Full of reproach and with a lingering sense of betrayal, the two disciples turned to Xiao, who avoided their gaze, simply bowing respectfully.
"Shizuuuun! Why did you..." Chuang began plaintively before resigning himself. He hadn't expected it to happen so quickly, but that was no reason to make a scene in front of another master. There was one who didn't take the brutal announcement so well. Ye, whose aura becomes much more hostile and makes the air almost stifling, glares at the shizun of the Ruby Pavilion like a wild animal with its back against the wall. He was torn between the desire to prove that it wasn't his imposing stature that would make him accept him as his new master and simply obeying without complaint like the good boy he should be. After a moment of tension, he finally walked away with heavy steps toward the Diamond Pavilion. Following this, Jia Jingzi sighed and apologized profusely to the other adult.
"I will send them tomorrow without fail. Please excuse him, he is still a little young, he needs time. Thank you again."
He made sure to discuss everything at length with this master to be certain of his philosophy and how he would treat his students, to be sure they would be in good hands, then signaled to his disciples to return to the Diamond Pavilion to catch up with Ye.
And when they arrive, they can see that the child is fixated on the talismans. One of them is stained with blood; Ye has clearly been relentless with it. Worse still, it looks like he has finally managed to defeat some of the talismans by draining them of their energy, rendering them completely useless. A new one eventually comes loose from the door and falls slowly to the ground, like a simple piece of paper. It is clearly beyond his level to break through a barrier of talismans; even Xiao is not capable of this, and he is shocked to see it. He flinches and puts his hand in front of Chuang to keep him at a distance as well. Ye's Qi darkens a notch more, as if refusing to let anyone approach him, and he turns back to those who dared to disturb him. However, he softens when he sees his shizun before remembering what just happened and halts his efforts.
"This disciple will go get his things." He doesn't even want to look at Jia Jingzi now, walking away from the pavilion on his own.
Jia Jingzi stands there dumbfounded, wondering if he made his talismans incorrectly. He glances at the other two children as if to see if they are as surprised as he is, and trots over to Ye with his cane to stand in front of him. "Ye, really! What are you doing? I thought you agreed, I don't understand."
The boy frowns, particularly frustrated. "You're not really giving me a choice. I don't want to join anyone else. And I don't like this master. Not at all."
"Tell yourself it's temporary, until you're strong enough to become true cultivators. I spoke with him, and he assured me he'll treat you well. The other shizun were... too harsh for you. This one will be kind. He'll give you a good education. You'll quickly catch up."
"He looks mean. He looks like..." Ye falls silent, but his expression becomes more tormented. "But I said I would make an effort for you." Jia Jingzi sighs sadly and turns his gaze to his disciples, forcing a smile. "Listen. Why don't you do your stuff tomorrow morning? Let's spend this evening together, and I'll tell you about my adventures again."
And they had a wonderful evening. They ate lots of wontons, although there was only one left at the end, and their shizun naturally sacrificed himself to eat it so that the boys wouldn't fight over it. He recounted his adventures, how he had defeated the spirit of a woman who was wreaking havoc in a valley, and how he had sealed a door leading to the realm of demons when a demon king emerged from it. He told of how he had made calamities disappear and how he had once opened an ancient tomb from the mists of time. Thrilling and incredible adventures—their shizun is truly an extraordinary person!
But everything comes to an end, and the evening passes. Shizun made an exception and brought out a jar of wine to share with them—well, one cup per disciple and the rest for him—so he falls asleep on the spot.
Chuang seems to handle alcohol very well, Ye is doing fine, but then Xiao—his head collapses on the table and he passes out. The other two look at him and snicker, and Chuang takes the opportunity to fetch a brush and ink to draw a mustache on him and write the characters for arrogance on his face. He doesn't actually do anything to their master that doesn't deserve the same treatment, especially since Ye is keeping an eye on him. In fact, Ye helps their shizun get up and move around.
"Shizun shouldn't stay outside, he'll catch a cold and his condition will deteriorate."
It's nice and warm in their pavilion, which is the best pavilion for disciples in the entire sect, because their shizun was kind enough to install insulation and protective talismans against the cold, unlike the other masters who let their disciples strengthen themselves by practicing Qi to ignore the bitter cold of the night.
It's true, shizun would be much better off sleeping with them, especially since it's their last night together. So he brings his stuffed animal back to his bed and hugs it tenderly. He often feels cold, but now he feels reassured and falls asleep almost immediately.
A little later, Chuang drags Xiao back by his feet, which has left a nasty bump on his head. Oh, what a pain! He's not going to hoist him onto the bed either; he'll sleep on the floor. He lets go of his feet and goes to his bed to sleep.
[...]
When the master wakes up, he finds himself with a koala clinging tightly to him in a disciple's bed outside his pavilion. He moves before realizing what's going on and soon panics. "What the hell—why am I here?! What time is it?!"
Chuang can be heard turning over, grumbling, "Ten more minutes... no, twenty..." Xiao grumbles as he runs his hand through his hair, groaning slightly in pain. Ye opens his eyes slightly to see his shizun's face and flashes a bright morning smile, forgetting where they have to go so early in the morning. Such a beautiful smile should be designated as the seventh wonder of the world, for sure!
Jia Jingzi is almost distracted by this, but fortunately, his adult responsibilities are stronger than anything else, and he gets out of bed to lift the window covering to see the position of the sun. "Damn it! We're almost late! Get up, kids! You haven't even packed your things."
Like a mother goose, he already starts gathering the little ones' belongings, then sees Xiao's condition and takes a cloth, which he moistens with a cultivation technique in order to wipe his face and clean him up. "Xiao! Why did you do that? Not at your age! What if it doesn't come off, what are we going to do?"
"What do you mean, Shizun? What are you talking about? I didn't do anything." Xiao's gaze immediately turns to Chuang, whom he suspects of being responsible. He takes the opportunity to violently pull his blanket off, and Chuang collapses like a rag doll onto the floor, waking him up straight away. His hair is all over the place, and he opens one eye, then the other, looking like a complete idiot as he gazes around him, still half asleep.
"I'm awake, I'm awake!"