45. Turn On Others.

"Hmm?" Hiro snaps back to reality and turns to Rue. "Oh, that's good."

"Allow me to introduce, elder brother Tanji and elder sister Mia. I got into some trouble and they helped me out," Rue introduced the two behind.

"Wait, elder brother? You are a boy?" Hiro spat out calmly.

"Hehe, yeah," Tanji says.

"Tanji?" Hiro mutters. "Sounds like father's name," he thought.

"Elder brother, what are you doing by the well? I thought you were healing?"

"Oh, I got thirsty," Hiro replies.

"Let him get that," Rue said and walks over.

"Thank you," Hiro turns to the duo. He could see Tanji's eyes sparkling while Mia's eyes held pity in them. "Sorry, I'm Hiro, Enji Hiro."

"I'm Zhan Mia and this my elder brother Zhan Tanji. Nice to meet you," Mia says.

"Nice to meet you too. Thank you for helping Rue, I'll do my best to repay you someday," Hiro said, his voice still calm.

"You don't have to bother about it,"

"Elder brother here you go," Rue says to Hiro and stretched a cup of water to him. Hiro, who had no idea where the cup came from took it from him.

"Please tell me what happened to Rue," Hiro said and drank the water.

"Why don't we sit and talk? I brought some housewarming gifts."

"Housewarming gifts?" Hiro frowned.

"I'll set up the table, elder sister please help me," Rue said rushing to Mia's side.

"Okay."

"What's a housewarm… warming gifts?" Hiro asks.

"It's a gift you get someone when you visit their place for the first time," Tanji replies. "Well, I didn't know what to get you, so I got food instead. Is that okay?"

"Um… I didn't even know you get gifts when you pay someone a visit, so yeah it's okay."

"Don't get me wrong, I can help get rid of the scars on your face and help get back your lost hair."

"Scars on my face? Lost hair? What do you mean?" Hiro taps his cheeks and his head. His eyes widened as he realized he had lost a lot of hair.

"You didn't know? Mia help me with a mirror."

"Okay, give me a sec," Mia replies and walks over. She brought out a pouch bag and from it she took out a mirror. "Here you go."

Hiro grabs the mirror and his eyes further dilated as he stared at the horrifying face staring back at him. "You are kidding me… how did I…?" His slams his palm on his forehead and shook his head. "What will father, mother and elder sister think of me if I they saw me like this?" he asks himself and turns to Tanji.

"You said you can help me. I'll do anything…"

"Relax, I said I can help and I would. But you have to promise, what I do doesn't leave this courtyard."

"I promise, not a single soul will know about it."

"Rue!" Tanji calls out.

"I saw and heard nothing." Rue replies and Tanji takes out a pouch bag. Mia returns to Rue's side to help him set the table.

"What's that?" Hiro asks as Tanji brings out a jade bottle.

"It's something special. Drink a bit and keep the rest."

"O… kay," Hiro mutters. He hands over the mirror and takes the bottle from Tanji. Then he opens it and takes a gulp from it.

"Pour it on your head too," Tanji instructed.

"Okay." Hiro did as he was told, pouring it over his head.

"You don't have to use all, it would come in handy later," Tanji yells as Hiro poured without caution.

"Wow, the scars are fading," Rue cries in shock, drawing everyone's attention to Hiro's face and neck.

"Really?" Hiro takes back the mirror and looks at his reflection. The scars were healing up at a visible speed. Even his hair started to grow back. "Thanks, I owe you one."

"Don't forget, and don't renege on it."

"I won't, I promise."

"In that case let's be friends," Tanji stretches his hand. "Best of friends."

Hiro tilts his head at him. "Best of friends?" he mutters.

"If you don't want that…"

"No, that's not… I know what those words mean, but what do best of friends do? That I don't know."

"Oh, they laugh and have fun together. They become as close as siblings, sometimes even closer. And they always have each other's back, always!"

"Hmm? And you want that from me? Why? You don't even know me."

"My gut tells me to hold you tight. You are going to become someone great."

"He seems sincere," Hiro thought. "He wouldn't have just given me something this precious."

Hiro takes Tanji's hand. "I look forward to being best of friends."

"Good, from now on we are best friends."

"Elder brothers, the table is ready," Rue calls out.

Hiro turned and found a nice long wooden table and two long benches on either side beside it. On the table were several plates of food and fruits, two jugs and four cups.

"You bought all these?" Hiro asks.

"It isn't much, sit let's eat," Mia says as she takes a seat. Hiro nods and sat across her. Rue sat beside him and Tanji sat beside Mia.

"Since you got me these and treated me too, I feel I should give you something," Hiro states while staring at the food.

"There's no need," Tanji says.

"If you don't accept it, I'll feel you are looking down on me."

"Okay, what do you plan on getting me? Depending on how important it is to you I'll reject it."

"Let me have a bag," Hiro places the jade bottle on the table and stretches his hand at him. "Preferably, an empty one."

"Hmm, Mia do you have an empty one?" Tanji asks.

"No I don't, sorry."

"I have one," Rue chips in and takes one out. He hands it to Hiro who brings out a pouch bag and opens it. The trio watched as Hiro dips his hand into his bag, bringing out a few pills and putting them in the other bag.

"Level two and level three pills?" Mia muttered as Hiro held his bag by the mouth and turned it over the other bag, pouring pills into it. "Huh?"

"So many pills!"

Mia and Rue gasps as they watch the huge amount of pills that poured into the other bag. Tanji on the other hand just smiles and says in his head. "As expected of someone from an ancestor class family."

Rue and Mia's eyes grew wider as the pills continued to flow out like an endless spring from a mountain. They could not believe the scene in front of them.

"That's enough Hiro, I'm sure it isn't endless. You should be frugal with pills no matter how many you have," Tanji says and Hiro finally stops.

"How many pills do you have?"

"Mia…" Tanji calls out.

"Sorry… sorry, I was just curious and surprised. Please don't get me wrong!" Mia waves her hands at Hiro.

"It's alright. I don't really know. The person who gave me said the bag was as big as a small room," Hiro smiles while looking at Mia and Tanji.

"What?"

"You!"

Mia and Rue gasp again while looking at Hiro. What the hell did it mean for the space to be as big as a small room? Was that space filled with pills?

"How did you get so many pills?"

"An old man gave me. My grandfather's hmm… friend I guess."

"Grandmaster Sai, Lu Sai Yong," Tanji thought. "One of the top five, no top three alchemists in the whole of Jewang empire. A semi ancestor grade alchemist, who hasn't even reached the peak of the ninth stage, nascent soul realm. Making that much level three pills and below would be as easy as chewing, even with his eyes close."

"What family are you from?" Mia asks.

"Enji's family," Hiro replies.

"I haven't heard of that family."

"We are from the east… I think… from the Lu city."

"That's why I haven't heard of it."

"Hiro," Tanji calls. "You shouldn't let others know about the pills you have. It will only invite trouble."

"Oh, I won't let anyone else know. You did say we are best of friends," Hiro says and thought. "He wasn't surprised at all, everyone else was but he wasn't."

"True, but as you said, we just met, didn't we? You shouldn't be trusting people easily. They could easily turn on you and kill you, for material things."

"I see, though the thought of being killed doesn't scare me. I can hide my realm from you guys, what does that mean?"

"You are at the core formation realm?" Mia jerks to her feet.

"Relax, he isn't," Tanji says. "He is barely at the third stage, at most fourth."

Hiro smiles trying his best in keeping his eyes from twitching. "How did he…?"

"If you were at the core formation realm, you wouldn't have gotten into the academy," Tanji's voice interrupts Hiro's thought. "So relax, I didn't see through whatever method you used to hide your realm. And you don't have to worry, I don't turn on those I consider a member of my circle."

"That means you turn on others."