Interlude: The Wandering Young Master II

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Elder Gang is a firm believer in constants.

In a world full of countless ephemeral things, that which endures, that which never falters and is never in doubt, surely has more value. Elder Gang has always believed that. Thus, his life was one defined by several constants. His position as an Elder. The superiority of the Xiao Sect over the Yun Sect. The supremacy of Patriarch Xiao Zheng over all he governed.

In a matter of years, he lost all those things.

Perhaps that said much about how truly important those things were.

The great Xiao Zheng was killed in battle. The generational conflict with the Yun Sect was made irrelevant by the destruction of Eastern Port City. His position as Elder was stripped from him when he refused to bow to Xiao Yifan after she took over the Xiao Sect. For daring to side with Young Master Xiao Fang, he has been branded as a traitor to the Xiao Sect.

How laughable.

How frail.

How pathetic.

It is not that he cannot understand those who turned their backs on Young Master Xiao Fang. An Emperor Realm cultivator like Xiao Yifan is obviously a superior choice to lead the Sect. If her rule did not have to equal Young Master Xiao Fang’s death, he would have already tried to counsel him against rising up against her.

However, it does, so he can never accept her. There are days when Elder Gang wishes he was stronger. If he could step into the Emperor Realm, he could strike down the Young Master’s treacherous aunt and restore everything to its rightful place, but doing so would require braving the perils of the Renegade Realm. Even if he could somehow make it through, he’d have to leave the Young Master’s side for far too long. That cannot be.

Even if nothing else remains constant, at the very least, he must strive to be so.

“Elder Gang, it has been two weeks. Surely, there is no need for you to keep waiting here?”

“My duty is to watch over Young Master Xiao Fang, Young Shen Mi,” Elder Gang replies to the girl who walks up to him. “Why would I be in any other place?”

Shen Mi is a disciple of the Divine Frozen Palace. The young girl found them a few weeks after they learned of the destruction of Eastern Port City. She carried with her two letters. One was a letter of introduction from Lady Dai Jie of the Divine Frozen Palace. The other was from Young Mistress Xiao Shuang. Shen Mi has traveled with them ever since, much to Young Master Xiao Fang’s vexation. As someone who is more used to dealing with subordinates than peers, Young Master Xiao Fang cannot help but find the haughty, highly prideful, and superbly talented girl’s presence to be quite… trying.

“Elder, your dedication is worthy of respect, but…” Shen Mi shrugs and haplessly gestures at the landscape before them. “There is not much one can watch over right now.”

A massive sandstorm blocks the way forward. It is so dense that any attempt to see further than one’s own nose is an impossibility. It has been raging for the past three weeks, and if the locals are to be believed, it will continue raging for many more moons. The phenomenon is common in the Forest of Dunes.

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Two weeks ago, Young Master Xiao Fang ventured into the sandstorm.

He has yet to come out.

“Hmph!” The young girl crosses her arms. “The fool just went off chasing a rumor! If he gets lost in the dunes forever, it will be his own fault. He does not deserve your consideration, Elder.”

“Young Shen Mi, you come here every day,” Elder Gang points out. “If Young Master Xiao Fang does not deserve consideration, then he is certainly fortunate to have yours.”

The young girl’s Qi bristles.

“My concern is as a representative of the Divine Frozen Palace,” Shen Mi says. “It would be inconvenient for us if he dies.”

She almost sounds like she believes it. Alas, her argument has no convincing power. Just by standing here, the girl’s blue and white robes are being dirtied by the sand. Considering she rarely bothers stepping out of her palanquin to avoid being dirtied by the outside world, her constant visits here say more than words ever will.