Mei Chao Bing smiled to himself. It seemed his little bunny was feeling self-conscious for once. Well, this also wasn't bad. Maybe it would give him a bit more awareness about the matter with Yang Wu Huang as well. With that thought, he pulled Yun Bei Fen into his arms, rested his forehead against his neck and closed his eyes.
On the other hand, Yun Bei Fen couldn't sleep at all. He continued to think about what had just happened, tossing and turning around. More than ever he felt that it was good if at least one of his senior martial brothers was around. He really would have liked to talk about things. In the end, he still managed to fall asleep but only in the early morning hours.
As for his senior martial brothers ... Against the odds, Zhi Guan had already received the message his Master had sent. Since this was about his little junior's matters, he had hurried up with his own mission and was currently gathering the materials for the sword that had been written down.
Unfortunately, this type of thing still needed quite a bit of time. Especially since Mei Chao Bing had made it a point to choose only the best ingredients that could be used to forge a weapon. After all, a better weapon might also give an advantage in a fight.
If both participants were at the same stage, then this could be why one of them would win. Meanwhile, if a good sword was used by somebody weaker in a fight, then it might help with bridging at least a little of the gap between them and their opponent, even if it couldn't ensure a victory.
Since it could have such benefits, naturally, he wouldn't just ignore this opportunity. Instead, he would make use of it to provide Yun Bei Fen with another layer of protection. Now, the one who needed to do this was Zhi Guan though. Since his level was slightly lower than Mei Chao Bing's, it would naturally also take him a bit more time to acquire the ingredients. Thus he wasn't even halfway through gathering them. Until he was able to go and listen to Yun Bei Fen's other worries, it would likely still take several weeks as much as both he and Yun Bei Fen regretted that.
Despite being sent later, the message that Elder Baili and Elder Xing had sent to the Teng Yong Sect had also managed to arrive by now. Sect Master Zhang read it over and then furrowed his brows. Two of the four righteous sects had been hinted at. That couldn't mean anything good. He pondered for a while and then stood up, leaving his palace to go to a place in the deeper parts of the sect where the disciples and even most of the Elders weren't allowed to enter.
He had hardly stepped foot onto the ground of that hidden place, when a voice traveled over, sounding as if it came from all sides at once. "You came to talk about the matters happening in the border region."
Zhang Guan Yu raised the letter and went closer, finally stopping at the edge of a stone platform that was raised about two feet into the air and covered in signs. "Have you seen anything?"
In the middle of the platform, a man was seated. He wore a dark robe that didn't seem to fit the identity of a righteous cultivator and even less that of a person of the Teng Yong Sect with its white sect robes. His eyes were closed as if he didn't care that the Teng Yong Sect's Sect Master had come to see him and for the moment, he kept quiet for a moment.
Zhang Guan Yu didn't say anything and just waited for the man to react.
"Many years ago, you came to me because you had divined yourself that a disaster might be imminent. Do you remember that?"
Zhang Guan Yu nodded. "Back then, you told me that I had only seen one of the many futures there were. You said that this disaster was one possibility but that it could also be that a great blessing would come over us. Do you want to say that it is finally time for there to be a decision?" He couldn't help but worry when he thought of that.
Just recently, he had sent Mei Chao Bing out of the Teng Yong Sect and over to the border region. He had felt that with how things stood between him and Elder Baili's youngest disciple, he didn't need to worry too much. But if that decision was really coming up, then maybe he had made the wrong choice. Maybe it was actually more likely for Mei Chao Bing to join the other side, after all. Especially when he was in proximity to them.
The man on the stone platform once again kept quiet, not even looking at the Sect Master. His eyes seemed to move below the lids though. "A decision is definitely coming up soon. Whether it will be that one or not ... it is hard to say. Too many things are happening right now. There are some trials along the way. Depending on what happens in each of them, the decision will finally be made. Even I can not say what will happen."
The Sect Master nodded. "I see. Then ... about this matter with the symbol of the Jian Chu Sect and the map of our sect's territory ..."
"I'm afraid that this, as well, will depend on that child's decision."
"So there is nothing we can do?"
"Nothing other than to wait for it to unfold. Naturally, you can make your own decisions and they might have an influence but I can not tell you which one that will be. Whether you will push that person away or strengthen their ties to the Teng Yong Sect and the righteous side ... only time will be able to tell."
The Sect Master nodded slowly. "I see." In that case, he could only think things through and hope that he made the right call. "Thank you. I shouldn't disturb you any further then."
The man on the platform nodded but kept quiet. He just continued to sit there when Sect Master Zhang turned around and left. When the steps had receded completely, he raised his lids, revealing a pair of eyes that had turned to a silvery-white.
He stared into the air for a moment before he raised his face to the sky. "Not seeing it ... Is it truly because there are too many options? Or is there another meaning to this?"
Unfortunately, there was no answer to be had and the only thing that remained was the silence of the valley and the cold stone of the platform with no hint of what was about to happen.