"Right. There was a bit of an intermission there, but let's not allow that to distract us from what we're here for."

The voice of the red-haired and blue-eyed girl that was responsible for Li Yang's group cut through the silence that formed after Li Yang's standoff with the older disciple. She, Xingguang, quickly glossed over the beatdown he got, ignoring the bloody teeth he had spat out so that she could move on to the actual subject that should be of interest. She had already explained things to the other 11 people gathered around her, but her gaze settled on the approaching Li Yang and Mei Kongxu. New arrivals warranted a repeat of the situation they faced.

"Let's take what you just saw as a lesson, we may be your overseers, but that does not mean that we'll just sit back and listen to whatever you say. We will retaliate if you go too far, and if you really want to push your boundaries then we can even kill you. And if there are some among you who plan to gang up on us guides to force us into submission, I want you to know that we've all been granted this..."

They were technically considered overseers, provided by the temple so that they could keep an eye on the situation in the valley while also looking out for whatever may cause the string of recent disappearances. But they were not slaves, nor were they servants, they were technically free to treat the others however they wanted, assuming that it didn't end up affecting the prestige of the temple. As for the item she spoke of, it was the pendant she wore, her slender finger tapping the black orb that adorned it.

"This pendant, while looking normal, is actually a weapon provided by the temple. Upon activation, it will draw in every drop of Qi within 50 metres, even from within your body, and unleash it as a concussive blast. Needless to say, if you get hit by that blast, without any defence no less, you will be minced. So let's be sensible and do our best to make sure we stay alive, okay?"

The last thing the temple needed was for the disciples they provided to die a pointless death, robbed by mere outsiders who scrounged for scraps in their territory. And if they still managed to get killed even after using the trump card they provided? Well, then they were just proving that they didn't deserve to be part of the temple. That was just how the larger sects were, it took an immense amount of effort and sacrifice to stay within the top 100 ranked sects, a single mishap could easily cost them their rank, or even their inclusion entirely. Naturally, how aware of this fact most normal disciples were was questionable, it varied from sect to sect.

Xingguang's gaze still lingered on Li Yang and Mei Kongxu, drifting between the two for a short moment. She then cupped her hands, acting neither respectful nor disrespectful, she was simply polite, as if she was following instructions from a book.

"You. You said you were Li Yang, correct? I am Xingguang, and as you can see, I am the overseer of this group. My Brother has left you in my care and hopes that you will be able to survive, at least until you can return those punches. As such, I hope that you can be cooperative, it'll make it much easier for all of us to return home alive."

Just as her gaze lingered on him, his gaze lingered on her. But while she looked delicate and clean, he was messy and dirty. Blood and dust still stuck to his face, two small rivulets of blood leaking out from between his lips. He had wiped away as much as he could, but it was inevitable that he couldn't get all the dust, and just as inevitable was it that more blood would leak out from his mouth, he was bound to look a bit miserable.

But his eyes, the slightly dark eyes that had allowed Xingguang's brother to see his true nature, they still glittered brightly. His lips were also still curved, twisted into that cocky mask that made it look as if he hadn't just been beaten down.

"Eh, Xingguang, is it? So it's Fairy Sister Xing then. I like it, rolls off the tongue as easily as the morning dew and tastes as sweet as a drop of honey, it suits you. And of course I'll be cooperative, I could never go against the earnest request of a Fairy like you. But say, how about we go out for some drinks afterwards, chat about our cultivation and get to know each other, yeah?"

Xingguang's lips twitched faintly. He spoke so softly and sweetly, like a quiet whisper shared between lovers. Insufferable, that really was the only word she could think of as she looked at that visage. He looked so honest and earnest, as if he really meant what he said. But she trusted her Brother, she trusted what he had said, what he had seen in Li Yang. A facade, that was what her Brother had seen. But she couldn't see it, she couldn't judge his eyes as her Brother had, she couldn't see the prideful beast lurking within them. And truthfully, that made her a little sad, she really was still so far away from her Brother.

"It seems you still have the heart to make a fool of yourself, was the beating Brother gave you not enough?"

Even if she was disappointed with herself, she didn't allow it to show on her face. She was the overseer of this group, selected by the Star's Gaze Temple to represent them, she had to look imposing yet reliable at all times. She questioned the sanity of the man in front of her, who could be beaten for his ways and then turn around and just repeat them. But he simply maintained his smile, his head cocking just a little as he raised his shoulders in a carefree shrug.

"If a bit of a beating was enough to make me change, that would be more laughable than anything, don't you think so?"

A conviction that could be crushed by just a few punches was a conviction worth less than dirt, and a man who could hold such a conviction was worth even less. Li Yang's conviction was not that light, his laughter would not be silenced by something as pathetic as a few punches, something as minor as a moment of humiliation. He laughed now, and he would be the one to laugh in the end.

Xingguang's eyebrows furrowed for a moment as she mulled over Li Yang's words, the other people in their group weighing them far more lightly. But Xingguang nodded her head. Yes, she found his act somewhat insufferable, but those were words she could agree with.

"...Yes, I guess there is some truth in what you say. Very well, at least you're stubborn, that counts for something. You have a hard life, miss, my condolences."

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The latter part of her sentence was directed toward Mei Kongxu, who had arrived beside Li Yang. She had a rather cold exterior that made it look like it would be hard to get close to her, but even Xingguang could tell that there was a slight crease between her eyebrows. The exact reason for that crease however was not something she could determine, even as she answered.

"The name is Mei Kongxu. Ignoring him is the easiest way to annoy him, pretend like he never said anything and it grates at his mind. It's hard so I still occasionally rely on some violence out of instinct, but it should be the best way to handle him."

She had noticed it a few times already. There was no worth in laughing at someone if they didn't react, there was no worth in mocking someone for their ways if it didn't make them angry. Li Yang was angry at how boring the people of this world were so he wanted to laugh at them, wanted to mock them for throwing away everything so stupidly.

But what was the point in doing any of that if they didn't react? If they weren't annoyed, if they didn't think of their own idiotic methods, if they didn't realize that he was right? If they did none of that, what worth would there be in what he did? And that was why it was the best way to handle him. But at the same time, was it easy to just ignore someone who went about with a smirk as lopsided as Li Yang? It really wasn't, so Mei Kongxu didn't take Xingguang's nod to heart.

"I see, thank you for the word of advice, I'll make sure to keep it in mind."

She really meant it, if ignoring him was the easiest way to deal with him then that was exactly what she would do. But she could only say that because she didn't know Li Yang, because she hadn't experienced the true depths of his facade. And indeed, even though his weakness had been handed out, Li Yang still acted the same.

"Ah, Wifey really is brutal. Why don't you just hand them a knife and let them stab me?"

His expression twisted as he spoke, even his body language seemed to speak of his grievances and the unfairness he had to suffer. How easy it was to be fooled by it, how easy it was to believe that this was all there was to him. And that was why Mei Kongxu scoffed at him.

"I've seen how you train, how you're still training. You'd just be happy if they stabbed you, wouldn't you?"

She knew how he trained, how hypocritical he was. She could still hear the sound of stones hitting flesh, of bones creaking under immense weight. It was faint, so faint that it was basically invisible, but she could tell that his shoulders were quivering slightly, his toes were probably doing the same. How strong was the gravity he was bearing right now? How much pressure bore down on him with each step, with each breath?

He mocked those who threw away things without a second thought, he laughed at those who focused on their cultivation above all else. But he wasn't much better than them, the only thing that set them apart was that he had abandoned those things he laughed at in favour of self-harm. He abandoned focus and sacrifices in favour of pain and solitary suffering.

But then again, perhaps the fact that he could smile and laugh even while doing those things, the fact that he truly seemed to enjoy those things, perhaps that was enough to separate him from the rest. Insanity. Pure and clean, and great enough to swallow the world, fueled by an endless ocean of pride and arrogance.

"I mean, I'm not normally for it. But if it's Wifey and Fairy Sister Xing then I can probably make an exception. We'd have to try it first to be sure, so what do you two say?"

Li Yang could not read Mei Kongxu's thoughts, her speculations, so he kept talking as he always did, that lopsided smirk adorning his expression. But sadly for him, the two women immediately acted on Mei Kongxu's advice, Xingguang turning her gaze away to draw the attention of the other people in her group.

"13 people, that should be just at the fringes of what I can handle right now. Very well, then we shall head in like this. But before then, let us set some ground rules to set you all at ease."

Li Yang may have been the most memorable, or perhaps annoying, member of her group, but that didn't mean that he was the only member. The others quickly focused on Xingguang, this was the important part. They all came here to test their luck and to find a way to advance, the ground rules would decide how things were split up so it was beyond important to them.

"The rules will be very simple. I will not get involved, only when it seems like you are about to die will I do my best to intervene. The elders didn't say anything, but I believe that them assigning me as an overseer means that they want me to be at least a little responsible for your lives. As such, I will do my best to make sure that all of you come out of this alive. We'll move about mostly randomly, I'll just give warnings when we reach areas that could be dangerous. Any items you find will belong to whoever gets hold of them, also, the first person who can grasp it securely. I will not allow infighting to steal items, nor will I allow you to fight other groups for their items. But if we find traces of the people who disappeared, or traces of what may have caused it, I will have you abandon everything else to focus on that, all the groups will. If you can't accept that, then you need to leave right now."

The rules she set were very simple. Li Yang guessed that they were probably among the best rules of any of the groups. Responsible for their lives? Bullshit, there was no way the elders of the temple meant anything like that, they didn't give a damn about the lives of any of the outsiders that gathered here. They wouldn't care even if she killed all the people here and stole everything they had, there would be no proof after all so no one could hold it against them.

"They're the rules that Fairy Sister Xing set so there's no way that I'll go against them. And my precious Wifey here, albeit rude and frosty, is a perfectly gentle and law-abiding citizen so I can guarantee that she won't break any of the rules either. You can trust us, Fairy Sister, we'll be hot on your heels wherever you go."

Li Yang continued with his spiel, casting a quiet glance at Mei Kongxu. Looking at her stoic expression, he felt like laughing. She commented on the jester mask he wore, but from his standpoint, she was just as bad. She had said it when they first arrived here, her mouth was dry. Her eyebrows had been creased and she constantly licked her lips, she looked on edge and uncomfortable.

That was a good sign naturally, it meant that there was likely something here tied to her visions, her possible past life. But the thing that made him want to laugh was that she wasn't showing any of it right now. Her expression flickered slightly occasionally, but she maintained her frosty demeanour and exterior, resisting the urge to lick her lips since it would look weird. He wore a mask, and so did she. The jester and the iceberg, were they masks to hide from the world, or masks to face the world?

"...No comments? Very well, then let us set off."

Xingguang faltered for a short moment but quickly regained herself and pushed aside Li Yang's comment, checking the expressions of the other group members. None of them refused her rules so she nodded her head and moved her feet, leading them toward the path that would deliver them into the valley.

The path they took was a bit narrow since it passed rather close to one of the waterfalls, but they weren't so petty that they'd complain about a bit of water hitting them as they walked. Li Yang allowed his gaze to drift as they walked, taking in the grand spectacle while Mei Kongxu's stiff gaze was focused forwards.

Water had puddled all around the path they chose, some light as they reflected the sun and some so hidden by shade that they looked like the deep sea. His gaze slid across these puddles too, but never lingered on them. As such, he didn't notice his reflection in the puddles, looking straight back at him with an unflinching and heavy gaze devoid of the jovial mask he donned.