The celebration would be one involving all of the city's residents, but just because you were a resident didn't mean you could attend. With Rizer among them, every traitor, whether influential or not, was arrested and awaiting their punishments while the rest of the city was vibrant with excitement.
Everyone praised the 'masked devil', and Henry was among them. At Shui's request, he didn't reveal his identity, but he made sure to praise the character he portrayed as a hero that saved their city. With just a little push, myths and legends about the 'masked devil' would fill the city until just his name would act as a deterrent to thoughtless criminals. Shui felt a little embarrassed when he saw people already getting tattoos of his mask, but he allowed Henry to use that persona as he wished since it would improve the safety of the city.
In one of the countless brightly lit restaurants, there was a large group that occupied the entire area. There were several beautiful women among them, but due to the guards that were hidden among the crowd no unsavoury incidents occurred. For showing such consideration, Shui wanted to invite Jacob to join them but he knew that since the Wright family had joined the traitors, he would need time to prove their innocence even though he had killed Anders.
'Speaking of which, I wonder what the response of their main branch will be.'
As a new worry entered his mind, one of his big sisters filled the mug in his hand.
As she leaned over, she whispered, "Stop that moody face, Shui. It's a celebration remember."
Shui flinched and gave an awkward laugh before taking a sip of his drink.
'That's right. I can leave it for later.'
Shui had only been here for a day, yet he could feel a weight off his shoulder, much less the other residents. At the start, Lily stayed near to serve him but she eventually got pulled into the festivities like everyone else. Shui smiled as he watched them laughing and dancing together, but then he noticed someone else who stayed on the sidelines so he got up and approached her.
"Are you okay, Aunt Lilia?"
After hearing his concern, Lilia turned to face with Shui with a gentle and relieved look on her face. Her son, Matthew, was also playing with some other kids so he wondered if she was keeping an eye on him, but there seemed to be more to it.
"Yes, I'm fine, Shui. Thanks to you. Despite being your guardian, I keep having to depend on you, don't I."
Shui shook his head in response and spoke with sincerity.
"No, I may have strength, but you're strong in ways I'm not. You can do things that I can't do, like being an amazing mother."
"Oh my, you've gotten better with your words. I wonder how many girls have been played by you," she said with a light chuckle.
Shui wanted to laugh with her, but he found that difficult since a few faces came to mind when she mentioned 'other girls'. Shui was worried that she would push further on this topic, but instead she showed a solemn look in her eyes.
"After the festival, I need to give you a package. It's from her."
When Shui heard this message, he was not surprised in the least as the information he received from the underground guild confirmed that the fleeing group of the Storm Sky Manor had passed by Cyrus. Therefore, he was certain that she would have left a message before leaving.
"I see. That's good to hear but,"
Shui carefully grabbed Lilia's hand and pulled her to her feet.
"Why don't we have some fun before that?"
The two of them then joined the others in dancing, singing, cheering and having fun in general. Shui couldn't remember the last time he participated in such a huge celebration, in fact, this was likely his first time.
As a child he was obsessed about cultivation and getting stronger, and with the alienation he faced in the clan, even the small annual festivals weren't events that he was allowed to attend. If he asked for a chance to go then the adults around him would surely force their way into the festival, but then he wouldn't be able to fully enjoy it.
Due to his circumstances, Shui tried his best to suppress his childish desires when he was younger, but now he felt free to act however he wished. With no need to think hard or worry about his opponent's next move, Shui simply, had fun.
Even when dawn was a few hours away, the celebration continued. However, the children started getting sleepy so Shui carried Sia while Lilia held Matthew and they went home together. Originally, Lily volunteered to bring them home, but she backed off once Shui told her that he needed to talk to Lilia about something.
Once the two got home, they laid the children in their respective beds and returned to the small kitchen/dining area. This time, Lilia came with a letter attached to a small box.
"One morning I woke up and found this by my bed along with a letter for me. I couldn't believe that damn girl came by without talking to me, but I was glad that she was safe after the disaster at Silver City. Still, I'm definitely going to spank that girl if she does this a second time."
Shui chuckled as he took the package and opened the letter. From the first few lines, he could tell how inexperienced she was with writing letters, but that only made it more special. She started with simple greetings and then went straight to the main topic.
'Since it's you, I'm sure that you made it out okay. I wanted to wait for you, but I chose to go with the sect instead. BUT, it's not because I don't care about you as much as I do about the sect, it's so that I can fight by your side. I don't know if I'll ever be able to surpass you, but I know that if I don't keep moving forward I'll just be a burden to you. Therefore, I made the decision to follow the sect out of the five cities' region. I'm not sure where we'll be going, but I'm sure you'll be able to find me. To make it easier for you, I left an artifact, that I managed to pick up.'
Once he read this part of the letter, Shui opened the small box. In the box was a compass which glowed with a very faint blue light. The moment he examined the artifact, he was both shocked and pleased by the familiar aura from it.
'She must have 'picked this up' from a member of the Lava Stream Sect.'
The person she got it from might not have been apart of the faction that came to Cyrus, but Shui still felt that they deserved what they got if they messed with her. According to the letter, since he registered her blood on it, the strength of the glow determined her distance, while the colour was her condition. The closer it got to red, the worse her condition while blue meant she was fine. Considering that he could barely sense what direction she was in when he entered the triple harmony state, Shui was grateful that she left this for him.
After I looked over the artifact, I went back to read the last part of the letter.
'P.S. Don't keep me waiting too long. We still need to finish where we left off.'
It was a vague line with a hint of maturity, but Shui was certain that she had a red face while writing this line.
'She's gonna keep moving forward, huh? Then I can't stop here either.'