Family Talk - Send Off.

The crowd began to disperse as many gathered around the betting station gathering their winnings as others wallowed in the pain of their empty wallets having lost their bet, meanwhile Tai Hui and Gang Bo went off to the side to grab something to eat having received their portion of the losing bets. They sat side by size on a bench in silence as they ate and drank, taking in the newly fell nights sky as the surroundings were lightly illuminated by lanterns and torches.

"I guess I was too greedy, thinking I could beat you without my weapons" Tai Hui muttered. "Of course, you were, if I lost to you barehanded my Master would skin me alive…" said Gang Bo as a drop of sweat fell from his brow imagining such a case.

"Hm? But didn't I take a round from you?" A grin grew on Tai Hui's face as Gang Bo turned a shade paler "I'm going to try to not think about that" he replied "Maybe she'll be lenient…" he whispered to himself hopefully.

"Speaking of your Master, how's it going?" Tai Hui suddenly asked, confusing Gang Bo. "What do you mean?" the large man frowned. "What do I mean? You like her don't you, it's obvious as day!" Tai Hui almost yelled causing Gang Bo to flinch and cover his mouth "Shut up! If anyone hears you, I'll be killed!".

"Come on, what's wrong? I may have sworn off romance but it's clear as day you're smitten with her, why hide it?" Tai Hui took a gulp from his cup and exhaled a heated breath "Don't tell me you're scared of what others say?".

Gang Bo leaned over on to his knees as his eyes met the ground "Even if I do… the relationship between master and disciple is sacred, it's frowned upon… and not just that, she's the Sect Master and one of the strongest cultivators in the country… I couldn't compare, I'm just a normal country born hick that got lucky."

"Hah, why do your origins matter? There's a perfect solution to all your problems!" 

"What?" Gang Bo looked at his friend curiously.

"Become the strongest, stronger than anyone else, strong enough that no one can question you or doubt you, then nothing else will matter, you'll be free to do as you please" a glimmer of fire smouldered in Tai Hui's eyes as he spoke "Can you imagine it? True freedom, where you are the law."

Gang Bo sighed "If it was that easy then I wouldn't have any problems, even now as I work have, I can't even picture the peak of the mountain".

"Then you just need to keep climbing" A voice came from the side as the two turned to see three figures walking towards them. "Oh, old man you're here? Shu He as well." Tai Hui greeted them before his eyes became fixated on the third figure "And who's this pretty little one?"

"Kehehe careful with those eyes or Shu He'll have them out" The 'old man' who was Yun Jiang laughed with his face dyed red from alcohol. "I wouldn't… maybe." Shu He replied as he shot a warning glance to Tai Hui.

He had heard about Tai Hui's past as a womaniser, he had been married and divorced multiple times, though most of them were no fault of his own he just picked the wrong women.

That said… the man's good looks did nothing to help his desire to stay away from relationships, he was incredibly good looking after all and ever since starting cultivation his appearance had only improved.

"I wouldn't do anything, trust me; It's just odd to see our Shu He here with a girl you see?" Tai Hui said to which Gang Bo nodded "That's right, out of all of us I'd say he spends the most of his time shut away..."

"That's not quite true, he visited me along with that Bai girl earlier, she's a looker that one, it was a surprise seeing them together!" Yun Jiang added fuel to the fire happily. "Really? Hoh, you're quite a smooth worker Shu He, though you still have far to go, your little friend, Wei Yu was it? I hear he's getting along very nicely with that Mei Ling." Tai Hui happily began to recount stories he had heard from around the sect.

"Would you three cut it out! I don't have any interest in that sort of thing right now… nor do I have the time" Shu He yelled to get them to shut up, he felt like he had a bunch of older family members asking him if he had a girlfriend!

Rather that's basically what it was, they were all older than him after all!

Tai Hui sighed "Well that's true… especially when you're dipping into multiple paths like you are… it's rather sad to hear that though, you know? You should try to enjoy your youth a bit more".

"He's right Shu He, even when you were younger you kept working alone and never played with the other children, if you don't take the chance now, you'll regret it later in life" Yun Jiang added, his face filled with a hint of nostalgia and regret as if he was speaking from experience.

"We met because you sold medicine, so it was easy for me to forget, but back then you were still just a child… I think the others are right, though I wasn't any better honestly…" Gang Bo recounted the moments when they first met.

"Even so…" Shu He couldn't help but clamp up in silence, there was stuff that he couldn't say no matter what.

He wasn't a child, he was an adult that was reborn, yet he never truly lived in his other life… yet he was still an adult, even when he tried to act like a child here, he truly couldn't, there was a gap in mentality that prevent him from doing so.

Yet there were times where he yearned to act like one, maybe it was a desire to fill what he had missed before, or an instinctive desire from his second soul, he didn't know… but he just pushed it down, wanting to focus on cultivation.

"Maybe you're right…" his body relaxed slightly as his mind relented.

"Ah! Why are we talking about this?!" Yun Jiang suddenly 'woke up' from his booze infused moment "We were going to introduce her right?" he shook Shu He on the shoulder.

"Oh, right…" Shu He pushed Little Xue forward slightly, she had been cautiously watching the conversation between the four as if she was gauging the two in front of her.

"She's my 'partner' in cultivation, her name is-" and just before he could finish.

"Shu Xue" she finished for him causing the four to descend into silence, Shu He's head tilted slightly as he observed her face that was lit with a grin.

'She really liked that name…' he thought to himself, having brushed it off as Yun Jiang's meaningless comment before.

"Huh… she doesn't look like your sister Shu He? Don't tell me Shu Li had an affair partner?!" Gang Bo's immediate reaction made Shu He want to hit him "Of course not! Say that again and it's us in the arena next!".

"But she's your partner in cultivation… and she has your family name… isn't she a little young? I know I joked around earlier but…" Tai Hui silently murmured as his expression turned serious.

"Let me finish my damn explanation first, look, come closer so no one else hears" he said, gathering them in a close circle "Little Xue… no, Shu Xue here is a spirit beast, this is her human form, she's my contracted partner" he explained.

Gang Bo and Tai Hui's eyes shot wide open at they turned to stare at the little girl who stared back with curiosity. "Seriously…?" Tai Hui's jaw dropped open "Spirit beasts can turn in to beauties?!" 

"That… that's what you're surprised about?" Was the only comment Shu He could leave.

"Oh! So those ears… they aren't decoration? I thought they were part of the hair pins, but I wasn't sure…" Gang Bo went to poke Shu Xue's ear coverings that were covered with feathers, but she shied away and hid behind Shu He.

"What a surprise… I thought what happened a little while ago was enough for the night, but this is on another level…" Tai Hui held his chin in contemplation "Hey, how does this work? This transformation?" he asked.

"I don't know what you're thinking but Shu Xue is a unique animal, you won't find any spirit beast that can do this normally…" Shu He explained lightly, he wasn't wrong, the only ones he knew of were Shu Xue and Elder Bai, and he hadn't even seen Elder Bai's true form.

"Hm, unfortunate, I was thinking a transforming beast would make for a good travel companion" Tai Hui sighed.

"Travel?" Shu He's brow dipped before he turned to Gang Bo as he remembered something "That's right, I heard you mention that performance you did was a 'going away party'" he then turned back to Tai Hui "Are you leaving somewhere?".

"That's right, ever heard of the 'Keystone Pilgrimage'?" Tai Hui replied.

"That? I have, you're setting out on it tomorrow?" Shu He said, though he was surprised as he remembered that he hadn't heard from the three from the Crystal Coral Sect yet.

'Is Tai Yan still participating in the trial, or has he passed already? Did he maybe fail…'

"That's right, it took a while to get permission, but Elder Zhi and Elder Da helped it happen, I've been wanting to take a trip around Iris so it's perfect!" Tai Hui's face was filled with excitement as he explained.

'Elder Zhi… Zhi Wu, the battle division Elder if I remember correctly, I met him during that meeting with the Sect Master, he seemed like a battle-hardened type of guy, Elder Da was Da Ru the Formations Division elder… it's no wonder he got permission'.

"Do you know how long it will take?" Shu He decided to ask some questions.

"Hm? Planning on going yourself Shu He?" Gang Bo asked.

Shu He nodded "I'm considering it, the resources to reach Elemental Infusion are quite high… and I kind of want to see the world so I'll be killing two birds with one stone, what about you?".

"I can't unfortunately..." A rather depressed expression fell on Gang Bo as he sighed "Because I'm the direct disciple I can't leave until my Master says I'm ready, she'll be providing me with the resources I need to reach the next stage".

"Is that really that bad though?" 

"It's not but… I can't help but feel caged up sometimes, you know?" he then shook his head "Never mind, I just need to make Master acknowledge me".

"Good luck with that" Tai Hui patted Gang Bo's shoulder with a sympathetic glance "Anyway, the journey itself might take a few years depending on the state of transport, the weather and whatever I encounter… I hear absorbing the energy for Elemental Infusion take a while along with ascending the stage, that's on top of the trials we know nothing about… it's truly a pilgrimage."

"I see… so we won't be seeing you for a while then" Shu He smiled slightly, although they only spoke now and then, he would miss him.

"Heh, all the more reason to drink as much and eat a lot tonight! And when you set out, you need to do the same!".

The four of them raised their cups as Shu Xue reacted to the word 'food', afterwards they decided to spend the night celebrating to see Tai Hui off.