~~~

Thousand Steps of the Thunder God is a blindingly fast technique. Liu Jin wishes he could order Lei Kong to take them out of Five Bats City at once. Alas, there is one last thing he needs to do—a letter he needs to deliver. Hopefully, before people realize that, for all intents and purposes, Branch Master Ruan no longer exists.

That is why, after ditching their disguises, they go straight to the Five Blessings Auction House. Branch Manager Bianfu is very surprised to see him, something Liu Jin can understand quite well. His own survival was something he doubted right until the very end. So many things could have gone wrong.

So many things can still go wrong.

Ruan Goutin may have quite thoroughly burned his bridges with the disciples of the Eternal Raging Valley. However, that does not mean Liu Jin’s actions won’t have consequences. The story of a child walking into a branch of the Eternal Raging Valley and banishing the Branch Master is not one that can ever be known by the public. The loss of face would be too much.

Even if the public never learns of this matter, the Eternal Raging Valley will have to investigate it. When they do, how will they judge his actions? Will they look upon them favorably? Condemn them?

Will they even care?

Liu Jin is not willing to stay and find out. He has had quite enough of the Eternal Raging Valley. Branch Manager Bianfu may have plenty of questions for him, but Liu Jin knows every minute counts. He only has enough time to leave the letter in Branch Manager Bianfu’s hands along with clear instructions.

This letter is not for Xiao Fang. That one he sent before going into the Eternal Raging Valley, something Liu Jin now regrets. If he were to write it now, he’d probably say a few things differently.

This letter is for his wife.

Whether it will reach her or not is uncertain. Branch Manager Bianfu might even decide not to send it, judging it too dangerous to keep associating with him. Even if he does send it, it would all depend on Song Daiyu. There is no guarantee she will help him.

However, this is all Liu Jin can do right now.

His task done, Liu Jin and Lei Kong leave Five Bats City with all the speed of lightning. It doesn’t take more than a few seconds, yet Liu Jin savors every one of them.

“I can’t believe we’re alive, my lord,” Lei Kong says, coming to a stop a few miles away from the city. He is breathing heavily. Not because he is tired, but rather out of pure relief.

“For once, we agree on something.” Liu Jin takes a deep breath, and he’s surprised by how refreshing it is. He feels lighter now. Even the sky seems bluer.

The city is not yet a dot in the distance. Liu Jin can still see its gates and the line of people waiting outside them. He can still see its mighty walls. It is hard to believe how much trouble he had while inside them.

The city looks so small from this distance.

“Enough.” Liu Jin shakes his head. “Let’s move. We cannot afford to dally here much longer.”

“Wait!”

Liu Jin tenses in preparation for an attack. Beside him, Lei Kong is already preparing his Qi. Before anything can happen, however, Liu Jin recognizes the voice calling out to him. He raises his hand to stop Lei Kong.

On the distance and quickly making his way over to them is Cui Tian.

“Wait!” He shouts once more, moving fast enough to leave a trail of dust behind him. He is nowhere near as quick as Lei Kong, but it doesn’t take him much time to reach them.

“I... was not expecting to see you,” Liu Jin admits.

Cui Tian laughs even as he struggles to catch his breath. “I should be the one saying that!”

He sways unsteadily on his feet before resting his hands on his knees, barely keeping himself standing. He had clearly run with all he had.

“I saw you walking out of the Five Blessing Auction House. The moment I did, I understood you were leaving the city. I had to catch up to you.” Cui Tian chuckles breathlessly. “Did you know it worked? Ever since you went into the Eternal Raging Valley, no one else has been taken. No one has said anything, but I don’t see how it could have been due to anyone but you. That you are leaving the city right now… does it mean…?”

“You don’t have to worry. Things worked out in the end. Branch Master Ruan will no longer need anything from the people of Five Bats City. You can tell Si Lan and her father everything will be fine. You’ll also be glad to know there is no need for you to sneak them out of the city.”

Liu Jin smiles as he says this, hoping to cheer up Cui Tian. However, the reaction he gets is not one he expects. Cui Tian stares at him in utter befuddlement. He looks at him as though he were staring at something incomprehensible.

“Why?”

Liu Jin is a bit taken aback by the reaction. “What do—”

“Why?” Cui Tian repeats again, lost. “Why this?” He throws his arm out. “Why do all this? Why even involve yourself in this situation? You did it in Eastern Port City! Now you’re doing it again! I… at first, I thought you were after something, but what possible reason could anyone have for coming into conflict with one of the top four sects of the Empire on behalf of us? You barely know Si Lan! You have not even met Doctor Si! As for you and me, we’re acquaintances at best! Why risk so much for someone you barely know and who will never be able to repay you!”

Why?

Why is he doing this?

It is a question Liu Jin has pondered countless times.

This time, he can answer it.

He knew it from the start, yet couldn’t bring himself to admit it. It took arguing with Ruan Goutin for him to be able to face himself properly.

“Why?” Liu Jin smiles. It is bright and tinged with sadness. “How could I stand by and watch while cruelty is being treated as reasonable? My father did not raise such a person. I couldn’t not intervene. That is all.”

“You couldn’t not do it?” Cui Tian repeats. He throws his head back and laughs. “I give up.”

“Huh?”

“You are amazing! This debt… you may not care about it, but I’ll never forget it!” Cui Tian kneels before Liu Jin. “I know I’ll never catch up to you. Neither in might nor spirit will this Cui Tian ever be your equal, but... I promise you this! I will grow stronger so that when we next meet, it will be I who can be of use to you!”

Liu Jin looks on as Cui Tian’s forehead touches the dirty ground. It is uncomfortable to have someone so big kneeling before him. Normally, he’d just tell him to stand up.

Right now, though...

“Do you really mean that?”

“Of course, I do!”

“Even if the way you end up repaying me is by doing something others would consider small? Even if you don’t play a large part and receive no glory?”

“Even if!”

Liu Jin looks at Cui Tian. He looks at the resolution written plainly all over his face and sighs.

“Here.”

Cui Tian blinks in surprise and barely misses the small bag Liu Jin tosses at him.

“I had prepared to use them to gain Branch Master Ruan’s favor, but there ended up being no need for them,” Liu Jin says as Cui Tian opens the bag. “Unfortunately, I am not in a position so comfortable that I can say I’ll never need your help. That is why you’ll need at least that much.”

Cui Tian gasps. “This is…!”

His words end up caught in his throat. It is only fitting. The bag he holds contains Pills of Bliss. Cui Tian stares at them for several seconds before looking up at Liu Jin.

“You are giving this to me?”

“Don’t misunderstand. This is not a kindness I am doing to you,” Liu Jin tells him. “You can use them for yourself or even share them with your fellow disciples. That matters little. I am just making it clear that you will need at least that much if you want to repay me. Otherwise, you won’t be strong enough to do so.”

In other words, one could say he is investing in Cui Tian.

Maybe Song Daiyu was right about him back then.

“I… I understand! I will not forget! I will definitely, definitely, repay you!”

“It pains me to say this, but I will not forget those words. Now, return to the city and tell no one of this. Go!”

Cui Tian looks like he wants to say more yet chooses to obey. He dashes away, leaving a trail of dust in his wake.

“That was quite merciful, my lord. He will be able to grow stronger in hopes of one day repaying you, even though that day may never come.”

“No, that day will definitely come,” Liu Jin says, much to Lei Kong’s surprise. He turns away from Five Bats City and looks at the horizon, taking in its vast emptiness.

“Lei Kong, you have seen many cities, haven’t you?”

“I have, my lord.”

“What happened here, how common would you say it is?”

“I… cannot claim to know all the details of the situation. In fact, I am still not sure of all that happened. My lord and I were not able to talk for the past three weeks, but…”

“But it is natural.”

Lei Kong looks down. “My lord, natural is… it is an apt word to describe Branch Master Ruan’s actions. People like him are not uncommon. Those who have reached the highest peaks of cultivation often find themselves abusing those below them. Their quest for supremacy is prioritized above all.”

It is the way he says it that bothers Liu Jin the most. Lei Kong speaks with complete and utter resignation. It is the way of the world, and he has long since accepted it. It makes Liu Jin’s eyes narrow, and his fists clench. His lips press into a thin line.

Then he sighs, and it all drains away.

“I… already knew that.”

“My lord?”

“I knew the world was an unfair place. It was told to me a long time ago. I know those who are strong are in the right, and those who lack strength are at their mercy. I have known this was the state of the world for quite some time, yet I never did anything. I lived my life, content because I was not in a position of helplessness, happy because I had the power to be happy.”

Until he hadn’t been strong enough to protect that happiness.

Someone stronger had come along and crushed that happiness without a care in the world.

“I was wrong.”

“My lord, you are still young. Such things… such things are not for people your age to think.”

Liu Jin chuckles and runs a hand through his hair.

“Such things are not for people of any age to think, because everyone just accepts them.” He frowns. “I am tired of it.”

“My lord?”

“I want to change things, Lei Kong.” Liu Jin looks at his servant in the eyes. “I don’t want a world where people like Ruan Goutin or Murong Bang can so easily run rampant. I don’t want a world where being strong and being right are the same thing.”

And yet, how is he supposed to change that?

Once upon a time, his father tried to avenge his family and grew lost in it. By fighting in the same way as everyone else, he became another link in the chain. He broke away from it, but by removing himself, he just allowed things to continue as they always have.

Neither choice was ideal.

Liu Jin cannot approach this in the same way as his father had. His father’s ways cannot be his.

He cannot be a conquering warrior.

He also cannot be a doctor.

A bitter smile appears on Liu Jin’s face. One goes to a doctor because one expects to be healed. No one would visit them if they expected to be poisoned instead. There is a certain amount of trust associated with the profession. In choosing to poison Ruan Goutin, Liu Jin has already betrayed that trust.

Thus, both paths are closed to him.

However, there has to be a way that is proper for him. A way that allows him to honor the time, effort, and love others have put into him. After all, his father, whether he intended to or not, did not raise the type of person who could just stand by and watch so many injustices.

“Tell me about Murong Bang,” Liu Jin orders Lei Kong. “Tell me about his relationship to the Eternal Raging Valley. Tell me about the Storm Dragon Empire.”

It is slight, but Liu Jin feels his soul and body inch closer to each other as he speaks. It hurts, yet that is how it should be. This is the pain he has been too afraid to face. Not anymore.

He has already made his choice.

No matter what, he will not look away.

“Tell me everything.”

~~~

New Horizons: Extra

~~~~

... it is thus, with a heavy heart, that I must write this letter.

Thanks to the kindness of the Five Blessings Group, I have managed to send a letter to my brother-in-law, which will surely reach him in good health. However, as much as I wish to deliver the news to my wife in person, I find myself in an unsuitable position for it.

My wife is the disciple of Lady Meng Yue, one of the Five Fairies of the Divine Frozen Palace. I am not strong enough to journey to such a remote and dangerous place. Furthermore, there is no guarantee the gates of the Divine Frozen Palace will open for me. In this endeavor, my gender is a hindrance. As I understand it, men who knock on the door of the Divine Frozen Palace with outlandish stories are not an uncommon occurrence.

Thus, I find myself in need of Lady Song’s help. Surely, the word of a daughter of the Song Family will carry far more weight with the Divine Frozen Palace than mine ever could.

When we last spoke, I was the Xiao Sect’s Patriarch son-in-law. That is not a position I can lay claim to anymore. As such, I understand that helping me is no longer an attractive proposition, especially when the favor I ask is one so heavy. Nevertheless, I have included a sealed letter for my wife and place it in your hands, Lady Song. There is no one else I can trust.

With deepest regrets,

Liu Jin of the Xiao Sect

Song Daiyu puts the letter down, a neutral expression on her face. When one of the servants told her a message had arrived, she had not expected something like this. She remains silent for a while as she considers what she has just learned, one of her fingers idly tapping away at her desk.

“Shitou.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“I am being used.”

Her devoted servant glances at the letter he had been reading over her shoulder and nods.

“That seems to be the case, my lady.”

As always, Shitou’s voice sounds horribly unused. A shame seeing as he tends to speak with good sense. Song Daiyu’s eyes quickly go over the letter’s contents once more. Had she been a less educated lady, she might have snorted.

Certainly, the destruction of Eastern Port City, in addition to being a tragic event, lowered Liu Jin’s status. It left not just Liu Jin’s position but the future of the Xiao Sect as a whole uncertain.

However, Liu Jin’s wife still belongs to the Divine Frozen Palace.

One would have to be a fool to ignore that. Indeed, the reason why Song Daiyu had not even for a moment considered approaching the Yun Sect while she was in Eastern Port City is because she had found out about that marriage.

By giving her a letter for his wife, Liu Jin has essentially granted her a letter of introduction to the Divine Frozen Palace. She has cause to visit them, and they have cause to welcome her. Having a direct link to the Divine Frozen Palace would boost the Song Family’s position within the Five Blessings Group.

In other words, Liu Jin’s “request’ is one she’d have to be a complete and utter fool to turn down!

“Shitou?”

“Yes, my lady.”

“How often would you say the Crown Prince listens to Lady Shao.”

“Almost always, my lady.”

“In other words, it is the Divine Frozen Palace who wields the most influence in the Imperial Court right now.”

“That is so, my lady.”

Yet another reason to listen to Liu Jin’s request. Song Daiyu purses her lips. He had bluntly stated his case without a single lie, yet in doing so, he has completely trapped her. The deal is simply too good not to take.

“I dislike being used, and I dislike that letting myself be used is clearly the best choice even more.”

The journey to the Divine Frozen Palace would be a challenging undertaking. It is understandable that Liu Jin did not wish to do so himself. Money. Manpower. Resources. It’d be quite expensive to deliver this letter.

“My lady, you are smiling.”

“I am, aren’t I?” Song Daiyu stands up, her mind already making a list of everything she will need. She doubts her grandfather would object.

It’d be dangerous, yet opportunity and risk are often one and the same.

“Shitou, get everything ready. It seems I must meet the wife of an annoyingly honest man.”

~~~