v5c52: Reunion

The mood was tense as the Flying Sword cut its way south. Bi De had tried to meditate, but it was useless. He was too unsettled by the news of the attack on his home. The others were as well. Ri Zu was muttering dire portents under her breath as she attended to Shen Yu, who was standing at the tip of the blade.

Yun Ren’s face was tight and his Qi in turmoil. Spooks, Shao Heng, Han, and Yushang had all sensed their worry and were similarly quiet.

Elder Shenhe and the rest of the Shrouded Mountain sect Disciples were nearest to the hilt of the Flying Sword. Many needed medical attention still, and none of them had the spikes of demonic chitin removed yet. Many were meditating to stave off the pain, their faces pinched as they quietly suffered… But they had not enough medicine nor time to treat them all yet.

They needed their Qi if there was another battle to come.

So instead of meditating, Bi De looked at the heavens. The sky was getting lighter and lighter as they traveled south, the eternal night giving way to the dawn. When the sun finally crested the horizon, it was the most beautiful sunrise Bi De had ever seen after weeks of perpetual darkness. It warmed his face and his soul, so dazzling was it. Ri Zu stopped her work for a moment. Yushang grabbed Bi De’s hand. Han let out a sob of relief. Shao Heng slumped slightly, letting out a breath. Even Yun Ren stopped his brooding for a moment, his amber eyes wide.

Yet the reprieve was short-lived because Shen Yu grunted with discomfort—Yushang grimaced, as did Han. Shao Heng’s face twitched. A wave of groans and uncomfortable noises issued forth from the members of the Shrouded Mountain Sect, and Elder Shenhe’s grimace intensified.

Bi De felt it too for a moment. The air felt like it thinned to nothing. After so long in places with high Qi, it did feel different. Hostile.

But it was home.

As soon as he thought that, his breath came easier.

“You’re all actually from here?” Yushang asked incredulously before coughing. ”How the hells did you cultivate?”

“You will see,” Bi De declared. He said it like he knew his home was fine, his voice full of confidence. He looked up again at the sun… and realised he had been remiss in his duties.

“Country Roads, take us home…” Bi De sang under his breath, exhausted, but stil giving his praise.“to the place…. we belong…”

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As the hours passed, they got closer and closer to home, and Bi De could feel it. He could feel Fa Ram calling out to him. The tension should have grown, but instead… he felt a cool, almost soothing presence brush against him.

Something caught Shen Yu’s eye and the Flying Sword angled itself to a new heading. Bi De, curious, looked over the side of the blade—and beheld the first signs of combat.

A massive blackened section of earth, devoid of snow, sat around a crater. The ground had been melted, then fused. Nearby, a devastated forest lay, broken like matchsticks and kindling.

But there was something about the destruction pattern familiar to Bi De—as well as the lingering feeling in the air.

“That is… lightning Qi,” Shenhe murmured, looking confused. “That’s Zeng’s Qi. How…?”

“It appears not just Zang Li was taken and turned into a demon,” Shen Yu’s voice was light, but his face was severe. Shenhe’s body seized as his eyes turned to her. She dropped to one knee immediately, her head bowed.

“If my sect has sinned, I shall atone with my life if it pleases Lord Shen Yu.”

“It may yet,” the man stated simply. His voice was completely devoid of emotion, and right now… right now Shen Yu was as sword-like as Bi De had ever seen him.

Bi De’s own wrath was stoked at seeing the destruction… but again, the cold wind soothed it.

The sword picked up speed. It speared south, unrelenting. Bi De’s heart thundered in his chest as they got closer and closer and closer—until he could see it.

Until he felt it. The air of Fa Ram filled his lungs, still sweet and nourishing. It was nostalgic, comforting, and it brought tears to his eyes.

He joined Shen Yu at the front of the blade, his heart pounding.

His ears strained for the sounds of battle. His heart sang with the song of war, ready to smite anything that was his enemy.

His eyes were first drawn to the sections of blackened forest, devoid of snow. Then, to the fallen Pillars of Fa Ram. He took in the unfamiliar fortress, the alien thing that looked so out of place—and his eyes narrowed at the mound of corpses.

And then… then his eyes landed on the people. All standing tall, and all waiting for them.

Beside him, Bi De saw Shen Yu let out a breath.

The Blade that was Shen Yu disappeared. In its place there was a tired old man. There was something vulnerable on his face that flashed for a brief moment… before pride filled it.

Bi De’s eyes searched them. They were injured. They looked tired—but all were accounted for—except for Pi Pa and Wa Shi. Bi De paused and stared at the pink-haired woman who was standing where Pi Pa normally stood. Had she…?

“Ahoy up there!” Bi De’s Master called out. His arms were bandaged. He had electrical burns all over his chest, barely faded. He had a mostly healed black eye.

And he was smiling at them.

Bi De leapt from the sword before it touched down, his body impacting his Great Master. His Master let out a whuff of breath as he caught Bi De. Yun Ren and Ri Zu both leapt past, Yun Ren tackling his brother and holding him tight, while Ri Zu buried her face into Meiling’s neck.

“Man, you’ve gotten big,” his father mused, a small, almost whimsical smile on his face. Bi De abruptly realised he was still in his human disguise. He was almost as tall as his Great Master in this form.

“Yes, I am indeed tall like this,” Bi De murmured back. A large hand rose and settled onto his head. His Great Master rubbed vigorously, messing up Bi De’s hair, but he relished the contact.

Then, he released Bi De—so he could get tackled by someone else.

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“Look at you, you bastard! Copying our Master like this and failing to get his muscles right, you dare!?” Tigu’s voice was loud and boisterous, and her eyes were full of unshed tears. “You’re not bad, but you’re all scrawny!”

Bi De laughed, his voice full of relief. “You’ve gotten taller, Sister! But where is Wa Shi?”

“He’s off delivering messages,” Yin said. The taller woman was right behind Tigu, hugging him and pinning his arms to the side—inadvertently or on purpose Bi De didn’t know, but Tigu took the opportunity and immediately grappled him, trying to put him into a headlock. He allowed it, her knuckles digging into Bi De’s hair and messing it up even more. Yin’s warm body was a balm to his soul, the complementary sun to his moon.

‘You mean lazing. The fool of a fish got distracted eating and made the Lord Magisssstrate worry with his delay!’ Miantiao declared from his place on Yin’s arm. The snake transferred himself, slithering over to Bi De to give him a hug of his own.

“Master! Master, we helped!” the Torrent Rider shouted, eager to say his own piece. The boy stood tall and proud, while Shaggy Two was at attention beside him, the dog barking happily.

Tigu disengaged from Bi De to sneak up behind Ri Zu and lift the smaller woman into the air, much to her protest, while Yin practically dragged Bi De over so she could boast about how much the younger man had helped in Fa Ram’s defense.

“Truly, a better disciple I could not ask for,” Bi De declared, his finger tracing over a scab on the boy’s cheek. “You did well.”

Zhang Fei beamed.

Bi De then turned his attention to the two who had hung back a bit. The pink-haired woman approached slowly, her hand braced on Chun Ke. Bi De looked into her eyes and found the joy mixed with the sadness. She was injured as well, and he could feel the lingering void around her. It was yoked and caged, but it pulsed unhappily.