บท 201: Three Friends - Party Formed.
"I'm sorry, really, we just aren't in a position to go that far…" Shu He overheard the conversation between the three, Mei Ling was apologizing profusely, even bowing her head as her black hair drooped over her guilt-ridden expression.
"Mei Ling is right unfortunately… we aren't allowed to leave the surrounding regions currently..." Wei Yu said, biting his lip with clear annoyance plastered on his face; It wasn't directed towards Bai Lian of course, but the group that were forcing him to live like this.
"…No, it's fine, sorry to put you on the spot" Bai Lian shook her head with a weak smile, it was clear she was disappointed in their response yet didn't want to push the subject.
Shu He walked over and decided to greet them "Hey, it's rare to see you all together these days" he said, although he had overhead the conversation, he decided to not to start with it.
"Oh, if it isn't Shu He; Going somewhere again? You don't sit still much, do you?" Mei Ling immediately latched on to Shu He's arrival in an attempt to change the subject.
"Don't be so rude" Wei Yu admonished her for her tone, causing her to pout at him "I didn't mean to be" she said, causing Wei Yu to shake his head. "You're already setting out, then? It'll be a bit lonely not seeing you for a while" he said to Shu He.
Shu He nodded "I've already sorted everything else out, so it's best to strike while the irons hot" he replied before his expression shifted oddly as he looked between Wei Yu and Mei Ling "I'm fairly sure you'll be fine without me here though?".
Out of all the disciples in the sect, Wei Yu was the one he spoke to most, though he still lived a fairly reclusive life so that wasn't much; But he and everyone that knew him enough, knew well that he was already a claimed man.
"W-what are you saying?" Wei Yu stuttered as he glanced at Mei Ling who turned away, hiding her expression from them. "Uh- Oh! May I ask, who is this lady you've brought with you?" his tone immediately turned formal, reminding Shu He of when he first met him.
The young master of the City Lord had changed a lot since back then, while in some ways he remained the same.
Of course, the 'woman' her referred to was his Senior Sister.
"This is-" Shu He shrugged lightly and went to introduce her, but was interrupted.
"I'm Na Xue, Shu He's senior sister! Hmm, so Shu He actually has some friends, that's a surprise" she said with a cheeky smile, causing Shu He to frown.
"What do you mean by that?" He glared at her from the side.
"Nothing~ So, what's your names?" She ignored him and carried on the conversation while getting close to the duo of Wei Yu and Mei Ling, a bit too close.
"I-I'm Wei Yu! Outer Disciple, I entered the sect with Shu He!" he stammered as he spoke, apparently finding Na Xue's aggressiveness hard to deal with, Shu He on the other hand couldn't help but grow a mocking smile on his face as he thought –
'If he thinks she's bad now, he should see her in her natural state'.
A sharp light glimmered in Mei Ling's eyes as she positioned herself closer to Wei Yu, pushing him away "I'm Mei Ling, nice to meet you, Senior Sister Na" a scary glow rested in her eyes as she grabbed Wei Yu's sleeve.
Na Xue chuckled lightly "Oh, no need to be so defensive" she backed off and stood next to Shu He, grabbing his robe as if imitating Mei Ling "See?".
A cross between embarrassed and confusion filled Mei Ling's face while Wei Yu was purely confused by the small exchange, Shu He meanwhile sighed "Stop it" he said, too used to his Senior Sister's antics.
"Okay" Na Xue let go of his robed and stood with his hands crossed behind her back "I have heard of you two, you caused quite a few stirs since you entered the sect, so your names crossed the core disciple's tongues often".
"Really?" Wei Yu's eyes sparkled slightly, happy to hear he was becoming well known, on the other hand Mei Ling watched Na Xue with suspicion.
"No need to stare like that, though the discussion is mostly about the star-crossed romance between you two" Na Xue admitted making both of them blush lightly.
"They should mind their own business!" Mei Ling yelled at the top of her lungs, causing all of the surrounding disciples to stare at them in confusion. Mei Ling realised this, and her face flushed red even more, she began dragging Wei Yu away "Let's go!".
"Oh- Uh- Sorry we couldn't help Bai Lian! And, good luck, Shu He!" Wei Yu said as he was dragged off into the distance.
Shu He shook his head as Shu Xue poked her head out from behind them, having hidden from the 'couple'; She wasn't fond of meeting them oddly, most likely because they argue too much.
"Did you have to?" He couldn't help but ask Na Xue as she smiled back and replied "Couldn't help it" citing Shu He's sigh, he then glanced over to Bai Lian who was silent while looking at the ground, silent.
His eyes narrowed, something was obviously wrong.
'Has she not even realised I'm here?' he steadily walked on over to her and called her name "Bai Lian" but she didn't respond, so he stood in front of her and waved his hand in front of her eyes.
Of course, she responded to that as she jumped slightly and lifted her head, looking around in confusion. "Shu He? Why are you here?" then she glanced around "Where are Wei Yu and Mei Ling?".
Shu He's brow dipped "They just left; did you not hear us speaking?".
She gently shook her head "Sorry I… I'm just thinking about something, I must have lost track of everything".
"Is something wrong? This isn't like you" He asked, the Bai Lian he knew was usually clear headed, seeing her with her head in the clouds like this was unusual.
Her expression turned sour like she'd eaten a sour plum for a moment before it faded away "It's…" she struggled to form her words as Shu Xue trod on up to her and grabbed her sleeve.
"Are you in pain?" the little duck in human form asked before looking at Shu He "Can you heal her Shu He?" she asked with a cocked head.
Bai Lian was one of the first few others she interacted with, so Shu Xue was very familiar with her and was fond of her.
Shu He gently stroked her white hair as he looked Bai Lian in the eyes "Well, can I? What's wrong?".
Bai Lian took a deep breath before exhaling to calm herself down, she then began explaining "I need to travel somewhere, but I'm still an outer disciple so I either need to get permission to go with a group of people, or to go with an inner disciple… it would be easier to get permission if it was a core disciple... but that's impossible…".
Shu He's expression turned odd as he looked at Na Xue stood next to him, who also sent him an odd glance. "That's what you asked the other two for?" Shu He asked.
"Yeah, but they can't because of their own circumstances… I've already asked most of the other disciples I know and none of them want to travel that far without a reason…" she said, a depressed tone overcoming her voice.
'I'm guessing Mei Ling and Wei Yu are being pressured by the Huo Clan still, if they leave the area of the sect's influence, who knows what could happen…' Shu He thought to himself as he listened.
It was then that Bai Lian's eyes locked on to the cloak and backpack Shu He was carrying, her eyes widened "Shu He, you're going somewhere now?".
Shu He chuckled slightly "I did tell you before, I'm going to participate in the Keystone Pilgrimage".
Suddenly, Bai Lian's eyes lit up as she jumped at him, grabbing the front of his cloak with a vice-grip "Does that mean you're going to the Everlasting Ocean Sect?!".
Shu He was taken aback by her sudden change but he nodded "Yeah, not just that but all around the five regions".
"By the way, I'm a core disciple" Na Xue chimed in from the side causing Bai Lian to switch between staring at them both.
"Take me with you! Please!" Her voice was desperate, like she had found her last lifeline.
Shu He stared in to her clear, crystal blue eyes for a moment before he sighed and scratched his head "Well, I can't really say no, can I?" he crossed his arms "But an explanation would be nice".
"Of course!" she let go, a bright smile appeared on her face as she pumped her fists in a cheer before stopping in embarrassment. "I've already got my stuff ready, let me go get it? Is that okay?".
"Sure, go ahead, I need to speak to the Vice Sect-Master anyway" Shu He barely finished speaking before she ran off leaving a dust trail.
"I expected a Bai clansmen to be more… cold" Na Xue commented as she watched the white haired young lady rush off.
"She's not usually this heated… I wonder what's going on?".
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