Somehow, they all end up converging outside of the Sect Leader’s private residence, comparing notes. Peak Lord Xiu for one proves immensely enthusiastic, going as far as to retrieve some of her predecessor’s old portraits depicting former Peak Lord Jiao, Jiao Zilei, and former Peak Lord Bai, Bai Jixue.

Apparently, that folding fan from earlier had in fact belonged to the latter, and given Bai Mingyue’s recent stay over in the Demon Realm, it seems as though the former Peak Lord Bai might not be as ascended as it had previously been claimed.

Cheng Kong doesn’t pay much attention to that though, because he’s quite preoccupied elsewhere, and looking at the portrait of one Jiao Zilei, he is able to confirm what he had already feared, namely that Master Wu Ming – the wandering rogue cultivator – had in fact been none other than former Peak Lord Jiao, the good-for-nothing Peak Lord who had abandoned his duties, leaving his disciples and the sect to fend for themselves.

Looking up from the portrait, Cheng Kong briefly catches the eye of Jiao Ziyu, who swiftly averts his gaze with a mildly sheepish expression. Given the latter’s involvement in this whole affair, it’s highly likely that the other had already had months to process this startling piece of information. The question is what else the other might know.

“Senior Martial Brother Jiao,” Cheng Kong says, and are they indeed not brothers, having studied under the same master, albeit at different points in time? “What can you tell us about the fate of your predecessor, former Peak Lord Jiao?”

Unfortunately, the Heavens choose that exact moment for Bai Mingyue to exit, which immediately prompts Jiao Ziyu to follow. This leaves the rest of them just standing there, looking back and forth in-between their retreating backs and the place that the current Peak Lord Bai had just vacated.

Then finally, Peak Lord Xiu speaks up.

“Someone should go and check in on Sect Leader Yeguang,” she quickly suggests, directing a not very subtle look in Cheng Kong’s direction.

He doesn’t move though, even as he notices multiple looks exchanged. But then, another pushes him forward; Elder Lin, who coughs.

“Peak Lord Cheng,” the other says. “Please see to it that Sect Leader Yeguang doesn’t do anything too drastic in his current state. I fear that recent revelations might’ve brought up unpleasant memories for him.”

“That is indeed true,” Elder Wen agrees, laying her hand atop Cheng Kong’s shoulder. “Keep an eye on things, young man.”

“Yes, Peak Lord Cheng,” Peak Lord Xiu quickly agrees, putting her hand atop his other shoulder. “Now more than ever, Sect Leader Yeguang needs your support. Be sure to provide it.”

There’s a clear insinuation in her voice, and Cheng Kong is by no means oblivious to it. He isn’t about to act upon it however, saying nothing as the trio take their leave.

This in turn leaves him with Elder Huang, who chooses that very moment to turn around to face him. Is the other about to offer him some words of ‘wisdom’ as well?

“As my esteemed colleagues say, it might be a good idea for someone to keep an eye on the situation,” Elder Huang finally says, turning his attention back towards the door. “But don’t worry. If you won’t, then I will. That might just be for the best after all, because you look like you could use some time for yourself, no?”

It’s a decidedly gracious offer, but Cheng Kong opts not to take it. He does take the other thing Elder Huang offers him however, because although he isn’t quite sure what to do with that crystal-powered lantern, refusing a second time would’ve been rude.

As such, he takes it and then quickly puts it inside his spatial ring. Then, alone at last, he waits.

 

---

 

It’s already dark by the time Yi Yeguang emerges. The Sect Leader doesn’t seem to have noticed him though, which makes sense, because Cheng Kong has been shielding his own presence.

The latter is a neat little trick taught to him by his onetime master, now known to him as former Peak Lord Jiao, and as Cheng Kong thinks about this, he cannot help but wonder: How much was already known? How much had others seen and recognised?

It’s not outrageous to assume that the Elders had seen the traces of Jiao Zilei’s swordsmanship in his, and the same likely applied to anyone who’d had close contact with the man – Jiao Ziyu for certain, but potentially others as well. Hell, even Yi Yeguang might’ve known, but refrained from saying anything. The Sect Leader’s opinion of former Peak Lord Jiao is no great secret after all, and Yi Yeguang might’ve thought of it as an issue best to be avoided. And perhaps it is, but⸺

Further up the path, Yi Yeguang comes to a stop, and Cheng Kong does the same, waiting with bated breath. Has he been discovered?

From the looks of it, it doesn’t seem like it – and if he has, then Yi Yeguang is clearly paying him no heed. Instead, the Sect Leader makes his way towards his destination, which appears to be the Great Pagoda.

Soon, Yi Yeguang is making his way to the top, and although unnerved by this sudden turn of events, Cheng Kong realises that he cannot follow. Because if he does, then Yi Yeguang would definitely notice, and frankly, Cheng Kong doesn’t want him to feel cornered, especially not now. Instead, he decides to do as instructed. He’ll keep an eye on things, if only from a distance. Because maybe Yi Yeguang simply wants to clear his head and to watch the night skies?

Cheng Kong wishes that he could’ve joined him. But for now, such a thing is not to be – though he hopes that such a thing would be possible one day, and hopefully not one too far off into the future. But of course, it remains to be seen what sort of relationship they would have after all of this.

With a heavy heart and a heavy sigh, he settles in for a long wait.

 

---

 

Why, why does it have to be this way?

Why couldn’t he have been born just a little bit earlier, and under better circumstances?

Why couldn’t he just have been the son of a mere farmer or merchant or really just anything but what he truly was?

There’s no such thing as noble blood, and noblemen are hardly the noblest of men. And what is Cheng Kong, truly? What was he then, and what is he these days?

He hasn’t thought about it for years, and now is not the time to waver.

There’s the presence of another, and Cheng Kong is immediately on guard, looking for threats. But he finds none. Instead, his eyes find Jiao Ziyu, standing atop his sword up in the air, his partner nowhere in sight.

The latter's absence isn’t all that strange though. Because Bai Mingyue is undoubtedly with that new disciple of his, making up for lost time and whatnot.

Thinking this, Cheng Kong pities him a little – the disciple, that is, not the master. That said however, he also envies him a little – because for all his strictness, Bai Mingyue must treasure him a fair amount to venture all the way into the Demon Realm to retrieve him.

Granted, the latter event might’ve spiralled into Bai Mingyue becoming overprotective. However, given the young man’s record, such protectiveness is not without reason – and if Yi Yeguang were ever abducted by a demon or by anyone else for that matter – then Cheng Kong wouldn’t just get him back; he would work very hard to ensure that there would be no repeat of the incident. Of course, this is something that Cheng Kong would never be able to tell the other. But even so, he does have a fair idea as to what the Sect Leader might say if he ever did:

“While I do appreciate the thought, I doubt such a thing would occur, seeing to the fact that I am of no greater importance. But if such a thing were to occur, then I’d rather you stayed behind to protect the sect.”

And upon hearing this, Cheng Kong would bow and say nothing further while internally bewailing how Yi Yeguang consistently put too little value in his own existence – not just as the leader of the Windward Sect, but as a person. Because he does have value, but what would it take for him to see that? What would it take to teach him that? Clearly, some drastic measures would be necessary, and Cheng Kong would rather not have things come to that. But⸺

Looking up, he watches as Jiao Ziyu flies over to engage in a brief conversation with Yi Yeguang. If Cheng Kong strained his ears, then it would’ve been easy enough to eavesdrop – but he isn’t here for that. Instead, he quietly slinks away, intending to continue his surveillance from an even greater distance.

It’s a quite animated conversation though, and even from his new vantage point, Cheng Kong cannot help but catch snippets of it whenever Jiao Ziyu raises his voice, accompanying his statement with some dramatic gesture.

Apparently, the other had made some grievous mistake and awoken Bai Mingyue’s ire, and Cheng Kong quietly pities the man – because what a fate it must be, to be the cultivation partner of that Bai Mingyue. Because obvious benefits aside, the position undoubtedly came with certain drawbacks.

Then again, though Cheng Kong and Jiao Ziyu had apparently studied under the same master, the two of them are still different people with wildly different tastes and priorities – something that couldn’t have been made more apparent than in the ones they had chosen to pursue – and, through some miracle or otherwise, Jiao Ziyu had succeeded. Because, while Cheng Kong could believe all sorts of things about Bai Mingyue and the latter’s motives, some hours ago, he’d realised something.

Because even with no words of love or displays of physical affection, Cheng Kong had definitely seen it; that faint smile on Bai Mingyue’s lips as he had given the sheepishly smiling Jiao Ziyu just enough time to catch up. Then, it had no longer been one of them chasing the other. It had been them standing together, and leaving together.

And looking at their retreating backs, Cheng Kong had found himself with a sudden admiration for his newly discovered senior martial brother. Because thawing Bai Mingyue’s frozen heart is a feat that not even Yi Yeguang had managed. Then again, the more Cheng Kong sees, the less frozen said heart appears. Because there’s evidently room in it for more than one person – so why not for Yi Yeguang?

“I really cannot say that I ever liked the bastard⸺”

Elder Wen’s words echo in his mind, resonating strangely.

“⸺I rather doubt anyone currently at the Green Jade Peaks ever did – if they truly knew him, that is...”

That bastard, former Sect Leader Yi.

“⸺In my humble opinion, the only good thing he ever did was to bring Yi Yeguang into the inner sect, and truthfully, I’d rather he hadn’t. I’d rather have taken him in myself.”

Every single one of them could’ve done that, so why hadn’t they? Why?

“Honestly, it’s such a mess. Honestly, what a mess. We were rooting for them and everything, and even tried giving them a helping hand. But then that bastard Yi had to get involved and ruin everything!”

Them – Jiao Zilei and his intended, whoever that had been. But then former Sect Leader Yi had to get involved and ruin every⸺

Sensing another presence – this one also achingly familiar – Cheng Kong looks up to see the arrival of Demon Prince Youming Jun, and instead of unsheathing his blade, his hand stays right where it is.

Demon Prince Youming Jun – the son of Jiao Zilei.

Strangely enough, looking at the boy now, Cheng Kong experiences no resentment. Of course, he has by no means forgotten about his earlier grievances, and especially not the ones that had taken place mere hours ago. And yet, having learned about the other’s ancestry, he finds himself a lot less inclined to pursue the matter.

Because frankly, with the other carrying the blood both of Jiao Zilei and that of Demon Realm royalty, how could the other be anything but menace to society?

Because yes, Cheng Kong is indeed grateful towards the former Peak Lord Jiao for taking the time to teach him, but that in itself doesn’t mean that he doesn’t any complaints about the man’s behaviour! And now, now⸺

Youming Jun says something – something taunting, with all due likelihood – and then⸺

Even from some distance away, Cheng Kong sees it very clearly; his senior martial brother pushing the Demon Prince off of the roof – and for a very brief moment, he is alarmed. But before he can do more than process the fact however, Youming Jun has already flipped himself around and vanished into a dimensional rift, reappearing soon thereafter standing upon solid ground.

The Demon Prince then spends a good moment staring up towards Jiao Ziyu, likely offended by such treatment. Then, he vanishes again, swiftly reappearing at Cheng Kong’s location.

“So,” Demon Prince casually begins, acting as if Cheng Kong hadn’t just witnessed all of that. “Are you here looking for revenge or...?”

Honestly⸺

Cheng Kong opens his mouth to speak, but then snaps it back shut as there are movements from atop the pagoda.

Yi Yeguang leans over the edge for a bit, but then Jiao Ziyu pulls him back; a wise decision for sure.

Of course, even if Yi Yeguang had managed to topple over the edge, Cheng Kong would’ve had time to catch him long before he reached the ground.

“Don’t worry,” the Demon Prince says, his voice pitched to a conspiratorial whisper. “Those drunkards haven’t noticed you yet.”

Drunkards? “Sect Leader doesn’t drink.”

He doesn’t, and this is reasonably well-known despite it not being very openly discussed, not even amongst the other Peak Lords. It’s equally well-known that Bai Mingyue doesn’t drink – or at the very least, not in a remotely public setting.

Perhaps it’s the same for Yi Yeguang though – and honestly, what does Cheng Kong know? What does he know about what happens behind closed doors, alone or in-between two or more pairs of eyes? He knows very little, as a matter of fact.

“Well,” the Demon Prince says. “He might’ve been the more sober out of the two, but he certainly didn’t look sober to me. But whatever, it’s not my problem anymore if you’re here.”

Cheng Kong frowns, because⸺ “Why?”

For this, he earns himself an almost quizzical look.

“Why?” the Demon Prince repeats, now frowning as well. “In-between you and I, which of us do you think that Master Bai would rather have escorting the Sect Leader back to his quarters?”

Cheng Kong would very much like to think that it would be him. That said however⸺ “Why would Peak Lord Bai think that the Sect Leader requires an escort?”

Granted, the other Peak Lords had also seemed to think that someone – preferably Cheng Kong – ought to stick close to Yi Yeguang for the time being. But why would Peak Lord Bai dispatch the Demon Prince for such a task?

“He didn’t say,” Youming Jun readily admits, offering up a dismissive wave. “I’d imagine it might have something to do with the Sect Leader’s constitution though.”

Constitution?

Noticing Cheng Kong’s visible confusion, the Demon Prince looks briefly towards the top of the pagoda and then back towards him. Youming Jun then puts his hands into his sleeves, regarding Cheng Kong with a mixture of puzzlement and dawning understanding.

“Oh,” he finally says. “Well, if you don’t know, you don’t know, and I won’t tell you – not for free, at least.”

And with those words, he vanishes once more, leaving Cheng Kong to stew on what he had just heard – something about Yi Yeguang’s constitution?

Cheng Kong mulls it over, trying to match this new piece of information with any of the ones he had previously gathered.

Could it be that Yi Yeguang was actually in poor health?

Cheng Kong finds this rather unlikely, all things considered. Because while he is undeniably the stronger out of the two of them, that in itself doesn’t make Yi Yeguang weak. Physically and in terms of qi reserves, Cheng Kong might have the upper hand in a physical spar, but who says that the strongest cultivator has to be the Sect Leader?

Such might’ve been tradition in many other cultivation sects – that much is true. However, here at the Green Jade Peaks, things are different – stemming from the sect’s unorthodox origins, no doubt. It’s also a relatively young sect – especially in terms of generations. Yi Yeguang is only the third to hold the title of Sect Leader after all, the first being Founder Yi.

As for the rest of the Peak Lords, they are also the third or fourth generation according to the records maintained by Elder Wen – though in the case of Elder Huang, there’s some ambiguity as to when the other had succeeded his master; a clerical error obviously noted yet somehow never properly addressed.

Then again, neglecting to address existing problems seems to be something of a thing at the Green Jade Peaks. Because this remains a continuous problem amongst the Peak Lords, no matter the generation. Such is Cheng Kong’s impression, at any rate.

And while Cheng Kong could hardly deny having grown quite frustrated with Yi Yeguang’s actions or inaction at times, he now feels like he understands them a lot better than before. Granted, he’s not quite there yet, but still.

Watching the pair make their way down from above, he makes sure to remain hidden. As such, he’s treated to the spectacle of a visibly inebriated Peak Lord Jiao latching onto Yi Yeguang, enveloping him in a tight hug, wailing some sort of gibberish, all while Yi Yeguang calmly pats him on the back.

After that, a few quiet words are exchanged – they sound quite admonishing on Yi Yeguang’s end, though they seem to lift Jiao Ziyu’s spirits quite a bit, because the latter soon salutes and leaves, humming merrily as he goes on his way.

As for Yi Yeguang, the other spends a good moment staring at Jiao Ziyu’s retreating back before letting out a heavy sigh and turning on his heel.

Thankfully, both of them seem to have enough sense in them not to go flying on any swords while in such a state, although Yi Yeguang does seem to be faring better out of the two. Even so, Cheng Kong follows at a distance as the Sect Leader begins descending one of the Green Jade Peaks’ sprawling staircases, keeping slightly ahead just in case. But then⸺

With a heavy sigh, Yi Yeguang pauses midway down the staircase. Then he turns his face towards the now luminous moon, and Cheng Kong cannot help but wonder what he’s thinking. In fact, he cannot help but wonder about a whole lot of things.

“Sect Leader.”

In truth, he hadn’t meant to break cover. However, it’s as though something had suddenly compelled him to do so, compelling him to speak.

“Evening, Peak Lord Cheng,” Yi Yeguang says, not even looking at him as he steps out into the open. Instead, Yi Yeguang pinches the bridge of his nose, eyebrows furrowed in a way that indicates great discomfort. Even so, when he speaks, his voice remains perfectly pleasant.

“The moon’s beautiful tonight,” he says, looking back up at the moon for a long while – far too long, in Cheng Kong’s private opinion.

“I suppose,” Cheng Kong finally says, giving the heavenly body a cursory look before looking back at Yi Yeguang. The moon is beautiful, objectively speaking. But⸺ “But even though it is beautiful, it remains ever cold and distant.”

Like Bai Mingyue to Yi Yeguang, and Yi Yeguang to him.

“Whether or not it’s cold or distant, I still seek it,” Yi Yeguang says, undoubtedly aware of Cheng Kong’s gaze but purposefully avoiding it.

Honestly⸺ “A waste of effort.”

And it is, because hadn’t Bai Mingyue already made his intentions clear? Bai Mingyue had already⸺

“I’ve wasted my efforts on worse,” Yi Yeguang says, his tone and expression wistful as he continues gazing up at the moon.

Then, apparently satisfied, he puts his hands into his sleeves as he turns back around to face Cheng Kong at last. He doesn’t look at him for very long though, instead closing his eyes.

“Peak Lord Cheng, you may retire for the night.” Saying this, he inclines his head. “And know that, should there be a repeat of today’s incident, then you have my full confidence to deal with it as you see fit. As for your feelings in regards to me, this one would advise Peak Lord Cheng to reconsider. However, Peak Lord Cheng is free to do with them as he likes, although this one doubts they’ll ever lead anywhere.”

But they had led him – they had led him right to this point. And as things are, they would continue to lead him in the future yet to come.

However, this is still a resounding rejection, and it stings despite Cheng Kong already having prepared himself for such.

But it doesn’t matter – none of it does. It doesn’t matter that Yi Yeguang looks at him like that – not like he’s something unseemly, but rather as if his presence is some great inconvenience to him. And perhaps it is, but it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter, because Cheng Kong is here, and⸺

Yi Yeguang leaves. He descends the staircase and steps past Cheng Kong, and Cheng Kong doesn’t follow. He stays right where he is, staring at the other’s retreating back with a sinking feeling in his chest.