Wu Gang went so still that Sen was certain the man wasn’t even breathing. Then, the teacup in his hand started trembling so badly that the hot liquid splashed out onto Wu Gang’s hand. Something that went all but unnoticed until Sen reached out and took the cup away from him. The big man stared down at his shaking hand before unceremoniously wiping it against his robes. After the news seemed to finally settle in and take on some semblance of reality, Wu Gang turned confused, disbelieving eyes on Sen.

“Why?” asked the man. “And why now?”

Instead of answering immediately, Sen calmly wiped the cup down. He refilled it with fresh tea and held the cup out. Mastering himself a bit, Wu Gang took the cup with a steadier hand. Sen filled his own cup back up and leaned back into his chair. He desperately hoped that it all looked like the calculated actions of someone wise, rather than being an abrupt play for time to think of the answer or, barring that, an answer. Sen frowned thoughtfully down at his tea and took a sip before he finally spoke.

“We’ve come a long way since Orchard’s Reach, the two of us. I doubt anyone from there would ever have imagined that a place so small it doesn’t even show up on most maps might birth two minor legends.”

“I suppose not,” said Wu Gang, his brow furrowing.

“Do you remember that pack of brats you used to run around with back there?”

Wu Gang actually winced at that and said, “Unfortunately, I do. Although, the gods know I don’t think about them very often.”

“I do,” said Sen. “I think about those brats almost every day.”

“I guess things with them were very different for you,” said Wu Gang with more than a little guilt in his voice.

“Huh. Yeah, that’s certainly true, but that’s not what I meant. For a long time, I thought they were the worst people in the entire world. You got painted with that same brush. As far as I was concerned, one noble brat or merchant brat was the same as the next. You were all just evil bastards who liked to hurt people. Then, I went out into the world. The same world you went out into. While it took me a lot longer than it should have, I did eventually figure something out. They weren’t even close to being the worst people in the world. They were just—” Sen searched for the right word.

“Young?” supplied Wu Gang.

“Well, yes, they certainly were that, but I think a better word is small. They were all so very small and petty. And so was I. Not in the same ways, of course, but my entire world was contained inside the walls of that insignificant little town. When I sent you on your way, I was still thinking of the world through that tiny lens. I can see now that your sins were depressingly mundane and ultimately minor. Nothing so terrible that you should be damned to some kind of eternal servitude. Nor do I believe myself so wise that I should be the arbiter of your fate. In my opinion, you have more than paid for anything you might have done. So, I set you free to have whatever life it is that you want.”

The pair sat there by the fire in silence for a time. Wu Gang wore a faintly troubled expression, while Sen felt an odd sense of lightness. It was as if he’d shrugged off a weight he hadn’t known he was carrying. The troubled look on Wu Gang’s face did give Sen pause, though. He’d expected the man to be happy, overjoyed even, to finally be able to set his own course through the world. Sen decided to add one more thought.

“I do hope that the legend of Righteous Wu Gang doesn’t end here, though.”

Wu Gang shook off some inner thought and focused on Sen.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“Why is that?”

“Honestly,” said Sen, “it’s for my sake.”

“I’m not sure I see the connection.”

“We were seen together. If Righteous Wu Gang simply stops being a hero overnight, people will probably think I killed you. So, it’s really better for me if you keep on being heroic.”

Wu Gang stared at Sen with a vaguely incredulous look before he burst into laughter.

“Oh, well, we certainly wouldn’t want to inconvenience the Heavens Scouring Blade,” said Wu Gang with a huge grin.

“I know! Who can say what kind of disasters might descend on us all?”

“The way I hear it, it’ll probably result in a plague of miserable, beautiful women wandering the countryside looking for you.”

Sen shook his head and said, “The horror.”

Wu Gang snickered at that, but that same troubled look soon overtook his face again. Sen waited for him to decide what to do. The man would either talk about it, or he wouldn’t. After several minutes of silence, Wu Gang looked at Sen, and he seemed almost lost.

“But, what do I do now?” he asked.

“Whatever you want to do? You could travel the world, learn a trade, or start a family. The gods help you, you could even join a sect if you really want to. I mean, didn’t you ever think about what you would do when all of this was over?”

Wu Gang averted his gaze, and it was only then that Sen understood. Wu Gang hadn’t thought it would ever be over. He’d believed that his path through life had been fixed in stone. Sen’s ridiculous ascent in power had, much like it did for mortals, effectively made his word law to someone like Wu Gang. Even if that word had been a childish and ultimately vague decree made by a younger and deeply foolish version of Sen. Wu Gang might have fantasized about some other kind of life because who wouldn’t in that situation? However, Sen would lay money that those fantasies had never resulted in anything like planning for some other life. As much as he struggled to reconcile himself to the idea, freeing Wu Gang could just as easily be seen as a kind of cruelty.

For all that the man had endured, it could be said that Sen had given him purpose and then yanked that purpose away without warning. Sen just wasn’t sure if that put some kind of obligation on him. There was no law against withdrawing someone’s purpose, but there was probably a moral argument that he owed Wu Gang some kind of consideration. What would that even look like? Do I give him some other task? Would that even help? Sen honestly didn’t know what, if anything, was the right course of action. He didn’t want to leave Wu Gang in an emotional quagmire, but he didn’t see a clear path forward. I wish Master Feng was here, thought Sen. I bet he’d know what to do about this, or at least have a list of brothels that Wu Gang could visit while he figures things out.

“You really never gave it any thought?” asked Sen, mostly for something to say.

“I… No. I never gave it any serious thought,” said Wu Gang. “It just didn’t seem like something that I should spend my energy on. Planning for things I’d never get. That kind of thinking can drive a man mad.”

“Yeah,” said Sen, “I expect it could.”

Sen closed his eyes and thought hard about one option. It wasn’t an option he liked because it just felt so unbelievably self-serving. On the other hand, it would provide Wu Gang with some direction for the immediate future. While the man might not know exactly what he wanted to do right this minute, that could change after he’d had a little time to think it over. A few days to get comfortable with the idea that he was his own master again might be just what Wu Gang needed. Sen stowed his uncertainty and decided to just push forward. After all, it was just an offer. Wu Gang could always say no.

“Well, we’re headed to the capital proper. I don’t know if you’ve ever been there or have any desire to go back, but you’re welcome to join us for now.”

“Didn’t just fight your way through dozens of cultivators that were sent to kill you?”

“Yes.”

“All of them here to stop you from reaching some kind of meeting with the king?”

“That does seem to be the case, yes.”

“And, even after you get there, you’re probably still going to be fending off assassins?”

“When you describe it that way, it makes my life sound really terrible,” said Sen.

“It’s funny how facts can do that,” said Wu Gang.

“So, I take it that’s a no?” asked Sen, a little relieved.

“Of course, I’m going to come. If ever a man lived who needs someone to watch his back, it’s you.”

“Oh,” said Sen, abruptly recognizing the mistake he’d made. “Right.”

Sen had just gone and told a man who had been acting as a professional hero for years that he was knowingly walking into danger. What else was a man like that going to do but volunteer to come along? Sen did his best to put on a smile.

“Welcome to the team.”