Chapter 1116: Farewell
Tian Kuo led the esoteric group from the top of his mountain, where his abode still stood, looking nothing like what they had stood in earlier, all the way to the gates of the sect, taking the side paths of course.
Along the way, the disciples who had been on the mountaintop all averted their gazes, making sure they were busy with something, anything really, to be sure the master didn’t glance in their direction for too long.
The others took in the sight of the sect master walking among them for the second time in a single day, their awe almost a joke to Alexander’s group, who knew how he really felt about the humans sharing his mountaintop.
Once at the gates, when the group stood at the threshold of the sect, Tian Kuo set his hand on Liu Yan’s shoulder.
"Not you. You and I still have matters to discuss, young man."
Liu Yan’s eyes flashed with a hint of panic momentarily, but Alexander stepped before him with an unwavering gaze.
"Don’t worry, Yan. He won’t go back on his word, and he seems eager to train you, rather than eat you," Alex joked, glancing at the fox.
Tian Kuo smirked, not feeling the need to acquiesce or deny the jest.
"Besides," he continued, "if his words hold even an inkling of truth, your staying here might make you the most powerful ally we’ll have in the future. I have a feeling we’ll be able to count on you then, right?"
Liu Yan looked at him, the panic in his heart vanishing, replaced by a sense of duty. A duty to get stronger, for humanity’s sake.
"Okay. I’ll do my best here. None of you die until we meet again, you hear me?" he asked, with a tinge of sarcasm and a healthy dose of genuine concern.
Everyone stepped to him in turn, giving their farewells and wishing him luck in his new studies. Only one person stopped before him in silence: Rì-Chū.
"Listen, Ri-ri... I’m sorry I lied to you about my intentions. It was never my intention to slight you. I guess my need to know who the strongest players were outweighed my reason, and made me lie to you..."
The words left a sour taste in Liu Yan’s mouth, even as he said them. Seeing Rì-Chū’s still face and lack of words, Liu Yan felt he had struck deep within the boy’s trust.
It may be a bond he would never be able to fix. Such were the consequences of betraying your friends, he figured.
He was about to turn into the sect when Rì-Chū grabbed his arm, looking at him with a stony gaze.
"Don’t walk away from me yet, Yan," he said, his voice monotone.
Liu Yan hated to hear it. The coldness stabbed at his heart.
"I—" he started saying, before the wind was blown out of him from the boy slamming into him, wrapping his arms around him.
"That’s no way to send off your dìdì. At least give me a proper send-off, you jerk. That’s the least I deserve after the shit you pulled..."
Liu Yan’s worries melted away, feeling the warmth in the boy’s embrace. He hugged him back.
With his voice cracking and the words almost sticking in his throat, he whispered, "Thank you."
After separating, Liu Yan turned around, both to firm his resolve and to keep the others from seeing him shed a tear, while Alexander’s voice rang over his shoulder.
"You ever need help, we are a phone call away, Yan. Don’t hesitate to lean on us if you ever need to."
Liu Yan didn’t turn around to answer as he waved them goodbye over his shoulder, walking back into the sect grounds.
Tian Kuo, even though he couldn’t begin to understand the intricacies of human emotion, still understood the bonds of camaraderie between the young man and the group.
’Even if making him my next meat suit is a bloody interesting prospect, I shouldn’t entertain the idea. I can tell there will be hell to pay. And if their progress in such a short time is any indication, they will be much stronger by the time the boy is ready to take over,’ he thought.
He pushed the idea aside . There was no use in losing his life over a slightly stronger vessel.
It wouldn’t bring back his chance of entering the celestial realm, after all.
Looking at Liu Yan’s back for a moment, he turned to Alexander’s group for the last time.
"The path down the mountain won’t obstruct you as it did coming up. Don’t come back unless necessary, and please, I beg you, call before you show up next time. We have phones. This isn’t as archaic a place as you think it is," he said with a mocking tone.
Alexander swallowed the chuckle rising in his throat and instead just smiled and nodded.
"Don’t give me a reason to come back, and you won’t see me until the preparations for the cardinal ritual are done. Take care of Liu Yan, Tian Kuo. Even if he isn’t with us at all times, he’s still one of us."
Tian Kuo brushed aside the half-veiled threat, turning back to the inside of his sect.
"Goodbye, Mr. Leduc," he replied, walking away nonchalantly.
Alex was only able to watch him leave for a few steps before an opaque fog came rolling in from both sides, obscuring his view.
"Hah. It won’t obstruct us, my ass," he spat, looking at the limited field of vision they had once more.
Luckily, as they started walking down the mountain, the fog seemed to clear before them, only to thicken again when they tried to go back toward the sect.
Alex almost clapped at the efficiency of the formation. Something like this around his home would be a good measure to keep people from just appearing inside or shooting at him from neighbouring buildings, he imagined.
But it was such a hassle to put into place and maintain that he only entertained the idea for a moment, brushing it away as fast as it came.
"I can’t wait to be home, he mumbled to himself.
But the groans of agreement coming from the others told him he had said it loud enough for all to hear, and he chuckled in response.
"Race you all to the bottom!?" he shouted over his shoulder before bolting forward, laughing like a child.
From the yips of discontent behind him, he knew the others were unhappy about his head start. But from the stomping of feet he could hear, he knew they were all after him anyway.
"Hahahaha! Come on, slowpokes!" he shouted, picking up speed.
"Cheater!" the complaints came in from behind, with joyous tones.
The intensity was finally behind them.