Sen’s first reaction was to say yes, emphatically. What better help could there be with destroying a sect than a nascent soul cultivator who hated sects? That notion was immediately followed by an intense desire to say no. Sen had made this problem. He should solve it. It wasn’t Uncle Kho’s responsibility to fix things for him, even if the man was willing, eager even. He didn’t imagine that destroying another sect would help Uncle Kho. If that could help him, it would have done so long before now. Of course, turning down the help wasn’t just turning it down for himself. If he declined the help and failed, it would almost certainly mean his death.
Whoever was left of the Twisted Blade Sect was unlikely to see his death as sufficient. They would no doubt seek out Sen’s sect and kill whoever they could. At which point, Uncle Kho would likely intervene and kill them all anyway. Either to protect the people here or simply to take vengeance for Sen’s death. If that was the case, then accepting the offer of help was probably the right choice. Sen felt frozen in indecision. Neither choice seemed like the right one. He wasn’t too good to take help. He had gotten a lot of help along the way. He just wasn’t sure that it was the right thing for Uncle Kho. Would he just be feeding that hate? But wouldn’t he just be feeding that hate if he got himself killed by saying no? There had to be a better choice or at least another choice.
“I—” Sen hesitated and inspiration struck. “I’d like to try to do this myself. It’s ultimately my responsibility, but I’m not so stubborn to turn down help if I need it. I’d like it if you came along. If I can’t get the job done, then I’d appreciate any help you’re willing to offer.”
Uncle Kho gave Sen a small smile.
“I thought I broke you there for a moment. You looked like your head might explode.”
“I was trying to figure out the best course of action. It was... It was more complicated than I expected.”
“I imagine it was,” said Uncle Kho. “I’d like to say things get less complicated as you gain experience, but life isn’t like that. Figuring out what the right or wrong decision is only gets more complicated. For what it’s worth, I’m glad you thought about it. Most people would have agreed without a second thought.”
“I almost said no,” admitted Sen.
That seemed to catch the older cultivator off guard. He just stared at Sen for a while before he finally asked an obvious question.
“Why?”
Before Sen could answer, the door opened and Auntie Caihong stepped out. Sen glanced past her and saw Li Hua clutching Zhi to her chest and sobbing. He averted his eyes. That wasn’t his business. Auntie Caihong closed the door before she looked at Uncle Kho.
“Why?” she repeated and gently pressed a hand to Uncle Kho’s cheek. “Because he cares about you, you old fool. He was thinking about whether helping him was going to be good for you or not.”
Sen gaped at Auntie Caihong. Had she read his mind somehow? She noticed him and let out a little laugh.
“What?” she asked. “I’ve known you since before you could shave, Sen. You’re many things, but you aren’t that complicated. That isn’t a criticism, either. The world needs straightforward men. That being said, I’m glad you didn’t say no. It would have been terribly tedious to talk you around on the idea.”
Sen frowned and said, “I’d have thought you wouldn’t like the idea.”
“I don’t,” she admitted. “However, I like the idea of you dying with no one there to help you even less. I don’t know this Twisted Blade Sect, but there’s every possibility they have nascent soul elders, to say nothing of a patriarch. I know you’ve killed nascent soul cultivators before, but I also know how you did it. You certainly punch up, but I also know that they weren’t that powerful. I’d rather not gamble that you’re going to come out on top against more powerful, more experienced nascent soul cultivators. Better to take the help and not need it, than to need it and not have it.”
“You could at least pretend not to be so happy about this.”
Uncle Kho considered that for a moment and said, “You know, I really don’t think I can.”
Auntie Caihong started to say something before she cocked her head a little. She glanced back at the door.
“You can probably go in now,” she told Sen.
“Thanks,” said Sen and turned to Uncle Kho. “We’ll discuss the practicalities soon.”
After a nod from the elder cultivator, Sen went over and knocked on the door. There was a pause before Li Hua called out.
“Come in.”
Sen went inside. Li Hua’s eyes looked puffy and red, but she seemed to have gotten over the initial bout of crying. There was fear and anger and relief dancing in the woman’s eyes. Zhi was held protectively on her lap. The little girl looked like she had been crying, but there was more confusion than anything on her face. She saw Sen and lurched toward him. Li Hua looked like she meant to grab the little girl and yank her back but stopped herself at the last second. Zhi ran over and threw her arms around his leg. She stared up at him with big eyes and a quivering bottom lip.
“Uncle Sen! There were bad people! They hurt Mama!” she cried.
He stroked her hair with a hand that only shook a little with renewed rage. He kept that rage off his face and out of his voice. It was hard, but he did it. She didn’t need his fury. She needed comfort.
“I know there were, little bird. I punished them,” said Sen, meeting Li Hua’s eyes. “They won’t bother you or your mama ever again.”
A look of vicious satisfaction swept across Li Hua’s face, and Sen thought he saw a little of the fear in her eyes recede. It was a start.
“Are you sure?” asked Zhi in a quavering voice, her lip trembling even more.
Sen crouched down so she could look right at him.
“I promise,” said Sen.
Tears started to trickle down the girl’s face, so he pulled her close and let her cry. At least I killed them all this time, he thought. Or, I will.