Traveling across an untamed land teeming with spirits and beasts with a dozen mortals in tow turned out to be more of a burden than He Yu had first imagined. It wasn’t the fact alone that it took absolutely forever for them to make progress. The mortals had to walk, and the cultivators had to clear a path to ensure they could maintain a decent pace. They had to stop every night so the miners could eat and rest. And then they had to do it again the next day.

Nor was it the near-constant attacks. Whether from Third or Fourth Realm beasts or the occasional spirit, He Yu and Tan Xiaoling would frequently have to fight. They needed to keep themselves restrained as much as they could while they did so, as not to inadvertently harm their charges. Such attacks shouldn’t have happened in the first place, but again, the cultivators had to restrain themselves. As Golden Cores, the full weight of their presences would be too much for the mortals, so they kept them restrained. But by doing so, the mortals became targets, seemingly without protection.

No, it wasn’t either of those things that got to He Yu. It was the responsibility. The responsibility of having a dozen lives that were so fragile they may have well been shards of eggshell. Lives that were under constant threat from all sides, that an attempt to protect could just as easily snuff out. A careless technique could kill them all, and He Yu likely wouldn’t even notice until the fight was over.

If this was what being a leader—a hero—entailed, he wasn’t so sure he wanted anything to do with it anymore.

Well, that was a lie. He’d spent a long time thinking about Tan Xiaoling’s words that first night. In the few hours he had to cultivate, when it was Tan Xiaoling’s turn to watch over the sleeping miners, he would examine what she’d said, and how he felt.

If there was anything that kept coming up, it was that this was as much a part of his Way as being a hero was. Forging a legend. Fighting villains. Embodying justice. How this fit with everything else in his maturing Way, he couldn’t have said exactly. Add one more thorny question to the ever-growing pile of the same. He was going to have to sort those questions out—likely sooner rather than later—if his cultivation progress was any indication.

At least it could wait until he made it back to the sect. The last thing he needed was to fall into a weeks-long cultivation trance while he had a bunch of mortals to care for. Although a small part of him wished he could. It would certainly ease the newfound burden.

Fortunately, after about a week’s worth of travel, they came upon a settlement. Better still, it was large enough to have proper walls. As they approached, the cultivator guards at the gates challenged them. They were only Foundation, but they acted as though they were far more important than that. Given the settlement’s size, they were likely some of the most advanced cultivators around. In no uncertain terms, they said the city was barred and the group would have to find respite elsewhere.

“Bring the magistrate to me,” Tan Xiaoling said. For the benefit of the mortals, she kept her presence restrained still, but the undeniable air of authority her words carried at least gave the guards pause.

He Yu tried not to let his discomfort with the exchange show. He knew full well that if either he or Tan Xiaoling revealed their advancement, things would quickly turn in their favor. Still, he hadn’t quite grown comfortable throwing his weight around like that. It seemed almost akin to bullying. He couldn’t deny that it would make things easier, however.

Tan Xiaoling took a step forward. “Do not make me repeat myself,” she said. While there was none of the sharp danger that sometimes pressed down when she was angry, the threat was undeniable.

The Foundation level guard reached out as if he meant to shove her back. She grabbed him by the wrist. He Yu doubted that either of the guards had tracked her movement.

“I did not give you leave to touch me.” The familiar cold sharpness weighed down on them as she spoke. Judging by the painful twist of the guard’s features, she wasn’t being gentle.

He Yu stepped up before things could get worse—which it seemed they were about to. “We are disciples of the Shrouded Peaks Sect,” he said. “We’re looking for somewhere that can provide these mortals safety. If we could speak with the local magistrate, maybe we could work something out.” Hopefully, deferring to a higher authority would produce results.

It didn’t take long for the magistrate to appear—and he brought with him a company of guards. When the gates swung open to reveal another two dozen Foundation level cultivators armored in lamellar and armed with spears, Tan Xiaoling merely scoffed.

“Either of us could scatter these children with a single technique should we want to,” she said.

“That’s precisely what I’m trying to avoid,” He Yu muttered.

Framed by the iron-bound gate, the magistrate stepped forward. He wore an official’s cap and robes, and carried himself as though he were someone of far more consequence than He Yu thought he had any proper right to. Despite his age, mid-forties by the look, he was only middle Foundation at best.

“What is the meaning of this?” the magistrate demanded. “I have reports of a couple of rogue cultivators trying to break down my city gates? Be gone, before I have you whipped like a pair of dogs.”

It wasn’t so much that He Yu had finally had enough—he had—but that he was more worried about what Tan Xiaoling would do in response to the magistrate’s words. He fully released his presence.

As the weight of his spirit crashed over those gathered, he tried not to take pleasure when the magistrate and all the guards threw themselves to the ground. Doing his best Zhang Lifen impression, he held his presence for a moment before finally pulling back. Tilting his chin up, He Yu said, “Stand so that I may speak to you, and gauge your worth.”

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The magistrate did as he’d been bid. The guards were a bit slower to rise, but He Yu had little attention for them. As the magistrate began to babble out an apology, He Yu held up a silencing hand.

“We are inner disciples of the Shrouded Peaks Sect. We wish only to find somewhere safe for these mortals under our care. Then we will be on our way.”

Some of the magistrate’s earlier defiance returned then. “We have no room. Nor is this city within the Shrouded Peaks Sect’s territory. Take them elsewhere.”

Tan Xiaoling spoke up then, in a far more measured tone than she’d used earlier. “I take it this town has an office of the Ministry of Information? Bring whoever’s in charge of the office here. If we can establish communication with the sect, I’m sure we can work something out.”

That, at least, seemed to be agreeable to the magistrate. Before long, a second official wearing black robes and a scholar’s cap arrived. He was more than happy to send word back to the sect on their behalf. He activated a technique similar to the constructs Yan Shirong used. The Ministry official was early Golden Core. He Yu wondered briefly if it was common for Ministry officials to be higher advancement than the local magistrates. The response arrived soon after, and the Ministry official said that he’d been given leave to negotiate recompense on behalf of the sect. A short back and forth later, and the miners were finally allowed into the city.

Once they’d gotten well out of earshot of the Foundation gate guards, He Yu asked, “Why wouldn’t he let them in?”

“A few more mouths to feed might not seem like much,” Tan Xiaoling said as the ground rushed by beneath their feet once more. “But the miners were clearly on the verge of starving. It will take some time before they’ll be able to contribute meaningfully to the city. Until then, they’ll just be a drain. Turn to begging, or crime, most like. Easier to turn them away rather than deal with the problem.”

“That doesn’t seem right.”

“Look at it from the magistrate’s perspective. The town doesn’t need a bunch of strangers who can’t work, and might only end up causing problems. The magistrate was likely doing what he thought was best for the people he was already responsible for.”

He Yu lapsed into silence as he thought about her words. He couldn’t deny that she had a point. Food wasn’t infinite, and the miners weren’t in any state to be productive contributors to the town. At least not at first. The magistrate would have likely seen his chief responsibility to those he’d been appointed to serve, not a bunch of strangers fresh in from the wilds.

But why did that not sit well with him? Surely the long-term benefits of accepting the miners would be greater. More mouths to feed now, but more hands later. Then there was the fact that they were people in need. Wasn’t it the foundation of society to help one another? Back in Shulin, at least, the town’s prosperity was because of the collective efforts of those who lived there. Shouldn’t the same hold true for larger settlements?

No simple answers, once again. He would have to add this to the ever-growing pile of things he needed to figure out. Truly, developing the judgment of an emperor was a far more complicated task than he’d first thought. Still, if there was one simple truth after this, it was that he remained committed to doing the right thing.

He felt as though he’d managed that. He couldn’t have left the miners to fend for themselves. They’d be dead by now if he’d done that. Whether pushing around someone weaker than himself—even if for the benefit of others—had been in keeping with his Way, he didn’t know. But he could say with full confidence that he’d found safety for those who were in need. That was something a hero would do. That was something that satisfied justice. He was certain.

Letting that matter sit, He Yu allowed himself simply enjoy the feeling of moving at a decent pace once more. It had been late afternoon when all was said and done with the magistrate. Already the two of them had covered more ground before nightfall than they had during the entire week with the miners in tow. It was a stark contrast and serious reminder. A reminder of just how far above mortals he’d become. How much stronger, faster, and more capable.

It made his commitment to doing what was right even more important.

After another couple of days, they were well and truly back in the Shrouded Peaks Sect’s territory. The roads they used were dotted by the familiar and well-maintained formation stones. Although spirit beasts were still abundant, they were far less dangerous here. The stronger or more aggressive ones would be regularly culled, and those that survived were smart enough to avoid settlements. Spirits were all but absent, especially around the roads. They even caught sight of a few travelers, likely mortals or lower realm cultivators, following the roads between settlements.

They were still a good week out from the sect proper when they finally needed to rest. They stopped at a wayside inn maintained by the sect. They were afforded a small private room off to the side of the main space. A meal of spirit vegetables, qi-infused dumplings, and spiritually fortified tea was served. The attendants informed them that either private bedrooms or cultivation chambers were available for their use, whichever they found necessary.

As they settled in to eat, Tan Xiaoling gave He Yu a look that told him he might not like what was coming next.

“You know,” she said, the familiar creak in her voice doing nothing to ease what was coming. “I bet Chen Fei would love to sit down for a meal like this with you.”

He Yu just about choked on his mouthful of food, then spit it out to avoid doing just that.

“She wouldn’t shut up about that last job you went on with her for days after. You should at the very least ask her to come with you on assignments more often, if you can.”

“It’s just that she always seems so busy,” He Yu said, heat rising up his neck. In all honesty, he’d just sort of pushed any thoughts of that to the side. Things had fallen into a comfortable familiarity with her, and he didn’t want to risk damaging that.

“She is,” Tan Xiaoling said. “And so are you. But then again, so are Li Heng and I. We find time for each other.” It was, as far as He Yu could tell, the first time Tan Xiaoling had ever acknowledged her relationship with Li Heng aloud.

“I thought she’d lost interest.” He was offering up excuses, and he knew it.

“Can’t imagine why she hasn’t, but I’ll not question her judgment.”

He Yu finally lost the battle with his embarrassment and fixed his eyes on his food. “I suppose I could ask her to train with me more,” he muttered.

“Well, that would at least be a start,” Tan Xiaoling said. “But I was thinking of something a bit less, I don’t know, serious.”

“Like?”

“I’ll let you figure that out,” she laughed. “Li Heng and I have a running bet, by the way. Don’t disappoint us.”

He Yu’s head snapped up. “What kind of bet?” he demanded.

With another laugh, Tan Xiaoling popped a dumpling into her mouth. “That’s between Heng and I.” She stood and gave him a wave as she made her way to the door. “You’ll have plenty of time to figure things out on the way back to the sect. See you in the morning.”

As Tan Xiaoling departed, she took all the other things he’d previously tried sorting through over the past week with her.