The young boy was garbed in clothes similar to his, with patches of dust here and there. But, his eyes were unmistakably the same pair he looked at during his dinner at Lotus Pavilion, their shine and sharpness not obscured by the grime on the windows anymore.

The Zhengyi disciple gave him an once-over and asked, voice tinged with incredulity. “Which sect are you part of?”

Oh, God, I’d like to know that myself, too, he felt perspiration form on his back. Under the vigilant eyes of the disciple, he hid his trembling hands behind him and plastered a polite smile on his face.

“Ah, I’m a teacher living in a small town and came here to visit and help an old friend of mine,” he lied through his teeth and gave the young boy a glance. Albeit appearing slightly confused, the youth kept his lips clamped shut. “This boy used to be my pupil before he moved away.”

Fearing he might have given the disciple more details than necessary and, consequently, caused him to doubt the validity of his words, he readied himself to run at the first sign of his distrust. As the boy was sneaking peeks at the scene behind the disciple, he sighed, annoyance etched on his face.

“Move away. This is an official order from Huoshen Peak’s Lord of the Zhengyi Sect. This area is under supervision and restricted from entry. Please find another route for the time being,” the Zhengyi disciple repeated, prompting the man to exhale softly in relief.

“We’ll do just that,” he nodded and dragged the boy away, feeling as if he had dodged a bullet.

“Teacher, what was that?” the boy whispered once they were far away from any Zhengyi disciple.

He inhaled deeply as the youth used that term again to address him. Teacher. He was stumped about how to explain away the sudden change of his teacher’s identity without sounding too ludicrous. Additionally, he was now living in the same world as the acknowledged Zhengyi Sect, the one he had read about on Starnet. Not to mention how the waiter at the restaurant had mistaken him for an immortal. As the missing puzzle pieces slowly fell into place, he was coming to a conclusion: he had to be this boy’s master.

But, how? The probability that he was a human with no special abilities whatsoever was incredibly high, however he wasn’t completely sure.

“Err, I apologize, but… I’ve lost a big portion of my memories,” he replied very softly. The boy widened his eyes. “I don’t know what happened. All I remember is getting hit, before fainting and waking up in a dilapidated house.”

“That can’t be!” The boy immediately bought his story. “Do you remember me, Teacher?”

He offered the youth an apologetic smile, to which the boy froze for a moment, then reciprocated it with a small, awkward grin of his own.

“I see… I’m Xiang Jun,” the boy continued and pointed at himself. “But, Teacher, do you remember that…”

Xiang Jun. This name roused another recollection from the man—among the three legendary warriors under their master’s tutelage, one bore the name of Xiang Jun and was the first to drive his rusty sword through his master’s heart. A formidable fighter with an unstable personality.

That means… I’m Tian Hua, he thought and pictured his future demise at the hands of his own three disciples. Might as well dig my own grave and lay in it.

Yet, as Xiang Jun excitedly clarified a bit of his master’s past life, he couldn’t distinguish the crazed glint everyone spoke of on Starnet in his disciple’s eyes; rather, Xiang Jun displayed the innocent joy children possessed. It was natural to assume that Tian Hua hadn’t taken them in for that long; since he was shown even the slightest bit of reverence from this child, this indicated that the former owner of this body perhaps hadn’t gotten around to trample all over his disciples’ trust yet.

“...and you paid that trafficker and let us all out! Then, you summoned a big lizard which carried us all back to your sect, Teacher! But, you soon disappeared… That’s why I went by myself to track you down and…”

A trafficker? Tian Hua knitted his brows together. Were they being trafficked and Tian Hua paid for their liberation? Or for their ownership? At that thought, he scrunched his nose in distaste.

“How did you do that?” interrupted Tian Hua.

“Do what? Run all the way here?” Xiang Jun tilted his head.

“That. And track me down.”

“Oh, with this!” He tapped his nose gleefully. “I walked all the way to Qingfeng, but none of the locals knew where you were, Teacher! So, I used a handkerchief of yours to compare your smell with others, until I managed to find you here!”

Tian Hua frowned, feeling a tad weirded out, albeit impressed by his sharp sense of smell. Was he a dog or something?

“Let’s go,” he eventually said. Feeling passersby gazing at the pair, it was obvious they had lingered around for too long, and their matching attire only attracted unwanted attention. It wasn’t out of the question to suppose they would, also, catch the eye of a Zhengyi disciple if they wouldn’t hurry.

“Do you know where we are, Teacher?” Xiang Jun gave Tian Hua an unsure look, wavering between following his master and taking the lead himself.

Tian Hua glanced around at the traditional buildings with elegant sloping roofs and intricate dragon motifs. Then, his eyes drifted at the weathered faces of the villagers as they moved without stopping. Again, nothing of familiarity here.

Once Tian Hua shook his head, Xiang Jun comforted him immediately. “That’s fine! From what I remember, we are in the Longmu Citadel, so it should take about two days of walking to reach Qingfeng. Jinxuan Sect is not that far from that village, so about… an hour to reach our sect.”

“Two days?” Tian Hua felt his old legs almost give out. He couldn’t even dream of moving his former, feeble body for such long distances. Although he was overjoyed to be able to walk again, the thought of traipsing through villages, towns and wooded areas already exhausted his creaky hips.

“Let us go,” he spoke, trying to adopt whatever lofty image Tian Hua showed to those unknowing of his actual personality and not expose his hidden fear: that of succumbing to his fatigue and ending up in a ditch somewhere. Surely… his beloved disciple wouldn’t leave him behind during their way back. Surely.

“Um…” Xiang Jun paused to sniff the air. Tian Hua secretly did this too, but all he could smell was the overbearing tang of street food. Was this supposed to work?

He turned to look at his teacher and pointed in a random direction. “This way!”

Where is he leading me to…? Tian Hua felt a bit skeptical about his method of finding the route back to the sect, but followed after the boy nevertheless.

Longmu’s residents moved with a tranquility that mirrored the serenity of their surroundings. The city’s architecture was a breathtaking fusion of natural elements and intricate craftsmanship. Crowded stalls displayed dragon statuettes and other dragon-shaped ornaments. At the apex of the citadel stood proudly the Spire Archive, a towering structure crowned with a gleaming dragon statue.

“Many scholars from all over the empire gather there every month to sell their scrolls,” explained Xiang Jun. “That’s what Senior Sister Long told me. She lived here for a year before she moved to Baiyun.”

“Senior Sister Long?” asked Tian Hua, the name jogging his memory.

“That’s Senior…” Xiang Jun could almost hardly believe anyone could forget Senior Sister Long. “That’s Long Xinyue…! There’s three of us: me, Senior Sister Long and Senior Brother—I mean, Yang Junchen!”

Why do their names sound so intimidating? Tian Hua felt a drop of sweat drip down his neck.

“Do your… the other disciples know you went after me?”

“Of course,” Xiang Jun frowned. “But, they didn’t agree at first and wanted me to stay and wait for you. I didn’t wanna!” A small pout. “You were nice for saving us, Teacher, and I know not everyone’s perfect. Still… I felt… sad that you left us alone shortly after, but we looked after the sect in your absence! There were also villagers from Qingfeng who came and visited the—”

The color drained from his face and he quickly clamped his lips shut.

“Visited what?” Tian Hua pressed, curious at the uncalled for reaction. “The sect?”

“N, nothing. Forget about it,” Xiang Jun shook his head and marched forward.

Tian Hua put two and two together and guessed what probably occurred while he was away; Long Xinyue and Yang Junchen were good judges of character and imagined Tian Hua hadn’t saved them out of kindness. With their master being absent from the picture out of the blue, although it would’ve been difficult for them to provide for themselves, they were living in much better conditions than before.

Yang Junchen and Long Xinyue let other villagers come visit the sect knowing fully well that, if Tian Hua were to be there, it would not be allowed.

Xiang Jun’s younger than the other two, keeping in mind the titles he addresses them with, thought Tian Hua as he moved faster to catch up with Xiang Jun. They must’ve told him to stay put and not do anything dumb, but he left without their knowledge to bring me back.

Tian Hua envisioned the warm welcome which awaited him back at the sect. Oh, the other two should be brimming with excitement and glee by now, anticipating their master’s arrival with bated breaths!

He wiped the sweat off his forehead.

Oh, man.

 

. . . . .

 

Nestled between steep hills and ancient forests was the Resplendent Lotus Inn, a rundown guest house which, after much bargaining with its innkeeper, they had slept at for the night; and for its price, it had definitely offered the utmost substandard accommodation. Tian Hua for one had been happy to, at the very least, rest without the fear of rousing with a bear munching on his legs. Xiang Jun, not so much.

He had brought with him a pouch with a few dozen copper coins—stolen, naturally, from his own master’s bedroom—and had been expecting to sleep somewhere else entirely.

“Why did you bring so much with you?!” Tian Hua had been one excuse away from tugging at his hair.

“This disciple apologizes for his insolence!” Xiang Jun had immediately bowed, voice devoid of any guilt whatsoever.

Yet, thanks to Xiang Jun, Tian Hua’s cracking joints—because, as he had discovered, his new body, albeit younger than his former, was anything but athletic—were saved for the entirety of the trip by stopping at a livery stable and renting a carriage. Thus, their journey was greatly shortened and they reached Qingfeng the next night, pouch completely empty.

Tian Hua remained glued on the spot. His eyes darted from building to building; simple wooden homes with gracefully sloped roofs blended seamlessly with the surrounding landscape. Colorful stalls overflowed with fruits, handcrafted talismans and scrolls containing tales. The eclectic mix of inhabitants in Qingfeng formed a tapestry of diverse backgrounds and skills.

“That’s the Jinxuan Sect, Teacher!” Xiang Jun interrupted his reverie, finger lifted to the peak where, in the distance, the faint outline of a dwelling could be discerned. “Only a bit more and we are there.”

Tian Hua felt the weariness seep deeply into his bones, each step becoming harder and harder to follow through.

The trail began at the outskirts of Qingfeng, where the sharp laughter and chit-chatter were drowned by the noise of birds and crickets. Well-worn dirt pathways led through groves of bamboo and gnarled trees. As the ascent continued, the canopy thickened.

Soon, the path evolved into a series of uneven stone steps, the edges worn smooth. Overhead, the forest began to thin, granting glimpses of the world below.

The road before them was enveloped in perpetual shadow; Tian Hua raised his hand before his face, but everything was obscured in darkness.

What a great place to silently end someone, Tian Hua glanced in front of him where he presumed Xiang Jun was. Not to mention how close we are to the sect.

“Do you hear that, Teacher?” Xiang Jun suddenly halted his movements, to which Tian Hua faithfully followed.

Tian Hua craned his neck and focused only on the sounds Xiang Jun made. “What?”

The friction of skin on clothing. Some rummaging. An inhale. Then, the unhurried footsteps nearing him. “It’s here, Teacher… Can’t you hear it?”

He strained his ears to listen closely for any abrupt movements Xiang Jun could do. With his foot already directed towards the way back to the village, Tian Hua dumbly repeated, “What?”

Without so much of a warning, Xiang Jun dashed to his position and—whoosh!—his hand stretched to catch him. Tian Hua had been one step ahead, however; he scampered down the stairs, heart hammering against his ribcage.

“Teacher?” Xiang Jun called out in confusion. “What happened? I was only picking some Moonshade Radiant Grass!”

Tian Hua stopped and glanced back at Xiang Jun. The disciple was shaking the plant in his hand, producing a dim glow, enough to reveal Xiang Jun’s genuine bewilderment painted on his face. Only then had he realized that this Moonshade Radiant Grass was about everywhere, but the apprehension clouding his mind caused him to completely disregard it.

“Ah…” Though still with some reluctance, Tian Hua sluggishly walked back to Xiang Jun. “...I was looking for Moonshade Radiant Grass, too,” he added.

When he was close, there was an indistinct sound coming from the grass Xiang Jun was holding; the whispering chimes and faint hum of the Moonshade Radiant Grass were scarcely audible.

“Don’t you remember, Teacher?” The change in Xiang Jun’s tone and cadence was subtle. “I and Senior Sister Long even picked them in your absence because you told us it’s good for our cultivation!”

Tian Hua barely held himself back from grimacing. I doubt that’s true.

With the Moonshade Radiant Grass acting as their source of light, they at last reached the end of their journey—the Jinxuan Sect.

Before him were stone stairs leading to an expansive courtyard, where an abode was situated right at the center, surrounded by willows. Small stone statues depicting swans were placed close to the wooden fences enclosing the residence. At the sides were another two lavish dwellings, albeit decrepit. Little lamps could be spotted casting light upon the surroundings.

At the top of the stairs were two youths, each staring more daggers at him than the other.

Glancing behind him, the cobblestoned path led to another set of stone stairs, providing a route down the mountain and to Qingfeng. However, the distance was much too great for his body to endure and he had no sword to fly away on.

There goes my escape route, he sighed inwardly.

Xiang Jun smartly stepped in front of Tian Hua and spoke for him, “I brought Teacher to help us! There was no way for us to take care of the sect without Teacher to assist us!”

An older boy at the front wavered, before deciding upon bowing, displaying as much consideration as one would to their master. “This disciple greets his Teacher.”

He was the only one to do so. The other disciple, a girl who stood somewhere in the back, scowled at him, before adjusting her expression into one of blissful ignorance.