Do You Want to Be My Disciple?

Zhan Kong flew through the sky on his Wind Wings.

His face darkened as he muttered a complaint.

"I'd better not catch whoever gave us that false report!"

Someone had called them that morning to report a large group of Demon Beasts in the wilderness.

He had gone to investigate the place himself, but found no trace of them. The trip had been a complete waste of time.

"Hm?"

Zhan Kong frowned. He sensed three powerful surges of magical energy below.

What was going on?

His Wind Wings shifted, carrying him straight down.

The lower he flew, the clearer the scene became.

On the lawn in front of a villa, lightning, flames, and ice swirled around a young man.

The young man looked to be in agony, as though he were under tremendous pressure.

Then he passed out, and the magic around him vanished.

"Could this be... spontaneous awakening?"

Zhan Kong hovered in midair, his face full of uncertainty.

As air currents whipped around them, Mo Fan narrowed his eyes and looked up.

"Wind... Wind Wings!"

It was his first time seeing the advanced Wind Element spell, Wind Wings, from so close.

Ye Xinxia paid no attention to that. The moment she saw the man's Military Mage uniform, she knew Brother Mo Xie could be saved. She hurriedly called out to him.

"Please, can you save my brother?"

Zhan Kong beat his Wind Wings and landed beside Mo Xie.

He checked Mo Xie's pulse. Finding it still beating, he let out a breath.

But when he probed Mo Xie's mental space with his spiritual power, he found nothing there at all.

"Did I get it wrong...?"

Zhan Kong muttered, unsure of himself.

Either way, getting him treated came first.

He picked up Mo Xie and said to Mo Fan and Ye Xinxia,

"I'm taking him for treatment. You can come to the Snow Peak Station Outpost afterward."

With that, he beat his Wind Wings again and flew into the sky.

"Evil Emperor, have you ever thought about what you'd do if the whole world tried to cast you out?"

A faint, indistinct voice sounded. It seemed to belong to a woman.

Who is it? Who's calling me?

"Cast me out? Hmph. How absurd!"

Another voice followed, clearer than the first. Its tone carried disdain and coldness, and even a trace of madness.

"If the whole world wants to cast me out, then I'll destroy the whole world! As long as my family and the people I love survive, isn't that enough?"

That voice sounds so familiar... It's mine.

"Yes. You're still the Evil Emperor we know. You haven't changed a bit."

Her voice grew clearer. She was plainly relieved, and her tone was no longer cold.

"I'm not the one who changed. The world did!"

The voices stopped. Dizziness washed through his mind, then his thoughts grew steadily clearer.

A dazzling light filled his vision, and Mo Xie slowly opened his eyes.

The white lights blurred his sight. The first thing he saw was an unfamiliar ceiling.

He turned his head and found Ye Xinxia asleep beside the bed.

Exhaustion covered her face, and tear tracks lingered at the corners of her eyes. She had clearly been crying.

If it weren't for me, Xin Xia wouldn't have cried like this...

Guilt tightened Mo Xie's chest.

He slowly raised a hand and wiped the tears from her cheek.

But she was sleeping lightly. At his touch, she opened her large eyes, still red and swollen.

The instant she saw that Mo Xie was awake, she burst into tears again and threw herself into his arms.

"Waaah... Brother Mo Xie, I thought I'd never see you again!"

Ye Xinxia wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, as if afraid he might run away.

Feeling his shirt grow damp against his chest, Mo Xie stroked her soft hair and comforted her gently.

"I'm sorry. Your brother made you worry, Xin Xia. Please don't cry anymore."

It took him quite a while to calm Ye Xinxia down.

Mo Fan came in during that time. From him, Mo Xie learned that he was in the hospital at the Snow Peak Station Outpost.

After he had passed out, a man with Wind Wings had brought him here.

More importantly, he had been unconscious for three whole days.

If a Healing Element mage hadn't said there was nothing wrong with Mo Xie's body, Ye Xinxia and the others would have thought he might die.

Mo Jiaxing had barely slept for three days because of Mo Xie. Only when Mo Fan called to say he was awake had Mo Jiaxing agreed to get some proper rest.

Mo Xie hadn't known how much his family had worried about him while he lay unconscious.

Once Mo Fan went to fetch the doctor, Mo Xie looked at Ye Xinxia in his arms. Her tear-streaked face made him laugh.

"Brother Mo Xie, you're awful! I cried so much for you, and you're laughing!"

Ye Xinxia raised her little fists and pounded his chest.

Only when Mo Xie begged for mercy did she stop and wrap her arms around him instead.

Mo Xie put his arms around her slender waist and gently patted her back.

They stayed close for a moment. Before long, a flurry of footsteps sounded outside the door.

Ye Xinxia quickly pulled away, settled back into her wheelchair, and straightened herself up.

The door opened. Several medical staff in white coats came in, carrying all kinds of precise instruments.

Without a word, they walked over and gave Mo Xie a full examination.

As they worked, he heard them say things like "incredible" and "medical miracle."

"Ahem!"

At the sound, Mo Xie noticed a man in military uniform standing among the crowd.

That had to be Zhan Kong, the man with Wind Wings whom Mo Fan had told him about.

"Now that we know the kid's fine, you can all leave. I'd like to speak with him alone."

The medical staff nodded and filed out of the room.

Mo Xie nodded to Mo Fan as well, signaling for him to take Ye Xinxia out.

Once everyone had left, Zhan Kong pulled up a chair beside the bed. He folded his arms across its back and looked at Mo Xie.

"Your name is Mo Xie?"

Mo Xie nodded.

"You're lucky I happened to be nearby. Otherwise, there's no telling whether you'd be safe."

"My younger brother told me. Thank you."

"Mm. Do you know what happened to you?"

Mo Xie shook his head. In truth, he knew exactly what had happened. He had figured it out soon after waking up, but he couldn't say so.

"All right. Close your eyes and clear your mind."

Mo Xie did as he was told. After a moment, he let a suitable look of surprise show on his face.

Zhan Kong nodded. When he had probed Mo Xie's mental space earlier, he hadn't found anything.

He had thought it wasn't spontaneous awakening after all. He'd gotten excited for nothing.

But seeing Mo Xie's expression now, he could finally be sure his guess was right.

Looks like the kid has a magical item that can conceal his cultivation...

Zhan Kong considered it silently.

That day, he had seen surges of energy from the Lightning Element, Fire Element, and Ice Element. Could it mean...

"Did you see three different Stardusts?"

Mo Xie froze for a few seconds, then nodded.

He found out... The moment Zhan Kong asked, Mo Xie knew his secret was exposed. He could only admit it.

A faint smile appeared on Zhan Kong's face when Mo Xie nodded, though inwardly he was ecstatic. An idea was nearly bursting out of him.

"Kid, there's an opportunity right in front of you. Whether you can seize it is up to you."

Mo Xie looked at Zhan Kong in confusion, unsure what he meant.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you... want to become my disciple?"