Chapter 43: A Confession...?
Audience hall, Great Void Sect...
The elders of the Great Void Sect stood around the high platform seating the throne, looking down with stony expressions. The sect had just this morning received news that Elder Shi was captured by the Zhou Empire, and they were waiting for their sect leader to speak on the matter as they stood there in silence.
"... The Zhou will cause a ruckus, with this," Xia Qiao finally said, her creaking voice making the elders jump.
"Prepare for the other sects' demands, and get the disciples ready for battle."
"Yes, sect leader!"
The Great Void Sect elders hurriedly saluted and went to leave the room, leaving Xia Qiao alone to sigh in resignation atop her throne.
Not only had her decades long plan failed, the Zhou empire would have enough evidence against them to incite the other sects into causing trouble with them, under their pretexts of 'justice' and 'reparations'. Of course, those hyenas would only be looking to see how big of a piece they could get, for themselves.
"Qing'er," she suddenly called out. A woman appeared just as suddenly by her side, kneeling respectfully on one knee.
"Yes, Mother," she said, her gaze never leaving the floor as Xia Qiao stroked her short, black hair with a decrepit hand. The younger woman was clad in all black, wearing a veil that hid the lower half of her face.
This was Xia Qingge, a girl Xia Qiao secretly adopted ten years ago. Showing immense talent in cultivation, and more specifically the covert arts, Xia Qiao trained her to be a spy since she was young, giving her command of one of the sect's squads of shadow guardsmen when she came of age.
"Have you found out anything about the ones behind ruining our plans?" the sect leader asked, idly playing with the young woman's hair.
"I only have one lead, so far," Xia Qingge answered, taking a scroll out from within her robes and handing it to her adopted mother.
"From what I have gathered, he seems to be an outsider to the Zhou empire, going by the name of 'Ryker'."
"An unusual name," Xia Qiao stated, unfurling the scroll to see a portrait of a young man with messy hair and a spiky topknot, differing from the usual neat styles of the men of the Nanwu continent. Other than his unique hairstyle, however, she couldn't see anything else out of the ordinary concerning his facial structure or otherwise.
"Keep track of his whereabouts, and inform me if he takes any suspicious action," she continued, returning the scroll to Xia Qingge as a cold gleam shone in her eyes.
"Since his strength is uncertain, we'll need to find the right opportunity to strike."
--
On the road, a ways out from Yuliang City...
"Hm, so your hometown is built right along the coast? It sounds like a lovely place to live."
"Yeah, it's nice. You get a little bored of playing on the beach all the time, growin' up there, but the sunset's great no matter how many times you see it!"
Ryker and Meiling were walking along the road heading east, chatting about whatever came to mind. The conversation had eventually arrived at the topic of Ryker's hometown, Greyson Shores.
"You must be anxious to return," Meiling said, glancing at him from the corner of her eye, as if to gauge his reaction. Ryker smiled and nodded, though there was a hint of melancholy in his gaze.
"... Yeah. I know it sounds weird, but I kinda like that same old, same old, you know?"
He shrugged his shoulders, his eyes regaining their usual cheer. Meiling just gave him a wry smile.
"That doesn't seem like the case, with all of the trouble you get into."
"Hey, it's just the same old trouble, from my point of view!"
They continued chatting and laughing away as they walked, but soon enough, they noticed someone standing at the top of the hill ahead of them, seemingly waiting for something, there.
"Huh, is that...?"
"Luo Shuchang?"
The two of them gave each other a look, before they used their movement techniques to rush uphill, where Luo Shuchang turned to greet them as they landed in front of him.
"Hello. Just thought I'd say farewell before you two left," he said, with his usual gentle demeanor.
"Hey Twin. How'd you know we'd be going this way?" Ryker asked, raising a hand in greeting.
"Well, I figured you would want to travel east and see those sects for yourself," he answered, "I didn't expect Miss Meiling to be traveling with you, however."
Ryker just scratched his head, grinning foolishly.
"Hehe, guess you know me too well. Meiling here's just walking with me on the way to her mom's hometown."
Luo Shuchang looked over at Meiling, who crossed her arms and gave him a suspicious look.
"Ryker, you don't need to tell this guy stuff like that," she said, her previous warm attitude cooling in the face of a newcomer.
"Uh, I've been meaning to ask this, but are you and Shuchie not on good terms?" Ryker asked, scratching his head awkwardly. Luo Shuchang just laughed, putting his hands behind his back in his usual serene manner.
"Well, you've heard that we used to be engaged..." he began, though Meiling cut him off before he could start whatever it was he wanted to say.
"Who are you?" she asked bluntly, staring at him with a fierce gaze, "And you know what I mean, when I ask that."
Luo Shuchang returned her gaze with a calm look, as if deciding whether or not he wanted to answer that question, eventually closing his eyes and letting out a deep sigh.
"Would you believe me if I said I came here from the future?" he said, causing Long Meiling to knit her brow in confusion. Ryker's face lit up, however, an excited smile on his face.
"Whoa, so like that one comic I read!" he said, "You traveled back from the future to save the world!"
"Er, not exactly, but close enough, I suppose."
Meiling, on the other hand, just rubbed her chin, looking down in thought.
"Hm, so you advancing so quickly, and thwarting the Great Void Sect's plot..."
"Yes, it was using my knowledge of the future."
"... I still wouldn't believe it, if I didn't see it happen with my own eyes."
She shook her head ruefully, musing just how bizarre these past few weeks have been. Ryker was one thing, but now her former fiancee was some kind of time traveler?
"Do you regret ending your engagement with me, knowing that I'm not a cripple?" Shuchang said, jokingly, to which Meiling just scoffed.
"It was never about that," she said with a frown, "It was about you never treating me like I was a person, instead of just a trophy for yourself."
At that, Luo Shuchang's eyes widened in surprise, and he looked down to the side as if reflecting on her words.
"... Forgive me," he eventually said, "After all those years of competing for the top, in my previous life, I'd forgotten how shameful my past self used to be."
He bowed to her solemnly, never raising his head until his apology was finished.
"I apologize for my past behavior, Long Meiling. I hope you can forgive me for treating you poorly."
"... You really are a different person."
Long Meiling shook her head again at the stark contrast between this person in front of her and the Luo Shuchang she used to know.
"Well, there was never anything between us, in the first place, so I suppose I can forgive you this once."
She fidgeted a bit, looking away awkwardly, before she continued.
"... And I'm sorry for humiliating you, in public. I don't regret ending our engagement, but I should have settled it with you, privately."
Now it was Shuchang's turn to look surprised, though he quickly broke out into a sincere smile, laughing softly.
"Haha, it seems your time with Ryker has changed you, as well."
Meiling simply looked away, a faint blush rising on her face.
"Aww, you guys," Ryker said, looking between the two of them with a growing smile, "Group hug!"
He pulled them both into his arms, squeezing tightly and squishing them against his muscular body.
"Ugh... let... go!" Meiling said, struggling to push herself away from him as her blush grew deeper in color. Luo Shuchang just laughed even more, using his Void Crossing Steps to release himself from Ryker's grip and float just above them.
"Anyways, I didn't come just to say farewell," he began to say, his robes flowing in the breeze, "The Great Void Sect will no doubt be after your life from now on, Ryker, and there are much greater threats they can employ than the likes of Elder Shi, if they're determined."
"Hm. Yeah, I hear ya."
Ryker nodded his understanding, and Luo Shuchang smiled before he disappeared from sight.
- Good luck in your endeavors. I think I'll keep this communications device, for now, - came his voice from Ryker's compad.
"Sure thing, buddy. Keep in touch!" Ryker responded.
With that, Ryker and Meiling were left alone, again. Meiling looked down bashfully, Ryker's arm still draped around her shoulder, and a strange feeling of unwillingness sprouted within her heart, knowing that the time for them to go their separate ways had arrived.
"Well... This is where we part, I suppose," she said, eyes downcast.
"... Yeah."
Unexpectedly, Ryker also seemed to be somewhat preoccupied, his usual cheer and optimism peculiarly absent as the arm he had around her shoulders fell back to his side.
"Uh, actually, before we say goodbye, there's something I wanna tell you," he started to say, looking off to the side uneasily, which caught Meiling's attention.
His tone and mannerisms were rather out of character, right now. Was he nervous about something? Something he'd want to tell her... This couldn't be...
'No way... Is this a confession of love?'
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