Chapter 167: A 'Heartfelt' Reunion

In the end, there was nothing Yang Mei Mei could do about the decision and she decided to head over to the next room to get some sleep. After less than a minute, I could slightly hear her eased breathing as she fell right asleep.

"Yongrui, if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask me." Shi Meili gladly offered as she relaxed on the nearest chair. Although I didn't want to impose on her and the others that much, they still wanted to look after me. And judging from Shi Meili's expression, it was obvious that she was quite happy about it.

Wait...

"Now that I think about it, where's Luo Zehn? Have you seen him?" I asked, worried that maybe he got into trouble while I was unconscious. I mean, I've been asleep for four days, something must've happened.

"You mean that red-haired samurai? No, I haven't. I think he went back to Tang Sect to retrieve something." Shi Meili continued.

"I see."

Slam!

"MASTER!" A voice of a young man and woman suddenly screamed.

My face whirled towards the doorway as two people entered in. In a split second, my eyes widened in shock as I saw someone I wasn't expecting at all.

The young lady (well, I shouldn't really call her young lady since we more or less look the same age) has purple eyes and purple hair that extended down to her waist. She had a gentle allure and skin that seemed to bounce off the sun's rays due to their pristine appearance. She was a bit taller than Shi Meili but her figure could very well rival hers.

As for the second person, he was wearing a black robe and his black hair seemed to touch his eyes due to how long it is. But that didn't hide the expression on his face at all. As he approached me, a drop of tear streamed down his cheeks and he impulsively wiped it. Even with half of his face covered, the worried and conflicted expression on his face was so conspicuous.

Seriously, these two haven't changed.

For some reason, a lump formed within my throat and I felt like my airways were beginning to loosen. Snot came out of my nose as tears came out of my eyes. My tear ducts were like a dam being opened to feed the rivers. It wouldn't even be an understatement to say that the amount of tears coming out of my eyes could easily fill a shot glass.

I wiped my tears as I heaved a sigh of relief. Lots of memories came into my mind, making me reminisce about the past. There were a lot of things I wanted to tell them but I didn't know where to start. For the past couple of weeks, I always imagined how our reunion is going to be but now that it's happening, I had no idea what to do. Of course! How can I mentally prepare myself when the two of them just showed up in front of me like that?

"It's really master!" Ye Zhiyun exclaimed as she slowly approached me and locked me in her arms. Xiao Liang did the same.

It didn't take long before the two of them had another outburst of tears. As for me, I was still crying as I held the two of them in my arms.

That damned Luo Zehn, so that's why he returned back to the Tang Shelter!

"Ye Zhiyun, Xiao Liang, and Luo Zehn, you've gone and exceeded my expectations. From the bottom of my heart, I offer my sincerest gratitude to the three of you. Thank you for surviving and not letting our Sect die in the hands of the virus... and most importantly, thank you for getting this far. I knew the three of you had it in you. I knew you would survive." I said, wiping the tears off my face as I got my composure back a little bit.

"No, we should thank you, master!" Xiao Liang responded. "Because you gave us a second chance, we were able to live and better ourselves."

"We didn't know that you were still alive, master. Had we known, we would've sent some men to this place and have you transfer over to Tang Shelter. Luo Zehn, why didn't you tell us sooner?" This time, it was Ye Zhiyun who spoke.

"I'm sorry about that, I only just confirmed it four days ago." Luo Zehn said. "Master, I'm sorry for treating you like a kid. I didn't know it was really you. I thought you were just using your name as a cover-up so people won't ask about your identity. My own shortcoming is to blame for not realizing it sooner."

"Four days ago, Luo Zehn came back to the Tang Sect bearing good news. We were so shocked that we just had to rush here. We left all the paperwork and other tasks to Yu Yan. I think you know who she is, master."

"Ah, yes. If I recall, that was the name of the woman I saved back then. So they managed to make it to Tang Sect. Is a girl by the name of Lin Xian with them?"

Ye Zhiyun nodded.

Xiao Liang, with that expressive face of his and Ye Zhiyun who's capable enough to manage a large Shelter... not to mention Luo Zehn overseeing the nearby area for potential danger— Sigh, they've surely grown up. Even without my guidance, they managed to reach such greater heights.

Wait?! Doesn't that mean that they didn't even need my help in the first place? No no, I was the one who saved them from the horde way back in the day... but even if it were someone else, I don't think anything much will change. They have the spirit of a survivor and that's the reason why they're still here.

As their Sect Master, I'm ashamed that I didn't even do anything for them aside from rescuing them. Sigh~

"I'm really sorry that I had to meet you all when I'm in an unbecoming state. I planned to get to your shelter as soon as possible and tell you everything but I got caught up in a lot of things." I told them. Frankly, I wasn't apologizing because of all that, but rather, I was apologizing for all the shortcomings I did way back then.

If only I wasn't blinded by Natalia... I wouldn't have let my guard down and get bitten like that. I should've believed everything that they told me the moment I came out of seclusion. Why didn't I? You know what, there's no point thinking about all that by now. What's past is past. I can't possibly bring the lives of my disciple back.

"Sect Master! You don't have to apologize! In fact, we're extremely grateful to you! Not only did you solidify our alliance with Red Sea Shelter, you also made the Hundred Poison Lady and the Meili Shelter side with us! Had it not been for you, Tang Shelter would've possibly been swallowed by a larger Shelter nearby." Ye Zhiyun brought up as she vehemently disagreed with what I said. "Don't beat yourself up, Sect Master! The reason why we built the Tang Shelter itself was to serve as a memento of your leadership. And now that you're here, that Tang Shelter will rightfully return to your hands. Please guide us once again, Sect Master."

"Sect Master." Luo Zehn and Xiao Liang said together in unison as they both bowed down along with Ye Zhiyun.

"The pleasure's mi— "

I stopped short.

Something in my mind clicked as I went through what Ye Zhiyun said once again. Ever since the System suddenly showed up in my head, my wisdom has broadened and my thinking skills improved. And right now, even though I was overcome with emotions, my mind subconsciously analyzed everything they said and I realized something...

Wait a second... aren't they passing the responsibility onto me? They are, right? Of course! Now that they've experience overseeing a group of people, they must've realized just how tough it is being a Sect Master.

Don't tell me... they want to escape from all their responsibilities and have me replace them? Nope! No way! Not happening.

"Wait, what do you mean returning the Tang Shelter?" I cluelessly asked as I redirected the question. "You mean, you're handing it over to me?!"

The three of them nodded.

"When Luo Zehn told us about everything, we came to this very decision. We know that you're more than capable to oversee the Shelter that we've built." Ye Zhiyun continued.

"Yes, Sect Master! With your help! The glorious Tang Sect can be revived once again, and you can start by ruling over our Shelter!" Xiao Liang agreed.

... And there you have it! They really fully intended me to rule over the Tang Shelter! These kids! They've gotten more cunning than ever!

"Thank you so much for putting me first, my dear disciples... but sadly, I have to decline," I said, bowing down towards them. They probably didn't expect me to decline but... I guess that's everything they could get from me.