19 Cultivator

Lune reached up and wiped the blood dripping down the corner of his mouth with a light brush of his hand, carrying Sha-Sha with his other arm. He ignored the mortals' cries of surprise upon seeing him bleed; he knew it was going to happen.

Really...it wouldn't have come to this if he didn't have to force himself to wake up to stop the ridiculous happening right outside the door.

He was back in his own body, having to readjust to the blackness of his vision after getting used to the temporary sight he regained when possessing Channing. He wasn't exactly too fond of finding himself cooped up in another 'hospital', but he supposed it was to be expected coming from the mortals.

The wound on his left shoulder was almost completely healed, leaving only a temporary scar on his skin. If he slept longer and woke up naturally, it probably would've been gone by then. But forcing himself to wake before his body intended disrupted his flow of qi that was meant to restore his energy, hence the thin line of blood flowing out his mouth and the feeling of lightheadedness.

He wanted to go back inside, leave the crowd, but standing right in front of him was a cultivator, gawking at him with his mouth hanging open. The young man probably already noticed something different about him, did he not?

"Your name?" Lune asked.

The human cultivator blinked out of his trance, turning his head left and right in confusion. He pointed at himself. "A- are you talking t- to me?" His sudden polite tone of voice towards Lune had the guards frowning at him. What was with his change of attitude?

When Lune stood unmoving, waiting for his answer, he stumbled. "O- oh. It's Song- Song Yicheng." He cleared his throat and stood up properly, restlessly straightening up his shirt and patting down his hair as if he were preparing for some job interview. He lowered his eyes in respect.

Song Yicheng fidgeted, not even knowing why he was doing what he was doing. But something about the noble aura this long-haired man held, especially the amount of qi that he sensed from him that greatly surpassed his own, had him think twice about his attitude just as when he would check himself in front of his master.

"Do you know what you did wrong?" Lune asked him, taking this chance to enlighten a junior.

Yicheng couldn't help but frown. "W- what? But can't you tell that is a demo-"

[I know she is a demon.]

The young man froze upon hearing his voice in his head, looking up twice to make sure he didn't see Lune's lips move. He darted his eyes left and right, realizing that no one else could hear his voice but him. How did he do that?

[Don't become distracted now,] the voice continued, and Yicheng stiffened once more. [What makes such a young cultivator think they must kill every demon he sees?]

'But...aren't demons all bad?'

[And are humans all good? What was Sha-Sha doing wrong that you had to lash out like such?]

That had him silent, not knowing how to respond.

Lune smiled. "Do you realize it now, Song Yicheng?" he said aloud this time.

He nodded guiltily, just like a child who was caught stealing candy.

"Then, what is it that you need to say?"

Yicheng's face burned red as he glanced down at the little girl(demon) in Lune's arms. With a deep breath, he awkwardly but sincerely said, "I'm sorry. I didn't know better and attack you without thinking. P- please forgive me..."

Sha-Sha barely spared him a look but didn't respond to him, leaving him a bit disheartened.

"Keep this in mind," Lune said, content that he seemed to understand. "Move along now, I am sure someone is waiting for your visit."

"Ah..." Song Yicheng's eyes lit up, remembering that he came to the hospital to visit his master, who had injured his foot a day earlier back in the studio. "Then, excuse me...a- and thank you for your teaching. I'll remember it from now on."

To the others' surprise, he gave Lune a respectful bow before he rushed off down the hall and disappeared around the corner.

Fenn wanted to protest his leaving, he wasn't done reprimanding the inexcusable behavior that was displayed earlier. But seeing how Lune didn't seem too keen on keeping that man from leaving, he reluctantly let it go.

Florence however, was visibly displeased. "He go?" he asked in disbelief. "I want punch him! He crazy-"

One of his colleagues reached to calm him down, pulling the big, fuming man away from their little crowd. "I- I'll take Florence for a little walk," he said with an awkward chuckle. "We'll be back real soon."

"I have to use the restroom, I'll be back quick too," another said.

This left Channing, Jae, and Fenn standing there with Lune.

"You...are you alright?" Channing started uncertainly, trying to restrain himself from asking too much. He glanced down at the girl in his arms, and some part of himself felt uncomfortable. "Who- is this the Zhu Tingyao we've been looking for?"

Lune tilted his head in acknowledgment, and Channing mouthed a small, silent 'oh'. He didn't tell him yet, but Lune planned to bring Sha-Sha to meet her grandmother soon, just the two of them alone would make the trip.

"And your shoulder-"

"-is fine," Lune finished for him. It really was. All that was left was a scar, why were they worrying so much?

But it was only a second later that it crossed his mind that humans didn't heal like he did, leaving him a bit flustered with his misinformation. Naturally, they wouldn't expect him to be healed already.

Channing pressed his lips into a thin line, not sure what else to say now that Lune cut off his sentence. But what happened just now? What's the deal with the boy named Song Yicheng?

"Are you curious?" Lune asked, for he knew what all three of them were thinking.

They all nodded in response.

"How did he know about undeads?" Fenn asked. "Does that mean what he said about demons are true?"

Jae darted his eyes about them, feeling as if he had missed out on a whole book in a series. "Undead? Demons?" he echoed, completely lost. "What the hell are you talking about?

Channing shushed him.

"Song Yicheng, he is a cultivator," Lune finally answered.

The three of them blinked at him, not catching on.

"A cultivator is someone who cultivates their qi and trains in 'martial arts' to become powerful and increase their longevity," he added. "That boy was one of them."

"Like in those fantasy novels?" Fenn exclaimed. "Those are real?"

"Of course."

Fenn glanced uncertainly at him. "Then... Sir, how did you know? Are you a cultivator too?"

Lune smiled, a light chuckle escaping his lips, and Channing froze.

There it was again. This feeling. This inexplicable feeling in his chest that he didn't understand when he was around him. It was just a laugh, but it had him completely mesmerized... What was wrong with him? ...He must be going crazy.

"No," Lune answered. "I am not."

"Oh...," Fenn said quietly, almost sounding as if he was disappointed. "Then, why did he just leave? He was just about to fight us when you came out..."

Indeed, the head of Channing's guards wasn't one who was afraid to ask questions, and Channing cringed, realizing that he should've warned him not to ask too many questions earlier. Though, he would very much like to know why too, but he would much prefer Lune explain on his own, rather than having them force information out of him.

Lune didn't seem to mind, however, he avoided giving a straight answer. "The young man simply had a change of heart-"

He froze, his words coming to an abrupt stop as an unexpected twist of pain in his chest caused his smile to drop. 'What...again?'

"What's wrong?" Channing asked in alarm, noticing his sudden change of face. He, Jae, and Fenn shared a look of concern, and Jae whispered if they should call for a doctor, recalling the fact that not one person from the medical staff had managed to enter Lune's room.

He was tempted to but was interrupted when Lune set the girl down on her feet, her expression showing reluctance.

"Can you stand?" Lune asked her, his expression stiff as he tried to hide his pain.

Sha-Sha couldn't tell what was wrong with him, but she answered with a yes, though she was reluctant to be near the humans. They still looked quite scary, unwelcoming, though that silver-haired man could be an exception...

Without warning, Lune suddenly lurched forward, his hand clamped tightly over his mouth as the other gripped the door frame for support. The taste of blood was unpleasant, the last of the red liquid escaping his pressed lips and seeping through his fingers, dripping onto the laminate flooring.

His ears rang over their shouts, and his chest heaved as the knot of pain finally went away, his flow of qi slowly returning to normal.

'Ah...,' Lune thought, his strength faltering. He managed to steady himself - or was someone helping him? 'Next time, I shall not force awaken...'

.

.

Song Yicheng hurried down the hall, quickly leaving the group of strange people behind. At the corner of the hall, he turned back and glanced at them one last time.

Four men in black suits, one man looking as if he'd just gotten up from bed with that ruffled hair, another looking like some rich fashion designer, a demon in a guise of a little girl, and an insanely handsome blind man with an immeasurable amount of qi-

They were talking amongst themselves, and Song Yicheng couldn't help but stare at that mysterious, blind person with long hair, wondering if he might've seen him somewhere before.

...who were they? No. Who was he?

The aura he gave off was something that even his master couldn't compare to, the way he talked sounded rather mystical as well...was he someone from another martial arts studio? But he'd never heard of a senior like him amongst students or disciples like him before; someone with features as unique as his would definitely not be forgotten.

Was he new? A master, perhaps? But he looks young...

Unaffiliated, maybe?

Or was he from one of those 'organizations' his master previously mentioned?

But more importantly, how did he do that? He shivered as he recalled how the man's voice suddenly appeared in his head, clear and effortless. It was his first time experiencing something like that, and he figured that he must've read about it in a book his master had him read long ago.

What was it called again? Mental...something? Or was it...'sound transmission'?

Yicheng shook his head, figuring that he was thinking too much. He'll just have to ask his master when he finds his room number-

He flinched as he reminded himself that his master was still waiting for him to visit and update him on what he was missing out in the studio while he was temporarily hospitalized. He had already wasted enough time; if he continued stalling he might miss the bus back to the studio.

'Crap!' He whirled around in a hurry and proceeded to search the rooms, forgetting about his short, violent encounter with those wealthy-looking men. Though he did admit, his actions were pretty out of hand...