"A Sect? Mhm, that makes sense," said Xiao Chen. "Well, if you ever need anything, then you can feel free to come to Yellowbog City and use my name. With the Yellow Blade Bandit Gang gone and the Corrupt Official Lord Chung dead, I should be able to rein in the rest of the troublemakers by myself."
Hearing this, Xue Ren's brows furrowed as he debated telling him or not.
In the end, he decided to say, "I wouldn't be so laid-back if I were you. Things are not as simple as they seem."
With his many years of experience reading people, Xiao Chen quickly understood the subtext behind his words.
"You mean to say that… Lord Chung has a backer…?"
He didn't want to believe it to be true, but it would make more sense if that were the case. After all, Lord Chung was not very powerful, and yet he managed to usurp the Mayor, turning him into a mindless puppet meant to control the masses.
Xue Ren gave no concrete response, but that was an answer in and of itself.
"Just don't let a second of glory make you blind to the perilous waters that surround you," he said while turning around, his broad back aweing Xiao Chen. "Stay away from the Capital City of the Star Bearer Province. Death is all that awaits you there."
'Star Bearer City!?'
"Thank you very much for your advice, Senior!" Xiao Chen bowed as many theories formulated inside his head. "I'll be sure not to grow complacent!"
Without giving a response, Xue Ren blink-stepped, reappearing at the bottom of the cliff where the triplets stood in wait.
"Let's go; we're done here," he said. "A long journey still awaits us."
The triplets nodded, quietly following behind him while taking a few glances at the near-middle-aged man waving them off.
"Young Lord." Mu Yun, the tallest of the sisters by an inch, lightly tugged on Xue Ren's robes after they got a sufficient distance away from Xiao Chen. "Why does that old man call you Senior? Doesn't he know you're not an adult yet?"
"He doesn't," Xue Ren responded neutrally.
"But you two seemed so close…"
"Why would that matter? And besides, I don't trust him," said Xue Ren. "I don't trust any politicians, especially not the leaders."
"But then why did you show us your true appearance…?" asked Mu Qing, the shortest.
Without turning around to face their puppy-dog-like faces, Xue Ren ignited a flame at his fingertips. "It's because, like this flame, you're all alone. I trust this flame just like I trust you three."
"You… You trust us…?"
"I trust that you won't be betraying me from here to the Sect," replied Xue Ren, dampening their happiness a little. "As for afterward, probably not."
"Oh…"
The triplets appeared very disheartened.
However, soon, a surge of resolve rose inside them. They clenched their dainty fists, vowing within their hearts to become someone that their Savior could trust for real.
"Wait…!" they suddenly exclaimed. "How did you know we were all alone!?"
Xue Ren frowned. "It's because we're the same."
"You were abandoned as well??"
"Something like that," replied Xue Ren as memories of cowering in a closet to hide from his drunk mother and father resurfaced. "But that was a long time ago now. I've long gotten over it."
"...How…?"
"By training."
Silence…
"What does that mean??" the triplets asked, extremely confused.
Xue Ren took on the air of an unearthly expert, stroking an invisible beard.
"I knew from a very young age that I was different from everyone else," he began. "My parents knew it as well, and they hated me for it. However, in my endless morass of self-deprecation, I found solace in watching fights. And eventually, fighting and training outside my imagination became my escape from a terrible reality."
Xue Ren ended things there, making the triplets want to face-palm themselves.
"...Should we do that as well…?" asked Mu Qing while fiddling with her thumbs. "Should we train too?"
"I don't know," Xue Ren shrugged. "Do whatever you want."
"...." "...." "...."
The triplets were beginning to believe that their Savior was broken!
For a moment there, they actually thought he was going to impart some otherworldly advice!
"Hmm…"
Oblivious to the frustrations of the three pretty twins, Xue Ren played with his fire. He liked looking at its light glow, imagining what it would become after undergoing another evolution.
"This reminds me of something that I wanted to try something," he said as he actively absorbed the fire energy contained in his |Fireball Sniper|. "So I really can absorb and refine fire energy while not in a proper still-motion position. It's something I couldn't do before, but can now. Wonder when that change happened…"
Either way, it was good that he could now cultivate without needing to stay in a single spot, for this meant the Grind truly never ended!
A small smirk formed on Xue Ren's deadpan face as he repeatedly condensed |Fireball Sniper| to its maximum before absorbing it to improve his cultivation.