Time had passed faster than Fu Ran was used to.

How had he been stuck in this situation? Not even three weeks later, Fu Ran had three little disciples staring up at him with bright eyes. How had one turned to three?!

Fu Ran was not the slightest bit pleased, his arms crossed as he stood beneath his large Wisteria tree. Still not being used to the transition of being a Shizun again, he was given not one, but three children to look after.

Luckily, he had already gotten over the hardest part of taking new students: learning their names and quirks.

Lin An was a pretty little disciple in pinks and purples. Going against the boyish name she had, she had actually dressed quite fashionably and girlish. Her hair was braided neatly on the back and she had decorated it with flowers picked from the garden near the disciple dormitories. Fu Ran could already picture her teary eyes in the winter when there would be nothing to decorate her hair with other than twigs and grass.

Despite her being 13, the second oldest of Fu Ran’s new disciples, she had already cried three times since she arrived in the back garden of Xingti Pavilion today. Once, she had fallen and taken quite the bad tumble, crashing into and breaking one set of ceramic tea cups sitting on Fu Ran's outside table. Twice, she had accidentally knocked Wan Yu into the pond while the two of them were looking at the koi fish Fu Ran had been cultivating. And the Third time was when showing her new Shizun her preferred blade upon him asking her. Her hand had slipped and completely sliced a sizable hole through Fu Ran's favored robe, barely missing his skin.

She had been one of the earlier disciples to use up all of her flares. Though she had done so with the intention of helping out others. In another year that would have gotten her points heavily marked, even if it was to help the injured. She would have failed.

Meng Xiao seemed a bit rowdier. It must have been his age, since was nearing that rebellious age of about 15. He preferred black clothing, even though he was given a set of the soft blue disciple robes. He had pitch black eyes that were mostly covered by stringy messy hair. Fu Ran wanted to tie it up for him, but he just kept undoing it and wearing it loose.

Meng Xiao was of the two disciples that managed to survive an attack by those demons. He was found barely breathing along with some of the other Masters.

His sword skill was already pretty good for his age, he just needed proper teaching and experience. Fu Ran did, though, have to put his foot down and demand that he wouldn't be joining training until his injuries heal up.

However, who other than Meng Xiao, did Fu Ran catch, bright and early before even the morning sun had come out, trying to use his garden to train? And who else other than Meng Xiao had continued to train until the stitching on his wounds came undone, not once but twice? Both times leaving his Shizun to find him in a puddle of blood?

Meng Xiao had given Fu Ran more near heart attacks, just in these three weeks, than he needed for another three years!

And lastly there was Wan Yu. Ah. The perfect and good, filial disciple. Wan Yu so far, had always been the first to arrive when called, and the last to leave when saying goodbye.

It was actually frightening how detailed he performed any task asked of him. He could easily trek down to the mountain a small while to gather herbs for Feng Meiying. And it was always the proper herbs. Or had Fu Ran given him a particularly complex task, where even he didn’t know where to begin, Wan Yu managed to look at the job as a whole and complete it without issue. He even would try to offer suggestions for his teacher to use in the future.

And his sword skill was equal, or even better, compared to Meng Xiao. Wan Yu could practice any technique shown to him. To test this further, Fu Ran even had Zhi Lao allow some of his more experienced disciples to try training with him. He ended up besting them all in everything that didn't require height or physical prowess.

He was absolutely the perfect disciple. Fu Ran didn't even really know how to train him…

The three little children that had fallen under Fu Ran’s tutelage showed much promise. While he did only agree to teach Wan Yu, he grew to enjoy watching the other two grow as well. Lin An and Meng Xiao were willing to throw everything they had into cultivating their skills, and they already had the most important thing for Fu Ran to see in disciples: determination.

I think I got lucky, Fu Ran though with a smile. The new disciples caused little to no harm, and they were not terribly rambunctious either.

Fu Ran looked to the nice and neat row of children as they all waited diligently to hear what their training for today would be. Fu Ran was about to do so when something else near the side entrance to his garden caught his eyes.

Well… there is one downside… he thought. Fu Ran did his best to hide the grimace that had threatened to shift his facial expression. Fighting the downward pulls of the corners of his lips, his eyes had locked onto his own personal annoyance.

When he noticed a man standing in the gateway of his private garden he gave the children a simple command: Go practice your form and work on your sword swings! They did so immediately and with no gripes.

Fu Ran turned his cold gaze to Tian Han.

No other Peak Master was given a grown man to look after, and this was the biggest sign of unfairness he had seen. Tian Han perked up when he saw that his presence had finally caught a shred of attention and, without permission, he began walking closer. “Shizun,” he said casually, lips curling into a mischievous smile.

“Stop it, that sounds gross coming from you. I don’t intend to raise a grown man.” Fu Ran sat comfortably at his red-covered tea table, his body shielded from the sun by the shade provided by the large umbrella above. He observed the playful children running back and forth beneath a massive wisteria tree, which was in full bloom, its branches heavy with purple blossoms. Despite his words and dismissive tone, he poured two cups of tea. Tian Han took the tea in hand and excitedly ran his thumb over the rim, before taking a sip.

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The tea had cooled down, but not enough that it would match poorly with the lovely scenery. Pink petals littered the stone courtyard beneath his wisteria tree, and the expanses of grass around his pavilion tea house home was peppered in white and purple flowers.

Overall, aside from a few changes, Fu Ran’s days remained mostly unchanged.

Zhi Lao visited him less, but he still dropped by at least four of the seven weekly days. Shesui Lang never visited anyways, so that was completely unchanged. He had three new kids around, but one of them was in recovery until recently, so Fu Ran had decided to give them a few weeks of an adjustment period before starting real training. For now it was relaxing. Even the children were mostly coming by just to play.

The biggest difference would be-- His tea cup blocked his grimace. The man who was going to eventually turn into that tyrant of an emperor... was by my side every damned day. Fu Ran felt he couldn’t even bring this up to anyone else either, because he had never spoken to his Shixiong about the actual contents of his dreams before.

“Should I make some snacks? I could also slice some fruits and bring some honey,” Tian Han said, leaning closer and ridding distance between them. His shoulder lightly tapped at Fu Ran’s, to the teacher’s displeasure.

Some honey crisps and some candied fruits might have sounded nice to him, but Fu Ran had no intentions of humoring the tyrant. “There is no need. Rather than asking me, you should ask the children what they wish for.” Tian Han’s smile lowered too quickly, after the blunt dismissing. The more Fu Ran’s tone came off as harsh, the faster Tian Han curled in on himself in silence.

For a while, the children played and trained beneath long drooping branches. Occasionally, Lin An sneaking would pick some of the purple petals to make little accessories to wear. Meng Xiao, on the other hand, would sometimes plan sneak attacks while hiding in the purple flowers. He would well time his attacks to try catching Wan Yu off guard. While it worked on Lin An every time, Wan Yu wasn’t phased.

Fu Ran hadn’t heard anyone approaching when another voice said, “Ah, there you are.” Both men looked up from their drinks. Shesui Lang had walked over to the two of them and sat roughly at the table. Fu Ran nearly spit out his drink at the sudden sight of his Shixiong. Shesui Lang propped his hands onto the table and let his head fall limply onto his palm. Looking farm more exhausted than Fu Ran had ever seen him, Shesui Lang was pale.

“Tired?” Fu Ran asked.

“You don’t know the half of it, sleepy princess. You still get to sleep the days away.”

“What do you need me for?” Fu Ran didn’t let his serious stare falter, but instead his did let this thoughts get away from him. This feels like a work benefit, to see him so exhausted for once. Fu Ran wanted to chuckle, and his eyes squinted happily.

Shesui Lang grinned and said, “Well, you won’t be able to sleep the days away for much longer.”

“Huh?” Fu Ran’s brows lifted, and some papers were dropped onto the table in front of him. He picked them up and began to read through the writings. Tian Han slid closer to read. Only one paragraph in, Fu Ran’s attention turned back to his Shixiong.

“A mission?”

“Yeah. We are trying to fill out requests as quickly as possible. So we need you to go to Bei Zangli City. You can consider this a first mission as well for the kids.”

Fu ran was baffled, and his voice rose a touch too quickly. “They have only been here for three weeks!”

Shesui Lang crossed his arms, and his face filled with mild disappointment. “An entire three weeks, rather than “only” three weeks. Even a single week is quite a long time when training. Have you forgotten that our very first mission coincided with our first day at the sect?” Shesui Lang’s words were true, but- things have changed now. Their shared Shizun had fought pretty hard to change this Sect to be a safer place for the new children coming in.

As the conversation continued, Fu Ran's thoughts drifted back to the past, specifically to the previous Peak Elder. The memory of his greed and selfishness filled his mind. He had taken advantage of nearby cities by charging exorbitant amounts of money for protection, leaving those who couldn't afford it helpless and vulnerable. Additionally, the Peak Elder had shown a complete disregard for the well-being of his disciples, recklessly assigning them to missions they were clearly unprepared for. His actions were driven solely by his desire for wealth, with no regard for the consequences of his actions.

To make things worse when Shesui Lang, Zhi Lao, and Fu Ran were sent out on their very first mission, their Shizun had not been informed. Fu Ran wondered what would have happened to the three of them had he not figured out they were missing from Feng Meiying.

“Shesui Shixiong, you know those were particular circumstances--” Fu Ran tried to reason with his martial brother, but was interrupted.

Instead of listening, the gaudy cultivator rambled, “Besides, you will be with them. It should be a simple mission. You’ll need to head over towards Bei Zangli. It’s just talk of some walking corpses around. Someone must have messed with the grave sites near the city or upset some resting spirits. Read over these papers and get back to me later today.”

Purple eyes thinned out in a squint, realization setting in on Fu Ran’s mind that he had been completely ignored. A simple answer is best when dealing with his Shixiong. “Understood,” Fu Ran said curtly.

Shesui Lang had reached over and wrapped a few fingers around Fu Ran’s tea cup, and he plucked it right out of the sleepy master’s hand. He brought it to his lips and took a quick gulp, before standing up and leaving the cup on the table. Fu Ran’s brow twitched at his own martial brother’s lack of courtesy around anyone who he deemed that he, “didn’t need to act proper for”.

“Pretty good.” Shesui Lang lifted a thumb and ran it over his lips as he wiped the wetness away. “Well, just remember to send someone towards Yue Liang Hall after filling out those papers. I’ll have everything prepped for you tomorrow.” He waved himself off before leaving the garden.

Fu Ran remained exceedingly calm until his martial brother disappeared out of eye sight. No changes in life, be damned! he raged.

Shesui Lang visited, which was the first sign that something was off, and of course, he brought troublesome work with him. Neither of Fu Ran’s martial brothers knew anything of tact and courtesy!

There was certainly something to be said for the truth in Shesui Lang's words. The mission did seem like a promising opportunity. Bei Zangli, located next to the city of Jinan, nicknamed "The Faceless City," was generally peaceful and quiet this time of year. The only exception was during the summer months, when the celebrations and rite festivals began in earnest, as people traveled from all over to attend. The festivities extended all the way to Jinan, and the events were a significant affair.

Tian Han chuckled, and said, “Hmm… Master Shesui certainly has some manners.” Tian Han had taken Fu Ran's discarded cup in hand. His thumb mindlessly ran along the rim. Fu Ran’s cup was practically empty after the brute of a Shixiong swallowed the whole thing in a single breath. “So, we are heading out?”

“We?” Fu Ran asked, eyebrows furrowing and his foot tapping against the grass.

When Tian Han gave him no response, Fu Ran sighed. It wasn’t worth arguing over it. I don’t need him kneeling all night again, just because I said “No.”

Fu Ran stood up and raised an open hand to the side of his mouth. “Lin An! Meng Xiao! Wan Yu! Go pack your bags and meet here at sunrise tomorrow! We are going to the city.” Fu Ran’s voice was loud but sweet as he called out over his garden. Lin An happily swung her sword around in the air and squealed in delight. Meng Xiao and Wan Yu were quieter, but only Wan Yu kept up his practiced swinging. After a few more swings, likely trying to hit his goal number, Wan Yu lowered his blade and wiped the sweat from his face.

“You too. Get your things.” Fu Ran dropped the sweet voice when he looked back to Tian Han. The face before him kept a polite, unreliable smile. Tian Han held up his own tea cup over to Fu Ran. He took it in hand and drank it without question, and then turned to leave.