A Broken Heart Still Beats.

Chapter XL

"Huo Qiang," the cub trilled at him, her long, thick, and scaled tail dragging over his legs as she brushed past him. Guiying; curled around her torso, hissed softly. Raising his head to slither over Huo Qiang's short mane. "Come now, Shizun said she wished to see us."

Spiritual beasts naturally grew fast, as such, Huo Qiang had already grown to the size of an average wild cat, undoubtedly bound to grow bigger still, just as Guiying had grown more in length as well, his tail normally dragging on the ground when Shen Yuan walked with him on his shoulders.

Xiao Yingzi snorted softly, nudging Huo Qiang with his head. At the same time, the Ember-Lion Dragon merely chirruped at the stallion, swiping at his hooves until Shen Yuan smoothed down the fur of her mane, humming softly.

Winter had since turned to spring, just as spring to summer. The air was warm, the ground teeming with life all over Ling Shou. Every building and structure was covered with its visage of nature, a common sign of mother nature's influence and possession of their home, just as her benevolence of their staying.

His Jiejie's wedding was approaching soon as well, within the next month, he'd attend as the brother of the bride and brother-in-law of the groom and see off the both of them. The two would set out on their own lives away from their homes and those who had grown with them.

It was an exciting thought, to imagine all the fun and adventures his Jiejie would be able to go on with someone like Ci Liang at her side, a life she never could have lived before, with every luxury and excitement she could ever want and more than deserved. But it was just as equally saddening; to imagine both his Shijie and Jiejie leaving, even if he'd see them again whenever they visited and whenever he'd go to their home to visit himself.

However, he hadn't enough time to dwell on such thoughts.

Just as he'd expected, life got busy, fast.

His Shizun taught him more and more by the passing days. Schooling and preparing him for the future, instructing him on the basics, such as how to run a lecture, pick disciples, and handle himself during the peak lord meetings. Of which he still begrudgingly went to monthly, even if the very presence of the sect leader left him feeling unsettled and aggrieved.

She taught him the intricacies of everything. How to handle outsiders who visited the peak—rarely. Just the same as how to handle himself around other sect leaders, especially those of the great four sects. How to identify even the strangest of creatures and flora with his qi, as well as how to handle the rare but still necessary bits of paperwork.

That...was something he liked the least.

They dealt with flora and beasts! What about any of that screamed paperwork? Half of their lessons were outside anyway! The other half was covered by the hall master's and those of his Shizun's generation, why did he still have to do paperwork!?

Regardless, he appreciated each lesson and faithfully stuck to his Shizun's side. There were very few days now that he was not with his Shizun; listening to her and learning from association and presence alone how to go about things.

Even his parents and Luo Binghe and Liu Qingge had gotten busier over the past months. Likely for the same reasons as his Shizun; the peak lords were preparing their head disciples and core disciples for the coming change. Where one generation would overtake another, and those of the past would make way for those of the future. However, he chose to rarely think about the truth behind these actions, instead, taking to merely appreciating the time he had with his Shizun while he still had it.

He'd even grown accustomed to his Shizun's home. The house was larger than his old cottage but still had a similar homey feel. His Shizun's scent was a welcoming factor to it, as was her very presence, and every other small detail that made it, specifically hers. The garden was just as welcoming, if not more so, and he found that if he was allowed, his day would be well spent inside the labyrinth of sacred beasts and rare flora, protected, and well sheltered from the outside world.