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"Why the fuck are we on babysitting duty?"
"Shut up, you love him and you know it."
"Why the fuck would I care about Dianxia's kid?! I hate kids!"
"This is why Cuocuo doesn't fucking love y-"
"Shut the fuck up."
"Excuse me??"
"No literally, shut up." To emphasise his point, Feng Xin slapped a hand over Mu Qing's mouth, reducing his speech to indignants 'mmphs'. Furious, he moved to rip the offending hand off when he realised that it's quiet.
Too quiet.
Fuck.
Hopping up from behind the tall bush they had been hiding behind, he quickly scanned his surroundings, hoping to find the crimson and white robes of the boy in the clearing where they last saw him. But alas, there were only three piles of floof. Shit .
They had left Jiang Cheng unattended for five seconds. Five seconds.
And now, for some fucking reason he was not where they had left him, which was in the middle of the clearing talking to his dogs, and now all they had was the stupid dogs and he was so not going to be the one to deliver the news to Taizi Dianxia and his demon king husband.
How far could a ten year old even go on their own? (He would soon realise that they can go very, very, far)
As they trudged through the foliage, Mu Qing thought about the circumstances under which he received this annoying, but somehow not unwelcome task.
Let it be clear that Mu Qing absolutely adores Jiang Cheng. Ever since Xie Lian brought him up to the heavenly capital to show him around, he had been immediately dubbed as the cutest and most well-behaved child to have ever stepped foot in there, instantly stealing the hearts of all the gods, and he was no exception.
The only other child that had ever been there was Cuocuo, who, well..
Maybe there wasn't much competition to begin with, but that didn't stop Mu Qing from showering Jiang Cheng with affection. Sewing toys, clothes, and cooking edible food secured his place as Jiang Cheng's number one favourite uncle as well, much to the dismay of Pei Ming and many other heavenly officials.
So really, the only reason why babysitting Jiang Cheng could possibly be annoying was the stupid himbo that had come along as well.
"Are you serious???"
"It would be a good bonding activity, don't you think? A-Cheng and his uncles, except well, he doesn't know that his uncles are there." Xie Lian beamed.
"So what's the point then?? And why with him-" he jabbed a finger in Feng Xin's general direction, "-of all people?! He has so many other uncles!"
"I trust you two the most, you know that I wouldn't even ask if I didn't think you'd do it..plus you're both his favourite!"
" I'm his favourite," he sniffed, but quickly nodded his head in agreement, already dreading the next few hours of awkward tension that never seemed to dissipate even after so many years.
This had been such a bad idea.
Jiang Cheng anxiously clutched at the pair of dice hidden in a pocket sewn into his robes, rolling them between his fingers as he surveyed the long stretch of trees with thinly veiled dismay.
He should have taken A-Die and Baba's advice and let Yin Yu Gege accompany him, after all, this was only his second night hunt. But no, he had decided that he was a big boy who was going to do big boy things , and he had refused, only to get an amused smile from A-Die and a knowing smirk from Baba.
And here he was, sifting through an entire forest where every turn looked exactly the same, all because he had gotten a whiff of strong resentful energy coming from the west and started following it, the trail only getting stronger as he continued to go deeper into the thick layers of coniferous trees.
Jiang Cheng suppressed a shiver and briefly considered turning back, but his pride and curiosity won out, and he continued to follow the trail, albeit with more caution, as he made his footsteps as quiet as possible, straining his ears to identify anything that would have emitted such a significant amount of resentful energy.
His heart thudded painfully in his chest, and the grip he had on his sword was starting to loosen from how clammy his palms were getting.
The leaves of the trees, which at the time had still been swaying lazily due to the mild breeze, stilled, enshrouding the forest in an eerie quiet.
And then he saw it.
A yao that looked awfully like an overgrown tortoise stood tall in front of him, towering over his figure at two times his height, black smoke flaring from its nostrils as its snake-like eyes narrowed into slits at him. From where he was, Jiang Cheng could tell that the shell of the tortoise yao was abnormally thick as well, and seemed to be made of a type of metal that he couldn't put his finger on.
Maybe fighting this thing head-on on his own wasn't such a good idea.
If only I could slip past and go find more peop-
His train of thought was cut off by a short 'oof' he had let out, as intense vibrations shook the ground with so much force that he had lost his balance and fallen on his butt. He looked up, only to find the tortoise yao stomping into the ground and kicking backwards with its hind leg, causing dirt to spray backwards.
The yao was coming closer.
And oh, it was angry .
He only got a few moments to process the situation before the creature charged towards him like a pissed-off bull. Cursing, he managed to jump to the side just as the yao passed where he had just been seconds earlier, causing it smash face-first into the tree that had been behind him.
If he had been any slower, he would have been the one smashing into that tree.
This seemed to piss the yao off even further, and with some spirited indignance, it turned towards his direction and started to charge again.
Jiang Cheng internally groaned as he continued to dodge the creature, which was surprisingly fast considering it was supposed to be something akin to a tortoise, and had a shell made out of metal. He desperately looked for any possible weak points to attack, but with the yao constantly coming at him, his focus was split between finding a new place to jump to and trying not to get stabbed by any unsuspecting branches.
This was bad bad. There was no way he was going to be able to do this alone, and while he might not be that screwed just yet, he was getting tired, and while he would be able to keep it up for a while longer, it certainly wasn’t the most ideal situation to be in.
He couldn’t just run away either, for that would mean leaving a very angry and bloodthirsty yao blundering around the area, potentially putting many, many people in danger.
So he reached into his pocket to produce the pair of dice, ready to call for his parents, when the mellow notes of a xiao pierced through the air, and a flash of blue whizzed past him, going straight towards the yao , hitting it right in its face.
He whipped his head around to find the source of the music, and behind him he found a boy, who looked a little bit older than him, dressed head to toe in a pale blue not that different from the sky in the heavenly capital, a ribbon tied around his forehead. His eyes were scrunched closed, his xiao poised in front of him, and his fingers fluttering across the sound holes quickly as he focused on attacking the yao .
He looked ethereal.
He looks like A-Die, Jiang Cheng faintly thought, as he followed the movement of the boy's fingers, mesmerised. Maybe it was his long, flowing robes, and the way he exuded so much grace he looked more like a heavenly being than a mortal boy.
Or maybe it was the gentle expression that seemed to rest on his face despite it being a little pinched in concentration, or the way he somehow felt a little warmer inside, a little safer, just like the way he felt whenever his father would smile at him in the mornings when he had just woken up.
A distressed roar from the yao jerked him out of his reverie. Chastising himself for actually losing focus during a fight, he mentally honed in on the yao , noting that it had been significantly slowed down by the boy’s music, as it looked like it had been caged in some sort of spiritual net, unable to charge forward.
But for the most part, it remained unharmed, so Jiang Cheng unsheathed his sword.
Sticking it into a nearby tree, he used it as a pole to propel himself upwards, rapidly scaling the tree while the yao was still reeling from the spiritual attacks, and launched himself into the air, landing heavily onto its back.
He briefly made eye contact with the boy, whose eyes had widened, but nevertheless, continued to play his xiao , allowing Jiang Cheng to focus on the matter at hand. Gripping at his sword, he scanned the shell of the tortoise, looking for places to weaken it when he had an idea.
If it was a tortoise, wouldn't everything else be underneath the shell? After all, it was the armour protecting everything else, including its vulnerable organs and flesh.
Grinning, he gazed at his sword, shuffling slowly until he reached the side of the creature's shell.
Ziyi was no ordinary sword; it was long, and extremely flexible to the point that he could almost bend it in half with no problem. Baba had given it to him for his birthday last year, and had told him that there was once a sword similar to this one made by an immortal named Ye Baiyi, and his Baba had fashioned one similar to it.
Jiang Cheng himself had named it Ziyi , as a way to pay respects to the original sword Baiyi , as well as to include his favourite colour, purple, into its name.
It was a little ironic that after all these years, his favourite colour was the one that represented the place that he had run away from 5 years ago. He had tried to change it to blue a few times, but something about the hue of violet reminded Jiang Cheng of the days he had spent running through the streets of lotus pier, the quiet afternoons when it was just him and A-Jie, sitting in one of the pavilions near the family quarters while he let her braid his hair.
He clearly remembered her clumsy fingers, as she was about his current age, as they ran through his hair to produce messy plaits that went up into a loose bun, and the purple of the ribbon that she had used to tie everything together, as it fluttered against his neck. Those were the good things he remembered.
The colour also reminded him of his parents' eyes, their robes, and the ring that he had seen sitting on his mother's index finger. It produced purple sparks when she was angry, so the image was not a foreign one to Jiang Cheng.
He had seen the sparks more and more frequently after Wei Ying's arrival, and once, when he had been pottering around the piers when he couldn't sleep, he saw his mother practising with it, in the form of a long whip. Purple lightning had emanated from its entire length, dancing along the whip as she practised.
Most people didn't expect five-year-olds to remember much of their childhood, but it seemed that Jiang Cheng was an exception. Purple had been an integral part of his bittersweet time at Lotus Pier, carrying both pleasant and not so pleasant associations with it, and perhaps after leaving behind everything from his past identity behind, this was one thing that he still wanted to keep for himself. As a reminder, or something else, Jiang Cheng wasn't so sure.
A-Die and Baba hadn't commented on his choice of name, but they had shared a look which he now recognised was them talking to each through their communication array (or it could really just be that they've known each other for so long that they actually developed telepathy with each other, but Jiang Cheng digressed.)
The sword was already named, and he was sticking to it.
Slashing and stabbing were not things that came naturally to Ziyi due to its flexible nature, and instead, it relied on the agility and knowledge of the wielder to truly unleash its potential.
And that's why Jiang Cheng loved it.
He had been diligently practising to use it for the past year, and while the learning curve was steep with it not being a normal sword, he had quickly improved under the guidance of his parents. They, after all, were immortals with centuries of experience under their belts, and his cultivation had progressed at a rapid pace. He had no one else to compare with, really, as the other children in the village had shown no interest at the idea of pursuing cultivation, leaving Jiang Cheng as his parents' only 'pupil'.
It seemed that he truly could not escape his original fate of practising cultivation.
So while he wasn't the best, and some things just took time and practice, Jiang Cheng was not that terrible at using Ziyi .
The yao 's hard shell truly was a blessing in disguise as it allowed him to stand firm on it as he bent backwards, changing his grip on Ziyi , lodged it under the shell at an angle, before he deftly dragged it through the skin, resulting in intricate, deep cuts on the skin just below the shell.
Black liquid oozed from the yao , resentful energy pouring out profusely enough that Jiang Cheng felt a little disoriented.
Clearly, the yao was not pleased with this new development, howling in pain as it momentarily stumbled to the side. Then it suddenly bucked up, the strong force propelling Jiang Cheng into the air, causing him almost to fly off entirely.
It was only due to the fact that Ziyi was still very much stuck in the yao that he hadn't fallen off, and he regained his balance after doing somewhat of an accidental aerial cartwheel, before ripping his sword out and landing near the head of the yao .
The neck of the yao was exposed, but was also covered in a leathery hide that made it difficult for Jiang Cheng to slice through. A normal sword may have been a more apt choice here, but whatever weakness Ziyi had it made up for somewhere else, and in this case, it was its weight.
With the creature still trying to break through the spiritual cage that the music had entrapped it in, Jiang Cheng had to focus on balance as he held his Ziyi like a two-handled blade, rapidly moving it back and forth onto the yao 's neck in an attempt to behead it. It was working, but not as quickly as he would've liked, and it felt as if he was trying to hack at a block of wood with a piece of string.
Jiang Cheng could also tell that the boy's energy was waning as well, as the fight went on, it was becoming easier and easier for the yao to move around. Still, he persevered, and Jiang Cheng felt appreciation and respect for the boy, as it gave Jiang Cheng the opportunity to work at the yao .
They were strangers as well, and Jiang Cheng was surprised that the boy went as far as to use up almost all of his energy just to help him.
Until it finally broke through the weak, shimmering net, the boy visibly exhausted and Jiang Cheng watched as the yao started to kick backwards, and his heart sank right into his stomach.
Oh no.
Since Jiang Cheng was not visible to it, the tortoise creature had decided to make the boy his new target, as he was still drained from playing the xiao for so long, it was clear that the boy would not be able to put up much of a fight.
Sometimes, fate was something that couldn't be changed. He had seen it, heard it in the stories that A-Die told of people who tried to escape death, only to accelerate their path towards it, and he soon learnt that some things in life were just meant to happen. The heavenly realm was not supposed to interfere with the lives of humans, altering their fates, and so most of the time there was really nothing to do but to move towards acceptance.
So surely, Baba would be able to find a very nice place in Ghost City for the boy, and Jiang Cheng would definitely make sure that he did, but he just couldn't explain the cold fear that ran through him at the thought of the boy getting hurt, and when he met the wide, fearful eyes of the boy, he made his decision.
As the yao charged towards the boy, its jaws unhinged and wide open, exposing its razor sharp teeth, Jiang Cheng all but sprinted off the creature, using its as a stepping stone as he jumped on it hard , successfully distracting it for a few moments in which he managed to get in front of the the boy.
Imbuing as much spiritual energy into Ziyi as he could in the short span of time, he thrusted it in the direction of yao , which was now a mere two bu away, slicing through its jaw before sticking itself on the creature's underside.
The creature made a last ditch effort to swat at them, and while Jiang Cheng was able to push the boy backwards out of the way, the sharp talon-like nails of the yao raked through Jiang Cheng's back, causing him to let out a yelp in pain. He could feel the blood start to soak through his robes, and when the yao went in for another swipe he quickly grabbed the boy and shielded him with his body, bracing himself for the imminent pain that was to come.
Except that the pain never came.
Opening his eyes, the yao was frozen still, something akin to surprise on its disfigured face as it unceremoniously fell to the side with a loud thud, more of the black liquid from earlier pouring out of its side, a gleaming arrow sticking out of it.
Confused, and still clutching the boy, he looked for the cause of the creature's sudden death, and spotted two heads peeking out from just behind its shell.
Two very recognisable heads.
"Shushu? Jiujiu?"
"Hey why am I Shushu!" he heard one of them complain. "I'm not even related to that piece of shi-"
"Nan Feng, if you don't shut the fuck up right now I will personally go to your palace and gut you," another voice cut him off, and with a moment of hesitation, added, "plus we all know I'm A-Cheng's favourite jiujiu, and there can only be one of us."
He couldn't see his face, but Jiang Cheng had a feeling he was probably gloating at whatever expression the other man had, judging from the smug tone that seeped through his voice.
A gentle touch startled him from eavesdropping on his uncle's conversation, and he turned to see the frazzled expression of the boy, who he was still gripping on to. Flustered, he quickly let go, but his expression remained, and he was about to open his mouth to ask when white-hot pain shot through his back, and he stumbled, right back into the chest of the boy.
Surprisingly strong arms caught him, and guided him to sit down onto the ground before letting go. Jiang Cheng mourned the secure touch, and in his daze, he looked up, and watched as the boy started to produce various poultices and salves from his sleeves.
After placing them on the floor, however, he started to look at them frantically, unsure exactly which one to use, and Jiang Cheng realised that the boy had most likely never come across a situation like this before, at such a young age.
He looked a mere two to three years older than him, and as Jiang Cheng scrutinised his face further, he saw the fear and unadulterated worry the boy was trying not to show.
He's trying not to panic, probably so I don't panic because there's a huge ass gash on my back. Cute.
Maybe that was the blood loss talking, but Jiang Cheng couldn't deny the fact that the boy was very good-looking.
"Are you alright?" He blurted out before his brain could stop him. The boy looked really stressed and he wanted to distract him somehow. It wasn't like he was dying , why was he so concerned?
The boy whipped his head up, eyes wide.
"Are you alright?" He retorted, before remembering himself, and straightened up a little. "I'm unharmed, gongzi, thank you for protecting me just now. I-I think you should be more concerned about your own wellbeing, may I take a look at your wound?"
Jiang Cheng obliged, and moved to turn around so that his back was facing the other, before remembering the distressed look on his face, and stopped himself.
Scanning through the various poultices the boy had laid out, he pointed to the one he had been looking for.
"Use this one," he started. " Ma Gua can help to move the Qi around and is often used to treat injuries like the one I have on my back. From how it feels, I don't think I've been poisoned." He pointed to another lump of poultice, this one a combination of red and purple, " Shang Lu is good too, since it can reduce any inflammation and remove toxins, but since my wound isn't infected yet, we don't need it."
The boy blinked, clearly taken aback, and Jiang Cheng realised that if the boy had been carrying them around he probably should have already known all of that, and opened his mouth to apologise when the boy beat him to it.
Smiling, he picked up the light brown poultice. "Thank you, I have learnt about the plants and their properties before, but until now I have not actually come across a situation in which I've needed to use them. This gongzi is wise, and this one humbly thanks you for your knowledge. May I.." he motioned to the poultice he had picked up in his left hand and Jiang Cheng turned around.
When nothing happened, he looked behind to see why the boy hadn't started applying the poultice. His face was red, and when he tried to say something, he reddened some more and shut his mouth. Taking a deep breath, he tried again.
"Gongzi, I can't apply the poultice if..if you don't remove your robes.." he trailed off towards the end, and Jiang Cheng found the reddening of the boy's ears to be absolutely adorable.
He quickly shed his robes from his upper body and resumed his previous position.
They sat in a companionable silence as the boy applied the poultice with gentle hands, before Jiang Cheng blurted out-
"A-Cheng."
"Eh?"
Jiang Cheng internally cursed his brain to mouth filter for failing him again until he remembered, he didn't have one in the first place. There wasn't much need for one, since the people he lived with harboured no ill intentions, and there were no words that needed to be disguised as others in order not to offend.
This was one of the things Jiang Cheng did not miss about his life at Lotus Pier. Many a time he had been reprimanded by his mother for his lack of tact, like that one time he had mentioned that Sect Leader Yao had less hair than the last time he came, or when he had asked his father (in front of Madame Jin) why she always looked so angry whenever her husband, Sect Leader Jin, was mentioned.
It was true! The last time Jiang Cheng saw him, he had come with a whole freaking bald spot in the middle of his head, and everyone still said that he looked as good and healthy as the previous visit, what was Jiang Cheng supposed to do? Lie?
And how was he supposed to know that Sect Leader Jin was a touchy subject for Madame Jin if he didn't ask? He was a child, for fuck's sake!
Back in Puqi village, no one minded his brash honesty. He never meant for the words to hurt, and Jiang Cheng knew when he had crossed the line, so it had never been a subject of contention.
But in times like these, Jiang Cheng lamented his lack of filter and his mouth opening before his brain fully processed and censored any stupidity out of the sentence.
"Call me A-Cheng. I'm not a gongzi, and I don't come from a sect."
"Oh. Do you..do you not have a courtesy name?"
Even though his back was facing the boy, he could tell that the boy was flustered at the familiar address.
"Where I come from, we don't use courtesy names, so I don't have one! I usually go by A-Cheng because I was adopted, and I don't really like to use my old surname. Xie is my adoptive father's surname, so if you'd like, you can call me Xie Cheng instead."
He turned back around to face the boy once he had finished bandaging him up. The boy gave a polite bow, before sitting up to look at him.
"O-okay then, Xie Cheng, thank you for saving my life today. My name is Lan Huan, courtesy name Lan Xichen of the Gusu Lan sect, but since you've allowed me to call you by your birth name I feel that it is only right that you can call me Lan Huan."
Gusu Lan…that sounded familiar..
"Lan Huan.." Jiang Cheng rolled the syllables over his tongue. "Nice name!"
"Thank you, Xie Cheng." The boy smiled bashfully.
A loud, exaggerated cough prompted him to turn around.
It seemed that his (very poorly) disguised uncles were done dealing with the yao , as it lay in its unrecognisable state on the ground behind them, eliciting a gasp from Lan Huan, who looked at the two men in awe.
Fu Yao had an unimpressed look on his face, but Jiang Cheng could tell that he was concerned from the way he scanned his body for any injuries, glaring at the bandage on his chest as if it would make the gash on his back go away.
"There you are, ChengCheng! We've been looking everywhere for you!"
"Who are you calling ChengCheng! And what do you mean you've been looking everywhere? Did Baba and A-Die send you guys after me?"
"You know that your A-Die wouldn't actually let you go alone, right?" Fu Yao snorted, and Jiang Cheng knew he was right.
Jiang Cheng wouldn't admit it, but he was extremely grateful that his father had sent his uncles after him. If they hadn't been there..
Nan Feng had a shit-eating grin on his face, "you'll always be our ChengCheng, what are you talking about!" Before pinching his cheek.
"Hey, only I get to call him ChengCheng, I'm his favourite uncle!"
"Who says you're the favourite uncle? He clearly likes me better!"
"You bitc-"
And then the bickering started again. Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes at the familiar scene.
"You have two fathers?"
His attention was drawn back to Lan Huan, who had asked the question.
"Yeah, do you have a problem with that?"
Lan Huan's eyes widened.
"No, no! I think that it is pretty interesting! In a good way of course." He then leaned forward to whisper in Jiang Cheng's ear. "I don't see my father at all, so having two sounds really nice."
Jiang Cheng was at a loss of what to say. They had just met, and clearly this was something personal to Lan Huan, but with the lack of context, he didn't want to say something that might hurt or offend him.
Maybe he did have a brain to mouth filter after all.
"I hope you get to see him soon, then." Was what he settled on.
Lan Huan smiled at him, but it was different from the previous ones, tinged with something akin to resignation and sadness, and suddenly Jiang Cheng felt that Lan Huan seemed very, very old. Too old and weary for a boy only a few years older than him, and so he resolved to make him stop looking like that.
Whistling, he waited before his three beloved balls of fluff bounded over, excitedly wagging their tails. Despite it having been so many years since he got them back, he still couldn't get over the fact that he got to wake up every day to see them, pet them, and cuddle them as much as he liked.
Jiang Cheng loved his dogs.
They had managed to make their way to Lan Huan, sniffing at him curiously. Finding him to be satisfactory, they clambered into his lap, looking up at him to vie for his attention.
"Here are my dogs! Do you have any?"
Lan Huan was clearly taken by the dogs, and replied, "Oh I'm not allowed to have any in the sect. Pets are forbidden in Cloud Recesses."
Who in the world would ban pets??
"Well that's stupid! Here, you can pet my dogs as much as you want, they're very fluffy!"
Although a little hesitant, Lan Huan tentatively placed a hand on Jasmine's fur, and was surprised by how soft it was. A small, soft smile made its way onto his face as he repeated the motion of brushing her fur with his hand, and Jasmine seemed to approve, from the way she snuggled closer to him.
There's that smile again.
Love and Princess, on the other hand, started whining due to the lack of attention, causing Lan Huan to laugh before he started to pet them too.
"Unfortunately, little ones, I only have two hands, so you will have to take turns."
Looking at the scene before him, Jiang Cheng felt his heart swell with affection, before he realised that they were not alone.
Fu Yao's eyebrow was raised, and he was smirking, as if he knew something that Jiang Cheng didn't. Nan Feng still had that goddamn shit-eating grin on his face.
Stupid uncles.
"Your fathers are still waiting for you to return, ChengCheng. I think we should go."
As reluctant as he was to leave, it was getting dark, and he knew his parents were most likely starting to get worried.
As he stood up, Lan Huan scrambled to get up as well, "please wait!"
Rummaging through his sleeves, he pulled out a small piece of white jade.
Stepping forward, he offered the piece of jade to Jiang Cheng. "You really saved my life today, and this is a debt I cannot repay," Jiang Cheng opened his mouth to protest and to tell him that there was no need, but Lan Huan continued, "this piece of jade is a jade token, if you ever find yourself in need of help near this area or in Gusu, go to Cloud Recesses and show them this."
"Lan Huan, it's really fine-"
"I insist." And the jade token was pressed firmly into his palm.
Who was he to refuse? Jiang Cheng felt his face heat up at the heartfelt gesture.
"W-well then, I hope we meet again soon, Lan Huan!"
To hide his burning face, he turned to walk away when he was unceremoniously hauled onto someone's shoulder.
"Shushu, I can walk by myself! Put me down!" He complained, smacking at the back of Nan Feng's back.
"Nope, never, absolutely not. You're not allowed to wander without us until we reach your parent's house."
Resigned, he looked back up to see Lan Huan hiding his giggle behind his sleeve, his eyes lighting up with mirth. Jiang Cheng could feel the corners of his mouth move up on their own.
"Bye, Lan Huan! I hope you get to keep dogs someday! See you soon!" He waved as he was carried away by his uncle.
Lan Huan did not say anything back, but reciprocated the wave with a small one of his own, the tips of his ears red as he watched their retreating backs until they were out of sight.
"Xichen!"
Lan Huan startled, but relaxed when he realised it was his uncle.
"Xichen! Where did you go! You just disappeared halfway through the night hunt, do you have any idea how worried I was? You've been gone for almost two shichen !" Lan Qiren started to pat him over, looking for any signs of harm.
Had it really been that long? Lan Huan felt as if the entire fight with the yao and meeting Xie Cheng had been a fever dream.
"Apologies, Shufu. I saw a boy who was fighting a yao by himself and decided to help."
When Lan Qiren peered over Lan Huan's shoulder to look at what remained of the yao , his eyebrows shot up to his hairline.
"Xichen, how did you and that boy kill that yao by yourselves?!"
"The boy was extremely skilled for his age, Uncle, but I believe that the finishing blow was carried out by his uncles. If they had not arrived, we most likely would not have escaped the situation alive." He heard his uncle inhale sharply at his words.
"The boy also got injured in order to protect me, as I had drained all my spiritual energy from playing the Liebing for a long period of time and was not able to dodge the yao in time," he continued, and hung his head in shame. "He also had an extensive knowledge of healing, and told me which poultice to use on his injury as well."
"Which one did you use?" Lan Qiren was curious and intrigued.
Lan Huan repeated what he had heard earlier, and Lan Qiren nodded his head in approval.
"That is indeed a good choice, I am surprised that the boy knew the medicinal properties of such rare plants. Do you know the boy's name?"
"He told me that his name was Xie Cheng, and that he was adopted. I do not know his age, but I believe that he is a few years younger than me. He also said that he did not belong to any sect."
Lan Qiren stroked his beard thoughtfully. "I don't know of any sects bearing the surname Xie. He must have been adopted by powerful rogue cultivators then, to have such skill and knowledge without belonging to a sect."
"It does seem to be that way, Shufu."
As they walked back to reconvene with the rest of the Lan disciples, Lan Huan couldn't get the boy's boisterous grin out of his mind, replaying the events from earlier in his mind.
Even he was surprised at himself for so readily offering up his birth name to someone he had met for the first time, someone who didn't know him intimately at all. He had even made that offhand comment about his father, which was usually a sensitive topic for him, but it had just slipped out.
But it was only fair! The boy had given him his birth name too, and what was he supposed to do? Lan Huan didn't think there was anything wrong with him returning the courtesy, it felt weird, for sure, unfamiliar, maybe, but there were no rules against prematurely offering your birth name to someone, so Lan Huan didn't want to worry about it too much.
About the father thing.. Lan Huan didn't want to think about how easy it was for him to let down his carefully-built walls around the boy.
He did hope to see him again soon, though.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Dear Xichen,
This is truly an interesting encounter. I'm surprised that a boy his age can even wield a sword with such skill, much less a whip sword, if it really is what you say it is. I would suspect that you have embellished a few details, but I know it's against the rules to do so. You seem very taken with the boy, correct me if I am being presumptuous.
I do find it a little suspicious that news of such powerful rogue cultivators that can train a young boy to such a cultivation level has never reached the ears of any of the major sects, but nothing has happened so far, so I suppose there is no point in worrying. Moreover, it does seem to me that they have no ill intentions, considering he saved you from the tortoise yao.
And yes you are correct, I'm surprised that you remember that Huaisang used to have three dogs for a month or so five years ago, given to us by Sect Leader Jiang for some unknown reason. The dogs disappeared mysteriously one night and we never saw them again. Why do you ask?
PS: Huaisang says hello and thank you for the birds.
Mingjue
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Bonus:
"A-Die, what instrument goes well with a xiao ?"
"A xiao ? Well, it's been awhile since I've seen or heard one, but if I recall correctly it's either played on its own or with a guqin ."
"A-Die, can I learn the guqin ?"
“..."
"Please, A-Die!"
"I can't play the guqin and neither can your Baba…none of the gods can play one, A-Cheng.."
"But! But I do know of someone who might be able to help. No promises, but I'll try okay?"
"Okay A-Die! Thank you!"
"Cheng-ge!"
"You're back, Cheng-ge!"
"How was the nighthunt, Cheng ge! Did you kill any monsters?!"
Jiang Cheng's attention was quickly diverted to the growing crowd of children around him. An embarrassed smile made its way onto his face as he was showered in compliments and endless questions.
"Young love, eh?" Hua Cheng smirked as he joined Xie Lian in watching Jiang Cheng get dragged away by the other children in Puqi Village.
"I guess it runs in the family." Xie Lian hid his smile behind his sleeve.
"Gege!"