"Please guide me, Master Ubiji..."
Ryushiki reached out his little hand and took Ubiji's large one.
Behind Ubiji, Branch Family patriarch Xuan Li and a crowd of Branch Family members had already gathered.
Ubiji turned his gaze on them and said coldly, "I'm taking this child with me. Any objections?"
Xuan Li hurriedly fell to his knees in fear and trepidation. "Of course not! It is the greatest honor for the Branch Family, Lord Ubiji of the Main Family!"
With the little hand held in his large one, Ubiji turned and led Ryushiki away.
The Branch Family disciples parted to make a path, watching the two leave. Most gazes held jealousy and envy, though not all of them did. They were human, after all, and some sympathized with Ryushiki. It was simply that the circumstances kept them from showing it.
Wasn't Ryushiki's plight the very tragedy of being born into the Branch Family? Now that his fortunes had taken a turn for the better, they felt some measure of relief. They also began to dream: if they became as strong as Ryushiki someday, could they escape their own fate too?
"Ryushiki... one day, I'll kill you! Until then, you'd better not die!" Suddenly, a boy in the Branch Family crowd shouted at this most inappropriate moment, earning a frightened, furious glare from Xuan Li!
The boy who had spoken looked remarkably like Tiansha Dou, save for his darker skin and the hatred he made no attempt to conceal.
He was Tiansha Dou's younger brother, Masato!
"..." Ryushiki faltered slightly, then let it go without offering any response.
Under the gazes of the Branch Family members, Ryushiki left that troubled place.
They returned to Mount Hiba. All traces of that great battle had been cleared away. From its summit, the vast