A few minutes later, Fu Yuzhe left the estate, he wasn’t allowed to visit his sister because he was using the excuse of being on a mission. But he stepped out of the village finding solace in looking at his sister’s Life medallion.

“I didn’t have much expectations of him, but he surprised me. Desperation always makes people do more than they could normally.” Gu Changge reeled in his Qi sense as Yuzhe ran down a path leading to the nearby Jizu Province, his eyes however went to Li Ling. She stood there watching the door that Yuzhe had walked out of, her eyes were downcast filled with a surge of emotions.

“Are you sad that he didn’t greet you?” Changge sneaked up on her, his hand snaking around her thin waist in a swift motion. “Should I help you deal with your broken heart?”

“…I-I apologize Master, but please……” Li Ling’s voice shook yet she couldn’t move, the only objection was her weak words that were akin to a paper wall.

“Don’t make it look like I am forcing myself on you, people will get the wrong idea. I am simply concerned about my precious little subordinate, don’t you understand?” Changge smiled moving back.

“…I do not deserve your concern, Master. I’ll go and tend to the needs of Miss Fu.” Li Ling slipped away from the room.

“Tsk Tsk, so stubborn.” Changge’s words turned sour as he took a seat in the family head chair, but the dissatisfaction was only momentary. “It is always more satisfying when there is resistance.”

A few hours later, a pigeon-like bird with colorful feathers and a crooked beak rushed into the room from the door, with a single flap of its wings it appeared on the table near Gu Changge. Opening its beak it spat out a scroll two fists long, one would question how it fit into the bird’s small body, but he opened the clean scroll without batting an eye.

Inside the words listed the mundane tasks of a tailor, from finding new fabrics brought in by the Western Continent’s merchant to taking measurements of the local customers and the process of making dresses for weddings and everyday wear. To anyone else, it would’ve been a simple letter written to the person’s close friend who lived in another country, but not to Gu Changge. His eyes went to the vertical lines used in writing the date, in a moment he gathered the first letter of each word from the start to the end before arranging them backward on a new paper, making a new line every twelve letters.

The sky is much calmer.

Leave the pruning to others.

Be hasty with acquiring the Plum seedling.

The time to replant is near.

He stared at the lines with a solemn look, it was an ultimatum for him. He had succeeded in creating discord between three of the four major sects, but it wasn’t as big as he had hoped. Because of that, he couldn’t acquire one of the key goals of the mission. No matter how sudden the request was, the fact that he failed remained.

“Those bastards chose a good time to come out of their fucking caves.” The hatred in his heart had yet to be settled, and it only grew with each moment. However, he knew exacting it wasn’t possible now, the task would have to go to someone else as he faced the two unknowns.

Without wasting a moment, he pulled out a scroll and brush from his storage ring, with quick and neat characters he formed a letter and attached a portrait to it. Soon, the letter addressed to Metal Fiend came to completion.

“Don’t let me down, you bastard.” Changge muttered feeding the scroll to the bird before it flapped away.

“I suppose I’ll have no choice but to share my prey this time. Well, it is not like that sect will disappear overnight.” His eyes were fixed on the bigger prey, the ever-elusive Li Muchen and the hermit Bian Que, but the most important of them all was the girl.

The portrait was of a young girl with green eyes and black hair, her beauty was above average but the resoluteness in her eyes would draw anyone in. Her name was etched on the back.

“Wu Kexin, I hope you don’t struggle too much, or it will be a drag.” He still had to confirm a lot of information and gather more. “It is so much fun seeing them scrambling about, but it doesn't matter, after all, they are still dancing to someone else’s beat.”

***

“Woah! We are so high up!” The cool wind carried Wang Yang’s enthusiastic cry around the wooden deck.

He stood near the wooden railing on the ship racing across the rare clear sky enjoying the fresh breeze, passing by flocks of birds and mountains below. His high energy hadn’t died down since we left the Sect this morning, and it attracted attention on a moderately crowded tea shop nearby.

“Be quiet you idiot.” Once again, Wu Kexin dragged him back to the seating area meant for enjoying the view.

Many on board seemed to have a lot to say, rich merchants, delegates from other sects, scions of wealthy families, and traveling disciples of numerous sects. However, the Plum flower on Wang Yang’s white robes made them stay in their places, even the staff didn’t say anything, despite it not being allowed to stand too close to the railings. The reason was simple, even if they haven’t met me face to face, anyone traveling to Azure Sky Sect knows of my peak’s symbol.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

“He’s lively, isn’t he?” I spoke to Sun Lingling, she had returned from the cultivation room on the ship.

“Yes.” Her face looked solemn as she stood next to my seat, she didn’t bother with what others did anyway.

Wu Kexin had also arrived a few moments ago when she found out that Wang Yang was up to his usual antics again. As she dragged him close, his wincing face changed into shock upon seeing me.

“Ah, Master and Senior Sister Sun too?” Wang Yang’s gaze alternated between us, trying to understand the situation and when we arrived.

“Did you forget about the meeting at noon?” I asked.

“…N-No.” He looked away.

Deep creases formed on Kexin’s forehead making Wang Yang sweat, however, he was like that. With how fascinated he became with the Pheonix Boat, it was natural he’d forget about things and run around the place, it had happened even when he had aged and matured so it was not new to me.

“Pay it no mind, it was for a simple chat.” Wu Kexin had got him before the appointed time anyway. “Now then, take a seat you three, order whatever you like.”

Lingling took the cushioned seat adjacent to me without a word, Kexin and Yang sat on the opposite seats. Since boarding the ship from the Northern Gate of the Outer City, I have let them do what they wanted but I knew their curiosity was growing by the second as they didn’t order anything, they knew nothing about the trip, not even the destination. Lingling and Kexin weren’t the types to ask, while Yang was too busy exploring until now.

“Master, it is true that we are going to the Purple Cloud Sect’s Territory?” Wang Yang must’ve heard the destination of this ship while walking around the place.

“Not quite, our destination is the neutral Tie province beside the Huang Province under Purple Cloud’s territory.” This ship was a designated vessel that only moved from our sect to Huang City bearing goods and people, the Pheonix boats moved from sect to sect but because of the tensions between the two rival sects, this arrangement was made long ago to prevent conflicts.

Wang Yang and Sun Lingling looked at me with clear confusion, for the latter it was understandable as she wasn’t from this continent. Wang Yang, however, should’ve known this. I suppose I’ll have to increase his study time from now on.

“The province that once produced the largest amount of iron ore on the continent, we are going to that Tie Province, Master?” Wu Kexin asked. She had loosened up a lot compared to before, but in front of everyone still maintained the usual courtesy.

“Yes, we are going there to investigate a fable passed down in a remote mountainside village.” I said.

“To investigate a fable?” Wang Yang tilted his head.

“What is the fable about?” For the first time, Sun Lingling looked attentive, waiting for the information. Fables among mortals were always loosely connected with cultivators or valuable places full of treasures, so many sought after them.

“It is about an orphan boy who lived in a tea farming village with his sickly younger sister, it is known as the fable of Heaven’s Pond in that province.” The Heaven’s Pond was the reason we were going there.

"The fable starts with the stronger-than-average boy working in the fields witnessing the deteriorating health of his sister since childhood. After checking with the village doctors multiple times it is revealed that she had an incurable constitutional condition. Her body was failing to contain her vital life force which resulted in a constant state of weakness which only grew, and that would eventually lead to death." They listened with alert ears.

“There wasn’t a way to cure his sister at that time and the doctor told the boy to count her days, but the kid had grown up hearing of the Heaven’s Pond at the summit of the highest peak behind his village, a peak that reached the clouds. It was said that if someone could bath in its water, they would live for two hundred years and no disease would ever affect them.” At my words, Wang Yang’s eyes lit up.

“Is there such a place?”

Fascination would be the right word, after all this boy always enjoyed stories, just not in written form.

“We are going there to confirm that ourselves.” I said.

“What happened next? Did the Boy stop?” Kexin was invested too, I did hear about her enjoying fables of old and such, so I decided to continue.

“No, he didn’t. Despite many warnings, he tried to climb the peak himself, using the side of a waterfall he climbed his way up the tangled brown vines and slippery solid rocks to reach the top. Failing multiple times and breaking his arms and legs from the falls that landed him in the water, despite the pain and disapproval he continued for the next few years.” It was an admirable effort for anyone, this was a mortal trying everything he could to save his family despite the low chances. “Then after two years, his sister’s health deteriorated further. Seeing that he made up his mind, although a storm had hit and the waterfall’s current was much stronger than normal, he started his climb.”

The people around him called him foolish, to them it was like he was wasting his life away for a legend that no one believed. But that boy believed it, if his sister could live a healthy life because of it, he would believe anything.

“A climb that lasted for two days, struck by lightning twice he almost fell from the top. Despite that, he reached the top with one broken arm, and there he saw the pond. Unlike the dark clouds he saw while climbing up, the hope from the shimmering pond was blinding, when he filled his sheepskin and bamboo pot, the water from the pond splashed on his broken arm healing it on the spot. Elated he doused himself with the water, and all his injuries and tiredness vanished like fog, then he started his descent as the storm passed, revealing the clear morning sky.” I stopped there for a moment, wondering if I should continue the story.

“…Did he save his sister?” Sun Lingling asked, her voice low but her eyes seemed eager to know.

“Do you really want to hear the rest?” I asked.

“Of course, Master. You can’t leave the ending, that’s the most important part!” Wang Yang’s enthusiasm was palpable, so much so that he had stood up from his chair which slid backward. Even Kexin was too deep to chide him.

I suppose this would be a good lesson for them, so holding it off wouldn’t be good either.

“About his sister, she died alone in their hut on the first day, the villagers buried her the next day.”

Not only did the boy fail to save his sister, he wasn’t there for her in the last years of her life, not even her last moments, and he couldn’t even see her burial.

Even after he had succeeded, such an end welcomed him home.