Chương 8: Mini-facedown

Baozhai stared at him deeply and chuckled at the end.

"There's good news too, don't be such a couch potato." Hah, such modern slang, I wonder where she learned it.

"What good news can overcome the impending beating, huh?" Ren just shook his head. Baozhai set her cup down gently, her fingers lingering on the rim.

"I broke through." His brows lifted.

"Nascent Soul?" She nodded once, her expression remaining unreadable.

"A few days ago." Fuck, so that was why she had come… I'm an idiot.

"Well, that's… big," Ren said, straightening slightly. Then a frown crept in.

"Wait— then shouldn't you be off reigning somewhere? You know, royal decree by your father, co-governing, a real truce with your Stormsoul Dynasty and such?" She looked at him sideways, her nonchalant mask cracked for a second.

"They wanted to assign me a province in the north, co-governed as you said. Political and spiritual authority. A stepping stone to the bigger seat." That's right. She was a princess. Not a flowery metaphor— an actual one. And if Ren recalled right, next in line after her big brother. He scratched his cheek awkwardly, not knowing if he should feel relieved or sad.

"So… you accepted?"

"I refused," she said simply. Ren blinked.

"You refused such a promotion? You?"

"I told them I need time to stabilize my cultivation. That such a breakthrough shouldn't be rushed with outside responsibilities." Her tone was even, precise. A carefully woven lie.

"And they just… believed that? Come on, Baozhai! Everyone knows that you came here just to amass your force outside your brother's control, and this is the golden opportunity for you."

"I'm their precious girl, remember? The carrier of Stormblood. No sane person would desire to let me go, and the elders knew that." She refused power, position, politics. For what? Ren leaned forward, clasping his fingers together. It can't be for me, right? No… There had to be another reason.

"Why?"

"Because I can't leave behind such an idiot alone." Baozhai's lips curled as she looked at him.

"Isn't that good enough?" Here it comes, fucking hell. Ren exhaled deeply from his nostrils, forcing back a sigh. His gaze wandered down to the cup in his hands, the tea reflecting the ceiling lights in distorted ripples.

"You didn't have to," he started, struggling to find the right words.

"After all, I'm not a baby who needs constant care, and I even started re-cultivation, so I don't think it will take too much time before I—""I expected as much." Her smile widened, then she waved her hand.

"Still, you're the embodiment of impulsiveness, and this didn't change even though you lost your power. Someone needs to leash you." Ren rubbed the back of his neck.

"Tch. You're not making this easy, you know."

"I'm not supposed to." Baozhai leaned back on the sofa, her fingers tapping the rim of her cup again.

"Besides, there's a price for refusing my father's decree. The elders couldn't let me laze around freely."

"Let me guess," he muttered.

"You're about to be punished with something truly terrifying. Like managing accounting documents or… babysitting some new disciples. She gave him an amused look.

"Don't tell me my guess is right?" Ren leaned in, inch by inch, until he hovered at the edge of the seat.

"Babysitting and you?"

"Yes," she said, very calmly.

"They assigned me as a temporary instructor. For the new batch of disciples." Ren blinked.

"Right, we are already halfway through September." Unlike the other sects, which wouldn't care how mortals would fare on their journeys, the Supreme Judgment held its yearly recruitment at the end of summer.

"Yeah," she sipped her tea.

"And they said I should pick someone to help guide them with early foundations. Especially how sturdy it must be. Someone reliable. Someone who understands basic cultivation theory even better than the all-busy elders—""Don't you dare."

"—and someone who seriously needs to stop locking himself in that cave of his." Ren groaned, dragging his face with both hands.

"Please tell me you didn't use my name. There's no way you can drag me into this mess." Instead of answering, she reached for the teapot, refilled her cup slowly, then looked up with a smile. Radiant and dangerous.

"You're coming with me, esteemed Eldest Brother." He narrowed his eyes.

"I don't have time for such a thing, Baozhai. Not even Master would make me—""Don't act like you're being ordered," Baozhai said smoothly.

"You're being invited. By your fellow instructor. Of course, you can always refuse… and explain to the Sect why you're refusing to support new disciples." She shrugged.

"I'm sure they'll understand." Ren squinted.

"You've been planning this." Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

"You didn't leave me any other choice. There's a difference." He sank into the cushions again.

"Ugh, I really have to, huh?"

"Oh, no." Baozhai stretched, then cracked her knuckles— very pointedly.

"It's left to your free will." Ren winced.

"Alright, alright! Instructor it is!" Too late. She stood, her shadow falling over him like a thundercloud.

"And now," Baozhai said sweetly, rolling up her sleeves, "we discuss your little 'avoidance' problem." Ren threw himself to the ground with full force, narrowly avoiding her lightning-fast punch. She pierced through the chair.

"Hey! That's expensive," he complained instinctively.

"I'll cover the cost." Baozhai slowly turned to him.

"And there would be no problem if you hadn't evaded, but you still dare to." Her eyes flared with sparkles.

"I—" Ren couldn't finish as another fist banged on the floor, right in the middle of his legs and close to his little brother. He drew a sharp breath. His body moved out of instinct, legs clamping her hand between, and he tried to unbalance her. She didn't move. Not even a tiny bit. It was like trying to throw a mountain. No, worse— a mountain wouldn't be judging the hell out of him.

"Oh no," he whispered. Baozhai grabbed his leg as if he were a naughty brat, then came a blur. The next moment, he found himself looking at a painting of his day of coronation. Younger, excited, and definitely more muscular.

"Damn. I already miss that guy," with a strained groan, he tore himself free from the dented wall. His back flared with pain.

"At least nothing is broken, great for you to remember I don't have any ounce of spiritual energy."

"Don't think you can fool me. Even with no spiritual energy, your body is as strong as steel."

"Still," he muttered, shifting his weight and raising his fists, "you hit hard." She vanished again— this time, faster. He felt the wind before seeing, and barely ducked under a sweeping leg. He rolled aside, catching a fleeting glimpse of her grin as he spun mid-air and redirected a palm strike toward his ribs. It landed. It fucking landed. His body crumpled with the impact, air leaving his lungs in a violent gasp, and he crashed into the floorboards.

"That one was for refusing to see me," Baozhai said, adjusting her sleeve. Ren wheezed.

"Fine, I deserved it."

"You do," she replied with deadly seriousness, her foot slamming down toward his shoulder. He twisted just in time. The floor cracked, and the entire guest hall trembled with force.

"Wow, poor floor." Ren rolled to his feet, chest heaving.

"It mustn't be a pleasant feeling."

"Oh?" she tilted her head.

"Then I'll be sure to share its pain with you." She shot forward with a short burst, swinging her elbow toward his ribs. Ren caught it effortlessly, though the same couldn't be said about her raw force as he stumbled back. Her other hand darted forward, fingers aimed like a spear. A wild smile ripened into his lips as he tilted his head just enough for her fingers to graze only his hair.

"Sloppy," he said, blocking another punch that caused him to fly into the air, and land against the couch with a dull thud, its frame creaking in protest. Baozhai didn't let up. She was already airborne, descending with a heel aimed to split him into two. Unfortunately, he rolled to the side just in time, and only the poor couch got caught in the path of her wrath.

"For heaven's sake!" he shouted, scrambling up.

"Do you have something against furniture?! I should've listened to you when you said they all look too old!"

"Too late," she replied, brushing strands of golden crimson hair from her face.

"Stop escaping, or I will bury you in your mansion's ruins." Ren huffed, circling.

"I should've just played dead."

"You did. For two weeks." She lunged. This time, he didn't dodge. He stepped in, catching her wrist mid-thrust. Her eyes narrowed as he used her momentum to spin her slightly off balance. But all he got was an elbow to the stomach, followed by three quick jabs, which he blocked, instincts and muscle memory going into overload.

"You hid things from me," she spat, grabbing both his shoulders to drive a solid knee into his guts.

"Not even caring how I'll feel!" Even with both hands crossed over, Ren felt like puking his innards. His arms burned, and he even thought he heard a slight cracking. Holy fuck, it hurts. He gasped, struggling to keep his expression steady.

"You look at me like I'm just another disciple." She didn't move for a second. Just stared at him, as if assessing something.

"Other than a slight conflict, your gaze carries no emotion. You think I won't notice it, you idiot?" His chest tightened, the veil of calmness breaking apart.

"You're standing here— same face, same eyes— but you're different." Her words came in cracked, trembling syllables.

"Tell me, you really think I won't notice?" Ren said nothing. He couldn't. His mouth opened. Closed. Opened again. But what could he say? Am I not the same one you once cared for? No. She couldn't know. No one could. So instead, he whispered the only thing he could say:"I'm sorry."

"Really?" Baozhai stared. Her breath hitched.

"You'll continue to lie?" She stepped forward, lightning flickering faintly across her skin. And then she struck again— harder this time. His hands dropped with quiet resignation, and he closed his eyes. I deserve this for stealing another's fate. I am truly… sorry. However, the expected pain didn't come. Ren slowly opened his eyes to see her punch stopped just before hitting his chin, her eyes conflicted. For a second, neither of them moved. The air between them buzzed with tension.

Baozhai exhaled first, then stepped back, straightening her robes.

"I'm done." Her fingers curled slowly, trembling, then unclenched as she turned away.

"I will see you tomorrow morning, you know where to go." And with that, she left him amidst the wreckage. Ren looked around at the ruined furniture, cracked floors, and crooked painting now tilting sideways on the wall.

"… What a grand reunion." He exhaled deeply. Almost worth dying for. … After Madam Zhang assured him that she would handle all the mess, Ren found himself before the pool once again. He dipped in the water for a longer time, letting it fix his body. He couldn't think straight as everything inside his head was chaos. So he just lay there, not thinking about anything particular. Only after he felt like a newborn, he left and dressed up quickly— this time choosing a black, oversized robe.

Then he rushed to the backyard. The sun had already disappeared beyond the horizon when he stood in the center. The tree leaves fluttered and danced, the wind teasing them like a gentle lover. As always, honey-like smell tickled his nose, helping him to focus his whole being. Don't think, just move forward. He sat cross-legged and waited for his first and foremost skill to take effect. At first, he didn't feel anything.

Just the cool air, the distant sound of rustling leaves, and the overwhelming exhaustion that clung to his bones— it was quite hard to ignore the last one, unfortunately. But then… something shifted. A slight stream of silvery energy started to flow into his veins, casting a cool glow over his body. It felt like licking ice on a hot, summer day.

The faintest tingle of energy began to stir within him, nourishing mostly his sore muscles, but affecting his bones, innards, every part of his body in slow, steady streams. Each passing moment, he felt the faintest hint of strength returning. Not much, but enough to stave off the absolute emptiness he got used to since coming into this world. Ren closed his eyes, letting himself relax into the sensation.

The whole world disappeared for him, and he watched how the slivers of moonlight weave a net right beneath his skin. The feeling was subtle, almost imperceptible, but it was there for sure. It didn't resemble the violent rush he'd endured or his soul brother's experience in the Body Tempering Stage— no, it was something deeper, something more foundational. Like, it is completely changing my very being into something more… aligned with the moon? It kinda resembles body refining cultivation.

This world had a few different cultivation methods, body refining being one of the least popular as it was mostly involved inhuman pain and a long, very long process before showing any results.

"So, this is my reward for feeding you, little one?" he mused, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his lips before he fell into a serene sleep, devoid of his day's worries.