Runes • Rifles • Reincarnation
46. Rude Welcome

“Whoa! That’s your sect?” Jin Shu exclaimed, pointing down from Xiao Tian’s back.

Below them, on the mountain peak, stretched a breathtaking expanse of buildings nestled among misty clouds and cascading waterfalls. Humans and nature coexisted in perfect harmony, with smaller birds flitting between the trees and larger ones, much like Xiao Tian, soaring gracefully through the air, adding vibrant life to the scene.

Everywhere Jin Shu looked, beautiful women moved to and fro beneath the moonlit sky, their flowing robes illuminated by the silvery light.

“Ahem!” Biyu cleared her throat sharply, drawing his attention. Her frown and pointed stare left little doubt she’d caught his wandering eyes. “Yes, this is the Immortal Phoenix Sect.”

Jin Shu raised an eyebrow, confused by her sudden annoyance. He had a suspicion why, but he hadn’t meant anything by simply looking.

“Did you see any beautiful goddesses down there?” she asked sharply, her tone laced with suspicion.

Blinking, Jin Shu struggled to catch her meaning. Then it clicked. His brain caught up just in time. “No, none at all. Only the one up here,” he blurted out, shaking his head frantically.

Inwardly, he gave his younger psyche a high five. Nice save!

“Hmph. Good,” Biyu said, her voice stern. But Jin Shu didn’t miss the faint redness creeping over the tips of her ears.

Suddenly, the wind whipped against their faces as Xiao Tian began her descent. Despite the steep dive, neither of them slipped from her back, though the sharp gusts of wind stung their skin as they hurtled toward the ground.

In the blink of an eye, they reached the ground. Xiao Tian screeched, “Caw!” as she alighted gracefully on a large, round stone platform.

From a nearby stone building, a woman emerged. She was undeniably beautiful, though the signs of age were visible in the lines on her face and the streaks of gray in her hair.

“Welcome back, Xiao Tian. Which disciple did you bring this time, hmm?” the woman asked gently.

Biyu dismounted first, landing with practiced ease. “Hello, Elder Lu Cha,” she greeted with a small bow.

“Oh? It’s you?” Elder Lu Cha gave her a surprised look before her expression turned quizzical. “How come you aren’t with… your master?”

She muttered something under her breath, too soft for Jin Shu to hear.

Still seated on Xiao Tian’s back, Jin Shu gave her a comforting pat before leaping down beside Biyu. As his feet touched the ground, a thought struck him—he’d heard this elder’s name somewhere before.

The moment Elder Lu Cha’s eyes landed on him, they widened in shock.

“Fan Biyu, what is the meaning of this?!” she demanded, her voice sharp. Her finger shot out, accusingly pointing at Jin Shu. “How dare you flaunt the rules so brazenly?! I should have known you’d turn out just like that master of yours!”

Jin Shu blinked in confusion but then a memory clicked. He knocked his fist into his palm as realization dawned. “Oh, now I remember! You’re the one Mom calls Lu Cha Biao!”

The words left his mouth before his brain caught up. Only after they hung in the air did he realize what he’d just said.

“Ah, sorry… I didn’t mean that…”

Elder Lu Cha’s face flushed a deep crimson. Her lips curled into a snarl as she huffed angrily. “You insolent brat!” she shrieked, lunging toward him.

Jin Shu tried to step back, but his body refused to move. He stood frozen, helpless, as her hand loomed closer.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Biyu straining against the same invisible force, unable to intervene.

“Bad lady!” a high-pitched voice shouted from above.

“Caw!” Xiao Tian’s beak dropped down between Jin Shu and Elder Lu Cha, blocking her advance. Perched defiantly atop Xiao Tian’s head was a tiny tiger cub, glaring daggers at the elder.

Elder Lu Cha stumbled back in alarm, her face pale with indignation. “Xiao Tian, what is the meaning of this?!” she demanded, her voice trembling.

“You are a bad old lady!” Yin’er declared, pointing a tiny paw at Elder Lu Cha. “Don’t attack my Daddy!”

Jin Shu felt the invisible force holding him dissipate. Now free, he stepped out from behind Xiao Tian’s beak and offered a respectful bow. “I apologize for my earlier words, Elder Lu Cha. However, I need to know—my mother, Sun Mei’er—is she here?”

Elder Lu Cha’s eyes narrowed as she scrutinized him. “Your mother?” she sneered. “Ah, no wonder I find you especially revolting among the males I’ve had the displeasure of meeting.”

Jin Shu’s brow twitched, but he held his tongue. He recalled his mother mentioning Elder Lu Cha—one of her most vocal detractors within the sect.

“She is not here,” Elder Lu Cha said curtly. “Now leave, or I will have you imprisoned until she returns.”

With that, she dismissed him entirely, her gaze shifting to Biyu.

“As for you…” she paused, tapping her chin thoughtfully, “you will report to the punishment hall and receive one hundred lashes.”

Biyu opened her mouth to protest, but Jin Shu stepped forward, cutting her off. “Why are you punishing Biyu? She hasn’t done anything wrong.”

Elder Lu Cha turned her malevolent gaze on him, her lips curling into a cruel smile. “So, you choose to stay?” she said, her tone mocking. “Very well. You can share her punishment—and after that, you will both be imprisoned.”

Her smile widened as she spoke, making it abundantly clear she had planned this from the start.

Elder Lu Cha raised her hands, and the invisible force from earlier returned. This time, it pulled all three of them toward her.

Biyu and Yin’er hovered helplessly beside the elder, their struggles futile. Jin Shu, however, was seized by the neck, her claw-like fingers digging painfully into his skin.

He gasped for breath, his lungs burning as he struggled against her iron grip. His limbs flailed weakly, striking at the empty air, but it was useless. Elder Lu Cha’s smirk widened, her eyes glinting with sadistic glee as she watched him choke and writhe in her grasp.

As darkness crept into the edges of his vision, Jin Shu reached out mentally, summoning a weapon from his storage space. A moment later, his Ka-Bar appeared in his hand. Desperation fueled his movements as he raised the blade, ready to strike.

But just as he swung, a voice—soft and melodious, like the song of an oriole—cut through the tension.

“What is happening here?”

The gentle question froze him in place. For a brief moment, it felt as though the air itself had stilled.

Elder Lu Cha, however, only tightened her grip in response. Jin Shu’s strength faltered, the blade slipping from his fingers and clattering loudly to the ground.

As his vision dimmed completely, he caught sight of the owner of the voice. She was breathtaking—more beautiful than the sound of her voice. A mature woman in her early thirties, she was dressed in robes of sky blue and cloud white, as if she were wrapped in the essence of the sky itself.

A real goddess… Jin Shu thought hazily, and then his world went dark.

***

Jin Shu dreamed.

In his dream, he was cradled gently in his mother’s embrace, her arms warm and comforting around him. She spoke softly into his ear.

“My… son… I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for you. I… I was too scared…”

The voice was filled with heartbreak, yet it wasn’t his mother’s voice. It was the voice of the goddess he had seen before losing consciousness.

Still, he didn’t mind. The warmth of his mother’s embrace felt so real, so familiar, that he buried himself deeper into it, like a child seeking solace.

A soft hand traced his face, lingering gently, as if memorizing every line.

“It should have been me, not her…” the voice whispered, the sorrow within it growing heavier. “Why didn’t I…”

The voice trailed off, and Jin Shu felt tears falling onto his face, warm and wet. He scrunched his face, slowly stirring awake.

His eyes fluttered open, blurry shapes swimming before him. He blinked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, only to stop mid-motion when he saw her.

The face of a goddess gazed down at him, gentle and serene. Her dark hair framed delicate features, and her light grey eyes held a strange mix of emotions—bitterness, longing, and something deeper, like a hidden love.

What is that look? And who is it for? Jin Shu wondered, surely not for him.

“Who… are you?” he asked groggily, his hand moving to rub the soreness in his neck.

“I am Chen Ai Yun, master of the Immortal Phoenix Sect,” she replied, her warm smile soothing the ache in his heart. “And I am your mother’s… senior sister.”

“Oh, I’ve heard her talk about you,” Jin Shu said absently, still half-lost in his drowsiness. “She got drunk once and said she loves you more than anyone in the world.”

If he had been paying attention, he might have noticed the faint blush that flashed across Chen Ai Yun’s face, disappearing as quickly as it had appeared.

“But then she said she loves me even more than that.” He laughed softly, sitting up, his body still sluggish.

It was only then that he realized where he had been—resting in the lap of the Immortal Phoenix Sect’s master. Flustered, he scrambled to his feet, taking several hurried steps back.

“Uh… sorry,” he mumbled, unsure of what he was apologizing for, though it was clear she had been the one to place him there.

Chen Ai Yun laughed, a sound so melodic and soothing it made him forget his embarrassment for a moment. It was more beautiful than her voice, like the song of a gentle breeze across chimes.

He wished it would never end.