92. Resolve
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A little later, Xu Min and the remaining friends arrived at the Yan house, all determined to spend time Luoyin, who happily welcomed them in!
Yin Xing had been chatting with Luoyin before they arrived, but after receiving their respectful bows, he hurriedly made an excuse to leave!
He hadn't forgotten how many random questions Xu Min had asked him that night, and he didn't think he would survive more questions from all of them!
However, he spared Xu Lian an extra glance as she scrunched her face at Weiyan, who had come to greet them all as a proper hostess!
"Sister Weiyan, you're simply showing off!" Xu Lian was complaining.
Yin Xing's eyes narrowed as he left.
He had noticed her on the night of the eye-eater, but had been too preoccupied with his brother, but the last time she was here, he had noted her aura was somewhat familiar, and it felt no different now...
Meanwhile, the friends had visited with ulterior motives!
Xu Wen had mentioned his suspicions that Luoyin was going somewhere to Xu Min, and Xu Lin had overhead...
... so it somehow reached the ears of the others, who made it their goal to find out if it was true.
Or where Luoyin might be going.
Or how long he might be gone.
Or if they could dissuade him!!
And this led to an afternoon with each trying to 'entice' Luoyin with anything they could think off!
"Zhang Yin! Did I ever tell you I had a private meditation room?" Xu Min asked. "It's full of decent spirit energy! You can use it whenever you want! We could also go hunting for beast cores together..."
"2nd Disciple Zhang, would you like to learn my flaming arrow technique?" Tao Yun offered.
"That won't work! His cultivation is water-based!" Xu Lian countered, then beamed at Luoyin. "Yin Gēge! How about I teach you my fan techniques! It's not picky about one's core, and we could also look into water shields!"
"Heh! Did you forget his crystal shield?" Xu Wen reminded them of the shield Luoyin had created while fighting Zhang Cheng! "Shixiong, why don't I recommend you to my father as a direct disciple?" His father was a Xu and Sect Elder.
Luoyin could only shake his head. 'They're quite perceptive!'
But Weiyan remained in the dark, and she shot curious looks at them, an uncertain feeling tugging at her heart.
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Hours later brought dinnertime, and Weiyan was at Luoyin's door again with a soft knock.
"A-Yin, I brought dinner." She said softly from the doorway.
"Er..."
Then,
'I can see her again!'
Then,
'No! Why is she here again?!'
Then,
"Enter!"
And the two sat to a meal of seasoned duck with soft rice, stir-fried vegetables, spiced golden mushrooms, and Lotus root salad.
Extremely delicious, but Luoyin's mind was far from the food...
'Shouldn't I beg Fei Yun to alter our fates?!' He thought, firmly dropping his gaze to his plate.
But yet again, his eyes somehow strayed to Weiyan's face.
The soft glow of the candles highlighted the beautiful lustre of her hair, and shone through her pale skin, making her resemble an immaculate piece of the finest jade.
And her lips...
Before Luoyin realized what he was doing, he had lifted a hand, placing his thumb on her lips to dust off an errant grain of rice...
Her soft gasp snapped him out of it, and he quickly withdrew his hand, both turning away with near-identical red faces and ears.
'Mind is calm, energy is harmonious... Clear the mind, subdue ambition!' Luoyin mentally chanted, lifting shaky chopsticks to pick a piece of duck.
But their chopsticks met, and he lifted his gaze to meet hers...
A light rain suddenly began to fall.
"It's the first rain!" A maid shouted from afar, and there were distant sounds as the servants scrambled to get drying herbs or clothes out of the rain.
The rains had been late this year, and across Yue City, some ran out of the rain, some playfully ran into the rain, and some collected the rain water for *rain water tea!
(*Yu Shui Cha (雨水茶) - Literally Rain Water Tea, especially from the first rain. The tea is then shared with friends or family to wish them health and harmony)
But for one candlelit couple, it was simply the perfect moment in time, as their gazes held under the rhythmic sounds of raindrops on the roof, and Luoyin felt himself leaning closer...
"Ahem!" Luoyin caught himself and leaned away, pouring himself a cup of water.
'Have I been a bit too foolish...?' He pondered as he gulped down the cool liquid.
He had dared to assume the grievances were making him experience the original Luoyin's emotions, but no...
He was now fairly certain they had been suppressing his own emotions all along!
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Late at night, the rain had stopped, but its delightful scent lingered, and the soft sounds of a Pipa filled the cool air.
Luoyin lay sleepless, fully aware of who played the Pipa.
'Yanyan...' His fingers closed around his sheets, as he fought off an overwhelming urge to go to her.
It would be too easy as well...
Hadn't she brought herself next door?!
His traitorous mind chose that moment to ferry him back to the training grounds, when he had lifted Weiyan into his arms...
At the time he had nearly staggered as her scent wove around him, and her hair teased his arm. An all-too-familiar warmth rushed through him, and he had nearly leaned in to touch his lips to hers...
'Be gone!' Luoyin shut his eyes, pushing the memory away.
But what instantly followed was the memory of Weiyan's arms going around him at the Yan House gates two evenings ago, her entire front almost flush against him...
'Aiya!!' He opened his eyes again, feeling too hot, despite the night's rainy chill.
'You're this old and can't control yourself?!' He chided himself.
Where were his near fifty-thousand years of training?!
He sat up in the lotus position, held up a hand, and began channeling qi.
'The Mind is calm, energy is harmonious... Clear the mind and subdue ambition...' He chanted again.
It was really 'ambitious' of him to dream of Xu Weiyan right now, or rather, quite selfish of him.
Once the bow was drawn, there was no turning back, so if he followed his heart and moved towards Xu Weiyan, he would be responsible till the end of his life.
Mortal or otherwise.
That meant he would never leave her behind, and selfish as it might be, he would ask her to leave everything she had ever known to follow him.
Even if she was willing, there were too many dangers ahead...
As one of Sky Realm's strongest, he hadn't been able to protect Yan Liwei. Or his loved ones. Or his people.
So how could his mortal self protect Xu Weiyan against Sky Realm's fury?
Or from the hidden enemies and whatever they were planning?
It was better to leave things be...
'Tch, I've already said, 'easier said than done'!' That same annoying inner voice taunted him, and Luoyin scowled.
'Go away!' He thought, giving up his 'mind cultivation' and lying down, shutting his eyes.
But of course, that only led to a night of tossing and turning, while thinking of candlelit dinners and light rains...
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By morning, Luoyin felt like a ghost, listlessly floating to his meal table with large dark circles beneath his eyes.
"Wah! It's a panda!" Yin Xing came in and didn't hesitate to tease, but Luoyin ignored him and sat, pouring himself a small liquor cup of wine which he downed, instantly filling another.
Yin Xing sighed and joined him. "Hao hao, drink to your heart's content..." He poured himself a cup and downed it.
"I've made up my mind!" Luoyin said, decisively slamming his cup to the table. "We can't stay in Yue City any longer!"
"Xiaobai, I think you're right this time..." Yinying's voice cut into the air a second before he appeared.
"Laoying!" Luoyin happily greeted. "You're back!"
Yinying and Yin Xing awkwardly bowed to each other.
"2nd High Immortal Yin, please accept my greeting!" From Yinying's perspective, Yin Xing was a High Immortal and the Night deity, so he should bow in respect!
"Ah, no, senior, please accept my greeting!" From Yin Xing's perspective, though most immortals treated the beast clan as mounts or pets, Yinying was much older, and was held in high regard by his elder brother, so he should bow in respect!
It was the same that happened whenever they met!
"Xiaobai!" Yinying joined them at the table. "War is looming in Sky Realm..." He began...
...then filled them in on Sky Realm's recent state of affairs.
"It's indeed a declaration of war." Luoyin was nodding. "But these enemies have bid their time for thousands of years. Why be reckless now?"
It bothered him, but not one of them had an answer...
Luoyin suddenly turned to Yinying with a hopeful expression. "Did you say Fei Yun is not currently the Fate Immortal?!"
Didn't that mean he could stay at Yueyan, even if just a bit longer?
But Yinying's face fell. "He isn't, but just before I left dreamstate, Yiguang heard the Sky Emperor mention 'Yueyan region'..."
He didn't need to say more.
Wasn't it a confirmation that Tianlong knew where they were?
One young man and one old man simultaneously reached for the wine, each with a sad sigh- Yinying because he would leave behind his child, and Luoyin because he would leave Weiyan behind.
"I think I've done enough here..." Luoyin said. "I'll tie up my classes at the Xu mansion today."
He turned to Yin Xing. "Xiaoxing, inform old man Bao and Immortal Kai." Then he sighed at Yinying.
"Laoying, you should use the day to bid farewell to the little one..."
And then he resolutely declared,
"We must disappear from Yue City at midnight!"
And a silence descended as all three quietly drank their wine...
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Unfortunately, frozen right outside the door, Weiyan stood in shock, her hand raised in a knock that never arrived.
'What did I hear?' She wondered, a little lost.
She had just arrived, barely hearing something about two other Immortals.
But one thing clearly settled in her ears.
'Disappear? From Yue City...?'
Zhang Luoyin was leaving Yue City?
'Perhaps he's not going far!' She thought. 'Or perhaps he'll be back soon, or he'll take me with him...
'Won't he?'
But it was as if her heart knew he held no such intentions.
He would quietly leave her behind, and once he left, she would never see him again....
A sudden pain flared in her heart and her hand grasped her chest.
Were the fates testing her so soon after her resolve...?
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