The Eleventh Disciple

The Liao Mountain loomed in the distance, its high peaks disappearing into the clouds above. The last few days the mist had hidden the mountain range quite well, but now that they were this close by, it doomed above them. As far as the eye could see, the mountain range stretched even further. It was breathtaking to behold with the early morning sun as its backdrop. After traveling for the better part of a week, it boded a nice change of pace. More importantly, it meant that they had almost arrived at their destination.

If only they could have taken their swords. They already would have arrived a few days ago.

But no, Tian Guanting insisted on bringing his own servants, as if the ones he would get at the Liao sect would be inadequate. Worse, he dared to bring it up with the grandmaster since he would need his permission, so he insulted the head of the Liao clan too in the process. Of course, he got his way in the end, but not after inciting the Liao sect's anger.

So, they were traveling by foot. Well, the other disciples and him were traveling by foot, the young master of the Tian sect had his own horse. Others were not allowed to bring a horse since there was no way of returning them, and they had nowhere to put them in the two years they would be gone, but of course, Tian Guanting was the exception of that rule.

In the end, the ones who suffered from his decision of bringing his own servants were everyone but him. Yin Haoyu hoped that whatever he needed them for, whatever plan he was conducting, that it was worth all the hassle they were going through.

At his side, even Tang Jiahao heaved a sigh, and he was the epitome of patience. "We're here."

"Yes," said Yin Haoyu as he took in the sight.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Tang Jiahao smiling at him. "The both of us."

"You did not think you could get rid of me that easily, did you?"

Tang Jiahao chuckled. "No, apparently not. Although, I still don't get how you did it."

"I was just as surprised as you were."

"I bet, who could see that one coming? I did not even see Liao-loazu there! I thought it was only our sect there! Nobody told me about a possibility of a grandmaster coming."

"I did not feel any such powerful presence either. He must have hidden both his appearance and power."

"There are not many who could hide their presence like that. But if someone could do this, it would be someone from the Liao clan." Tang Jiahao gave Yin Haoyu a soft push. "Such an esteemed cultivator, and you managed to attract his attention. Did I not tell you? If it were not for the curse, you would be one of the ten."

Wrong, it was because of the curse that he was here. "Well, being the eleventh disciple suits me more." If he had taken one of the other disciples' spots, he would have felt terrible.

A stampede of hooves announced the arrival of the spoiled Tian sect heir before he could even open his mouth. It was clear that he had caught Yin Haoyu's last sentence, when he said, "You're that bad that they have to create special circumstances for you to attend."

"You're just jealous," Tang Jiahao said. "If Liao-loazu had specifically asked for you, there would be no end to your bragging."

"I'm here on my own efforts," Tian Guanting scoffed. "That cannot be said for him. He could not win from me, so Liao-loazu had to take matters in his own hands. Being the eleventh disciple is a disgrace, not a blessing."

This was Tian Guanting's greatest talent: stabbing him where it hurt the most. After years of rivalry, he knew how to get to him. Although it was quite sad that the person that knew him the best, was the one who hated him the most, but at least someone came close to understanding him.

As worried as Tang Jiahao was about him all the time, his fuzzing resulted in him overlooking other things. Every sad comment that Yin Haoyu made got misunderstood as one of his dark jokes or got blamed on his supposed curse. Yin Haoyu did not mind though; he appreciated all his efforts.

"What are you even going on about?" Tang Jiahao said, his face getter redder as he got angrier. "A-Yu is-"

"Shixiong," Yin Haoyu interrupted before he could say anything that he would regret later. "It is true that I got an opportunity that landed me in a position that formerly did not exist. Being the eleventh disciple is no honor."

"But-"

"Shixiong," Yin Haoyu said calmly, while he gave Tang Jiahao's shoulder a squeeze in an attempt to establish eye contact. When Tang Jiahao glare collided with his, Yin Haoyu shook his head, trying to convey that this fight was not worth it.

Just when Tang Jiahao seemed to slowly calm down, Tian Guanting had to open his mouth again, "Yin Huan, it's great you understand your own position. Don't let it go to your head."

Alright, that was enough of that. He heard Tang Jiahao's gasp, but before he could throw his own position into jeopardy, Yin Haoyu pulled Tang Jiahao away from the horse to the back of their entourage. He heard Tian Guanting's loud snicker, so he only released Tang Jiahao's arm when they were at the back.

"A-Yu, you're just going to let him look down on you like that?"

"Yes. We have to spend the next two years with Tian-gongzi and the other eight disciple as the only members of our sect. It would not bode well if we strained the relationship."

"The relationship is already strained," Tang Jiahao deadpanned.

"Ah, well, we don't want to make it worse."

"Can it even get worse? He literally obstructed you from entering the competition, and you tell me it can get worse?"

"It always can get worse."

Even he himself could detect the heaviness in his own voice, so it did not surprise him when Tang Jiahao said, "A-Yu, that curse won't always be in your life. Let's remain positive, shall we?"

Yin Haoyu lifted a brow. "Says the one who wanted to scold a certain person back there."

"Saying a few honest words does not compare to assuming the worst."

"Alright, alright," he said with a grin. "I'll believe you."

Relief was apparent on Tang Jiahao's face as he took the smile as a sign that he must have prevented another sad episode, but nothing was less true. As they carried on their journey in silence, his past deeds hung as a dark cloud above him.

-~-

That evening they arrived at the foot of the Liao Mountain, and before them emerged the walls of the royal palace. From their point of view, it was impossible to see the buildings behind the walls. They announced their arrival at the sentry guarding the entrance and were soon escorted away from the entrance.

They had been accepted in the Liao sect as guest disciples, but this did not mean that they were allowed to enter the palace grounds. The Liao sect residences laid high in the mountains, while the royal palace stood proudly at the foot of the mountain range. They were led around the walls, and it was only when they arrived at the back of the palace that they saw another entrance. A neatly, well-maintained path started at the entrance and curled up along the contour lines of the mountain.

Only the moon and a few lanterns illuminated the path as they climbed to the top. A few times Yin Haoyu had looked back in the hope to get a glimpse of the palace, but the dense forest ruined his attempts. At long last, they arrived at the gate.

Two Liao disciples stood guard alongside the gate. It seemed these two were outer disciples as was indicated by the absence of any sky-blue accents. Only members of the Liao clan were allowed to wear anything with the light sky-blue color. Tian Guanting showed them their invitations, and soon they were allowed inside.

Yin Haoyu could hardly believe it as he walked through the gate. The ground below him belonged to the Liao sect, and he had officially become one of their guest disciples. It seemed too good to be true.

As it was already too late to greet any of the elders, they were directly guided to their guest quarters. Soon, he stood inside of his room that he now shared with Tang Jiahao.

Of course, his happiness did not last long.

{A-Huan? Can you hear me?}

Tang Jiahao flopped down on his bed, so he did not notice Yin Haoyu's nod.

{Great! It seems there is some interference here, I only seem to be able to reach you for short periods of time. This interference must be removed as soon as possible; this cannot be. We should investigate this sooner rather than later.}

With a heavy sigh, he sat down on his bed and dropped his head in his hands.

{Let's wait until your companion is asleep. We'll make a move then.}

So, it was too good to be true.