About half an hour after we left Celestial Warrior Peak, the flying boat arrived at a small mountain. A large house stood within a clearing located near the top of the mountain. It was in the traditional style, with the buildings built around a central courtyard. From what I could tell, there were four living spaces, in addition to all the other facilities necessary. That meant one for each honorary disciple. At least we would sleep in our own rooms. Good. Even back on Mt. Wind Dance, where my kin treated me like trash, I had my own sleeping space.

Tobias landed the flying boat just outside of the courtyard and we disembarked.

“This is where I leave you.” He said. “I’ll return next week for your first lesson. After that, I’ll visit you once a month to check on your progress and provide more lessons.” He pulled a jade bottle and a manual out of his storage ring. “While I may just be your Second Master, you are still my disciple. Consider these a gift.”

I took the bottle and the manual, before placing them in my storage ring. I would examine their contents later.

“Thank you, Second Master.” I said, giving him a smile.

While I still disliked Tobias because his appearance reminded me of my kin, I found my attitude towards him softening. He treated me with far more generosity than I expected. Perhaps he wasn’t so bad after all.

Tobias turned away from me for a moment and coughed.

“Think nothing of it.” He said. “Oh, and don’t worry. I shall inform Cultivator Astra and Junior Brother Raphael about your situation, so they don’t worry about you.”

Oh, good. I had been worried about that.

“Now then,” Cultivator Tobias said, “Do you have any questions for me before I leave?”

I opened my mouth to tell him no, but then stopped.

“Yes,” I said, “How can I send a message to someone outside of the sect?”

A few weeks ago, just after I passed the entrance exam, I had planned on asking Cultivator Clemont, Clarissa’s father, to deliver a message to Lucius for me. However, it slipped my mind at the time and I lost that opportunity as a result. I hoped to make up for it now.

“It depends,” Tobias said with a frown, “Who do you wish to send a message to, and where are they located?”

“My cousin, Lucius Wind Dance.” I said. “He lives on Mt. Wind Dance in the Myriad Rivers province.”

Tobias looked thoughtful for a moment.

“I’ll look into it,” he said, “But it should be possible. However, you’ll either have to spend spirit stones or contribution points to have someone deliver this message for you. Given the distance involved, it won’t be cheap.”

I sighed. Well, I expected as much. Nothing in this world ever came free.

“Is that all?” Tobias asked.

“Yes, Second Master.” I said. “Thank you.”

Tobias nodded, before boarding the flying boat again and flying off.

“Young Master,” Elliot said as we watched Tobias disappear into the distance, “If you wish, either my sister or I can deliver this message for you. Given our cultivation level, we are more than capable of handling such a menial task.”

I turned towards Elliot and realized that he was right. Why hire a messenger when I could just send one of my servants? However, the thought made me uneasy.

“Are you sure?” I asked. “The Myriad Rivers province is all the way on the other side of the continent. Even if you used the teleportation array network, it would take you a while to reach Mt. Wind Dance. Who knows what sorts of dangers you would encounter on the way there?”

Elliot smiled and nodded.

“Yes, we know.” He said. “My sister and I once traveled to the Myriad Rivers province several years ago. We know the way.”

I blinked at him, before glancing over at Ellen. She raised an eyebrow at me in response but didn’t say anything. Earlier this morning, Ellen mentioned that she and I met when I was a child. While I didn’t remember this meeting, I didn’t think Ellen lied to me. Had we met when she traveled to the Myriad Rivers province with her brother? I believed so, though I would need to ask Ellen about it to know for sure.

“I’ll consider it.” I said, turning back towards Elliot. “For now, I want to focus on my training and cultivation.”

“Yes.” Ellen said with a smirk. She surveyed our surroundings. “While the qi here isn’t as abundant as the qi in Celestial Warrior Peak, it is still plentiful. It is a good place to cultivate. Staying here will benefit my brother and I as well.”

Unlike the disciples of Flame Fiend Hall, Ellen and Elliot weren’t demonic cultivators. Instead, they practiced the Coiling Serpent cultivation technique, a qi refinement technique that was normal, being neither divine nor demonic. This technique was perfect for snake spirit beasts such as themselves. To my surprise, they weren’t physical refiners as well. Due to my experiences so far, I had forgotten that physical refiners were less common than qi refiners.

“Good.” I said. “I feel guilty for keeping you at Flame Fiend Peak all this time and preventing you from cultivating.”

Ellen snorted.

“You didn’t keep us from anything.” She said. “Elliot and I have our own immortal caves that we can visit anytime we wish. We may be mere retainers, but even a retainer in the Dawn and Dusk Sect is afforded certain privileges, as long as they’re above a certain cultivation level.”

Her words appeased my guilt a little, though some of it still remained. Ellen must have realized this, because she gave me a mischievous grin.

“If you still feel guilty, I can think of one way you could make it up to us,” she said. “Well, make it up to me. I doubt Elliot feels the same way as I do. You would have to find some other way to make it up to him.”

Elliot let out an exasperated sigh and shook his head.

“You are persistent, if nothing else, my sister.” He said.

My cheeks heated up and I turned away from Ellen.

“Let us go inside.” I said.

Ellen chuckled as the snake twins followed me inside the courtyard. As far as living quarters went, this place was humbler than my estate back at Flame Fiend Peak. However, for that reason alone, I found it more comfortable. I preferred modesty over ostentatiousness.

Despite this, I sensed that a number of arrays protected this place, including privacy and obfuscation arrays. They made it impossible to peer into any of the living spaces with any of my senses, including spirit sense. I also didn’t see any of the other honorary disciples. It was possible that they weren’t here at the moment.

“Hello?” I called out.

I figured that it would be polite to introduce myself before settling in. Besides, I didn’t know which buildings were claimed yet.

“Oh, a newcomer!” a voice called out from one of the buildings; a familiar voice.

“Indeed, brother,” another familiar voice said, this one calling out from a different building, “Let us greet our junior, so that he may pay respects to his seniors.”

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms as I waited for the owners of the voices to make their appearance. Two men swaggered into the courtyard: Minion One and Minion Two. I thought I had seen the last of them. It appeared I was wrong.

It seemed that I had some karma with Cultivator Diana’s bodyguards, or her former bodyguards I should say. The moment they caught sight of me, their bravado disappeared and they visibly deflated. It took them a moment to recover their composure.

“What are you doing here?” Minion One demanded, pointing a finger at me. “I thought you joined Flame Fiend Hall. What are you doing in Celestial Warrior Hall’s territory?”

“I could ask you the same thing.” I shot back. “What are you and your brother doing here? I thought you two became inner disciples of Celestial Warrior Hall. Isn’t this place for honorary disciples?”

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Both brothers flushed red at this and glowered at me.

“That is none of your business, you impertinent-” Minion Two started to say, but stopped when killing intent filled the entire courtyard.

I looked over to find the snake twins glaring at the brothers. Minion One and Minion Two blanched at this.

“You dare insult Young Master Darian in front of us?” Ellen asked, her voice filled with malice. “Such insolence!”

Elliot looked at me.

“Young Master,” he said, “May we punish these insects?”

I was tempted. Minion One and Minion Two caused me plenty of trouble, albeit on Cultivator Diana’s orders. Still, I couldn’t forget how they were ready to kill me when we first met. Ancestors, that felt like such a long time ago.

“No,” I said, shaking my head, “Leave them be.” I glanced at the brothers. “As long as they mind their manners and answer all of my questions, I see no reason to start any trouble.”

The two brothers stared at me with wide eyes.

“‘Young Master?’” Minion One asked.

I gave him a questioning look.

“Did you two forget that I am the Frenzied Fiend’s son?” I asked. “The hall master of Flame Fiend Hall?”

They had been there when Sidra revealed my identity, so they should have known that much at least. Unless they were complete idiots.

“Of course, we didn’t forget.” Minion Two said, flustered.

“It just slipped our minds for a moment.” Minion One said.

I wanted to slap my forehead. They had forgotten. No wonder they acted the way they did.

“Maybe we should just kill them.” Ellen said. “Clearly, the average intelligence of Celestial Warrior Hall would go up if we do.”

The two brothers blanched. They glanced at each other, before they dropped to their knees and kowtowed before me. My jaw dropped.

“Please forgive us, Cultiva-…No, Senior Brother Darian!” Minion One pleaded.

“Yes, we had eyes but could not see.” Minion Two said. “Spare us!”

I stared at them, taken aback by their actions. They were just as shameless as their mistress. I suppose that was fitting, now that I thought about it. The three of them suited each other quite well.

At first I wanted to tell them to stand up and stop acting like fools, but I stopped myself. Well, if they were willing to oblige me, who was I to deny them?

“Fine.” I said.

The two of them looked up at me with tears in their eyes. They rose from their kowtows, until they were just kneeling.

“You truly are benevolent and merciful.” Minion One said.

“The heavens shall sing your praises, Senior Brother Darian.” Minion Two said.

I resisted the urge to sigh.

“On one condition.” I said. Their expressions fell. “Mind your manners and answer all of my questions. That’s all I want.”

The brothers nodded their heads.

“Of course,” Minion One said, “We are the epitome of civilized behavior.”

“Ask us anything.” Minion Two said. “If we don’t know the answer, then it doesn’t exist.”

Nevermind. They weren’t as shameless as Cultivator Diana. They were much, much worse.

“First, tell me why you two are here instead of on Celestial Warrior Peak.”

The brothers looked embarrassed by this.

“Weeeeeeeell,” Minion One said, stretching the word.

“We might have caused an incident when we first arrived at Celestial Warrior Peak,” Minion Two said. “Instead of kicking us out, they decided to demote us to honorary disciples until we reached Foundation Establishment.”

I stared at the two of them. They must have committed a grave sin, to be demoted from inner disciple to honorary disciple like this. However, it must not have been too bad. Otherwise, the elders would have kicked them out of Celestial Warrior Hall, or even the Dawn and Dusk Sect altogether.

“What did you do?” I asked, afraid to ask but too curious not to.

Their expressions hardened.

“A young master of Celestial Warrior Hall insulted our mistress,” Minion One said. “The arrogant pup.”

“He called her weak and said the only reason why she passed the entrance exam was because of her family’s support.” Minion Two said. “Meanwhile he used his family’s influence to join Celestial Warrior Hall without even taking the entrance exam. Shameless! At least our mistress put in the effort.”

Well, I wasn’t in a position to judge. I passed the first part of the entrance exam through my own strength, meaning I was talented enough to join the sect. However, one of the reasons why I passed the last part of the exam was because of my family’s support. I would have had a more difficult time without the magic treasures Astra and Cultivator Raphael gave me. Plus, without the token showing my affiliation with Flame Fiend Hall, I didn’t know if my friends would have teamed up with me.

“We tried to avenge our mistress’ honor,” Minion One said, “However, the arrogant pup’s bodyguards suppressed us.”

“Not only that, but we’re the only ones who got into trouble.” Minion Two said, affronted. “He started it! He should have been punished as well.”

I looked around the courtyard. The brothers called it a punishment, and perhaps it was, but if the elders of Celestial Warrior Hall truly intended to punish them, it could have been much worse. At least they were still part of the hall, and they even had a decent place to cultivate.

“Do you two still receive your stipends?” I asked. “The ones you would have received for being inner disciples?”

Each disciple of the Dawn and Dusk Sect received a monthly stipend of cultivation resources and spirit stones. The higher one’s rank, the more they received. This was in addition to whatever they earned themselves, and whatever their masters gave them.

The two brothers glanced at each, before looking back at me. They nodded in unison.

“Yes.” Minion One said, wary.

“Why?” Minion Two asked, also wary.

I nodded to the courtyard around us.

“I think the elders sent you here to punish you, yes,” I said, “But also to protect you. This is a good place to cultivate, you still receive your stipends, and you’re far away from Celestial Warrior Peak. If you remained as inner disciples, the young master who insulted your mistress would have tried to retaliate against you.”

Of course, this was all conjecture on my part. Maybe I was wrong, but my intuition said I was right. Belittling the achievements of others while using one’s family to get ahead? This young master sounded petty, perhaps petty enough to retaliate for the slightest insults. For some reason, the face of Zayne, my chief tormentor back on Mt. Wind Dance, came to mind.

“Truly?” Minion One asked.

“Could it be?” Minion Two asked.

The two brothers seemed shocked by my words, as if it never occurred to them that their “punishment” might have been for their benefit. Well, not that I blamed them. Sometimes it was easy to miss the forest for the trees. Looking at things from another perspective sometimes helped.

“It’s possible.” I said. “While I can’t claim to know the minds of the elders of Celestial Warrior Hall. Regardless, I know that it could have ended much worse for you.”

The two brothers nodded.

“Thank you, Senior Brother Darian.” Minion One said.

“You have enlightened us.” Minion Two said. “We shall forever be grateful.”

This time I sighed.

“I just have one last question.” I said. “My Second Master said there were three honorary disciples already living here. Who is the third?”

The two brothers looked at one of the living spaces.

“You mean Cultivator Aneira?” Minion One asked.

I nodded.

“We know a few things about her.” Minion Two nodded. “She was an outer disciple who joined the sect during the last entrance exam. From what I’ve heard, she’s quite talented. She should have reached Foundation Establishment years ago as a qi refiner, but chose to become a dual cultivator and practice physical refinement as well. That is why she hasn’t become an inner disciple yet.”

I frowned.

“Are cultivators who practice qi refinement and physical refinement that unusual?” I asked.

The brothers gave me incredulous looks.

“Of course.” Minion One said.

“Practicing physical refinement is difficult enough.” Minion Two said. “Only a few dare to practice both qi refinement and physical refinement.”

I blinked at them in surprise. Ellen chuckled.

“They speak the truth, Young Master,” She said, “Even among the disciples of Flame Fiend Hall, only one in ten practice both qi refinement and physical refinement. The rest are just physical refiners, though a few are qi refiners.”

“I see.” I said.

Once again, I was reminded of how unusual my experiences were compared to other cultivators. For me, practicing qi refinement and physical refinement was the norm. My sisters and I did. Of course, maybe that just meant we were an exceptional family.

“You won’t see much of Cultivator Aneira, Senior Brother Darian.” Minion One said. “She’s…Well, she prefers to focus on cultivation and training rather than socializing with her peers.”

“She’s cold and aloof.” Minion Two summarized.

I mulled it over for a bit, before shrugging. Well, no matter. It had nothing to do with me. Second Master said that I could befriend or ignore the other honorary disciples as I saw fit, as long as I didn’t make enemies out of them. If this Aneira wanted to focus on her cultivation and training, so be it. In fact, I respected her dedication.

Hmm, though I wouldn’t mind sparring with her, if she was as powerful as the minions said. I was also a dual cultivator, so it could be interesting.

“Very well.” I said. “Thank you for answering my questions. You may go now.”

The two brothers studied me for several moments. When they realized I meant what I said, they jumped to their feet.

“Thank you, Senior Brother Darian.” They said in unison, before rushing into their respective living spaces.

I shook my head at their antics, before entering the last living space. The interior was plain and simple, but clean. There was a kitchen, a living room, and a bedroom. Each room contained the bare necessities when it came to furniture. Overall, it wasn’t much, but it was more than enough for the likes of me. I was used to less. However, there was one problem: there wasn’t a spare bedroom for my servants.

“Where are you two going to sleep?” I asked, looking around.

Elliot shook his head.

“You don’t have to worry about us, Young Master,” he said, “We can sleep in the living room. In fact, because of our cultivation, we can stay awake for weeks without issue.”

“We just sleep every night out of habit.” Ellen explained.

Oh, that was convenient. I knew that cultivators had less physical needs the more powerful they became. When they reached the Golden Core realm, cultivators no longer needed to eat, drink, or sleep. They still could, but it wasn’t necessary for them.

“If you’re that worried,” Ellen said, giving me a coquettish look, “We could always share the bedroom. I know that you aren’t interested in men, but maybe it’s because you haven’t given it a try yet. My brother is more than willing to help you with your…explorations.”

Elliot and I both rolled our eyes at Ellen’s antics. She just laughed.