"You dare stand in my way? Can you handle the-"

  A smaller formation materializes above his head before he is done yelling. It releases enough oppression to have him on his knees once more.

  "Murong Bin, right?" I take a step closer. "I am a very peaceful person. I do not go seeking trouble if it is not necessary. I do not invite myself into people's homes with a horrible attitude like you do. I like to use gates if they're available. I keep my composure when facing strangers because you never know just how strong your opponent can be.

  "These are a few rules in my life. Now tell me, which of them have you followed? None. Because I also like it when others follow my rules as well. And you coming into my home, where my disciples are residing without any invitation to yell at me, is too rude. Your crimes are enough for me to take your life as you 'righteous' sects do, right?"

  Silence.

  'Calm down, Tianling. He is just a brat without a good master.'

  I snap my fingers and the oppression disappears.

  Murong Bin collapses immediately, unable to even keep kneeling. His eyelids slowly shut, his consciousness being pulled into the void within him.

  "What are you looking at?" I ask with my gaze on his companions who have been so quiet that I might have even forgotten about them.

  "Go back and call his Shifu for a cup of tea."

  They secretly try to put their hands on the unconscious Murong Bin to take him away, but my scowl burns into their soul with a sense of intimidation.

  "We'll go right away!"

  Helping each other shoulder to shoulder, they drag their feet towards the gates, which are being opened by two of my disciples.

  I can feel it. All around me, everyone here leaks of a defensive aura. If I weren't around, they would have fought back with everything they have to kick the enemy out to protect one of their own.

  My time away must have created opportunities amongst them to bond.

  Good. This is very good progress.

  The gates are closed again, cutting us off from the rest of the world.

  "Take him inside. Don't harm him."

  "As you command, Shifu."

  Feng rushes over. He picks up Murong Bin and tosses him over his shoulder as if the human weighs nothing more than his arm. Is he trying to show off or trying to impress me? I don't know.

  My attention moves from Feng to the girl standing behind Bai Yu. "Both of you, follow me."

  ~~~~~'~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  They stare at me as if my words have gone right through their ears, while I put on a serious expression to let them know that I mean everything I have just said to them.

  Xing'er lifts a page from the pile of disorganized pages on the floor, looks at it, and then up at me. Her lips part to say something, but nothing leaves her mouth.

  "Only come out when you have arranged them according to the story. Using your powers is not allowed. Do everything manually by reading the story from the broken pages and then organizing them accordingly. This is not a punishment. I just need you two to accomplish something together.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  "But please try to finish before the day after tomorrow. It will be a shame to miss our first gathering."

  Bai Yu nods with a determined look. "I understand, Boss. I will do my best."

  Looking at Xing'er, she just pouts, turning her head away from me. As expected. Her little spoiled attitude needs to be tamed. I can tolerate it just because she is adorable, but if I indulge her too much, she will feel too entitled over things or even... me.

  Once that is out of the way, I leave the small world to go back to the bigger world so I can supervise everyone as I should have done in the past weeks instead of going into seclusion.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  It has been several hours since Murong Bin's companions went back to deliver my message to his master. Why has he or she not come to rescue their precious Holy son? Or did they die along the way from my attack?

  No. I made sure to spare their frail organs so they can go back and heal themselves.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  A few hours to the new year.

  Still, Murong Bin's Shifu hasn't come yet.

  Does he not care about his disciple, or was my request never delivered?

  Whatever. His presence is not relevant to me. I would have released him a day ago if not for the issue of his engagement to Bai Yu.

  I look up at the setting sun, basking in its last warmth. It sure feels nice to be alive and at peace. Why do other beings love violence when they can just enjoy moments like these? The air is nice, fresh, quiet, and soothing. Compared to the chaos that comes with wars, I would choose to live the rest of my life in a secluded place where the only noise I receive is from the birds as they sing.

  But to achieve this dream, I still have a long path to walk on since I have already taken the weight of this world on my shoulders. Maybe in a few thousand years, I can create such a paradise for those who will be alive then. And if I die along the way, I shall pass my wishes to my disciples before I leave.

  "Shifu." Feng stops at my left side. "Are we going to start eating without Miss Yu and Xing'er?"

  His concern is heartwarming. Of course, I wasn't going to let them stay there while the rest of their companions are sharing merry as we welcome a new year.

  "No. But let's wait for an hour or two to see if they will complete the task I gave them."

  "Mm! I'll go back now to check if everything is ready. Please come inside when you feel like, Shifu. We are all eager to share this meal with you."

  I give him a light nod, dismissing him without the need for words. "Oh, Feng?"

  "Yes, Shifu."

  "Prepare my never-to-be son-in-law to join us. If he refuses, leave him be wherever he is."

  "Okay, Shifu."

  Feng leaves me on the roof to keep the setting sun some more company as it sinks further in the horizon, its beauty fading as it disappears.

  But with the light gone, the night sky starts becoming clearer and radiant.

  How long have I been standing here? Long enough for me to have the chance to admire the countless houses I can see from this spot with their decorations and vibrancy.

  These are the humans the Wang family used to protect. Some of their members even died trying to aid the Wang clan during the massacre, leading to the pitiful state the streets are currently in.

  But this won't last for long. Soon, they will have a new life. A new home. A new chance at surviving. It is the least I can do, along with taking care of the remaining bloodline of my fallen nemesis.

  Two hours until midnight. It is time to go back inside to my starving disciples. I have kept them waiting for longer than I expected because a part of me was hoping that Bai Yu and Xing'er would work together to solve the problem. But now it seems as if I will need to look for other ways they can-

  My thoughts are interrupted by the soft laughs coming from the main house's porch.

  Without a doubt, those laughs belong to both the girls.

  If they're out, they must have cooperated and overcome the obstacle. It might have taken them two days in our world, but the important thing is that they are no longer acting strange around each other.

  I smile to myself, proud of my genius plan.

  In a light jump, I levitate from the roof of the dining hall to the footpath coming from the main house, meeting the two at the middle.

  "Zhuren."

  "Boss."

  They both salute while bowing.

  My mind cracks seeing Xing'er acting formal. But just as I am about to celebrate her change, she hops at me. "Zhuren! You're so cruel."

  ***There might be an extra chapter available on Patreon..for freee ????. Go check it out, please. ****