Rinto City (3)

"Since you know Miur, could you take me to her?"

After waiting for them to calm down, Shui returned to the original topic.

"Of course, allow me to- Ugh!"

Wince attempted to get up, but the moment he put strength into his legs and tried to escape Yumi's care, he felt a jolt of pain and dropped back to the bench.

"Wince, you idiot! Have you forgotten that you're injured?"

"But..."

"No, she's right. I was inconsiderate."

"Ah, I wasn't trying to blame you, Mr. Shui."

"It's fine."

To address this problem, Shui took out a healing pill. Although this was one of the lowest quality that he had, it still possessed a scent that invigorated the two siblings.

"Here, this should help."

"No, I couldn't possibly-"

In the midst of Wince's refusal, Shui flicked the pill into his mouth.

"Don't worry about it. You can just swallow."

As he couldn't very well spit it back out, Wince resigned himself to accepting this great favour. Soon after he swallowed the pill, Wince immediately felt his pain disappear as his wounds faded. Even his fatigue and mental exhaustion were gone, leaving him as refreshed as if he woke up from a good night's sleep.

"Wow..."

"Do you feel better?"

Wince vigorously nodded his head in response and then stood up nervously along with Yumi.

"We're glad to be of service."

Wince then awkwardly led the way with Yumi, who occasionally glanced at Shui, next to him. While the three went to find Miur, Cris was running to get to his uncle. The Blue Waves Sect was the reigning power of Rinto City, so it was located at the center of the city along with the city hall. The front gate was ten feet tall, blocking the unworthy from landing their filthy feet on the pristine azure grounds of the sect. Dazzling water flowed throughout the sect through a well-designed system of water ducts said to form a powerful array that was the foundation of the sect. This was part of the reason why despite only being an average-level sect, the Blue Waves Sect was considered one of the top 20 most beautiful forces in the kingdom.

When Cris made it to the gate, he was quickly allowed entry since the guards were aware that he was the nephew of one of the core disciples. However, he couldn't head straight to his uncle's residence because he lacked the qualifications and the strength, so he waited in a guest room of the reception building near the gate. After he was left with a hot cup of tea long enough for it to turn cold, his illustrious uncle finally appeared. Since he aged slowly as a cultivator and the age gap between them wasn't very big, it was easy to find the resemblance. Both could be considered good-looking, but though his attire was more subdued, the uncle had a more outstanding presence. Once he saw his uncle, the fear that had clenched Cris' heart finally loosened as he showed a joyful expression.

"Nice to see you, nephew. I heard you ran into some problems."

"That's right, esteemed uncle. I need you to exact justice for me. I was just minding my own business when a strange man came and beat up my guards. I even told him that you were a core disciple of the Blue Waves Sect, but he spat at me and told me that he would come here for you too."

"What?! How audacious! To think there would be a person who would dare to show disdain for not only for me, but also for the sect! Do you know the name of this reckless brute?"

"Yes, I believe he said that he would come under the name, Shui."

"Shui?"

When Cris' uncle heard that name, it tugged on a memory, but he couldn't remember what it was so he blanked out.

"Esteemed uncle?"

"Ah, I'll let the gatekeepers know to alert me when and if this 'Shui' person appears. For now, come and wait with me."

Although Shui was still out there, Cris now felt assured of his safety and could already imagine the sight of Shui kneeling and begging for mercy.

Meanwhile, Shui was led to a medium-sized mansion with a courtyard. Soon after Yumi used the door knocker that had the shape of a turtle's head, Shui could sense a presence approaching. Once this presence was in front of the door, they called out in a stern voice.

"Who is it?"

"It's me, Mimi. I forgot my key."

"Forgetful as always aren't you?"

As soon as the other person heard Yumi's voice, their tone softened and they began to open the door. Once it was about halfway open, Shui could confirm who was there. It was a young woman around his age with a slender but muscular figure. She wore a simple emerald dress that emphasized both her purity and her vigour. It had been over a year since they had last seen each other, but both recognized the other in an instant.

"Shui, is that you?!"

"Hey Miur, it's been a while."

As Miur immediately pulled Shui in for a hug, he obediently wrapped his arms around her. He wasn't as close to her as with her brother, but it was quite the emotional moment, more so for Miur than Shui. Yur had visited after reuniting with Shui and told her that he was fine, but she was still overwhelmed with joy when she saw him again as they were good friends and she was grateful for his crucial help during the crisis of the Heaven clan.

As if to fight off the incoming tears, Miur held on to Shui tightly with her face buried into his chest. Wince and Yumi were clearly thrown to the sidelines, but they watched the scene with warm gazes. However, time passed faster than the four of them realized.

"Miur, what's taking you so long? Who's at the door?"

Worried by how long Miur was taking, a mature woman of over six feet in height, came walking to the entrance. Her clothes were plain and her appearance wasn't special either, but she had a strong yet gentle atmosphere particular to true mothers. Once she heard her coming, Miur finally tore her face out of Shui's chest and turned to her. Her eyes were still red and wet with tears, but she didn't bother to wipe them as she called out to her.

"Auntie! Look who's here!"

"Hmm? ! Is that you, Shui boy?"

"It's nice to see you in good health, Aunt Margaret."

This time Shui found himself buried in the woman's warmth as she picked him up and spun him around. It would be hard to find a normal mother who could swing around a child as heavy as him, but he expected nothing less from Gus' mom.

"Hahaha!!"

Unlike Miur, Margaret celebrated his arrival with laughter. Even when she eventually allowed his feet to touch the ground again, Margaret kept slapping his shoulder. Shui's body was now tougher than iron, but she was somehow still perfectly fine.

"Come come, let's go inside!"

As Margaret led him inside the house, Miur followed them, but Wince and Yumi had reservations about interrupting their reunion. However, Miur noticed them staying back and saw easily saw through their thoughts. She went back to them and pulled them by their hands.

"What are you doing, you two? Let's go."

"But, we don't want to get in the way."

"Don't worry about it. You two are part of the family too."

With her assurance, the siblings gave up their resistance and went with her after closing the door.