Jiang Che had practically been blasted out the door.
Of course, he did not feel particularly wronged.
Although he had not mentioned that Zhang Erguo and Yan We iwan might have feelings for each other, how could Instructor Yan fail to pick up on something when her daughter had been frantic over the possibility that Zhang Erguo was in danger?
It was perfectly understandable that she would fly into a rage and throw that punk's friend out of her home.
Still... Jiang Che could not quite forget Instructor Yan's vicious gaze, or the somewhat complicated expression she had worn before throwing him out.
Had it been nothing more than anger, that would have been one thing, but something seemed off.
Since he could not figure it out, he let it go and chalked it up to a mother's fierce love for her daughter.
He had only just left Instructor Yan's home when a chubby figure suddenly came rolling into view ahead of him.
"Junior Brother Jiang!" Zhang Erguo's round face was full of anxiety. "I heard Junior Sister We iwan was in trouble, and then someone said Instructor Yan had summoned you. What happened? Junior Sister We iwan, she..."
Jiang Che held his shoulder, signaling him to stop talking. Since he had carried Yan We iwan back earlier, quite a few people nearby were watching them.
"Keep your voice down. Let's go back to your courtyard first."
Anxious as he was, Zhang Erguo could only nod.
They reached Zhang Erguo's little courtyard, which had much the same layout as Jiang Che's. A small copper pot sat over a charcoal brazier in the middle of the courtyard, its red broth bubbling around mushrooms and leafy vegetables. Several plates of beast meat stood beside it.
This had been the dinner he prepared, waiting for Jiang Che and Yan We iwan to come and eat with him.
Now, though, neither of them could spare it any attention.
Jiang Che first explained everything that had happened, then cupped his hands.
"Senior Brother Erguo, I took it upon myself this time. I shouldn't have told Junior Sister We iwan those things. I thought... forget it. Whatever I thought, I didn't think it through. I nearly got her hurt, and it even reached Instructor Yan. I'm truly sorry."
"It's not your fault." Zhang Erguo shook his head, sighing again and again. "You meant well. It's my fault... my fault for being too weak, for amounting to nothing... Don't just sit there. What's done is done. Let's eat first."
Jiang Che picked up his chopsticks and tried some of the food. Fresh, spicy, and wonderfully satisfying-it was excellent. Zhang Erguo never believed in denying his taste buds, and both the broth base and the ingredients today were very good. Yet after what had happened, even such delicious food seemed tasteless in his mouth.
After a couple of bites, Jiang Che put down his chopsticks and asked, "Senior Brother Erguo, are you still going to Ailin?"
"Yes." Zhang Erguo's tone was firmer than before. "What would I be waiting for if I didn't? Now I have all the more reason to go! If I don't make something of myself, how could I have the face to see Junior Sister We iwan again? But you... Junior Brother Jiang, were you serious when you said you wanted to go with me? Listen, you don't have to come just to keep me company..."
"You're overthinking it," Jiang Che interrupted. "I'm not going to keep you company. Back when I was browsing the sect miscellanies in the Scripture Pavilion, the first time I read about Ailin and saw those generous rewards, I already started thinking about going."
Now it was Zhang Erguo's turn to persuade Jiang Che. "Think this through. You've only been in the sect for eight months. You might well earn your way into a branch courtyard and then the upper courtyard through your own ability. Why risk your life in that damned place? Ailin's dangers aren't just talk, and you're not strong enough yet..."
Jiang Che did not answer. He merely turned the hand resting on his knee slightly, and a restrained, concentrated force emanated from his palm. Its aura gave Zhang Erguo a terrible start.
"Transforming... transforming force?"
Zhang Erguo's eyes widened. Shock came first, then bitterness, before both dissolved into self-mockery.
"Well, then... eight months, and transforming force. How much faster are you than me? It took me four years to reach transforming force. You got there in eight months..."
At that, he shook his head again. "But that's exactly why you shouldn't go. Someone like me has to risk his life. You have talent. Cultivate steadily, and you'll find your way forward in time. Why do this?"
"It's no different. Senior Brother Erguo, you have a goal worth fighting for. So do I."
Zhang Erguo paused, then asked, "What's your goal, then? What are you fighting for?"
Jiang Che only smiled without answering.
Unable to draw an answer out of him, Zhang Erguo stopped asking.
He ate a couple of bites, then suddenly slapped his chopsticks down on the table. "Fine! We'll go together. Demons, monsters, ghosts-whatever the hell they are, we brothers will go to Ailin and fight them all!"
Three days later, Xuanxia Town.
This mortal town stood at the foot of the Azure Mystic Mountain Gate and had prospered through its connection to Azure Mystic. Though not large, it was livelier than the average prefectural or county seat. Plenty of cultivators came and went, and disciples in Azure Mystic robes were a common sight.
At the eastern end of town stood a restaurant with the rather grand name of the Immortal-Gazing Tower, a customary stopping place for Azure Mystic disciples coming down the mountain. When Jiang Che and Zhang Erguo walked in side by side, they saw seven or eight Azure Mystic disciples gathered on the ground floor.
Jiang Che's gaze swept over their faces one by one. They were all nominal disciples. He had seen a few before, but although their faces were familiar, he could not put names to them.
Others he had never seen at all, such as the woman who approached when she saw the two of them enter.
She looked about twenty-five or twenty-six, with a tall, slender figure. Instead of the usual Azure Mystic disciple's attire, she wore red and carried a long saber on her back. Her face was lovely, with a hint of allure in her brows and the corners of her eyes.
"My name is Hu Yan. For this trip to Ailin, I'll be serving as your leader. We have two hours before departure, and a few people have yet to arrive. Rest for now and make your own arrangements. In two hours, we leave on time, whether everyone is here or not. We won't wait."
Zhang Erguo tugged Jiang Che's arm, and they cupped their hands together in acknowledgment.
Only after Hu Yan walked away did Zhang Erguo pull Jiang Che into a corner to sit down, lowering his voice. "That's Senior Sister Hu Yan. She's from the upper courtyard, in the late stage of embryonic breath, and has reached full aperture. I heard she'd be leading this trip to Ailin, but I didn't expect it to actually be her... Most likely, she's saving up sect contributions to secure resources for qi refining."
"Is she famous?"
"She's been one of the upper courtyard's most talked-about figures these past two years. Did you see that saber on her back? She personally cut down an upper courtyard disciple with it!"
"She killed someone inside the sect? And everyone knows about it?"
"Why else would she be so talked about? I heard her family wasn't anything special either. When she first entered the upper courtyard, some rich young master there declared he wanted to keep her as his woman, and she slapped him in public. Then he stooped to trying to drug her and force himself on her. She saw through it, chased him out, and cut him in half in front of everyone! Everyone thought she was done for, but in the end, she was only locked up for three days before they let her out. The blame fell entirely on that young master. They say Senior Sister Hu was actually the one with real backing. Supposedly, a senior brother from the Main Gate and she..."
Jiang Che stopped Zhang Erguo, who was warming to his gossip, and shook his head slightly. "Let's not go chasing wind and catching shadows. Senior Sister Hu was in the right, so naturally she was fine."
Zhang Erguo froze, then seemed to realize something. He could not help looking toward the other end of the hall, where Hu Yan was resting with her eyes closed.
His loose tongue had almost landed him in trouble.
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