Seeing Yun Bei Fen's reaction, Mei Chao Bing took a deep breath and then exhaled, motioning at the door. "I think it would be better for you to leave now."
Song Mu also glanced at Yun Bei Fen and then nodded. "I guess I said what needed to be said. I will take my leave then." He turned to the door and walked over but stopped one step away from it, once again glancing over his shoulder. "If you do feel like changing your mind in the future, let's have a talk. If not ... I would also understand that." He didn't wait for Mei Chao Bing's response and really left, closing the door behind him.
Yun Bei Fen heaved a sigh of relief and looked up at Mei Chao Bing. To his surprise, his senior martial brother looked like he was lost in thought though. He stared up at him, not wanting to disturb him when he was pondering something important.
After a moment, Mei Chao Bing shook himself out of his musings and turned to Yun Bei Fen, giving him a smile. "Were you scared?"
Yun Bei Fen shook his head but still hugged him more tightly. "No, I wasn't. I don't need to, do I? After all, you're going to protect me." He smiled brightly, making Mei Chao Bing laugh.
"Sure I will." He ruffled Yun Bei Fen's hair and then motioned to the courtyard. "I'm sure I can prepare most of our things on my own. What do you think about practicing a bit more?"
Yun Bei Fen looked from Mei Chao Bing to the courtyard and back again. He really didn't want to leave him but if he managed to make some kind of breakthrough while practicing, then it would also help Mei Chao Bing out a lot. So in the end, he could only nod despondently. "I guess I'll go and practice then."
Mei Chao Bing patted his back. "Don't worry. I'll be close by and there's also still Da Hei around. Nothing will happen."
Yun Bei Fen played around with Mei Chao Bing's sleeve before giving him another quick glance. "Well, I'm not worried about that. But how close by are you going to be?"
Mei Chao Bing hugged his waist and then leaned down until they were at the same eye level. "How close by do you want me to be?"
Yun Bei Fen hugged him back and laughed. "I think this close by would be very good."
Mei Chao Bing couldn't help but laugh as well. And this from the person who had been all embarrassed the other night. Sometimes, he really had trouble understanding what was going through Yun Bei Fen's mind. Anyway, it was cute though.
He leaned forward and pecked his lips, before motioning outside again. "This close could be a little too close for you to still be able to practice but I'll be out there with you. Don't worry about it."
Yun Bei Fen nodded, satisfied with that and the two of them left the room, relocating to the courtyard.
Yun Bei Fen picked up his practice sword and got right back into training while Mei Chao Bing sat down at the side, going through everything they already had and listing the things he would still need to get for them.
When he had organized everything, he glanced at Yun Bei Fen before he motioned for Da Hei to stay with him and then went to get the last things they had to take with them. When he came back, Yun Bei Fen didn't seem to have noticed at all that he had vanished in between.
Mei Chao Bing sat down with a smile and leaned back, watching him. If he could, he would've liked for life to always be this way. Wouldn't that be nice? He would help Yun Bei Fen to practice his skills and slowly climb to the next stage of cultivation while he would sit at the side, using the time to cultivate a little as well.
As they could do so away from the Teng Yong Sect, they wouldn't need to have to do with all these people. The mistakes of the past wouldn't play a role anymore. They would just be two cultivators going about their life without a care in the world. That truly would be nice.
But, unfortunately, it would be impossible. He didn't doubt that if he truly left the Teng Yong Sect, Yun Bei Fen would follow him. But there were still Yun Bei Fen's Master and his senior martial brothers that he loved very much. Taking him away from those people would be cruel. He couldn't make everything about himself. Yes, it would be nice to be able to get rid of everything from the past but there was somebody there who very much liked his past. He couldn't take that from him.
He sighed to himself and then pushed the thought away. Anyway, things were slowly looking better. Not everybody was afraid of him anymore. That probably wouldn't have happened without Yun Bei Fen's help. In fact, he was pretty sure that he wouldn't be in the Teng Yong Sect anymore if it wasn't for him. Then, he would have missed out on seeing things slowly turn around.
Who knew? Maybe if he was a bit more patient, he would see himself return to being a person that others would rely on. It still was a possibility. He shouldn't give up just yet. He would not let the decisions his Master had made ruin his own life.
He could survive in a righteous sect. He did not have to become a demonic practitioner. He would show him. Wherever his Master was right now and whatever he was planning, he would show him that he did not need him and that, in fact, he was better off without him.
And he would show him what he had missed out on. He would show him what kind of disciple he could've had and that he had made the wrong decision back then when he betrayed the Teng Yong Sect. He would make sure that none of the plans his Master had would come to fruition. He would certainly be able to achieve that.