That raised a question: if they knew Wind-Thunder might be an ally, why had they tried so hard to kill him those previous times?
"Then those times you forced me to self-destruct..."
"Ahem..." Zhao Zhe scratched his head. "During that Assessment, do you think you would have had a chance to self-destruct if I'd stepped in?"
"What about the Withered Glory Theatre?"
"Sun Cheng and Chen Ze killed both veteran Lords. Why did they go easy on you alone?"
"Because I self-destructed and escaped fast enough!"
"People pick on the weakest targets. Besides, you were planning to kill our students before that. With how much hostility you'd drawn, do you think we would have let you escape by self-destructing? Any other Calamity would have been pulverized long ago."
Wind-Thunder opened and closed his mouth, actually finding that argument reasonable.
"Then what about that time with [Earthshaker]!"
Zhao Zhe admitted frankly, "We really did want to kill you that time. You were working with [Earthshaker] to kill Hold Up the Heavens. Don't you think you deserved to die?"
Wind-Thunder turned his head away sullenly. "That was only because Hold Up the Heavens was so infuriating."
Zhao Zhe chuckled and patted him on the shoulder. "Luckily, you actually defected, so I can tell you this honestly now. Young fellow, work hard with Hold Up the Heavens. The Present World draws a clear line between gratitude and grudges. Otherwise, you wouldn't be free to come and go now."
Wind-Thunder stood and pushed Zhao Zhe's hand away. "Let me process this. Goodbye. I don't want to see any of you for a while, or Hold Up the Heavens!"
After Wind-Thunder left, Zhao Zhe sighed, clasped his hands behind his back, and tilted his head toward the sky, looking like a man lonely in life.