Cai Xuin was having a relaxing day. He was having many of those lately. Relaxing here, relaxing there, occasionally getting a visit from his sister and having an interesting talk about the ever shifting politics of the Five Sects.

Apparently, the Raging River, who had been the most powerful of all the five sects, was having a minor upheaval due to the recent developments in the area. The first one being Mister Bill, and the second one being Gai Jin. The Raging River always had the political power in most talks. They were the strongest sect within the region, they were the ones that hosted immortal merchants and visitors of the region.

They had political power and weight and suddenly, that had been taken from them.

It was all chatter to him, nothing useful.

Cai Xuin wouldn't say he felt trapped in Oasis Town, there were a lot more mysteries here than most could imagine. The new sewers were about to be constructed and Cai had never really seen something like them. The new Immortal, Gai Jin came by at least once a day just to talk to his sister and consult Mister Bill.

There were also the maidens, an entourage of women whom Cai had assumed to be Mister Bill's wives, they were entirely different. First, they weren't his wives, more like disciples, and one of them even courted a mortal man. And second, they were all strong, far stronger than even the many Sect Elders he had witnessed over his years.

And then there was the strange baby as well.

There were mysteries abound in this place and they were bound to grow, but all that didn't change one simple truth.

Cai Xuin couldn't leave.

He looked out and over into the valley, he looked back and into the strange and silent forest and he felt trapped. He had walked through the forest before, and aside from the mystical path that led directly from the village and into the center of the forest where Mister Bill resided, everything had been boring.

The path to Mister Bill's house would only require a few minutes of walking to reach his house. Which was strange because his house was a hundred or so miles in the forest.

But even that, given time, lost its charm.

Cultivating, for all the pain it had brought him, gave him purpose. It was something to do, something to reach for while the days went and came. And now Cai found himself staring up into the sky, wondering about what he was to do with himself.

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The world was as wide as it was going to get for Cai.

Unless something changed, he wouldn't risk leaving this beautiful prison.

"Hey Cai, you want to be my disciple?"

The words came from his left and made him jump to his right in surprise.

There was Mister Bill, standing sternly with a small cup of tea in his hand.

"What?" Cai asked, mind refusing to process the words.

"Do you want to become my disciple?" The man asked again.

And this time, Cai's mind panicked.

"Feel free to say no," the Immortal added.

"You want me to be your disciple?" Cai asked.

No, that was too much. Surely the man meant in a more formal way, as to allow him to be free to roam the region under the banner of the Oasis Sect. Yes, that must be it.

"Yeah," the Immortal nodded. "But you will have to cultivate, and you will have to grow, and you can't sit around doing nothing all day, because apparently, that's a sin."

Why did the immortal say those things as if they were consequences? A part of him was eager, and all of him was at least intrigued. But another part, a small part, the part that was accepting weakness and insignificance refused to be tempted so lightly.

"May I ask why?" Cai whispered. "Surely there are more talented people, no?"

"There are," the Immortal replied.

"Then why me?"

The Immortal looked at him with something akin to pity, as if he knew exactly what Cai was feeling.

"Well," the man sighed. "No reason in particular. I just think you're a good kid. You're not special and you aren't talented beyond reason, but you're humble and decent. And you remind me of myself in some ways, so I thought I'd ask."

Cai looked at the man and found no traces of falsehood, though he doubted he would be able to find any if the immortal didn't want him to. But still, he had one more question.

"But why take a disciple now? You've been here for hundreds of years and done nothing, Mister Bill. Surely there were others you could have chosen?"

"I didn't care," the immortal shrugged. "I was just…living and watching the world pass by as I slept."

"And now?" Cai asked.

"Well, now I have a goal, and a bit of a plan."

"What plan?" Cai dared to ask. It was foolish to be so brazen, but he had to know. He had to know what it was that moved this man to give him an opportunity.

"Well, I like this place. I like the peace here and I have to get stronger to keep it that way."

Cai looked out to the village again, to all the small people running around doing their small little things.

This was what moved him? This bundle of tiny people living tiny lives? Cai looked again, searching for what the immortal could have meant and strangely enough, he saw it.

"The crabs," he suddenly murmured.

"The desert crabs? What about them?"

"I've been thinking about them. They die and produce enough water for their children to live off and grow, and I remembered that. And… I think they're very noble for that. They die for their children, and that is a beautiful thing. And I want to be more like that, I want to fight for the things I care for. I don't think I care for this place as much as I should. I don't know if I care about anything as much as I should, even this place," Cai sighed.

There were tears in his eyes but he fought them back.

"But I would very much like to try," he said with a deep bow.

His left hand cupped his stumped wrist.

"Thank you Master, I put myself into your care."

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