Han Yimu was feeling an array of emotions that he hadn't felt in years.
There was the annoyance that was bubbling up over being called a 'Junior Brother'; he was older than every other kid here, doubling the ages of some, at least. And yet, even the pipsqueak that looked to be no older than twelve was calling him a 'Junior Brother'.
There was the feeling of being overwhelmed; he was never much good with the crowds, especially if he was the center of attention--like now. They besieged him with questions, and none waited long enough for him to answer. In fact, within fifteen seconds, they started lashing out and bickering with each other.
Then there was the abject shock; though he wasn't the greatest talent evaluator by a long shot, even he could tell that most, if not all, of these kids would slot just fine in his Sect. Or, well, his former Sect.
A few of them, even, startled his heart slightly as he became convinced he might not even win against them despite being of higher realm. Had this been a gathering of talents somewhere in the Upper Realm, it would have made sense, even with their ages.
But here?
In this desolate wasteland?
It did not make any sense.
Despite that, they were clearly lagging behind a great deal on the curve of cultivation realms. By the time he was their age, he'd already stepped into the Void Transformation Realm, and most looked to be struggling to enter the Spirit Manifestation Realm.
Then there was the fear; it had just now dawned on him what he did--he abandoned everything. And though the Heart Demon was miraculously gone, it did not change the fact that he betrayed his sect, his realm, and was now stuck here. With these people.
"Ignore them," a boy--or perhaps a slightly older teen, from his appearance--approached and dragged him away. The strange aura he gave off confused Han Yimu for a moment before he realized what it was.
"You're a Shaman?!" he exclaimed, perhaps a bit too loudly, quickly covering his mouth.
"You've got a good eye," the boy smiled as the two sat down, seemingly invisible to everyone--except the oldest of them, the young woman who looked to be in her early twenties at the latest. She'd joined them, curiously staring at Han Yimu who felt blood rush into his cheeks.
She was pretty.
Very pretty.
Maybe not in the way most of his peers would have noted, as they preferred the smooth-skinned, blemishless sort; but Han Yimu liked that her hair was in a bit of a disarray, that she had some freckles, that her jaw was kind of masculine, and that there was nothing 'ladylike' about the way she sat.
"What was your name, again?" she asked, startling him awake and prompting his cheeks to burn even brighter.
"H-Han Yimu, my lady..."
"... my lady?"
"Pfft." while the woman looked at him oddly, the man next to him chuckled, quickly stifling a laugh.
"Are you mocking me?" she asked, her expression darkening.
"N-no, not at all! I'm really not!!" he quickly defended himself, feeling the anger bubbling. The anger was aimed at him--why did he always turn into a stuttering mess when talking with a beautiful woman? What was wrong with him?!
"I'm just kidding," she said, her voice softening. Han Yimu glanced between his fingers and saw her smiling, causing his heart to skip a beat. "I do have an advice for you: if you want to survive with us here... you really can't be that timid. Only Rayce here can afford to do it, but that's because he is the only Shaman in the group. The moment we find another, it's over."
"Haah," the young man sighed. "I'm not timid, Sister Lan. I'm just not a brute like the rest of you. There's a big difference."
"Are you calling me a brute?!" she asked with that darkened expression again.
"I watched you not half an hour ago lift a man above your head and throw him like a log, and then flex your muscles and make poses. What do you want me to call you? My Lady?"
"... alright, alright. We're scaring the poor guy even more. We joke, but I wouldn't worry--Master is very hands-off with us and lets us do whatever we want for the most part. If you need anything, you just ask him about it and, more often than not, he'll give it to you. The most important thing--and listen carefully, Junior Brother Yimu," for some reason, he didn't mind being called a Junior Brother by her... it was actually--Perish the thought! She's almost a decade younger than me!!--he continued to wrestle with demons inwardly. "The most important thing is to always cover the Master's eyes when you see any blood. As the most Junior member of our little nomad sect, that now becomes your job."
"..." Han Yimu distinctly recalled his strange new Master telling him explicitly not to do that. It finally made sense. "Uh..."
"Ah. He already told you not to do it, huh?" the girl smiled faintly. "Ignore it. It's a rite of passage, Brother Yimu. Each and every one of us had to, at one time, cover our Master's eyes. You will, too."
"Won't... won't he be mad at me?" Han Yimu asked, somewhat conflicted. Though he'd realized by now that their Master-Disciple relationship was rather... loosely defined, there were still some things that ought to be the baseline.
"Oh, he will," she said. "But he's most adorable when he's like that."
"..." did... did he have to compete with his Master? For a woman's affection? Wasn't there anything more accursed in the world!?
No... looking a bit more deeply into her eyes, Han Yimu quickly realized that it wasn't that kind of love. It was the kind of love born out of pure respect. No... even more than that--it was as though she wasn't talking about a Master, but rather a father.
"Ah, we've yet to introduce everyone," the boy suddenly spoke up. "My name is Rayce. This lady here is Wan Lan."
"Hey."
"That guy over there in the corner that seems disinterested in everything happening but is secretly keeping an eye on everyone, that's Senior Brother Tao. He is Master's first Disciple and... uh, well, you'll see it, in time. Those two bickering over there are Xi Zhao and Dai Xiu--most of the rest of us have a secret bet going on to see whether they eventually become Dao Companions. That girl sitting over there playing with the phoenix, that's Light. She's... uh, she's..."
"She's a weird whacko." Wan Lan interjected.
"She's uniquely adorable," Rayce quickly corrected. "And she's our youngest, and persistently the most Junior. Her choice." he added. "That boy sitting next to the Master and undoubtedly asking him about chess, that's Xing Feng. He tends to be shy with strangers, so if he doesn't talk to you much at first, don't take it to heart. And that, uh, that man over there gorging on the leftovers... that's Lao Shun."
"Is he Master's friend?" Han Yimu asked.
"... maybe?" Rayce replied with some uncertainty. "No, no, they're definitely friends. But, uh... he's, he's also Master's Disciple."
"... e-eh?"
"You might still feel uncertain now," Wan Lan said, smiling faintly. "But, soon enough, you'll realize that the choice you made to join Master is the greatest choice you'll ever make in your life. Ah, Master is fidgeting." she added and suddenly stood up. "Alright, everyone. You've eaten, you've annoyed Master enough, and you can bicker anywhere else, too. Master is tired and needs rest. Get out before I tell Master what you've been up to while he was resting."
"..." there was a collective moment of silence before everyone suddenly stood up and started leaving, like birds during migration.
"Yes, let's get out."
"Master needs his rest."
"Master, we'll be nearby! Just scream if anyone dares disrespect you!" Han Yimu joined the procession of increasingly stranger kids, leaving behind an even stranger Master. Just who was this man, and how in the hell did he manage to assemble a group like this?