67 DEPARTING ON A GOOD NOTE (1/2)

”…so, that is how I got a Reverend stage cultivator to protect us.” Cheng Hao stretched. His joints repeatedly made popping sounds as he twisted his body in ways Xiao Wu would never have expected to be possible.

”Now that this little issue had been taken care of, I finally have a chance to leave… I'll be damned, this was so much more complicated than it should have been! I'm exhausted…” He grimaced, resting his chin on the back of his palm. As he sat at the kitchen table, Xiao Wu was displaying quite the complicated expression.

Her face was a few shades paler and it was covered in a couple of cuts too. Beneath her robes, a few spots on her torso, arms, and legs, had accumulated a couple of pretty resilient bruises. Her hands too had been subject to vicious blows after clashing head-on with her opponents' blades: the skin of her palm had cracked open, even her fingertips showed trace of abuse…

For all those, Cheng Hao had personally applied some expensive ointment before either wrapping the areas carefully in bandages or covering them up in medicinal patches.

Needless to say, having her wounds tended and dressed by the knowledgeable golden-eyed youth, she was already set for a speedy recovery: it had barely been half a day, and yet she could freely move about, without a hint of pain. Only her hands felt still a bit sore and itchy, but she could still see herself being able to hold a sword in a couple of days.

Like so, as if nothing had happened, the company of six ate dinner. Five sat at a table, while a sixth watched on from Fuyin's sea of consciousness and occasionally communicated through her Will.

At one point, however, Xiao Wu stopped eating despite her plate still being half-full.

Silence soon fell: even Lu Fang could sense the atmosphere had grown incomparably heavy and had stopped eating himself. Only a golden-eyed youth kept on eating without a care, as if he hadn't noticed something was wrong. The sound of one pair of silver cutlery hitting against the ceramic plates rang out in the silent room.

”…I'd like to ask something.” The purple-blue-locked girl finally spoke.

”Mm, I might have an idea of what that would be.” Cheng Hao wiped his mouth with a napkin. Then, he nodded encouragingly, ”I'm listening.”

”…” Xiao Wu couldn't help but waver, looking at that pair of golden eyes scouring through her emotions.

At first, she had been quite shocked to find out that everything up to that point, her hardships and pain, had been a fruit of her new brother's careful machinations. Sure, he had also made sure she would have been safe all along.

Clearly, it had been a sort of test. A way to help her grow, and since Cheng Hao had allowed it, then it should have been a pretty good one at that.

She did not hold that against Cheng Hao, it wouldn't have been a trial if he had shared that it had been all under his control all along. Nor was she too angry that she was set to take a beating from the start, although he clearly could have avoided that. She was a little mad, but she knew he only had the best intentions in mind.

However, with that in mind, she absolutely hated that, after all that happened, he still didn't explain exactly why things had to go that way. Being beaten into a bloody pulp to speed up her training? She could take that, no problem. The same could be said for having to listen to those people degrading both her and her family. However… if after all that happened, he still wouldn't explain; now that went completely against her ideals.

Even if he only wished the best for her, and orchestrated everything with her well-being in mind, shouldn't he clear it all up in the end? Why would he leave her to speculate everything, as if her by chance having a misunderstanding and coming to hate him wouldn't matter? Well, it could be that he was just that sure he would be able to resolve things even then, but that thought still irritated her.

As such, even as she spoke, she was holding back her fury.

”Why didn't-”

”Even though I know it is for the best, how could I not feel horrible seeing you like that?” Cheng Hao interrupted her, his prideful golden eyes looking down at his empty plate, this one time. After some effort on his part, he finally managed to mutter, ”Even as I tended at your wounds, I would hear a voice ring in my head: she's just a kid, a child not even nine, a child that was forced to give up her infancy, let alone her adolescence and adulthood, all because she was born different from others.”

”You surely aren't the only, but you're my kin now. You're family, and you chose to trust, and rely on me. You chose to partake in my justice. As such, every single time, I'd still be selfish enough to keep you away from pain than save the lives of billions. And yet, that same pitiful child then laid below me, bedridden, covered in wounds, because of happenings I had chose to let happen.”

”This one time, I embarrassed myself.” Cheng Hao had a livid expression as he looked at that pair of emerald eyes before him: so familiar yet distant in time and far away across space; so unfamiliar, yet here, right now. As he blushed slightly, and he looked away, he sincerely told her, ”Even though it's the right way, it's still wrong. I was so confident before you earlier, assuring you it'd be smooth sailing under me, and yet there you were, as I tended wounds that on any other child would have been fatal. And because of that, I'm embarrassed. That's 'why'.”

”…” Xiao Wu blinked, kind of taken aback.

”…although they might be flowery words and clearly a well-thought out excuse, they were still sincere at that. You have my word.” The golden-eyed youth rubbed the bridge of his nose.

”…I see.” Xiao Wu relaxed her tense body and chuckled, ”Next time however, I'd like you to put my thoughts before your pride, big brother. You are more than capable of doing that.”

”Will do.” Cheng Hao nodded.

With that, Fuyin and Lu Fang smiled and went back to eating. Blindlight yawned and went back to sleep.

As she also ate what was left of her dinner, Xiao Wu couldn't help but notice; from the moment they met, wasn't this their first true fight? If so, it ended well. In the end, the issue had been both sides had made a mistake.

He had stubbornly done things his way, going through with what he believed was best, convincing himself that was the one, right way, despite having second thoughts.

She, on the other hand, had forgotten that even 'the' Cheng Hao, that outstanding deity that descended from god knows where, was still human in the core and could make mistakes: it wasn't that he didn't mind her being angry, rather it was that he feared he had made a mistake that would make her angry.

In the end however, it looked like things were cleared up for both parties, and the incident was resolved just like that.

Later that evening, Cheng Hao and Xiao Wu sat cross legged on their beds, facing each other as he guided her through her gains of the day. From the moment she first shot off and engaged her enemy, to the instance she eventually fell, he led her through them all. From this single fight, her gains in terms of comprehension were huge, as were those in terms of disposition: having experienced defeat at the hands of an opponent that was also an enemy, she had thought up many ways to approach the battle more favorably, as well as many times where she could have made a better move, or even moments where she unconsciously slipped up.

In the end, no matter the strength of her opponent, she realized that it had been her mistake the moment she didn't capitalize on those many little things. No matter how good she might be compared to mindless beasts or youths of similar cultivation, compared to herself, a her that would have acted under Cheng Hao's instructions during that battle, she was still such a long way behind it was ridiculous.

Just like that, the pride of a genius was eradicated in a single sitting, replaced by a peering eye that was lacking in confidence, but many times slyer: with care and guidance, Cheng Hao was sure he'd be able to build that into what a talent should truly be in his eye; confident yet unsatisfied, knowledgeable yet open-minded, simple in their blows yet sly… and overall, aware: of their surroundings, of their opponent, of their situation, of the holes in their foundation, as well as every single ounce of their immense potential.

Only that way, would she be able to surpass him…

Cheng Hao looked from the side as the girl meditated atop her bed, silent as she crunched the latest knowledge and made it hers; as she ran the battle in her head over and over again, not just for the sake of remembering it, but to learn everything she could from herself, starting from the mistakes, and then on to the things she aced thanks solely to her frightening potential.

Just like that, she drew the waters of talent from the well, and with it watered the sprout of foundation; one day, when the well would eventually dry up, she'd only be left with the fruit of her effort. And it'd be up to her and her alone whether that bud would wilt and die of thirst, or it'd become a gargantuan tree so large, its massive roots would be digging into the dirt and drink up the underground rivers by itself; growing endlessly, until it covered the world.

The golden-eyed child smiled, then went over to instruct Fuyin until midnight struck. At that time, he discussed with Lu via the Wang youth's body: even he had things left to learn, and being able to expose his doubts and uncertainties for a Divine Gardener herself to clear up, needless to say it could help greatly raise his attainments in the mainstream path of cultivator generals. Also, that would in turn help him mentor Fuyin even better; a dream team, so to speak.

Through mental communication too, even though they usually would only speak for that one hour, it was the same as discussing for months on end. After such intense sessions, even Cheng Hao would find his head splitting from all the new bits and pieces of information thrown his way, and would rather take a break to recollect himself.

Finally, unbeknownst to them who were those directly involved yet causing an uproar in the Vacant Sect, that night the coliseum would be busy refunding the price of tickets to see the nightly clashes between geniuses, for the Night Challenger would not be coming…

…

Morning…

”For goodness' sake, it's merely a short session! If you really were to miss me that badly, how will you both hold up when days and hours turn into weeks and months? I have yet to truly lay the foundation for you two to be independent, but this still isn't good: what would you two do if I were to disappear suddenly one day?” Cheng Hao chuckled.

”That's what I fear, brother… In this foreign land, you, uncle Goldy, and now brother Fuyin and senior Lu as well, are my only anchors. I already lost someone precious to me, so the pain of being separated burns even hotter!” Xiao Wu wiped the corner of her eyes as her features hardened via makeup turned indescribably gentle. ”So far from home, you guys are my only family, the only ones I can rely upon. I wouldn't be able to take it if my family members were to disappear… again.”

”…” Cheng Hao suddenly grew pensive. Then, he sported a bright, confident smile, ”Then maybe next time I might just consider bringing you both with me! This time around however it's bound to be dangerous and I couldn't possibly expose you to that yet. You are not ready the way you are now…”