Wu Li collapsed onto the plump, comfortable bed within his new room within the Illuminated Sword Sect's main school. It wasn't overly fancy or anything at all compared to the bed of the rich or the royal, but it was still infinitely better than the tiny bedroll he slept and meditated on back in the military encampment.
Upon leaving the Hall of Transportation, the former soldiers of the unit of the ravine were given their own mountain for housing. Upon that mountain, many small houses were prepared for the former soldiers, enough so that everyone had a house for themselves.
Wu Li's house, just like the rest of the former soldiers', was much, much better than the tiny tent he had lived in for the past three or so years. It was big enough for a bedroom, a meditation room for cultivation, and even a workshop with a moderately-sized pill furnace and a crafting station for artifact creation, all three of which were fairly big. Outside his house was fertile, qi-filled soil for growing spirit herbs and outside the wooden fence that surrounded a moderately large plot of land was one of the Illuminated Sword Sect's signature formations linked to his spiritual sense, allowing in only him or anybody he invited.
In other words, his new home might as well be heaven for him.
As expected of the most powerful sect in the righteous lands, he thinks to himself as he stares up at the ornate dragon painting on the roof of his bedroom. They have the resources to give even their common disciples such fancy housing.
The former squadron leader closed his eyes as he lounged on his bed. He opens them a moment later though, his mind wandering.
It had been a few hours since he and the veterans departed from the Hall of Transportation. This was because instead of being brought straight to their rooms, they were all brought to the sect's grand library and given a second opportunity to find a codex to align with. It was of no surprise that almost all of them, save for a few who had already had a codex aligned with them, remained without a codex. Those depended on innate abilities after all, and a few years on the battlefield would have no effect on that.
That didn't really bother him though. It was about what he had expected.
I wonder if the squadrons will stay together now that there is no authority to bind them together.
That thought lingered on Wu Li's mind. After all, throughout his two years of being a squadron leader, there were a number of people he had grown attached to.
Not all of whom are still here today…
Just as that thought ran through his head, his spiritual sense alerted him to somebody approaching the formation. Somebody with an aura that he was very familiar with.
"Xue Hua?"
Wu Li quickly gets up off his bed and leaves the house.
Standing right outside the formation was the ex-squadron leader, tapping her foot impatiently. She perked up upon seeing him.
When he saw her, Wu Li couldn't help but fall into awe for a moment.
Wu Li always knew that Xue Hua was a beautiful woman. When the two of them first met as newly-appointed squadron leaders, he constantly felt very uncomfortable around her because, well, she was a beautiful woman. As Zhou Baoxian would put it, she was easily at least several levels above every other woman in the camp and at least a couple levels above all of them combined. Over two years, he'd gotten used to seeing her everyday and managed to push her appearance into the back of his mind whenever they talked, so he thought he had built an immunity to the "Xue Hua effect," the name he and Zhao Baoxian had called being struck speechless by simply laying eyes on her (unbeknownst to her, of course. They did want to stay alive).
However, a circumstance that he couldn't have possibly foreseen was the fatal force that was the Illuminated Sword Sect's female uniform.
That uniform was definitely designed by some old pervert, he thought to himself, hoping he wasn't too visible in his struggle to keep his eyes above neck level. But I'm still surprised the upright Illuminated Sword Sect would let their women wear something so sinful. I don't think I've ever seen clothing that hugged someone's body so tightly…
"May I come in? There's a slight problem we must discuss," she asks, either ignorant of the daze he was in or just simply uncaring of it.
"Huh? Oh, sure," Wu Li says. "Just come in. I already have both you and Baoxian considered as guests so the two of you can drop by anytime."
Xue Hua stares at the formation for a moment with a skeptical look. But then simply steps inside.
"Already?" she asks as she looks around at the empty land Wu Li now possessed. "An unwise choice. Baoxian might just come in unattended and accidentally burn down your house."
Wu Li snickers.
"Careful ice princess, you almost sound concerned," he says.
It only takes a moment for annoyance to set into her features.
"Actually, I take it back," she says. "If your house gets destroyed, it won't be because of Baoxian."
Wu Li just lets out a boisterous laugh. He waves her in.
To anybody else other than he or Zhou Baoxian, this side of Xue Hua was almost completely alien. Everybody in their squadrons knew her as the infamous "ice queen," beautiful but aloof and freezing cold to anybody who attempted to communicate with her. To the other squadron leaders, however, she was almost the exact opposite. She was almost social.
"Sorry that I don't have any tea," he says as the two of them step into the house's living room. "I wasn't exactly expecting your arrival so I don't have any boiled water prepared."
"I'm not surprised," she says, eyeing him top to bottom. "You're not even in your sect uniform yet. You probably spent the past couple of hours doing nothing."
"Ahaha, you know me so well," Wu Li says as the two of them take their seats at opposite sides of a small table tucked into the corner near a window. Wu Li folds his hands before laying them onto the table. "It'd be a waste not to take this time to enjoy my heavenly new bed, wouldn't it?"
"It would do you no good to become slothful now of all times," Xue Hua says. "Besides..."
She suddenly stops, staring at Wu Li with a strangely contemplatively look. For a moment, she looked to be thinking about what to say next.
"...it was your choice to come back to the sect. I don't claim to know what you went through the last time you wore that uniform, but now of all times is not the time to get cold feet."
Wu Li's smile wanes slightly. He stares down at his folded hands sitting on the table.
Memories began to flash before his eyes. Jeers, glares of scorn, beatings, insults, neglect…
He closes his eyes, forcefully pushing those memories to the back of his mind. He looks up at Xue Hua as he reopens his eyes.
"Is there a reason why you've come here?" he asks as he regains his usual smile, though it looked more somber than his previous one. "I mean, if there isn't, I won't kick you out, but…"
"Yes, there is," Xue Hua says. "On the matter of our squadron members."
"Ah. What a coincidence that I have also been thinking about that not too long ago."
Xue Hua folds her arms, leaning back into her chair in a very unladylike way.
"So I'm sure that you've at least considered the possibility that our squadrons will most likely stick together regardless of the fact that we're not part of the military anymore," she says.
Wu Li raises an eyebrow.
"Really?"
"Of course," Xue Hua says. "Remember, almost all of us are still without a codex. And within a sect where what codex one aligns with is the main foundation for social standing, it's only natural that us 'nobodies' will gather together for a sense of safety."
Wu Li nods, closing his eyes in thought. So far, Xue Hua's logic was making a lot of sense.
"Thus, in the very, very likely case that happens, please keep in mind that we must not neglect our duties as squadron leaders, even if we no longer are ones officially."
Wu Li turns to the window he was sitting beside. Outside was a clear view of the bright blue sky and one of many rolling hills peppering the mountain that his and the rest of the unit's ex soldiers now resided in.
Of course, he had already considered the possibility of what Xue Hua had said. But hearing her say it again seemed to make it more real.
Make more real the fact that he was back in the Illuminated Sword Sect main school.
But now, not only did he have to take care of himself, he might have to take care of many others as well.
Ah, how bothersome, he thinks to himself as he lets out a sigh.
Then, he smiles.
For some reason, he found that the thought didn't bother him as much as it probably should have.
After all, he was no longer the same person from back then. He is a war veteran. And a squadron leader.
This time, he would forge a different future for himself. He wouldn't allow himself to stand for being kicked around anymore.
"I must confess, I am scared of what that smile of yours may entail," Xue Hua says, squinting at him.
"Ah, nothing really," Wu Li says, lightly brushing her off. "Though I do wonder, where is Zhou Baoxian? I figured that he'd be with you if you were going to visit."
"Last I heard, he had gone once again to the grand library," she says, referring to the Illuminated Sword Sect's main library. "I have no reason as to why, however."
"He could simply just be there to read. It may be easy to forget, but remember that he was a scholar before he was a squadron leader."
"Oh, you're right," Xue Hua scoffs. "With how he behaves, anybody would forget that."
Wu Li just laughs.
"You have no right to laugh," Xue Hua says pointedly. "You are even worse than him sometimes."
"Well of course," Wu Li says. "Without me, you two would be the most depressing people in the righteous lands."
Xue Hua's eyes widened.
"You-!"
Wu Li just starts laughing even harder.
|-|-|-|-|
"I'm surprised squadron leader Zhou, I didn't take you for the scholarly type."
Walking out from the double doors leading out of the grand library, large, made of pure white marble, and gilded with gold, were two cultivators, both of them dressed in the Illuminated Sword Sect's signature male uniforms. Under their arms were stacks of manuals of many different types.
"Former vice squadron leader Fang Zhiyong, I am offended that you would think such a thing of me!" Zhou Baoxian said with exaggerated offense to the man beside him as the two walked down a long corridor. "Just what exactly is it about me that wouldn't remind you of my scholarly background? Also, I am no longer your squadron leader. Please just call me Zhou."
The man beside him, Zhou Baoxian's former vice squadron leader and trusted confidant, Fang Zhiyong, squinted his eyes at him. Like Zhou Baoxian, he was a handsome young man appearing to be no older than 25. His facial features were all normal, save for his eyes, which seemed a bit wider and rounder than usual, almost like a snake's. They were also an amber golden orange, an eye color that was distinctly different from the norm.
Fang Zhiyong, compared to the other squadron leaders, had been in the army for much less time. Due to his accomplishments, however, he rose through the ranks with unprecedented speed, rising to the rank of assistant squadron leader in just half a year. Even Zhou Baoxian had to admit, had Feng Zhiyong joined the encampment a year earlier, he would've replaced Zhou Baoxian as squadron leader.
Despite that though, their relationship was very friendly. After all, to them, their rank didn't matter as much as preserving themselves.
"Squa-, Zhou, if I hadn't known you for so long, I would have had less trouble believing that you'd aligned with a codex than that you were a scholar in the past," Fang Zhiyong says.
"Hey, that's unwarranted!" Zhou Baoxian exasperatedly says.
The two of them continued on through the corridor, chatting amongst themselves.
Unbeknownst to them, three people were behind them, having also emerged from the library as they made their way towards the two. Like Zhou Baoxian and Fang Zhiyong, they were also young male cultivators. But although they were all equal in stature, it was noticeable to see that the one in the middle had a more imposing aura than the two flanking his sides.
The man in the middle simply sneered.
"What a surprise," he says. "It seems the sect really did bring back that garbage scholar, along with the rest of the trash from the ravine."
"Young master Ren, shall we go over there to…lecture our juniors?" the man on his left asks.
The man in the middle, Ren, simply waves his sleeve as he begins to walk towards the two. His two companions followed closely behind.