Little Rascal...
Little Rascal...
"The aftermath of the earthquake is so horrendous," he groaned while flopping himself right on the soft patches of grass. "Everyone within the vicinity suffers from nausea and lethargy, and countless houses are destroyed. I went with the other disciples to help rebuild the citizen's home, that's why I couldn't return to the sect these days." He tilted his head and gazed at the elder who was sitting under the huge wisteria tree, his eyes immensely soft. "I'm sorry for being late. Do you miss me?"
He did not deign to answer that impertinent question, having gotten used to the disciple's lack of caution toward him. But on a closer look, he could tell that the man had gotten a bit thinner, his cheeks sunken and the shadows underneath his eyes dark. It was apparent that he had worked himself day and night before rushing back to the sect in a hurry.
Somewhere inside his heart twinged, and he went inside the house to take a few nourishing elixirs, which he often used to suppress his headaches.
"For me?" the man asked, taken aback.
The disciple's reaction was quite reasonable, after all he had never given the other anything before. Come to think of it, it might be a little inappropriate. Even though he never asked for it, the inner disciple had always visited him out of goodwill, but he had never done or given anything to him in return.
"Mn," he nodded. "Take this. If you still want something else, tell me."
The inner disciple's face flushed red and he hurried to refuse, saying that the elder should have just kept the elixirs to himself due to his fragile health.
However, he was unmoved and even said that he would throw the disciple down the mountain if he kept refusing. In the end, the disciple could do nothing but accept it begrudgingly.
The rest of the day passed by just like that. He did not have the slightest idea that this earthquake would be the one that enlightened him about his 'mission'.
The very same night, he had another dream. This time, it was no longer about himself, but others – two men who should have become mortal enemies, yet tied together by fate due to their blossoming feelings. They were Jingxue-Jun, a senior disciple of Lingyan Sect and Heimo Qixue, the most obnoxious and despicable demonic cultivator in the world.
He dreamed of Jingxue-Jun's imminent death, Heimo's subsequent heartbreak, and the massive change that would happen in the cultivation world following the tragic death of Lingyan's Sect Leader Ling. And when he woke up, he discovered that his eyes were wet with tears.
'I have to help them', this conviction came out of nowhere, so strong that it caught him off guard.
With that in mind, he started to prepare for a long journey.
When the inner disciple came for a routine visit, he was stunned when he heard that the elder was leaving the mountain. He subconsciously grabbed onto the elder's sleeve and asked, "Where are you going?"
He furrowed his brows, intending to brush that impudent hand off him, yet when he looked into the disciple's eyes and saw the anxiety within, his heart could not help but soften. For some inexplicable reason, he just could not bring himself to get angry at this person. However, when all was said and done, he was not the kind of person who liked to share his thoughts with others, especially when the other party was only a disciple.
"I am going to take care of some matters," he explained while trying to pry the disciple's hand off him.
He did not succeed because the disciple tightened his grip on him. "But… But what about your headaches?"
"I will take care of it myself."
The disciple pursed his lips and asked after a few seconds of long silence, his voice so quiet as though he was whispering some kind of secret. "... Can't you take me along?"
He was stunned, not expecting to hear something like that from the other. After the shock subsided, an indescribable joy and delight snuck into his heart, causing the corner of his lips to curve into a smile. He was happy to discover that the disciple was concerned about him, but it was really inappropriate to take him along. First, the disciple had his own master he needed to tend to and second… the person he was going to find could be very dangerous. He could not risk the disciple's life just like that.
"Little rascal…" he ruffled the disciple's hair, his eyes smiling. "If you don't have anything to do, then practice your cultivation more and get stronger."
The disciple became even more sullen. "Isn't it because I'm worried about you?"
"I know," he said gently. "But I can't take you along."
So he set off on his journey all alone.
He tampered down the sense of loss and desolation in his heart and focused on the mission at hand. Finding Heimo Qixue would be more difficult than forging a heavenly artifact, so he turned his option to Jingxue-Jun instead. The senior disciple had an outstanding reputation among the ordinary citizens, and everywhere he went, people would shower him with praise. That's why he was not afraid that he would not be able to find Jingxue-Jun. As soon as he could find him, then Heimo Qixue must be nearby as well.
Alas, man proposed and God disposed.
He had no idea whether it was the universe who hindered his path or there was another higher force that was messing with him, somehow he always missed Jingxue-Jun one way or another, whether it was due to his headache relapsing, a suffering citizen who needed his help or any other reasons. Every single time, when he arrived at one location, he would always get the news that Jingxue-Jun had just left.
Once, he could consider it a coincidence. But twice or thrice? Now he suspected that Heaven wanted to interfere with his mission.
And it was not like he had not tried to send Jingxue-Jun a communication talisman to relay his message. Yet every single time, before he could send it out, he would always hesitate. What should he say? 'Good day, I dreamed of your demise and if it's possible, I'd like to discuss it with you'? Who the hell would believe that? Not to mention how he always had a reputation among the Lingyan Sect for being an elder on the verge of qi deviation. If he said it like that, Jingxue-Jun must have thought that he had gone crazy. After much deliberation, he could only sigh and curb this intention. It was still better to talk about this kind of thing face-to-face.
In the end, when he finally found Jingxue-Jun, it was to the news that the senior disciple had strayed down the path of demonic cultivation and killed his own shifu, causing the whole cultivation world to unite in order to hunt him down.
He became more and more anxious. The urge to help the man gnawed on his flesh and bones every single day and his dreams became all the more vivid. He was starting to hear a voice – a familiar yet foreign voice – telling him, "You have only one mission. Protect him and don't let him come to harm."
Who…? Who does that voice belong to?
Was it Heaven's decree? Whatever it was, he knew that it was his sole purpose of existing in this world. He must not let Jingxue-Jun and Heimo Qixue come to harm!