Chapter 46

A Firm Heart

"Two is dead," voice echoed through the dark, stilling further the heavy silence.

Five phantoms surged for ever a moment, a stir in Qi disrupting the atmosphere. They were wondering why it was taking so long... and it turned out that he had died. It was never even a thought to them--Two, even if he had his issues, was second only to One in strength. Not even the Holy Blade himself would be able to kill him, no matter how hard he tried. Of all the True Demons, Two held by far the most life-saving means, as well.

And yet, he was killed.

"H-how?" One queried the voice in the dark.

"... I am unable to tell," if the news that Two died caused them shock, the idea that there was something their Master was specifically unable to do sewed their lips shut. A thousand thoughts swirled, but none dared voice any. "He was heading over to the forest. It was likely something within. For now, ignore it. The girl has Demonized by now, and without our art, she would have become a Berserk Demon. Even if she lives, she is of no use to us. I will have to leave for a while, so you must go back into hiding. Now that we have exposed ourselves, the Pavilion will relay the information northward. It won't be long before a Nascent investigator appears.

"For now, head back out to the Ashen Plains and cultivate. I will let you know what to do next in due time."

**

Leo was feeling a bit annoyed.

Just as he thought Liang had turned back to his ordinary self, the boy insisted on following him as he went to fetch the rest of the logs. Not wanting to bicker with him in front of others, he relented in the end.

It wasn't long before they reached the now open plain where the rotten trees used to stand. Every time Leo gazed at the sight, he felt his heart soften. In due time, he just knew, this place would be reborn. Trees would grow anew, bushes at their roots, with flowerbeds and shrubberies decorating the open spaces between. That was what nature did--it healed, against all odds, against all common sense, no matter what.

There were still some twelve logs remaining, which meant at least three trips back as he didn't 'bring' any of the animals with him except Milky and Hoot.

"Master," Leo's eyebrows twitched. "Do you mind if I try dragging one again? I feel much stronger than before!"

"Be my guest," Leo shrugged. "I won't carry you back again, however."

As Leo watched the boy pick one of the logs and try lifting it only to immediately fall down, he wondered, once again, what precisely his place in the world was. He didn't think he was particularly strong--perhaps his body was stronger than those outside the forest as he ate what likely were quite 'high-level' foods, but that was the extent of it. His only means of attacking was throwing a sword at someone, and he had no other arts beside his footwork that was only for exercising.

Nonetheless, watching someone struggle with one log boosted his ego quite a bit, prompting him to smile as he bent forward and picked up four, two beneath each arm. It was also then that Liang turned toward him and, just as he was about to say something, paused.

"F-f-four...?"

"Let's go," Leo, spirited with his ego being caressed, headed past the young man and back toward the camp. "Try to keep up."

"... f-four?" that was all he could mumble on their way back.

**

Yue had largely remained silent and isolated from the newcomers, observing them from the side. She worried that, upon their return to the Sect, the news about her Master would spread. She held little faith in Sect Disciples, as she'd seen firsthand how they behaved on the outside. Even the Disciples of the Holy Blade Sect were arrogant, self-important, and extremely rude to anyone they met.

The only reason they seemed so 'tiny' now was her Master and the Spirit Animals in the forest--they were like tiny little kittens in the forest of the wolves, and were unable to display their usual arrogance. However, would that remain true once they were outside the scope of the trees?

Having used the feather, Yue confirmed one thing--her Master was entirely ignorant of the world outside. He did not know the 'normal' of it, as he would have never given her such a powerful weapon otherwise. It obliterated a Soul Ascendance Realm cultivator within the blink of an eye, and all she had to do was pour a tiny bit of Qi into it.

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Thus, she worried--she worried that his kindness and ignorance of the world outside would be exploited. She swore that, should the Disciples ask to bring anything back 'home', she would resolutely deny even if her Master agreed. Whether that was the stew he made, or the juice, or even the water from the Heavenly Pond. She couldn't allow any of those things to be disseminated on the outside.

"Yue," her Master returned, carrying four logs. She'd asked him about it and, supposedly, he was planning on building a longhouse. In no small ways, she was rather happy--even if she felt that the animals accepted her to a degree, sleeping surrounded (and mounted by) the Spirits was no easy task.

"Yes, Master?"

"That blockhead tried carrying a log again," he said. "And collapsed. Go bring him back."

"What about the log?"

"He's kind of big and cumbersome. If you can't carry the log, just leave it. I'll go back for it."

Yue understood well enough just why Liang collapsed--she could just barely lift a log on her own and carry it, and that was with taking breaks often. The only reason she could do even that was because she had her entire body reconstructed through her Master's concoctions. Otherwise, she would likely have been unable to even move it from its place.

While part of why she wanted to protect this place was selfishness, in part it was because she knew that she'd have to become a medium between her Master and the rest of the world. This was her home, and he was the one who took her in when she had nowhere else to go. He blessed her not just with the feather, but with a pair of mind-bending arts that had already saved her life once. As he was her savior, she would become his protector against the untoward.

**

The kids had scattered once again with Yue going to fetch Liang, leaving only him and Xiaoling at the camp. She was sitting on one of the boulders, meditating in silence. Leo glanced at her with envy in his eyes, wondering whether he'd ever be able to so calmly sit and ponder upon the meaning of things.

He slowly began to tear open the fruits and slowly squeeze them, mixing them with the water from the pond. Unlike his promise last night to the woman sitting over there, during the breakfast, there weren't actually all that many animals, making him feel a bit embarrassed. However, he understood why: there were simply too many people. Even Leo was feeling a bit uncomfortable, and he could only imagine how the animals were feeling.

"We'll be leaving when the kids return," the woman said suddenly, prompting him to look up.

"So soon? Are your wounds okay?"

"They are fine," she smiled rather lithely and simply. "Our Sect Master and Elders must be worried about us, so we have to go to assuage their fears."

"Ah, that's right. Do you need anything?"

"No," she shook her head. "And even if we did, I fear your Disciple wouldn't allow it."

"Yue?"

"... you are loved, Senior Leo, in quite a few ways," she said, her voice turning somber for a moment. "And that love protects you. But be careful with your kindness: it is as much a granular weapon as it is means of self-destruction."

"..." Leo fell silent for a moment. Though he knew she was saying out of her own kindness, it felt wrong. "If being helpful toward others will result in my untimely death... there are far worse ways to go."

"I only meant--"

"--no, I know. But tell me. When I stumbled upon those kids lying in the grass, barely breathing, bloodied from head to toe, and when I felt my heart crack... what should I have done? Waited for them to die and silently buried them?"

"..."

"Life is an ongoing struggle, regardless of who you ask," he added. "All we can do with our time is live true to our hearts. I've held regrets so heavy they drowned me time and again, and I've learned my lesson. Don't be so afraid of death," he glanced at her. "That you fear living the way you want."

Even if it was preachy, and in many ways naïve, Leo didn't want his own beliefs to be so openly questioned. He knew well enough that he was exposing himself to dangers by taking people in and that he was exposing his furry friends to the same dangers. But just like Blackie dragged him over to save Yue and the rest, he didn't want to turn the blind eye to another's pain and suffering. It was that apathy that rendered a heart hollow, and made the words echo without meaning.

"Forgive me," she slid off the boulder and bowed toward him. "Whether it was with good intentions or not, I questioned something I should not have. Rather, I feel shame; all my adult life, I've had people questioning the one decision I made that I feel is quintessential to who I am as a person. While the world judged me for it, I felt it was the only choice I could have made, and if I could go back in time... I would have made it all over again."

"At least stay for one more meal," Leo said, sighing faintly and smiling toward her. "And I have a dreadful feeling that one of you probably won't be leaving."

"Liang?"

"You know?"

"Oh, I felt it from the moment I met you," she chuckled, sitting down. "Liang is a... he's a good kid. A bit naïve and loose-minded, but with a good, loyal, and steady heart. Unfortunately, none of the arts that we teach at the Sect suit him very well. He has as much talent as me, but cannot fully utilize it. I feel, as soon as he saw you, he had an inkling that you were the one meant to guide him."

"... but I won't, right?"

"..." she merely smiled, and Leo fell silent. For better or for worse, of all the kids, he would likely fit the best here. He had the sense that the young man would spend twenty-five out of twenty-four hours a day cultivating and not bothering him.

"Why do I have a feeling that you're offloading your headaches onto me?"

"You're imagining it," she said, sitting down laxly. "Besides, it is always right to have at least two Disciples, so that it fosters competition between the two and that they never grow complacent."

"Aha."

"The two are also close in age, and Yue seems extremely smart. She'll be perfect for him."

"Yeah, I can just imagine. A no-nonsense gal trying to compel a boulder into doing something. What rowing laughter it will cause."

"Pfft..."

"And thus, it begins."

"No, I'm sorry--ha ha ha..." the two laughed sonorously, their echoes drifting through the trees, worry-free.