Chương 47: Responsibilities

The next day. Ruolan had awakened only at dawn and seemed fine other than being lazy, refusing to come out of bed at all. Liuxue seemed thoughtful, her eyes unreadable as she ate with her head lowered. As for Wenhai…

"I can't believe that bitch dares to do something like that!? Using someone as a cauldron, especially a poison one?" He lifted his head from his plate sharply, his eyes flashing.

"Senior brother, can't we just expose what she is doing?"

"They can't be so idiotic as to leave obvious signs. Even Madam Zhang realized only because she'd seen something similar," Ren said, rubbing his forehead.

"Then I can call my brother! He's super strong, and with you, Senior Brother, we can follow her, and if she heads into a dark place, you know—" He made a throat-slicing gesture with his hand, tilted his head, and widened his eyes as if struggling to breathe. Though the gesture only made him open his mouth fully, with half-chewed beans.

"What are you, a common robber? You think an Eldest will enter a dark alley just to be killed?" Ren didn't hesitate to slap him in the head, hoping it would bring back some reason if there were any left.

"Ah! But Seni— AHH!" Right after came another slap, making Wenhai's head wobble before he caught himself— this time from Liuxue. Then she continued to eat nonchalantly. Wenhai lowered his head, grumbled a little, though his eyes glimmered not long after.

"Senior Brother, have you taken a look at your gift? Did they send you a divine weapon? A sword?" At his words, Liuxue paused for a second.

"Nope," Ren answered, popping an olive into his mouth. It was strangely bitter and sweet. He leaned back.

"I'm waiting for Baozhai. She'll drop by at noon. Our little Witch will probably be up too. Then we can take a look together."

"Is it safe?" Both turned to Liuxue.

"This Celestial Court… I meant," she muttered with hesitation, but her gaze never left Ren.

"Of course they are!" Wenhai raised both his hands.

"They are the eternal protector of this realm. In the Great Fiend War, if their sacred envoys hadn't interfered, humanity might've lost more than the Wraithborne Continent. The whole northern side was on the brink of defeat at that time. They are like the second heavens! And then…"

"It's not," Ren cut in, twirling another olive in his hand. He knew what Liuxue was trying to ask, yet he didn't explain.

"But what can you do? They presented, and that's a demand, not a blessing."

"And since it's a demand…"

"Nobody sane can refuse." Ren smiled, his face serene. Maybe others had tremendous awe and respect for the Celestial Court because they had lived in this world since birth, but he had none. On the contrary, he felt no goodwill toward them because of the memories of the Trial of Thorns. Especially considering I know all their 'heaven-equal' formula comes from a simple mark of Primordial. Lifting his head, Wenhai seemed to be brimming with questions, but in a surprising turn of events, he held his tongue.

Instead, he frowned for a moment, his gaze slipping toward the door, then he shook his head.

"You still think I shouldn't let my brother know? If we can't beat her, maybe he can seduce her and then convince her not to mess with Ruolan. He has a great charm after all."

"Idiot…"

"Don't even think about it." Liuxue and Ren uttered at the same time.

"She can devour your brother whole and cleanly spit his bones," Ren said, rolling his eyes.

"Instead of throwing your brother into the fire, think about what you are going to do, Pup. Your teamwork is still a big mess, as you still haven't learned how to control your lightning. I hope you're not planning to try and kill a creature just by making it laugh." Both pairs of eyes shimmered with his words.

"Wait, does this mean we can…"

"Yes. It's time for your first mission." Ren flicked the olive to Wenhai's open mouth as soon as the boy shot to his feet like lightning, halting his shout with a coughing fit.

"Eat. Then go out and train. I'll check in on you shortly." When Ren got up, Liuxue remained silent, though her hands moved faster, her meal vanishing in big bites. Wenhai is right, I should've killed her right there and then. There's also the matter of viper… The moment he left the kitchen and headed for his study, these thoughts filled his mind. And truth be told, he planned to do that. A door creaked behind, but he was so focused on his echoing footsteps to notice.

His hands clenched and unclenched as the moment he imagined played in his mind again and again— the moment he was poised to seize her thin neck. Then he would— Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. What I'm thinking… He ran a hand through his hair. Ren couldn't help but feel grateful to Xue Tian. The things he'd thought to do… even if he had accepted himself for who he was, this was still too much.

Although he would do it for protection, this didn't change the fact that it was cruel. And reckless. Killing an Eldest was already a taboo, let alone a second one from the same sect. Still, the thought alone made his heart tremble. Perhaps from desire. Ren still hadn't had time to process what had happened. He hadn't killed only one person; no, he had ordered the deaths of dozens of people, his hand not even trembling in the slightest. And worse, he was still desiring to kill another person. Power corrupts, huh?

Ren let out a deep sigh at last, noticing he was standing in the same place, and reached toward the door's handle.

"You're blaming yourself." His hand froze in the air. Turning his head, he noticed Ruolan leaning on his bedroom's frame. Her face was still pale, her straw in mouth, her eyes lethargic.

"And you said no tragic backstory," Ren countered instead of answering, and opened the door. The study room where his soul brother spent the most days remained the same. Just a desk, two chairs, and a painting of him and Baozhai. His gaze lingered on it a moment longer than necessary. A tranquil stream meandered through the garden, its crystalline waters playing a quiet melody as it slipped over smooth, glistening stones.

Crimsonmold Butterflies with delicate wings flitted through the air, leaving trails of flames in their wake, and a few songbird added their gentle notes to the garden's harmony as they sat together. A delicate teapot steaming between them. Eyes softened, Ren motioned her to sit. Ruolan stole a glance at the painting as well before sitting down, fingers twirling the straw between them.

"Why did you tell them?"

"I didn't," Ren muttered, his gaze slipping toward her wrists.

"You did a good job hiding, even Madam Zhang almost missed it." Covering her wrists, Ruolan sighed.

"Seems like it wasn't good enough. They always appear when she is close." She lowered her head, a silence stretching between them. Ren could see the chaotic emotions passing through her gaze, but waited. Empty promises won't work for such pains.

"They didn't need to know. It will only make them pity me," she said not long after.

"That's for them to decide, not yours." Clicking his tongue, he added, "And you're not the only one with scars." The words must have had an effect as she turned toward the window, the air growing heavy.

"What's going to happen now?" she asked quietly.

"For what?" Ren asked, clasping his hands on the table. He resisted the urge to sink into the massive cushion and let out a huge sigh.

"Jadeleaf Sanctum wouldn't let me go, not after investing that much. Letting me come here instead of Azure Sky was already a miracle." Ren rubbed his chin, thinking about how to break it down to her. Though he decided to be blunt in the end, seeing the heaviness in her eyes. She's been through a lot. She deserves the truth, not the fake reassurances.

"You think they let you come here without taking any precautions?"

"No," she muttered, frowning.

"I never understood how they could let me go either. Why did they make it more complex in the first place? After all, my fate was fixed from the day I was born."

"For making you mature before plucking," Ren said with a voice biting cold.

"There's another reason these kinds of practices are considered evil— even beyond the lives they cost." He paused at the disgust he felt just by saying it.

"It's addicting." A momentary silence fell as Ruolan chewed her poor straw. Ren gave her time to think and process, then added when she gulped softly.

"They are protecting her by keeping you away and making it hard to reach her." Her gaze wandered around, her breath faltering. It took her a few minutes to digest the truth.

"What's going to happen, then?" she asked at last. Same question, same tone. But Ren could swear he felt a tiny hope lying beneath it.

"Of course," he said, a smirk unknowingly settled into his lips, "they will learn who they are messing with. Just a bunch of herb merchants dare to touch my disciple? Heh." I'll kill them before they even get an opportunity to touch her. A hint of crimson flashed past, and he leaned back. Taking his soul brother's prized quill, Ren lowered his gaze and took an empty scroll.

"You should go before Pup decides to assassinate an Eldest stupidly. And don't forget to eat your cookie before Iceberg loses her self-control." Ruolan opened her mouth as if to say something, yet she just gave a small nod in the end. She turned and left decisively, her voice echoing in the hallways:"Come here, Pup! I'm gonna beat some sense into that thick head of yours!" Ren chuckled to himself and started writing to the Eldest of the Supreme Ancient Order Sect.

Since he had 'declared' he had returned with such fervor, he couldn't continue this relaxed lifestyle. After all, being an Eldest also meant a lot of political mess, which he hadn't followed at all. There's probably a sky-high pile of work waiting for me… Just thinking about it gave Ren a headache. The Eldest meeting was approaching too, and he was sure the rankings were going to have a massive reshuffle after the 'blessings' Celestial Court sent.

So he had no choice but to take a little update from his soul brother's close circle among the Eldest Disciples. Furthermore, he needed to know if they had plans for his position as one of the indisputable kings of the younger generation. They're probably drooling by now. I wonder how my ranking will be affected… His soul brother remained always in the top three, and only two other Supreme Sect's Eldest could create a slight struggle for him.

After all, he was a peak-Nascent Soul, had broken the first shackle, learned only from the very best, and spent years fighting. Yet as if all that weren't enough, he also had a cheat-like talent on top of it. There's still time; no need to stress myself out. Ren shook his head, set the first letter aside, and went on to write two more. He even added one for Wenhai's brother— just to make sure that blockhead wouldn't pull something stupid.

Since the man dared to challenge his soul brother in his prime with no hesitation, Ren was sure he would think even less about a newly rising Eldest. Once he folded them all, Ren opened the wide window and whistled. A tiny stormrunner dived down instantly.

"Greetings, honorable Wang Ren," it chirped, bending forward politely as one wing extended in front and the other tucked behind its back.

"How may I be of service to you?"

"Always so polite, Miss Silverwing," Ren chuckled, taking out a few spiritual corn from his drawer.

"The usual delivery. I already put my seal on them." The bird ate them with the grace of a ballet dancer, thanked, and left in the form of a blue hue. Finishing this, too, Ren finally leaned back, feeling himself sinking. At the same time, he opened his system panel.

[Lifecore Tree System] Host: Ren [Lifeseed: Nascent-Moonfly Tree (Primordial Lifeform - Low-Quality)] Growth: 2501/10000 Skills: [Moonwalker - lvl 1], [Phantom State - lvl 1], [Primordial Lifeform] Talent: Divine Strength (Erased) Realm: Early Foundation Establishment Body Realm: Second Shackle of Indestructible Body Not bad, huh? Turning his sight inwards, Ren noticed how Little Sapling seemed a little more lively, its leaves lush and… Look at you— you've gotten taller, kiddo.