Chapter 54: Letting Go
The road stretched steadily eastward.
The wagons rolled at their familiar rhythm, Mountain Chargers pulling the caravan through rolling fields painted with the colors of spring. Wildflowers swayed beside the road, birds called from nearby trees, and the morning breeze carried none of the bitter cold of Lord Shen's territory.
It was the kind of morning Yun Che should have enjoyed.
He couldn't.
For what felt like the hundredth time, he glanced back over his shoulder, even though the city walls had disappeared long ago.
The puppet theatre...
The children...
The orphanage...
His thoughts refused to move on.
He had never liked leaving work unfinished.
Whether it had been in his previous life or this one, he always preferred seeing something through to the end. He wanted to know whether it succeeded or failed. He wanted feedback. He wanted to know what could be improved.
Instead...
He had walked away.
He had left the future of the theatre in the hands of six children who had only stopped stealing yesterday... and an elderly woman who had never managed a performance in her life.
The uncertainty gnawed at him.
Jin Wei, meanwhile, looked perfectly content.
He leaned comfortably against a crate, eating dried fruit as though nothing unusual had happened over the past two days.
"You've looked behind us at least twenty times."
"I counted."
Yun Che sighed.
"I keep wondering how they're doing."
Jin Wei shrugged.
"So do I."
"...That's it?"
"What more is there?"
Yun Che stared at him.
"You really aren't worried?"
"Worried?"
Jin Wei laughed.
"No."
"I promised to find work."
"I found work."
"I promised to help them find an audience."
"I found them one."
"I promised to speak with the consortium."
"I did."
He popped another piece of dried fruit into his mouth.
"Whether their theatre becomes famous or closes after a month..."
"...doesn't change the fact that they're already better off than they were yesterday."
He smiled.
"That's a successful investment in my book."
Yun Che frowned thoughtfully.
"...Investment?"
"Of course."
"I invested effort."
"I received the satisfaction of helping."
"They received an opportunity."
"Everyone profited."
The merchant spread his hands.
"I fail to see the problem."
Lin Xia had been quietly listening while mending a loose seam on one of her travel bags.
She finally looked up.
"I agree with Jin Wei."
Yun Che blinked.
"You do?"
She nodded.
"We helped because we wanted to."
"Not because we were responsible for their entire future."
She carefully tied off the thread.
"They're about our age."
"They'll make their own decisions."
"If we stay involved forever..."
"...when do they begin living their own lives?"
Yun Che fell silent.
Her words weren't cruel.
If anything...
They were remarkably reasonable.
Lin Xia studied him for a moment.
An unexpected thought crossed her mind.
Is this why...?
She remembered the duel in Mistforge.
Everyone, herself included, had expected Shen Tianyu to win.
He always had.
Tianyu had been the city's pride.
A natural genius.
Strong.
Confident.
Disciplined.
To her, he had always looked every bit the image of the warrior princes described in old stories.
Yun Che...
Had never been that.
He was an artisan.
A blacksmith.
Someone who thought with his hands before his sword.
Very much like herself.
Yet...
He had defeated Tianyu.
Watching him now, she began to wonder if she finally understood one small piece of the answer.
Perhaps it wasn't talent alone.
Perhaps it was this relentless desire to see every task completed properly.
The inability to simply leave something unfinished.
She wasn't certain whether that quality was a strength...
...or an obsession.
Maybe...
It was both.
Lin Xia understood Yun Che's need to look back more than she admitted.
He had left a puppet theatre unfinished.
She had left something unfinished in Mistforge as well.
For years, she had imagined speaking to Tianyu. Nothing dramatic. A greeting. A conversation. Perhaps an invitation to walk through the winter market.
There had always been another day.
Until there wasn't.
She had waited for courage to arrive by itself.
Instead, Tianyu had departed, and every opportunity had quietly become a memory.
Elder Ruan, who had been riding beside the lead wagon, slowed his wolf until he matched Yun Che's pace.
"You're overthinking."
Yun Che smiled weakly.
"I know."
"The children aren't alone," Elder Ruan said.
"Shen Rui inspected the barracks himself before we left. Captain Qiao registered the volunteers as assistants and placed them under a veteran quartermaster."
Yun Che looked up.
"He did all that?"
"Shen Rui does not leave a task half-finished merely because he dislikes speaking about it."
"For those willing to endure the training, the city guard is one of the few institutions where birth matters less than reliability."
He looked toward the distant road.
"Small cities are always short on guards."
"People leave."
"They retire."
"They die."
"There are always vacancies."
"If those children work hard..."
"...they'll earn honest wages."
"And if enough of them succeed..."
"...they'll support the orphanage far better than occasional donations ever could."
He smiled faintly.
"That was probably the greatest help anyone gave them."
After a few moments, the old captain continued.
"And stop acting as though you've left forever."
Yun Che looked at him.
"This road leads back toward Mistforge. You may pass through that city again."
"May?"
"Routes change. Contracts change. Roads close. People move."
Ruan looked ahead.
"Perhaps you will see them next season. Perhaps years from now. You cannot live as though every road owes you a return journey."
He paused.
"This is simply life."
"Sometimes you help people."
"Sometimes you make enemies."
"If you're fortunate..."
"...they remain close enough that you hear how their stories end."
"If you're unfortunate..."
"...they disappear beyond the horizon forever."
Those words eased something inside Yun Che.
Not completely.
But enough.
A page turned.
Elder Liang finally lowered the book he had been reading.
"I may have helped a little as well."
Everyone looked toward him.
"You did?"
The old merchant nodded casually.
"I paid a visit to several city officials before we left."
Jin Wei grinned knowingly.
"You bribed them."
"I offered encouragement."
"You bribed them."
"I provided financial motivation."
"...You bribed them."
Elder Liang finally sighed.
"Fine."
"I bribed them."
Yun Che stared.
"So openly?"
The old merchant blinked.
"Why wouldn't I say it openly?"
"In Mistforge, people usually tried to hide such things."
"Mistforge has Lord Shen. Most cities have offices."
Liang chuckled.
"Bribes exist because systems are slow."
"They're unpleasant."
"They're unfair."
"But pretending they don't exist doesn't make them disappear."
"I didn't pay anyone to ignore the law."
"I paid to make forgotten paperwork become today's paperwork."
He shrugged.
"The orphanage had already submitted every proper request."
"I merely reminded the officials that delaying another year would reflect poorly on them."
Jin Wei nodded in agreement.
He tapped one of the wagon wheels.
"Yun Che, think of it like this. Even the finest machine needs oil."
"The same is true for institutions."
Yun Che frowned.
"...That sounds cynical."
"It sounds practical," Jin Wei replied.
"The world rarely moves simply because it's supposed to."
"Sometimes..."
"...it needs a little push."
"A merchant should learn when money solves a problem better than arguments."
He smiled.
"Not every coin earns profit."
"Some buy time."
"Some buy goodwill."
"And occasionally..."
"...they buy a future."
Yun Che looked ahead at the winding road.
The orphanage was already far behind them.
He still didn't know whether the children had succeeded.
He still wanted to know.
But for the first time since leaving the city...
He accepted that not every answer had to arrive immediately.
Some stories...
Needed time before they could be read.
---------------------------------
The orphanage gradually disappeared behind the rolling hills.
The conversation faded.
The wagons settled back into their familiar rhythm.
Yun Che tried to focus on the road ahead, but his thoughts stubbornly wandered back to the children, the little stage, and the unopened curtain he would never see.
He finally let out a long breath.
If his mind refused to let go...
Then he would force it to focus elsewhere.
He guided Amon toward the front of the caravan where Elder Ruan rode beside the lead wagon.
"Elder Ruan."
The old captain glanced sideways.
"Hm?"
"I want combat duty."
Ruan looked toward him.
"From now on, if the caravan is attacked, I want to fight beside the guards. I don't want to remain a protected traveller."
For several moments, Elder Ruan simply looked at him.
Then, unexpectedly, he smiled.
"I was waiting for you to ask."
Yun Che blinked.
"You were?"
"I couldn't assign combat duties to you without your permission."
"You aren't one of my guards."
"You're a traveler under our protection."
"As long as you remained a customer..."
"...fighting wasn't your responsibility."
He adjusted the reins of his Frost Wolf before continuing.
"But if you're volunteering..."
"...that's another matter."
Yun Che nodded immediately.
"I am."
"Good."
The old captain's smile grew.
"Then you'll learn something you don't know."
"You already understand how to fight on solid ground."
"You've proven that."
"You know how to duel."
"You know how to defend a position."
"You know how to use terrain."
He pointed toward the moving caravan.
"What you don't know..."
"...is how to fight while everything around you refuses to stand still."
Yun Che followed his gaze.
The wagons rolled steadily over the uneven road.
The Mountain Chargers maintained a fast pace.
Nothing remained stationary for more than a heartbeat.
"A caravan rarely enjoys the luxury of stopping."
Elder Ruan continued.
"Sometimes you're protecting civilians."
"Sometimes you're escorting wounded."
"Sometimes the road itself is too dangerous to halt."
"If you stop..."
"...the enemy catches you."
"If you keep moving..."
"...you live."
Yun Che slowly nodded.
"...I've never fought like that."
"I know."
"That's why we're starting now."
"So..."
Yun Che asked,
"...how do we practice?"
"Easily."
Elder Ruan raised his voice.
"Bao!"
"Shen!"
The two guards rode over immediately.
"Your task is simple."
He pointed toward the wagons.
"Attack the caravan."
Yun Che frowned.
"...Won't we damage it?"
Before Elder Ruan answered, another voice interrupted.
"No."
Everyone turned.
Elder Liang lowered the geography book resting in his lap.
He sighed dramatically.
"...Do I truly look like someone who enjoys watching children fight?"
Elder Ruan grinned.
"Don't you want to help the talented young man from our homeland?"
"The one Lord Shen personally expects great things from?"
Liang looked at him for several seconds.
"...Your tongue is becoming far too smooth."
"I'm impressed."
The old merchant closed his book with a sigh.
"Fine."
"Fight."
Elder Ruan fastened three red cloth markers to the outer frames of the wagons.
"Touch one with a weapon or Ki attack and Yun Che loses."
"No strikes against wheels, harnesses or Mountain Chargers. Keep every technique below half strength."
Liang Wen raised his book.
"If anyone is about to hit a wagon..."
"...I'll stop it."
"Telekinesis is quite useful for that."
------------------
Moments later...
The exercise began.
The caravan never slowed.
Mountain Chargers continued running at almost the speed of galloping horses while the wagons bounced rhythmically over the road.
Yun Che mounted Amon.
Across from him...
Shen Rui sat calmly upon Fang.
Bao Kun waited farther back, clearly planning to join later.
Yun Che inhaled deeply.
Then looked upward.
"Mirage."
The beautiful Azure Mirage butterfly drifted into view.
"Whisper."
The little Frost spirit silently emerged from beneath one of the wagons.
Yun Che smiled.
"I've relied on you too little."
The two spirits looked at him curiously.
"From now on..."
"...we fight together."
He had finally realized something.
He treated Amon like a partner.
Yet Mirage and Whisper...
Had quietly become little more than companions who traveled beside him.
That had to change.
If they were to become true teammates...
They needed to fight beside him.
Shen Rui never waited for formal signals.
The instant Elder Ruan waved his hand...
He moved.
Fang released a powerful howl.
The sound washed across the battlefield like an invisible wave.
At the same time...
Several crescent-shaped Ki slashes raced toward the caravan.
Yun Che reacted immediately.
"Amon!"
The dragon lunged forward.
His armored body intercepted the first attack while Yun Che deflected another with his sword.
The third barely missed the wagon behind him.
Mirage acted next.
Her wings shimmered softly.
A tiny illusion appeared before Fang.
Not something grand.
No towering monsters.
No impossible scenery.
Only...
A small rock where none existed.
A root protruding slightly farther than it should.
A branch hanging just a little lower.
Tiny changes.
Almost invisible.
Exactly as Yun Che had planned.
Large illusions invited suspicion.
Small lies...
Were often accepted without thought.
Fang instinctively adjusted one step to avoid the nonexistent obstacle.
Only one step.
But it slightly altered Shen Rui's balance.
"Interesting."
The scout muttered.
Whisper immediately followed.
Dozen of sharp ice shards formed above the road before shooting toward Shen Rui.
The attack wasn't powerful enough to threaten a Foundation cultivator...
But it forced movement.
Exactly as intended.
Amon roared.
The dragon accelerated.
Yun Che struck.
For a brief moment...
Everything synchronized perfectly.
Then Shen Rui disappeared.
Fang twisted sideways with astonishing agility.
Both wolf and rider spun around Yun Che instead of through him.
Before Yun Che could react...
They were already heading toward the wagon.
His eyes widened.
"Telekinesis!"
Invisible force grabbed Shen Rui.
Or rather...
Tried to.
The technique slowed him.
Barely.
Like trying to stop a charging horse with a single rope.
Shen Rui simply pushed through it while using Air Steps.
He reached the wagon.
Stopped.
His blade hovered inches from the wooden frame.
He smiled faintly.
"...Too late."
Yun Che grimaced.
"I chased the attacker."
"You abandoned the objective."
Shen Rui sheathed one dagger.
"If your position protects the caravan..."
"...never leave it unless someone replaces you."
"The enemy isn't your mission."
"The wagon is."
Yun Che quietly nodded.
"I understand."
"No."
Shen Rui shook his head.
"You understand the words."
"You don't understand the habit."
"They're different."
Yun Che gradually noticed another weakness.
His Ki Zone.
On solid ground...
It was one of his greatest techniques.
Here...
It became almost useless.
The technique depended upon establishing a stable area around himself.
But everything was moving.
The wagons.
The beasts.
The road.
The battlefield itself.
By the time he extended the zone...
Everyone had already left it.
"I'll have to redesign it..."
He muttered.
-----------------------
Lin Xia watched every match carefully.
Notebook in hand...
She filled page after page with observations.
She wasn't watching Yun Che's mistakes.
She was studying solutions.
Eventually...
She looked toward Jin Wei.
He sat comfortably beneath a wagon canopy.
Completely unconcerned.
Several of the wooden puppets rested beside him.
Every so often he absentmindedly adjusted one of their tiny swords.
He really did love these things.
His father had apparently spent his entire childhood insisting toys were distractions.
Useful knowledge.
Business.
Accounting.
Negotiation.
Those had been encouraged.
Play...
Had not.
Perhaps that was why he appreciated them so much now.
Lin Xia walked over.
"I have a question."
Jin Wei looked up.
"Hm?"
"How do you fight?"
He blinked.
"...Excuse me?"
"You're only at the peak of the Mortal Realm."
"Elder Liang is different."
"He's a Foundation cultivator with Telekinesis."
"But you..."
She hesitated.
"I've never seen you fight," Lin Xia said.
Jin Wei looked up. "You sound disappointed."
"Curious. You cultivate, but you don't carry a weapon."
She studied his soft merchant robes.
"And you don't exactly look like Bao Kun."
Jin Wei placed a hand over his chest dramatically.
"...Miss Lin."
"You've wounded me."
She looked completely serious.
"I wasn't trying to."
He sighed theatrically.
"That's exactly what everyone thinks."
He picked up one of the puppets.
"The last thought many opponents have is..."
"'A merchant can't fight.'"
Lin Xia tilted her head.
"...Can you?"
"Yes."
She blinked.
"What?"
He smiled cheerfully.
"I use money."
Everyone stared.
Jin Wei reached into his storage pouch and began placing items onto the wagon floor.
Attack talismans.
Barrier talismans.
Movement talismans.
Healing talismans.
Smoke talismans.
Flash talismans.
By the time he finished...
A small mountain of neatly organized talismans sat before him.
"I don't need to spend years learning how to make them."
"I simply buy the best."
"If someone still wants to fight after all that..."
"...then guards like Bao or Shen Rui arrive."
Silence followed.
Lin Xia slowly looked at the collection of talismans.
Then at Jin Wei.
Then back to the talismans.
For the first time...
She truly understood that wealth itself could become a weapon.
Money...
When used wisely...
Could fight battles long before swords were ever drawn.
-----------------------------
The first exchange lasted less than ten breaths.
The caravan never stopped moving. Wagon wheels bounced over uneven stones, Mountain Chargers maintained a relentless pace, guards constantly shifted between wagons, and every tree, hill and boulder seemed to race past instead of standing still.
Nothing remained where he expected it to be.
That alone made the battlefield feel completely alien.
"Again."
Shen Rui's calm voice came from somewhere ahead.
Fang bounded across the road, barely touching the ground before springing onto a roadside rock. Wolf and rider moved almost as one creature.
Yun Che steadied himself atop Amon.
This time...
He attacked first.
Thin steel wires shot from hidden reels beneath his gauntlets.
Some whipped toward Fang's legs.
Others curved through the air toward Shen Rui.
The final strands formed a web before the wagon, hoping to deny the scout a path forward.
It was exactly the sort of battlefield control that had served him well against Shen Tianyu.
Shen Rui barely slowed.
His dagger flashed once.
Twice.
Six times.
The wires fell apart into harmless pieces of steel that fluttered onto the road like dead vines.
"...Too predictable."
The scout's voice drifted back casually.
"Your wires are dangerous..."
"...if they stay hidden."
"You announced every one."
Yun Che clicked his tongue.
Before the severed wires had even struck the ground, six metal lances erupted from beside the wagon.
They shot toward Fang from different angles.
Shen Rui didn't even look surprised.
Fang lowered his body.
One lance passed overhead.
Another slid beneath his belly.
A third narrowly missed his shoulder.
The wolf twisted through the impossible barrage with practiced ease.
By the time the last lance reached its target...
Shen Rui was already somewhere else.
"They're fast."
"But they don't chase."
Yun Che immediately reached out with Telekinesis.
Invisible force wrapped around Fang.
Or tried to.
The wolf's movement slowed for the briefest instant.
Then Shen Rui shifted his weight.
The force slipped away.
Like trying to grasp flowing water.
"Better."
Shen Rui admitted.
"But not enough."
The next attack came without warning.
One moment Fang stood twenty meters ahead.
The next...
Both wolf and rider disappeared.
Yun Che's eyes widened.
Invisible.
His instincts screamed.
Mirage fluttered overhead, sending hurried thoughts through their bond.
Behind!
Yun Che turned.
Too slow.
A dagger stopped just short of his shoulder.
"If that were real..."
"...you'd be dead."
The scout vanished again.
Yun Che gritted his teeth.
"This isn't fair."
Shen Rui's voice echoed from somewhere unseen.
"Neither are ambushes."
The following exchange proved even worse.
A pale blue mist spread across the road.
Frost Aura.
The ground instantly became slick.
Amon's heavy feet lost traction.
The dragon stumbled sideways.
Yun Che had to grab the saddle just to remain mounted.
Before Amon could recover...
Ice exploded upward.
Frozen pillars formed around his legs.
Frost Prison.
The dragon roared angrily.
The ice shattered almost immediately beneath his strength.
But the delay had already accomplished its purpose.
Another imaginary strike rested against Yun Che's neck.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Every exercise ended similarly.
Shen Rui never fought like Shen Tianyu.
The city lord's son preferred direct contests of skill.
He advanced.
Pressured.
Overwhelmed.
Shen Rui...
Simply refused to be where Yun Che expected him.
He attacked.
Disappeared.
Reappeared.
Used the road.
The wagons.
Trees.
Dust.
Even the movement of the caravan itself.
It felt less like fighting a swordsman...
...and more like trying to catch smoke.
Then came Killer Intent.
Yun Che sensed it before he saw it.
For one terrible heartbeat...
The world froze.
Every instinct inside him screamed that death stood directly behind him.
His muscles stiffened.
His breathing stopped.
His fingers refused to move.
Only for a moment.
Barely an instant.
But that instant was enough.
The flat of Shen Rui's dagger lightly tapped his helmet.
"You froze."
Yun Che exhaled slowly.
"...How?"
"You aren't fighting me."
"Your instincts are."
The scout shrugged.
"They're honest."
By midday...
Bao Kun joined.
Yun Che almost preferred Shen Rui.
Almost.
Bao moved like a mountain.
Every Shield Bash shook Amon backward several meters.
Every Guardian Barrier turned his defenses into an immovable wall.
Even when Yun Che landed solid strikes...
They accomplished almost nothing.
Then Bao demonstrated another technique.
Without warning...
His sword vanished back into its sheath.
For a heartbeat...
Nothing happened.
Then—
The blade flashed.
Sword Draw.
The strike appeared so quickly that Yun Che barely managed to raise his own weapon.
The impact numbed both arms.
Even Amon staggered beneath the force.
Bao scratched his beard sheepishly.
"...Sorry."
"I used more strength than intended."
Bao smiled apologetically.
"...Yes."
Yun Che suddenly understood why everyone respected the giant so much.
He wasn't merely strong.
He possessed no obvious weakness.
Excellent defense.
Excellent offense.
Enough speed.
Enough endurance.
Everything balanced perfectly.
Poor Amon suffered the most.
The dragon wanted straightforward combat.
Charge.
Crash.
Overpower.
Every time he lunged...
Shen Rui simply wasn't there.
Every time he tried against Bao...
The giant redirected him with his shield.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Eventually...
The dragon's patience snapped.
A furious roar echoed across the countryside.
Instead of waiting for Yun Che's commands...
Amon charged wildly.
He ignored formation.
Ignored positioning.
Ignored the caravan entirely.
He simply wanted to hit something.
Bao sighed.
"There it is."
Shield met dragon.
The enormous impact redirected Amon harmlessly into a grassy ditch.
The dragon climbed out, covered in leaves and thoroughly offended.
Yun Che buried his face in one hand.
"We're discussing discipline tonight."
Mirage wasn't much happier.
Yun Che had deliberately instructed her to create only subtle illusions.
Tiny stones.
False roots.
Shifting shadows.
The first dozen attempts had worked.
After that...
Shen Rui simply ignored them.
The scout had learned.
Mirage became increasingly annoyed.
Finally...
She refused.
Instead of another tiny illusion...
The entire forest seemed to erupt into darkness.
Towering monsters appeared between the trees.
Hundreds of glowing eyes surrounded Fang.
A massive serpent burst from beneath the road.
Even Bao blinked.
"...That's..."
Shen Rui sighed.
"Mirage."
"I know they're fake."
The butterfly stubbornly ignored him.
Yun Che groaned.
"Mirage."
She fluttered her wings defiantly.
Small illusions are boring.
"They're effective."
They're slow.
"We're training."
I want to scare someone.
Yun Che couldn't help laughing despite himself.
Mirage truly lived up to her species.
The Azure Mirage Butterfly loved dramatic illusions.
Asking her to create tiny pebbles instead of terrifying nightmares was apparently an insult to her artistic pride.
Only Whisper remained perfectly obedient.
The little Frost Spirit quietly floated wherever Yun Che directed.
Ice needles.
Frost patches.
Small defensive walls.
Perfect timing.
Perfect discipline.
Unfortunately...
He simply lacked the raw strength to decide battles against Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Still...
Every time Yun Che thanked him...
The little spirit happily circled his shoulders before returning to work.
"...You're the only one behaving today."
Whisper spun happily.
The sun slowly descended.
Training continued.
Failure followed failure.
Yet...
Each defeat taught something new.
-------------------
When camp was finally established that evening, Yun Che practically collapsed beside the fire.
Elder Ruan sat across from him, turning a cup of hot tea between his hands.
"You've improved."
"It doesn't feel like it."
"It never does."
The old captain watched the flames dance.
"Your biggest weakness isn't your offense."
Yun Che looked up.
"You have a dozen ways to inconvenience movement," Ruan said.
"You don't possess one that commands it."
He drew a line through the dirt with a stick.
"Moving battles are won by controlling movement."
"Slow someone."
"Trap someone."
"Redirect someone."
"Force someone somewhere they don't wish to be."
He looked directly at Yun Che.
"Shen Rui stops people by making their instincts feel death," Ruan said.
"That path doesn't suit you."
Yun Che looked toward him. "Then what does?"
"I don't know yet."
Ruan tapped the side of Yun Che's helmet.
"But you've spent your life looking at broken things and understanding exactly where they failed."
His eyes narrowed faintly.
"One day, perhaps people will feel you looking at them the same way."
Ruan then pointed toward Yun Che's hands.
"You already possess the beginnings of your answer."
"Telekinesis."
"And your magnetism."
"Don't think about throwing people."
"Think about stopping them."
"Only for a heartbeat."
"A single hesitation."
"A single stumble."
"Sometimes that's all an ally needs."
He smiled faintly.
"Sometimes..."
"...it's all a wagon needs to avoid being destroyed."
Yun Che slowly nodded.
"I've actually been trying along those lines."
"I've been trying to combine Telekinesis with magnetism."
"I want to interrupt movement rather than overpower it."
Elder Ruan chuckled.
"Then consider my words a reminder."
Yun Che blinked.
"...That's all?"
The old captain laughed.
"You expect profound wisdom every evening?"
He shook his head.
"Sometimes the best advice a teacher can give..."
"...is simply to tell a student they're walking the correct road."
He took another sip of tea.
"You can't expect new answers every single day."
"Sometimes..."
"...you simply keep practicing until yesterday's lesson finally becomes tomorrow's instinct."
"You have started to talk so much these days that I am starting to miss your silent gazes." Elder Liang said as he floated to their side while bring something to eat for Elder Ruan.
Yun Che didn't think Elder Ruan talked much unlike Elder Liang who was always conversing with everyone in the caravan.
"He is a lot quieter than this, young man."
"Go on, extend your lecture. I know you like teaching the young ones."
Elder Ruan stared at him like he was about to strike.
"If you weren't a friend, I would have slapped you across the face."
"Apologies, it seems I must have drunk too much and lost control of myself."
"Sigh, control yourself."
Turning to Yun Che, "You command all three of them the same way," Elder Ruan said.
Yun Che frowned. "They're following the same plan."
"They aren't the same creature."
He pointed toward Amon.
"That one needs a direction and a boundary."
Then Mirage.
"She needs an objective and room to create."
Finally Whisper.
"He needs precise instructions."
Ruan looked back at Yun Che.
"A commander who gives everyone identical orders is not being fair. He is being lazy."
Yun Che looked toward Amon, who was sulking while Whisper patiently froze a bucket of water for him to cool off. Nearby, Mirage was projecting enormous imaginary dragons into the night sky simply because she enjoyed the reactions of the younger guards.
For the first time that day...
He smiled.
They still had a very long way to go.
But at least...
They were finally starting to learn how to fight together.