As I looked back and observed my disciples, I was surprised to see only three of them left. Just a few moments ago and here I was thinking that our Tang Sect would live on but now, I'm starting to have my doubts.
Maybe the Tang Sect is meant to die after all.
To further express my point and make myself feel even more crestfallen, I proceeded to recall everything I know about my three surviving disciples.
The first one was named Luo Zhen and when it comes to close-quarters combat, he's the cream of the crop. Not one of my disciples could beat him in a brawl and I think that much speaks about his strength. Even if he was about to lose, he would do everything in his abilities just so he could snag a win. That's how physically driven he was. When it comes to tournaments and gladiator-like matches, he would always be in the top three even though he would almost always be the youngest out of the bunch.
Only downside is, he's too much of a musclehead. He's so physically driven that the only thing he cares about is improving his strength and nothing else. In other words, he's a plain idiot when it comes to smarts. He could very well be the most stupid out of the bunch. I remember one time he ate the sword I gave him, and when asked why, he told me that he needed more iron in his body and it's the fastest way to get it.
At that moment, I wanted to facepalm myself so hard but I endured it. In the end, I advised him to take iron supplements since eating swords are dangerous. After much convincing, he believed me, and to this day, he still regularly intakes iron supplements.
"So stu- er, I mean, muscle-headed," I muttered.
My second disciple was surprisingly Ye Zhiyun. By surprise, I meant I never expected her to survive since she was one of the few female disciples I've had. She was the youngest out of the bunch and definitely the most intelligent. However, she's too calculative and assuming that she always expects the worst-case scenarios, rendering her unable to act when it comes down to it. This was one of the reasons why she just stayed in the Outer Court even though she had the potential to become one of the top disciples in my sect. Whenever a Sect Tournament happens, she wouldn't join them most of the time since she couldn't get a clear picture of all the outcomes. Adding to that, although she was really proficient in her Lightning Element, she couldn't use it to harm anyone and she never did.
At times like these, she's at an absolute disadvantage.
After all, how could you survive an outbreak if you don't want to fight? It seems like a dumb question but its profoundness is on point. If you have what it takes to survive, then that will up the chance of your survival, simple as that.
Seeing these puppy-like disciples of mine behind me makes me question my existence as the Sect Master of the Tang Sect. Like, what am I even doing with my life?
You got the muscle head, the intellectual coward, and finally, you got the Xiao Liang, your average mob character. Ever since he entered my sect, he remained in the Mortal Realm, and not once did he attempt a breakthrough. I don't know if he was intentionally doing it but it bothered me nevertheless. Sometimes, I even wonder if Xiao Liang really was a real-life NPC because of that. His status remained the same even after all these months. And for a cultivator, that's not how it works.
You know, I'm inclined to think that he really is an NPC, or rather, an epitome of one.
"Xiao Liang are you an NPC?" I couldn't help but ask out of the blue.
"Uh, me? Uhm... no?" He said, too confused to even answer.
Or maybe it's just an automatically generated response when you ask an NPC if he or she's an NPC... yeah, I believe Xiao Liang is an NPC, alright.
Another horde of rabid humans started encircling us once again. It was such a pain, seeing them come up to us wave upon waves. We don't get to take a break and we have to keep on moving. Adding to that, I still need to protect my disciples and slow down the virus in my body. I could feel the virus coursing through my veins, slowly trying to reach my brain as soon as possible. It was an unknown and weird feeling since I couldn't begin to describe the virus. It's as if an unknown substance suddenly found itself in my blood and I have no way of removing it.
But No! I, Tang Yongrui, is the Sect Master of the most formidable sect in the whole country, Tang Sect! There's no way I'm going to cease to exist just because some cursed rabid human bit me on the neck!
I won't lie though, that bite felt really good... until it wasn't!
When I turned my head once again, I perceived that my disciples were having the toughest of times trying to keep up with me. They were out of breath and their raspy breathing wasn't helping with my vexation and impatience being. What have they been learning in my Sect? I never missed a day to train their body and mind harshly but what of it? It's as if they just wasted their precious youth in my Sect because of the low-quality fruits of their labor. I mean, we haven't covered an entire kilometer yet!
There's nothing more important at the forefront of my mind than my sect surviving through this outbreak. I couldn't ask for more! But seeing these kids behind me, I'm not confident that my sect would survive a month, let alone a whole lifetime. There's just no way. If it weren't for my assistance, these three would've been dead by now.
And yet, why am I saving them? A fleeting urge of conscience?
As much as I hate to admit it, I guess I should be uttering my prolonged farewell to my Sect. I poured my whole life and being into building and maintaining the high status of my Sect. Who would've thought I'd be saying goodbye to it on a rabies outbreak of some sort.
Plop!