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Even Master and the Healing Sage had joined the game, though they had curtailed their strength so things were fair. Even still, Bi De’s feathers had been ruffled. The Healing Sage, having not been able to play such games in months, had eagerly thrown herself into the scrum—and gleefully hip-checked any who thought to accost her.

Their Honoured Guests had been hesitant at first, but Bi De’s Great Master was eternally adept at goading others to test their limits against him.

Once upon a time, he hadn’t particularly liked guests, especially after what had happened with Chow Ji. He had watched all who dared enter their doman with suspicion, waiting for their inevitable betrayal so he could strike them down immediately.

These days, those feelings seemed like a distant memory. Bi De liked guests. He liked seeing new members come to his home and see all that lay there.

He drank in the image of his family and friends sitting by the river. The warmth and camaraderie, as they recounted their feats of strength and skill, or commiserated over defeats. When he happened to turn his eyes to Shen Yu, who also looked on at them—or, based on how his eyes were slightly unfocused, the man was reminiscing.

Shen Yu. Bi De’s new teacher. The man he would be soon travelling with to outside the province—and with whom he would journey with to root out any threats to his beloved home.

A home that he might not see for a while.

He did not regret his deal with the man. How could he, when he could protect this? Protect this, and return to it. He had promised his Lord that he would come back alive, and come back alive he would.

He turned his eyes away and back to his Great Master as well as all who called this place home. The green fields and the blue skies.

He looked at his family and friends, and carved the image deep into his heart—so he would always remember what he fought for.

I blew on the fire as the coals ignited, listening to the shouts of laughter and the low hum of conversation that surrounded me.

A powerful feeling of nostalgia hit me as I worked to make sure everything was ready for tonight’s meal.

Some of my favourite memories of the Before were those summer days when one person or another organized a party and simply invited everybody they knew.

There were fifty or more people at times, sprawled across the yard on lawn chairs. People brought along grills that littered the patio, ready for when the burgers and hotdogs had to go down en masse. Side tables groaned, loaded down with pies and cookies brought along by each household.

Those days would always hold a special spot in my heart; roving the \'untamed wilds\' of the back acres, playing manhunt, sitting around in an old barn lazing on hay bales as we ate our always slightly over-cooked burgers and chilling in the pool. At least until an adult decided they wanted to cool off, in which case they were swarmed instantly by kids wanting to be thrown.

What was happening now reminded me of those days… only I was now one of the parents relaxing out by the grill instead of one of the kids messing around.

If I was honest, these memories were better than those old ones from not so long ago. The past was the past and this was my future.

I turned from my work to look at where the most noise was coming from.

The Kung Fu poles out back were the current place to be. Tigu and her friends, Xiulan, Gou and Yun, Peppa, Yin, and even Rizzo were playing the most demented game of king of the hill I had ever seen. They had to stay on the center pole, pushing and shoving while also remaining aware of the other… hazards.

There was a whistle, a crack, and then Gramps roared with laughter. Loud Boy dropped from his perch and landed with a splash, dazed. Taking my old position as pitcher, the old man was chucking mudballs at speeds that would make MLB players green with envy while reclining on a muskoka chair… and would probably kill anybody who wasn’t a cultivator if it hit them.

“Remember to watch your back, boy!” Gramps chided, looking like he was enjoying braining people with mud just slightly too much.

The old man, his grin still on his face, reached down from his seat and picked up three of the mud balls Chunky had made for him from his stockpile. The boar and Bowu were beside him. Chunky went into the water and dredged up more mud whenever it looked like Gramps was running out of ammo, while Bowu fashioned them into projectiles.

In the blink of an eye the mud balls were airborne, their target unknown until the last possible moment. Gramps was absolutely enamoured with curveballs. He had seen me throw one, instantly got how to do it, and now he could throw the damn things so well they seemed to have a mind of their own.

Yet even as the cultivators tried to dodge, six more mud balls were already flying, then twelve. And then the second and third hazards came into play. Gou Ren was slammed off the pole by an invisible shot, the little fox Nezan smirking. Peppa managed to pirouette around the ones aimed at her… until Big D, from his position on Gramps’ chair, flapped his wings and summoned forth a gale, blowing the airborne pig off course so she splashed into the water.

Chuckling, I turned back to the grill and checked on the coals, which were hot enough. I could have asked Yin for help, but she wasn’t just a portable stove.

Lets see; burgers, sausages, the vegetarian stuff for Chunky, Yin, and Huo Ten…

I hummed to myself as I cooked, and let my mind wander. Huo Ten offered to help, and I nodded, the monkey slotting in at the workstation. Soon enough I was listening in to the rather loud, enthusiastic, and meandering conversation Meimei, Xianghua, Biyu and Hu Li were having in the living room.

Honestly, I expected Biyu to be a bit quieter, but the little lady was a chatterbox once she got comfortable.

—“Hot pot is obviously superior!” “No, Mushroom soup!” “Fish dumplings!” —

—“I never really have to go and do a full sharpen on my knives and chisels. I do a bit after every time I use them. Saves time in the long run, I think.”—

—“This Young Mistress shall impart her wisdom! Do not focus overly upon going for the killing blow when stabbing somebody. At your skill? Hit anything you can without exposing yourself!”—

—”Speaking of stabbings, the Ring Road is actually a lot safer now, ever since those Plum guys took over the alleys in the core. Pushed them all out into the Spiderlegs and the Fish Entrails near the harbours though. Lots of people are getting mugged.”—

—“No, no, no, that is not how one robs a caravan! You position two of your men as a blocking force so the caravan can’t retreat! Then you accost the leader! Ahem! You there, you fine gentlemen! If you would be so kind as to hand over your valuables I would be much obliged! Worry not for I, your Grandmother, am a merciful sort, so kowtow to me and complete my demands swiftly!”—

The rest of the meal was cooked to the sounds of them acting out Xianghua sticking up a caravan.

At least until Meimei couldn’t hold herself back anymore and excused herself to give me a hand, handing our son off to Hu Li.

I didn’t argue with her, even if I thought she should spend time with her friends. Instead I just bumped my hip against hers as we finished up dinner.

And what a spread it was; Rags, Loud Boy, and Handsome Man looked utterly stunned by the piles of meat, rice, and grilled vegetables—both of them hesitated, even after I told them to serve themselves, and my wife marched over to them, piling the plates high.

“Remember, eat as much as you want.” Meiling said gently to Loud Boy and Rags. “I know a thing or two about going hungry— and you two especially need to eat more! I can tell you’ve eaten better these past months than you\'re used to, but you need more meat on your bones!”

Both Loud Boy and Rags surrendered to Meiling’s mom power—it was truly something that was unrivaled under Heavens.

Tie Delun woke up on a couch, which wasn’t ideal for a Young Master of the Hermetic Iron Sect… but considering Tigu, Rags, and Loud Boy had all slept in Master Jin’s living room on a mix of bedrolls and couches, that was irrelevant. He smiled softly as he remembered the night before. They had talked long into the night, keeping their voices as low as they could despite Rags, the bastard, making off-color jokes to get them to laugh.

He felt… good. There was a fire burning in his breast. He felt invigorated—but whether it was just his resolve, or the potent power of this place, he didn’t know.

The rooster, Bi De, crowed from outside the window, and the feeling intensified. He was almost jittery as he sat up, idly hearing Lady Meiling’s babe echo the powerful cock.

Tigu was up next, awake instantly and perky—while Loud Boy grumbled for a moment, rubbing his eyes.

Rags was up last, his hair puffed out as much as Miss Biyu’s got, hiding his eyes behind a ball of fuzz.

“Good morning!” Tigu greeted them all, a bright smile on her face.

“Good Morning, Tigu. What are we going to be doing today?” he asked.

The orange haired girl thought for a moment. “Master is going to be meeting with Red Hair and Bobobo again, they invited him and Mistress to dinner, but everybody else is free… So! Lets go sparring after breakfast!”

There was only one answer for her request; they were cultivators.

“Hell Yeah! I’ll show you how much I\'ve grown!” Loud Boy shouted, his voice rattling the windows.

Tigu got up, and got started on breakfast, as people started filing into the house, and coming down the stairs. Cai Xiulan—or Xiulan as she said they could call her, greeted them all with a warm smile, then went to help Tigu—who was spluttering and cursing, as the sound of slapping fins echoed from the river room.

“You bastard fish! What do you mean stingy?! I gave you more than enough!”

Splashing water echoed, and Tigu yelped again before her objections faded into grumbling.

Delun stayed quiet, simply enjoying the morning. He stood and greeted Master Jin, as was proper, and the man returned the greeting.

Soon enough, the table was crowded, and they were served an absolutely delicious, hearty breakfast of the tastiest eggs Delun had ever eaten.

When they were done, and the table cleared, Master Jin stood and stretched—which seemed to be a signal, because everybody else stood as well and started filing out of the house to the front yard.

“Whats going on?” Rags asked.

“Morning forms! Come on!” Tigu replied.

Delun got to witness Master Jin and Lady Meiling’s forms—indeed, every human and every Spirit Beast worked together in the morning ritual, going at their own pace. It was a calm, almost meditative experience, as they refined themselves in the morning.

When they were done, Tigu looked upon them and grinned.

“It\'s time!” She shouted, and took off in a sprint. They needed no encouragement to follow.

They went into a back field, ready to learn.

Delun had improved greatly since the Tournament, using the reagents of the Shrouded Mountain Sect, managing to reach the Fourth Stage of the Initiate’s Realm. It had been a grand accomplishment, and one lauded by his father and mother.

The others hadn’t been slacking either.

Loud Boy had completely rebuilt his cultivation up to the Second Stage of the Initiate’s Realm;; Rags had ascended to the Third Stage of the Initiate’s Realm.

And Tigu? Tigu was nearly at the Second Stage of the Profound Realm. She could crush all of them with ease and suppress them, yet he was sure the thought never crossed her mind. To Delun’s pride, she affixed the bracers he had given her at the Dueling Peaks to her arms. They were covered in slight nicks and scratches, but the design he had carved into them had been lovingly repaired—Tigu had obviously used them for their intended purpose.

“Handsome Man, your gift has served me well!” she proclaimed.

And then, they began. Delun’s hammer met Loud Boy’s Dragon Tail and managed to overcome it. The short kid was tenacious, though.

Delun briefly had the urge to kick Rags and Loud Boy around for the grief the two asses had given him, but he cast the thought aside without hesitation. Tigu had set the tone for their spars, and he would not shame himself or his sect by daring to sully the purity of what they were doing.

At least until they were interrupted.

“Your foot should be slightly further back, Rags! You court death with your current stance!” Liu Xianghua shouted in her booming voice.

Delun started at the two Young Ladies, stunned at their sudden presence and new appearances. Liu Xianghua had changed her style slightly—he had seen her wearing rougher working clothes, but now she was in a dress that was quite a bit different than the one she had worn previously. It was still mostly composed of blues and retained the symbol of her Sect, but the geometric tribal designs that scrawled across it were certainly a bold statement, as was the fur trim. Her Steam Furnace was polished and gleaming, and looked a hundred times more refined than it had at the Tournament.

But most of all what stunned Delun the most was her power, previously suppressed but now blazing. Delun had had his suspicions last night, but this confirmed it.

Profound Realm. Xianghua was past the fifth and into the Profound in mere months.

“No, I think his leg is supposed to be there.” Cai Xiulan replied softly as she stood next to her fellow Young Mistress. “What is the next move, Dong Chou?”

Her voice was warm and friendly, but none here could deny her might.

Cai Xiulan had ascended to the Second Stage of the Profound Realm, after her own cultivation had been burned back to the Third Stage of the Initiate’s Realm.

It was absurd growth. Like bamboo, instead of grass! These women were monsters—or Master Jin’s teachings were just that effective.

Rags went though his form—and Xianghua clicked her tongue while Xiulan just looked mildly smug.

“An unorthodox technique!” The Young Mistress of the Misty Lake Sect muttered. “But I can see its use!”

“May we join you?” Cai Xiulan asked, clasping her fists in the sign of respect.

“Of course!” Tigu shouted with a grin.

To Delun’s surprise, Cai Xiulan stepped up to him, and bowed, clasping her hands in respect.

“Would you do me the honour of trading pointers with me?” she asked.

Delun hurriedly clasped his hands together as well.

“Please, Senior Sister.”

A day ago, if somebody said he would become friendly with Cai Xiulan, Delun would have called them a fool.

But apparently, strange things happened all the time here.