The group of four friends found themselves alone. After Xiao Xuefeng left to get everything in order for her departure, they talked some more and walked around the sect. Sun Liao and Ren Chao were both way more silent than they were used to. And a strange atmosphere of melancholy was enveloping the quartet. Cao Yun and Mei Hua had not a lot of things to take care of. Maybe, the most important was to warn everyone in the Heavenly Swallow Faction that they were going to leave soon.

Thankfully, Sun Liao had been a very thorough manager. Not only did he take care of all administrative duties, but he also formed some of the new members so that they could each perform a part of those duties. After all, they all knew that they would be gone next year. And even if Zhi Yin would reclaim her role as faction leader, she would probably get busy. It was better for everyone to have competent members to handle this stuff.

Unconsciously, they ended up near their old residence when they were still first-years. It wasn't very far from their new residence, but they had taken the wrong path apparently. In the courtyard, they saw the bodhi tree in bloom. Its flowers were just breathtaking. All over the giant foliage of this enormous tree, there were heavenly colors, red, gold, purple, yellow, a bit of vibrant green here and there. And with the light from the sun still a bit low on the horizon, the view was wonderful, almost mystical.

For very long minutes, the four disciples just admired this natural beauty. Out of nowhere, Cao Yun started to recite a poem he had read from Saint Xun Ke. Then, Ren Chao and Sun Liao decided to speak up.

"Brother Chen, we'll go with you."

"What? To Yinmen City?"

"Yes." Sun Liao looked at Mei Hua. "Sister, your Golden Flowery Fragrance Institute should be just fine considering its importance and how many experts they must have." He looked back at Cao Yun. "Our Wubei Sect won't have any problem either. On the other hand, Yinmen City may be in real danger. Although I'm not a great fighter, I am confident in my archery to keep some demonic beasts at bay. Moreover, I do not think there is a single disciple more competent than me in terms of array formations. Of course I can't set up a Human rank array formation, but I can manage and repair even complex ones. Yinmen City should already have many defenses ready for this kind of threat. With me there, their array formations will be even more powerful. And they won't fall as easily."

Then, Ren Chao took over. "To support the defense of a city, a blacksmith is a great addition as well. I can help repair weapons, make new ones, build fortifications... And I am also confident in my physical strength if need be. My master may be a bit opposed to my going after our recent hunt, but I'll convince him."

"Brothers, aren't you worried about your own provinces?"

"Do not worry. I checked as soon as I heard the rumors spread. My province is not under any threat of a stampede. And I also asked for Brother Ren, his is safe as well."

"You see, Brother, we can join you. No, we will join you!" Ren Chao turned toward Mei Hua. "Sister Mei, I'm very sorry... Not only did we abandon you in those tunnels, but now we will also let you go on your own..."

The young woman chuckled. "What are you saying, Brother Ren? Once more, you did not abandon me. I literally asked you to leave. And this time too, I made my choice. Otherwise, I would have gladly gone with you all. But I'm sure that you will be enough to defend that small city."

No matter what she said, Ren Chao still felt a bit awkward. That was when Sun Liao spoke again.

"Brothers, Sister, may I be so bold as to suggest something to you?" The young man waited as all his friends were looking at him, waiting to understand what he was referring to. "Would you be willing to share an oath with me? We faced death together, and we're going to face it again. Since we're walking the great and noble path of cultivation, we'll face many other hardships. And... I wish to face them with you. I wish for you to become my sworn brothers and sister."

This was a rare sight to see Sun Liao blush. It wasn't a playful embarrassment just like the one he showed when he teased and was teased by Ren Chao. All the group could tell that he had probably been thinking about it for a very long time but he had failed to find the resolve to say it out loud.

The first one to save Sun Liao from his embarrassment was Ren Chao.

"Brother Sun, I have no brother and no sister in my family. If I can have you as my sworn brother, this will be my honor." Hearing this, Sun Liao raised his head and looked at his friend. Both smiled to each other and shook hands.

Then, they heard the voice of Mei Hua.

"Brothers, although I already have a little sister, I have no brother. I may not know how to deal with you, but I'm looking forward to having you as my sworn brothers."

The group of three smiled and tapped on each other's shoulders, shaking hands and being very familiar. However, when they turned toward Cao Yun, their smiles became a bit dim.

Cao Yun was looking down, thinking very seriously about this. Yes, he had considered those three people as very close friends. But when he heard Sun Liao talk about being brothers, he remembered his family. In particular, he saw the faces of Cao Sheng and Cao Huiying. The last time he had seen his brother, he was yelling at him to go hide inside while he laid down his life to try and protect them. And the last time he had seen his young sister, she was crying and struggling as the murderer of his parents was taking her away. He could even remember his own blood being reflected in her teary eyes.

The idea of accepting new brothers had never occurred to him. Being sworn brothers meant as much as being blood brothers. The Four Saints had all been sworn brothers of Emperor Nuwa while they fought against the demons and saved mankind. So at the very moment when the idea crossed Cao Yun's mind, he imagined what would happen if he was found by those who had already killed his family. What made Cao Yun look so down was the idea of seeing another family member being killed.

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Then, he thought about something else. All along, he had been lying to them about his real name and his history. Was he really worthy of being their brother? Or even their friend?

"My friends... I... There is something that I've never told you..."

Before he could explain any further, he felt the big hands of Ren Chao on his shoulders and he felt his body being sent forward by additional weight. With Cao Yun hugged under his arm, Ren Chao laughed out loud.

"You think too much, Brother! Just say yes! I know your head must be filled with many complicated stuff. Just let go. You almost died for us. You're already like a brother to me!"

"He's right, you know. I am sure that there are many things that you've never told us. Unlike the hammer-head here, I can see that you have things you keep hidden. So what? You're not the only one. But what I know is that you've been there when it mattered. You've already told us that you had a past and this involved some demonic cultivator. I don't know what happened to you. But if someone threatens you, even if they are a 9th-grade Spirit Warrior, or even a Sage, I will gladly risk my life to save yours."

"Yeah!" After a small pause, Ren Chao looked at Sun Liao. "Wait... Who's the hammer-head?"

Before Sun Liao could answer, Mei Hua also talked.

"Brother Chen, I also hid things from my past. Things that are just too painful for me to talk about. Things about my father... He tried to kill Ying'er and I..."

"No need to tell us if you don't feel like it, Sister. If someone tries to hurt you or your little sis, they'll have to go through me!"

"And me!"

Both men turned toward Cao Yun, waiting for him.

"And me."

With a bright smile, Cao Yun raised his head.

"Having you as my sworn brothers and sister will be my honor."

"Great!" Ren Chao took a bottle gourd that was tied on his waist. "Let's do it right!"

"Let's do it right?! We're not savages like you, we won't drink directly from that gourd. Let's find some cups."

"Come on!" Ren Chao was not annoyed by Sun Liao's remarks for once. Instead, he bumped his shoulder into his. Then, Ren Chao walked toward the magnificent bodhi tree. From that angle, the sun was shining through the branches and the scene seemed to be from an entirely other world. Myriads of different beautiful colors were spreading everywhere. In addition to that wonderful show, the fragrance from the flowers was also enticing and fantastic.

Even though he looked like a brute sometimes, Ren Chao also knew how to appreciate beauty and art. Right in front of him was the most exquisite painting he had ever seen in his life, except this was real. He knelt on the grass and beckoned for his friends to join him. They looked at each other and followed the blacksmith to the ground. As they knelt, they cupped their fists and bowed toward the wonderful tree.

"Although we could not be born on the same day, in the same month or in the same year, we hope to die on the same day. Although our last names and the blood coursing through our veins are different, we vow to be as brothers and sisters. May the Earth, the Heaven, and the Dao itself be witness to our oath. The great path of cultivation is full of dangers and burdens. On our Dao Hearts, we swear to share our hardships and to always help one another in times of need. If we should ever break our oath, let all who are righteous chase and strike us down!"

Ren Chao was the first to drink from his gourd. Then, he gave it to Sun Liao, in the order of seniority. Drinking from the gourd, Sun Liao was surprised by the strength of the wine. As he was still trying to get over it, he gave the gourd to Mei Hua. A bit apprehensive, she still took a sip and felt her entire throat in fire. Finally, Cao Yun drank and gave the gourd back to Ren Chao.

Indeed, Ren Chao was the oldest as he had almost exceeded the limit of 20 years old when he had last attempted to be accepted in the Wubei Sect. On the other hand, Sun Liao had waited some time before entering so he was only two years younger than him. Finally, Mei Hua and Cao Yun were almost the same age. That being said, the young woman was still a few months older than him and a couple of months younger than Sun Liao.

"Ha ha ha! Now I'm the first brother. Second Brother Sun, you owe me respect now! Ha ha ha!"

After coughing up a bit, Sun Liao turned toward his sworn brother. At first, he wanted to say something. But seeing that Ren Chao was so happy, he preferred not to. Instead, he also started to laugh.

The group stayed some time in front of the bodhi tree to admire it and contemplate what had happened. They had sworn on their Dao Hearts, for cultivators, there was no oath that was more sacred than that. Breaking such an oath could result in the creation of an inner demon. To an orthodox cultivator, this could mean death if they weren't able to control it and prevent it from growing. Until the day of their deaths, they would always be as siblings to one another. Being sworn brothers was sometimes used a mere tool to forge political or economic alliances. But for them, it was different. They really felt like they were now linked for good.

-

After returning to their chambers, they each prepared what they needed for the upcoming mission. A stampede could occur at any time. Maybe they were going to wait several months before it actually happened, or it could begin while they were still traveling. And then, they had no idea how long it would last. None of them were old enough to have experienced one before. But from what they had read, it could span from a few days to several weeks. And apparently, the upcoming stampede was out of the ordinary. They could be defending the city for months for all they knew. Thankfully, it was still early in the year, so this should be over by the time they would have to enter the Ancient Ruins.

Cao Yun informed Kang Cai, but her mistress had already relayed the news and the young girl had gotten everything ready. He also left a message to Instructor Meng who was still in seclusion, either preparing his breakthrough or actually breaking through to the Spirit Warrior realm. Then, he went to warn Chief Elder Baishen. Finally, he met with all the members of the Heavenly Swallow Faction. Liu Ang was clearly the most disappointed. Not only would he have to spend several months, if not the entire end of the year, without seeing his idol. But he was devastated by the fact that he could not accompany him as he was still a first-year himself.

Cao Yun also briefly visited Chief Elder Suxian. The array formation master was busy himself as he had to make sure that the array formations of the Wubei Sect would be ready for any kind of stampede. With Sect Leader Xuan, they were not too worried about the sect itself. However, the stampede could damage the array formation around the Heidai Peak and create a lot of disturbance. They preferred to be safe rather than sorry.

Once Cao Yun had finished his tour of the Wubei Sect, the sun was high in the sky and the time to leave was approaching. Thus, he walked toward the demonic beasts pavilion outside of the Shell Gate. Since it was not in the confines of the Wubei Sect, there were a lot of people preparing defenses around it and moving the demonic beasts away. If the buildings or equipments were destroyed, that would only cost money. But if the beasts were killed, they would not be easily replaced. Besides, every beast tamer was very attached to their beasts. For them, this would be like losing a friend or even a family member.

As he was approaching the pavilion, Cao Yun saw a figure he recognized immediately considering how tall and big he was.