He came from Earth so, for him, liking more than a single person was odd… he knew he loved Xuehua, and he could give many reasons for that.
Yet, when it came to Yuan Yue, he could not properly say what he felt, despite knowing he liked her – her personality, her teasing attitude, her playfulness.
However, he could not pinpoint what sort of like that was. If he liked her as a friend or as a love interest, that was something still foreign to him. Above all, it also sounded like a betrayal.
Could you like another person when you already love someone else? Did not that mean that his love was not as strong as he proclaimed it to be? Not as deep and not as true, merely vain words devoid of any meaning?
Suddenly, he heard a small groan.
With a hand massaging her head, Yuan Yue slowly woke up. Her eyes were red from crying and she also seemed a bit groggy, as if she had not slept well.
However, as soon as she saw Yueshi looking at her, her eyes opened wide and she fully awoke, her mind going blank for a moment.
Then, immediately, she turned her head away, afraid he would know she had been crying.
"You do not need to always act as if you are strong…" Yueshi softly muttered, reaching his hand to caress the top of her head, making her freeze on the spot.
"Bah… who is feigning what here?" Maybe incensed by his words, she turned to look at him, though she still averted his eyes.
'As if I'd let you see my weak side.' Saying so to herself, Yuan Yue leaned toward Yueshi.
Before he could react, their lips had connected in a short peck. Soon after, Yuan Yue got up and walked toward the door.
"That is your punishment." While she spoke so, her ears were deep red; and too embarrassed to stay, she opened the door and almost jumped out of the room.
Maybe because of the noise, Xuehua woke soon after while rubbing her eyes. Seeing Yueshi well, she wiped her eyes with her sleeves.
Her eyes were just a bit moist and she did not cry as much as Yuan Yue, however, she wasn't any less worried – instead, she was even more.
"I am sorry." He did not have the chance to tell Yuan Yue, but this was something he had to tell the two of them… no, each of his friends.
Xuehua only shook her head. "You don't have. You did it to protect us, after all." Though she spoke so, Yueshi felt as if she wanted to say more.
And he was right. She wanted to tell him that, next time, he should flee and forget about protecting others. However, in the end, she could not bring herself to say such words, not after all he had gone through to protect them.
Nevertheless, it was clear that, in her heart, he was the most important person and that the others could not compare.
And while he was happy for occupying such a place in her heart, he was also a bit sad – it meant that, as her brother and her brother only, she was concerned about him.
Or so he felt.
"How are the others?" His voice trembled a bit when asking.
"They are well, you don't have to worry." Playing with his hand, she smiled. "Though they suffered a few wounds, after taking a few pills and resting for a while they will recover." Obviously, she was only speaking about the people from their association.
Soon, his stomach started to make weird noises, making Xuehua's smile widen.
He could only awkwardly laugh, feeling he would have to trouble her again – though Xuehua felt it was no trouble at all.
After chatting for a while more, she left to prepare food, and Yueshi was left to think about everything that had happened and also what was going on.
--- - -
Confined to his bed, Yueshi was finally able to leave two days later after recovering a bit.
The battle against the beast horde had reached its end, but not without a price being paid.
Many disciples died, and several were grievously injured. Because of that, many stories had reached a terrible conclusion and would soon be forgotten by the world.
The villagers were extremely grateful and made a banquet to thank their saviors, which lasted for three days as people drank their pain and sorrow away.
Right now, the disciples were merely waiting for the protectors to send them back, as most of them could not control themselves anymore – wanting to lay on their comfy beds and sleep in the safe embrace of the outer court.
While the festivities went on, Yueshi and the others met in the place they rented as their headquarters.
Everyone was here, including Wu Feng and the others. They all had injuries here and there, some grave and others not as much, but everyone was alive and kicking.
Above all, as they stood there, the atmosphere was friendly and bright.
They were friends before, but, after this battle, their bond was even firmer and closer. However, leaving that aside, they soon started to speak about important matters.
"During the three days Brother Yueshi has been unconscious, many people have asked to join the association or form an alliance," Baiyun spoke while laughing. "You were so amazing during that final strike that they all became your fans."
Yueshi could only wryly smile at his words.
"However, I feel we can't accept all of them and instead only accept those that we can trust and that are good people." Baiyun was tired of wolf-hearted humans, as he had come in contact with a lot of them because of his father.
"Hm. If they are not reliable and trustworthy, there is no need to accept them." Yueshi nodded. "As for alliances… I believe that we should just refuse them."
Alliances were too much of a hassle as they were made on the premise that both sides would have certain benefits, and Yueshi did not want to think about that when approaching others.
The others nodded, understanding what he meant.
"After we go back we will be given contribution points for our personal contribution to the defense. However, the Association will also be awarded contribution points according to its achievements." Suddenly, Bei Lao spoke. "Brother, as the leader, you need to think about how we will spend it."
As they continued to chat and think about their plans for the future, time passed slowly.
They felt bad for those that would forever stay on those fields, however, they were alive and, as the survivors, they would continue walking with their heads right while pursuing their goals.
Soon, evening arrived. Then, a voice echoed across the entire village, attracting the attention of all disciples.
"All disciples from the Star Sea Sect, please reunite at the village's central square." The central square was where they appeared when they came, and where the array had been engraved.
It did not take long for everyone to start moving, bidding farewell to the villagers as they made their way there.
The people from the village cheered and thanked them, knowing they sacrificed a lot to protect them all. Seeing it, Yueshi could not help but look back toward the area where the fight took place.
They did not do it only for the villagers, but, in the end, it was their purpose of coming here.
To protect those families, those fathers, mothers, and daughters; to protect the young and the old. Now, as they left, many had been left buried in the ground to never see the light of the sun again.
It was truly a bit hard to accept, but he could not change how this world worked.
In his mind, he swore to never let his friends be those staying behind, he swore to find strength enough to protect them and not let them die.
That was a promise he had to keep at all costs. Telling himself so, he watched his friends' backs as they walked ahead.
Once Yueshi and the others reached the main square, everyone waited while chatting.
Almost half of the disciples had died, and many were still injured – with broken bones, deep wounds, and so on.
However, they all came and stood in lines, waiting for the protector's announcement.
"After you arrive at sect, the personal and the collective contribution points will be allocated to you. Now, I shall announce each outer court disciple's result in this defense." The protector was flying in the middle of the square, speaking calmly as she observed them.
Following that, she announced name after name and spoke about how much each person contributed.
No one knew for sure how it was calculated, but the protector spoke in percentages – the first person to be called, a guy named Ah Bao, had a contribution of zero point zero one percent.
The personal contribution took into consideration individual efforts - like the number of beasts killed, how much one helped strengthen the defenses, how many pills, weapons, and expendables one distributed, and more.
In the end, amongst everyone from the Soaring Dragon Association, the one with the greatest contribution was Yueshi, followed by, unexpectedly, Xuehua, and then Xiao Yao.
The second and third place had not fought directly in the battle against the horde; however, their help had meant a lot.
Xuehua, as a member of the support squad, had not only rescued her teammates during the fight, but she also helped rescue the injured disciples and saved many lives.
It was thanks to her that many disciples were able to survive the battle, and many of them were deeply grateful toward her.
Xiao Yao's contribution was not only the poison pellets that caused great damage, but it was also thanks to him that Yueshi and the three others were able to resist the snake's poison, and since Yueshi played an important role in killing the Boa King he also earned a few points.
Other than that, he had sold and distributed a lot of pills during the time the others were training.
As the one to break a scale off, Yi Dongfeng was the one with the greatest contribution. That, coupled with the number of beasts he killed before allowed him to take the top spot.
There were also a few high achievers amongst those that built the traps and defenses. All in all, twenty or so disciples shared almost ninety percent of the mission's contribution points, while the remaining ten percent was shared by the rest.
Many people made sure to remember the Soaring Dragon Association's name, as they had done great in their very first battle, showing their great potential despite their little time of activity.
Others, seeing the close relationship of the group, were planning to join them – one had to note that amongst their twenty-five members no one had died, too.
Like that, after a long announcement, everyone saw the white beam of light pierce the sky, and, with a long sigh, they bade their final farewell.
Yueshi was sure that no one would ever forget this battle, and that no matter how much power they had, it would never be enough to guarantee safety and success - unless they stood above all.
It was a lesson for life.
--- - -
After returning to the sect, everyone found themselves on their parting point, the region just in front of the Starry Sky Pavilion. There were already many disciples waiting there, however, the numbers had clearly decreased.
Many people had fallen, so the atmosphere was a bit down and sorrowful.
"The battle had ended, and many have fallen under the beasts' claws and fangs." Suddenly, a man spoke. It was the same person that had called them here days before. "Whatever you are weak or strong, if you are new to the sect or not, remember this battle for the rest of your lives. No matter how content you are with your strength, never forget that there will always be dangers, that there are strong enemies everywhere" His voice was calm and quiet, yet, it was as if he was speaking right next to their ears.
After he spoke, silence reigned for a moment.
"If you want to protect your friends, if you don't want to die and become a corpse lying on the battlefield… then become stronger, so strong that nothing and no one will be able to threaten you!" His words did not bring forth some sort of profound knowledge, but it lit the fire that had burned out.
There were people that had come earlier and that had given up in front of the wall called talent.
And there were also some that had just arrived in the sect and that were already content enough with their achievements.
The man's words seemed to resonate in their minds. Right, they needed strength, and as they were right now they were too weak – they could not stop walking this path, they could not be content with their pitiful amount of power.
Yueshi shook his head seeing it.
For a moment, he wondered if this had been the sect's plans all along. However, feeling Xuehua's hand squeeze his own, he decided to not think about it.
Sometimes, not knowing is better than knowing, and he felt that now was one of such moments.