I Will Leave Before Dawn

Chapter 7: Diaries

Damu Lan grabbed a bandage and carefully wrapped it around the wounds on Lu Ye’s body after he had already applied soothing ointment to ease the pain. Lu Ye was completely worn out, unable to keep his eyes open any longer. He found himself drifting off to sleep, nestled on Damu Lan’s bed.

Damu Lan let out a sigh of relief and gazed at Lu Ye, who was now peacefully sleeping. As he stared at the familiar presence before him, Damu Lan idly toyed with a feather from Lu Ye’s raven form and after a while, a radiant, heartwarming smile crept onto his face—one that held the purest joy, like that of a child.

In that moment, Damu Lan’s defense melted away, surrounded by a comforting warmth. Slowly, his surroundings blurred, and he drifted to sleep beside Lu Ye, still cradling the feather gently in his hand.
.

Several hours had slipped away, and the lingering fragrance of the burnt incense in Damu Lan’s chamber had faded into thin air.

Suddenly, an unsettling feeling fell over Damu Lan, causing him to snap back to his senses.

Without warning, the door crashed open, revealing a figure he was all too familiar—it was Zhang XiYi.

Zhang XiYi always had a way of making a grand entrance wherever he went. His riches were more than sufficient to compensate for anything, and Damu Lan had become so used to it that he didn't even bother paying attention anymore.

In a hurry, Damu Lan threw a blanket over Lu Ye, who jolted awake from the clamor caused by the crash.

Zhang XiYi’s gaze shifted to Damu Lan, who fixed him with a serious look.

“What brings you here?” Damu Lan questioned.

“My Hua Ran was defeated by your disciple. So what do you think I’m doing here?” Zhang XiYi retorted.

Damu Lan exhaled wearily before responding, “If you’re going to nag about my disciple, perhaps you should stop spoiling your disciple so much and become stricter.” He added.

Zhang XiYi’s face flushed as a few veins popped up. The man was known for his quick temper, but he possessed an incredible amount of self-control that rarely allowed him to act on his rage.

“What? I’ve been training him for four years, and he never once lost a match. Yet, he was defeated in a petty sparring session? And to top it off, he lost to a disciple of just eight months? Spare me the details,” he seethed.

Damu Lan blinked, his eyes adjusting to the sight before him. He had grown accustomed to Zhang XiYi’s peculiarities, particularly his tendency to fret over the smallest of matters. Zhang XiYi was the kind of man who struggled to acknowledge defeat, even in the past. So it was no wonder Damu Lan understood the frustration coursing through him when Zhang XiYi’s most favored disciple lost to the only disciple of his own.

“Hah…forget it. I’ll deal with that later,” Zhang XiYi remarked. “You should stop isolating yourself within the sect and start overseeing the cities again. The sect leader asked me to persuade you. The people in the south desperately need an immortal to deal with the lurking unconscious devils. It’s time for you to go.”

Damu Lan fell silent, eventually nodding after a brief pause. That small gesture surprised Zhang XiYi. He hadn’t expected Damu Lan to agree so easily. For centuries, he had adamantly refused to go anywhere beyond the confines of the sect…

“Good. It’s been a while, so I’ll lead the way,” Zhang XiYi insisted. “You should bring that disciple of yours along. He could benefit from the experience.”

“No need. He’s still just a child,” Damu Lan responded.

Zhang XiYi let out a scoff, “well, well, talk about spoiling a disciple. When we were around his age, we were sent on far more challenging missions. What child are you referring to?”