v7c6: Growing Around a Thistle

“So, you’re going then?” Meiling asked Gou Ren under the early dawn light. Their breath was visible in the air on this cold, damp morning, but the sun was steadily warming the earth.

All of the Azure Heroes were packed… as was Gou Ren. He’d be heading south to be introduced to the Misty Lake Sect as Xianghua’s husband. A possibly dangerous position, from enemies within and without the sect.

“Yeah, I am,” Gou Ren said, bending down slightly to embrace her, mindful of Zhuye who was bundled against her back. Gou Ren was her little brother in a lot of ways, and she worried for him. But… as she hugged him, she could feel how broad his shoulders were. “A man’s got to do things for himself.”

She chuckled at the statement. She pulled back and took a good look at him. His once black hair was tinted with gold, his canines were longer, and his tail was wrapped around his waist; they were drastic changes, but they also looked… natural on him. The monkey tribe seemed to think so, and Gou Ren would also be going to Crystal Hill to see if he could get his transformation under control. Not that anybody who cared actually minded, and Xianghua was only too happy to boast about Gou Ren’s similarities to the Great Sage Wukong.

“You’re right. A man does have things he has to do for himself. And my little brother is indeed a man,” she said, cupping his face. Gou Ren’s eyes widened at her acknowledgement and trust. And she did trust him. Gou Ren might complain and had an impulsive streak… but Meiling trusted the Xong brothers with her life. “Remember, only your Elder Siblings are allowed to bully you. Everyone else gets poison, or Meihua’s slipper.”

Gou Ren laughed, but it was accompanied by a shudder. Meiling’s pranks, dyes, and itching powders had been threats, but she took care to never make things more than a mild inconvenience; a delayed kind of punishment.

Meihua running them down with one of her shoes in hand was a rather more vivid image. The dainty princess of Hong Yaowu reminded everyone of the fact that she was a blacksmith’s daughter whenever she was pushed too far—and butts made for her anvil.

“I think I’ll just settle for beating the crap out of anybody who tries shit,” Gou Ren said. “I’ll do less damage than the two of you.”

Yun Ren laughed and clapped his little brother on the shoulder. “If he needs backup I get first dibs. They’ll be humbled by this Young Master,” he said pompously. The sword at his waist rattled in agreement.

“And that’s overkill too,” Gou Ren deadpanned. “I don’t think hitting them and their descendants for nine generations with a fox curse is going to help…”

It was easy to forget that, despite the fact that they seemed down on their luck, the foxes of Smoky River could steal the title of “Strongest Sect in the Azure Hills” without breaking a sweat if they cared to. Miss Yuanlin alone could savage the entire stock of Sect Elders. If anything happened to the “Young Master’s” little brother, there would be a reckoning.

“Right, shit. Forgot that would probably happen,” Yun Ren muttered, before shaking his head. “Well, good luck riding solo, little bro!”

Gou Ren rolled his eyes at the chipper, flippant words. “Just do everything I wrote down for you, and it’ll all be good.”

Yun Ren snorted. Meiling had seen the rather hefty scroll Gou Ren had written down for Yun about how to properly do all the duties Gou Ren normally did here. Yun Ren and Biyu would be staying here for at least as long as Jin and Meiling remained in the Azure Hills.

“Don’t worry, they won’t even know you left,” Yun Ren said, puffing out his chest.

“We will. Please return soon, Young Sir,” Pi Pa interjected, flanking Yun Ren and striking with a devastating blow. The elder brother spluttered, while Gou Ren was embraced by the pink-haired woman. She had a little smile on her own face.

“Wha—you’ll see! I can do just as good of a job as him!” Yun Ren declared. Meiling caught Pi Pa’s little smirk, her goading having its desired effect.

She ignored him, however, to focus on Gou Ren. She and Chun Ke had lived with him for nearly three years, and Gou Ren had designed the house they lived in around making things more convenient for their animal forms—and there was a pop as Pi Pa returned to her natural form. The pink pig bowed, the picture of elegance. “It has been my greatest pleasure serving you, Young Sir. I look forward to doing so again.”

Chun Ke, in his boar form, chuffed in agreement and nosed Gou Ren’s fingers.

Gou Ren looked away, embarrassed and touched. “Come on, guys! It’s not like I’ll be gone long!”

Meiling just watched on with a smile. Arms wrapped around her waist, and she looked up to see Xiulan.

“Don’t worry. My junior brother is better at making friends than you are,” the other woman said, her voice entirely too chipper.

“Yeah, I kno—” Meiling paused as the insult registered. “Oi.”

Xiulan released her, kissed Zhuye on the top of his head, and then danced away from Meiling’s retaliatory swipes, giggling merrily. She even went so far as to hide behind Jin, using her husband as a shield from righteous retribution.

The sweet moments could not last forever, though. Soon enough the final goodbye hugs were given and received, and the Azure Heroes set off.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

It was getting easier to watch them go, Meiling mused, waving to her friends while they walked away. They all marched forth with confidence and purpose, ready for whatever the world threw at them. She knew they would return, safe and sound… or at the worst, not too banged up for her to fix.

That, at least, soothed most of the worries. Even Zhuye seemed to be getting used to his sister, his aunt, and the others who would bounce him up and down or make funny faces at him leaving—Rags was most adept at making Zhuye laugh. The rough-looking man was surprisingly good with children.

Her son had no tears this time. Just a look of mild concern and confusion, one hand hesitantly raised like everybody else’s. But since nobody else was crying or upset, he seemed to be fine with it.

“Jiejie!” he shouted after them. Sister. Tigu’s steps hitched for just a moment. It was rather cute how much her son and adopted daughter got along. “Ji! Jie!”

It obviously took quite a bit of effort for Tigu not to turn around and race back to give Zhuye another hug. Instead, she turned around and waved. “Bye bye, little brother! See you soon!”

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Perhaps another reason why Zhuye was less sad was the fact that the house was less empty. While the Azure Heroes and Gou Ren had left, there were still others who remained… including Zhuye’s favourite morning wakeup call.