Chapter 131: Cold’s End

Wang Zen had not left his room in a while. He tried to attend classes, to cultivate, to do what he normally did. But he couldn’t. He could not focus in class. He could not train. And whatever inner peace he had before was smashed to nothing, making it impossible for him to meditate to cultivate. He simply followed Chu Jiahai’s lead and retreated to his room and he had not come out for three days, except sporadically to try and see Jiahai but he was not seeing anyone.

Now, Zen was having a casual conversation with his roomates, Li Ao and Deng Ai. They then heard a knock on the door. Deng Ai, being the most considerate of the trio, walked to the door and opened it.

“Oh, it’s you!” Deng Ai said in shock. ‘I-I-I m-mean, hello Xue Shaonu.”

Li Ao almost fell over at hearing that but then his shock was replaced by a smirk. “I knew it.”

“What?” Zen said.

Li Ao took out a come and ran it through his hair. “She’s finally come. She noticed my gorgeous hair and could not keep her love bottled up anymore.” Li Ao leapt to his feet and marched to the door. “Don’t worry, my darling Xue Shaonu, I’ll accept you and your inferior, much inferior, hair.”

“Is Wang Zen here?” she said just as Li Ao appeared in the doorway.

Li Ao deflated as he heard that.

“Y-Yeah,” Deng Ai said, opening the door more to show Wang Zen, sitting on the bottom bunk bed.

“Hey,” she said.

Zen sprung to his feet. “Hey!”

“Can I talk to you?”

“Y-Yeah,” Zen said.

“We’ll leave.” Deng Ai said, pulling Li Ao out who whispered, ‘Lucky bastard.’

The door closed and she walked closer to him. She looked at the bunk bed opposite the one where he had been sitting before she arrived and sat down. It looked strange to Zen.

Shibi leapt on her lap, causing her to giggle as she caressed the Scorch Ape’s head. She looked at Zen with a sad smile.

“So, I came to ask for my summoning scroll.”

“Oh! Yes!” Zen scrambled and found his storage stone. The whte scroll appeared in his hands. “Thanks,” he said handing it over to her.

“I don’t know why you’re thanking me,” She said as she accepted the scroll, “From what I heard it did not help.”

“It did in its own way.” Zen shrugged.

She continued to rub Shibi’s head as the room fell in silence. It was obvious that she had more to say but was unsure of how to broach the subject.

“Wang Zen, about what you found out from Geyi Kun about me being a princess. I need you, I am asking you to keep that a secret.”

“What?” Zen’s mouth dropped open. “Y-You’re a princess?”

She sighed. “You mean you had not figured it out? She called me princess so many times.”

“I thought she was being insulting.”

“Oh and what’s so insulting about being a princess? Is there something I should be ashamed of?”

“N-No!” Zen waved his hands. “I didn’t mean it like that! I’m sure there’s nothing wrong with being a princess! If I could I would be a princess… not that I want to be a girl! But here’s nothing wrong with girls!” He smacked his forehead and just kept quiet. “Wait, if you’re a princess, what are you doing here?”

“The less you know, the better.” She said. “Trust me, please, Wang Zen. This is for your safety and mine.”

“Chen Jian knows about this, doesn’t he?” he suddenly said. He knew by her silence that it was true. He clenched his fists but then relaxed. “I’ll keep your secret, Xue Shaonu. Of course I will.”

“Thank you, Wang Zen.” She smiled at him, which made his heart flutter.

They kept quiet as they heard scratches on the door. They exchanged confused looks before Zen got up to the door.He opened it and a wide smile cut Zen’s face.

“Rizon!”

Shibi leapt off Xue Shaonu’s lap and raced to Zen’s shoulder, looking down at Rizon. Zen rubbed her head and she licked his face.

“Is that one of them?” Xue Shaonu said, looking past Zen to the Jackal.

Rizon growled at Xue Shaonu.

“Rizon, calm down.” Zen said.

“It’s okay,” Xue Shaonu said, understanding the beast’s hate. “I think she wants you to follow her.”

“Yeah,” he said.

“I’ll be okay.”

He nodded before he and Shibi followed Rizon out.

Rizon stopped beside a collection of bags and sat.

“Rizon?” Zen said in confusion as he stopped. He looked ahead at Jiahai’s living quarters and saw Jiahai with some more of his bags.

“Wang Zen?’’ Jiahai said before placing the bag on the floor. “What are you doing here?”

“Rizon,” Zen simply said.

“Oh,” he said. “I understand, you two have a bond.”

“What?” Zen looked at Rizon in confusion as the Ragge Jackal looked back at him with her brown eyes.

“You saved her,” Jiahai elaborated. “Po, Jian’s snake, was strangling her but he was forced to let her go when you entered the fight. Basically saving her.”

“It’s more luck than anything.” Zen said, caressing Rizon’s head. “Where are you going, Chu Jiahai.”

“I’m leaving the academy.” Jiahai said.

“Why?” Zen was visibly saddened.

Jiahai sighed. “There’s nothing left for me here.” He said. “This place has taken more than its given.’

“You weren’t going to tell me?”

“The last tme I told you I’m leaving the academy, you found a way to stop me.”

Zen smiled a sad smile, knowing it was futitle trying to convince him to stay. “Fair enough. I’ll help you with your luggage.”

The walk to the gate was awkward and quiet. I was a difficult situation and neither boy knew what to say to the other.

“So what are you going to do now?” Zen said.

“Don’t know.” Jiahai said. “If the me that entered this academy could see the me now, well… he’d be disappointed. But I have a new direction with my life. I’ll rebuild my pack and… escape.”

Zen nodded, not truly understanding. The doors to the academy opened and a carriage was waiting for him, the driver taking his bags.

Zen and Jiahai looked at each other. Jiahai smiled.

“You know when I first met you, I didn’t think we would go through all of this.”

Zen smiled. “Yeah, I don’t think I could’ve survived it all with anyone else.”

They clasped hands.

“I hope we meet again,” Zen said.

“I know we will.”

Zen watched as her friend turned her back and walked to the carriage as the doors to the academy closed.

“Cold end.”

Zen looked at Shibi in confusion.

“Cold end,” Shibi said, this time pointing at a green sprout shooting from the thinning layer of snow.

“Oh, youmean winter.” Zen corrected. “Winter’s coming to an end. Good. I hate the cold.”