Kai sat down on his bed, wincing as he bandaged his feet. For some reason, Qing yuan had just hurriedly brought him to his room after leaving the crowd, and left him on his own. He didn't even demand Kai to let him treat his wounds. But that is the least of Kai's concerns. There is something strange going on, he just couldn't get the bizarre feeling he got when he looked at Hu Delun. It's like, he didn't have a soul. To Kai, he just felt emptiness and cold with some strong force behind it. And it made Kai shudder from the coldness, especially the way Delun looked. That creepy smile that formed on his lips when his soulless eyes met Kai's.
'Maybe I am just imagining things. And also feeling these weird vibes because I am new to this Prospecting thing.' Kai thought to himself as he applied ointment on his blisters.
Kai quickly looked up when he heard the door open and close. "Hey Taio." He greeted Taio with a warm smile. "Shufen." He sulkily mumbled when Shufen walked into the room.
Shufen just scoffed at him, and walked over to the table and sat down. While Taio was a bundle of joy, who immediately ran over to Kai's bed and plopped down beside him.
"Kai, you are back early-what is wrong with your feet?" Taio winced when he saw Kai's blistered feet.
"Master Zhou is what happened." Kai replied, hissing as he rub ointment on a particular blister that reminded him of a moment he will never forget.
They heard a snicker, and they looked over at Shufen who had a grin on his face. "Ha, Master Zhou. Aren't you going to tell him that your prince also caused you to have some of those wounds? Which looks disgusting from over here." Shufen picks up the white gaiwan and pours himself some tea.
Taio look away from him and back at Kai with a questioning gaze. Kai look away from him, silently cursing Shufen in his mind. Taio and Qing yuan are not big fans of each other, and if Taio thinks that he might be getting harsh treatments, which he isn't, from Qing yuan. He will start fussing about, and try to protect me from Qing yuan. Which will be bad for him, because when it comes on to Kai. Qing yuan doesn't let his guard down. And if it wasn't for the fact that he respects Master Zhou, he would have unleashed his anger on him a long time ago. Kai have noticed how Qing yuan would discreetly scowl at Zhou whenever he hit Kai or do something to make Kai wince in pain.
"It's nothing serious." Kai silently said.
A loud clattering is heard, as Shufen harshly put the cup back onto the saucer. "I thought Prospectors didn't lie."
"We don't."
"So how come you are? Hmm?" Shufen bit back, hard.
"I am not." Kai spat back, involuntarily rubbing the same blister he was treating earlier.
"If you are not lying, why dont you tell him that your highness made you walk on hot coal barefooted."
Kai stiffen, and sank his finger down hard into the blister. The wound stinging from pain, as the memory of how he got it resurfaced.
Flashback to earlier
Qing yuan took the piece of silk cloth from around Kai's eyes, and told him to take off his shoes. The curious smile faded from Kai's lips, when he looked in front of him and saw the hot coals, he turned to Qing yuan with a raised brow.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Qing yuan ask, holding his right palm forward and smoke started to come from the coals.
"I want to know why you blindfolded me and brought me here. I thought that you-" Kai stopped mid sentence, and a blush suddenly appeared across his cheeks. 'Kai, snap out of it. Why do you think something like that? Prince Qing Yuan doesn't think of you in that way." He mentally cursed himself. "He likes princesses, not weird guys that disguise themselves as princesses.'
"You thought that I what?" Qing Yuan asked. He bent down and stuck his pointer finger onto one of the coal and Kai stood there with his mouth open when Qing yuan took up the hot coal and then put it back down and brushed his hand off like it was nothing. "Close your mouth, or you are going to attract flies in there." When Kai didn't respond, he moved beside him and closed it instead. "Anyway, since you won't tell me what you thought I was going to do." Qing yuan smirks. "I will be helping Master Zhou to train you today."
"Why?"
"Because I asked him too."
"Or more like tell him to." Kai muttered underneath his breath. But Qing yuan still heard anyway.
"What do you suppose to mean by that?" He ask, annoyance clear as day in his voice.
"You are a prince, and the school is located right in the middle of your kingdom's capital. So you have more perks then anyone else here." Kai replied, also getting annoyed as well.
Qing yuan growled with irritation. "Is that what you think of me? That I am a spoil, and use my power or status to get what I want?!" Kai flinched when Qing yuan's voice got louder. "I worked hard to be here, to be the best in cultivation school." His voice got back to its normal time, when he saw the terrifying look on Kai's face. "Just forget about it. Did you take your boots off?" Kai nodded, still wondering why he needed to be barefooted. "Good. Now, I am going to teach you how to become immune to fire. So when you are using the fire element, you won't hurt yourself. And also teach you how to become one with the element."
Kai wave him off with a chuckle. 'Haha, he wants to teach me how to use fire. I don't need any teaching, I use fire almost everyday. He can go and ask Jun, how good I am at setting the hay in the stables ablaze to get on his nerves.' Kai smile as he remembers the memories. "Good times." Kai sigh daintily
"Ahem" Qing yuan clear his throat, snapping Kai out of his little memory line. "When you are done remembering the little shameless things you did back in The Drogan's kingdom, would you please pay attention to what I am saying."
Kai straighten up his body, and gave Qing yuan his full attention. But it was broken when Kai realize what Qing yuan said. "Aww, this is the first time I am hearing you say please. And you are not bossing me around."
"I say please when it need to be said, and I don't boss you around."
"Anything you say, but I already know how to use fire without getting burnt."
"Oh, do you now?" Qing yuan ask with a cocky look.
"Yes. I caught things on fire almost all the time back at home."
Qing yuan made a fireball, and threw it in the air. Then he jumped up and spun around and punched through the middle of the fireball with his right fist, before jumping back down to the ground in front of a stun looking Kai. "Can you do that without burning yourself?" He asks with a cocky smirk.
"Woah." Is what escape Kai's gaping mouth.
"Fantastic? I know. And inorder for you to do that one day, you most start with walking on the coal to the other end of the training ground."
Kai stare at him with a terrified look, and the to the coal and then back to Qing yuan. "What did you say?"
Qing yuan put one of his hands behind his back and walk up nearer to Kai and place his other hand on his shoulder. "Did I stutter, I said that you must walk on the coals to the other side of the training ground. And before you open your mouth to say anything. Yes, yes, this is me bossing you around right now."
Kai took a deep breath, and gulped when he looked down at the coal in the ground in front of him. The orange glow underneath them, as smoke rises out of them. Is Qing yuan crazy?
"No, I can't do this. I am going to go, no training for me today." Kai chicken out, turning around to walk back up the steps and out the gates. But Qing yuan grab his bicep, stopping him in his tracks.
"Where do you think you are going? You need to do this in order to learn how to manifested your fire elemental ability."
"Isn't there something simpler than walking on hot coals." Kai look disgusted at the coals.
"Nothing in life isn't simple, and if you want to be a Prospector, you must work hard everyday."
"What if I don't want to be a Prospector?" Kai sass back, which got Qing yuan irritated.
"Well, you don't have a choice." And he caught Kai off guard, by pushing him onto the coals.
End of Flashback
Kai hiss in pain as he sink his finger deeper into the blister.
"Kai?" Taio softly called out to him. Worry knitting his brows.
Kai removed his finger from his big toe on his right foot, which is where the blister is located. And smile at Kai Taio, with a reassuring look. "Don't worry, I am all good now. And Qing yuan was really sorry when it happened. He quickly ran to me, and examined my foot. Apologizing continuously, until Master Zhou came." Kai said in a dreamy tone.
"Ahem!" Taio cleared his throat, making Kai quickly catching up on his little love streak.
"Oh, um. I only got burnt of one foot because I floated."
"You mean levitate." Shufen nonchalantly corrected him.
"Yes. It was so amazing, and-"
"Cool, like you." Taio softly interrupted him.
Kai look over at him, and sure enough Taio had a look of admiration on his face.
"Taio, i-" But Kai didn't get to finish what he was going to say, because someone started to knock on their room door.
"Aren't you going to get it?" Shufen ask, looking from Kai to Taio.
"Why don't you get it, you are the closest to the door." Taio shot back, and turn back to stare at Kai and Shufen glared at him.
"Fine, but just know. It's your competition knock to come and take scarecrow over there, from you." Shufen fired back at him, getting up and walking to go and open the door.
"Hey, I am not a scarecrow!" Kai shouted, clearly offended.
Shufen scoffed as he pull the door open. "Keep on telling yourself tha-Hu Delun?" Shufen look at the disciple in front of him.
"Shufen, I didn't think that you would remember me." Delun said, as he did a little bow.
"Ah, yes. I heard that you have returned." Shufen said, still can't believe that Delun is actually standing beside him after being classified as dead, after he ran away to fight Fong Woo. "W-what can I help you with?"
"Oh, yes. I am here to see Kai." Delun replied with a cheerful look splattered across his lips.
"Who?" Shufen ask to see if he heard right.
Wang Lei, formerly known as Wang Kai." Hu Delun repeated himself.
"Why?" Shufen ask, blocking the view of instead the room from Delun when he tried to peep insides.
"No reason, I saw him earlier and he seems like a nice guy. And plus, I want to get to know the master Prospector's son."
"Shufen, who is at the door?" Taio asks, coming to stand beside Shufen with a curious Kai behind his back.
"Hu Delun." Taio said, surprised. "Why are you here?"
"To see him." Hu Delun pointed at Kai, as he hid behind Taio's back. His body shivered as the atmosphere around him suddenly gave him chills.