The days at Cloud Peak Sect always began the same way.
The morning bell.
Sword practice.
Scripture recitation.
Spirit herb identification.
Then cultivation until sunset.
Joshua quickly discovered one thing.
The sect's schedule was predictable.
Lucian was not.
After the morning lesson, Joshua walked toward the Martial Pavilion.
The pavilion stood halfway up the mountain, its three stories lined with ancient shelves filled with cultivation manuals and records gathered over centuries. A faint scent of sandalwood lingered in the quiet hall.
Joshua bowed respectfully to the elder guarding the entrance before stepping inside.
He ignored the sword techniques.
Ignored the cultivation manuals.
Instead, he stopped before a shelf labelled:
History of the Four Realms
"..."
His fingers brushed the worn bamboo scrolls.
If his memories were locked...
Perhaps history could tell him something.
He had barely opened the first scroll.
"Ghost!"
Joshua closed his eyes.
"..."
Slowly...
Very slowly...
He turned around.
Lucian stood at the entrance with the brightest smile in the pavilion.
The old librarian sighed.
"Senior Disciple Lucian."
"This is a library."
Lucian lowered his voice dramatically.
"Ghost."
Joshua looked at him.
"..."
Lucian whispered loudly,
"I found you."
Joshua replied just as quietly.
"...Congratulations."
The librarian pinched the bridge of his nose.
Lucian wandered over and peeked at Joshua's scroll.
"History?"
Joshua nodded once.
"I know nothing about this world."
Lucian blinked.
"...You hit your head harder than I thought."
Joshua looked at him.
"I don't remember."
Lucian's teasing smile softened.
"For real?"
Joshua didn't answer.
He simply looked back at the scroll.
That silence...
Was answer enough.
Lucian didn't joke.
Not this time.
Instead, he pulled another scroll from the shelf and placed it beside Joshua.
"If you're starting from zero..."
He tapped the newer scroll.
"This one's easier."
Joshua glanced at the title.
An Introduction to the Five Great Sects
"...Thank you."
Lucian grinned.
"See?"
"You can thank people."
"I was beginning to think your vocabulary only had three words."
Joshua thought for a moment.
"...No."
"...Ridiculous."
"...Thank you."
Lucian laughed.
"There they are."
Half an hour later...
Joshua finally closed the scroll.
"I've finished."
Lucian blinked.
"...Finished?"
Joshua nodded.
"I've read both."
"...Both?"
Lucian picked up the scroll.
"...Ghost."
"This one has over four hundred pages."
Joshua answered matter-of-factly.
"I read quickly."
"...Apparently."
Lucian narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"You aren't secretly some old monster pretending to be seventeen, are you?"
Joshua looked genuinely thoughtful.
"...I don't know."
Lucian stared.
Then burst into laughter.
"I walked into that one."
After leaving the pavilion, Joshua headed toward the dining hall.
The lunch rush had already begun.
Dozens of disciples lined up with wooden trays.
Joshua quietly accepted a bowl of rice, vegetable soup, and two steamed buns before finding an empty table beneath the open windows.
Peace.
At last.
He picked up his chopsticks.
A shadow fell across the table.
Lucian sat down.
"I was looking everywhere."
Joshua looked at him.
"...The library?"
"I forgot."
"..."
Joshua silently took a bite of rice.
Lucian looked into Joshua's bowl.
"...That looks good."
Joshua continued eating.
"..."
"...Ghost."
"..."
"...Can I have one bun?"
Joshua looked at the two buns.
Then at Lucian.
"...Didn't you already get lunch?"
"I did."
"Then?"
"...Your buns look happier."
Joshua blinked once.
"...Happy?"
Lucian nodded solemnly.
"They deserve a better home."
Joshua pushed one bun across the table.
Lucian's eyes widened.
"You actually gave it to me?"
"...You were going to steal it."
"I was."
"So this is more efficient."
Lucian laughed so hard he nearly dropped the bun.
"...You're incredible."
"I've never been defeated with logic before."
By afternoon...
Joshua finally escaped to the quiet bamboo grove behind the cultivation grounds.
Tall stalks swayed gently in the breeze.
The only sounds were rustling leaves and distant birdsong.
Perfect.
Joshua sat beneath a bamboo tree and closed his eyes.
His breathing slowed.
Spiritual energy drifted naturally toward him.
For the first time all day...
Silence.
"...Found you."
Joshua didn't open his eyes.
"...How?"
Lucian appeared from behind a bamboo stalk, looking extremely pleased with himself.
"I followed the suspiciously peaceful atmosphere."
Joshua opened one eye.
"...That doesn't make sense."
"I know."
"It worked anyway."
Joshua sighed quietly.
"...Senior Brother."
"Hm?"
"...Why are you following me?"
Lucian opened his mouth.
Closed it again.
"..."
He scratched his cheek.
"...Honestly?"
Joshua waited.
"I don't know."
"..."
"I keep thinking I'll leave you alone."
He shrugged helplessly.
"Then somehow..."
"I'm standing next to you again."
Joshua studied him.
There wasn't the slightest hint of deception.
Lucian genuinely didn't know.
"...Strange."
"I know!"
Lucian pointed dramatically.
"Finally!"
"We agree on something."
Joshua looked away.
"...I meant you."
"Ouch."
Lucian clutched his chest theatrically.
"You really don't waste words."
"...They're valuable."
"So am I."
Joshua glanced at him.
"...The jury is still deciding."
For a second...
Lucian simply stared.
Then he laughed so loudly that several birds flew out of the bamboo grove.
"You..."
He wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.
"I've completely misjudged you."
Joshua looked confused.
"...Have you?"
"I thought you were quiet because you were timid."
Lucian shook his head, still smiling.
"But you're quiet because..."
He leaned forward with a grin.
"...Your tongue is sharper than any sword."
Joshua considered that.
"...I don't think so."
"Exactly."
"You don't even realise when you're roasting people."
Joshua returned to his cultivation posture.
"I was only answering honestly."
Lucian smiled to himself.
"I know."
That was exactly what made it so amusing.
The bamboo leaves rustled softly overhead.
Neither of them spoke for a while.
The silence wasn't awkward.
It was... comfortable.
Lucian leaned back against another bamboo stalk, lazily watching clouds drift across the sky.
Joshua continued cultivating.
For reasons neither of them understood...
Simply sitting there was enough.
High above the grove, hidden among the trees, two inner disciples watched the scene.
One frowned.
"Since when has Senior Brother Lucian spent this much time with an outer disciple?"
The other shook his head.
"I've never seen him sit quietly for this long."
"...Should we tell someone?"
The first disciple looked down at the pair beneath the bamboo.
Lucian was smiling.
Joshua was cultivating as though Lucian wasn't even there.
"...No."
He smiled faintly.
"I think..."
"...we're witnessing something interesting."
Far below, Joshua suddenly spoke without opening his eyes.
"...Senior Brother."
Lucian brightened.
"Hm?"
"...You're humming."
Lucian blinked.
"...I am?"
Joshua nodded once.
"...It's distracting."
Lucian laughed.
"Sorry."
A pause.
Then he started humming again.
Joshua opened one eye.
"..."
Lucian smiled innocently.
"What?"
"...Nothing."
Joshua closed his eyes again.
Some battles...
Weren't worth fighting.