Madame Su explained that before she met his father, she was still very young, having just learned her first Wheel of Destiny. Excited and proud, she entered a grand competition. She won fifth place.
As she spoke, Gen could see the nostalgia—not fond, but sharp and painful—in her face.
"You must have been very strong, even then," he said quietly.
Madame Su smiled, a bitter twist of her lips. "Strong enough to be a target. That is where I met Kirin. We were young. We fell in love."
Her voice grew distant. "Later, he tricked me. He promised better masters, better training. A brighter future. He led me to the Bliss Palace."
Gen's eyes widened. So Madame Su had known Kirin from that far in the past. Yet he had still tried to kill her, under his master's order. How ruthless. "Only a fool does things like that," Gen muttered, anger simmering. "It only means he didn't really love you."
Madame Su felt a warm ache in her chest. He was trying to be kind. "No, Gen. In fact, Kirin was truthful to me, from the start to the end. However… he had always been someone very loyal. To me, and to his master. He loved us both, in his twisted way. And when the choice came, he chose his master. He sold me in."
She hesitated, the memory a physical weight. "There, I… learned things. Did things. I survived." She took a steadying breath. "Luckily, one day I heard the name 'Immortal Jiang.' He was passing through that region. I heard of his justice, his strength. We met by a string of chance and a desperate, foolish flight of mine towards him. I still vividly remember my younger self, covered in dirt and fear, stumbling to fall at the feet of that extremely youthful figure. Back then, he wasn't the Immortal Jiang you knew, but a young and hot-blooded prodigy. With his strength alone, he razed the section of the Bliss Palace that held me and took me in. That's how I ended up in the Jiang Mountain. Taking care of you."
Listening to the legend, Gen felt his blood boil—a mix of fierce pride in his father and a cold, deep anger. He didn't understand. How could one be loyal to someone they claimed to love and still inflict such a betrayal? It made no sense. In his heart, he vowed he would never do something like that to Lorel. Not even something that looked close to it.
Madame Su then smiled at him, a real, sad smile. "Don't be sad for me. I keep certain marks of this past as a memory. To remind myself of what I've come through. At first, I served your father out of loyalty and gratitude. But later on, when I was allowed to see you… my thoughts changed. Watching you grow, turn into the young man you are today… that is what keeps me moving forward. The desire to let you grow."
Gen's tears finally trickled down his face. He wiped them roughly with the back of his hand. "I'm not crying. It's just… my eyes are moist."
Madame Su nodded. "I understand." Then, gently, she opened her arms. Gen stepped into them, and she held him tightly. "I will always be here for you."
Gen held her back, his voice a thick whisper against her shoulder. "I will do everything to protect all of you. Liang. You. Lorel. Even Chubbs. All those I care for. I will rise. Rise to the level of my father, and go beyond. Reach immortality. And make sure you never have to suffer. Ever. Ever again."
***
After that, Madame Su told him to rest and left as night fell. Gen walked the halls of the rented pavilion, aimless. As usual, he used to sleep in Liang's room. He pushed the door open without thinking.
Inside, Liang was sitting on the edge of his bed, a dark, unmarked scroll in his hands. Panicked, Liang shoved it under the thin mattress and stood up.
"Didn't they teach you manners in the Forgotten Realm?" he teased, but seeing Gen's melancholic face, his own expression turned serious. "My buddy. Come over here."
They lay back on the bed, shoulder to shoulder, staring at the ceiling. Liang understood Gen was going through a lot and did not press him with questions. They just lay there like they used to, enjoying each other's presence. Liang couldn't help but smile. It was something he had really missed.
Gen suddenly spoke into the quiet. "Duo Yi died."
Liang sat bolt upright, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief.
Then, Gen explained. He told him everything—the fight with Nix, the Last Will, Duo Yi's wound, Li Zhan's betrayal, the unwitting poisoning of Varja. The words came in a flat, tired stream.
Liang stayed silent long after he finished. Finally, he said, "It wasn't easy for either of you back there." He paused, then a flicker of his old mischief surfaced, a desperate attempt to lighten the unbearable weight. "Does that mean you and Lorel were naked for four months in there?"
Gen's face burst into laughter, a real, startled guffaw. He held his stomach, shaking his head. "That's not what I said!"
But Liang smiled at him, and Gen was speechless, the shared laugh a tiny crack in the shell of his grief.
The duo spent the night chatting, laughing at stupid old memories, and just letting their friendship be what it had always been. A few hours later, Gen and Liang lay on the bed, fast asleep. Gen's leg moved onto Liang's face, as usual. Liang grunted, kicking it off without waking. "You haven't changed, you fool," he muttered in his sleep, but a smile touched his lips.
However, deep in his heart, something was changing. Liang's mind drifted to that fateful day he had left the inn alone…
***
It was a typical day. Liang had gone to the market in Heaven's Gate to look for provisions. Madame Su was busy trying to find a way to help Gen and Lorel. Chubbs could not be entrusted with such a task. Lia Kai was still broken by her father's death. So, Liang handled almost everything. He didn't like the responsibility, but he had no choice.
That day, in the downtown market, Liang stood in front of a fruit vendor, trying to decide. In his mind, he thought, *Time is flying. It's been a year now since I started cultivating with Gen at Jiang Mountain. My progress is good, even astonishing compared to most… but I still feel lacking.* He had seen the scale of the fight between the Divine General and Varja. He understood just how insignificant his abilities were. In his generation, there was Duo Yi, absurdly strong. There was Juxian. Ning. Even Baili. That was without counting Gen Jiang. Each of them progressed so fast that his own progress seemed inconsequential, a snail's pace.
It was at this moment that a cat—a small, sleek black thing—brushed against his leg, nudging him out of his thoughts.
Liang was surprised. He knelt, scratching behind its ears. The cat purred, but in its green eyes, there was something more… as if someone was looking out from far away. It jumped from his hand and trotted a few paces down a narrow alley, then looked back, as if urging him to follow.
Liang, curious, followed.
In a shadowed corner was a small, rolled parchment. Liang picked it up and opened it. A series of strange, flowing symbols greeted him. They were very, very familiar.
His mind ticked. *'Do you want to see magic?'*
These were the exact same symbols Xian had shown him that day.
Liang's heart skipped a beat. He took a step back from the cat. The cat sat, watching him, and a voice entered Liang's mind, one only he could hear.
*I know you're scared, but you should not be.*
"Who are you?" Liang whispered. "Is it you, Xian?"
The voice was calm, melodic. *If you will allow me, I would like to relate to you a little story.*
The voice told of a prodigy. A young man who excelled at cultivation. But the human heart is a strange thing. He fell in love with a girl who could not learn the Wheels—her Acupoints could not be opened. So, he devoted his entire life to studying why, and how to help her. Devotion and hope, however, are not always enough. Things did not end well. He had to give up everything he loved—his family, his uncle, his friends—to flee with her, whose life was endangered by his own mere presence. He learned the hard way that without strength, one cannot protect what they love. Without strength, one cannot set the rules.
*Liang,* the voice concluded, soft as a thought. *I am offering you a path. A path that will lead you to the dawn of a new sun. However, I will not force you to do anything. If you don't want the scroll, just use your Qi to infuse it, and it will burn on its own. As if it had never been there.*
Before Liang could ask more, the light in the cat's eyes faded to that of a normal animal. It blinked, gave a soft *mew*, and darted away into the bustling crowd.
***
Back in the present, lying on the bed next to the softly snoring Gen, Liang replayed the memory. He told himself, *I will not use that scroll. No. I don't know what it implies, or what consequences it might have. I will keep it for now. Just keep it.* He promised himself. After all, he could not call himself weak. He was growing. His mastery of the Wheels was deepening. If he worked a little harder, then maybe… maybe he could catch up with Gen and the others.
With that fragile resolve, he fell asleep, his mind sinking into a deep, troubled slumber, the phantom weight of the hidden scroll pressing up through the mattress beneath him.