It was the middle of the night. I opened a trapdoor and jumped into the garden-basement underneath my mansion. Jing was in a corner, tickling and playing with a chicken. All of Jing’s pets had found their way into my private garden somehow. Well, I knew how. It was definitely Jing’s fault.

“Papa!”

I smiled. Jing has too much energy for me, although that wasn’t a bad thing. “Hey. Leave me alone for now. I have some pills I need to make.”

“Oh…” her grin dropped a bit, and she turned back to playing with the chicken. As always, this place had the crisp forest smell I liked. I went over to my bulky iron cauldron and doused it with flames. I used to need fire breathing plants to refine pills. I had Qi now, so I could make my own flames. My flames were beginning to reach levels my cauldron couldn’t handle. Tiny cracks had started to form on its sides.

Hey again, I controlled the surface of Jing’s skin to say. There’s a tiny chance Mark might be watching, so I’m talking like this.

So this is important?

Yup. We’re sneaking out of the city soon. My classmates might attack us here. They are powerful, and I’m not confident my current fortress can withstand a multi-day long ranged assault. We’re going to the White Dragon Forest, where there are plenty of trees to control and lots of space for you to play.

Thanks, father! Can we wait a few days though? I’ll need to prepare The Family so it won’t fall apart when I’m gone.

Sure. I’d spent enough time around Jing to know she didn’t sound right. Hui Ming was right. Jing didn’t like the idea of moving because of her. I stopped warming my caldron and went over to Jing, brushing by some trees and bushes. I sat next to her, “You’re my daughter, right?” I said aloud.

“Yeah, obviously.” She wore a plain t-shirt and long pants. She looked like any other person from the old world. She looked at me with wide eyes, as if she wanted to say something else, but couldn’t.

“What does a father do when his daughter is in danger?” I asked. She didn’t answer, making it even clearer that something was wrong. I answered for her. “He does everything in his power to protect her.”

I put my hands under her arms and lifted her onto my lap. She was too big for this, “Do you think a father would risk losing a beautiful, hard working, and smart daughter like you? What do you think would happen to said father if he lost his daughter?” I reached forward and cupped my hands around her long hair. I delicately tucked the strands behind her ears.

When did I start thinking this way? I remember when I Jing first called me ‘father’. I was exasperated and reluctant.

This was far better.

She twisted around and hugged me as hard as she could, her chin digging into my shoulder. “I’m not that hard working,” she said. I suppressed a smile. If that was all the resistance she could muster, she would be fine.

I invited Brian to the garden a while later. We sat on opposite sides of a picnic table.

I put my elbows on the circular table. “What are you so nervous about?” Brian asked me, “Just say it.”

“Can you read my mind?” I muttered. “Ok Brian. I need to tell you something.”

“I know, get on with it.” He sounded rude, but that was how he talked to friends. He could be polite, but for reasons I’ve forgotten, he thought being polite was not intimate. He only used his politeness for strangers.

“I don’t feel safe here,” I said. “I saw our classmates, and their attitude towards us. They want to stay friends with us, but I know Wisteria, Reagan, and Mark want to kill Jing. They all have powerful abilities too. Peter’s on our side, but come on, his title’s ‘The Lover’. There’s no way he can help us. I want to move to the White Dragon Forest, where it’s safer. It’s the place I dropped when I first came to this world, so I’m familiar with it. It has countless powerful trees that can protect Jing.”

“YES!” he threw his hands up. I recoiled and pulled my head back. His sleeves fluttered with his wild motions. “Woooooo! Fuck this place!”

“Huh? What are you so happy about?” I said.

“This place is so boring, and now you’re giving me an entire forest to conquer. It’s great!” he said. “I thought you’d never leave, since you had this school you were cultivating.”

I slapped my palm against my forehead. I had worried for nothing. I thought he’d hate moving from civilization to the middle of a random forest. “I left some seeds in this school. I’ll come back later to see how it’s grown, but it’ll be pointless if Jing dies.” I promised I’d make the Endless Flame School the best school in this quarter of the world, and it was a promise I planned to keep.

“Alright, kiddos!” Jing called out, “You heard granpa, we’re going back home!”

The chicken clucked in response. The other dozen or so animals made their own noises. A tiny cat in her lap roared louder than a real lion. Jing put a finger over the cat’s mouth, “I know you’re excited, but remember your indoor voice.”

“Mew.”

“Good girl!”

“So where are your soldiers?” I asked Brain, “I haven't seen them for a couple days.”

“They’re doing...stuff.”

“Mhm,” I said, “Stuff.”

He pursed his lips. “I know you don’t want me taking over the school or interfering with the city, so I’m not doing that. I’m not doing anything related to conquering. You’ll know if I succeed with what I’m doing, and if I fail, you’re better off not knowing.”

I blew a stream of air from the corner of my mouth, “... Alright, I won’t ask.”

“Thanks. When are we leaving?”

“In a couple days, because Jing needs to make sure The Family will still function when she’s gone. Don’t tell anybody about this, and don’t talk about it. I want to minimize the risk of Mark knowing about this. Just make sure your soldiers are ready to leave at any time.”