Erlang Shen stared at the empty spot where Yara Yu had vanished, his jaw tight. "The Lotus Curse—maybe it's with her," he said, his voice low. "If we lose her, we lose the trail to both Tai Chu and the curse."
Ne Zha kicked a stone, sparks flying. "Great. Just great. We finally get a lead, and poof—she's gone." He crossed his arms, glaring at the darkness. "What now?"
Erlang Shen closed his eyes, his third eye twitching like it was searching. "We wait. She'll come back. The hermit's cave is her only safe place—and we'll be watching."
Meanwhile, Yara Yu felt the white light fade, and her feet hit solid ground. She stumbled once, then steadied herself—blinking, she realized she was back in the main chamber of Master Tai Chu cave, the glowing lotus carvings on the walls casting warm light all around.
Master Tai Chu sat on the stone platform, sipping tea, like he'd been waiting for her.
Yara Yu heart raced. She stepped forward, ready to spill everything—about Tong's men, the grass huts, the wine and roasted boar—when Master Tai Chu held up a hand.
"No need to explain," he said, his voice calm. "I know. Tong's here. And the Heavenly Soldiers are too—Ne Zha and Erlang Shen. They've been sniffing around the mountain since yesterday."
Yara Yu froze. "You knew? Then why—"
"Because I wanted to see if you two could handle it," Master Tai Chu said, taking another sip of tea. "Turns out… you can. But now, things get tricky."
Thud.
The sound of the stone gate lifting echoed through the cave, and Tan Kai burst in, his jacket covered in dirt, holding the ganoderma out like a trophy. "Master! I got it! The ganoderma—" He stopped when he saw Yara Yu, then noticed Master Tai Chu's serious face. "Wait… what's wrong? Did something happen?"
Master Tai Chu took the ganoderma from Tan Kai, turning it in his hand. The green glow faded a little, like it recognized him. "You two aren't just being followed by Tong's men anymore," he said, his tone heavy. "The Heavenly Court sent Ne Zha and Erlang Shen. They want the golden lotus—and they want me. They'll grab you first, use you to get to me."
Tan Kai smile faded. "But… why? We didn't do anything wrong."
"Because the Heavenly Court hates loose ends," Master Tai Chu said, setting the ganoderma on a stone shelf. "I defied them five hundred years ago. Now they want to finish what they started. And you—" He nodded at Tan Kai palm, where the golden lotus hovered "—you have the one thing they've been looking for: the Lotus Curse's counter. They'll kill you for it, if they have to."
Yara Yu hands tightened into fists. "But you're stronger than them. You could—"
"I could," Master Tai Chu said, cutting her off. He looked at them, his eyes softening. "But I made a promise. I said I'd teach you. And that means keeping you safe. I don't care about the Heavenly Court, or Tong… but I care about not breaking my word." He sighed, standing up. "Go rest. Don't leave the cave. Tomorrow, we start training—for real this time."
Tan Kai and Yara Yu nodded, but their steps were slow as they walked to their rooms. The cave's glow felt colder now, the waterfall's rush quieter.
That night, Tan Kai sat on his mat, staring at the golden lotus. Yara Yu had come to his room, and they'd lit a small oil lamp—its light flickering on the walls.
"Did we do the wrong thing?" Tan Kai said, his voice quiet. "Coming here. Bringing all this trouble to Master. He was happy—eating durian, playing with the kids. Now… now he has to fight for us."
Yara Yu sat next to him, her shoulder touching his. "He's not fighting for us because he has to," she said. "He's fighting because he wants to. You heard him—he doesn't break his promises. And besides… he's stronger than Ne Zha and Erlang Shen . Those two? They're just ants to him. One flick, and they're gone."
Tan Kai nodded, but he still felt heavy. "I just… I don't want to be a burden. What if we get him hurt?"
Yara Yu reached over, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear. "He won't get hurt. And we won't be burdens forever. Tomorrow, we start training. Soon, we'll be able to fight for ourselves. For him." She smiled, blowing out the lamp. "Now sleep. Dawn's gonna come fast."
Outside the cave, the night was quiet. Crickets trilled in the grass, and fireflies flickered near the waterfall. The moon hung low, casting silver light over the mountain, and in the distance, a tiger roared—faint, like it was miles away. Inside, the golden lotus dimmed to a soft glow, watching over them.
The next morning, Tan Kai woke to the smell of ripe mangoes. He stretched, then followed the scent to the main chamber—where Master Tai Chu sat on the stone bench, the two kids next to him, and a pile of fruit spread out on a banana leaf: mangoes, rambutan, even a small durian.
Yara Yu was already there, laughing as the girl—her hair tied with a frangipani flower today—handed her a mango.
"About time you woke up," Master Tai Chu said, grinning. He tossed a mango to Tan Kai. "Catch. It's ripe—sweet as honey."
Tan Kai caught it, peeling the skin with his fingers. The juice ran down his wrist, and he took a bite—juicy, sweet, better than any mango he'd had in the village. He looked at Master Tai Chu, then at the kids—and felt his worry fade a little.
The boy was wearing a new shirt—bright blue, with a small lotus stitched on the sleeve—and the girl had on a pink skirt, her hair braided with flowers. They looked less like "immortal kids" and more like village children getting ready for a festival.
"Did the kids get new clothes?" Yara Yu said, nodding at the boy's shirt.
Master Tai Chu shrugged, popping a rambutan into his mouth. "Found some cloth in the storage room. Figured they'd outgrown their old ones." He glanced at Tan Kai, his grin widening. "You gonna stand there staring, or you gonna eat? Training starts after breakfast—and it's gonna be hard. You'll need the energy."
Tan Kai sat down next to Yara Yu, taking another bite of mango. The golden lotus hovered above his palm, glowing bright—like it was excited for training too.
Yara Yu nudged him, smiling. "See? Told you Master wouldn't let the trouble get to him. He's still just… Master. Eating fruit, messing with the kids."
Tan Kai laughed, shaking his head. He'd been worried all night—worried about Master Tai Chu, worried about the Heavenly Soldiers, worried about everything. But now, sitting here with mango juice on his fingers, listening to the kids laugh, he felt calm.
Maybe Yara Yu was right. Maybe they weren't burdens. Maybe, together, they could fight back.
Master Tai Chu finished his durian, wiping his hands on his robe. "Alright," he said, standing up. "Eat up. In ten minutes, we head to the training ground. And Tan Kai—" He pointed at him "—don't complain when your legs hurt. I'm not gonna go easy on you."
Tan Kai grinned, holding up his mango. "I won't complain. Promise."
The cave's glow wrapped around them, warm and bright. Outside, the sun was climbing higher, casting light through the cave's window. Today was the start of something hard—but for the first time in weeks, Tan Kai felt ready.