"Of course things weren't that simple. Once Master died, every ox-headed demon and snake spirit thought their chance had come, and naturally they all crawled out!"
"Among our allies, relatives, and old friends, those with close ties and deep friendships are still all right. Those a little further removed will turn cold and wait to see what happens. But there's nothing we can do. That's human nature, and there's no point blaming them."
"Junior Brother, the entire Jiang Clan really has to rely on you now. But you're still not as powerful as Master was. Until you grow strong enough to make your name resound throughout the region, standing like a pillar against the current and holding up the world Master once sheltered, that gulf is unavoidable!"
That night, Fang Qianyuan and Sun Zhuo spoke in private. Fang Qianyuan told his senior brother what he had just learned, but Sun Zhuo was equally helpless. All he could say was that it was unavoidable.
The fellow disciples understood each other well. Even the things left unsaid were clear to both of them.
Master was Master, and they were themselves. None of them could replace another.
Even when Fang Qianyuan grew stronger in the future, he would have his own relatives, disciples, and allies.
Master's era had passed, after all. The shelter and favor lost with him could never be restored to what they had been.
If the sky fell, the tall would hold it up...
That sounded wonderful, but once a pillar had been replaced, would the world it supported still be the same world?
It was hard to say.
"Forget it. There's no need to look that far ahead right now. Let's talk about the trouble Moonlight Fairy has run into. We really do need to resolve this properly. Otherwise,