Chapter 72: A Man of Principles!

Chapter 72: A Man of Principles! After saying bye to Darek, Ken headed straight for the library. He had to greet the elder who had taught him a lot of what he thought he would only come across later in his plans. Standing in front of The Mountain Scrolls Pagoda, Ken didn’t even have to call for the elder to show up in front of him. "If it isn’t disciple Ken." The elder’s face lit up in a smile once he saw Ken. Ken smiled back and bowed. "This disciple greets the elder master." "Come in." Without further ado, the two went back to three in the middle of greenery. And after the tea ceremony, the elder asked: "How was your first mission?" His head was down, but he raised his eyes to check Ken’s expression, and the young man smiled faintly. "It went smoothly." Ken said. "Hmm? Not a lot of disciples say that for their mission." The elder’s smile grew wider. "This disciple is just a little bit more cautious, elder master." Ken replied. "That is good." The elder then served both of them their cup. Silence once again took over the atmosphere. The breeze of the wind, the smell of grass, and the peaceful air made one refreshed and free from worries, and thoughts flowed smoothly and seamlessly. This gave enough time for Ken to process what was going on around them, relax himself, and think without distractions. "What have you learned from this journey?" This is the question posed after a long pause. "That humans can sometimes be more evil than demons." Ken replied after a pause, his words coming out calmly, but the elder could feel a sense of fury. "It is good that you came to that realization so early." The elder nodded. Then after another serving, the elder made Ken leave to rest, and Ken complied. He had indeed gained much from this slight sitting with the elder. It wasn’t what caught the eye that was important but what didn’t. More often than not, humans come to the realization that what causes most of their problems comes from much deeper than the surface, but in the end, that same thing turns out to be obvious. Ken had once made it his life goal to perfect his character and also to observe and know best when something was good for him. This included small talks with knowledgeable people and having connections with wealthy and/or influential individuals. Sometimes, those people deal with parts of life you never did and possibly never would deal with. His mood was down. Since the second he had laid eyes on the doctor, Ken’s heart was filled with fury and darkness, for he hated injustice and was disgusted by ingratitude more than anything. To lay hands on people who welcomed you, fed you, smiled at your face, or showed the most minute of actions of goodness towards you... And then, when he took care of the devil with such ease that it made him not know whether to laugh or cry... How weak mortals are... how weak humans are. How disgusting people can get. The more he thought of this along the way, the more his mind got filled with distractions. He couldn’t go on like this with his plans if his mood stayed this way. But a single sitting with the elder, and all of these thoughts left as if they were all a lie. The mystical realm they were in was as if it encompassed the peace of the entire world, as if nothing mattered anymore. That tea is made from a concentration of spiritual energy; a single sip of it and you’ve gained a week’s worth of spiritual energy, enough to propel you forward at an unfair speed compared to your peers. But its most beneficial aspect wasn’t the spiritual energy. It was the relaxation it gave to his spirit, the removing of filth beyond the physical body. The elder spoke slowly, giving him time to realize that in the end, what mattered was to move forward and to take things slow. After all, when your thoughts are running a thousand miles an hour, it’s always good to slow down. In this sect, nothing that seemed ordinary at first was. Even the pagoda’s elder, who seemed amongst the most ordinary... was beyond the grasp of a common mind. -------- Another night was spent relaxing by the bath, and by the time Ken woke up for a new day... he was as good as, if not better than, before he took on the mission. The frustration, the distractions, the very slight guilt, the constant overthinking, and the many plans and alternatives going through his mind if one thing worked or not. Whether he liked it or not, he had to get rid of the after-effects of taking on a mission. This wasn’t a walk around the park; it was a serious task that put the life and death of an entire village of individuals right on top of his head. Thus, it was just normal for him to get so focused. But now that he had finished it flawlessly, he needed to get back to the state of mind required to follow his previous lifestyle, and there was no way he could do it with the mindset of a man on a mission. But now he was ready, he was set, and he was back to his previous lifestyle. He dealt with whatever he needed to deal with, and by the time the sun was starting to light up the day, he was in front of the Spirit Scrolls Pagoda. It was time to go right back to his job. Ken was neither a hero who’d sacrifice himself to save others nor a villain who would sacrifice others for himself. He was a man of morals, principle, and unyielding will for control. Anything that went against his firm beliefs he would either ignore, reject, or if proved better than his own, he would adapt, absorb it, and continue moving. ------End------