When they came out of administration hall, a few inner disciples stood at a distance, watching. Some were hostile; more were simply silent. None moved to bar the path. From the northern pavilions, no messenger came with an order, no elder with a lecture, no sect guard with a chain.

"Strange," Jia Kai murmured.

Mo Han's eyes flicked toward the high ridge. "Not strange. Promised."

They loaded quickly. Lambu climbed onto the spirit crane with the awkward dignity of a man marrying danger for the second time. Jia Kai and Mo Han were also seated on top of the spirit crane. The mountain eagle began following them.

"Open," he told the outer disciples who stood as guards at sect doors.

Mo Han held up his relieving letter. The seal glinted like a small sun. The gates groaned, then swung wide.

They crossed the boundary as the afternoon began its slow slide toward evening. The road unfurled before them in a red-brown ribbon, the mountains shouldering the sky on either side. Wind took their hair; the eagle's shadow ran with them like a loyal hound.

No shouting escort. No ambush at the bend. No "misplaced" boulder rolling from above, no sudden "inspection" by a stern-faced elder. Three miles became five. Five became nine.

Lambu craned around, baffled. "Is… that it? No one chasing? No Elder Zhu with his 'kneel-or-I'll-break-your-legs' voice? I packed three different speeches to taunt them while fleeing. Waste of preparation!"

Jia Kai said nothing. But the crease between her brows was a question.

Mo Han didn't answer. Suddenly, a shadow appeared in the sky before them. It was a mountain hawk.

The mountain hawk waited for them. Its rider sat straight-backed despite his years. Elder Ping smiled as he saw Mo Han's face.

"Going so fast," Elder Ping said, as if greeting neighbors at a village well.

Lambu bowed from the crane's back so deeply he nearly rolled off. "E-Elder!"

Jia Kai inclined her head. "Elder Ping."

Mo Han held the elder's gaze. "You said you'd stop anyone from disturbing us. The road was clean."

Ping's mouth twitched. "It was not always so. There were pebbles where there should have been none. I kicked them aside."

"Elder Zhu?" Jia Kai asked quietly.

"Elder Zhu's men," Ping corrected, as if naming a weed rather than a hazard. "Three at the second bend pretending to hide. Two more at the ridge. One young idiot who ran away like a rat after seeing me."

Mo Han's eyes cooled. "We owe you."

"Good," Ping said. "Owe me properly."

He reached into his robe.

His hand came out holding a wrapped bundle, long and flat, bound with old red silk. The silk's color had faded with years, but even now it looked faintly warm, as if sunlight had been stored in its threads.

"Take this," Ping said, and held it out.

Mo Han stood up. He accepted the bundle with both hands, feeling the weight. He untied the silk carefully. Inside lay a slim, weathered manual of thick leaves, edges darkened by use. Across the first page, in a script both severe and wild, was written:

Sun Piercing Sword — the 3rd and final set.

The world went quiet. Even Lambu stopped breathing.

Ping's voice was almost conversational. "You have already made the fourth and fifth your own. The sixth will either break you or bind you closer to the heat. This final part will make you perfect. But mastering this last manual won't be easy. One wrong breath and they will burn your marrow to ash."

Mo Han looked up. "Why give them to me?"

"Because," Ping said, "you deserve it. For decades, I couldn't find many who could master this lowly, simple sword manual. Also I am old, and sowing some good seeds for young ones. Choose whichever reason pleases you. But take this manual and master it."

Mo Han bowed from the waist—not deep, not fawning, but with the weight of a man acknowledging a mountain. "I will repay this favor."

"I know," Ping said simply. He leaned in, eyes glowing like coals beneath ash. "Repay it by not dying for a small insult. Repay it by mastering what burns you without becoming only fire. Repay it by remembering a library's door that will always open for someone who refuses to kneel."

He turned his hawk with a soft sound. The hawk surged upward with long spread wings. Elder Ping did not look back.

For a long moment no one spoke.

Jia Kai exhaled, and the line between her brows smoothed. "We owe him greatly."

Mo Han tapped the crane's back. The bird leaned into the wind as if leaning into fate. "We will pay," he said. "In the coin he asked for."

The journey continued peacefully.

—

The moonlight bathed the Pink Blossom Tree Sect in a silver glow. T

The mountain eagle and spirit crane descended slowly. Lanterns swayed gently near the sect gate, casting warm orange light upon the courtyard.

Su Kai stood waiting beneath the large pink-blossomed tree lantern, her silken robes fluttering lightly. Beside her, Chi Kai's eyes sparkled the moment she saw Mo Han stepping down from the eagle. She couldn't hide her excitement, her gaze fixed on him with an eagerness that made her cheeks flush like the blossoms above.

"Mo Han…" Chi Kai breathed softly, as if his very presence reassured her.

Mo Han nodded politely. Behind him, Fatty Lambu clambered down from the crane and immediately ducked half his body behind Mo Han's shoulder, eyes darting nervously at the unfamiliar faces and sect disciples standing far away. His round frame trembled slightly, and he whispered, "Brother Han… why do I feel like they're all staring at me? Are they planning to eat me alive?!"

Mo Han smirked faintly without answering, while Jia Kai rolled her eyes at Fatty's dramatics.

Su Kai stepped forward gracefully and clasped her hands. "Young Master Mo, thank you. From this night onward, I entrust not one but both my daughters into your care. I hope your journey together will not only protect them but also help them reach their destined path."

Her words were formal, yet her tone carried genuine relief. She bowed slightly, a gesture that startled Fatty so much he nearly toppled backward.

Mo Han inclined his head with steady composure. "Madam Su, you can rest assured. As long as they walk with me, I will not let harm touch them."

Chi Kai's smile widened, her fingers tightening slightly on her sleeves as if to control her excitement. Her eyes, however, never left Mo Han's face—bright, adoring, and filled with anticipation for the path ahead.

Meanwhile, Fatty whispered frantically to Mo Han, tugging at his sleeve, "Brother… did you hear what she said? Both daughters? That means double the trouble! And I'm the one standing closest to the kitchen in this arrangement—I'll definitely get roasted first if something goes wrong!"

Mo Han gave him a calm sideways glance that silenced him instantly. Lambu shrank further behind him, clutching his bundle like a shield, his round face carrying the exact look of a man stepping into enemy territory.

-

by PeterPan:-)