Book 8: Chapter 70: Returning Home

Book 8: Chapter 70: Returning Home

“Lord Lu,” said Long Jia Wei in a strained voice.

“Yes?” asked Sen, his eyes never wavering from the horizon.

“You should go.”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll—” Sen started.

“Lord Lu,” Long Jia Wei said through clenched teeth. “I am begging you to go. You’re literally vibrating with impatience. Frankly, I’m concerned the wagon will fall to pieces if this continues.”

Sen looked at Long Jia Wei and then down at himself. The other man was right. He was actually, physically vibrating. They were so close now that Sen could practically hear Ai laughing. It would just be another two or three days, and it wasn’t as though the caravan had no defenders. Sen suspected that He Jietang could probably defend the entire caravan by himself, to say nothing of Long Jia Wei, Glimmer of Night, Shen Mingxia, and the other cultivators Sen had hired as instructors. Anything short of a nascent soul cultivator or one of the truly powerful spirit beasts from the inner wilds would pose no real threat. Plus, with three nascent soul cultivators so close by, he doubted any of those spirit beasts were likely to come anywhere in the vicinity. The caravan genuinely did not need him to stay. He looked into the back and saw Shen Mingxia nodding her head with more vigor than was strictly required.

“Very well,” he said, not even trying to hide his glee before he looked at Glimmer of Night. “Do you want to come now?”

Glimmer of Night looked at him with his strange impassive human disguise and shook his head.

“I like the wagon,” said the spider before a slight frown marred the impassivity of his expression. “May I have it?”

Sen blinked a few times. That was a very odd request.

“The wagon? You want to keep the wagon?”

“Yes,” agreed the spider.

Sen had no earthly idea why Glimmer of Night would want the wagon, nor what he would do with it. Odd as it might be, though, there also wasn’t any particular reason to say no. Sen looked at Long Jia Wei.

“Do we own this one?” asked Sen.

“We do,” said the man.

“Then, yes. After we get back, you can have the wagon.”

“Thank you,” said the spider, offering up something that might generously be called a smile.

Sen stood and reached into the back of the wagon to grab a large sack. It contained some of the best treasures from the cultivator lair he’d discovered at the former Xie manor. It had taken more than a little restraint not to read the Shadow Gate manual, but he didn’t want to expose its existence or the existence of any of those other treasures to anyone he didn’t trust completely. Given how many complete strangers there were in the caravan, that meant he had to leave it hidden.

With the sack slung over one shoulder, he said, “I’ll see you all when you arrive.”

He jumped up into the morning air, caught himself on a qi platform, and shot down the road at speeds he expected anyone else would have found somewhere between uncomfortably fast and terrifyingly fast. It still wasn’t fast enough for him. He wasn’t sure anything would have been fast enough unless he could have figured out a way to transport himself immediately back to his own galehouse. What a comfort it would be to sleep in his bed in his home. What a relief it would be to speak with people who had no agendas for him, or at least none that were so obviously detrimental to his well-being. His life had been busy before he went to the capital, but it had also possessed a stable rhythm. There had been no other choice. Ai needed to eat, sleep, and get lessons on a mortal schedule. That meant that Sen had to operate on a similar schedule. All of that stability had gotten thrown out the window the second he’d headed out for the capital.

“Unavoidable, I’m afraid,” said Master Feng. “We’ll have to talk about it later. There are some things you should know, things your friend Jing should know, about what’s happening with the spirit beasts.”

Sen felt his entire being try to stiffen up in preparation for some terrible news.

“So, you figured it out?” asked Sen.

“I did, but it can wait until you’re settled in. In the meantime, though, Ai has been telling me marvelous tales of these little cakes that you make. Maybe we should head inside and you can catch us up while you make some,” suggested Master Feng.

There was an amused glint in the old man’s eyes that Sen didn’t miss. He should have expected it from a man who once invested in a pastry shop. Ai gave Sen a hopeful look. He was trapped.

“Well, how can I possibly turn down such a selfless request from my master?”

“I don’t think you can and still claim to be a filial student,” said Master Feng with a pious expression.

“Well then, let’s go inside. If you’re both good,” said Sen, “I might even have a few presents to hand out.”

“Presents,” said Ai, her hopeful look intensifying. “What are they?”

“You’ll have to be good to find out,” said Sen.

“I like presents,” said Auntie Caihong as she and Uncle Kho strolled toward them.

“I think I have something for everyone,” said Sen with a laugh.

“He’s going to make some of those cakes that Ai keeps talking about,” confided Master Feng to the other nascent soul cultivators.

“Then, we’re definitely staying,” said Uncle Kho. “I’m not missing out on those. I imagine there’s a story or two to be told as well.”

“Yes. It’s a grand tale of adventure where I battled mighty trees.”

Ai giggled and poked Sen’s shoulder.

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “You didn’t fight trees. You’re silly.”

Sen kissed Ai on the cheek.

“You’re right about that. Your papa is a very silly man.”

Shifting Ai so she sat a little more snugly on his arm, Sen led everyone inside. With a flicker of will and qi, he lit the interior of the galehouse with a bright and cheerful light. Ai immediately took control of the conversation to tell him about her exciting adventures in making birds eat bugs. He was dutifully impressed with her hard work. As he prepared the requested cakes, tension began to slide out of him. Falling Leaf soon joined them. She didn’t try to pry information out of him, but that had never been her way. She simply positioned herself next to him, helping him prepare food, or holding Ai when he needed both hands. She was, as always, a pillar of stability for him. Sen knew there were problems waiting to be solved, and new ones surely waiting to pounce on him from some unexpected places. For those few hours he spent with the people he loved most, though, everything was right in his world.