why? Just cause she was related to one of your masters, she is allowed yet he wasn't?

"Does it matter?" He countered, narrowing his eyes. "You are guests yet you are causing so much commotion over a simple bowl of soup."

"Simple?! This is horrendous." He said, pointing that the mess on the ground. "If the cooks think this is worthy to be put in front of me, then they should expect this."

"Repeat that." He growled, his teeth clenched.

"Are you going deaf from the fumes?" He mocked, sneering. "This is horrendous, horrible, disgusting. Not fit for even swine."

This... this bastard was insulting his Shizun's food?! That man, for years, had woken up before anyone just to cook some for everyone, though only Xieren ate it. Even after a long day of training, he never missed a day, looking pleased in his own way at the sight of the empty pot every night.

And this little shit called the result of all that work disgusting?!

He Qiang continued to list out all the flaws in the soup, unaware of the low growl rumbling from the young man before him. He could sense the glare being directed his way but he never let something like that get in the way of his thoughts.

Besides he could tell this disciple was weaker than him so he knew even if they came to blows, he'd win.

Sensing things were going downhill fast, Xuejie ran over to help dissolve the situation but...

The first fist flew and landed. He Qiang found himself on the floor, his nose bleeding. There was a moment of silence that fell.

After that, it was chaos.

While He Qiang tried to punch Xieren back, the formerly tired disciples who had been content to watch, formed a wall, holding the raging teen back. Xinyi had slipped out to call an elder while Xuejie smuggled Xieren out of the hall, which was harder than expected since the teen also wanted to continue to fight. He was snarling like a beast and his strength was almost too much for the young man. Had Xieren not recognized Xuejie's scent, he'd have already tossed him aside already.

"Damn it!" He cursed, pushing Xieren out the back doorway. The cooks had been nice enough to let him slip away through there. "Bro, you have to get out of here."

"But-"

"If you get caught, you won't get a chance to compete in the Sunjin conference."

"Xuejie..."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure no one tattles on you." He assured, patting his friend on the shoulder. "That He Qiang guy was being an ass and I doubt anyone will side with him. But you have to get out of here." He checked to see if anyone was around. Seeing no one, he pushed Xieren forward. "Now go."

***

Xieren soon found himself wandering about the sect, keeping out of sight. This was easy for him, since he'd been doing that since he'd first arrived. Those times he'd been hiding from bullies and sneaking meals in hopes it wouldn't be stolen. He hadn't had to do that for years.

He'd forgotten what it felt like.

He didn't like it.

Unbidden, he started growling again, memories of that long ago past his was setting his temper aflame.

"Xieren?" The young man jumped, noticing his master appearing from between the trees. How had he missed him?

"Shizun."

"Did you hear that just now?" Liang Fei asked, looking around the place.

"Just now?"

"The growling." Liang Fei grew closer, still searching for the source of the growling. It was definitely from some kind of beast. He couldn't allow it to harm his student but first he had to find it.

"O-oh, that." Xieren blushed, not wanting to admit it had been him. He hadn't even realized he was doing it. "Um... no?"

"Is that a question?"

Why were so many folks asking that of him today? He thought, taking a step back.

"No." Xieren replied, staring down at the ground. He had intended to say something else but as soon as their eyes met, he recalled the night before. All the naughty things he'd imagined this man doing. He couldn't look at him.

Liang Fei sighed, not sure what was wrong with this young man. What was he doing so far from everyone else? Had he been bullied again. Pushing down the rush of protectiveness within him, he took a step forward.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be..." His eyes drifted down and noticed blood on Xieren's hand. His heart jumped and he grabbed the young man's hand. "What happened to your hand?"

"Eh?" Xieren was getting dizzy from all the blood rushing to his head. Shizun was... he was holding his hand?! Eh? Was he saying stuff too? His mind couldn't keep up.

"Let me see." Liang Fei examined Xieren's hand, completely unaware of how his actions were affecting the pure youth before him. Instead, he wiped the blood away, worried his student might be hurt. "You knuckles are swollen and your thumb looks bruise. You didn't clench your fist correctly." He huffed, relieved he wasn't too hurt.

"Sorry."

"Rather then apologize, tell me who you punched." He sighed, a bit annoyed.

"I didn-"

"Do not lie to me, Xieren." He snapped, his free hand slamming against the tree trunk behind him. His eyes narrowed just the slightest bit as he pinned Xieren to the spot. The young man leaned back against tree, staring up at the older man wide eyed.

(AN: Full on Kabedon!)

With one hand pressed against the tree to prevent escape and the other holding the young man's hand, the position was very ambiguous, creating a sense of intimacy. They could feel each others breath on their faces.

Xieren's face was completely flushed, his heart racing from not only the proximity but the aftermath of being chastised by the older man so firmly. The command was firm, like a hand around one's neck.

Just the slightest clench and his breath would be stolen.

Damn it, he was getting hard again! While Xieren felt very ashamed for his body's reaction to Shizun's simple touch, he couldn't move away, letting his warmth seep into him.

He loved it~

Xieren really wanted to hug Shizun right then though he was unsure what he'd do afterward. That book had shown a lot but men and women were different.

"Xieren, are you listening to me?" Liang Fei asked, seeing the young man's blank (dazed) expression. He always got that look when Liang Fei scolded him recently. Truly, teens were hard to deal with. They never paid attention.

"Yes!" Xieren blinked, recalling what was happening. Really, Shizun was way too cool. It was distracting.

"Do you think this master is stupid?" Liang Fei asked, confusing the young man before him.

"N-never! But I-"

"No buts, tell me who has been bullying you." He said, folding his hands behind his back. "I will take care of it."

"...Shizun." Xieren was so happy just then. He'd expected the man to be angry but... Shizun was Shizun.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?"

"...I got into a fight." He replied, mumbling as he leaned back against the tree contritely. Anyone view such a sight would assume he was being scolded and want to comfort him.

Even Liang Fei felt a twinge of guilt for making this child (in his mind) sad but he suppressed it.

"Clearly, but why?" He asked, staring him down. The only sign of his innermost thoughts was the cocked brow elegantly questioning Xieren. "You are usually very well behaved."

"I'm sorry..."

"I don't need an apology." Liang Fei remained still, waiting for an explanation. Out of all his students, Xieren was the last person he expected to get into a fight. He seemed to be getting along with his classmates so why?

"That person..." He growled, still mad about the whole incident. That damn bastard! " They insulted someone I care for."

"Truly?"

"Un, that person worked hard on something and that bastard called it disgusting." He explained, his eyes narrowing as he recalled that bastards words. "I couldn't just-"

"No, that's not what you do." Liang Fei sighed, feeling a bit more like the adult than usual. He hadn't expected to have to teach this kind of lesson. It wasn't something he, a person who fought often in his old life, could really chastise.

"Was I not supposed to defend that person?" As expected, Xieren went on the defensive.

"No, but if you are going to fight, don't let yourself get hurt like this." He retorted, pointing at Xieren's swollen hand. Really, the child could wield a sword and supposedly fly on it yet couldn't throw a proper punch. Part of Liang Fei felt nothing but horror at his lack of guidance. "Otherwise, those who care for you will be sad."

This struck Xieren as odd, since he wasn't expecting to hear those words. Yes, he knew Shizun cared for his students even the bad ones but to hear him say it out loud was entirely different.

"Does Shizun... care for me?" He asked, his tone hopeful, though he wasn't sure what he was hoping for. Liang Fei, dense as he was, answered honestly.

"Of course, Xieren is one of my precious students." He answered, his tone soft since he truly did adore his students. "I hate seeing you guys get hurt."

"Student..." He mumbled, feeling strangely frustrated by the word. Why? Was it because he was just one of many seen as this man's students? Did he hope to be special?

"Now how do you plan on handling this?" He asked, missing the disappointment on the teens face. Especially since his face was now just full of question marks. The older man sighed. "That person you fought, I doubt it'll end here." He stated. He recalled the many many fights he'd been dragged into, so he knew that this was not the end. Xieren managed to get away without a hit, which meant the other guy was probably searching for a chance to change that. "Will you hide from them?"

"Never!" He recalled the frustration he felt at having to run and hide like before. He hated that feeling.

"Then just challenge them formally." Liang Fei simply suggested, not thinking much of it. Young men were like this so it was better to let them get it out of their system now rather than later.

"But..." Xieren started, a bit unsure. He'd managed to catch him off guard before but in a formal dual, he could definitely lose. He tried to explain this. "That person is much stronger than me. Perhaps not by much but I'm not sure I can-"

"Xieren." Liang Fei interrupted, looking Xieren straight in the eye with a steady look. "This person you were defending, are they important to you?"

Important? This person was you, Shizun so of course. The kind man who held him close when he was feverish and lost. The one who gently stroked his head when he was sad. The one who cooked soup every morning for all his students and diligently worked to make them strong.

Even if he disliked having to share Shizun with others, his kindness is what Xieren liked most about him.

"Y-yes!" He shouted, his face red but determined as he stared up at the older man.

Liang Fei couldn't help but grow curious. Who in the world was this person to get this child so worked up? Perhaps Xinyi? Or maybe someone new? Whomever they were, he was happy they were in this child's life.

"They must be if you are willing to risk my ire." He huffed, acting the part of the stern master. "But if that is so, don't worry about losing. You just have to not lose." He said simply.

"...Just not lose?" Xieren echoed, sure that he had just misheard.

"Right, it's as simple as that." He stated, confident that he was helping. "When I am lacking confidence, I just tell myself that and I feel like a winner and it helps." He explained, looking pleased with himself.

Xieren felt less so since he recalled Shizun's last attempt at a pep talk. It was... words couldn't describe how bad anyone would feel after hearing it. Yet that kind of talk encouraged him? Perhaps Shizun was just a strange person.

"I'm not sure that would work, Shi-"

"Besides, I know for a fact that you won't lose." He said, not a trace of doubt in his tone. It wasn't confidence but steady, as if stating a fact.

"You know?"

"You're stronger than you think, you just tend to hold back most times." He explained, relaxing against the tree. "I know you could be the strongest if you push yourself. You are, after all, one of my finalists to be sent to the Sunjin conference, so I know you are capable."

Liang Fei truly did believe in Xieren. While he was rash and unrefined, he was strong. He couldn't be sure how well he'd fare against those of other clans but he was confident that if anyone could be the top disciple in the sect, it'd be Xieren.

Still, he had to be fair and honest, so he spoke his mind.

"If you are truly so worried, just consider this." He said, wanting to cheer the young man up since he was so down. "When you beat this guy and the other finalists, you'll be allowed to travel with me on my mission and we can spar as much as you'd like."

He figured this child would love this, since he seemed to want nothing more than to beat Liang Fei. It was tiring but worth it if this child would stop acting so gloomy.

Liang Fei continued on with his pep talk, unaware of his use of the word 'when' as opposed to the 'if' he'd intended on saying. Xieren however, was fully aware and felt his heart tremble at the man's unconscious faith in him.

Shizun really is a great person.

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