"Daozhang, wake up. Are you ok?"
Someone tried to shake Xie Ra awake. He slightly opened his eyes. Ugh, It was too early. Xie Ra rolled over toward the other side, hoping to sleep again.
"Daozang, Daozhang."
Xie Ra turned his head to see the person, who dared to disturb his glorious slumber.
Smack.
Now, Xie Ra was more awake than before. He got smacked by someone's hand when he tried to turn his head. What a bad way to wake up?
He wiped his eyes and tried to open his eyes. The outside was too bright for him. Suddenly he felt a small hand touch his arm softly.
"Daozang, are you okay? Dage told me to check if you are okay or not."
A who? Was someone talking to him?
Xie Ra saw a small kid was kneeling before him, with a concerning gaze on his face, through his half-lidded eyes. Xie Ra realized that this was the kid who woke him up.
Wait? Woke him up? When did he sleep last night?
This realization made him fully awake. He slightly remembered he was sitting under a tree to take a small break. Probably he fell asleep then. It was a relief that nobody robbed him last night.
However, Xie Ra felt like something was missing. Where was his sword? Xie Ra looked around. It wasn't in Xie Ra's visual field. Panic struck him like lightning. He hurriedly stood up and started to search for his sword like a maniac.
He didn't even notice that a group of teenagers was curiously watching him. Some of them laughed at his odd behavior. Xie Ra's panicked state was too funny for his uninvited audience.
Poor Xie Ra had no idea about this. He was too occupied with his searching.
However, the little one from before was a bit worried.
He asked Xie ra, "Daozhang, what are you searching for?"
"My sword. I wrapped it with white clothing."
"Like the one you are wearing?"
Huge laughter erupted behind them. Then only, he noticed the group behind him.
Xie Ra wanted to dig a huge hole and buried himself. What a shame? Xie Ra felt his face burn.
Fortunately, before he entered into a self-pity session, his keen eyes noticed the uniform these kids were wearing. It was the sect-outer disciple uniform. This uniform was the same for every cultivation sect, in the Northern kingdom. So, he couldn't identify the sect these kids belonged to.
Xie Ra got curious. Therefore, he asked the junior beside him,
"Hey, from which sect you are coming from?"
He answered enthusiastically. "From the Mystic pavilion. We came here with our Dage*. Elder Shen Guang was with us too… But, he took senior brothers to the hunting.**"
Elder Shen Guang? Was this the same person Xie Ra knew?
"Did you mean elder Shen Guang who has a little brother called Shen Xiao?"
"Yes Daozhang, Do you know him? Woah. How do you know him? We can take you to meet elder Shen Guang." The kid looked at Xie Ra with starry eyes.
It was at this moment he knew he just talked too much. He wasn't supposed to show anything that gave away his connection to the Immortal sword sect. He couldn't let his enemies know that he was still alive. So, he lied.
"No. Just heard about him. He is a very famous cultivator."
Little one's shoulders dropped. Xie Ra heard the other one's small sigh. He felt bad, so he patted his head.
Poor kid. Well, the rest of his group was kids too. Wasn't it dangerous for them to wander away without any supervision? He remembered that the little one said that they were here with their Sect's senior brother. Where is he?
"Where is your Dage, junior?"
"Oh, he was sitting there." The kid pointed his finger to show a direction.
"I apologize Daozhang. I forgot to take you to him before. I'll take you now." The kid started to walk away as Xie Ra started to follow him.
Their sect's big brother was sitting on the opposite side of the tree, which was hidden from their previous spot. However, from this place, Xie Ra could see their previous spot. That means… Dage saw his stupid deeds before? Xie Ra wanted to light up a huge candle for himself.
As soon as Xie Ra saw their big brother Xie Ra got a big shock. It was the same man he bumped into a few days before.
Like that this embarrassing morning has become ten times worse. First, he walked like an idiot and bumped into a man. Then, he searched for the sword that was on his back for a good deal of time. Xie Ra didn't want to think about other one's opinions of him after all this havoc.
How unfortunate he was as he didn't feel the weight of his sword on his back?
"Dage, this Daozhang wanted to see you." He heard a little voice said cheerfully.
What? It was this kid who took him to this man. Seriously?
However, he played along. "Greetings Daozhang. I would like to thank you for your kindness towards me this morning."
The other man slightly nodded at him. Yet, he was silent. Xie Ra didn't know whether he should continue this conversation or not.
An awkward silence hung in the air for a long time. Xie Ra returned to his previous spot after an awkward moment that felt like an eternity.
What a jerk? He didn't even talk to him. At Least, introduce himself.
That man didn't even bother to remove his weimao when Xie Ra greeted him. He clenched his teeth. A slight stream of wind kissed his face, making him shiver from the sudden cold thanks to the beads of sweat on his temple. He unconsciously wiped them out and sighed.
'He checked if you were ok,' His heart reminded him. True. He turned his head slowly in the other man's direction.
The other male leaned against the tree comfortably. However, it seemed like the weimao he was wearing disturbed his relaxation. Therefore, the man removed it and dropped it beside himself.
Xie Ra's eyes widened as he saw the other one's face. The sweat he wiped off appeared in two folds on his face. This time it happened for a completely different reason from before.
It- It was Huang Fu. His childhood hero.
This is a GODDAMN NIGHTMARE. Xie didn't know he should laugh or cry.
He wanted to meet this man for a long time. Just think. When he got his chance he made a complete fool out of himself in front of his idol.
Xie Ra never wanted to become invisible until then.