The disciples roused groggily and looked at the panicked Xiaotong.

Pengfei rubbed the sleep from his eyes and said, “What do you mean ‘Shutian is gone’? Gone where?”

“I don’t know, he’s run off! Come on, we need to find him.”

The disciples followed Xiaotong outside reluctantly, still not convinced there was any urgency to the situation.

“He’s probably just off taking a shit somewhere.”

“Or he got a head start on the walk back up to the sect.”

But Xiaotong could not be convinced.

“You guys don’t understand. Shutian hates it here. He’s been talking about running off to the Central Plains for months. That’s why I wanted Pengfei to take his herding shift in the first place! I was afraid of what he would do if he got an opportunity to run.”

“Why didn’t you say anything sooner?!” Neng demanded.

“I didn’t want to get him in trouble and I didn’t think he’d run with all of us down here! We need to go and find him before anyone finds out, or the elders will-“

“Excommunicate him, destroy his dantian, and leave him crippled for the rest of his life.” Nanxi completed.

Pengfei turned to the other disciple in shock. “Seriously?”

Nanxi nodded solemnly. “No one is allowed to leave with their martial arts intact while the gates are closed. Otherwise, the entire sect could be accused of violating the punishment of the Wulin Alliance.”

Neng took charge as the gravity of the situation set in to the rest of the disciples.

“There’s just one way he could have gone. On foot, the only option that makes sense is to head to the Desert Road in Xinjiang. He should be pretty easy to find.”

“Just one problem. His qinggong is excellent, he’s fast as hell. The fastest in our dormitory.”

Xiaotong nodded at Nanxi’s appraisal. “Maybe in the whole sect.”

“There’s nothing we can do about that. We just have to try. Come on.”

Neng began jogging to the north along the stream, the same path the Tibetan nomads had taken just a couple days ago. Nanxi and Xiaotong jogged after him and Pengfei began falling in behind them when something caught his eye. He called out to the other disciples.

“You guys go ahead. I’m going to try something.”

They cast looks back in his direction but did not stop.

Pengfei ran back to the barn and grabbed the bridle and reins Pema had gifted him, then made his way back outside. He walked slowly over to the horse laying on the ground.

“Hey girl. I could use your help.”

The animal woke and stood as he approached, backed away when she saw the reins in his hand.

“Whoa, whoa there. I know you don’t like me but this is serious. I really need your help here.”

The mare bucked a few times and trotted several lengths away from him.

“Come on!” Pengfei screamed in frustration. He looked to the north where his friends had already disappeared into darkness. There was no telling how far ahead Shutian was by now. He could have a lead of thirty minutes or three hours.

Anxiety crept into Pengfei’s mind and he let it flow from his mouth.

“This is happening because they came down here to help me!”

He paced back and forth wondering if he should just drop the reins and run after the others.

“Even Nanxi is out there trying to help! And what am I doing? I’m useless. Just like with Feng.”

The mare whinnied and drew a few steps closer.

“Is that what you want to hear? That I should have done more? Fine, yes, I should have! I was scared and… I’m sorry. And if I could go back I don’t know what I would do differently but I still wish I could try. But I’m here now. And I don’t want to have any regrets likes that again.”

The horse stopped moving and stared at Pengfei. The young disciple sensed a measure of calm from the animal and tried to approach again slowly, speaking softly.

“Do you think you can help me live without regrets this time?”

She took another short step backwards but then held her ground. A tense pause and then the mare bowed her head. Pengfei approached and gently slid the bridle on.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Thank you.” He rubbed her neck gently. “No time for a saddle though. This will have to do for now. “

Pengfei jumped and pushed himself up onto the horse.

“I know I was a little bit melodramatic but – whoa!”

The horse darted as soon as Pengfei was atop her. He pulled the reins in his hands and steered her to the north.

******************************************************************************

“My mother told me stories about Mongols riding bareback across the steppe. I thought it was so cool I didn’t use a saddle for a year!” Pengfei shouted behind the ear of the galloping mare. “But it’s harder than I remember!”

He jostled and bounced on the horse’s back. Riding without a saddle required more balance and the darkness of the night did not help. But soon Pengfei found his rhythm.

“Do you think we missed them?” Pengfei asked, half to himself. He had been riding for several minutes now at a full gallop but still hadn’t come across Nanxi, Xiaotong, and Neng.

--But I’m trying to find Shutian, not them.--

His worries of somehow missing his companions were misplaced though. He spotted the trio a few minutes later, much further along than he had expected to find them.

--I have to stop underestimating the power of qinggong.--

Even now, the other disciples were not just running. They had begun to use their lightness and movement techniques. Their internal energy allowed them to lightly touch the ground and propel themselves in great strides at incredible speeds.

The old nag struggled to overtake them but eventually the runners exhausted their qi, slowing to a more human pace. It was not a technique that could be used indefinitely. When they reduced their speed to a jog, Pengfei finally sped past on horseback. He whistled and raised a hand to them as he rode by.

--But if it took this long to catch up to them, how long is it going to take to catch up to Shutian?--

It was hard to tell how much time was passing but Pengfei made rough estimates. One hour. Two. Three. The chase had begun shortly before midnight but now he was sure dawn was just behind the eastern horizon.

The long valley snaked left and right, narrowed and widened, but was a single unambiguous path. But that couldn’t last forever. Pengfei knew that eventually the terrain would open up and there would be a myriad of possible routes to choose from. He might lose Shutian’s trail completely at that point.

The horse had held up well despite its age. Pengfei had ridden her hard but she still found the energy to gallop after every short rest they took. But that couldn’t last forever either.

So Pengfei was ecstatic when he came around a bend and spotted a figure walking in the darkness ahead.

“Shhh, shhh.” He whispered into the mare’s ear and let her creep ahead at a walk. The figure was moving slowly and Pengfei wanted to get as close as possible before being discovered.

--Shit, I wish I had brought a rope or something. What do I do once I catch up with him?--

A few more seconds and he could make out the grey robes of Kunlun.

--Closer…closer…--

Hoof met rock, and a pebble went bouncing across the ground. Shutian startled, looking back and meeting eyes with Pengfei for a moment. Then, the last leg of the chase began.

Shutian sped forward and Pengfei set his horse to gallop. Amazingly, the disciple on foot managed to pull away as he sped down the valley.

Pengfei leaned forward over his mount’s shoulder and urged her to run faster. Minutes passed and fatigue began to show in both parties. But the poorly rested Shutian slowly lost ground.

In another few moments Pengfei was right over the boy’s shoulder. The mounted disciple leaned down from his horse and when he could just barely touch Shutian’s robes with his fingertips, he jumped.

Pengfei missed the shoulder he had been reaching for, but managed to tangle himself in Shutian’s legs as he fell and brought them both to the ground. They skidded in the grass and rocks, tumbling over each other.

--I can’t let him get to his feet again or I’ll lose him!--

Shutian tried to pull himself free of Pengfei, who was meanwhile trying to claw his way up the disciple’s body. The two tripped and fell multiple times but Shutian managed to make it to his feet. Pengfei made a desperate lunge and grabbed some cloth at the last possible moment, feeling a jerk as his quarry took a bounding stride.

Shutian turned and punched but Pengfei ducked into it and grabbed more cloth.

“Let go of me you bastard!”

Shutian pushed and ripped at Pengfei’s hands but couldn’t loosen the hold.

“Shutian, don’t do this. Let’s go back!”

“Let me go!”

“I know it sucks right now, but we’ll be back in the Central Plains in a few years. It’ll get better.”

“You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about!”

Shutian began attacking in earnest. Punching, kneeing, even pulling Pengfei’s hair. Pengfei tried to wrap his arms around Shutian in a bear hug but was shaken off, just barely managing to grab his opponent’s robe again with one hand.

Shutian stepped back hard and dragged Pengfei off his feet. But the runner lost his balance and fell. The match quickly devolved into an ugly wrestling match. The two panted, Pengfei dripping blood onto the robes of Shutian.

“Why… why do you want to leave so bad? You have no money, no protection. There’s nothing out there for you.”

--All the reasons I came to Kunlun instead of trying to make it on my own.--

Shutian bucked wildly trying to escape but Pengfei kept his position.

“I’m not like all the others, you idiot! They’re all content to sit here and wait on these old bastards hand and foot because they have nothing else. But my family is still out there, dammit!”

“I, I thought you were all orphans?” Pengfei had heard that the Jin disciples were gathered from orphanages across the Central Plains, but now wondered if there had been exceptions besides himself.

“My mother couldn’t afford to feed me so she gave me up. But she’s still out there in Hebei, waiting for me to come back. I have to get back!”

--That’s… should I let him go?--

The implications ran through Pengfei’s mind as Shutian squirmed beneath him. He couldn’t find an argument that made sense to himself, let alone the other disciple. Not knowing what else to say, he said something he knew was inappropriate.

“I get it.”

Shutian paused his struggle. He looked at Pengfei, both incredulous and contemptuous.

“You don’t understand anything, rich boy!”

“I left my mom –“ Shutian’s struggles interrupted Pengfei’s words. He grabbed his prisoner by the collar and slammed him to the ground. “I LEFT MY MOM TOO! When I left home, I begged my mom to come with me, but she insisted on staying to take care of my grandfather. I was so scared to go alone… but she made me.”

Shutian screamed up at him, “You shouldn’t have left her!”

“But she told me – she said ‘Come back for me when we can live together without worry.’ So, that’s what I’ll do. Don’t you want to take care of your mom too?”

Pengfei dragged Shutian to his feet and waited for his reply.

“Yes, I want to take care of her. And –“

Pengfei interrupted. “And do you have the money to take care of her now? Any way to make money?”

“I’ll figure something out.”

“In the meantime, you’ll just make life harder for the both of you. Until the elders here track you down and cripple you. I’m sure she would love to see that! And if someone else figures out who you are first? Then what will happen to you and your mother? To the rest of the Kunlun sect?”

“No one is going to care about one runaway disciple!”

Shutian gave a halfhearted yank at his robes but Pengfei pulled him into a tight clinch and spoke quietly over the boy’s shoulder.

“I don’t really understand the situation with Kunlun’s punishment but I’ve seen it first hand. There are people, inside and outside the sect, paying attention. People who will kill you to change things or keep them the way they are.“

“I just want to go home!” Shutian sobbed.

Pengfei’s ironclad grip softened as the other disciple began to weep and a desperate clinch turned into a more comforting embrace.

“I know. But your mother is taking care of herself for now. If you wait a couple more years, you can go back to her as a Kunlun swordsman and give her a better life.”

Shutian gently pushed Pengfei away and wiped his eyes but made no move to escape. After a few seconds, Pengfei put a hand to his shoulder.

“I know I’m the new guy. I don’t really know the whole story. You do. So, if you still want to run, I’ll tell the others I couldn’t find you. But I think you should stay.”

Shutian said nothing. He just shirked off Pengfei’s hand and began walking back the way they had come.

--I guess that worked.--

Pengfei shrugged and walked over to his horse. He wiped his bloody face on his robes as he went and flinched at the bruised and cut skin. Even more painful, when he reached the mare she adamantly refused to let Pengfei ride her. Every time he tried, she would circle away from him and bray loudly.

“Are you serious!? I thought we made a connection there?”

The horse did not seem to agree. He took her by the reins and led her on foot behind Shutian, back towards Kunlun.