The aftermath of the heavenly punishment had the city in disarray. The rumors spreading said that the master and disciple had been punished for their injustices, including against Dragon Sword Sect. Very few remembered the immediate incident before disaster struck. Soon, word spread in the city, and beyond that, the gods favored the Dragon Sword Sect, which, in turn, attracted many people to their gates, hoping to become disciples of the 'gods' favored sect'.
"Drive them away," Ren instructed resting under Han's shadow on a padded bamboo divan. "Tell them we're only accepting two gardeners."
"Yes, master," Wu Tao saluted before rushing out of Ren's courtyard.
It had already been a week since the city's calamity. The more he turned away those people, the more they kept growing in numbers.
Ren sighed lifting two jade pendants, one of a fox and the other of a phoenix. They radiated a strange breath, one that had piqued his interest. And when he learned that there were five more spread across the country, he felt his interest in them widen.
Wu Tao's mother had always told him of a legend about a young man who showed up in the country hundreds of years ago and conquered the whole nation with the help of seven beasts who were loyal only to him.
It was a legend passed down from generation to generation.
And each of the jade pendants represented a beast the young man had brought with him.
He was told that they were left behind as blessings to the families that submitted to the young man of their free will. Saying to them that if they could manage to unlock them, the power inside would be theirs.
But even after so long, none of the families had succeeded in attaining these blessings which ultimately led some of them to discard the jades.
Wu Tao's mother acquired hers from a wealthy family she had once worked for before she got married. Failing to pay her, they gave her the pendant and asked her to sell it. But she never did. Her faith in the legend led her to believe that one of her descendants would find a way to acquire the blessings and save themselves from hardships.
"Master?" Han called appearing on top of Ren.
"Get off of me you little bastard!" He thrust Han to the ground but he only vanished and appeared again seated near his legs. He laughed watching Ren's annoyed face. "Master, what are those? They're beautiful. Can I have one?"
"No." They disappeared from Ren's hand. "What are you doing out here? I told you to practice hard if you want to gain mortal blessings.
Han smiled getting up.
After Ren told him he needed to cover up his body to avoid attracting any sexual predators, even in his phantom form, Han wrapped his body with the flowery vines, giving him the appearance of a fairy from the divine realm, or so Liuyue had described him when she saw him for the first time.
Ren had asked if Han was in their future, but she said she had no memories of him or the tree.
And so, to avoid any betrayals, even from a naive spirit like him, Ren planned on feeding him his root as soon as he transformed. He was not going to take any risks with his or the lives of his disciples.
Once or twice, Ren had thought about creating new loyal disciples rather than going through the hassle of finding the marked disciples who he had no clue where they'd be found next.
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But that would give him more work in researching new techniques and teaching them. That was too much work.
On the other hand, he had noticed a pattern in the disciples he had accepted in the future; they all had miserable pasts. Even Liuyue whom he had initially thought may have had a better life, would have faced disaster after her marriage.
That didn't happen in the current timeline because his future self already changed her path by sending her back to find him.
If Ren gave up on the other disciples, they would suffer even more miserable endings.
He didn't care too much about those he had yet to meet, but he had a responsibility to them since his future self already marked them. With the mark, they would not be accepted in any sect for being, 'tainted'.
"Master, you're being mean to me." Han pouted childishly.
"I've told you several times Han, that won't work on me."
"Master is so mean. I want to die right now," he wailed shedding tears like a child who had been denied his toys.
Ren's jaw clenched. He reminded himself that Han's mind was immature as a four-year-old even though he had the body of a fifteen-year-old.
He sighed, calming his anger and restraining himself not to blow a hole through the tree behind him so it would be quiet.
"Here." He gave Han the fox pendant.
Immediately, Han's face lit up and the tears dried up almost instantly. 'Even his little tricks are a child's.'
"So beautiful," Han marveled staring at the pendant hanging from a piece of thick thread. He then smiled at Ren. "I can have it?"
"Yes. But keep it safe for me. If you lose it, I'll pull you out of the ground and toss you in a pit full of termites where you will suffer the pain of a thousand bites every minute."
"Ma-mas...ter. I promise I won't lose it. So please don't tell me such scary things again."
"Good. Now, I need to..."
His eyes turned to the eastern sky where he detected the approaching person's breath.
"What is it, Master?"
He swayed his hand and pushed Han back into the tree before covering his breath.
As the wind blew above him, making Han's vines dance around, Ren took a moment to relax even though he had a guest waiting for him in the hall. He didn't show urgency since they hadn't even made an appointment. How could they just appear and expect him to leave whatever he was doing to host them? 'A bit rude.'
Liuyue tiptoed to her master whom she thought was deep asleep.
She picked up a leaf moving closer, a mischievous spark in her black eyes. 'Will he scream waking?' She giggled in her head bringing down the tip of the half-dry leaf in Ren's ear.
Just as he predicted, she still hadn't changed, always playful even when she was supposed to deliver news of the guest.
He feigned sleep just to indulge her mischief. But as she was about to tickle his ear, a vine whooshed to grab her hand before yanking her away from Ren.
"You...what are you doing?" She questioned in a whisper, hoping she still had a chance to startle her master awake.
Han's phantom peeked from the trunk with just his upper body showing. He grinned. "Master doesn't want to be bothered."
Liuyue saw the jade pendant hanging from Han's neck and frowned. "You thief, how did you get that? Give it back right now."
Han looked down at the dangling pendant. "Master gave it to me. Why should I give it away?"
"He did?"
She turned her eyes away from Han to seek answers from Ren. But he was already gone.
Unable to endure the fight about to spring from whoever Liuyue bickered with, Ren had quietly left the courtyard without alerting the two of them.
He found himself walking into the hall where Xu'er's master awaited.
"Greetings, sect leader."
"A surprise visit!" Ren said walking past the physically older man to ascend to the dais.
This was the first time he had used it since he came back, and, it felt good being the one above the others. Was this what true power could grant him? Sitting on a throne with the world beneath his feet.
The thought left him feeling disturbed due to its nature.
"What brings you here...?"
"My name is Jun Wei, or elder Jun."
"Oh, okay. So what brings you here, elder Jun?" He repeated resting his cheek on his fist with his elbow on the arm of the seat.
He got up and saluted bowing, confusing Ren even more. "I do not know what grudge you hold against Soul Sect, but when the time comes, please spare the disciples."
"Huh? What grudge? What are you talking about?"
Elder Jun raised his head to meet Ren's questioning pair of eyes. "You're our sect's calamity. But I have not revealed this information to the elders or the sect leader. I have seen your darkness, and Xu'er has seen what you can do. You were behind the heavenly punishment in the city, weren't you?"
Ren shrugged his shoulders looking away. 'I didn't know all that would happen.'
Elder Jun didn't probe further. "When the time comes, please, show mercy on the disciples and only punish the one who deserves your wrath."
"Elder Jun, why do you make it sound so ominous? We spoke and drank the other day. So why are you so formal now?"
Elder Jun chuckled. "Please do not mock me. Back then, I didn't clearly realize how extraordinary you were. Within a few months, you've already reached Dao infusion. How can I compare with such a talent?"
'It's you who's mocking me. I don't even have stages,' Ren wanted to say aloud but held back. That would ruin this little reputation he had unknowingly gained from Xu'er's master. "I feel as if there's something else you need from-"
"If it's not much trouble, would you please let me see the lightning Xu'er spoke of that came from you?" He requested bowing respectfully.