Clan Leader Kang’s Right-Hand Pt. 2

Opening his eyes to the night sky, Kang Lei groaned as a wave of dizziness passed over him. Putting his hand to his head, the young master sat up slowly.

"Ahh you're finally awake, did you rest well?", a familiar voice said.

"What happened?", Kang Lei asked, as he was still feeling quite groggy.

"Why, you passed out young master, perhaps you needed the rest after all.", Kang Yixing responded.

"Oh…How long was I out for?"

"About four hours.",

"Four hours!?", the young master yelled, but Kang Yixing simply nodded and stood.

"Now that you are up, there is something I wish to show you, do not bring your sword."

Still quite perplexed on what the heck was happening, Kang Lei simply shrugged off his confusion, leaving Juntuan behind and following Kang Yixing down the hill.

After walking for almost an hour, the young master had grown quite annoyed, feeling as if they were simply walking for the hell of it. "Xing-ge, where are you taking me? We must've circled the world by now.", Kang Lei complained.

Letting out a chuckle, Kang Yixing stopped, turning around, "we are here.", he said. The young master glanced around seeing nothing that insinuated that they had arrived anywhere specific.

Squinting his eyes, Kang Lei frowned, "Xing-ge what…", but before he could finish his sentence a spine-tingling growl pierced the young master's ears. Turning around to see a large dark, drooling, no mouth beast slowly walking out of the thicket, Kang Lei's eyes grew wide.

"Xing-ge, are you mad?! How will we slay this beast without our swords or talismans!?", the young master yelled as he stepped back, never taking his eye off of the thing in front of them.

With an impassive expression on his handsome face, Kang Yixing simply stood still, not caring that the beast was closing in on them as it growled ferociously.

"Xing-ge!" Kang Lei yelled, as he was unsure what to do.

Quickly placing himself behind Kang Lei, Kang Yixing grabbed the young master's arms, gripping his wrist, forcing him to extend out one of his arm's toward the creature.

"Kang Yixing! Let me go! You will kill us both!", Kang Lei yelled as he struggled to get away, but Kang Yixing only held on tighter.

"Young master! Flatten your palm and tuck your thumb!", Kang Yixing yelled over Kang Lei's frantic yelling.

"What!?", Kang Lei yelled with tears in his eyes.

"Just do it!", Kang Yixing yelled and grudgingly, Kang Lei complied as the creature closed in on the two.

"You master listen to me, you are the Grandson of a great master, do not let fear of uncertainty control you!", Kang Yixing's voice intensified.

As the ferocious creature stood in front of them at nine feet tall, it began to growl loudly, suddenly falling to its knees before Kang Lei.

Looking up at the beast, with wide eyes, the young master felt his body quivering as a surge of dark energy began flowing into him.

"Yi...xing!���, Kang Lei stuttered as his body tried to process the overflow of dark energy.

"Do you feel it young master? This is the beast's dark spiritual energy. When you are at your limit, you can draw energy from whatever being you so choose!"

"Taking...dark…energy into your body…is forbidden!", Kang Lei struggled as his core felt like it was going to burst.

Letting go of Kang Lei, Kang Yixing walked over standing beside the creature, that had fallen over, fading into nothingness as its energy was nearly drained, growling once more, it simply dissipated into ash. "Young master, because you are a Kang, enemies will come when you least expect them to. What will you do should you run out of spiritual energy again and you cannot protect yourself or your friends? Will you allow young master Hai to die because something is forbidden?", Kang Yixing asked.

Looking at his shaking hands, Kang Lei stumbled backward, falling to his knees, "But...but I could become like Grandfather! What…what if end up like him?!", the young master frantically stuttered, glaring at his own hands that were still shaking violently as his body was trying its best to process the creature's dark foreign energy.

Kneeling down in front of the young master, Kang Yixing grabbed Kang Lei's shaking hands, squeezing them tight. "Young master.", Kang Yixing spoke allowing a smile to grace his face and Kang Lei looked up at the man before him with his blue eyes holding onto the tears that had been swelling. "Have you noticed that you are in fact controlling it? You can because you are the grandson of a great master, you are special young master Kang. If you do not trust my word, trust the faith that great master Kang has in you and allow me to teach you what you are truly capable of.", Kang Yixing responded, his smile still present, and his words helping to relax the distressed young master.

"…", not saying anything Kang Lei nodded over and over as he focused back on his hands.

"Good.", said Kang Yixing, wrapping his arms around Kang Lei, "Young master, let me allow you to sleep, you cannot return to the manor in such a state.", he said.

"…", still having no words, Kang Lei nodded, as his eyelids suddenly felt heavy. Blinking a few times, the young master could no longer keep his eyes open.

**

Gasping, Kang Lei's eyes snapped open as he shot up in bed, his eyes watering as he was drenched in a cold sweat. Holding his hands up, Kang Lei studied them as they were shaking violently. Closing his eyes for a minute, the young master felt the flow of energy in his body, nothing had felt out of the ordinary, only the fact that his spiritual energy seemed to have returned while he slept. Glancing around the dimly lit room, the young master realized that he was in his chambers, but how did he get here?

The door suddenly opened, scaring the daylight out of Kang Lei, but it was only Kang Nana entering with a tray of food.

"Ahh thank goodness you are awake!", said Kang Nana, placing down the tray on the bedside table.

"…" The young master looked up at Kang Nana, as he was still pretty out of it.

With a worried look, Kang Nana leaned forward, placing the back of her hand onto Kang Lei's forehead, then pulling it away. "You do not look well, but your fever has finally broken.", said Kang Nana, a small smile gracing her face.

"Fever...when..", Kang Lei began to say, but Nana continued to talk.

"Kang Yixing returned from training with you out cold on his back, you must have had a slight fever when you returned from your trip."

"…", Kang Lei stared down at his lap quite confused, he couldn't recall any of which Kang Nana was telling him.

"Is something wrong young master?", Kang Nana asked as she could see the dubiety on his face.

"Have you ever…had a dream that you were so sure that it was real?", Kang Lei asked.

"Mn, are you having nightmares again?"

"…", simply nodding Kang Lei said nothing, at this point he wasn't sure what had happened and what hadn't at the moment.

"You've awakened.", said a voice in the doorway. Kang Lei looked up to see Kang Yixing walking into the room. "A-Na, won't you give young master Kang and I a minute?" Nodding, Nana smiled at Kang Lei before exiting the room and closing the door behind her. Bringing a seat over toward the bed and sitting, Kang Yixing turned his head to the side as the two stared at each other for a moment.

"Nightmares again?", he asked.

"Xing-ge, what happened on the mountain?", Kang Lei asked.

"Think about what you are asking. If you are wondering what happened it is because you already know what the answer is, am I right young master?", he responded.

Furrowing his brows, Kang Lei stared at his lap, apparently that was not a dream after all.

"Once you have done it a few times, it will not unsettle you this much.", said Kang Yixing standing as he began fixing Kang Lei a bowl of soup, handing it to the young master and sitting back down.

"I hate leeks, Nana knows this.", Kang Lei complained.

"A-Na also knows that bone broth and leeks are good for recovery. Eat and do not complain young master, you will need your strength.", Kang Yixing chuckled.

"But I am not recovering from anything Xing-ge.", said Kang Lei as he squinted his eyes.

"A-Na worked hard on this meal, it is common courtesy to finish the meal a woman cooks for you.", said Kang Yixing with a smirk and Kang Lei rolled his eyes.

"Kang Yixing!", a disciple called from the outside of the door.

"What is it?", Kang Yixing answered, rolling his eyes.

"Sir you are needed at the main gate.", the disciple responded.

"These disciples simply cannot function without their clan leader around.", Kang Yixing responded, rolling his eyes a second time. "Young master please finish A-Na's soup, I will return later should I have time.", said Kang Yixing, standing and making his way out of the room.

After Kang Yixing had exited the room, Kang Lei forced himself to finish the bowl of soup and placed it back on the tray. Letting out a sigh, the young master placed his head in his hands. He had felt normal now, but earlier it was like his whole body was struggling to take control of the energy he had absorbed, and he honestly did not like how it felt. Letting out a sigh, the young master had only planned on absorbing energy from another if it came down to it, it was not something he would use regularly.

Letting out another sigh, the young master got out of bed, throwing on his inner robe, boots and making his way out of the manner. The only thing that Kang Lei was interested in was the field of night flowers that had somehow managed to bloom on their own in the unholy Sect. No one had planted them, and they grew nowhere else in the world, they simply existed on their own. Everyone had come to believe that the flowers were a symbol of luck to grow in such a place, young master Kang even believed they existed just for him, the night flowers that had somehow always managed to calm his mind when it wasn't at ease.

As the young master made it to the field of night flowers, he began to walk through the rows, the tall, pretty flowers, their long red leaves and dark centers perfectly lined up as if they had been planted that way. Grabbing a night flower from its stem, Kang Lei stopped at a spot that he saw fit and sat down in the lotus position. As he closed his eyes for a moment, an off-white robe and perfectly thick brows suddenly appeared in the Kang Lei's mind. Taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly, the young master quickly opened his eyes. Pulling the night flower close to him, Kang Lei looked up at the night sky, that was dark and lightly fogged, only the light of the crescent moon shining through.

"Hai Yin, the day has been quite strange, there are a lot of things on my mind and yet for some reason you are one of them. It would seem that there is some truth to the rumors about giving one too much of your spirit energy, did I not warn you of this Hai Yin?", said Kang Lei, a smirk making it's way onto his face as he spoke to young master Hai as if he were right there beside him. "Well, since you are present, as I've told you, I cannot see the stars from here. I hope that your night flower is close to you while you watch them for me.", said Kang Lei, his smirk turning into a small smile.

After meditating in the field of night flowers for almost two hours, the young master stood, rolling back his shoulders and making his way back to the manor. As he walked up the steps, there standing at the top of the stairs was his clan leader Kang. Making eye contact, the Father and son stared at each other. Hesitating for a moment, Kang Lei continued making his way up to the steps, stopping beside his Father as they faced opposite directions.

"I have returned, all is settled.", said clan leader Kang, his deep voice oddly calm.

"…", nodding, Kang Lei had nothing to say as he continued on.

"A-Lei.", clan leader Kang called out, stopping him. Letting out a soft sigh Kang Lei turned around to his Father to see that he had already done the same.

"How has your training gone with Kang Yixing?", clan leader spoke.

Directing his attention to the ground Kang Lei spoke, "I have done what you asked, all I need is time.", the young master responded.

Nodding clan leader lowered his head and turned his back, "you are angry with me A-Lei."

"…" Quickly raising his head, Kang Li intended to speak, but no words came out of his slightly parted lips.

"You do not have to agree with me, but as the heir of the Kang you will accept it. Believe me or not but everything that I do is for the future of the Kang.", clan leader responded.

"Fath.."

"Rest, I am sure your body is quite weary.", clan leader Kang cut off his son as he made his way down the stairs of the manor.

Letting out a sigh, Kang Lei watched his Father get further and further down the stairs before turning away and walking back into the manor. "Everything you do is for the Kang, yet it feels like your son is the one that is always excluded.", Kang Lei whispered under his breath as he stormed away.

"Young master, where are you off in a hurry to? Have you finished your meal?", said Kang Yixing with a smile, walking closer to Kang Lei.

Rolling his eyes, Kang Lei continued walking, "I am not in the mood."

"Young master, I want to pass some words of wisdom to you that I unfortunately found out too late. You are only given one Father in this lifetime, your relationship does not have to be this way.", Kang Yixing said, causing Kang Lei to stop in his tracks.

"What do you know!?", Kang Lei blurted out, spinning around.

"I do not claim to know a thing of your struggle with clan leader Kang because I am not either of you. All I do know is that my Father is no longer here and one day yours will not be."

Lowering his head, Kang Lei thought for a minute before speaking, "He is impossible to get along with. How can I build a relationship with such a stubborn person?"

Kang Yixing allowed a smirk onto his handsome face, "It is because you two are the same young master. Why do you think you are so headstrong? Where do you think your stubbornness comes from?"

"I am nothing like him!", Kang Lei disagreed, a pout making its way onto his face and Kang Yixing walked over and patted the young master's head.

"Like your Father indeed.", he chuckled. "As long as you are willing, there is still hope for you two.", said Kang Yixing, nodding and walking away, leaving the young master with his thoughts.