The disciples gasped at the sight. “The stories were true! He had robbed and taken everything from the CrimsonFang.” Korg’s eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head.

  "This..." Jaren stammered while his hand was reaching out but he was able to stop himself. "What incredible treasures."

  "Take it," Li Yu said cheerfully.

  Caelia frowned. "Li Yu, we cannot. You killed the general and the attack on the CrimsonFang was done on your own. We have already gotten the split merit points that we didn’t deserve from the Alliance headquarters already. You saved us just now as well. The spoils of war here belong to the victor. That is the law of the cultivation world."

  "Laws are boring," Li Yu said with a smile. "The victor makes the laws right? Besides, we are a team, aren't we? We came from the Southern Continent together. We stood against the tide of these invading beasts together. You held the line so I could arrive. That makes it a joint effort."

  He kicked one of the glaives, the other having already been reserved by Tekton, gently toward Korg. "You. Big guy. Your shield is shaped like a taco. Take this glaive. It’s heavy but it cuts well. If you can’t use it yourself, trade it in and get a new shield. Heroes deserve to be rewarded."

  Korg looked at Li Yu, then at the glaive, then back at Li Yu. "Me?"

  "Yes, you. Try not to cut your foot off though. It’s extremely sharp."

  Li Yu then handed out weapons and armor to replace those that were damaged for the group. He felt like honoring them with gifts for their service here today. He felt this was a good way to spread out the wealth he had obtained from the CrimsonFang. It wasn’t much but it felt good to do anyways.

  He then turned to Sylvia. He pulled a slender, azure-colored longsword from the pile. It was radiating a chill that frosted the air around it. He had gotten in from the CrimsonFang.

  "Sylvia," Li Yu said. "This seems like a good weapon for you. Try it out and see if you like it."

  Sylvia took the sword. Her hands trembled slightly as she felt the balance. It was practically perfect. It was a weapon worth a lot of money and he was handing it over like it was a spare stick.

  "Li Yu..." Sylvia started. "I... I accept this. It’s too much."

  "You paid in blood already." Li Yu said simply. "And by not dying. Dead friends are terrible conversationalists."

  He turned to Caelia and waved his hand to erect a void barrier around them so no one could see. He held out a small unassuming wooden box. Caelia took it. She opened the lid. Inside sat a single pill, glowing with soft, rhythmic light that mimicked a heartbeat.

  "A Nine-Cycle Revitalization Pill," Caelia gasped and quickly snapped the lid shut as if afraid the aroma alone would cause a riot. "Li Yu! This is an incredible healing pill. This can bring a cultivator back from the brink of death!"

  "All the more reason for you to keep one with you and Sylvia," Li Yu said. "I have a few more but they are only useful when used. You're the leader. You need to stay alive to keep them alive."

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  Caelia looked at him. She wanted to refuse. Her pride as a senior wanted to tell him that she didn't need charity. But she looked at the battlefield before her. Things were dangerous here. This pill would come in handy. She looked at Sylvia holding the new sword. She looked at the rift that would have been their grave.

  "Thank you, Li Yu," she said, her voice humble. “I will try to repay you in the future.”

  "Buy me a meal and some drinks when this is all over," Li Yu smiled. "Something that doesn't taste like pickles. I’ve had my fill of pickles for a while."

  Li Yu then stored back the small pile of loot he had taken out. It was just a fraction of his resources currently and he wasn’t afraid of anyone here being greedy for it. People that would lay down their lives to hold the line most likely wouldn’t anyways.

  Just then the rift let out a final sputtering pop. The violet light collapsed inward, vanishing into a singularity before disappearing completely. The sky healed instantly and was returning to its scorched white color.

  "It's done," Bai Ruo called out.

  Si Luo walked over to where Li Yu was. She looked at the Alliance team with a critical eye.

  "They look better," Si Luo noted. "Brave people but also foolish. I would have ran if I was being overwhelmed." Those were her words but she had respect for them. They reminded her of her own guards. People that seemed foolish to risk their lives for her but they did it nonetheless. They had a sense of duty and carried out their roles.

  "Be nice," Li Yu said but he could see she meant no harms with her words. If anything, her words were a backwards compliment.

  He turned back to Caelia.

  "We have to go, now that things are better here." Li Yu said.

  "Where will you go?" Caelia asked.

  "Wherever the wind blows," Li Yu said. "That usually leads us to great smelling foods."

  He whistled. Tekton lumbered over and the ground was shaking with each step. He lowered his massive head, allowing Li Yu to hop on. Si Luo and Bai Ruo transformed into streaks of light, returning to the necklace on his chest.

  Li Yu stood on the centipede's back, silhouetted against the sun. He tipped his straw hat.

  "Stay safe, Senior. Sylvia. Take care everyone. Stay safe and value your lives more. Even if its duty, only by living can you perform your duty. Try to keep the stories from getting out of hand as well" Li Yu grinned at his own last words.

  "Too late for that," Sylvia shouted back. She was smiling and holding up her new sword. "I'm going to tell everyone you defeated the General by staring at it until it exploded!"

  Li Yu laughed. "I prefer the poetry version! Tell them my poems are actually really good!"

  ‘Let's go, Tekton!’

  'Aye aye, Boss!'

  The giant centipede surged forward. In seconds, they were just a blur on the horizon, leaving the stunned, armed and grateful Alliance team alone in the silence of the Wastes.

  Jaren looked at the small pile of loot that their team was ultimately given. They had left out the things they were given by Li Yu, feeling a bit embarrassed to put it away while Li Yu was still here.

  They were all on the same page, leaving it out in case he wanted it back. If he left without taking it then they can keep the items. It was still sitting on the sand. The team gathered and went through the items again, making sure each person got what Li Yu had given them.

  "So," Jaren said. "Poetry, huh?"

  "Definitely poetry," Korg agreed. He then looked at his massive new glaive. "The deadliest rhyme in the world."

  “I think we should make the stories more grand, to honor him a bit more. What do you think?” Elara suggested.

  “So this is how it happens, the tales just get twisted as it goes. You make a few changes to what really happened and by the time the third person tells it. Li Yu will be some kind of death god that killed everything with just a wave of his hand.” Jaren said while laughing.

  He might have said that but he was already thinking of a good story to tell his family and friends. Of how he came face to face with death, only for Little Crab to grab him and punch death in the face.