Surprised, Ayden stepped back. “Whoa!”

      A hand pressed into his back, keeping him from falling, and there was silence as he turned. Lu Yuntu was there. He stepped down from his sword with a calm step, and, reaching out, his weapon came back to him at once. Lu Yuntu sheathed it again as if nothing had happened—the next moment, Ayden caught him by the shoulders. 

      “You can fly!”

      The youths were stunned. Lu Yuntu frowned slightly.

      “By all the gods, you can fly! I’m not dreaming! This is... This is... This is completely incredible! How is this possible? It’s also because of cultivation, right?”

      Lu Yuntu didn’t even have time to react or answer a single one of his questions before being overwhelmed with more, but he nodded slowly. But nodding to what?

      “Can anyone do that? Teach me! Actually, no. Show me! Now! I need to feel that! You can teach me later!”

      “Uh... Young Master Ayden...” A-Feng tried in vain.

      “Let’s go!” And Ayden grabbed Lu Yuntu by the arm to pull him aside. 

      The two disappeared further away under the stunned gaze of the young disciples. The latter exchanged a glance and shivered together, quickly returning to their training. Silently, they had all agreed not to overthink about the redhead’s totally inappropriate attitude towards the Young Master, who was considered Beiming Lu’s treasure... 

      If Grand Master Lu Lisong found out, he would gut Young Master Ayden.

~*~

      They had gone far enough, the place more spacious than he thought from below. Releasing Lu Yuntu, Ayden immediately turned to face him.

      “Let’s go!”

      Lu Yuntu gave him a sidelong glance but drew his white sword. He threw it in front of them, quickly forming a seal with his other hand, then stepped away from Ayden to stand on the blade. Even though he was standing on the tip of the sword, the weapon did not flinch. Lu Yuntu was perfectly balanced, one foot in front of the other, and Ayden observed the posture for a moment before approaching. 

      He stood behind Lu Yuntu, imitating him. Although he was not ashamed of his balance, it was clearly not comparable, and in the end, he grabbed the grower by the waist to steady himself. Lu Yuntu made a few attempts at a reasonable height at first, letting Ayden get used to it before gaining more and more altitude. Ayden's arms were firmly around the cultist's waist, and his position was finally stable after those few turns. Lu Yuntu flew higher, and as the ground receded several feet, he heard the redhead gasp behind him, and the grip on his waist tightened.

      “Young Master Ayden?”

      No answer. Lu Yuntu turned his head to see him over his shoulder and remained silent. Ayden must not have even heard him. His eyes fixed on the vastness of the landscape before him, his gaze shining with emotion.

      Ayden could see the entire bamboo forest around the Jade Palace and the rocky barrier surrounding half the place. Trees created discreet shadows, protecting people from unwanted attention, while other areas were exposed, such as the ground where A-Feng and his comrades were training. Here and there were several watering holes, partly hidden.

      But the most spectacular was this lake, in the middle of the mountain. Its water was so clear that Ayden could see the bottom, and in the sunlight, with nothing to break the view, the water shone brightly. And there, further on, he could see the city of Beiming, the river to the north and more. More and always more. The scenery was breathtaking, and for some reason he could not understand, Ayden felt his heart race. His arms tightened around the cultivator’s waist, and he smiled. It wasn’t only joy; it wasn’t only sorrow. It was something in between, almost bittersweet.

      “Thank you,” Ayden murmured against the black hair.

      Lu Yuntu looked away and did not answer. The wind was blowing harder at this height, and despite it, the sword was incredibly steady as their robes slapped furiously against their legs. Ayden closed his eyes, lifted his nose from the black hair in front of him, and inhaled deeply as if trying to absorb everything around him. He exhaled slowly. 

      A-Feng had told him that some places had more powerful spiritual energy. Indeed. He could feel it now. Extraordinary power shrouded this place, pure and delicate. It seemed to be mainly concentrated around the lake, and Ayden guessed that the water here must have had the best conditions because of its exposure. 

      Despite the altitude and the wind, Ayden was not cold. On the contrary, he emanated a surprising warmth, and Lu Yuntu could feel it radiating from his back. He allowed the red-haired man to admire the landscape for a moment more before moving. Lu Yuntu flew over the mountain while descending little by little. 

      The silence between them was not at all heavy, and at no time did Ayden try to break it. His mind was too absorbed in everything that was happening, his gaze catching the occasional long black strand dancing in the wind. Finally, when they reached land, it was soft enough to leave him still in this world, up there. Ayden did not react immediately, still holding Lu Yuntu, his breath deep and slow as he looked up at the sky.

      It took him a few moments to come down from his clouds, and only then did he realise they were no longer flying. Ayden dismounted the sword as he released the cultivator, the latter finally setting foot on the ground before his weapon sheathed itself.

      Ayden stared at him. Then he laughed under Lu Yuntu’s frozen gaze. 

      The redhead laughed to tears and shook his head as he saw the concern growing in Lu Yuntu’s eyes. After a moment, Ayden finally pulled himself together. Of course, the cultivator couldn’t understand that the mere fact that his sword stored itself in its scabbard was just... absolutely incredible!

      “Thank you, really,” he said to a confused Lu Yuntu. “That was amazing. I’m counting on you, O grandmaster, to teach me how to do that.”

      Ayden greeted him neatly before taking his leave, letting a completely bewildered Lu Yuntu behind. His mind was still up in the sky, a gentle warmth spreading through his heart and drawing a smile on his lips. This world was truly unique!

      The disciples all had their noses over the edge of the cliff, attentive.

      Lu Yuntu raised his head to look at them, and they fled back to their training.