v4c4.3: The Old Monster’s Plan p3

“Thank you for the gift we shall receive.” Yun Ren said, his hand on the wooly goat’s side. He bowed his head, how his father had taught him all those years ago, and then pulled his arrow from its side.

Without any effort he picked the mountain goat up and slung it across his shoulders, beside the other he already had. They were interesting, these goats; they could climb vertical mountain walls like they were flat ground. To most hunters, they would have been out of reach. Yun Ren took two of them in an eyeblink, then caught the falling corpses out of the air.

They had been at Coldwind Valley, and the Den of Delights for two days already, preparing for the Shrouded Mountain Sect’s initiation day.

His new-found relatives were… interesting.

Yun Ren had been welcomed like they had known him forever; They had traded stories and jokes with Da Jin making illusions to add to the stories. She had a hilarious deadpan delivery to her jokes, a dry wit, and was a bit of a prankster. He had caught her using an illusion to make one of the girls think she had a stray strand of hair sticking out from her bangs. She had been trying to grab it for ten minutes before she realised what Da Jin was doing. Da Jin was in charge of duty rosters and was generally the first one people went to if there was a problem. While she looked hard working, Yun Ren had learned from others that she was a bit of a slacker.

Su Nezuhua, on the other hand, certainly deserved the title of “First Aunt”, as the rest of them called her. She was in charge of everything, from inventory to the direction the Den of Delights would go. He was surprised to learn that she was something of a pillar of the community, meeting up with the town’s Lord Magistrate. She seemed nice enough, but Yun Ren hadn’t talked directly to her all that much. She was mostly with Nezan who was sending messages to other little enclaves of foxes, telling them that their Lord Uncle had returned.

Still, after a couple days of being hosted, a familiar voice in his head that sounded like his mother reminded him it was time for Yun Ren to contribute something in return so he asked what kind of animals were good to eat for tonight’s meal. Yun Ren wanted to do something nice for his distant relatives, so… he went back to his father’s profession.

With his job complete he glanced down the mountain a bit to where Ri Zu was rooting around by a patch of stone. He had been a little surprised when she asked him to tag along with his hunt, but she had wanted to hunt for herbs. Bi De had stayed behind, he was meditating, trying to get used to being human. He’d said there was a decrease in his reaction time that he had to fix. Ri Zu on the other hand had adapted fast, she just seemed to know her body perfectly.

Yun called out and Ri Zu looked up waving at him, a smile on her face. He smiled back at her enthusiasm.

“You find what you were looking for?” he asked as he traversed the descent in little hops.

“Yes! Frost Sprig!” The woman said, holding up the grey-blue plants for him to look at.

“Those the ones that can change your eye colour?” Yun Ren asked.

“Yes! But Ri Zu is more interested in how they go to a specific location in the eye. Perhaps this property can be used in other ways? Ri Zu can’t wait to experiment!”

Yun Ren smiled at her enthusiasm. He didn’t normally spend too much time with Ri Zu. The rat was normally studying or training, and when she wasn’t doing that she was quiet or hiding in somebody’s clothes.

This side of her was recognisable, though. Just instead of a rat bouncing about, it was a girl. She was almost bubbly. It was cute… She really reminded him of Meimei when she was younger. She certainly looked like she could be Meimei’s sister, even more so than the way Tigu and Bi De looked like they were related to Jin.

His crystal chimed and Ri Zu flushed. It was a fine addition to his collection to show Jin and Mei for when they returned home. It went into storage right beside the one of Ri Zu making moon eyes at Bi De last night.

Ah, blackmail.

“Mean,” she declared with a Meimei-like pout.

Yun Ren laughed. They walked in silence for a little on their way back, Yun Ren taking in the beautiful valley below. It was a nice place, this valley. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at Ri Zu, a little smile on her face.

“I don’t know if it’s just because you’re a bit bigger… but you do seem calmer like this.” Yun Ren said. “Not as much of a change as Tigu, I don’t think, but you’re definitely a bit different.”

Ri Zu considered his words for a moment, before nodding.

“Yes, Ri Zu noticed that too. Ri Zu used to be utterly terrified of open terrain like this, darting from rock to rock even when she became a cultivator. The sky was Ri Zu’s enemy; and now…? It’s merely pleasant.” She looked up at a hawk circling overhead. The bird didn’t pay them any mind. “Ri Zu supposes everything feels just a bit less scary. Sudden movements, loud noises, predators—Ri Zu didn’t really think it was strange until now. If Tigu felt like she wanted to eat Ri Zu as much as Ri Zu felt scared… then it is no wonder my Sister was so relieved to be human. It’s quite a good feeling… being free like this.”

“Anything ya miss?” he asked.

“Ri Zu’s sense of smell and hearing are significantly reduced. It’s quite annoying, if Ri Zu is honest. Ri Zu will have to find some way to fix this,” she said, determination glinting in her eyes.

Yun Ren couldn’t help it. He reached over and ruffled Ri Zu’s hair. He couldn’t do this to most people, being one of the shortest of their little family—even if that had changed recently, to his surprise. He hadn’t been expecting to get taller after he turned twenty, but he had grown.

Ri Zu glared and jerked away while Yun Ren laughed. He managed to get her a few more times as they dodged and weaved their way back to the brothel.

Yun Ren stopped by in the kitchens to drop off the goats.

“Thank you for your generosity, Young Master!” The chefs said, all bowing low, and Yun Ren scratched at his cheek.

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He kind of got why Meimei got all blushy when people called her Senior Sister, but it was weird to hear people give respect like that. It felt a bit unearned. He hadn’t exactly done anything special.

Well, he supposed it was ok because he was Nezan’s apprentice… and also a cultivator. The only other two were Nezuhua and Da Jin, and Yun Ren’s cultivation was already better than Da Jin’s which had been a bit of a shock to him given the age difference.

He shook his head, said his goodbyes to the chefs, and began to walk back through the compound to the courtyard.

Shen Yu was with Nezan, watching Bi De and now Ri Zu train. The old man was lounging on the couch and occasionally throwing a rock at one of them, the projectile correcting their footing or forcing them to dodge.

They were preparing. Fighting. Ready to undertake a dangerous mission. He watched them. Bi De’s stoic face, and Ri Zu, who looked so much like Meimei, determination writ all over her features.

Yun Ren grimaced as that instinct that he was pretty sure all big brothers had flared to life as he watched Ri Zu and Bi De working hard to go right into danger, without him.

Damn it.

They were better at fighting than him, and they could take care of themselves. He couldn’t baby them! He thought, trying to convince himself not to go.

But if something happened he should really be there. His abilities were good for escaping and running away, or at least delaying people.

Besides, if things went really wrong they had Shen Yu, didn’t they? Knowing the old bastard he would think lost limbs and blood were teaching moments, but he would save them…right? If he wasn’t busy…

Yun ran his fingers through his ponytail.

It wasn’t like he could sneak in with them. He had the blood of a fox, at least a little bit. Surely they would catch him, right? Well, maybe if he used that makeup with his own illusions…

Ah, damn it.

‘Eighth Wielder is conflicted.’ Summer’s Sky rattled at his hip. ‘Does Eighth Wielder require assistance?’

“Just need to think some, Summer.” He replied.

‘Assurance. Eighth Wielder’s decision will be optimal. Confidence. Acceptance. Approval.’