Leaving Town

The map took a path North from the town, following the main path away from the village. Lee was happy to be leaving, after an awkward free breakfast with the God of Deception, who continued to act as his waiter.

He had quickly picked up his cleaned clothing, and had placed them within his pack, deciding to travel outwards in his older, more shabby attire to hopefully prevent more robberies and be taken pity on.

The road was mostly flat, made by the feet of hundreds before him, using the road regularly. Fields lined the road on either side and Lee watched the farmers toil away with their work. He remembered back to when he was just like them, creating worlds of fantasy to escape the monotony and keep him sane.

He wondered darkly whether, now that he was doing the bidding of the Gods, he would revert back into dreaming of fantasies of normality to escape his miserable existence. At the moment, Lee couldn't ever picture himself with a wife, much less a child, but he wasn't so sure to dismiss the idea now that he knew that everything was possible.

If the Gods wished it, he would be and could be, forced to sleep with a woman and grow a family with her, even if the idea was almost vomit inducing.

Lee had suffered losing control of his body at least once now, once too many times than he would ever like to know.

Even after all that, Lee was at least somewhat glad that he was at least more aware of what he knew now about the world, compared to that farmer. Only a bit before, he knew that he had the opposite opinion, and he was sure that his feelings on the matter would change with more and more experience.

Lee walked over the hills, the ache in his legs beginning to become familiar to him, and he kept going on.

He knew that he would be able to reach another town in a few days if he kept his pace. It would be slightly bigger and would only lead to bigger and bigger towns until Lee would just be grazing by one of the major cities. Or at least major enough for one of the emperor's sons to visit at least once.

It would be really unlikely for him to arrive in time for any of the festivals though, so he wouldn't be able to sneak away and do something on nights where he was supposed to sleeping.

Lee could probably get away with that at least.

For now, he was just thankful that as long as he did what he was told, he would be safe and wasn't risking decapitation, being stabbed, hanged, or dismembered by the God of War. It was a shame that the God of Secret's insurance didn't spread to any other deities.

At least the monk, from the stories who was tasked with the scrolls of the Buddha, had a superpowered flying monkey, who was immortal four times over and held a staff from the underwater dragon's palace.

Lee didn't have any of those advantages to help him in the slightest.

If he wanted to have any of that help and support, he would need to build a team on his own and make his own friends.

Lee really didn't want to do any of that.

Real friends of his own who weren't foisted upon him and only stuck around to unload their worries onto him. Real friends who wouldn't break their promises to him, and would stick with him through thick and thin. Real, proper friends who wouldn't throw his feelings and trust away, and would actually view him as a person, wasn't ashamed of being seen with him in public.

If Little Mei wasn't even Lee's sister, then he would probably never associate with her. She was outgoing with a large group of friends when he was never around. She enjoyed running through the woods, even when she was supposed to be studying, and ended up with almost perfect scores anyway.

Lee had no chance to make friends, and was mostly unwilling to make friends as well to make more time for studying.

Lee could lament that it wasn't fair, but he had made his peace with the whole situation when Shen finally left him.

He was glad that Shen hadn't really bothered to try and approach Lee afterwards. After all, it would only ever hurt Lee more to have Shen still parade around him, while still lying to him about being with his sister.

The pain was still stabbing in Lee's chest, but was slowly starting to fade, the prior white hot stabbing seeming almost unfamiliar and alien. Lee had to wonder how he even survived that pain, the murderous beast that had always followed his every step, waited with baited breath behind every cover that Lee was about to turn, and lurked in every entry way and room that Lee could potentially turn down and into.

It waited on the paths that he walked, hopped in between his legs and weaving through his shadow.

Lee had always been scared that he would ever have to see Shen after that incident.

He knew that the two of them had known that Lee was there, hiding between the bushes and on the pathways behind them.

He had thrown up all manner of leaves and twigs behind him as he ran away from them, after hearing those special words.

"I know that you like me, and... I kinda... er, like you too. Not like as in friends, but er... I'd like to go out with you and er... will you go out with me, 'cause, you know, we like each other and-"

Lee had never heard Shen speak so poorly before, always speaking formally ever since he was a child. There was never a misspoken word, or grammatical slip up.

To hear him so flustered, his face glowing a bright, luminescent red, was a painful statement.

It was too painful for Lee to accept that Shen's face could mirror his own's so well.