The massive gates of the Azure Peak Sect loomed before us, their blue-gray stone somehow both welcoming and intimidating in the late afternoon light.

Strange how a place I'd initially seen as a prison had somehow become... well, if not exactly home, at least familiar territory.

"Home sweet home," Wei Lin sighed, throwing his arms up over his head. "Though I have to admit, all that traveling has made me appreciate my bed even more."

"At least we got what we came for," Lin Mei said. "Even if the journey was more exciting than planned."

"Well," I turned to the two brothers who'd been carrying Rocky for the past hour, "this is where we part ways. Thank you for your... assistance." I couldn't quite keep the amusement out of my voice at their forced labor.

They pretty much dropped Rocky, though the stone guardian didn't seem bothered by it either. He just let out a grinding sound that could be taken as a yawn.

"So," Zhao Yu shifted his weight from foot to foot. "We should probably..."

"Actually," I said, studying them thoughtfully, "I have a proposition for you both."

Zhao Xing's eyes narrowed with immediate suspicion, while his younger brother's face showed naked hope.

"How would you feel about joining the Azure Peak Sect?"

"Yes!" Zhao Yu blurted out before his brother could speak. "I mean... that would be... I'm tired of running. Always looking over our shoulders, wondering if the Mountain Tiger Gang will finally catch up to us..."

"Shut up!" Zhao Xing hissed, but the damage was already done.

"Just out of curiosity," I asked, "how old are you both?"

"I'm thirty-five," Zhao Yu replied immediately. "Brother is forty."

I tried not to wince. That was older than I'd expected, though not entirely surprising. In this world, those without access to proper cultivation resources often took longer to advance. Still, to reach their respective stages without sect backing showed decent talent.

"I see," I said carefully. "Well, given your ages, becoming outer disciples might be... difficult. However," I continued before their faces could fall too much, "I might be able to arrange positions as sect servants."

"Servants?" Zhao Xing spat the word like it was poison. His qi flared momentarily before he got it under control. "I'm not going to be anyone's errand boy. Besides," his gaze shifted to Liu Chen, "why not have the boy's master pull some strings? Surely a Life Realm cultivator could—"

I couldn't help it – I laughed. "You're the ones who tried to steal from us, and now you're acting like we owe you favors?" I shook my head, still chuckling. "Besides, Liu Chen isn't actually anyone's disciple. He's not even part of the sect... yet."

The color drained from Zhao Xing's face as he processed this information. His eyes darted to the sect guards watching us from their posts, then back to me. I could practically see him realizing how thoroughly he'd been played.

Wei Lin burst out laughing at his expression. "Oh, this is priceless! The great bandit, outwitted by a child!"

"And you fell for it so completely," Lin Mei added, wiping tears from her eyes. "All that careful negotiating..."

Even Zhao Yu joined in the laughter. "That's what you get for always trying to be clever, brother! For once, someone pulled one over on you instead."

Zhao Xing rounded on his brother. "Why are you always against me?"

"Against you?" Zhao Yu's smile vanished. "I'm trying to keep us alive! Stealing from the gang, picking fights with sect disciples... one of these days your schemes are going to get us killed!"

"I'm trying to get us the good life," Zhao Xing protested, but his voice lacked its usual confidence.

"More like the quick death," Zhao Yu muttered.

Whilst the brothers continued to bicker, I shrugged, turning toward the gates. "The offer stands if you want it. Play hardball if you like, but it makes no difference to me. I'm sure there are plenty of others who'd appreciate steady work and access to basic cultivation resources."

"Wait!" Zhao Yu called out, taking a step forward.

The sudden movement made several Defense Hall disciples shift their stances, qi gathering at their fingertips, but they relaxed when they saw that he wasn’t attacking…he was begging.

"Please, I accept!” Zhao Yu cried, actually dropping to his knees. “I'm tired of running, tired of looking over my shoulder. I'll be the best servant you've ever seen!"

His brother's face twisted with embarrassment. "Yu, get up! Have some dignity..."

I felt a twinge of awkwardness at the display, but I couldn't deny the practical benefits of having someone like Zhao Yu in my debt. His caution and pragmatism could be useful, especially given his cultivation level.

"Get up," I said with a nod. "Come on then."

"Brother..." Zhao Yu looked back at Zhao Xing pleadingly.

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The older brother made a show of great suffering before throwing his hands up in defeat. "Fine! Fine. But I'm only doing this for you. Someone has to keep you from getting taken advantage of.”

We approached the gates properly now, where several members of the Discipline Hall were already walking out to meet us. Wei Lin stepped forward, smoothly taking charge of the situation.

"These two are being recruited as servants," he explained, gesturing to the brothers. "They've demonstrated... useful qualities."

The Discipline Hall members exchanged glances before one nodded. "Come with us," he told the brothers. "We'll need to perform the standard security checks."

As the brothers were led away, Rocky suddenly transformed back into his true form, stretching his massive stone limbs with a grinding sound that made several of the remaining guards jump. One actually drew his sword before Wei Lin quickly stepped in.

"The stone elemental and the boy are also potential recruits," he explained. "We found them during our journey."

The disciples exchanged looks. "The elders will want to see this one. Stone guardians are rare, especially ones with human companions."

Liu Chen pressed closer to Rocky's leg, his earlier bravado vanishing in the face of official attention. "Do... do I have to?"

I crouched down to his level. "It'll be alright. The elders just want to make sure Rocky is properly registered with the sect. We'll see you soon, okay?"

"Promise?" His voice was small.

"Promise," I replied, ruffling his hair. "And Rocky will be with you the whole time."

The boy nodded, squaring his shoulders with a determined look in his eye. As they walked away, Rocky's heavy footsteps echoing off the stone walls, I felt a strange mix of pride and worry. The kid seems to have been through a lot more than most.

"He'll be fine," Lin Mei said, reading my expression. "The elders aren't going to pass up a chance to add a stone guardian to the sect's forces. Especially not one that's already reached the sixth stage of Qi Condensation."

"Plus, the boy clearly has talent," Wei Lin added as we made our way into the sect proper. "That burst of power we saw? That might be normal for a soul bond, but his body easily being able to use it without suffering the side effects isn’t.”

I nodded, though I couldn't help but wonder if that attention would be entirely good for Liu Chen.

As we continued our way, we passed several groups of outer disciples who gave us curious looks – probably wondering about our travel-stained appearance and the general air of exhaustion we all carried. A few seemed about to approach Wei Lin, likely seeking news or trying to curry favor, but something in our expressions made them think better of it.

"Look at them all scurrying around," Wei Lin muttered. "The resource distribution must be coming up soon. Everyone's trying to improve their position before then in preparation for the Outer Sect Tournament."

Lin Mei sighed. "I'd almost forgotten about that. I'll need to make sure my herb gardens are producing well if I want to maintain my current allocation."

"You can use my connection with the Wei clan's merchants," Wei Lin offered, then grinned as Lin Mei raised an eyebrow. "What? I'm allowed to help my girlfriend, aren't I?"

"Your girlfriend, hmm?" Lin Mei's eyes sparkled with mischief. "I don't recall agreeing to that title officially..."

Wei Lin's face fell. "But... but we... I mean, I thought..."

"You're really going to make him ask you officially, aren't you?" I laughed.

Lin Mei just smiled sweetly while Wei Lin sputtered. It was good to see them like this – after everything we'd been through, they deserved some normal couple drama.

A commotion from the direction of the training fields caught our attention. A group of outer disciples were gathering around something, their excited voices carrying across the courtyard.

"Should we check it out?" I asked, but Wei Lin shook his head.

"Probably just another cultivation prodigy showing off," he said with a hint of bitterness. "Ever since Song Xiang's promotion to Legacy Disciple and Wu Kangming’s surprise win over Zhou, everyone with half a spark of talent thinks they're the next chosen one."

We were just passing by when a familiar voice stopped us cold.

"Disciples Wei Lin, Lin Mei, and Ke Yin."

I turned slowly, already knowing who I would see. Senior Sister Liu stood there in her trainer's robes, looking exactly as she had the day we left. But something was different – something that sent a chill down my spine.

She was smiling.

"Where," she asked pleasantly, "have you three been these past weeks?"

The temperature seemed to drop several degrees despite the warmth radiating from the sun. I exchanged glances with Wei Lin and Lin Mei, all of us thinking the same thing:

We were in so much trouble.