"Fuck yeah I’ll join your sect!" Jian declared, raising his cup in salute.
We were lounging in the courtyard, drinks flowing freely under the evening sky. Alcohol always put him in good spirits, but even I hadn’t expected such immediate enthusiasm. Too easy, I thought. Way too easy.
"But," he continued with that trademark smirk, "I need to hear it from Liangyu."
Knew it.
Liangyu shot up. "Thank you for your time, Jian. The drinks were excellent. We’ll be taking our leave now."
"Liangyu," I called after him.
"What! Just look at the sheer audacity of this guy!" Liangyu sputtered, gesturing wildly at Jian’s grinning face.
"What audacity?" Jian spread his hands innocently. "I’m merely asking you to ask me to join your sect. Simple request. Ain’t no big deal."
I jumped in before this could escalate. "Come on, man, think of it this way. You’re not actually requesting him. You’re just arranging a string of words that create the illusion of a request."
"That’s the most pathetic attempt at persuasion I’ve witnessed in my entire fucking existence."
"Pretty please?" I tried my most winning smile.
"Ugh, fine." Liangyu threw his hands up in defeat.
The drama queen actually paced around the courtyard for a full five minutes before finally approaching Jian with all the enthusiasm of a man walking to his execution.
"Wanna join our sect?" The words came out flat and lifeless.
Jian cupped his ear theatrically. "I’m sorry, who exactly are you addressing?"
Liangyu shot me a look. "Wanna join our sect... Jian? There. Happy now, your majesty?"
"Hmm." Jian stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Where’s the magic word?"
Another death glare in my direction. "Fuckin’... please?"
"Now tell me you need me." Jian’s grin widened impossibly.
"That does it!" Liangyu lunged forward.
What followed was the most undignified brawl I’d ever witnessed. You’d expect cultivators of their caliber to engage in elegant combat, flowing techniques, maybe some impressive aerial maneuvers.
Instead, I got two grown men rolling around in the dirt, yanking each other’s hair like school children. They were actually pulling hair, people. Grown men! But hell, I wasn’t about to intervene. Free entertainment doesn’t come around often.
The pathetic wrestling match continued for several minutes. Tugging, shoving, cursing, until they finally remembered they had actual martial skills. Both fighters sprang apart and dropped into proper combat stances.
"You and me, asshole! Right here, right now!" Jian cracked his knuckles. "I won’t even use wind techniques on your weak ass!"
"I’m gonna bury you in your own fucking pavilion, bitch!" Liangyu snarled back.
Now this looked more promising. They circled each other like predators, and for a few glorious minutes, actual skill was on display. Punches flew, kicks connected, and trees started flowing around like Liangyu’s "personal snakes".
Unfortunately, their little dance of destruction was causing the pavilion’s support beams to groan ominously.
That’s when she appeared.
Feng Qinyue materialized like an avenging angel, strode directly to her brother, and delivered a sharp smack to the back of his skull.
"You don’t shit where you eat, asshole!"
"He started it!" Jian whined, actually whined, while rubbing his head.
"Me?! Bitch, you’re the one who challenged me!" Liangyu protested.
"Enough! Both of you!" Qinyue’s voice slashed through their bickering. She fixed Jian with a withering stare. "Or I’m gonna set your sorry ass on fire."
"Oh please do, I’d love to watch that," Liangyu muttered under his breath.
The effect was immediate. Liangyu clammed up instantly, suddenly fascinated by his own feet. Why the dramatic personality shift, you ask? Simple. The man has it bad for Qinyue. That’s right, he’s head over heels for his mortal enemy’s sister.
It’s a whole complicated mess that deserves its own story, and trust me, you’re going to love hearing about that disaster when we get there.
Somehow, miraculously, both idiots managed to calm down and resume their seats like civilized human beings.
"So, how are things, Qinyue?" I asked, genuinely curious. "Last time we spoke, you were heading off to join the Dragon Scale Sect. Did you make it in?"
"Meh." She waved dismissively. "Hated every minute of it. Complete waste of time. All bark, no bite, just a bunch of ancient fossils reminiscing about their glory days, talking endlessly about how they used to conquer battles riding dragons. Who gives a shit about past accomplishments if you’re not doing anything meaningful now?"
"Well then, interested in joining our sect? I think it might be exactly what you’re looking for."
"How so?"
"We’re planning to take down Longwei," Liangyu interjected with obvious pride.
"Longwei?!" Her eyebrows shot up. "Damn, you guys really aimed straight for the final boss, didn’t you?"
"Of course we did," Jian chimed in, getting excited again. "The old dudes are too tired and comfortable to challenge him anymore, so it falls to newcomers like us to claim the prize. Can you imagine? Us, actually taking down the biggest name in cultivation? We’d be legends."
"It’s an exciting proposal, I’ll give you that, but even I’m not that cocky," Qinyue laughed. "Still, beats sitting in some office all day pretending to work. Besides, I always knew we’d eventually bounce back together. What’s our sect called by the way?"
"Technically, Liangyu and I are currently under Master Juechen’s wing, which means we could operate as part of the Azure Flame Sect. But he mentioned we have the option to establish our own independent organization. He’d even vouch for us if we went that route."
"Let’s create our own then. Be our own bosses, make our own rules." Before anyone could offer suggestions, Qinyue continued, "Since Ziyang’s the one bringing us all together, we should incorporate ’Z’ somehow. How about Zenith Sect?"
"I don’t know, doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue," Jian critiqued.
"Then it’s perfect. Anyone got objections?"
Silence around the table. Honestly, it wasn’t a terrible name. Had a nice ring to it.
We spent the remaining hours reminiscing about our academy days. The four of us had been childhood friends, though I was closest to Liangyu. We’d occasionally hang out with Jian and Qinyue, usually because Liangyu was desperately seeking excuses to spend time around her. Some things never change.
The following morning, we officially began our journey. The process of challenging the ultimate adversary. But reaching Longwei meant cutting through layers of powerful intermediaries first.
This wouldn’t be simple or safe, some of us might not survive the attempt. Then again, we might gain valuable allies along the way too. Who could predict the outcome?
But God, I felt incredible. We all did. This entire venture represented everything we’d ever dreamed about. Making our mark, reaching for the heavens, achieving something genuinely legendary. It felt gloriously divine.