Yoriichi just held her. He knew he couldn't explain everything with words. Sometimes, presence was the only language that mattered. He felt her protective love radiating off her, a warm, fierce energy that resonated with something deep in his own soul.
"I will protect this," Yoriichi vowed silently, his eyes hardening as he looked at the flickering lamp. "Even if I have to burn the world, I will protect these tears."
After a few minutes, the sobbing subsided. Xiao Yu pulled back, sniffing, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. She looked embarrassed but relieved.
"You're sticky," she mumbled, trying to regain her composure. "You smell like old books and sweat."
"And you smell like salt water," Yoriichi retorted softly, a small smile playing on his lips.
They sat down on the edge of the bed, side by side. The atmosphere had shifted from volatile storm to the calm after the rain.
"Talk," Xiao Yu commanded, though her voice lacked its usual bite. "Why? And don't give me the 'I want to be a hero' speech."
Yoriichi rested his elbows on his knees, looking at his bruised hands.
"The world is big, Sister," Yoriichi began, his voice low and contemplative. "And the Xiao Clan is small."
He turned to her. "I read the history today. I read about the powers outside. We are ants. If a storm comes—like the Misty Cloud Sect, or the Jia Ma Empire—we will be washed away."
Xiao Yu frowned. "The Elders handle that. Grandfather handles that."
"Grandfather is old," Yoriichi said bluntly. "And he is tired. I saw it in his eyes. He needs support. And you... you are going to Jia Nan Academy. You will be far away."
He clenched his fist.
"I realized in the arena... being weak is a sin. If I cannot protect myself, I become a burden. I became a burden to you. You had to fight for me. You had to buy medicine for me."
He looked her in the eye, his red irises burning with conviction.
"I don't want to be the one behind you anymore. I want to stand beside you. Or in front of you."
Xiao Yu stared at him. She saw the maturity in his face—a maturity that felt decades beyond his sixteen years. It silenced her arguments.
"So I train," Yoriichi concluded. "I harden the bone so it does not break. I bleed now so I do not die later."
Xiao Yu sighed, a long, defeated exhale. She leaned her head on his shoulder.
"You're an idiot," she murmured. "But... I understand."
She pinched his arm. "But limits! You have limits! If you ruin your hands, you can't hold a sword. You can't hold... anything."
"I know," Yoriichi assured her. "I have the medicine. And my recovery is fast. I know my vessel."
He paused, thinking. He decided it was time to give something back.
"Big Sister," Yoriichi asked. "Is your attribute Water only? Or do you have a secondary affinity?"
"Water," Xiao Yu replied, blinking at the sudden change of topic. "Pure Water attribute. Why?"
"And weapons," Yoriichi continued. "I saw you using a whip today. Do you use a sword?"
"I use the whip because it's flexible," she explained. "But I learned the basic clan swordplay. It's... okay. Not great. The Xiao Clan doesn't have High-Rank sword techniques."
Yoriichi nodded. "Water. Flexibility. Flow."
He turned fully to face her.
"I will teach you a technique," Yoriichi said, his tone serious. "It is a sword style. It has ten forms. It is designed specifically for flow, adaptability, and momentum."
"It will help you fight enemies stronger than you," he continued. "It uses their strength against them. And the best part is... it is a living style. You can make derivatives. You can create your own forms for the whip from the ten enlightenments."
Xiao Yu stared at him, confused. She frowned, putting a hand on his forehead.
"Do you have a fever?" she asked. "Wait, wait... this technique you claim of? Made by you? But when? You were reading those 'beauty' magazines last week! Don't lie to me."
She narrowed her eyes. "Creating a Dou Qi technique requires at least a Dou Wang's understanding. You are a Dou Disciple. It's impossible."
Yoriichi didn't flinch. He gently removed her hand from his forehead.
"I will teach you later," Yoriichi said calmly. "Words are wind. You will understand when you see it with your own eyes."
"But... you?" Xiao Yu sputtered. "How?"
Yoriichi placed a hand on her shoulder. He squeezed gently, grounding her.
"Believe me," he said. "I will tell you everything—or as much as I can—after I start to teach you. Just believe me."
His voice had that strange, resonant quality again. The quality of a general giving an order that could not be disobeyed, yet felt like a promise of safety.
Xiao Yu looked into his eyes. Her strange intuition, usually dormant, buzzed in the back of her mind. Trust him.
She bit her lip, then nodded slowly.
"Okay," she said fiercely, poking him in the chest. "But you must tell me everything. No secrets. Or I will beat you. I really will."
Yoriichi chuckled. "Oh yes. Then I will be prepared."
The tension broke. They smiled at each other, the bond between them reinforced with steel.
GASP.
A sudden, sharp intake of breath came from the veranda.
Yoriichi and Xiao Yu froze. They turned their heads to the open door.
Standing there, frozen in the doorway with a tray of herbal soup in his hands, was the First Elder, Xiao Lu.
He had come to visit his grandson, to see how the recovery was going. But his sensitive Da Dou Shi eyes had scanned the courtyard before entering.
He had seen the ironwood tree.
He had seen the ten-inch crater blasted into the wood. He had seen the black, dried blood staining the bark and the roots.
Xiao Lu's face was pale. He looked from the bloody tree outside to Yoriichi's bandaged hands inside.
"By the heavens..." Xiao Lu whispered, his voice trembling. "What... what happened to the tree? Did a Magic Beast break in?"
He looked at Yoriichi, his eyes wide with horror and confusion. "Ning'er? Your hands... did you fight a bear?"
Yoriichi sighed. He rubbed his temples.
"I really need to fix that tree," he thought tiredly.
Xiao Yu, seeing her grandfather's shock and her brother's resignation, suddenly smiled. It was a mischievous, fox-like smile that lit up her tear-stained face.
She nudged Yoriichi with her elbow.
"Hehe," she whispered, her eyes dancing with amusement. "Now convince him also, 'Mr. Strategist'."
Yoriichi looked at his sister, then at his grandfather who was looking like he was about to have a heart attack.
He chuckled—a genuine, warm sound.
"Well," Yoriichi stood up, walking towards the elder. "Grandfather, come in. It is a long story. But I assure you... the tree started it."
Xiao Lu blinked. "The tree... started it?"
Xiao Yu burst out laughing.
As the night settled over the infirmary, the shadows of the past receded, replaced by the warmth of family, the promise of strength, and the days filling like these—happily, before the storm arrived.