It's you again (3)

Although Cleia managed to get the composure to speak calmly with Shui, Lisa was still hesitant. She had already decided to give up on him and was no longer opposed to accepting Clyde, but the circumstances they parted on weren't the best. Clyde noticed this reluctance on her face, but he had a misunderstanding that ignited his fury.

"You! How dare you come here with such a carefree face!"

"Clyde, wait!"

Lisa stretched out her hand to stop Clyde, but he easily shook her off. Shui was able to deduce that Clyde and Lisa had gotten closer and that his presence would be uncomfortable for them, but he didn't want to back down either.

"Hey, it's been a while."

"Don't be so familiar. What are you doing here?"

"Just catching up with friends and family. Is there a problem?"

"Of course there is. Haven't you caused enough trouble?"

"That was kind of unavoidable you see. How was I supposed to know I would encounter such an incident?"

"Hmph, I bet your cocky attitude is what got you into trouble."

"Maybe. So, is that all?"

"You, don't tell me you don't know why you shouldn't show your face here."

"There are several reasons I can think of actually, so I would appreciate it if you could be specific."

"Bastard!"

Finally incapable of restraining himself, Clyde raised a clenched fist. Naturally, as he hadn't even broken through to the Earth Realm yet, he was no threat, but Shui didn't see the need to take his attack. The fist slammed into Shui's barrier, instantly shattering the bones in Clyde's hand.

"!!!"

"Clyde!"

He blocked the scream of pain by clenching his teeth, but the bloody state of his hand was enough indication of the severity of his injury. Lisa finally took a step forward to tend to him, but he was reluctant to rely on her because of his pride. Fortunately, this was a simple physical injury so it would naturally recover in less than a week.

"My apologies, I was just intending to block but I forgot to hold back. Still, you really shouldn't be throwing your fist around like that. If I had felt threatened I could have killed you. How are you going to protect anyone if all you can do is throw your fist around?"

Sensing the intent behind his question, Clyde lost his drive and kept his head down. Of the women, only Jade properly grasped Shui's message, but none of them commented on it.

Once he saw that Clyde had settled down, Shui turned to Cleia.

"There's more I want to talk about, but could we move the conversation somewhere more suitable."

They were still surrounded by spectators who were both worried and curious, so although Jade was still reluctant about Shui staying, she didn't object when Cleia agreed to Shui's proposal. As he left, Shui discreetly waved at a space near the gate. Wince, Yumi and Miur who stood there were still stunned in awe of the feat they just witnessed, but they noticed his signal and finally began waking up.

"That was,"

"Awesome."

While Wince and Yumi shared their opinions in one sentence, Miur stayed with them. Although she knew that they should head back home before anything unexpected happened since it was getting late, she also found it hard to move from her spot.

'I think I can finally understand why my idiot brother would never shut up about him. Talent to the point of being unreasonable, that's a true genius, huh.'

Meanwhile, two spectators deeper inside the sect watched Cleia's group depart from the scene. One of them was Jade's master, a core elder with a cultivation in mid Sky Realm.

"What is that girl doing?! How could she lead that man inside our sacred grounds? Doesn't she see that he's dangerous?"

"Settle down, Elder Shi. Based on their exchange, they seem to be on good terms and he has no intention of harming her."

Sitting across from the elder was a ephemeral woman with a thin veil concealing her frequently discussed face. This was Cleia's master and the sect master of the Blue Waves Sect. Few had ever seen behind her veil, but stories of her beauty had even made it to the capital. It was said that she alone would be enough of an attraction to make the five cities region a tourist spot famous throughout the kingdom. Furthermore, like with most famous beauties, her heart was still unclaimed so potential suitors were plentiful.

"The problem isn't that he won't hurt her, it's her attitude. For reasons that we still aren't aware of, that man attacked one of our core disciples, harmed a member of his family, and then proceeded to paralyze a group of elders. And yet, she still invited him to her chambers as if there was no problem! It's as if she has no awareness as your disciple and potential successor."

"Well, I can't say it was the best move, but I think it's too soon to judge her decision."

"Maybe so but-"

"Enough. Cleia has grown, and this is something she has to overcome herself. Our speculations won't change anything."

Unaware that she was being watched, Cleia sat with Shui on her right and Lisa on her left while Jade prepared tea. Clyde was supposed to be with them, but it seemed he refused to spend any more time around Shui. Lisa also didn't feel very comfortable with Shui across from her, but Clyde had refused her aid and she didn't think it was right to abandon Cleia. Even so, though Shui and Cleia continued to converse, she remained silent. Jade was also silent, but that was mainly because she was upset rather than feeling uncomfortable. When she placed down three cups of hot tea, she made sure to be extra clumsy with Shui's.

"Oops."

"It's fine."

The cup and saucer conveniently tipped over and the tea was about to spill on his clothes, but he stopped them with mental control and then set them down in front of him.

"Hmph."

Everyone suspected that Jade did it on purpose, but no one called her out on it.

"Before anything else, I think it's time I explain the incident you witnessed at the gate."

"Please do."

Shui then revealed the events that occurred earlier on this day. Even if this was troubling from her perspective, he had nothing to feel guilty about, so he was prepared for any response. Luckily, Cleia was the same type of person he thought she was.

"I see. Unfortunately I can't say I'm surprised, but you did the right thing. The reputation of this sect is not to be used to support such villainy."

"I'm glad to hear you say that, but based on the way you phrased it, could this be frequent event?"

With a sigh, Cleia explained her side of the story.

"Only recently, but yes. Now that Silver City has been destroyed, there's a rising faction that says we should take over as the leader of the five, well, four cities. Naturally, their ambitions have been denied, but they have too much power to brush off lightly. Additionally, those associated with that faction have been acting with more arrogance and fearlessly cause trouble.

Sigil, the one you handedly defeated, is a prominent member of that faction, though I imagine that will change once word of this gets out. This might finally get them to restrain themselves so I should be thanking you."

"It's fine. It's good enough to know that I'm not troubling you."

"Please don't worry, this is my duty."

"Your, duty?"

"That's right. I, plan on succeeding as sect master. There are many candidates more qualified than I am, but I feel like this is something I have to do."

As he saw the strong light in Cleia's blue eyes, Shui nodded in respect. It wasn't just him, she had also matured during the time since they parted ways.

"I look forward to the day your dream comes true."