Jian He Shuai brought an oppressive atmosphere to the table, but it was not intended.
Neither the physique nor the appearance of this man could accurately describe the feeling that emanated from his very being.
Authority was the only word that could capture it, but his eyes were kind, unlike the pair of unwelcoming eyes constantly scrutinising him.
Jian He Shuai, too, directed his scrutinising gaze into Yue's very being, but his was a little more masked behind his calm face.
"So you are Venerated Immortal Adamant's Second Heir?"
"..."
"..."
Her silence was similarly not very welcoming, and Jian He Shuai merely stared back in response.
"If Sister Ye An were not sitting next to you, I would seriously doubt that you two were affiliated..."
"Her situation is a little... complicated, right now. Please, don't take this interaction to heart."
"Hah, all is fine." He chuckled lightly as he dismissed Yue's cold gaze.
"I heard from Master Blade that there was a new Immortal Seed among our roster, so I wished to meet them. However, I certainly did not expect them to be like this...
"It reminds me of my own Junior Brother, oh, how the Second Heirs are always so cold and secluded..."
Jian He Shuai mused lightly.
He did not seem like he was going to eat or drink, but was certainly the talkative one, and the attitude he wears around Yue and her Senior Sister...
"I figured that the Immortal Seeds wouldn't be so... friendly to one another."
Yue turned to Jiye An, with an arched brow and slight frown.
"You two seem especially close."
"It is true... Most of us Immortal Seeds are not so amiable to one another. Actually, I believe that only Brother Jin and I hold such a relationship."
Jiye An seemed to relax a little more. Jian He Shuai remarked on the other Immortal Seeds of Great River Bank Settlement,
"That Junior Brother of mine is truly unfriendly, even to me, and those Immortal Seeds of Venerated Immortal Monolith are similarly reclusive."
He commented on these people with an expression that was mixed with solemnity and conflicted feelings.
"Brother Jin, what matters did you wish to discuss with us?"
"Hmm? I can't sit down and chat with a fellow Immortal Seed?"
"You would've sent me a letter for something like this."
"..."
Jian He Shuai smiled awkwardly as he was caught.
"I wasn't expecting you to come out. When I saw you leaving, and with the news of another Immortal Seed, I truly did want to come out and visit you.
"But there was also another reason I wanted to speak with you about."
He sighed and withdrew something from his bosom, a small box.
It was a piece of charred wood, about the size of a finger; lusterless, just one shade off of being totally black.
"Master Blade brought this back with him. Can you tell what it is?"
He raised it before Jiye An, who, after scrutinising the black piece for a breath of time, could not identify what it was.
"Where did this come from? To think that I can't even penetrate the structure of this thing..."
"It is most peculiar. Master Blade gave it to me and instructed me to create incense out of this..."
"Really? If that is so, then this should be a piece of wood, or... something alike. But this looks far too inert to be processed into incense..."
The two of them mulled over it before Jiye An questioned her Junior Sister,
"What do you think about it, Yue?"
Reluctantly, Yue leaned in to get a closer look, and a burning sensation rose into her nose.
"That's terrible...!"
She leaned away, frowning, rubbing her nose to soothe the lingering sting.
With a calm face, Jian He Shuai brought the charred piece to his nose, but there was no scent.
"..."
After a moment of silence, Jian He Shuai sighed. He closed the box and put it away in his robes.
"I was hoping you would know what this piece was. To be honest with you, Sister Ye An, Master Blade said that this was supposed to be a vital part of my Cultivation."
"Is that so? If it is meant for insence, then perhaps it is meant to aid in cultivating the Layers of Consciousness?"
"Perhaps... I guess I can only experiment to see whether or not this is true."
With another sigh, Jian He Shuai stood up and straightened his clothes.
"Unfortunately, I will have to take my leave. There are other matters I must attend to, and I will return you to your privacy."
"Take care, Brother Jin."
As the white-robed man departed, Yue turned to her Senior Sister with a silent gaze.
"..."
There were a few questions she wanted to ask, but Jiye An met Yue's eyes with a kind light in her eyes,
"Shall we eat?"
"..." With a soft sigh, Yue withheld her questions and nodded at Jiye An's offer.
...
After the time it took to eat their meal, the Starlit Sky entered the third hour of Early Hour.
They had left Bai He Shen's Park and returned to wandering the districts of Great River Bank Settlement.
The two sisters came to a district located on elevated ground. It was unlike the worldview a mountain peak would have, but enough to raise them above most of the Settlement.
"Do you miss your Settlement?"
"What?"
"Your Settlement... Star Gazing Settlement was your home, no?"
"..."
Yue's silence persisted for a few breaths of time before she eventually responded, an apathetic tone ringing out,
"Not at all. I wasn't... close with anyone from that Settlement."
"Really? Even though it has been destroyed, you have no care for it?"
"No."
"..."
It was Jiye An's turn to fall silent.
There was a subtle light of shock in her eyes, but she did not dwell on it for too long.
"Then what of the people who struck down your Settlement? You would have still experienced their malevolent presence, no?"
"I hate them for almost killing me, and for putting me through a difficult time."
"If these people around us were to be slaughtered, would that move your heart?"
"No? What is the point of these questions?"
Yue's look of annoyance was met with Jiye An's solemn eyes.
She felt a little downcast that her Junior Sister was so apathetic, but even so, her temperament was still very different compared to some of the other Immortal Seeds.
"What if I told you that we are expected to fight for our people, to lead them, what would you think then?"
"If I could refuse to, then I would deny fighting for them. If I could choose to, I would only fight for myself. That is all."
"Is that so...?"
Jiye An shook her head with a sigh, then looked towards the horizon and the mountains looming in the distance.
She was looking towards the west.
"Let us resume your Cultivation. I have ascertained that your Way and Tempered Faith are quite resolute. In this regard, you are capable.
"For now, let us focus on developing your Qi Cores. We will return to Wu Shi Zhong Monastery and isolate ourselves for the time being."