@elegantyoungmaster Continued from x
Of course he could tell something was bothering him. Jin Ling wasn't able to be anything but open with his loved ones. Those who knew what to look for could read him like he was a well known book. His head tilted to the side and he stretched himself out across the floor of the room. They were always finding each other between hunts, or on Night Hunts, his Sworn brother, had been avoiding home not that Jin Ling could blame him.
"Ah, you want me to say I miss Sizhui ?" he asked slanting a glance to the other boy. "I mean I do, of course I do." his tone softened. "Its more then that though, I mean that's just a part of it." he stated. "I got poisoned and that's why I escaped out on this night hunt." he held a hand up. "I am fine now, I have a cultivation method that allows me to suffer through it and it hurts like fucking hell..but it doesn't give me lasting damage." he explained. "It's not the first time someone has tried this shit--its the first time they actually caught me." he murmured. "I am just glad Sizhui was in Gusu when it happened." arms went under his head. "He'd have gone through the roof, turns out...Sizhui has a temper under all the warm politeness, and the kind smiles." it was never directed at him so he was fortunate.
"Did you know he put Jin Chan in the healing ward ?" he asked with a raised brow. "Why are Significant Other's scary when crossed." it was a retorical question. "I owe yours an apology, and you too..." he stated "Since I made her cry." he sounded wretched about that. "I was just trying to make sure she wasn't going to break your heart, and I might have been to harsh, and I...looked up stuff, and did you know what the Jin Sect did to the He Sect..." he rubbed a hand over his face.
"Just when I think that the Jin Sect has done everything it can possible do to be over the top evil...I uncover yet another tidbit."he sat up unable to get comfortable. “So yeah, that’s really bothering me, how the fuck do I deal with a Sect, that I don’t feel like I am apart of. Like there is what I was brought up knowing, and then there is ALL OF THIS.” he expanded his arms outwards.
The outpouring of emotion stunned him for a moment. It was hard to take so much information in at once. Zizhen blinked, trying to count all of the information on his brain and all he could do was sit and listen. Process the fact someone had tried to kill his brother, which instantly put him in a bad mood, though it would have to wait for later. The emotional outburst filled him with concern. It was out of character, and if he was emotional, then Zizhen knew it was simply the tip of an iceberg.
With a soft breath, Zizhen gently shook his head, “because they care about you, because they are scared.” He pointed out. “People who love you, they are frightened and upset, angry that someone would hurt you.” It was a natural instinct he supposed. Zizhen would do the same if someone tried to kill WenRou.
Struggling to find more words, all Zizhen could do was move, standing up unaided in one smooth motion, he cleared the distance between them and sat down on his knees. Then reached forward. Arms enveloped his brother in a warm embrace, a tight hug that he wanted to hold onto forever and then finally voiced a thought. “You’re not alone in this shit storm.” Zizhen stated softly, he meant it. He absolutely meant it. He was not alone. He would be by his brother's side. “You are my brother, my Sworn Brother. You are the family I chose.” He hoped that said volumes. Jin Ling meant more to him than his family did.
Was that an awful thing to say?
“Jin Ling,” he sat back, put both hands on his brother's shoulders and took a deep breath, “my Sect...has spilled its fair share of blood. My father gloats of days, where they slaughtered other Sects in full. Lives for the glory days of wars that don’t exist anymore. Unable to set aside old grievances. These people are relics, and they are not one of us.” A nod, something that Zizhen truly believed. “You are not your blood. You are not the sins of your ancestors. I told Sizhui the same. None of us are our parents, they do not define us. The actions of those who came before us, are not ours.”
He let out a sigh, closed his eyes for a moment, searching for the right words, “but your anger is justified and valid, I feel sick when my father gets drunk, starts bragging with Sect Leader Yao. I do not find death counts impressive.” It was disgusting, but they were, as Zizhen had said, relics of the past. “We can’t do anything about what has already happened. No matter how much we wish we could.” It was done, they had only the road in front of them. “All we can do is lead by example. To be among the people, to actually attempt to protect and bring stability.” It was needed, the people cried out for it, they wanted to live not in fear of when the next war would come, but soundly sleep at night knowing something evil wasn’t going to rip through their village.
“You lead by example. Be you, unapologetically you.” There was a lump in his throat, Zizhen’s eyes burned, upset and emotional over the topic, it was one that hit very close to him. “You’re enough, you’re what people need and that scares some people, because the days where they can act with impunity is over.” Change was coming, and they were bringing it.
