The pressure in the training field still hung in the air, the intensity of their tension almost as intense as the fight they had waged moments ago.
Xiangju and Nie Li moved away from each other, heading in opposite directions without exchanging a single word.
Nie Li walked to a nearby tree and sat under it, clutching his side, bruised from Xiangju's punch, and he could still taste the metallic flavor of blood in his mouth.
He would have to treat that wound; the mission he was going on did not allow for any kind of weakness.
Xiangju, on the other hand, walked away with dragging steps. He looked at the state of the environment after their fight and the rock he had thrown at Nie Li. His thoughts were restless and confused, even though he knew it was necessary.
Without wasting much time, he walked to the stream that crossed the grass and began to wash his face and hair, removing the mud and blood.
Their friends, still completely confused, tried to understand what had caused such a large-scale fight.
Zhan Ming, Wei Nan, and Lu Piao walked towards Nie Li.
Lu Piao was the first to break the silence that had settled in the place.
-Nie Li, why did you do something like this?- The boy was scared; two of his friends had really just tried to kill each other.
Nie Li looked at Lu Piao and the others with an awkward expression but quickly shook his head to clear away any unnecessary thoughts and then responded to his friends, who, if he did not answer soon, might try to force the answer out of him.
-I asked Xiangju to train with me... the mission I will undertake tomorrow outside the city limits is highly dangerous, and it wouldn't be surprising to think that even the weakest threat I could encounter out there would be at least as strong as Xiangju.-
-You wanted to prepare for the worst-case scenario,- said Zhan Ming, thoughtfully.
-Exactly,- Nie Li agreed, nodding. The pain in his side was getting more intense, and he feared there might be some dislocation or something worse.
Xiangju looked at his reflection in the stream while washing his face. He was angry at himself for losing control; his temper had always been hot in his past life, a response to the neglect he had suffered during his childhood and throughout his life until now.
Du Ze had stopped near Xiangju, just staring at the boy in silence.
-If you came here to lecture me, there's no need for that, Du Ze.-
-I didn't come to lecture you, Xiangju. I just want to understand what happened; we are a team, we are friends, you know that, right?-
Xiangju's conscience weighed even more because of these words. He sighed heavily and then spoke to Du Ze, still with his head down.
-I know, Du Ze... But during the fight, something inside me seemed to... explode. I needed to prove that I could do it, I needed to prove it to myself and to Nie Li.-
-We all have our internal struggles, Xiangju. But we can't let that destroy us, nor can we let it destroy our relationships with each other. You are the leader; we all know it and we all accept it.-
Xiangju still continued looking down.
-Then I'll tell you something, leader. We need you, and you need us. So instead of beating yourself up over what happened, you have to keep moving forward and make up for it.-
Du Ze finished speaking firmly, clenching his fist tightly, wishing from the bottom of his heart that his words had reached his friend's heart; it made no sense to lose a friend over something like this.
-You're right. I'm sorry you saw me like this, Du Ze. Nie Li is going on that mission, so we decided to fight to prepare him, but I really went beyond any acceptable limit. I promise you all, especially you, that I will become even stronger and become someone worthy of being your leader.-
Du Ze smiled, extending his hand to Xiangju and saying:
-I'll be waiting for that!-
That night, while the boys rested in their respective dormitories, Nie Li was preparing. He had bandaged his ribs, and even though he had applied some ointments, the pain had not completely subsided. While he packed his things, some flashes of the fight passed through his mind.
"It's over." That single phrase had scared the great demon spiritualist to the point where he really tried to kill his own teammate. Since the fight, neither of them had exchanged a single word, which made Nie Li apprehensive, especially since it was Xiangju he had fought.
Even though the two were very close, perhaps even the best friends in the whole group, Nie Li still didn't trust the boy completely as he did with the others.
-He knows too much...- was a phrase that always crossed Nie Li's mind, but he always tried to ignore it. However, with this happening now, he decided that the best alternative was to really keep a much closer eye on the boy.
The next morning, the group gathered at the city's exit to bid farewell to Nie Li. The first rays of morning sun gently illuminated the path that Nie Li and the group of adventurers would take.
Xiangju was there too, the gaze of the two reincarnates meeting for a second; there was no need for words, they knew exactly what one wanted to say to the other, so they just nodded slightly in agreement. There was no point in creating more problems.
-Good luck, Nie Li!- Wei Nan said with a smile on his face, raising a fist in a gesture of "you can do it." Nie Li smiled back at him.
-I'll be back soon,- Nie Li said, already turning to leave; saying "goodbye" or "farewell" would be too dramatic for him.
-Stay safe!- Du Ze shouted, and everyone around, including Nie Li, laughed.
-I will- Nie Li finally said, raising his hand in a thumbs-up sign and hurrying to join the rest of the exploration group.