Chapter 100 - Meeting An Old Friend
Hei went to the sect leader residence. He knew that she had already returned.
After Hei and Lian left the Crossroad Lake, the sect leader had remained to deal with the other sects and families. However, after realizing that the two youths had left, without saying anything, she had immediately returned to the sect, leaving the first and second elders to direct the negotiations.
The reason was simple. Inside her, the sect leader knew it wouldn't take long for Hei to make his choice. Although she couldn’t say that she knew him thoroughly, in this period of Hei's stay in the Flower Sect, the sect leader had, however, learned something about him.
Hei was a strong person. Not because of his fighting skills or his ability to command spirit beasts. No, his strength comes from his own way of being and standing, from his character and determination. As long as he had a reason to fight and move on, he would do so. Regardless of how many injuries he would receive along the way.
And so, the sect leader remained in her residence, waiting for the young beast tamer to come to her to communicate his decision.
"Good morning, sect leader. Thank you for receiving me."
"You don’t have to thank me." The sect chief answered, raising a hand to show Hei that there was no need to bow.
"Yes, instead. Not just you, but all the elders and my companions. I have to thank you for what you did at Crossroad Lake. You have put your lives and the whole sect at risk for my family. I will never forget this. Surely, one day, I will repay my debt. I promise. And these are what I promised you for the Secret Dimension."
At that point, Hei placed ten space rings on the sect leader's wooden desk. Each of the rings was filled with objects from the Secret Dimension.
Initially, not all the rings had been filled. But Hei, having acquired the property of the Secret Dimension inside the Heart of the World Tree, could freely extract objects within the Secret Dimension. At the same time, he could keep objects and living beings inside.
The sect leader looked intensely at the ten space rings, before sighing. Then she took them and put them in the corner of her desk.
"Thanks, Hei. And thank Lian for me as well. You did a great job. But this isn’t the only reason you came, right?"
"No, I came to inform you of my decision. I will leave the Flower Sect. No, I will leave the Rainbow Island. It's time for me to go to the Continent. I came to ask you which way is the most suitable to follow."
Hei's tone was calm but firm. His breathing and his heart rate were stable. Yes, he had no doubt. The time had come.
"I knew you would have asked me for something like that. That's why I came here first, leaving the other elders at Crossroad Lake. Even though I knew this day would come, I didn't think it would come so soon."
Saying this, the sect leader opened a drawer in her desk to pull something out. It was a piece of paper. Or to be more precise, it was a map. A map that didn’t indicate the territories of the Rainbow Island. Instead, it depicted the various existing islands, including the Rainbow Island. And at the edge of the map, there was a large section of indefinite land with Continente written.
"This is a map of the islands around us, while that big piece of land is the Continent. Unfortunately, we aren’t able to define the contours of the Continent. So it is indicated in this way in all the maps. However, the rest of the map is accurate. If you follow the commercial sea route between the islands, you will be able to reach the island closest to the Continent: Island of Dreams. It is called that because it is the island closest to the dream of us, martial artists of the islands - reaching the Continent.
From there, there should be some special convoy to reach the Continent. Usually, such convoys are limited to the city where they dock. But with the token provided to you by the Spirit Artifact, you aren’t limited by these constraints.”
At that point, the sect leader stopped for a moment to look at Hei. The young man looked back, not batting an eye. Hei knew why the sect leader had done this.
The Spirit Artifact was dead. And with it, the trace of spirit power contained in the tokens assigned by it. Therefore, if the Secret Dimension tokens had lost their mark of spirit power, it was almost sure that the same had happened with the Continent Trial tokens.
Seeing that Hei wasn’t mentioning this, the sect leader decided to let it go and continued with her speech.
"I have already taken action in this regard. There is a merchant convoy that leaves in a week from the City of Mangroves. It will take you to the Island of Dreams. From there, you will have to handle it alone. I had initially thought that you would have preferred to travel alone, but for such a long journey, you need a large boat that, in turn, needs many people. The alternative was to build an artifact ship, but it would take time to build it, and you would have to leave one person driving all the time. Instead, by traveling in the merchant convoy, you will have plenty of time to rest or cultivate. I have already left predispositions on not to bother you during the trip. Therefore, you will have no problems."
The sect leader illustrated the measures she had adopted and then remained silent to hear Hei's opinion on the matter.
"A week? All right. As for traveling with other people, that's fine. I would like to leave as soon as possible, that's all. Thank you very much for your help, sect leader," Hei said as he bowed his head respectfully to the sect leader.
"I told you. There is no need to thank me. Instead, it is I who must thank you. That divine beast spider was very important to you, wasn't it? Without its sacrifice, we would all have been dead. But now, I am about to realize my much sought-after dream of reaching the rank of Spirit Master. For this, I want to repay, as far as possible. I have already agreed with all the sects and families present at Crossroad Lake. Because you and Lian are our only hope, if things get bad for us one day, we must leave you the tools to do this. Medicines, pills, and other similar items to advance from the seventh stage to the spirit soldier rank and increase your cultivation once you reach the spirit soldier rank. Also, the Elemental Laws techniques we have available to us. As for the weapons, if you have any requests, please refer to as well. There is still a week to gather everything necessary."
"No, I have no request for weapons. Those have already been given. Regarding the manuals, just give us those for these Laws: Metal, Darkness, Illusion, Poison, Water, Wood. Just these."
"I understand, okay. Well then. I will return immediately to the Crossroad Lake. We will meet again in a week at the City of Mangroves. During this week you are free to do what you want. Just remember to stay in time there, or you'll have to wait again before you can leave."
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With this, the conversation with the sect leader ended. Hei bowed again and took his leave. Now that he had finished here, he had to communicate his decision to the spirit beasts that lived with him.
*
Muuu!! Bzzz!!
The noisy sound of a buffalo and a bee sounded in the air. They were Shui and Mi, who were reacting animatedly to the news Hei and his family’s departure. But it wasn't much because Hei, Xing, Ye, and Lian would leave Rainbow Island. But it was because no other spirit beasts would come with Hei. Not even Shui and Mi.
"I know. I know exactly how you feel. The idea of separating from you, from all of you, also hurts me. But I can't do otherwise. On the Continent, there are beings so strong that they are able to fight with my Mother on equal terms. I don't know what dangers we will encounter. If I took you with me, I would only end up putting you in danger. My strength is insignificant, so insignificant that I cannot protect the one I care most about. For this, I must become stronger. But as long as I don't become strong, I can't take charge of the lives of so many living beings. At the moment, only Ye, Xing, and Lian are already more than what I can take on me. I beg you, therefore, to understand and to forgive me."
After saying this, Hei knelt on the ground towards all the spirit beasts in front of him, in particular, Shui and Mi. He was sorry for his selfish choices, but what he had said was what he really thought.
If he put their lives at risk and they died, he would never forgive himself for all his life.
The spirit beasts, sensing his sincere emotions, began to utter verses to tell him to get up, but Hei didn't. It was when Shui and Mi went to him and touched his head that Hei finally looked up. Even if they didn't want to, they would accept Hei's decision.
"Thank you, thank you so much, my friends. I promise you that one day I will return and that day I will take you with me to the Continent. But until then, you must guard our home and the tomb of our Mother. Besides, you also have someone who depends on you, right?"
It was true. Shui was the buffalo herd’s leader. None of the other buffaloes had yet awakened spirit power, so they needed Shui as their guide, not to mention the nearing arrival of buffalo cubs. Mi, instead, lead only a small squadron of bees. But there was no doubt that the queen bee had become attached to her and wanted to make Mi her successor as the queen bee of the hive. Both, therefore, had to remain due to the responsibility for those who relied on the two spirit beasts.
But knowing their feelings, Hei made a final proposal.
"How about one last adventure together. Mi? Shui? There is one person I have to see before I leave. Will you accompany me? So I will also show you the place where I was born and raised before we met."
Shui and Mi, on hearing those words, shook their heads quickly in happiness. One last adventure before saying goodbye.
Seeing that reaction, Hei smiled and stood up. Yes, there was still one last thing to do before leaving.
*
Multicolored Leaf Forest
Two youths were walking under the night sky inside the heart of the forest. Beside them were a large albino buffalo carrying a small spider and a small snake. Above them, a little bee was flying happily in the air.
"This is where I, Ye, and Xing were born and lived for most of our lives. Mother had built a spiderweb house, not much different from the one present at the sect, just a little smaller. We used to spend our days training in the morning. After lunch, we could play a little, and then we had to listen to lessons on human civilization. After Mother thought we were at a sufficient level of understanding about human society, she let us go to the village not too far from here. After that, we alternated between the village and the forest. I would have liked to show you our old house. Unfortunately, we had to destroy it in order not to leave traces of us." Hei explained with a melancholy tone.
The Multicolored Leaf Forest was where it all started — the location where he had met his mother and his little sisters. Only by standing there, a myriad of memories had begun to flood his mind.
Lian at his side took his hand and said.
"It’s all alright. As long as you keep the memory of it, it never really disappeared, right?"
At Lian's words, Hei smiled and slightly increased his grip on Lian's hand. Yes, she was right. Nothing was wholly destroyed as long as its memory was preserved.
"Well then, there is one person I have to meet. Ye, Xing, do you want to come with me? "
'Big Brother? Wait, do you mean-?’ Asked in unison the two little spirit beasts.
"Yes, I'm talking about Lei Lei. I'd like to say goodbye before leaving and apologize because it's likely we won't see each other again. Besides, I would also like to see my teacher, Lei Bai."
Ye and Xing nodded their heads and left Shui's back, climbing Hei's body.
"Lian, stay with Mi and Shui. It won't take long. We'll come back to you quickly."
With this, Hei started running as fast as he could and was swallowed up by the forest vegetation.
*
In a house on the outer edge of the Leaf Village, a young woman with a simple but elegant appearance was resting deeply on her bed. To her chest, she held a thick book with illustrations and writings that filled every edge of the pages. It was Le Lei; the first human being Hei had met in his life.
"As always, you study a lot. I'm sorry to come here so secretly. But if I met you, I would end up making you suffer. Furthermore, I still don't feel like talking openly about my mother's death. But be serene, I haven't forgotten the promise I made to you - I won't forget you. So, don't forget about yours. Continue with your life and live proud of who you are and what you do. Farewell, Lei Lei. Thank you for welcoming us into your home and your life."
Hei then left a bouquet of forget-me-nots flowers and a space ring on the bedside table next to Lei Lei’s bed. Within the space ring, there were multiple resources. With those, Lei Lei and Lei Bai could develop spirit power, although it would be difficult for them to cultivate beyond the first stage. But the mere fact of having awakened it would help them a lot.
"So, you came back, boy."
A gruff voice sounded silently behind him. Turning around, Hei could see Lei Bai staring at him and telling him to go outside. He didn't want to wake Lei Lei with the sound of their voices.
After leaving, Bai took two chairs and placed them on the ground and motioned for Hei to sit down.
"So came back, boy. And yet, you leave again without saying goodbye."
At his words, Hei could only bow and apologize.
"I'm sorry I didn't want to disturb you. I wanted to see you one last time before leaving the Rainbow Island."
"Leaving the Rainbow Island? Boy, look up and stare into my eyes."
Hei did as much as Lei Bai requested and looked him straight in the eye.
"I see. Now I understand everything. So, your mother is dead, right?"
At Lei Bai's words, Hei's body froze. He never imagined that Lei Bai could understand that only from a glance.
"Yes. It is as you say. How did you know? "
"It is simple. I also had the same look when my wife died. Since your sisters are with you, the only reason is that your mother died then. Ah... poor boy. I know exactly how you feel, and I won’t tell you useless words of encouragement. I'll just tell you what I know. It hurts; it hurts like hell. It is a wound that can never heal. But even so, you still have someone to protect, don't you? Continue to walk and don't look back. Even if you fail and fall, you must continue. Even when everything seems black and hopeless. Because one day, someone will come to help you escape the tunnel of sadness and depression. I know it well. That person was you for me.
Even though I had Lei Lei, I felt guilty inside me. Since I am not as powerful as martial artists or wealthy, I couldn’t save her mother, nor could I give her the life she deserves. She was the only reason I stayed alive, but at the same time, it was also what kept me anchored in the remorse of the past. That is ugly for a father to say, but it is the truth. Fortunately, you came. You and your little sisters. You have brought a breath of joy into our home and our lives. It is why I will be grateful to you for my whole life, not just for saving us that night. But as I was saved, you too will be saved. Therefore, continue on your way. If possible, don't get dragged down by the mistakes and remorse of the past. Break those chains and move on."
When you Lei Bai finished speaking, he got Hei out of the chair. Then, with his right fist, he hit Hei's chest, where the boy's heart was located.
"Run, run to the top of this world, and don't stop."
"Thank you, master, thank you for everything. I will never forget what you told me. "
With this, Hei did what Lei Bai said and set off towards the Multicolored Leaf Forest toward Lian, Shui, and Mi.
"You are awake, aren’t you?" Asked Bai without turning around.
"Yes," answered a soft voice behind him. It was Lei Lei who had woken up from her sleep.
"It is so typical of him to leave without saying goodbye. He didn't even notice that I was awake all the time, stupid."
"You could have greeted him then. Why?"
"That's okay. It's the decision Hei made. I wanted to respect his desire. Our roads are not meant to continue together, but it doesn't matter. It's enough for me to have been close to him for at least a while. His place isn’t here but at the end of this world."
She looked at Hei’s back in the distance with a warm smile. On her chest, she clutched the bouquet of blue forget-me-nots flowers, which reminded her of the moments spent together and that they would never live together again.