At the words 'different-colored eyes' Jiao Long looked at the wall to his left, thinking. A master with different-colored eyes reminded him of someone... Thinking that Jiao Long was looking at something he couldn't see, Xu Wu squinted his eyes and stared at the wall too, looking a little silly. The son of the reputed family continued to stare at the wall, convinced he'd already heard of this minnow-eyed master...but when? And where?

"What did you talk about?" asked Jiao Long with a serious air as if it concerned him.

"A simple introduction, he just asked me my level, and other trivial things. Let's go to sleep now," suggested Xu Wu, who wasn't tired at all.

"What were the futile things?" insisted Jiao Long, ignoring the second sentence. Xu Wu just sighed, thinking that Jiao Long just wanted to keep the conversation going so he wouldn't go to sleep.

"To know which family I came from," Xu Wu replied simply.

Really, there was no point in continuing to talk about this master, this conversation was meaningless and unimportant.

"What was your answer?"

"I don't have a family," finished Xu Wu, who thought he'd finally had the last word in the dialogue.

"I see..." murmured Jiao Long, staring into space but continuing to think.

"Of course, both your eyes are open and we're not in the dark," remarked Xu Wu, while Jiao Long didn't even bother to reply, such was the stupidity of the sentence.

"Don't introduce yourself too much to the others..." he said in a whisper, not noticing that what he'd just said was extremely humiliating for Xu Wu. It was as if introducing himself served no purpose or would stain the near-perfect person that was Jiao Long. He stayed frozen in place, still flabbergasted by this sentence. Were Jiao Long and Jun Feng ashamed of him? Was he not worthy of being their comrade? Were they embarrassed that someone like Xu Wu was their teammate? Xu Wu felt a twinge of unease, and an unknown emotion that made him feel uncomfortable, staring at the ground was the best thing to do as he didn't want to be seen with such an expression on his face. Why not introduce himself to the others? What was wrong with him? His personality? His looks? His unknown family? Asking for an answer would be even more humiliating, so he said nothing more, continuing to count the veins on the marble floor. All he wanted to do was leave this place at exactly this moment, right now. But he couldn't.

Facing him, Jiao Long's eyes widened as he noticed what he'd just said out loud. He didn't mind humiliating Xu Wu, but he wasn't the type to apologize.

"Hm... Well..." he muttered with a pathetic smile.

The blue-eyed one decided it was best to pretend he hadn't heard anything, and resumed his serious look, indicating once again that it was best to go to sleep. The sweet smell of incense in the great hall had disappeared, everything was silent and strangely cold, and the two of them felt uncomfortable, not even daring to look at each other, not even glancing at a scrap of the other's clothing. After a few moments of silence, Xu Wu waved goodbye to his team-mate, who remained on the spot before heading for his room.

Idiot, thought Jiao Long, insulting himself in a way he'd never done before, aware that he'd crossed a line. Humiliating a member of his team was not a good idea.

"At least he didn't hear it, let's move on." grumbled Jiao Long as he also walked towards his room before finally branching off and going out for some fresh air, sitting on the tiles of a low wall and looking out at the eastern mountains he couldn't see from his room, as well as at the thousands of stars shining intensely that night. He sat there for five, then fifteen, then thirty minutes, his arms on his knees, before noticing the presence of someone near the low wall. The person had a long, thick white beard in which one could hide all sorts of things.

"Master!" exclaimed Jiao Long, a little astonished. As usual the old man stood with his hands behind his back and waited patiently for his pupil to come down from the roof. "Have you been here long?"

Boom! the student jumped from his seat and leapt about two meters.

The old man looked at him with a bewildered expression: "If I could hit you, I'd do it without restraint, so you'd join your ancestors!" he announced, raising his hand idly to see that Jiao Long had dismounted and looked perplexed. "Don't look at me like that! You know very well what you've done wrong. You've got the face of someone who's done something stupid!"

To be honest, there were many reasons why the master might have beaten Jiao Long, so he preferred to still be silent so as not to say something he'd regret, which would earn him double punishment.

"What are you doing out at this hour, there's a curfew. You know that" remarked the master.

"Hm." mumbled Jiao Long as he stood with his arms at his sides. "I have a question."

"Which one?" sighed the old master "Ask your question and then run off to your room before I send you back to meet your parents' great-grandparents."

This made Jiao Long smile, as he knew his master would never hurt him.

"The grandmaster, or master because I don't know if he has that status or name with the minnow eyes, who is he? I feel like I've heard of him before."

His teacher stared at him unblinkingly, trying to make out the expression on his student's face with a slightly wary air. "Why are you asking me this question?" Jiao Long felt tired, but he wanted to know, he needed the answers to his questions. He really couldn't remember who this man was.

"Xu..." he began before changing his sentence "I spotted him in the distance, and with two different eyes you notice him well! I hesitated to greet him." lied Jiao Long, knowing that he sounded sincere and that every one of his lies seemed to be the truth.

"There are some things it's better not to awaken, so stay away from him. He doesn't bring good things, so the further away you are from him, the better off you'll be, okay?" indicated his master, also looking in the direction of the mountains.

"But..."

"There's a myth about why his eyes is different. It's said that he once offered his right eye to an evil spirit centuries ago in exchange for a unique power. He looks young, but it's his level of cultivation that enables him to maintain this appearance. And if he doesn't have the title of grand master, it's not because he doesn't have the skills - quite the opposite, in fact - but because for the good of all, it's better that he doesn't receive this title, otherwise he'd have access to a lot of information that grand masters keep secret, as they don't want certain things to reach the ears of certain clans. Ming Liang "

There was a pause and Jiao Long's eyes widened, his pupils narrowing as his mouth parted. Of all the cultivators in existence, even those in other kingdoms, the Ming family was famous for bringing forth a prodigy every thousand years, and each time that cultivator took the path of evil, some even having been evil reincarnated whether male or female. Every millennium, something more terrifying than the worst of demons found its way into this world. From the Ming clan. 

"Of course, if Ming Liang were a real danger he'd already have been suppressed or banished, but this one, though a prodigy does no harm. For hundreds of years, he has still been calm and upright. That's why he can be here. And it's also a way of...keeping an eye on him, since no one knows the extent of the Ming Clan or where they are now. Some think there aren't many people left, others that the clan is 'dead'" the old master explained to Jiao Long, who listened in silence, not mentioning that Ming Liang had shown the slightest interest in Xu Wu. Nevertheless, Jiao Long was convinced that such people would not waste their time talking to a stranger simply to get to know each other.

"I see..."

"You can't see much because it's dark. Now go to sleep!" scolded the old man. But then why had someone like Ming Liang come to this residence - he had nothing to gain from it, he couldn't attend the grandmasters' meetings, he had the same status as a teacher? It was illogical, and Jiao Long thought about it for a few more minutes on the way to his room before changing the subject. At night, the lights in the hall were simple little lamps shining to the rhythm of reddish candles, sometimes weak, sometimes strong, reflecting off the marble. It was a pretty sight. He continued to walk down the large hall before turning right into a smaller corridor, heading for his bedroom. Strangely enough, he still had a bad feeling. In doubt, he hesitated to press his ear against Xu Wu's door before changing his mind.

It doesn't matter... thought the young man Me first!  I'm not going to get involved in other people's problems...

In his room, Xu Wu wasn't asleep yet. Sitting on the edge of his bed, he heard Jiao Long's footsteps, a brief sigh and the door to his comrade's room creak shut. The moon's rays passed between the thin curtains and illuminated his face as he rolled up the sleeves of his nightgown, uncovering his forearms. Beside him on the small table, he had placed a box having his ring, various balms and skincare products. He took a small bottle and poured a thick cream that smelled strongly of jasmine over what appeared to be burnt skin, grimacing before spreading it, biting his lip as he tried to ease his pain. Putting this product on was painful but obligatory. This wound had never healed, and any healing spell was ineffective, and he hated it, trying to hide it lest others find it repulsive. Remembering what Jiao Long had said earlier, he decided to put even more product back on as if it would change his appearance, still trying to understand why Jiao Long was ashamed of him. Faster and faster, frantically, he continued rubbing the cream before coming to his senses and calming down. There was no point in having such a reaction. Closing the bottle, he took a bandage from the box and placed it carefully around his forearms, allowing the products to penetrate more quickly and the skin not to rub against the white sheets, before finally lying down and looking up at the sky, sometimes visible when the curtains moved slowly. Tomorrow they would train together and find out how each other did, their level of cultivation and knowledge. With apprehension, Xu Wu prepared phrases and imagined a scene he'd act out the next day, like an actor. Don't say too much, don't show too much, don't stand out, think before you act. But he thought too much. Just as he had done with Ming Liang, Xu Wu was going to say things he'd already thought out the day before. By dint of thinking too much, he finally fell asleep, exhausted after an already intense end to the day. Upstairs, Jun Feng was reading his treatment book, supporting his face with his right hand and lighting the pages with a flame he'd created with his left. He was right, why use a candle if he could use his magic. He sang a song based on the phrases of the book, certain incantations, and explained the sketches aloud so as to assimilate them properly. Of the three men, Jun Feng was the most rigorous and eager to learn, not out of duty or obligation like the others, but simply for pleasure.

That night, Xu Wu slept badly. Very badly. In fact, he often slept badly. Ever since he was a child, he'd had the impression he was being watched. Were the eyes watching him at night just an illusion or a real monster? Or worse? A kid wouldn't have known the difference, but even as an adult, he still felt he had to be on his guard. How could he call himself a cultivator if he was afraid of monsters? Fortunately, during the day, this fear quickly disappeared. Jiao Long stayed awake for a long time, not out of fear, but because his physique meant he had to spend an inordinate amount of time looking after it and, above all, thinking. He had everything, yet there was one thing missing. Something but what, no way of knowing. He wasn't hungry or thirsty, yet every day he felt the lack of something... It was impossible to put a finger on it. It was the only gift the gods hadn't given him, and he was going to have to find it himself. Each in his own room, staring at the ceiling lit by a small lamp, the two young men stayed awake, hoping that fatigue would soon catch up with them - the only way they could sleep.

The next morning brought a rude awakening, and of course all three were very tired. Jiao Long changed into an outfit in the Jiao family colors, black with a golden dragon embroidered on the back. The outfit had a high collar, hugged her waist and unlike her other outfits, this one had narrow sleeves. Jun Feng wore green and orange and her thin gold bracelet on her wrist. The colors were so intense that it was impossible to lose Jun Feng and his white hair in a crowd. As for Xu Wu, not belonging to anything, he wore a modest black outfit different from yesterday's, this one tight around the waist like Jiao Long thanks to a large leather belt that encompassed his entire abdomen, with his sword at his waist and his ring adorned with a blue stone.

" ... "

" ... "

Both had opened their bedroom doors at the same time, looking at the other, then freezing with an embarrassed look on their faces. Jiao Long was the first to say something.

"Your hair..."

Xu Wu had forgotten to tie them up, leaving long black hair falling over her shoulders and stopping halfway down her back.

"Thanks, but you don't have to look," Xu Wu replied awkwardly, thinking that Jiao Long was just reminding him with no ulterior motive. No, Jiao Long had just been surprised at the time. He hadn't expected the young man in front of him to have such thick, beautiful hair that contrasted with his fair skin. He also noticed the slight dark circles under Xu Wu's intimidating, penetrating eyes, but decided not to make a remark as the other didn't seem to be in the mood for laughter. Most of the time, the students ate the three meals together for an hour or so in a room with several tables. Later, lined up in a neglected and untended field, they waited for their master while stretching or yawning, only Xu Wu being still motionless and upright.