Luo Qianwu breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good. It’s called a cursed artifact for a reason. You shouldn’t obsess over its contents, Young Lord. It’ll drive you insane with paranoia.”

“I understand,” Ge Nianlan said.

He felt a brief moment of guilt, for having lied to his only friend and personal guard, but Ge Nianlan felt that it was the only right thing to do. At least, it was the only thing that he could do right now, to ensure his survival.

Luo Qianwu quietly observed Ge Nianlan for a moment before he shuffled around in his possession for something.

A second later, an open palm slid into Ge Nianlan’s line of sight. Resting at the center was a piece of candy, carefully wrapped in waxed paper. Ge Nianlan stared at it for a long time before taking it with a softened smile. He fiddled with it between his fingers and glanced at Luo Qianwu.

“Thank you.”

“I don’t know if it’ll help, but you always cheer up after having a piece of candy,” Luo Qianwu said with a mild shrug.

Ge Nianlan unwrapped the candy and popped it into his mouth. The familiar taste brought back all sorts of memories that had been lost in the waves of the new ones, crammed into his head. He smiled at what felt like the taste of a distant memory, and hummed in satisfaction.

“Still tastes good.”

Luo Qianwu chuckled. “Well, I’m glad.”

He shifted in his seat. “Once you’re done eating, you should rest some more. I’m going to head out now.”

“Already?” Ge Nianlan asked.

Luo Qianwu nodded. “I wasn’t meant to come back for another few days, so I have to head back.”

Ge Nianlan’s eyes widened. “Where were you?”

“I need to finish my coming-of-age trial,” Luo Qianwu explained. Upon seeing Ge Nianlan’s dazed expression, he realized that this might not have been a concept that Ge Nianlan had known about. “Whenever someone is nearing their fifteenth birthday, it’s a tradition that they are taken to Widow’s Gorge to go through a trial. The trial is to let those who are coming of age kill as many monsters as they possibly can within the span of a week. It’s to help them get accustomed to killing.”

Ge Nianlan didn’t remember there being any mention of such a trial in the cursed artifact. Perhaps, because of his disability, he had been able to avoid such a dangerous activity.

“What if the person going through the trial gets hurt?” Ge Nianlan asked.

“They have a guardian with them at all times,” Luo Qianwu said. “I have my Shifu with me.”

Luo Qianwu’s shifu was Meng Lingjian, the weaponsmith for Black Mane Palace. Although Ge Nianlan didn’t know much about him, he did know that Meng Lingjian was well-respected and quite infamous. On top of that, he was one of the few people who had treated Ge Nianlan with sincerity.

“However, it would be best to try your best. Most people treat it as a life-or-death situation,” Luo Qianwu explained. “That’s because the more you kill, the more capable it means that you are. Your chances of survival in society are much higher. In many households, this trial truly does mean life or death. If you are capable, you will be allotted more time and resources. If someone does not prove themselves, there are even families who kick their children out onto the streets.”

Ge Nianlan could not fathom such a situation. He fell silent as he compared what he knew in the past and what he knew from the cursed artifact, to the current reality presented to him. He must have been truly sheltered to not have known that such a tradition existed.

Luo Qianwu felt like he had scared Ge Nianlan. He quickly spoke again: “I’m sure His Excellency would not burden you with such an old-fashioned tradition, Young Lord. A lot of people nowadays do it for fun. Just like me. If I only brought home one beast, my uncle wouldn’t kick me out.”

“Your uncle?” Ge Nianlan asked. He frowned. Now that he thought about it, he didn’t know all that much about Luo Qianwu.

Although Luo Qianwu had been his playmate and bodyguard for as long as he could remember, the teenager catered mostly to Ge Nianlan’s needs and wants. They had been together for a little over half a decade, yet Ge Nianlan didn’t even know about Luo Qianwu’s family situation.

“Do you live with your uncle?”

The question surprised Luo Qianwu. He smiled awkwardly. “Yes, I do. I’m an orphan. My uncle took me in after my parents passed.”

“How did your parents pass?” Ge Nianlan asked.

“An expedition,” Luo Qianwu said. “It’s the same one where Uncle got injured too.”

Ge Nianlan wanted to ask more questions, but he stopped himself. He averted his gaze for a second. “Oh. Your parents must have been very cool then.”

Luo Qianwu was shocked by such a casual evaluation. He laughed. “Yes, my parents were great people.”

Ge Nianlan hummed. “So, are you heading back right away?”

“I should,” Luo Qianwu said. He ruffled Ge Nianlan’s hair. “I’ll be back next week though. I’ll bring you back some good food.”

The promise was one that Luo Qianwu had said to coax Ge Nianlan just a few days ago, when the child was so upset that he wouldn’t stop crying. Now that Luo Qianwu said it again, he felt a bit foolish. The intelligence shining in Ge Nianlan’s eyes felt oddly off putting.

“Mn! I’ll wait for you, Luo-gege,” Ge Nianlan said with a bright grin.

Luo Qianwu said a few more words of concern before he bid Ge Nianlan farewell.

Ge Nianlan’s smile remained until he was sure Luo Qianwu had left. He sat there for a few seconds, before he spoke at a normal volume: “Ling Tong, are you there?”

The door creaked open and the girl stepped in. She bowed. “Do you have orders for me, Young Lord?”

“Not really. Just questions,” Ge Nianlan said.

Ling Tong tilted her head. “I will answer to the best of my abilities.”

“Do you know Luo Qianwu?” Ge Nianlan asked.

“Yes.”

“Can you tell me about him?” Ge Nianlan asked.

“Luo Qianwu is the nephew of the Wolf Saint. His parents were loyal subjects to His Excellency. During an expedition to subdue the rebels in the northeast, Luo Qianwu’s parents ended up losing their life. And because of a traitor, the Wolf Saint fell into a trap that caused him to be poisoned. He is now partially retired, but still holds the title of Wolf Saint, because we have yet to find a suitable replacement,” Ling Tong said.

“Wolf Saint,” Ge Nianlan echoed. He thought about it for a moment before asking his next question, “How many Saints are there?”

“In total, there should be eight.”

“I saw six today,” Ge Nianlan said.

“Yes.”

“One is the Wolf Saint,” Ge Nianlan said. He dug around in his foggy memory. “Who’s the other missing one?”

“The Raven Saint.”

Ge Nianlan frowned. “I’ve never heard of the Raven Saint before.”

“That is because we do not have one. The Raven Saint died a few years before you were born, Young Lord,” Ling Tong explained. “There used to be a candidate for the Raven Saint, as suggested by the previous one. However, they disappeared a few years back. And, otherwise, there are no suitable candidates.”

“Disappeared? How?”

“There were many people who vied for the Raven Saint’s seat, so the child was kidnapped. Up until now, we still haven’t found them.

“Kidnapped…” Ge Nianlan murmured.

“Do you have any other questions?”

“The Saints…what are they…for?” Ge Nianlan asked. He smiled awkwardly. “From my point of view, you guys just feel like my caretakers. But I’m sure there are other reasons you guys are around, right?”

Ling Tong fell silent, as if she wasn’t sure how to explain. A moment later, she refocused her gaze. “Young Lord, the explanation is long.”

“That’s okay,” Ge Nianlan said. “I just want to know. I…realized that I don’t know very much, you see. It’s making me uncomfortable.”

“Very well,” Ling Tong said. “Black Mane Palace’s structure is split like this—the Palace Master, who is at the top, the Eight Saints, the Three Great Clans, the Four Cardinal Lords, the direct, inner, and outer sect disciples, and then the vassals, who are smaller clans that have submitted to Black Mane Palace.  The Eight Saints are cultivators who are second only to the Palace Master. They are the Palace Master’s sword and their shield.

“The Eight Saints are split as thus: the Raven Saint, who is in charge of intel; the Black Tortoise Saint, who is the chief advisor; the Nine-Tailed Fox Saint, who is the strategist; the Black Koi Saint, who is in charge of the waterways; the Bull Saint, who is in charge of defense and the front line; the Wolf Saint, who has the strongest offense and is in charge of the guards within Black Mane Palace; the Vulture Saint, who guards the land before the River of the Forgotten; and the Python Saint, who is the Palace Master’s personal elite attack force.”

Ling Tong paused and looked at Ge Nianlan.

Ge Nianlan slowly nodded. “And which are you?”

“I am the Python Saint,” Ling Tong said.

Ge Nianlan hummed. “But you were in charge of watching me?”

“Yes. His Excellency said that your well being is more important than his own,” Ling Tong said.

Ge Nianlan felt a stab of guilt. This was only because he thought that he was his own flesh and blood.

Ge Nianlan wanted to awkwardly decline such a high honor, but he swallowed his words. “Can you tell me more about yourself too? I mean…if you’re guarding me, we’ll see each other often, won’t we?”

“We will not see each other,” Ling Tong said. “I am meant to stay out of sight.”

Ge Nianlan smiled. “But I still want to get to know you, Ling Tong.”

Ling Tong seemed to hesitate. “Do you have any specific questions?”

“Um…what’s your family like?”

“I have no family.”

“No family?” Ge Nianlan’s eyes widened. “O-oh, I’m sorry. Did they…?”

“No, I have never had a family,” Ling Tong said. “Young Lord, I am a puppet jing.”

“A puppet…jing?” Ge Nianlan’s eyes widened further. His face flushed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.”

“No need to apologize. If you didn’t realize, it means that I have done a good job in cultivating,” Ling Tong joked. She thought about it for a moment and said, “There are two others with a yao lineage.”

“Who?” Ge Nianlan asked. He didn’t want to get into more awkward situations like this one again.

“Lord Zhao, the Nine-Tailed Fox Saint, is a descendant from a true fox spirit. They inherited the fox’s talents and even decided to cultivate a similar method, but he is more human than anything. Nie Chenhui, the Vulture Saint, is a six-hundred-year-old skeleton demon. He is wicked and cunning. He is not to be trifled with,” Ling Tong said.

Ge Nianlan stared at her.

“What is it?”

“Nothing, just…do you not like the Vulture Saint?” Ge Nianlan asked curiously.

“I have no opinion of him. Why do you ask?” Ling Tong asked.

Ge Nianlan glanced away for a second. “Um…you just…he was the only person you expressed your personal opinion on.”

“That is merely because he is insufferable,” Ling Tong said monotonously. “But it does not mean that I dislike him.”