Zhang Guan Yu traced the familiar lines on the surface of the pendant and sighed for the third time. It seemed he could only resign himself and the sect to this uncertain fate and hope for the best.

He undid the knot and pulled off the pendant before walking up to the platform, holding out the jade. “Please keep this safe for me. I will lead the disciples to the border region and do what I can. If we don’t make it back …” He looked up at the sky, his brows furrowing slightly. “Oh, I suppose it depends on what else happens.

“I’d be reassured if you took over the sect but … you probably won’t want to. You shouldn’t have to either. You’ve been trapped here for so long. You should use this as an opportunity to leave and live whatever life you want to. Only if there is nobody else left, I’d beg you to take a few years and just raise one disciple. They can take over later and build the sect back from the ground up, maybe … doing so in a better way this time to ensure it’ll be a place every disciple can be proud of. I feel like … we haven’t really managed to do this even if it was our intention.”

Yes, there had been mistakes during these years. He had made some of them, his Master others and those who came before did the rest. There probably was no sect created without any of them, no life lived free of them. It was a simple fact of life that you would sometimes err. He just hoped that there would be fewer of those in the future if there could be one for the Teng Yong Sect.

Tong Chen didn’t move for the longest time. He didn’t mind making this promise. He had given many years to the Teng Yong Sect, not just because the four great righteous sects tried to force him and the other three to do so but also because he genuinely felt for this place that had helped him on the path of cultivation.

The fond feelings he had for his own Master and his own seniors who had taken him in despite the fact he was blind and taught him everything he knew, protecting him when he was not yet able to do so himself and letting him soar freely when he gained the ability to do so … those feelings hadn’t faded even after all this time. Of course, he wanted to keep this place safe for them and allow others the same opportunities he had.

Taking this token and teaching a disciple in case the sect couldn’t weather this approaching storm wasn’t an issue. He would gladly do it if that was the only way out. Before that though, there ought to be other ways. He wasn’t really cut out to be Sect Master, after all. He also knew that. He was a good cultivator and maybe he would even be a good Master to someone one day but he wouldn’t do as good of a job as Zhang Guan Yu when it came to leading an entire sect and he didn’t know if he’d be able to instill the lessons one needed to learn to do so in a disciple.

In the end, despite his doubts, Tong Chen still reached out and accepted the token. “If I am the last resort, then who should this be given to under ordinary circumstances?” This call, he didn’t want to make it by himself. He didn’t know most people in the sect personally and even among those he did, he couldn’t say for sure who had the ability to lead this sect back to its former glory.

Zhang Guan Yu lowered his gaze, clenching his empty hands. Who would he want to lead the sect if he was gone? Nobody could say how the Teng Yong sect would look at that time. It could be an empty shell with only a few scattered disciples remaining. It could be that there was indeed hardly anyone left or maybe no one else at all. Maybe they would be lucky though and a few key figures survived. Those with the most likely chances …

“Mei Chao Bing shouldn’t be a bad option among the disciples. He is likely to come out of this ordeal mostly unharmed and while many would be suspicious of him, I don’t doubt that he is genuine in following the teachings of the sect and would pass them on gladly. He has also … always been happy to help the others so I think he’d make a good Master for the next generation of disciples and he has the kind of … overview over situations that will come in handy if the sect grows in his hands.

“If he isn’t available … then I like Elder Baili’s approach of raising his disciples. I believe the sect could benefit from adopting some of the same measures so why not leave it in his hands? Any of his disciples could also work. Well … minus the last one, maybe. He’s a little too young to tackle a project as big as this.”

Tong Chen nodded. “Alright. I’ll keep it in mind. I hope it won’t come to that though. I hope you will make it out alive, as will the others. I am sure you’d also rather see the Teng Yong Sect flourish as it is now, instead of having someone rebuild it where you can’t even see.”

Zhang Guan Yu could only smile wryly. “I would. But sometimes in life, things can’t go a certain way just because you want them to. Anyway, I am ready to confront this no matter the outcome. I hope that everyone else will be the same.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before slowly exhaling. Opening his eyes, he took a last look at the Black Warrior, thinking of the many times he had asked him for advice in the past. “Farewell. And in case we don’t see each other again: Thank you for everything over these years. Without you, I feel that I wouldn’t have been able to do my duties as well. Now, I’m afraid I’ll have to leave.”

Tong Chen inclined his head and listened to the receding steps, wondering if they would truly meet again in the future.