As dusk hollowed the sky, Shuren entered his room with a damp bath robe. His thoughts naturally went back to introspect on his performances in the sect examination. There were always lessons to be learnt.
"I shouldn't have fallen for the small scheme of that Tez kid. End of the day, he's still only a Stage 3, yet I allowed him to subjugate that Deviant Beast without trouble." Though he was over three stages above his opponent, and defeated him with relative ease, Shuren kept that man in the back of his mind. He thought back to the weird words Tez would say. Something about a system? He heard that strange word come from his mouth every time he'd face with Tez.
"He seems off in the head."
They had already met twice in two days, but the initial sliver of respect he had for him had long gone. Shuren didn't like the slander and vulgarities that came out of that man's mouth. Not a single word of sincerity or basic etiquette came from his mouth. Not even once.
"It can't be helped. If he grows in the sect, it'll be best to keep an amicable relationship and clear up any misunderstandings," he thought out loud, holding a tiny jade bottle filled with perfume before spraying himself. At his desk carved with inscriptions alongside a mirror, Shuren grabbed an oval charcoal stone. With injecting a tiny bit of his Qi inside of it, the rock radiated a wave of heat, drying his damp hair.
"Now, let's have a chat with Little Yuxi," Shuren grabbed the three pieces of paper in his drawer, alongside a few gift boxes. It was time for him to set things straight once and for all. This was his duty as the older brother.
Shuren's room was placed in the eastern foyer of the first floor, while his sister's room was on the second floor. A tall elderly man with a monocle bowed to Shuren at the stairs.
"Raise your head, Old Xuan. It is I who is in your debt," Shuren ordered, standing face to face with his father's trusted butler. "Thank you for investigating this matter with discretion. I cannot offer you what my father has not, but let me know whenever your grandkids visit Cloud City."
"My sincerest gratitudes, young master," Old Xuan said with a graceful smile. "I only fear if you learnt of their desires to join an esteemed sect, you would train them near death to reach that goal."
They both chuckled for a moment. "Who do you take me for? I only push my siblings. I wouldn't dare to treat esteemed guests the same," Shuren said, before he walked up the stairs. Even if he were stern, even cultivators needed to relax from working too hard.
I have to do this in a roundabout method, but it should work out. Had I just told her I threatened them, she wouldn't grow from me coddling her.
He knocked on the door of his sister's room. Shuren lured her in with the bait.
"Little Yuxi, I grabbed some souvenirs to celebrate my victory."
It didn't take long to hear the pattering of footsteps. When Liu Yuxi opened the door, Shuren glanced her with a smile, raising his bag of gifts. She couldn't help but stare at him for a moment. Even though it made sense with the occasion, her eldest brother rarely smiled with nary a worry. He almost had a rigid, stoic face most of the time.
"What did you get me?" Yuxi said, darting her eyes to the bag. Shuren walked in, unravelling the boxes on her bed. "Be diligent. I'll show you in a moment," Shuren answered. Unlike his room, which was minimalistic, Yuxi's was decorated and vibrant with her personality. She had colourful walls, and plenty of toys placed around her room, especially those weirdly woolly animals he'd noticed get popular recently. Shuren sat down at her bedside, beckoning her to sit with him.
"Take a look, this is the famous Lunescent crystals imported from the far western tundra," Shuren took out a hairpin, handing it over to Yuxi. "It glows in the shadows, and shines with the colours of the Triad Azure Phoenix," he showed her the collection in the box, ranging from accessories to adorn one's body to attachments for clothing. Though they weren't expensive jewellery, they were popular amongst young people for their beauty and design.
Yuxi held the box with awe shining in her eyes. She carefully examined each piece, seeing it from various angles. Shuren took out his second box in the meantime, a freshly bound leather book. "You already have plenty of colouring pens and paintbrushes, so I brought you a reference book. It's the formation designs of an Immortal Fairy from the Gongshi Clan," Shuren watched as the words 'Immortal Fairy' caught Yuxi's attention.
She flicked through the book, imprinting the beautiful formations and runic sigils in her mind. This must've been undoubtedly expensive, even if it didn't provide the actual blueprints of how they functioned, merely serving as an artistic showcase.
Just these actions had betrayed the words she said to him earlier about her dismissal in the path of formations. Shuren felt a sense of relief that she still held that ambition.
"What do you think? Did brother choose well?"
Yuxi gave Shuren a large dimpled grin, "Thank you, big brother!"
But Shuren long noticed the subtle red in her eyes, and the weariness on her face. "Little Yuxi, we could only send you to a simple school to learn the art of formations. Although incomparable to a sect or tutorage from an Immortal, how has it been? I believe the master is one of the best, but publicly opens his school to many children, so it must get cramped," Shuren asked, probing.
"It's okay. I learn a lot. I prefer staying with brother Jing's martial hall though," Yuxi answered in a dry tone.
Shuren could only reply with a wry smile. He had to tread his next steps with care. "Little Yuxi, something interesting happened when I was heading to the sect trials. I was met by three Vulfoan kids. I hear they're your classmates. One of them was called Raisa?"
He ignored when Yuxi trembled. "Y-yes, they're my classmates."
"They came with their elder brothers, handing me over some letters meant for you. I had a chat with their brothers, and they wished to clear up any misunderstandings," Shuren said, handing over three written letters to Yuxi.
She took her time reading the letter, her fingers scrunching the edges of the paper. It only worsened as she read the other letters. "What meaning do these words have now?" she whispered, and she tore them all apart.
Shuren waited with silence, watching his sister's reactions carefully. Her anger, her frustration. A hidden exhaustion that even he barely noticed, but marked her heart. This is a first. I haven't seen her act like this.
"I don't believe a single word. I don't believe any of them! They want to just walk away like nothing ever happened," Yuxi said with deep breaths, scrunching up her face with a deep frown. She held her head low, staring at the ground.
"Liu Yuxi, what do you want to do?" Shuren asked.
"I want to get rid of this knot in my stomach. I want to hurt them back, like they did to me," she said, ashamed at her own words. "They threw away my books, they called me mean words, and it hurt so much. Now they get to walk away like nothing happened?!"
Tears welled up in Yuxi's eyes as she continued to vent, anger draping her words with poison. "Just because the headmaster allowed those people to enter for free doesn't mean they can do whatever they want. I want them to feel what I did."
Shuren never expected such visceral words from his younger sister. This is my only chance to cut these emotions out by the roots before it develops into its own amalgamation. I mustn't allow my sister to gain a mental block in the future, not by some mere mortals.
He was quiet, watching tears stain her clothes. Though he seemed calm on the surface, his mind considered dozens of things to console Yuxi.
Shuren faced his sister for the first time, and he continued to talk with a light smile, "But that is beneath you. You are Liu Yuxi, destined to become a cultivator. Soon, you will enter a sect, cutting away these mortal ties. They will become dust in the wind, while you will forge your own path. Do you think the heroes you look up to, like Immortal Fairy Ziyan or the Saints of the Divine Court, fear bullies from their childhood?"
Yuxi's hand was placed on her knees, and her fingernails dug into her skin.
"Will you allow a bunch of orphans to take hold of your heart even after they've begged for your forgiveness, Liu Yuxi?"
She lifted her head to see Shuren raising an eyebrow. "Orphans?"
"Yuxi, you should be well aware of that crisis. They're survivors who have left their destroyed homes, and their elder siblings work difficult jobs as labourers or miners. Why else do you think they targeted you? It was to vent out their frustrations, seeing a girl live a better life than them."
The hatred she felt for them dimmed like a candle flame amongst winds. Liu Yuxi didn't have the heart. She was that sort of girl. "Then what should I have done?"
"Prevention is the best cure for an illness. My sister, you mustn't let yourself seem meek and weak to others. You don't have to force a new personality, but have a bit of… Heroic assertion." Shuren tried to simplify it further. "When you talk about formations or your favourite stories of the past, you aren't a shy, meek girl. You sound like a different person. Just embody that some more."
Liu Yuxi rubbed away her red eyes, clearing up her throat. "I think I… I think I get it," she said, taking a deep breath. "I can't let people bully me and... I should speak out. I'll try to do that."
Shuren's shoulders eased. I should strike when the iron is hot.
"Yuxi, I want you to make an oath with me," he said, grabbing her attention. She nodded, her eyes clear once more.
"Please rely on your big brother some more. If you're in pain, and you don't know what to do, then don't fear about being a burden. I know you're smart, and you've seen how hard our parents have struggled. And if you still feel unsure, I'll always be here to listen."
Liu Yuxi moved closer to her brother, giving him a wide hug. "Okay, I will. I'm sorry."
Shuren couldn't help but sigh. He rubbed a palm on her head, consoling her. "It's alright. Don't apologise. It's always better to give your thanks."
"Thank you," Yuxi said with a muffled voice.
Mentioning her heroes, he inadvertently thought of his own. His eyes narrowed as he thought of the Seven Clouds sect and his own clan.
It's my fault. If only I lived up to the expectations of grandfather, and of the Supreme Elders. If only they had hope that I would be as capable as the Divine Sword Saint. I must be the one to support our family, and gain even greater influence and power.
Once I figure out grandfather's inheritance and tread on the Sword Path, who would dare get in my way if I wanted to reclaim my authority as Patriarch of the Liu Clan?!
***
The light of Heaven's Eye spilled through the window, illuminating Shuren's glistening hair. He went to the courtyard in his sleeping garments. Shuren strolled towards the peaceful grove, where his grandfather laid to rest.
Kneeling down, Shuren paid his respects. "Honoured Grandfather, I've decided to follow in your footstep, my sword heart can only be honed if I leave the nest. Even if I fall to the ground, I must accomplish the same as you have. Only then can I qualify to lead the Liu Clan." Shuren had many things to accomplish in a short amount of time. To rise amongst the clouds, to look after his siblings' growth, and bear the responsibilities of his family.
The responsibility of the surname Liu. These words were a heavy chain on Shuren's heart. He thought back to a core memory of his childhood, where his father once had a domineering back, like a towering mountain.
"My beloved son, do you know what it means to be a cultivator?" He posed this question to little Shuren. Dark clouds loomed over in the sky as the fragrance of petrichor was abundant. An occasion where even the Supreme Elders of the clan, garbed in silver robes, gave an appearance. The silver coffin engraved with swords held his uncle, as they sealed it deep inside a large crystalline seal. Killed by demonic cultivators that dared to encroach upon the Liu Clan premises.
The young Shuren gave the academic response, a famous saying coined by the lost Yuze Clan, the descendants of the only man who once united the entire world.
"Father, it is to receive adversity with favourability, honing its pain to forge your own Path."
His father's grasp on the young Shuren's hand tightened. "No. That is something all beings face. What do you think it means to be a true cultivator?"
"To become the strongest?" Though that was the answer that made the most sense, young Shuren said it with an unsure tone.
"And why do you want to become the strongest?"
He wasn't sure back then.
They watched as his uncle's funeral processing was complete. A swordsman who embodied the spirit of the Divine Sword Saint, who lived true to himself regardless of what others thought.
Now, Shuren was the last one to have the knowledge of the Divine Sword Saint's inheritance in his body. He had no more teachers to guide him.
Now, years later, his father had become jaded, old, and tired. Shuren wished to relieve some of that burden, thus he worked hard for this very day.
The hand on his knee trembled, a rare expression of disgust as his dark eyes sharpened. "I know why I have to become even stronger. You won't have to worry. I'll bring glory and wealth to my family. The Liu Clan will have to swallow their meagre pride to accept us. For what they did to us, to you and mother."