A Will Sovereign Chapter 27: Chapter 27— A conversation under the moon.

Read chapter 27 of A Will Sovereign by Sloche on NovelPedia.

------- When Soldret opened his eyes again, the first thing he saw was the night sky. The second was Zephyr. The older disciple sat beside the medicinal bath, gazing thoughtfully at the moon. His golden-white hair rested loosely around his shoulders, and his expression was calm. "..." Soldret stared at him for several seconds. For a moment, it felt like he was looking at a painting. Then the memory of the brutal beating rushed back, and he sighed. "It seems I really didn't die this time." Zephyr turned and smiled. "Junior Brother, you're awake." Soldret groaned. The small movement sent a sharp jolt through his still-red, battered chest. "...I preferred being unconscious." "I figured." The medicinal liquid continued circulating around him, quietly repairing broken bones and mending torn muscles. The night stayed quiet, broken only by the gentle rustle of wind through the bamboo forest. After a while, Zephyr spoke. "It seems Master has high expectations of you. That's why the brutal part of his training came so early." Soldret sighed through his nose. "Is that so… If I didn't know better, I'd think I stole his wife in a previous life or something." Zephyr let out a genuine laugh. Soldret continued, "But despite that, I can't say I haven't seen some improvement. Slight, but… today I actually saw the attacks. Unlike last time." Zephyr stared at him for a few seconds. "Saw what?" Soldret smiled faintly. "The attacks." For the first time, even while half-broken, he felt genuinely satisfied. The memory remained clear — the punch, the kick. He had actually seen them coming. Zephyr noticed the small smile and nodded. "Good." "You don't sound surprised," Soldret said. Zephyr laughed lightly. "Master's training looks unreasonable…" "It *is* unreasonable," Soldret agreed immediately. That earned another laugh. "But it undeniably works." Zephyr leaned back. "When I first came here, I thought he was trying to kill me. Back then, San Zheng and I were just street rats barely surviving. Until Master and the Peak Master of Origin Peak picked us up and brought us to the Eight Peaks Academy." Soldret nearly laughed again. He had noticed how Zephyr's expression brightened whenever San Zheng came up. It was obvious they shared a deep bond. Zephyr continued, "At first I thought he was just a perverted old man with a strange fetish. But after a few days, I realized that was simply his teaching method." A look of distant suffering crossed his face. "Until he realized how talented I was in the Martial Pathway. After that… I genuinely started wondering if he was trying to beat me to death." Soldret couldn't help laughing, though his ribs immediately protested. The laughter turned into a painful grimace. Zephyr shook his head. "Don't move. You'll regret it." "I already do." They fell silent again. Eventually Zephyr looked toward the stars, his voice quieter. "I know it hurts. It hurts now. It'll hurt tomorrow. It'll probably hurt next week too." "That's not comforting," Soldret muttered. Zephyr smiled. "I guess I'm not very good at this." He looked back at Soldret, his gaze distant. "But when you finally start seeing the results… as strange as it sounds, you'll be glad it happened." Soldret remained silent. He glanced down at his battered, red-tinged body. The pain was real, but so was the progress. For the first time, he had actually seen what hit him — a tiny improvement he never could have achieved alone. Eventually he nodded. "…I think I understand." He really did. For a moment, Soldret found himself staring at Zephyr — the man from the fragments, once impossibly distant, now simply talking to him like a senior brother. The thought felt strange. But not unpleasant. --- Suddenly, something white shot out from the darkness. Soldret tensed. The tiny creature leaped through the air and landed neatly on Zephyr's lap, then climbed onto his hand. It looked like a small primal beast — faint golden-white mane, snow-white fur with thin golden lines, and a sing