Voices and cheers surrounded Fan Zhong as he stood near Fan Yong and Shen Shuren. Around them, the sect and visiting martial artists moved and talked with animated energy as the light from dancing flame arrays flickered overhead. Currently, it was dark out and only the area that had previously been used for the arenas and stands was lit.

During the afternoon after the final match, and into the morning, the sect workers had been hard at work transforming the area into a proper location for a celebratory feast. Long tables lined the edges of the high canopy tents that loomed overhead providing cover for the festivities. Meanwhile, talismans had been placed on the underside of those canopies to conjure the myriad display of dancing fire above the grounds.

In all, it reminded him of a day that seemed to have occurred ages ago, a time when the whole clan had gathered in his honor. That had been one of the biggest turning points in Fan Zhong’s life. After all, he had been through the memory of his warrior acceptance ceremony brought with it pain and sadness that he still couldn’t describe.

However, now it also brought warmth and appreciation, an acceptance of the love his family had shown him along with the responsibility that had always been his companion. As the memories started to occupy his thoughts a sharp jab to his arm brought Fan Zhong back to reality. Instantly he winced and leveled an irritated glance at his companion standing to his left.

As always, Fan Yong wore a jovial smile on his face as he enjoyed the reminder his best friend was currently receiving of the sword wound that had pierced his shoulder.

“As much as your sagely demeanor conveys your thoughts are of the highest profoundness, it's rude to ignore people when they speak to you, Young Master.” Fan Yong spoke with the glee that clearly indicated his barely-contained laughter at his own teasing.

Fan Zhong squinted his eyes and his hand blurred, poking a finger into his friend's chest before smiling at the sight of him almost doubling over in pain.

“Much appreciated Junior Warrior Fan Yong, I’ll make sure to pay better attention from now on.” Fan Zhong chuckled as he spoke, unable to maintain his look of annoyance, before settling down into a more casual expression. “Apologies Brother Shuren, the present environment caused me to feel sentimental. Some things stick with you, I’m sure you understand.”

For his part, Shen Shuren stood opposite Fan Zhong with one of the female disciples who attended the Spirit cooking classes alongside him. She was currently leaning forward and speaking slowly to Fan Yong, trying to make sure he was ok in his slightly bent-over form.

“Mhm,” The core disciple said as he raised an eyebrow at them, a small expression of amusement playing over his normally calm face. “In any case Brother Zhong, I was simply wondering what your plans are moving forward. As much as I believe the Sect Master would continue hosting you and Senior Zhang Zheng for as long as you wish, you've mentioned before that you are showing him around the valley, no?”

Fan Zhong cupped his chin between his left hand’s thumb and index finger in a contemplative way as he raised the small cup in his hand to take a drink. The spicy fire of strong wine instantly entered his mouth and he took a moment to savor it as he contemplated the question. Originally the plan had been to show Xing Zheng around the valley while looking for traces of demonic martial artists and cultivators.

After the ambush of the three blood cultivators in the northern plains, however, it seemed unlikely that there was another large demonic presence near the valley. As such there was no longer any real need to travel around looking for further leads although the old swordsman himself hadn’t mentioned changing their plans. In any case, it seemed that he needed to talk to the immortal before deciding anything concrete.

Thinking on the subject he remembered that during their time training within the sect, occasionally wandering martial artists or merchants would stop by. In this way, they could learn of the goings on in the valley as well as a bit about the wider world. Combining this with the sect disciples going in and out on missions allowed Fan Zhong to learn that there was something odd going on with the Wang clan within the last two months. Normally they were rather open and would do business with anyone as long as their reputation wasn’t that bad.

However, recent reports had said that the Wang was being very choosy about the talismans they were selling as well as cutting down on the amount of boat transportation they provided. From his academy days and time with tutors, Fan Zhong knew that providing passage was a source of income for the water-faring clan second only to their sale of fish. Something incredibly strange or wrong must be going on to cause them to cut down on offering such services.

Internally he decided, as long as Xing Zheng was willing they would make their next stop at the Wang clan’s headquarters. Thinking about this caused him to realize that he hadn’t heard from Wang Qiang for a long time as well, and this would be an excellent opportunity to check up on his old friend.

“Brother Shuren is perceptive as always, currently we have no set plans. However, I have no doubt that tomorrow morning Senior Zhang Zheng will probably want to lay out a schedule for the future. Speaking of which, I announced that you are a friend of the Fan clan, Brother Shuren. Please take this and never feel afraid to call on us, even if just to exchange some pointers.” Fan Zhong’s smile turned predatory for just a moment at his last words as he pulled a token from the folds of his robes with his left hand and held it out for the other man.

The token was mortal natural treasure bamboo and was cut into an almost circular shape with six sides. Cut into the surface was the Fan clan crest and underneath was Fan Zhong’s own seal of approval. Fan Yong had really shown his clerical skills this time as he had taken some amount of the tokens when they had left Butont for cases such as this.

All of them were blank; however, a little time with a magical treasure made to carve into the surface and some instruction had allowed him to fully complete the token. Having it marked the wielder as a friend of the clan and could allow them asylum or help according to the level of authority of the one who authorized it, in this case, Fan Zhong.

“I see… in that case, I am honored by your generosity Brother Zhong. Perha…” Shen Shurren was cut off as he looked over his shoulder before smiling slightly. “Disciple Sister Areal, to what do we owe the pleasure of having the company of this evening's shining star?”

Saying this he stepped aside to allow the newcomer to stand between him and the other sect disciple. At that point, the female disciple seemed to almost pale at the sight and Fan Yong had to put a steadying arm on her shoulder to stop her from fleeing like a scared mouse. For his part, the other Fan clan scion seemed to have composed himself and he leveled an assuring smile at the woman.

Tiyun Areal stood between the two looking down at a small cup of wine clasped in both hands. Her face was scrunched up as if she was in pain or… perhaps confused. After a moment she looked up with resolution while a slightly red tint of embarrassment came over her expression.

“Brother Zhong and Brother Yong, it has been brought to my attention that I’ve been… rather rude to you. I would hope…” Her words were slightly slurred and her voice trailed off near the end.

Fan Zhong looked on with barely contained amusement, perplexed but definitely enjoying the seemingly completely new state of someone who had always seemed so far out of reach.

“Apologies, Sister Areal, I couldn’t quite understand that last part. Could you please repeat that?” He said with a slightly too wide smile while plucking a cup of wine from a passing server to deftly replace the empty one in Tiyun Areal’s hands.

Fan Yong stood on the side chuckling slightly with a hand covering his mouth as Shen Shurren slowly took another step to the side allowing Fan Zhong to stand next to the woman.

“Oh… apologies we… I don’t… do this often. I said…” Tiyun Areal’s eyes seemed to dart around the gathering as if looking for a path to escape. “That I hope we can let any enmity pass and continue to be acquainted.”

Her voice was barely a whisper and she seemed to fold into herself as she spoke.

“Of course!” Fan Zhong said in a boisterous manner, playfully slapping her gently on the back as he laughed. “What are a few words among friends, right Brother Yong?”

Fan Yong seemed taken aback at the outburst and he leveled an inquisitive gaze at his best friend.

“Indeed, friends argue; however, they make up and preserve! To friends!” Fan Zhong continued speaking, not giving his kinsmen a chance to answer as he raised his cup of wine and motioned for the others to do the same.

To his side, the female disciple and Tiyun Areal seemed taken aback with the latter seeming to be flustered about what to do. All the while Fan Zhong just kept looking expectantly at the flustered woman, patiently waiting for her to follow suit.

“May the heavens have mercy on us all, truly the high tower has decided to open its doors once more.” Fan Yong said while shaking his head.

“Hmph, of course. With my trusty fort to protect me, what need is there for caution?” Fan Zhong instantly replied, his smile narrowing into a wolfish grin.

As the two laughed at a joke no one else seemed to understand, Tiyun Areal unexpectedly upended her cup of wine, draining the entire thing and seeming shaky on her feet afterward. Soon, however, a solid arm seemed to support her back and Fan Zhong was suddenly much closer than she had remembered just a few moments ago. At the sight of her almost falling the entire group shared a chuckle and they started conversing, enjoying the luxury of one another's company.

Later that night Fan Zhong found himself supporting a stumbling Tiyun Areal with one of her arms slung over his back. The others had retired around half an hour ago and he had looked to do the same. However, seeing the normally aloof disciple so unable to handle her alcohol had kept him beside her if anything just to stop the woman from falling over. Now, they were walking down the central road toward the staircase that led to the third step of the sect.

Although he had gone there a few times to meet Xing Zheng and the sect master Fan Zhong had mostly spent time on the second step where the higher realm disciples trained. The first step housed the initiates, workers, and other lower-ranked staff as well as serving as a storage area for mundane goods. That left the highest step as the area where only the Sect Master, the Nine Swords, their disciples, and visiting honorary guests stayed at.

During their initial stay, the Sect Master had offered to allow each person in their party a courtyard on the third step. Although it would have provided more privacy, Fan Zhong had felt that if he was truly going to learn at the Sect he should stay where any disciple of his strength would. Thus he and Fan Yong ended up living in the dorms on the second step.

As they walked he kept close attention on his companion, noticing more than once that he was more dragging her than walking with her. All the while she was mumbling softly to herself, seeming to almost not notice him anymore. Inwardly he sighed, during his youth and during the war he had gotten used to being around those who frequently drank quite heavily just to pass the time.

It had occurred to him slightly too late that the ascetic lifestyle Tiyun Arealhad led until tonight probably precluded her from attending many parties, particularly ones where she drank a lot. With a sigh, he kept the pace slow and steady as he listened to her mumble. Most of it was about sword techniques or moreover random admonishments she had of fellow disciples.

From just this, he could surmise that she kept an internal list of the faults of the other core disciples and probably brought it up whenever they sparred. That explained what Brother Shuren had said about many not wanting to fight her, that and the fact that she probably destroyed them all. Finally, he managed to get her to the bottom of the stairs when Fan Zhong realized a slight problem, dragging her over the stairs would most likely not be pleasant for the woman.

She could handle it, of course, as her training had probably inflicted worse pain than bruised feet. However, their relationship seemed to be on an upward trajectory and Fan Zhong doubted that it would continue that way if he did so. As he thought his gaze drifted over to her as she leaned heavily upon his shoulder.

There he saw someone who had both loathed and grown to respect, an odd mix of feelings. Honestly, he had found her narrow view of the world… understandable. It mirrored so much how he had been while his clan still stood strong.

Many wouldn't see it that way, after all the focus of their narrow worlds had been completely different. However, he couldn’t help feeling a connection, at least on a symbolic level. Added onto this was the fact that no one doubted Tiyun Areal would one day reach the Master realm, having powerful friends would be something he needed as the Fan clan leader.

So with a sigh, he straightened himself and placed a hand on each of her shoulders turning the shorter woman to face him.

“Sister Areal can you hear me?” Fan Zhong asked slowly, with a smile on his face.

“Wha…. Disciple Brother…. Zhong? Why is the sky spinning?” Tiyun Areal seemed to focus and then immediately wince at the effort to do so.

Disorientation and a bit of pain were mixed into that expression and Fan Zhong nodded, happy that she was at least aware enough to respond.

“Don’t worry, it’s going to be ok. The stairs to the third level are right there, I’m going to need to carry you to get us up them. Are you ok with that?” He spoke in a consistent cadence, shaking her slightly when her eyes seemed to lose focus.

“O… Ok, do I… need to… Do anything?” Ever so slightly, a light of focus appeared in Tiyun Areal’s eyes as she seemed to be trying to push through the haze of her drunkenness.

“Not at all, just try not to hit me if you could. Falling downstairs hurts even for me. Also, I’d advise against doing that. Using mental energy to force through drunkenness causes… intense hangovers.” he replied with a jovial smile as his arms scooped her into a princess carry.

Initially, she seemed rather flustered but as soon as Fan Zhong took the first step up the stairs her hands grabbed at the front of his robes as if she was afraid of falling.

“Th… Thank you, Brother Zhong. It seems I’ve made a fool of myself in more ways than one.” Tiyun Areal’s voice was quiet and reserved, as she kept her eyes closed.

“Nonsense, we all make mistakes. What are friends for if not to help each other when we stumble.” he chided slightly, letting amusement slightly lace his voice.

“No… not this… Rather, the day Senior Zhang Zheng took you away. I… was irritated, no I was mad at you. How could you be so weak… you were supposed to destroy… but you were weak…” As the focus bled from her words they started to become more slurred. “The weak can’t do anything, can’t kill those bastards… If you're weak, then what did they die for... Mother… Father…”

Fan Zhong had been stepping slowly, trying to make sure he moved her as little as possible. However, hearing those last words hit him like an avalanche and he almost fell backward. During his time in Butont with the clan and in the subsequent years spent in the service of the Hu clan he had heard of others being affected by the war.

People drinking away their sorrows in the pleasure halls, others gambling away savings to while away the hours. He had even collected debts from some of those, they had been targets he was set upon, outlets for his pain. After he met Xing Zheng all of that had been removed, they left Butont and he spent most of his time training.

Now it really hit him, the weight of others' suffering and the selfishness of his actions. When heaven fell, was it not the responsibility of the powerful to hold up the sky? Fan Zhong had thrown all that away and wallowed in his own pain and sadness.

Here was yet another person, still hurting from those painful days and he hadn’t even considered it all those months ago when they had fought. Even in all the intervening time, he had never thought to ask about her past or upbringing, only using his anger and resolve to push his martial arts forward. As a woman who normally looked so untouchable and aloof cried in his arms, Fan Zhong felt the weight of his own selfishness.

A part of him wanted to shout and scream to the heavens, to let it know that this was unfair! When had he ever asked to carry such a burden, to be the one holding up the sky? Why was he born to a task that asked so much of him? How could the heavens have no eyes?

Deep inside his heart, there was a savage voice, one that questioned why he should even bother. It whispered temptations to reject that responsibility, to gain his power and crush those who begged for him to do so much. Locked behind the sturdiest prison his will could manage, that voice lingered ever through the gaps.

However, now, it barely affected Fan Zhong. He had finally accepted a small part of that portion of himself and understood that it was a constant companion. At that moment he could only feel his empathy for the person in his arms grow greater, a bond formed through shared pain. The rest of the walk blurred by and he only needed to jostle Tiyun Areal slightly to find out which of the courtyards was hers.

As he crested the top of the steps and prepared to do so he was greeted by the splendor of the deepest step of the Reclusive mountain sword sect. A grand wide stair led to a humble palace carved from the stone of the mountain face. In front of that was a wide road filled with small patches of earth and trees, uniformly placed amid the stone walkways.

Along the sides of that wide pathway were walls that either gave way to small courtyards, with humble two-story dwellings within, or staircases that led upward. The sides of the third step were lined with step-like cliffs that housed tiered courtyards. In total there were 14 per side on the first level, each one quaint but beautiful in its simplicity.

All of the structures seemed as if they exuded the willpower of the sect itself, to be happy with one's own life and find enlightenment through rigorous study over countless years. Looking upward he could see a second level that held seven courtyards per side with their entrances leading to caves carved into the mountain face. These were slightly larger and he knew that Xing Zheng stayed in one of them as they were used to house visiting masters.

Finally, the highest tier was filled with five courtyards each leading to huge cave entrances. These were the dwellings of the Nine Swords as well as the Sect Master. Technically the large palace represented the Sect Master as well however, it was for meetings and ceremonial purposes and lacked the privacy of a personal home. As such one of the third-level cave abodes was reserved for that purpose.

With a bit of cajoling, he was able to get his companion to motion to the third courtyard on the right of the first level. Minutes later he was carefully opening the gate of the small courtyard before walking into the small house-like abode within. The courtyard itself was bare with a sand training area, a small circular grassy area for meditation, and a wooden dummy for training. Inside the first floor of Tiyun Areal’s home, he found a small living room.

Lining the walls on either side was a bookshelf as well as a door on either side. To the left was a kitchen and the right door led to a washroom. A small sitting table with four sitting mats sat in the center of the room with a sword technique manual unfurled on it. Running along the far wall was a narrow staircase that led to the second floor.

Not wanting to snoop around, Fan Zhong quickly made his way up the stairs and found himself in a hallway. A quick inspection let him see a storage room and a bedroom with a small bedroll in the middle. Setting his charge down on the bed mat and pulling the covers over her he also spotted a doorway leading to a balcony with another small sitting table and two seats.

Looking down on Tiyun Areal he couldn’t help that certain feelings rose up inside of him. They came from that same prison, the one the whispers always eased out of. It would be lying to say that she wasn’t beautiful; however, Fan Zhong’s will was stronger than that. With a final bow of respect, he walked down the stairs and exited the building before turning to close the door.

At that moment he realized that the house had no door and the gate had no lock. With a sigh of exasperation, he looked around as if searching for something. Although the deepest part of the sect grounds was probably safe, the idea of leaving someone alone and so vulnerable didn’t sit well with him.

After seeing no way to secure the entrance to her house Fan Zhong once again found himself standing at the door to Tiyun Areal’s room. At this point, he was feeling his own exhaustion and with an effort of will he sat down on one of the mats outside on the balcony. Moving into a lotus position he began a guarding vigil while trying to rest his mind a bit, it seemed that the night would be a sleepless one.

A sudden impact on the back of Fan Zhong’s head woke him from a shallow sleep and he awoke to the sound of birdsong higher towards the peak of the mountain. The rays of the sun shone over the horizon as the world woke from its slumber. Sitting next to him on the balcony's other sitting mat was Xing Zheng.

Wearing an expression of slight amusement the old swordsman seemed to just be admiring the view. However, the trailing afterimage of his hand retracting was all the evidence Fan Zhong needed of what had woken him up.

“ It seems you had an eventful night, disciple?” The immortal’s voice was questioning as he raised an eyebrow while inclining his head toward the still-sleeping form of Tiyun Areal.

“N… Nothing like that, teacher. Honestly, how could you have such a low opinion of your most dedicated disciple?” Fan Zhong turned his head up and feigned hurt, working as hard as he could to inject mock sorrow into his voice.

This wonderful performance earned him another smack on the head and some grumbling from Xing Zheng.

“Pfffft, as if Junior Yong and Elder Fan Shun haven’t told me enough how my ‘dedicated disciple’ is such a playboy. In any case, I approve, had you done something unbecoming… hahaha.” The old swordsman’s laugh was eerie and Fan Zhong felt the hair on the back of his neck rise at the sight of a similarly familiar wolfish grin. “Now, let's go speak with Junior Yong. We should make plans on where to go next. With the Demonic practitioners dealt with my only responsibility at the moment is fulfilling my oath to you, that being said, seeing the sights is rather nice.”

As he finished speaking the older man went to grab Fan Zhong’s shoulder as he normally did before carrying them into the sky.

“One moment, teacher. There’s one last thing I need to do.” Fan Zhong said the words with respect while standing and bowing to Xing Zheng.

“Make it quick, I’d like to be off shortly after lunch. We’ll need at least some time to pack and plan.” the old swordsman’s face scrunched up in slight confusion before he nodded, his tone going to the default of a sagely old master.

Moving quickly Fan Zhong went to Tiyun Areal and removed a token from within his robes, one identical to the one he had given to Shen Shuren. Gently he placed it on top of her covers before walking back to the grumbling immortal. In just a moment they were off, without a sound.