The day’s final rays were piercing through the canopy , a small breeze rustling the leaves softly. A fawn was grazing peacefully , its mother by its side . The songs of the birds saturate the environment with its sweet melody, painting a picture of peace and harmony.

All of a sudden the deer mother stopped eating and perked up its ears, she seemed to be detecting some sort of approaching danger. At the same moment a faint thump sounding could be heard.

The fawn and the deer were frightened, they stopped eating and ran away , shattering the image of peace .

The once faint sound of thumping was now rapidly evolving into a thunderous roar, occasionally accompanied by some destroyed voices. A group of people on horses were galloping through the forest , a man wearing white robes , his stead a eye-catching tan colour was in the lead , followed closely by another man in green robes and the rest of their entourage was trailing behind them.

Yang Changtian slowed down , and he gradually came to a stop . He scanned the area, they could hear water flowing and the area was covered by ancient trees. Mo Ling soon came to a stop beside him. Yang Changtian ,turned to him, “ I think this is a good place to rest tonight , the horses need some rest and Li Cheng must also be feeling suffocated and tired.”

Mo Ling nodded at him , and turned around and signaled their group to take a break. He then dismounted his horse , and asked 3 people to join him to go look for the river. Together they walked in the direction of the noise.

Yang Changtian also dismounted , and led his horse to rest under a tree , Zhou Zilong and Zhang Anying joined him under the tree. Yang Changtian noticed that Mo Ling didnt inform Li Cheng before strutting off in search of water . He smiles to himself shaking his head , This kid never changes , he’s lucky he's got some caring seniors. Yang Changtian got up and walked towards the carriage Li Cheng was riding and knocked softly on the door. “ Brother Li , we have decided to stay here for the night , Mo Ling went to find water , he forgot to inform you.”

The door opened and Li Cheng stepped out. Yang Changtian extended his hand to help Li Cheng down. Li Cheng looked at Yang Changtian’s face , and extended his hand to him. After Yang Changtian helped him down , Li Cheng turned towards him, “ Brother Yang thank you for helping me. It’s been less than a day but that stupid brat already forgot that he’s here to help me.” Li Cheng’s voice was soft and peaceful as always.

Yang Changtian was surprised that Li Cheng talked to him , he expected him to be angry at him too , but he hid his surprise to avoid making things awkward.

Li Cheng looked towards the others ,and sighed softly, shaking his head. “ Mo Ling , that brat should be grateful that Baicheng isn't here , otherwise he would have strangled him before punishing him.”

Yang Changtian burst into laughter , “ He’s spoiled since everyone treats him like a baby , only Brother Huang bothers to teach him a lesson. Brother Li , please come sit with us.”

Li Cheng nodded before following Yang Changtian , they reached the tree and they sat down next to Zhou Zilong and Zhang Anying.

Zhang Anying was shocked, he lifted his head up and saw the oldest senior brother speaking with Brother Li , Li Cheng said something and Yang Changtian burst into laughter , then Yang Changtian led Li Cheng towards the place they were resting at. And even more surprisingly Li Cheng sat down next to Yang Changtian.

Yang Changtian saw Zhang Anying looking at Li Cheng weirdly. Zhou Zilong was also looking at Zhang Anying , knowing their junior brother well , they both knew that he was about to do something stupid.

But before they could stop him , Zhang Anying looked at Li Cheng and asked him, “ Senior Li, did you forgive the oldest senior brother ? The other members from your sect’s treating us like we don't exist, they’re acting so rude.It’s been 20 years already.”

Li Cheng was surprised for a minute but it was soon replaced with an unreadable look. He glanced at all 3 of them briefly before sighing , “ Look you can’t really blame them for treating you like that.”

“ Then why aren't you also ignoring us, you did so for 20 years so why stop now ?” Yang Changtian and Zhou Zilong both felt like burying Zhang Anying alive , Li Cheng was being nice to them and here this idiot was , constantly asking him awkward questions and criticising him and the Bihou sect. Zhou Zilong smacked Zhang Anying on the head , and stood up dragging Zhang Anying along , he made Zhang Anying bow towards him before doing the same.

“ Senior brother Li , I apologise on his behalf , he was not trying to criticize the members of the Bihou sect.”

Li Cheng was staring at them with an unreadable expression , his lips pressed and eyes narrowed.

“ Li Cheng , do forgive this child for his mindless words , you know he's always been rough with words.” Yang Changtian was feeling so angry at Zhang Anying. After 20 years of ignoring him , Li Cheng, one of the closest people to Jingyou, was willing to talk to him. Yet this bumbling buffoon decided to potentially ruin everything.

Li Cheng averted his gaze from Zhang Anying to look at Yang Changtian. “ I understand that he’s just standing up for you Changtian , but he better not say anything in front of the others.”

“ Of course Li Cheng , I’ll make sure he doesn't do that again. Anying , go gather some food.”

Yang Changtian’s voice was strict , clearly stating that he doesn't want a single word out of Zhang Anying’s mouth.

Zhang Anying , looking down at his shoes sniffing , he felt very aggrieved. He half heartedly bowed towards the seniors and went to gather some disciples to go look for food.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

After Zhang Anying left , Zhou Zilong and Yang Changtian apologised to Li Cheng again. We’ll make sure he doesn't screw his words up in front of the others again.

Li Cheng nodded at them , after a while he looked at Yang Changtian, “ Changtian , I suppose you're curious about why I’m not angry at you.”

Yang Changtian was taken aback , but after a while he shook his head , “ While it’s true that I was taken aback when you talked to me , I won't push you for answers. ”

Li Cheng smiled at Yang Changtian , “ At first I was very angry at you , in fact when i got back and learned about it , I was breaking things left and right trying to control my rage , soon i found myself on the path to senior sister’s quarters, and after what felt like hours i found myself in her garden. At that moment , the familiar scent calmed me down a little , enough for me to stop my destruction. I slowly entered my Senior sister’s home and curled up in her study, and for once in my life I didn't know what to do. I've always been praised for being intelligent , strategic and being able to go with the flow , but for the first time I was at a loss. So I stayed there for hours just crying. But I knew I had to pull myself up, for the sect , the legacy of Master and Sister must go on” Li Cheng’s eye’s were getting slightly glazed , so was Zhou Zilong’s and Yang Changtian’s.

Soon , I was able to control my emotions , I finally had enough strength to pull myself up. I decided to walk around Sister’s quarters. And I know that she would never blame you , and I knew that I shouldn't be angry at you too. If Sister was here she would say that it’s not your fault and you were taken advantage of, but I couldn't just forgive you , so I decided to do the next best thing , live you like you didnt exist, I won't forgive you ,but I also won't hate you . But for the last 20 years , I had a lot of time to think and sort my feelings. I know for a fact that if Sister was here , she would be mad at me for treating you like that. But I didn't know how to approach you , so when I heard that Prince Jinlong was sending you on a journey to investigate, I wanted to join you. My chance came when your Master sent our sect a request for assistance , so I volunteered along with Mo Ling. At first Baicheng didn't want to help , he’s still angry at you , but somehow Baihua managed to convince him.”

“ While Brother Huang acted all angry and pissed at you , deep down he wanted to help you. He’s just a big meanie on the outside.” A playful voice broke through the air , stopping Li Cheng from continuing. All 3 , Li Cheng , Yang Changtian and Zhou Zilong turned to see Mo Ling approaching them skipping , a teasing smile on his lips.

“ Huang Baicheng hates you , yes. But at the same time , he can't bring himself to treat you with hatred, he grew up under Oldest Sister after all. “ He sat down next to Zhou Zilong .

Li Cheng had a soft smile on his face, “ I knew it , knowing Baicheng , I was surprised. Normally when he makes his mind up , not even god can change him , let alone his sister.”

Mo Ling was chuckling now, “ Yeah , and he was acting like an asshole because he had a massive ego and he’s embarrassed.

“ He did hate you for sure ,” Li Cheng continued, “ But I can assure you that he probably wasn't too angry at you later.”

Yang Changtian was surprised at this , from his most recent interactions and his final interaction with him 20 years ago , Huang Baicheng was very angry at him. He suddenly felt a sadness in his heart. He lived the past 20 years thinking he was completely hated by the Bihou sect.

“ Just to be clear , some of our sect members do still hate you. Li Heng hates you with passion . The remaining , they just don't like you or aren't familiar with you.” Li Cheng turned to gaze at the setting sun.

“ Pssshh, Li Heng, that little prick is only mad because he liked Sister. I heard some juniors under him gossiping that he was going to express Older Sister his intention to court her.” Mo Ling was laughing while patting Zhou Zilong’s shoulder.

“ Mo Ling don't be rude , remember he’s your elder and also leave that poor boy Zilong alone.” Li Cheng directed a warning at Mo Ling, “ Besides, don't make me tell Baicheng that you just left me with them without even informing me that you were going somewhere.”

Mo Ling immediately stopped his patting and sat straight , his eyes slightly glazed, “ Oldest brother don’t tell Brother Huang , he’s gonna take away my free time and allowance again.” Mo Ling was pleading.

“ Then be sure to be on your best behavior from now on.”

Zhou Zilong was looking at this scene with relish , he felt a slight sense of Schadenfreude. Serves you right for that , my shoulder hurts from all your patting , he sneered in his mind.

Amidst this scene , Yang Changtian was lost , when he heard that Li Heng was planning on courting Jingyou , he had a weird feeling , he was feeling jealous. His relationship with JIngyou was always strong , and he knew that she would be by his side for a long time , so he was not too worried . He had forgotten that Hei Jingyou wasn't just his friend . She was a chief disciple , a future sect head , an older sister , but most important of all , she was a woman. She would've gotten married , and had a family. She was his friend and he was supposed to be happy , but for some reason , the idea of Jingyou being close with someone else and creating a family with them , left a very bitter taste in Yang Changtian’s mouth.

This feeling only developed recently , ever since she went missing , he felt insecure , he wanted to find her and keep her by his side again. His turbulent emotions were displayed on his face.

Zhou Zilong noticed the conflict on his Senior Brother’s face. At first he was confused , but soon enough he guessed that it was probably about Li Heng wanting to court Hei Jingyou. ‘ Just idiotic does senior have to be , he’s clearly being jealous , he’s probably imagining Sister Jingyou getting married to Li Heng and having a family.’ Zhou Zilong sneered in his mind. ‘ Just how dull can he be , I’m willing to bet my whole wealth , that he probably still thinks he sees Sister Jingyou as a friend,’ Zhou Zilong was having a full blown conversation with himself in his head , about how much of an idiot his Senior was, but then he remembered something.

He turned to Li Cheng , “ Senior brother Li , I was wondering. According to the sect rules , wasn't the position of sect head supposed to go to you ? But brother Huang is the current sect head.”

Mo Ling answered instead of Li Cheng, “ Oldest Senior brother always preferred to stay away from things like that , and he wasn't really in a really good place mentally for some time. During that time Brother Huang did a wonderful job, so Li Cheng handed the sect over to him to manage. Brother Li wanted to live idly in peace , while Huang Baicheng was good with sect affairs , so it was a win-win situation.”

Li Cheng gave Mo Ling a look and sighed in exasperation. “ What this brat said is relatively correct , but more than that , Sister was the one trained to manage the sect in the future and Huang Baicheng was always assisting her , so he was more familiar with the workings. Besides looking at this kid , almost everyone in our sect is eccentric in some way , I didn't want to deal with them. So I just handed the position to Baicheng.”

Before they could continue , a disciple that left with Zhang Anying came running , he was clearly panicking. “ Senior brothers , Senior Brother Anying and we were hunting and gathering food , when we spotted a group of masked people attacking a group of people. Brother Anying and the other’s started to fight the assailants , but they're numbers keep increasing. He sent me back to get reinforcements.