"You're awake? I know you are. I can feel you're not trying to hide your breathing. Is now a good time to chat?"
"Qin HaoTian. Why would I try to hide my breath?"
"My little sister seemed flushed after she said she stitched you up. Did you do something to her?" Qin HaoTian asked as he sat by the bed Kazein laid at.
"So it was her who patched me up? I'm surprised royalty knows how to sew."
"My sister always had those hobby's of doing peasant business. But I see it paid off today. I heard you had a whole in your chest. Where is it now?"
"Probably healed. Don't know why though."
Qin HaoTian stood up "Shiyi, if I find out you are treating my little sister badly, you'll have no where to run. You can disrespect me all you want, just not her."
"Why should I? All I care about is fighting Ang once more. To do that, I need power." Kazein replied to Qin HaoTian in a calm voice.
Qin HaoTian snorted "Hmph. Even if I am royalty, I know what you mean." Qin HaoTian left the room.
[So he got that double joke. Guess his smart too.]
The "Why should I?" Phrase means he is asking why he should treat Qin Xia harshly, but it means as well in response to Qin HaoTian's threat that he won't run even if he was hunted down. This contrast with his real past.
Shortly after Qin HaoTian left, Gao Jun went in with excite and delight.
"Shiyi brother! You're awake! I'm so grateful you did."
"Gao Jun general. Stop shaking me. My wound still hurts."
"Ah... You're right." Gao Jun released Kazein from his grips. Kazein dropped as a rock through the air.
"Be gentle! Do you want to kill me?!"
"Ahahaha sorry. But still, I really am grateful you woke up. The survivors were all praying to the heavens that you'd wake up. They saw you fight on the fields, and against Ang." Gao Jun stopped for a while, then he knelt. "Even though it was supposed to be me who was to save you! You saved me instead! I'm grateful, my life is yours once more. I would die for you when time calls for it."
"Save it, your life means nothing to me. If you really want to thank me, tell me a way to get stronger. Here and now."
Gao Jun looked up, then he stood up. "Then, if it's power ups you're looking for, the army has a lot of techniques above the enlightened road. Tell me, what's the path you walk?"
"I walk no path. I only know the swords."
"Eh?! Seriously?! I thought you were a wind walker since you are always so fast! I didn't expect you had pure speed that fast."
"Fast? I was only a snail to Ang. He's the one I need to beat."
"Hmm, then u can't help you with that. But lady princess may know of one. I mean, she gathers strong people. It's strange if she can't give them something to cultivate and grow." He stopped, then he laughed "Well! If all goes well, you should become an aristocrat if the heavens will."
Kazein didn't speak. He just smiled and laughed. "What heavens will? The heavens should just get f*cked right in the arse."
In a moment, Gao Jun's laughter burst forth. "So you think so too?! Hahahaha! I agree! The heavens fuck us up as always! They should be the ones to get f*cked up if that's their will!"
After a while if talking. A soldier rushed in and briefly reported.
Gao Jun ordered him out.
"What'd he say?" Kazein asked.
"The Oars brought out an annoying monster of theirs."
"Ang?"
"Close. But weaker. We call it the arch nemesis. It's a spider beast that is near the damnation road. Of all battles, we almost lost. We just barely win because it is scared of fire." He paused, then he took his spear "But everytime, for some reason we cannot use magic. They probably had an anti magic barrier going on. We only managed to make fire through the sparks of our swords and flints. Leave this to us. We can handle."
But Kazein stood up "I need to grow stronger. My guts tell me that if I don't grow stronger, I'd just get f*cked by the heavens once more. It took everything from me. I won't let it take even my reason for fighting."
"But still... You're a wounded tiger. And a wounded tiger outside of its cave is easy prey for the dancing mantis."
"Get out of the way."
"I will not."
"Out or you die."
"In your current state, I can easily spank your head."
It was then that Qin Xia went in. She couldn't see Kazein in the eyes, but she still talked to him. "You better rest. I used a blood magic on you, if you keep moving. The blood veins inside you will pop and kill you."
"Fine."
"In compensation for taking your way to grow stronger, should I write you a letter for the Royal moon academy?"
"Royal moon academy. Just from its name, it must be the largest academy in the country."
"Good judgement. That's where I graduated from. Then I was drafted in the army after three years. Since the beginning of the blood war against the Heran country 10 years ago." Gao Jun laughed.
"I see. Then, what does it have?"
"Hmm, healing spring, breakthrough tower, holy garden, flaming tribulation, ice tribulation, earth tribulation and even wind tribulation. I forgot most of the places there, but they do have a library."
"Oh? Healing spring. That gives me a sense of deja Vu, somehow, I guess."
Qin Xia chuckled as she left the tent. Gao Jun stayed with Kazein until they were out for battle.
[That stream of dark flow. That gave me a boost of power no doubt about it. Even Ang wasn't able to react to the speed when I cut off his fingers. If I can learn to grasp the dark stream once more, that will be my way of winning.]
Five hours later, the Qin army won the small scale battle and drove off the arch nemesis through means of fire.
"We won for now. But those bloodsuckers will come back. They ran with their tails on their arses! I killed 200 men today! Don't I deserve some booze?!"
"Hey! Somebody put a chain on general Gao Jun! He's already drunk. It'd be bad if he gets another shitting spree!" The patron woman who had a plump build yelled over to the captains.
Kazein joined the nights party as he drank along with some of the captains as the others tied up Gao Jun to a post.
"Sorry Gao Jun general, we respect ya. But we don't want another one of your tantrums." A captain with a scar on his neck said as they tightened the bonds.
"Just as Xei Ting captain says Gao Jun general." Another captain said as he takes the wine cup away from Gao Jun.
And they left him tied to the post.
"So, Long Shiyi. How did you and lady princess met? I mean, the forest? How?" A captain who was drunk asked aggressively.
"I agree. How the hell did you meat the princess beauty?" Another asked.
Kazein who was still sober, remembered their first encounter, and replied "Nothing much. I'd rather not say unless the beauty herself says so. Besides, I'm blind. I couldn't see where she was or if she was even there."
"Then where the hell were you when she found you?!" A voice yelled from s direction. It was Gao Jun who was thought to have passed out.
"Hmm, my legs were soaked that time. Probably a river?"
"A river?" One captain approached and was a little too close, then the others did so too so as to hear the whole story.
"I remember being faint, then, I must've fallen to the river." Kazein told the tale.
"A river? Falling to the water? How deep was it?" One captain asked.
"Enough to drown me in. Probably a waterfall."
The captains went silent, then they backed away and looked at each other. After a moment of silence.
"Oh my god!!! You lucky bastard!!! She must have been taking a bath and you walked in on her!!!"
"You should die for that sin!"
"How the hell could you have been so lucky as to even see her bathing?!"
"Shut up!!! You virgin losers! Long Shiyi is blind! He couldn't even see where he was going!" Gao Jun yelled from the post.
Kazein who was confused on why they were fighting, just drank some more wine.
That night, they celebrated their temporary victory against the principality of Raphan.
The next day, they set off for the capital.