Chương 94: Chapter XXIV Verse III — A Deal with the Judge

The Cang family was running for their lives, dodging branches, leaping over roots, and passing streams large and small. Through it all, Aurelia's breath quickened, following the rhythmic pounding of her family's frantic footsteps. But the memory of their desperate flight began to blur. The trees dissolved into a white haze, and the world ground to a halt. A voice pierced the stillness in Chinese.

"Hey, come here. I want to talk to you in person." In a blink, the wilderness vanished. Aurelia found herself sitting in the quiet serenity of her childhood monastery, the air thick with the scent of camphor and sandalwood. She looked ahead, noticing the towering Buddha statue against the wall, sitting in a lotus position with its right palm facing her. Looking around, she saw the two passages that held her most precious memories.

In one, she recalled the satisfied grin she'd worn after the boys who tried to steal her dumplings were punished to fold a hundred more. In the other, she remembered the visceral crunch of a peeker's nose that met the back of her heel while she was dressing. This was her home. She saw him then, Galan, leaning against a pillar in the training courtyard. He wore a simple robe in monochrome motifs, with a black jade mask hanging from his belt. So this is what he looks like, she thought.

"Why are you doing all this?" she asked, approaching him. He held up a hand.

"Shh, don't ruin the moment." She followed his gaze and saw disciples of all ages practicing martial arts. She then saw her younger self, Yusyang, blocking a boy's two-legged kick with her forearms, only to fall backwards from the impact.

"You almost had me there," the boy said, pulling her to her feet.

"Good job blocking my special move."

"Where did you even learn that?" Yusyang asked, massaging her sore forearms.

"The monks brought back some secret manuals," he grinned.

"You should read them! If you learn a bunch of flashy moves at once, you'll get stronger much faster." Yusyang looked away.

"Maybe later. I prefer to focus on what I'm already learning."

"Enough for now. It's time to take a break," said their master. The young disciples then entered the main building together, with Yusyang phasing through Aurelia as if she weren't there.

"Remember, elegance is the result of controlled and trained movements. It is not a goal to strive for," the master explained.

"There was once a boy who cared too much about how powerful he appeared, always exaggerating his flair. It made him easy to predict. Despite his power, a simple practitioner could beat him just by letting him make his mistakes." Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. As the other children followed him toward the dining hall, Aurelia's younger self lingered behind, thinking deeply about the mysterious boy before running off towards them.

Aurelia watched, a sudden, bitter realization tightening her chest. She slowly turned her head to look at Galan straight in the eye. He chuckled, amusement in his eyes.

"So," he said as the children disappeared from view, "Feels good to see our Shifu alive again, doesn't it?"

"I'd rather you tell me why you showed me someone else's memory before this," she said, shaking her head.

"Because you deserve to know what actually happened in your past."

"You expect me to believe that memory was mine?" Galan shrugged.

"Believe it or not, Cang Cu is the real you. The fact that both of you met Loshya that night, and the fact that we share the same master, proves it."

"So someone did tamper with my memory…"

"You had suspicions, huh?"

"Honestly," she said, looking up at him, "I don't even know if I should trust you."

"Look, it was for your own good. Your family would've been found and slaughtered if he hadn't changed your identity."

"And how does telling me this benefit you?" she asked, her voice sharp. He scratched the back of his head.

"Well, I want to carry you back to camp, and I don't think you'd let me after our fight." She shook her head again.

"No, I mean… why show me my true memory?" He looked at the floor, his expression softening.

"Because I want to do you a favor. For being there for our master during his last few days." He looked up.

"I'm… genuinely thankful."

"But it… it felt more like a wish fulfillment," she argued.

"Just because it ends well doesn't mean it's fake. Your father did a lot to keep you all safe. That's the truth."

"But why would an archangel do all this for us?"

"It's just what we do as the Athalon family. It means 'to help a lot,' get it?" He put a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, why don't we just skip this nonsense and go straight to reuniting you with your family?" She grimaced.

"And ignore the fact that you killed my master?" He let go of her.

"Uh… yeah? I'm surprised you're still hung up on that after I reminded you that your parents are still alive."

"You don't understand…"

"Yeah, you're right, I don't." He sighed.

"There are things in the world people won't compromise on, no matter how bad they are. It's what makes the gods think it's necessary to take drastic actions in the first place."

"But why did he have to die?" she asked, her voice cracking.

"Because the spark of a revolution needs some good kindling to burn," he said simply.

"And you're just an innocent firefly caught in its heat."

"Didn't you mock my 'innocence' before?"

"Okay, relatively innocent," he shrugged.

"You genuinely care about people, despite the awful things you did. But guess who didn't?" She looked away.

"Fine. I get it. If it's divine will, there's no point in arguing."

"Exactly," he said.

"Just go where the river takes you." He looked at the Buddha statue.

"And better yet, learn how to swim with the current, not against it." He pointed at the statue with a lazy thumb.

"Like this guy did."

"Ugh," Aurelia scoffed.

"So can I wake up now?"

"Sure. But do you also want to meet your parents?" She looked down, suspicious.

"I do… but don't tell me I have to be your maid in return." Galan chuckled.

"Well, you gotta return the favor somehow. But I promise that you and Lucilla will be treated far better than ever. How about that?" She thought for a moment. With the noble gone, she had no way to raise Lucilla by herself. It was the only logical choice.

"Alright, deal," she said.

"Really? Just like that?" he grinned.

"Yeah," she nodded, her gaze fierce.

"I don't mind serving you if it means Lucilla will be treated fairly. But you better keep your word."

"Alright, I promise." He offered his hand.

"Now, let's shake on it." I hope I won't regret this, she thought. As she shook his hand, her vision went completely white, and she slowly started waking up in the real world.