Chapter 138: Uncomfortable Conversations

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Elder Xue told him to lay low and wait for instructions. That order was most assuredly given for Liu Jin’s benefit. He had distinguished himself far too quickly, and the Eternal Flame Clan is no longer the same place it was even a few weeks ago. Bu Jing’s actions showed how far some people were willing to go to remove Liu Jin. A harsher person might have confined him to the Apothecary for his own good.

“That woman is going to be cross with you for this.”

Liu Jin takes a deep breath. Down below, the Eternal Flame Clan’s compound stretches endlessly. A sea of white with tiny islands scattered throughout, each one separated from the other by a vast distance. What he is doing right now is completely at odds with what Elder Xue ordered, yet he cannot turn back.

“I am aware of it.”

“And yet, you choose to go through with it. That does not make your actions any better. Quite the opposite, really.”

Scree.

Soaring Feather’s interjection earns him a flat stare from Liu Jin. Impressed as he is by Soaring Feather’s understanding of the human language, that he sides with Lu Mei stings a bit.

Even if they are both right.

Rather than staying in the Medical Pavilion, Liu Jin and Lu Mei soar high on Lu Mei’s flying carpet. Far too high up to have to worry about the Internal Force. Most of their members lack the means to reach this altitude. Next to them, Soaring Feather enjoys the opportunity to stretch his wings.

“I apologize.”

“Oh?” Lu Mei crosses her arms. “For doing this or for me being here? The former would be novel. The latter would be unneeded. You did not ask me to come with you. I chose to do so because I could no longer stand having to hide away.”

After expelling all that fire in their office, Lu Mei’s condition has greatly improved. Liu Jin examined her body for any traces of Flame Qi, and though there is a part deep within Lu Mei where the Eternal Flame still shines, it does not look as though she is in danger of bursting into flames anytime soon. Once more, Lu Mei is free to move about as she pleases.

Indeed, a pleased sigh escapes Lu Mei as she closes her eyes and lets her body sway in tune with the wind. The sight draws a smile from Liu Jin.

“Truly, the outside suits me best.”

“I do not disagree. That is not why I am apologizing.”

“What for then?”

“I apologized for not warning you of what would become of the Medical Pavilion before. However, I did not comprehend how much danger that placed you in back then. I did not realize just how much you risk by becoming involved with the affairs of the Eternal Flame Clan.”

Because Lu Mei wields the Eternal Flame.

Neither knows exactly what that means, but it is bound to be significant.

“Even if you had warned me to stay out of the Medical Pavilion that day, I would have picked a side regardless,” Lu Mei replies, shaking her head. “Neutrality is not looked upon favorably by either side right now. In a way, me being there worked out for the best.”

“That does not change what I did was wrong.”

“True. I reject your apology.”

Liu Jin blinks. “What?”

“What?” Lu Mei raises an eyebrow at him. “Do you really think I am a woman who forgives and forgets easily? Now that you have made me realize your poor manner, I must rescind all former pardons.”

“I distinctly recall someone calling herself magnanimous.”

“And I distinctly recall saying it is a woman’s prerogative to change her mind. I was magnanimous then. Now I am cruel and terrible,” Lu Mei counters without an ounce of shame. “Do you really believe my forgiveness could be purchased by mere words forever?”

“Purchased?” Liu Jin echoes, head tilting to the side. “If not words, then what coin will you take?”

Lu Mei makes a show of thinking about it, humming thoughtfully while tapping her chin with a single, dainty finger.

“I suppose I could always ask you to teach me Ceaselessly Refining Breath. I had always been curious about it, but no. Hearing about your wife will suffice. Tell me more of her.”

Liu Jin almost chokes. He meets Lu Mei’s eyes and finds there is no trace of levity there.

“Why the sudden interest?” He asks, suddenly not comfortable with being confined to a flying carpet with Lu Mei.

“When you first mentioned her, I found her inconvenient, but only for a while. Upon reflection, it occurred to me that I had little to worry about,” Lu Mei admits with an easy shrug. “We are both members of the Eternal Flame Clan. The existence of a mere provincial girl did not change that. Even if you were, for some inane reason, attached to her, she’d ultimately be but a speck of dust in your life.”

A speck of dust in his life.

A callous way to think of someone, yet it was a natural assumption for Lu Mei to make. At the age of fourteen, Liu Jin already nears the True Realm. It is a tremendous achievement that marks him as a staggering talent. Lu Mei is in a similar category. Assuming neither meets an untimely end, the most conservative estimates of their lifespans will still be measured in centuries.

In a hundred years, when most people will already be showing signs of age, Lu Mei and Liu Jin will still be enjoying their youth. Why should Lu Mei be worried about some girl she knew nothing about? Why would she ever consider Xiao Shuang might be a cultivator on the same level as her?

Lu Mei’s eyes narrow. Her hand takes hold of his.

“But now I know she is a disciple of the Divine Frozen Palace.”

Under other circumstances, Liu Jin would be impressed by how quickly Lu Mei has picked up transmitting her thoughts and feelings through Qi.

“What do you wish to know?” He asks her, his voice a mix of tired and resigned.

The emotions that swirl inside him, however, are far more confusing.

“If your wife truly is a member of the Divine Frozen Palace, why join the Eternal Flame Clan? No one knew of you here, yet it was the Eternal Flame Clan that you chose. Even if the Eternal Flame Clan has a stake in the Storm Dragon Empire, would it not have been natural to seek the Divine Frozen Palace’s aid?”

“I considered it,” Liu Jin admits. Even after making his choice, he had considered it. “However, it is entirely possible that the Divine Frozen Palace would not even take my marriage to one of their members into consideration.”

Certainly, Xiao Shuang is the disciple of one of the Five Fairies of the Divine Frozen Palace, but that does not guarantee they would hear his plea. Meng Yue certainly hadn’t seemed to think much of him the one time they met. And why should she?

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

His marriage to her disciple was simply a matter of convenience.

“Besides…” Liu Jin sighs. “I did not wish to cause undue trouble for her.”

That is why sending a message was all he had allowed himself to do.

“The truth is, though we were married, it all happened when we were children. We said many things to each other, but the words of children have very little weight. From the beginning, it was assumed we wouldn’t see each other again.”

Months.

That is the time he and Xiao Shuang had spent with each other. Not even a full year. Mere months. The time that had passed since he and Xiao Shuang parted ways more than exceeded the time they had been together.

“Yet, all the times I have heard you speak of her, you do it with fondness,” Lu Mei points out, her amber eyes peering into his. Even though the wind blows with great force this high up, none of it touches Lu Mei or Liu Jin. It is as if the wind itself has decided to avoid them, leaving them trapped in a false calm.

“I am fond of her.”

Their fingers are interlaced. Their Qi flows freely. Liu Jin could lie to Lu Mei and hide his feelings, but he doesn’t. He is as open to her as she is to him, both fully exposed to the other.

“Do you love her?”

Liu Jin takes a moment to think. A quickly given answer would not satisfy either Lu Mei or himself.

“I am not sure I know what love is,” he says at last. “Not in the sense you are asking, at least.”

He understands the love of a father to his son and the love of a son to his father. He understands love for one’s master and even… even love for an older sibling.

Romantic love… that he has much less experience with.

“Do you wish to see her again?”

This question is far easier to answer. Liu Jin does not even have to think about it.

“I do. I am not sure what will happen, but I think it is the only proper way to settle things.”

What Xiao Shuang will say, and what he will feel. Whether she will blame him as he blames himself. Those are things he can only find out by meeting her once more. Until that happens, that aspect of his life will remain frozen.

Static.