Two days later, Kang Shanxi and Shen Jintian were walking along the forest path that led toward Anhe village, Shen Xiyun carried in a strapped bundle on Jintian's chest. Jintian had long since stopped needing his cane, but he found that he quite enjoyed walking with something in his hand, so he had fashioned a simple walking stick for himself during his Qi manipulation practice the previous night. His sister was sucking on her thumb, looking around at the outside world with sparkling eyes.
It was early morning, and mist was currently curling upwards from the forest floor. The chill of winter had begun to settle into the State of Wei, and this was made obvious by the mist that left with Jintian's breath. While he was strangely unaffected by the chill, Xiyun's nose was red with the chill. Nonmigratory birdsong filled the air, while in the brush, Jintian could hear the rustling and pattering feet of small woodland creatures shoring their reserves for the frost that would arrive soon.
The forest was alive in a way Jintian could have never realized before reaching the Second Circle. With his superhuman senses, he could even hear the scraping of insect legs against fallen leaves and felled trees. The colors were more vibrant, deeper and breathtakingly rich. Even the smell was completely different, now.
He looked around with the same wonder his sister did, and Kang Shanxi smiled as he saw that the boy was still capable of mundane awe. However, he noticed that wonder fade as they began to pass the stumps that Wu Mingjie had left behind in his relentless pursuit of Jintian and his mother.
Jintian's eyes lingered on them, the rage flaring briefly in his heart. However, as he looked down his sister, who had curled her small hands in his shirt to crane her neck to watch a bird that had flown above them, he managed to wrestle it away, returning his gaze forward.
"Teacher… if my senses are already this potent, I can't even imagine what yours are like." Jintian finally said, and Kang Shanxi glanced at him. "How do you not get overwhelmed by it all?"
Kang Shanxi laughed. "Well… it is not as pronounced to you now, but when you reach the Fourth Circle, or even the Third, you will realize that your mind has begun to change with cultivation, just as profoundly as your body. Your memory will grow sharper, so much so that you may even one day remember your life as a baby. You also will be able to split your attention far more efficiently, and compartmentalize all of the information you are processing. You will even notice that time will seem to move slower for you than it will for mortals. It is a necessary skill if you wish to control more than one object at once, or later, engage in magical combat."
Jintian nodded at that, though his nose wrinkled at the thought of remembering his infant years. He then felt a prickling gaze, and looked down to see Xiyun glaring at him as if to ask what would be so bad about that. He smiled, and then looked upward once more.
It wasn't long before they exited the forest, and Jintian could see Anhe village in the distance, offset by the sparkling Taihe river behind it. He could not see any trace left of the destruction that the village had undergone, and saw children once again playing in its streets, women gossiping together while caretaking the household, men tilling fields or casting nets into the river. They were all bundled in furs to stave off the winter chill, but otherwise looked exactly as they had only nine months ago.
He was suddenly struck by the thought that life always found a way to return to balance.
Dazed by this, he faltered for a few moments, before he hurried to catch up to his teacher.
As they approached, the people of the village seemed to notice them. Jintian heaved an emotional breath, before he smiled and waved happily to the people he had known for the entirety of his life. But soon, his smile faltered, as he realized that the people of Anhe were not smiling back.
Kang Shanxi frowned as Jintian paused, and then sighed. "I should have expected this." He whispered, shaking his head. "You just go to your farm, and come back to the house whenever you are finished, alright?"
Jintian nodded, his heart pained with the sudden feeling of isolation. "Abbubub?" Xiyun asked, touching his face with her tiny hands, and he forced his smile to return.
"Ah, it's alright. They might not like me, but they'll still love you when you're older!" He declared, trying to convince himself more than anything. He walked along the outskirts of the village while Shanxi ventured into it. The elderly man was met with bows of respect, and he noticed as well a hint of fear.
Kang Shanxi was more than a simple healer to them now. He was other, of the same caliber of power as the ones who had attacked their village.
Jintian noticed that even on the outskirts of the village, people would stop tilling their fields to stare at him. Some seemed conflicted, while others were outright hostile. He bit his lip, but turned his chin into the air, until finally he saw his farm.
It looked the same as it always had. The hole in the wall of his house gone now, and he could see the cows getting their last grazes in before they would be locked in the barn for winter.
Tending to the cows he saw a tall man herding them. The man seemingly hadn't noticed them yet, and Jintian squinted, blinking in disbelief as he realized that he recognized the man.
"Li Liuwen?" He called, and the man looked up from the herd, startled.
Li Liuwen's long hair had been cropped short, almost as short as Jintian's had once been. Furthermore, he was not wearing the long robes Jintian had known him to wear all of his life, but rather was sporting a long fur cloak and thickly padded trousers. And he had a long beard now too!
Li Liuwen seemed to be making the same observations that Jintian was, profound shock of his own clear on his face.
"Shen Jintian?" He asked, as if he could not believe his eyes. When Jintian nodded, Liuwen ran forward, tears springing to his eyes as he wrapped the cultivator tightly into a hug.
Jintian had turned slightly so that Xiyun was not between them, but returned his hug with a laugh, patting his back. Li Liuwen then stepped backward, clasping Jintian's shoulders with his hands and looking up him and down.
"It is good to see you healthy. But what happened to you, when did you get so… skinny!?" He asked, and Jintian chuckled at that.
"It would seem we've traded places." He agreed, squeezing his friends arms. "You have grown muscles. I thought they were only for work animals?"
Li Liuwen rolled his eyes, scowling. "I might as well be a work animal, with how much effort it takes to run a farm. How you did it for nearly eighteen years is beyond me."
Jintian winced at that, remembering that his friend had offered to care for his farm out of the kindness of his heart. Seeing his expression, Li Liuwen waved a hand. "Ai, whatever you're thinking, forget. I think it has been good for me, and…" He looked around, before leaning in close to whisper, "Between us, I think Yu'er prefers this look over my other one."
Jintian chuckled, before he looked at his friend curiously. "Feng Yu?" He asked, and Liuwen nodded.
"She's my…" He began, and then paused, looking uncomfortable for a few moments. "We got married, last month. She lives with me now."
This stunned the young cultivator for a few moments. However, he quickly shook himself out of it. He was sad that he had missed his dear friend's wedding, but was happy to hear that his courtship had gone well, even in the aftermath of the village.
"That is most fortunate news!" He congratulated Liuwen, grinning. "I can't believe I lost my bet. But I was right in the end, muscle is king!"
Liuwen's smile faltered with confusion for a few moments, and then he laughed uproariously. "I'd forgotten we made that stupid bet." He hollered, then flexed his arms. "Muscles hooray!"
"Muscles are king!" Jintian hurriedly joined in and, both tilting their heads back, they shouted the final line together.
"Long live muscles!" They both laughed, throwing their hands up in the victory pose.
"Abub abu abbub!" Xiyun shouted, joining their victory pose a moment later to not feel left out. Liuwen finally seemed to notice her, and he smiled widely, his eyes sparkling as he leaned forward.
"Is this Xiyun? Heavens, she's gotten so big!" He gushed, and Jintian nodded. Xiyun met his gaze for a few moments, and then resolutely turned her head away. Liuwen looked offended, and Jintian could only smile wryly at that, remembering his own first interaction with his sister.
Standing straighter, Liuwen clapped Jintian on the shoulder. "Aiya, look at me keeping you both out here in the cold. Come in, come in. Yu'er will be happy to see you, and we can have breakfast."
Jintian heaved a sigh of relief, happy that he had still at least one friend left in the village. Together they walked inside, and Jintian was immediately hit by a sense of nostalgia as he walked into his old house.
He sniffed, his mouth watering. "Rice cakes?" He asked, the aroma tantalizing and warm. Liuwen smelled the air after him, nodding after a moment.
"Smells like it! I'd forgotten how good your nose was." He replied, before practically skipping into the house. "Yu'er~ we have some surprise guests!"
Jintian smiled, bouncing Xiyun on his chest and taking off his shoes. Feng Yu, wearing a simple aoqun with her hair tied upward, appeared from around the corner and swatted her husband affectionately.
"Is that what all that racket was out there?" She demanded, and Liuwen laughed, gesturing towards Jintian. Feng Yu turned to look at him, before freezing, her hand flying to her mouth.
"… Shen Jintian!?" She asked in disbelief, and Liuwen laughed again, louder this time, pointing at her. She swatted his hand away, before approaching him. She touched his cheeks, and then his chest and his arms. "No, you can't be Jintian. He would have never let himself get this skinny and bony."
He gasped, offended, while Feng Yu smiled teasingly and Liuwen grinned. She then turned her attention to Xiyun, who immediately lowered her eyes shyly.
"Aii, and who's this cutie?" Feng Yu asked. "It can't be Xiyun, can it?"
Xiyun battered her lashes, covering her face with her hands and giggling. This caused Jintian to look at her with shock. His sister… clearly favored women far more than men!
Seeing how cute she was acting, Jintian shook his head in disbelief, while Feng Yu extracted Xiyun from her bundle and bounced her in her arms. Xiyun's sweet giggling filled the air, clearly melting her heart, and she immediately stared at Liuwen.
"When will we have one?" She asked calmly, holding Xiyun tightly, and Liuwen paled, looking at Jintian with fright. The young cultivator immediately took a step back, wanting no part of this and resolutely abandoning his friend to his fate. Scowling, Liuwen then looked at his wife.
"When the time is right, and the heavens form a sign~" He answered flippantly, and Feng Yu snorted.
"We will have one next year." She declared, and Liuwen smiled bitterly.
"Yes dear." He sighed, and Feng Yu nodded, satisfied. She then smiled at Jintian.
"I made rice cakes. You two can eat them and talk. I'm going to give this little one here some much needed girl time." She said, disappearing further into the house. Liuwen and Jintian shared a bitter smile, and then helped themselves to the breakfast Feng Yu had prepared.
As they sat and talked, Liuwen told him of what had happened. The harvest had been good, though some of the crops had failed due to a strange sickness that formed black spots on them. Jintian recalled that had been a concern he and his father had shared, but was glad to hear most of the crops had survived.
Liuwen and Feng Yu had gotten married rather swiftly, with both of their parent's blessings, which Jintian had somewhat expected. They had practically been dating their entire lives. The courtship only made it official. Liuwen's uncle, Li Dongfei, had opened his shop as planned. The offer was still extended to the both of them to join them.
As for the attack on the village, only three people had died, not counting Jintian's family. However, most of the damage had only been fixed relatively recently after the Chief had made the request for materials from Chenghe. A lot of the village boys had formed a village guard, though everyone knew they would do little good against the mysterious Immortals that had attacked them.
And, unfortunately, the village had come to learn that the Immortals had been looking for Jintian's sword. While they knew it did little good to blame him, they could not help it. The blame needed to fall somewhere.
"It's stupid, but unfortunately, that's how it is." Li Liuwen sighed, shaking his head. Jintian nodded sorrowfully. He understood, even if it saddened him. He himself couldn't say that he didn't feel at least partly to blame for what had happened. Liuwen then waved his hand toward Jintian. "What about you? What have you been up to, in the woods with Elder Kang? Are you an Immortal too, now?"
Jintian cleared his throat. "Actually…" He said, and Liuwen stared at him, wide eyed.
"No." He said, and Jintian nodded slowly. Liuwen's eyes narrowed. "Show me."
Jintian rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed, before relenting and pointing towards his walking stick, which he had left by his shoes. At the Second Circle, both his power and control had grown exponentially. He could have sent the stick sailing around the room with enough force to pierce it through one of the walls, but settled to make it glide over into his hands.
Liuwen looked at him, his eyes widened once more, this time bugging out in shock. "I'm still a novice." Jintian explained hurriedly. "I'm in what is called the Second Circle, which is just a step or two above being mortal."
It took a few moments for Li Liuwen to gather himself, but when he did he shook his head. "To think I'm friends with Shen Jintian, the Immortal."
Jintian rolled his eyes. "I'm not Immortal. Well, not yet, anyways. But maybe someday, I will be."
Liuwen laughed, then shook his head. "Well, no matter what you become someday, you'll still always be Jintian of Anhe village!" He declared, thumping his chest. Jintian stared at him for a few moments, and then smiled.
His friend might never know how grateful he was to hear those words.
The two young men reminisced about the past, before eventually the matter could not be delayed any longer. They both knew it, and thankfully, it was Liuwen who broached the topic first.
"You're going to go after them, aren't you?" He asked quietly, an arm wrapped around Feng Yu's waist They had talked for quite a while, and it was approaching mid afternoon. Feng Yu had settled Xiyun down for a nap, and joined them, where Jintian had been made to perform his Qi manipulation trick all over again, causing a gasp and a laugh to spring from Feng Yu.
Jintian nodded at Liuwen's question. "I will be." He said quietly, his fists clenching. "I… a part of me will never be whole, until I do."
Liuwen hummed thoughtfully for a few moments, and Feng Yu squeezed his leg encouragingly. Finally, he scratched his beard, coughing awkwardly. "Jintian, we… I mean, myself and Feng Yu, we…"
"Oh, I won't expect you to watch over the farm for that long." Jintian hurriedly cut in. "In fact, as a thank you for taking care of it for as long as you have, I was going to sell it and give you most of the proceeds. Then you'll have enough capital to move to Chenghe, and become an apprentice, like we were planning. I'll keep just a bit for Xiyun's future dowry, but I should be back by that time."
Liuwen's face screwed up at that, and Feng Yu rolled her eyes. "What my husband was trying to say, was that we wanted to buy the farm from you, Jintian." She said, and Jintian looked at them both with surprise.
"What?" He asked, and Liuwen cleared his throat.
"Well… I know all what I said earlier, but we actually kind of like it." He explained. "It's hard work, yes, but it feels… good. And I still have time in the evenings to read and study, and Feng Yu enjoys still being so close to her family."
Jintian leaned back, thinking. He had never thought that Liuwen would enjoy farming, but it made a strange kind of sense. Finally, he nodded.
"Absolutely. You both may have it, and there will not be any purchase necessary. You've done all of the work to maintain it in my absence. It's only fair." He agreed, and Liuwen shook his head.
"No, it's only right that we buy it from you." He argued, and Jintian smiled at both of them. It was a sad, melancholic smile, and he turned his head to look out of the window, toward the bright sunlight outside.
"I… won't have much use for mortal money, in the future." He eventually said quietly, turning to look at both of them. "All I ask is that you set aside three percent of what you earn from your harvests for the next ten years, for Xiyun's dowry."
Feng Yu and Li Liuwen shared a look, before nodding, gratitude clear between them. Then, Jintian rose, and Liuwen stood with him. "Elder Kang said that my family was buried underneath the Empress tree?" He asked, and Liuwen nodded.
"I'll show you to it." He said, leading Jintian out.
They walked past the fields, eventually coming to a tall tree, its branches bare but its bark still a rich, earthen brown. Liuwen patted his back, before leaving Jintian to pay his respects.
Jintian knelt beneath the tree, looking up past its branches and sighing. Then, he bowed with his head to the earth.
"Mother, Father, Chengcheng. I'll be leaving this place soon, but I'm leaving it in good hands. I hope to have your blessing in this. And…" He bit his lips. His heart hurt, his voice thick with emotion, as he felt like he was letting go of something of great importance to him. "And… I hope your next life is full of laughter, and peace."
As if in answer, a gentle breeze blew past him, gently sweeping his hair and causing the branches of the Empress tree to sway. And for the first time, he finally allowed himself to weep for his family.
Without fighting it, without forcing it away, he let the sorrow flow through him, the tears to fall from his cheeks as he sobbed. He wept fully, and completely. And when he finally rose from his knelt position, he took a shaky breath, letting his grief flow out of him with it. When it was gone, he looked up at the sky, towards the Heavens once more. But this time, not with seething, vile hatred.
His gaze was one of steeled determination, and unfathomable will.
That night, when he bade his farewells to his friends with Xiyun, and settled across from his teacher to play Go, he won.
And he never lost a game of Go to his teacher again.