After that bout of hilarity, Su Rong and Yu Xiang returned to an uneasy silence, the former trying to deal with the shocking revelation while the latter was doing his best to stifle groans of pain.

With nothing else to do but wait, the green eyed cultivator found himself growing bored fairly quickly. Not even the pains of his maimed body could keep his mind occupied for long, and soon enough he found himself turning to his self appointed rival to ask him something he’d been feeling particularly curious about.

“Soooo…” Yu Xiang broke the silence tentatively, dragging the fiery cultivator’s still unblinking stare towards him. “We good now?”

Su Rong just looked at him for a moment, recovering from the bomb he’d dropped on him. An explosive puff of air escaped from his nostrils as he finally blinked, keeping his eyes closed for a few seconds, after which he finally met his gaze. “Sure, I guess.” He said with a shrug of his wide shoulders.

Yu Xiang let out his own relieved sigh. “Weew.” He said loudly. “Mission complete!”

The fiery cultivator looked at him strangely, his thick eyebrows knitting together in confusion. “What do you mean by that?” His voice had dropped low, hiding a hint of fire.

The green eyed cultivator just shrugged, something he immediately regretted as a lance of pain stabbed through his body. “Ugh. I was told to try and make amends with you during this trip. Was supposed to be some kind of test.”

His admission would’ve normally made the other young man furious at being used in such a manner, but all of the accumulated weariness from their numerous battles and Yu’s weird openness about it had worn him down and thrown him off, so all he could muster up was a weak glare he sent at the strapped down disciple. “You are being awfully candid about something that should have remained a secret.” He said gruffly.

“Meh.” Responded Yu, a slight grin growing on his face. “It’s not like we’re enemies, we’re fellow disciples who’ve gone through some harrowing tribulations together!” His grin was replaced by a comically overly serious frown, something that would’ve been more at home on Chun Dai. “It would be kind of a dick move to not tell you anything about it.”

Su Rong looked at him, perplexed and yet, despite his best efforts, reassured.

It was just that easy for him, was it not? He wanted to tell him and so he did, simply because he believed he deserved to know.

He’d never admit it out loud, but in his heart of hearts, Su Rong could not help but slightly admire the light haired cultivator’s straightforwardness and will.

Only a little tho.

>>>

Yu Xiang, despite having lived all of his current life in the midst of cultivators, still ended up being surprised by just how common sense defying their abilities could be.

Shortly after their little heart to heart, Yu and Su Rong finally returned to the sect and were quickly carted off towards the infirmary adjacent to the main building of the Apothecary.

Yu Xiang had expected to be taken to a room where he could recuperate in peace, with the help of whatever medicines and healers they had on hand, while instead he and his gruff companion were brought to a waiting room and told to sit still until someone came for them.

The green eyed cultivator almost laughed at the unintentional joke, he was in no condition to move around after all, but wisely decided to suppress his mirth lest he gives himself another round of pain.

Shortly after they were left alone in the room, the rest of their teammates were also guided inside, until their team was fully assembled again, Chun Dai included. Although the core disciple was laying down on a stretcher and seemed to have finally fallen asleep.

The young cultivators looked at each other in confusion, curious about what they were supposed to wait for, and their questions were soon answered as someone else entered the infirmary.

It was a woman, and quite a gorgeous one if Yu was to give an explanation for why he immediately started checking her out. She had a mature, motherly beauty about her, with long wavy brown locks that reached the middle of her back and which framed her refined features exquisitely, her lips were set into a kind smile as she watched over their injured forms with a pair of baby blue eyes.

She looked to be barely into her thirties, but despite her relatively young age, she wore a set of crimson robes embroidered with enough gold to bankroll an entire mercantile company, which marked her as an elder of their sect.

“Oh my!” She exclaimed in a jolly tone. “You all look dreadful! Let me help you poor dears.”

With a wave of her hand, a faint green ripple of energy pulsated out of her body, immediately enveloping their bodies in a warm embrace.

In a matter of seconds, Yu Xiang’s body was turned back to normal. No, he felt even better than before their last battle, as if he’d taken an hours long warm bath and every cell in his body had gotten an expert and thorough massage.

The difference in sensations was so stark that they were all left dazed for a couple of seconds.

"Now that's much better!" Came the woman's voice. Yu Xiang was immediately taken out of his stupor by a couple of gentle pats on his cheek, delivered by the lovely matron as she made her way towards the sleeping swordsman's bedside.

The young reincarnator could not help but stare as she trailed away...

"I was so surprised when little Hui came to me personally to get you all up and about!" Yu Xiang's eyebrow twitched at hearing her say 'little Hui' while referring to the sect's heir. "But if I'd known my favorite nephew was here I would've arrived sooner!"

All of the young disciples sent her identical weirded out stares as she started to tussle Chun Dai's short mane, surprised by the stark difference between the two related cultivators, as if he were just a child.

"Well? What are you kids waiting for?" She questioned them with feigned urgency, her foot tapping against the ground in overacted impatience. "Shoo shoo, go take a post mission nap or something!" She waved her hand dismissively towards the door, and hesitantly, the young cultivators followed her heed and left the infirmary.

Now that he was back in peak form and not kept awake by his injuries he was actually starting to feel sleepy, and he could see that same weariness reflected in his companions' features.

Zhen Yin let out a massive yawn, not even bothering to cover her mouth. "Well guys, I'm going to crash down on my bed and not wake up for an entire week." She waved her hand as she started walking away from the group, followed by her cousin who was leaning heavily on her shoulder to walk straight.

The rest of them mumbled their own excuses, wanting to get their own rest, and after a few moments, Yu Xiang and Lin Fen were left all alone.

The green eyed cultivator turned toward his feline companion. "Want to grab a bite or just head straight to bed?"

Lin Fen shook his head, his grey ears bending down while his long tail flopped around lazily. "I just want to get in my bed and never come out..."

Yu smirked, amused despite feeling exactly the same, but his plans were rudely destroyed as a hand landed on his shoulder.

The two young cultivators almost jumped out of their skin as Chun Dai's voice came from behind them. "That will have to wait I'm afraid." He said, looking at Yu stoically as he raised a hand to his poor heart. "Lord Guan has requested your presence."

Yu groaned in dismay but still waved Lin off, telling him not to wait for him awake, after which the crimson clad swordsman took him to the Golden Prince's villa.

>>>

Guan Hui Chen sipped on some fragrant tea as he sat across from the young reincarnator, Yu Xiang having just finished giving him a brief recounting of their experience inside the hidden world.

"Well." He began, setting his now empty teacup down gracefully. "That was certainly an unfortunate situation." He then favored him with a laid back smile. "But at least you managed to complete your assignement with flying colors!"

Yu Xiang, as tired as he was, could only muster up a weak glare in response to the carefree, and almost dismissive, reaction, which only made the Golden Princ's smile widen.

"Now, since your mission was a success, that means it's my turn to keep my end of the deal." Hui Chen told him, instantly placating his ire. "As of right now, you and your friends have my full support." That last line was delivered in an imperious and authoritative tone, and following it the space around them rippled as a force Yu Xiang did not have the capability to sense spread out.

The young reincarnator smiled to himself, perking up a moment later as he remembered something important.

"Would it be possible to add Huang Lei to our deal?" He asked the straw haired prince.

"Oh?" Hui Chen intoned in a teasing tone. "The little social climber? Has she caught your eye now?"

Yu Xiang just shrugged dismissively, not willing to give the older man fuel for a teasing.

Hui Chen sighed in faux sadness. "Fine, fine. Feel free to tell your little seductress that she's part of your group now."

After that, his expression shifted into a more natural serene smile. "Apart from that, the other part of our deal is going to be fulfilled as well. Our resident formation master has decided to give a few lectures on his chosen profession." His eyes became half lidded then, and he started subtly checking out his nails. "And, hypothetically speaking, should you manage to impress him he might even decide to take you under his wing.

Yu Xiang's slouched posture immediately shot up, and his tiredness evaporated into the ether, his eyes filling with barely repressed excitement and his cheeks straining to contain an eager grin.

The Golden Prince wagged his index finger. "He will start next week, so be sure to take some time to recuperate from your mission and prepare yourself for the lessons."

Yu Xiang could do nothing else but nod in agreement, having to hold himself back from jumping toward him in an open hug.

>>>

Huang Lei had no such restraint when, a day later, he went to deliver the good news unto her.

She jumped directly into his arms in such a way that he ended up getting a handful of her backside to keep her aloft. Not that she seemed to mind as she pressed her chest against his own and delivered a downpour of kisses all over his lips and face.

Now, that was an excellent reward.