So! What happened next? That's a really good question. And a very depressing answer.
As expected, my friends and I promptly took our leave from Ironbell. Master Juechen didn't interfere. I mean, what else could he have done anyway? The man was powerless against someone like Longwei.
Longwei led us through the winding streets as all the townsfolk watched us in disbelief and shock. It was a bright morning, the kind where the sun should have filled us with hope and energy, but the atmosphere seemed impossibly dark. It was like we were walking towards Hell itself. Our reputation, our dreams, our carefully laid plans, all of them crushed under the weight of Longwei. Our lives were pretty much over. The very thought of us serving under him from that day forward almost killed me right there on the spot.
I kept thinking about different ways to escape, you know? Maybe fall on his feet and plead with him until he showed mercy, or take the help of Master Juechen and convince him to fight back, or just start running as fast as we could and never look back. I made sure to explore every possibility in my mind, turning each scenario over and over, but let's be honest, none of them would work. None of them had even a sliver of a chance.
Longwei wanted exactly what I wanted too, by the way, and that was for Mei to join us. But I wanted it to happen under drastically different circumstances, of course. Would you believe me if I told you that he let her say goodbye to her grandfather? Yeah. Talk about sadism. Giving her a chance at farewell when you're literally the one taking her away! Like as if he was doing some kind of favor! Like he deserved gratitude for his mercy! The audacity of it all made my blood boil.
Anyway, I was kind of glad he did though, if I'm being completely honest. At least she got a chance at a proper goodbye and at closure. There was no way in Hell he would've let us drop by Longyao to say goodbye to our parents. That privilege was reserved for her alone, apparently.
After a tearful session that seemed to stretch on forever, we continued walking. Han escorted us all the way to the entrance gates, his face etched with concern and helplessness.
So did Master Juechen, King Cangyuan, and his guards. Trust me, the tension was very real. One wrong move and they probably would've rained swords and spears down on us without hesitation. They wouldn't stop clenching their teeth and wouldn't loosen their grips on their weapons until we were successfully out of their town, out of their jurisdiction and out of their responsibility.
On the way, I glanced towards the path which led to Han's restaurant and my stomach growled loudly. Longwei heard it and said with a grin, "No time for breakfast, my boy! But don't worry, you'll have plenty to eat on my ship."
"You came here on a ship?" I asked, somewhat surprised.
"Of course not." He chuckled, clearly amused by my question. "These townsfolk have got plenty of ships lying around, don't they?"
"Then why did you say 'my' ship?" I asked, confused.
"When you're the most powerful man on the planet, what isn't yours?" He replied casually, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
He did have a point, unfortunately. Still, it was a shame though. I really wanted to eat Han's food once again before leaving. It was pretty delicious, and who knew when I'd get another chance at a proper meal?
As we went out through the gates, the guards who had stopped us the day before whispered to each other, loud enough for us to hear, "I knew those fucks were suspicious."
Yeah, sure buddy. You knew nothing.
We got on a medium-sized ship docked at the harbor and began sailing. We took one last glance at the town and saw everyone just standing there, frozen, waiting for us to be out of their sight. Even Master Juechen gave us the kind of look that seemed like he had accepted the truth and cut ties with us. Sure, he could try and rescue us with the help of the government, but come on, who's going to believe him? They'd rather just leave us be or kill us, depending on what Longwei's plan was with us and whatever was convenient for them. And I was already sure it was the latter. We were as good as dead in their eyes.
Han and Mei's grandfather were the only ones waving us goodbye, their arms raised high even as the distance grew. Soon after, we were out of each other's sight completely.
Dark and gloomy much? Yup. I kept staring at the ocean below us, watching the waves crash against the hull, and kept wondering about the Zenith Sect's future. We all did. That's when we heard Longwei's voice from behind, cheerful and bright, "Look what I found, people!"
We turned around to see he'd brought food for all of us. He arranged a makeshift table in the middle of the deck and placed barrels around it for us to sit on, and announced with genuine enthusiasm, "Outdoor breakfast on a ship during a beautiful morning with fresh breeze, the smell of adventure, and friends to give you company! Does it get any better? I personally don't think so."
We let out a collective breath and sat down to eat. I guess our bodies were all aching for food, so we didn't wait. We just dug in and started gulping down each bite, too hungry to care about anything. Longwei kept staring at us like we were his babies, with a wide grin stretching from ear to ear. It was honestly creepy.
All of us finished our meal and just sat there in silence. For quite a while, might I add. We just kept giving each other awkward looks, unsure of what to say or do. Longwei kept staring at us though. At me specifically. Like he'd won some kind of lottery.
"How about a little guessing game?" Longwei asked suddenly. All of us straightened up, uncertain of what was coming.
He pointed towards Qinyue with a knowing smile, "This girl has been looking at me like she'd plunge at me with a knife the very moment she gets a chance. Quite gutsy, I'd say. You must be Qinyue."
"You're damn right I will," she replied with a determined look, not backing down an inch.
Then he pointed towards Jian, "Tall, handsome guy. Emerald eyes. You're Jian." Then towards Liangyu, "You've been trying to put up a courageous face but I can tell you're fuckin' petrified. You're Liangyu."
Liangyu looked visibly pissed. Scared. But pissed.
He then turned towards Mei with a softer expression, "And finally, we've got the master healer, Mei. Don't worry about your grandfather too much. He'll be totally fine. We'll only be gone for a few years." He gave a deliberate pause. "Hopefully."