Jia Jingzi, standing in the middle of the battlefield, sighs and raises his voice.
"Children! What did I say earlier? Repeat it. Apologize to each other and no more provocation!"
"Did you hear that? Apologize," Xiao demands imperiously.
"Of course it's up to the others to apologize to my lord. No way. Besides, you're no longer my shixiong since you're leaving, so we have nothing more to say to each other," Chuang declared, turning his head away.
Damn, it's complicated being a master with just these two, so imagine with three. In fact, the third one is not far away, his fist embedded in a tree that has split in two at that exact spot. There are other disciples his age frozen in place next to him, fallen backwards on their bottoms. They finally run off after a moment of standing there dumbfounded, even nearly slipping as they get up.
At least that calmed Xiao and Chuang, who are perplexed and exchange confused glances.
"No, I asked you both to—"
Jia Jingzi also stops when he sees the scene. He grabs his cane and walks faster in his direction, like a mother boar running toward her lost fawn.
"Ye!! Are you hurt? What happened, were those disciples bothering you?"
The other two follow their shizun more slowly, still stunned by what they have witnessed. At the sound of his name and that voice, the other child's body tenses and his arm drops to his side as he turns almost in slow motion, as if afraid of being scolded.
But seeing the worried look on Jia Jingzi's face, the boy's eyes fill with tears, he too rushes towards him to hug his legs and rub his face against the fabric of his robe. His voice trembles, and his small body shakes with sobs.
"Shizun... they're so mean! The disciples from the other pavilions are so cruel! They... they dared... they dared!"
He clutched his robe tighter between his fingers as his teeth gritted in anger, but he preferred to turn a pleading look to his master for comfort.
Under the gaze of the other two, Jia Jingzi bent down to rub his back and head, trying to stop his crying with a helpless look.
"Who? Which pavilion? What did they do to you? I'm going to go and tell them off right now! Don't cry, please. It'll be okay, shizun is here."
Seeing this, he almost felt sorry for not being there more often. What if this little one was being mistreated during his absences? He had no way of knowing.
However, the boy shakes his head, and as his master leans toward him, he takes the opportunity to wrap his arms around his neck and hold on to him.
"Shizun, this disciple wants to stay with you... he promises to be more diligent in his training."
He's giving him his doe-eyed look and adopting an even more heart-wrenching tone.
"So please, don't abandon me."
Jia Jingzi wasn't expecting this, and now he's stuck, but eventually he ends up leaning on his staff to lift him up and carry him in his arms. And Ye, that little imp, climbs on top of him to sit on his shoulders and wraps his legs around his neck, clinging to him affectionately.
"Come on, Ye... it's inappropriate to cling to your shizun like that."
"This disciple wants to stay with shizun! Also..."
His voice became a little more serious as he leaned forward slightly.
"...it's the disciples and the celestial mirror that choose, isn't it? Does shizun have the right to separate us like this? Shizun is not respecting the precepts and the result of the ritual."
"Exactly, Shizun! You have no right to force us to take someone who is not meant for us! That goes against the mirror's decision! You may say that you are not a worthy teacher, but if we consider you to be one, aren't you supposed to respect our decision?" Chuang interjects, pointing his finger in their direction.
The master frowns as his disciples corner him. They use the sect's precepts against him, and they're not wrong, but...
It seems to weigh on him, as he presses his lips together, looking troubled.
"A shizun must think about what's best for his disciples, and you're going to fall behind! Important deadlines are coming up, and I want you to be in the best possible condition to face them. That's why I've given you two options, but I strongly advise you to find a new teacher. If my illness worsens and I can no longer teach you at all, it will be too late to replace me, you will be too old. You are still at the perfect age to be accepted."
Xiao nods, fully aware of everything he is saying, while the other two remain silent, visibly disappointed or overwhelmed by the decision. However, Ye lifts his head from his shizun's shoulder to meet his gaze.
"This disciple will do everything to cure shizun of his illness, so he has nothing to worry about."
He gives him a beautiful smile.
"It's also our job to look after you. Who will take care of shizun if he is left alone? I will be there. If your illness worsens, I will find a solution, no matter what the problem is."
Chuang crosses his arms and nods vigorously.
Jia Jingzi looked at them for a moment, visibly uncomfortable. Then he let go of his staff to lift Ye and set him down on the ground, placing a hand on his head. It's better this way, climbing on his shizun, after all, the other children will laugh at him if they see that.
"Ye... this is not an illness you can cure, the sect has already called on all the greatest healers. I've been living with it for decades. Don't waste your precious youth with this old shizun who has had his day. You must think of yourselves first, then others. Preferably, I would like all three of you to stay. I know you have trouble getting along, but you can stand together."
He removed his hand from Ye to approach Xiao and place it on his shoulders.
"Xiao, you are the eldest, it is your responsibility to protect them when you move into your new pavilion. Especially Ye, he's... the most fragile, you understand? The other children pick on him and he can't defend himself... Forgive Chuang for his carelessness, set a good example for him, he has the potential to become a great cultivator just like you. All three of you have a wonderful future ahead of you."
First reaching out to him with shining eyes, his body stiffened at his words, and Ye looked genuinely hurt, looking away and lowering his gaze. Chuang frowned and shifted thoughtfully from one foot to the other. Xiao, on the other hand, looked up at his shizun and nodded gently.
Wasn't that the best decision to make? Yes, they will have a bright future, that's what matters. Xiao can make an effort to take care of the other two, even if he doesn't feel like it at all. Out of respect for his shizun, he will do it.
Chuang, usually so talkative, didn't even know what to say to that. His shizun insisted that he go in a different direction, which annoyed him and, quite honestly, bored him. He didn't want a shizun who would impose his will on him; he didn't want to change his way of life or who he was. He just sighed, displeased.
Ye is the one who reacts most strongly to this new request. He steps back and shakes his head.
"No."
His voice trembles and he stamps his foot, his teeth clenched, caught between sadness, frustration, and anger. This child is indeed unstable, he rarely throws tantrums, in fact, this is the first time since their shizun wanted to give him to another cultivator that he has been this upset.
"This disciple passed this test thinking he would find his place here, and you— Why can't he have a place to call 'home'?"