HE WAS sure that Lu Yuntu had been giving him the cold shoulder since last night. Or at least, that he was a little angry with him. The problem was that Ayden couldn’t find him this morning. He had thought about it the night before and, on reflection, wondered if he’d really overstepped the mark. 

      Etiquette was strict in this world, even worse than in the king’s court, and he felt thoroughly overwhelmed by all the little things that everyone took for granted. Themis and Monica were much better at this sort of exchange than he was, and they were usually the ones who led the negotiations when a lord sought to engage them. Ayden sighed, his mood sombre. He tried as much as possible not to think about his friends too much to avoid this kind of slump, but... It was inevitable. 

      His thoughts were bound to turn to them at some point. It only took one detail for him to remember that he was alone. And details, there was plenty of them, and he had to pay attention to them: getting to know this world was a matter of survival. 

      Who knows how long he would be stuck here?

      “Don’t think about it, you idiot...” he muttered to himself, running a hand over his face.

      “I do agree: you seem like a fool of the worst kind.”

      Ayden turned around suddenly to see Huang Yiqiang coming in with a calm step. The cultivator had the stern expression of one who was judging a soul before him. Nevertheless, Ayden let him approach until he stood beside him, never taking his eyes off him as Huang Yiqiang stared out at the morning landscape, back straight and hands clasped behind. 

      They could see many and many people arriving at Beiming City in the distance. The damage caused by the panic and their fight had been taken care of by mutual agreement between the Beiming Lu clan and the Fengtian Huang clan.

      “I don’t know what you are hiding from me...”

      “Listen...” cut in Ayden’s dark, low voice, not in the mood to suffer the other.

      “But the clan leader Lu Lisong is a valued master and a man worthy of respect. He has allowed you to stay, offering you refuge, and protects you in the name of the clan itself,” Huang Yiqiang continued as if he hadn’t heard him. “Lu Yuntu, too. So maybe I don’t know the entire story, but I trust their judgment.”

      Ayden was staring at him now, prudent as if he expected a backhand.

      “You have no manners, know no etiquette and speak in such an inappropriate way that my ears bleed at every word you say. Not to mention your attitude, your fighting style reflects your shortcomings and lack of refinement.”

      That was it. Without even hiding it, Ayden growled in a dull, annoyed way, ready to retaliate. He didn’t get the chance.

      “But your actions speak for themselves. You tried to protect Master Lu Lisong’s young disciples and faced the problem instead of running away or hiding behind them despite your clear disadvantage.”

      “What the...”

      Ayden was now staring at him with a dumbfounded look on his face as the farmer, unwavering, stared straight ahead without batting an eyelid. He chuckled suddenly. And then he laughed, unable to hold back any more.

      Huang Yiqiang obviously did not expect this and jumped to his feet before looking at him with wide eyes, as if a second head was growing out of him or as if Ayden was committing heresy. A hand partially masking his expression, Ayden shook his head, torn between spite and amusement.

      “You! What are you laughing at?!”

      “You!”

      “That…?! That attitude is…!”

      Huang Yiqiang couldn’t even find his words. Ayden straightened his head and smiled frankly, cutting off the insults that were about to fall on the corner of his nose.

      “Thank you,” the redhead continued, without losing the quiet joy in his eyes.

      Huang Yiqiang stared at him in disbelief before abruptly turning to leave. “Why are you thanking me?! Don’t cause trouble for Grand Master Lu Lisong and Lu Yuntu! And learn some manners! You are not a child anymore! Don’t shame them! That’s all I have to say to you! I have to leave!”

      Ayden watched him go without stopping smiling and shook his head, running a hand through his hair. He sighed. Perhaps he was not hiding his bitterness as well as he thought. But for someone like Huang Yiqiang to try to cheer him up, in such a clumsy way, when they had just met... Was he that easily readable?

      “By all the gods...” he whispered before looking up.

      He felt lonely, lost and even a little angry, and missed his friends terribly. He didn’t understand. Why him? Why, all of a sudden? Why and why again? If Ayden was honest with himself, he could even say that he was afraid. And yet, in his misfortune, there was some good. Apparently, he could count on a few people who were ready to lend him a hand. The least he could do was to try not to cause them problems. Or at least not too much.

      Ayden dropped to one knee and took off the necklace around his neck to look at the stone. It was of a deep red, blazing in the sunlight, and was cut simply in the shape of a pear, set in silver that had darkened over time. He kissed it with the tip of his lips before holding it out between his thumb and forefinger, letting it bathe in the sunlight as he tilted his head toward it.

      “Father, Mother, wherever you are, have a kind gaze for your lost son...” he whispered in prayer.

      Farther behind him, Lu Yuntu watched the scene silently before walking away.