Chapter 31: Acceptance // Escape
"Brother Xin!"
Zed snapped out of his thoughts as he heard Jingfei's voice.
Jingfei was relieved to see that her brother Xin had woken up.
However, that split second distraction was taken advantage of by the two wolves as they lunged towards her in the opposite directions at the same time.
"Fei'er!"
Getting up to his feet, Zed rushed towards Jingfei. Jingfei was able to defend herself from the one coming at her from the front, but her back was defenseless.
He immediately gathered mana in his palm and casted a spell.
[Basic-Level Wind Magic: Meves]
Instantly, a strong gust of wind launched the wolf away from Jingfei's back.
Zed noticed the different output of the simple basic level spell that he cast.
The effect was significantly better, which made him think, 'Could eating mana circuits also improve my affinities?'
His wondering thoughts didn't last long as he prioritized protecting Jingfei.
He tried to run, but his body felt sluggish. It was as if he was running through a thick, invisible mud. He didn't know the reason since he just checked his body's state and everything was in tip top shape.
He disregarded his current state and cast another spell towards the wolf that Jingfei was fighting.
Sending another gust of wind, the other wolf was blown off towards the previous wolf who was 8-10 steps away from them. Jingfei didn't waste this opportunity and ran towards them, stabbing the wolf that had yet to stand up.
Stab!
She hastily withdrew her spear and prepared to intercept the other wolf, but she didn't have to do so anymore because…
BOOM!
A large fireball exploded on the last wolf's head.
Thud.
It fell to the ground as the burnt and roasted smell lingered in the air.
"Brother!"
Jingfei ran towards Zed who was having difficulty walking.
She caught him and wrapped his arm around her shoulder in order to support him.
"Brother! Are you alright?! What happened?!"
Jingfei was worried because this was the first time that she had seen her strong and dependable brother look so weak and tired.
Then she remembered the events earlier. Zed was supposed to join them in the carriage, but for some reason, he had jumped towards the opposite side of the road.
Seeing his back leaving them, Jingfei noticed that Wan Chao chased after her brother Xin while his henchmen chased after them.
She was worried because she knew that Wan Chao possessed some weird power because he had demonstrated it at the banquet.
And so, she separated from the group and ran towards Zed's location.
"Brother... where's Wan Chao?' She spoke softly.
Zed motioned with his eyes and looked at the disfigured chewed black remains. Jingfei followed his gaze and immediately understood what he was implying.
"Was commanding the wind and creating fire on top of your palm a part of brother's power?"
Zed nodded.
"Amazing..." Jingfei whispered in disbelief.
Seeing the awe in Jingfei's gaze, he smiled and told her. "Keep it a secret, alright? Don't tell anyone about what brother can do."
She enthusiastically nodded. "Un!" (E/N: This is a fking cultivation novel, not a Korean one!)
"Let's go back to them now... Sorry, It seems that my body still feels weak, so could Fei'er please help me?"
Jingfei didn't speak as she put more effort into carrying her brother.
Smelling that familiar and calming scent from her brother, her worries became at ease and she focused on regrouping with Meixiang and the others.
"Thank you, Fei'er."
Zed didn't forget to thank Jingfei since he knew that she separated from the main group in order to save him.
And what she did was helpful since he would've ended up being food for the wolves.
A smile appeared on Jingfei's face as she responded, "I want a reward."
Zed glanced at her with an arched brow. "What reward?"
While the two of them were walking, Jingfei turned to her brother's face while the latter was also looking at her, waiting for her answer.
"I want hugs and kisses everyday!"
Zed thought Jingfei was just joking, but what he didn't know was that Jingfei truly craved for those intimate actions everyday.
She had spent her entire childhood with no one to hug her, and even by becoming friends with her sister Mei, the latter couldn't help her because it would implicate her position as the royal princess.
So in the end... the only thing she could do was vent to her sister Mei, and she would get comforted, but once she got back to her home, to her room, the warm comfort would be gone and all she would be left to is the cold solitude.
Especially her real brother's hatred towards her. Not only did she suffer loneliness, but also the unjust hatred from her only brother.
So now that she had the chance, she wanted to do all these actions with her brother Xin, who she knew would take very good care of her.
Zed chuckled and stroked her head. "You don't even have to ask because I'll do that whenever you want me to."
Jingfei met Zed's eyes hesitatingly. "Will you.. treat Fei'er the same way you treat Lan'er?"
This is what she was deeply worried about. Although her brother promised to take good care of her, she still had some slight reservations because she knew that she can't replace his real little sister, which was Lan'er.
Zed could somehow understand what she was thinking and answered. "I have already considered you as my little sister the moment you called me your brother."
"And.. what kind of brother would play favourites between his younger siblings? Both of you are just as important to me."
He continued, "And if there was a moment where I am forced to choose between the two of you.."
Zed met Jingfei's eyes. "I would still choose both."
Jingfei felt a warm and fuzzy feeling as she finally felt like she was accepted. Her previous reservations were cleared away as her brother had told her what he truly felt.
Meeting his sincere gaze, Jingfei felt tears forming in her eyes as for the first time in forever, She felt someone hugging her inside the cold and lonely cage she had around her heart.
Zed only continued to caress her head as they walked through the forest.
-
Standing in the middle of the woods, two recently made graves were placed.
Meixiang, Lan'er, and two other escorts were standing by them as they silently paid respects to their deceased comrades.
They sacrificed their lives in order to ensure the death of their enemy who was in the peak core formation realm.
After a moment of silence, they all went back to walk towards the road.
All their appearances were in terrible states, as their robes were muddied and some parts of the fabric was torn off.
Meixiang was carrying Lan'er on her shoulders as the latter couldn't muster a single movement after they defeated their enemy.
Tang Xiurong, who was in Lan'er's body, barely kept herself awake as she overused Lan'er's body too much.
Meixiang knew that Tang Xiurong was possessing Lan'er's body, and tacitly remained quiet as they focused on their next objective which was to regroup with Zed and Jingfei.
Their two escorts were terribly tired as well, but they wordlessly followed the back of their royal princess.
After walking for some time, they found the road and saw Jingfei supporting Zed while walking in their direction.
The groups finally met up and all the children were glad to see each other.
Zed noticed that there were two escorts missing, but he immediately understood what had happened based on their appearance.
He didn't mention nor ask about them.
Meixiang walked towards Zed and asked, "Wan Chao?"
"Dead." Zed answered and asked. "Any signs of reinforcements?"
Meixiang shook her head as she spoke of her speculation. "They must have been a separate unit led by Wan Chao alone, but it is not safe to stay here since we don't know how they got the information about our escape."
"There might be some other pursuers chasing our back but..."
She looked at Zed's eyes as she continued, "We also need someone to inform my father about what happened."
Zed nodded and looked at the two escorts. "I know you guys are tired, but... you don't need to worry about being escorts anymore."
"Your job now is to go back and inform the King about the current events and tell him that we safely left the kingdom's borders."
"Also tell him that we will meet again in three years. When the Cleansing Jade Sect recruitment will start."
However, contrary to his expectations, the two escorts shook their heads and replied. "We must fulfill our duties and escort the princess until she has safely left the kingdom's borders."
Zed didn't find them annoying, but the real reason he was sending them away was because he also knew that they must have other pursuers, and with their carriage and mounts being gone, he only had one way of transportation in order to escape successfully.
But he didn't want to carry extra baggage since their travel distance would be significantly shorter if he was forced to cast a spell on more passengers.
Zed looked at Meixiang, trying to make her understand that he had a way.
The latter picked up on what he was indicating and spoke to her two escorts.
"I am ordering you as the princess of Xia Kingdom. Return to my father and inform him of Wan Chao's death."
"Make sure that this opportunity is not wasted. Do not worry about our safety anymore as we will be able to handle our escape ourselves."
She tried to be convincing, but with how tired they looked, along with their bodies as children, she couldn't make the two adult escorts believe them.
"Your highness, we cannot-"
Zed grumbled loudly and didn't want to waste anymore time.
He cast a spell on himself, Meixiang, Jingfei, and Lan'er and as soon as he did...
Woosh!
They all shot up to the skies.
The escorts were surprised, but they didn't remain dazed as they shouted something and tried to chase them.
Unfortunately, Zed and the others were already several hundred meters above the ground so they couldn't see nor hear the escorts anymore.
Meixiang, Lan'er, and Jingfei were screaming as they were suddenly soaring through the skies.
They were not prepared and the experience of flying through the air at an extremely fast speed was very scary.
They couldn't even hear their own screams as the wind blocked any sound from entering their ears. All they could hear was the violent wind brushing against their entire body.
Zed subconsciously slapped his head as he forgot about his improved affinity with the wind element.
He adjusted the mana he was using on his spell and finally, they were flying at a normal speed.
The girls calmed down as they felt their speed decrease, and as their bodies were being pulled close to each other. Zed also cast another spell to resist the wind so they could all hear each other.
With Zed in the middle, he apologized to them. "Sorry everyone, I forgot to control my power."
Jingfei was surprised, but forgave him instantly and Tang Xiurong remained quiet while thinking that Zed was really an absurd existence.
Meixiang had the strongest reaction as she shouted, "WE'RE FLYING?!"
Her loud voice echoed throughout the forest, causing some frightened birds to fly out of the trees.
Zed also covered his right ear while meeting Meixiang's shocked face.
"Is this one technique of your unique martial arts?" She asked while remembering their first encounter.
Zed wordlessly nodded.
Meixiang slightly frowned, thinking, 'Why didn't Zed use this ability earlier?' If he had used this ability then they wouldn't have had to sacrifice two of their escorts. Even before that, if Zed had said that he was capable of doing this then they wouldn't have even needed escorts.
Although Meixiang wasn't blaming Zed, she still wanted some explanation, so she would know that her subordinates didn't die in vain.
Zed could guess what Meixiang was thinking by looking at her face so he answered her first.
"The truth is, Wan Chao has a similar power to mine."
"You mean the mysterious power he showed to us when he suppressed Tian Delun during the banquet?"
"Yes. Did you notice him using Qi?"
Meixiang shook her head. "It was weird because I could swear that he wasn't using Qi. He hadn't even unlocked his meridians yet, nor did he have a body that belonged to a martial artist."
Before Zed answered, he looked at Lan'er and his eyes slightly squinted.
"You are..."
Tang Xiurong evaded his stare.
"...Thank you for back then."
Zed was talking about when she treated him while he was sick.
Tang Xiuring smiled. "No problem."
"I do not know why you are possessing my sister's body, but so long as you aren't doing her any harm, that's fine by me."
Tang Xiurong wanted to say that he had nothing to worry about, but Zed continued with a cold and threatening voice.
"However, if you do anything that would harm my sister..." Murderous intent came from his gaze. "I will make you regret it deeply."
Meixiang gasped as she heard Zed threaten Lan'er's master who was the Immortal Empress. She wanted to warn him, but Tang Xiurong eyed her to keep her mouth shut.
Tang Xiurong smiled wider as she had never been threatened by anyone in her life, much less by a little boy.
She thought it was funny and that he was very bold and fearless for a little brat but- she also knew that he was saying this for his sister's sake.
"...Got it."
In the end, she only replied like that.
Zed nodded before looking straight ahead of them.
"Keep this to yourselves, but there are people who are born with a unique constitution like me. Instead of Qi, we weave another source of power called mana."
Zed then proceeded to explain what a mage is and what a mage can do.
Time passed as Zed finished his long explanation. The only information he omitted was how a person can become a mage. Instead, he told them that he was born with a unique constitution.
It was already in the afternoon as the sun was setting below the horizon.
They were flying several hundred meters above the ground so they had a wonderful view of the surroundings.
The skies were golden orange and the clouds had a beautiful orange and pinkish hue.
Numerous trees looked like grasses accented by bodies of water such as rivers, waterfalls, and ponds.
The forest stretched from the north and south, while there were mountain ranges to their west, and the east was a blue sea.
The golden sun was setting from behind the mountain ranges, granting them this magnificent and breathtaking scene of nature.
Zed stared at this view in nostalgia as it had been two years since he had seen this scenery.
As for the others, they were dazzled and even Tang Xiurong who was an Immortal Empress couldn't help but appreciate this view.
Edited By: WorthyAdversary