Perhaps the man had noticed his mood, or perhaps he was more interested in Aeons. Either way, he took the initiative to move past the subject.
Jing Yuan lowered his head and sipped his tea.
It had no flavor at all.
The tea was almost transparent.
The proprietor had not replaced the leaves, simply adding hot water over and over.
Accustomed to fine tea, Jing Yuan found it hard to adjust to this utterly tasteless brew.
Before leaving, the former Sword Champion had asked him to tell the two of them about the five friends' past.
What was there to say? he wondered.
Jing Yuan had assumed the position of general.
He had read through every dossier submitted by the Six Commissions and listened to every rumor in the streets and alleys.
He had maneuvered between the Ten-Lords Commission and the Vidyadhara Dragon Preceptors.
His parents had been deeply worried, but with the matter involving the Xianzhou's upper leadership, they could only remain silent.
If they asked about it themselves, they would only invite suspicion that they were probing into Xianzhou secrets.
Jing Yuan had only just become general, and others were already waiting to find fault with him.
They waited quietly. When Jing Yuan finally found time to come home, both of them looked as though they wanted to say something but held back.
Halfway through the meal, Jing Yuan's head was swimming. All he wanted was a good night's sleep.
Seeing this, his parents said no more and urged him to return to his courtyard to rest.
Half asleep, Jing Yuan heard his parents arguing outside the courtyard gate.
"It would have been so much better to let him stay in the Earth-Balance Commission..."
"We couldn't stop him from going to war before, and now there's even less