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This would have been the experience of a lifetime if he weren't Xie Lian.
Unfortunately, Xie Lian was he, and he wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. Seriously. A ghostly library, open to any who could find it, was something out of a fantastical legend. And not only had he somehow stumbled upon it, he hadn’t immediately fumbled the chance to explore!
Now, at this point, someone might ask why he not just leave. And he really should have! He didn’t want to risk the ire of the spirit reigning over the place, or the books themselves. Just standing inside the entrance, he could already tell this place had a great capacity of books.
And yet, Xie Lian would be remiss if he passed up an opportunity like this one. His life was a simple one nowadays, kept busy with the minutiae of an honest life, but knowledge was power, and if the chance was there, there were a few things he’d been wondering about for some time. Perhaps, if he was lucky enough, he could get an answer or two today.
Or perhaps he just jinxed himself hoping as much. Either way.
‘Thank y-’ Xie Lian opened his mouth to say, before the librarian spirit, a bloodless, spindly woman, suddenly hissed at him. He blinked, bewildered. The spirit pointed across the foyer at the opposing wall, where there was a great big sign that read:
ABSOLUTELY NO TALKING ALLOWED.
NO FOOD OR DRINK ALLOWED.
ANY DAMAGE TO THE BOOKS WILL BE TAKEN OUT OF YOUR LIFE.
A delicate little silver butterfly sat on one of the corners of the sign, at complete odds with the no-nonsense demands impressed into its surface.
“...” Unable to do anything else, Xie Lian looked back at the librarian and slowly nodded. For a moment, he felt a wash of resentful energy sweep over him, barely leashed and full of disdain. Finally, the wrath sneered and leaned back, watching him with a critical, derisive stare. Xie Lian honestly couldn’t tell if the problem was his cheap attire or if it was just that he existed.
Why let strangers in if you hate them this much??
Perhaps walking into a ghost’s den after they’d just demonstrated their dislike of you was foolish, but it had been a long time since anyone had called Xie Lian intelligent. So he shuffled further into the building, breathing a very quiet sigh of relief when he was out from under those judgemental eyes. And he found himself a bit surprised by just how many books the library had to offer.
It wasn’t a large building, but it was jam-packed with bookshelves that all stretched high above his head. The whole place was a mismatch of parts. One aisle was a single continuous bookshelf, while its neighboring aisle consisted of various individual bookshelves- one fine and made of polished mahogany, the next listing, warped and water-stained, the next sturdy but clearly never sanded down, little tufts of wood sticking out every finger length or so like a bristling cat. But every single one of them was packed with books, illuminated only by the faint flickers of ghostflame lanterns.
The spirit’s passion was clear. Now Xie Lian just had to make sure he did not inflame those passions!
...So, where might the books on cultivation be...?
Xie Lian wandered for a while, perusing the shelves as best he could. He saw the odd patron here or there, mortal and dead alike. They were all absorbed in their tasks, and Xie Lian had zero interest in disturbing them. Not that he could have asked for directions anyway.
Thankfully, there did seem to be a pattern to the madness, and he quickly figured out one particularly rickety-looking bookshelf seemed to house the library’s cultivation-oriented material.
Couldn’t it have been one of the nicer bookshelves instead? It was just his luck that what he was looking for was housed on what looked to be the frailest bookshelf in the whole building.
Well, nothing to it. He’d come this far. If it broke, it broke. With a deep breath and careful hands, Xie Lian pulled a book from the shelving.
It held!
Xie Lian smiled and opened the book. His smile lasted for about a moment before it dropped. Confused, he studied the pages in front of him before sighing.
Of course. This book is completely worthless.
He flipped randomly through, which only confirmed his suspicions: this book was worse than worthless- it was a fake! A fake manual designed to mislead any aspiring cultivators who read it. Xie Lian morosely slid the book back where it came from. The only question is, does the librarian know it’s a fake...?
As Xie Lian looked around at all the mismatched shelving, the narrow corridors and dim lighting, he realized he wasn’t sure the spirit would care. So perhaps this wasn’t his good fortune at all. Maybe this was a complete waste of time. But with so many books, they couldn’t all be cheap, could they...?
Torn between hope and woe, Xie Lian examined the bookshelf before him again. Sure, a lot of the books looked ragged and torn, but that could be age and poor care. Until Xie Lian actually cracked them open, there was no way of knowing the quality of the b-
He stopped. What was that?
Up on the topmost shelf. Was that...? No. It wasn’t possible. Rising onto his tiptoes, he carefully craned his neck and peered at one book sticking partway out from its peers.
A royal purple cover, with gold detailing... that couldn’t be-?!
Was that ‘On Changes?! It had been centuries since he’d seen it last, but it had once been one of his old Guoshi’s favorite books! His teacher had told him it was one of the best books on divination and fortune-telling in the Mortal Realm. It had obviously been lost when Xianle fell, but for it to have ended up here- it had such a distinctive cover, there was no way it could be anything else!!
Unable to believe his eyes, Xie Lian reached up and just barely managed to grasp the book and pull it free of its place on the shelf.
To be fair, what came next couldn’t be called ‘bad luck’. Bad luck would have been if the shelf had broken or the bookcase collapsed. No, this was all Xie Lian’s fault. He’d been so excited to come across this old treasure of Xianle that he failed to recognize that the reason he could even see the book so clearly was because the uppermost shelf was sloppily set at an angle, threatening to send any book placed on it spilling to the floor. Whoever had filled the shelf had evidently decided the solution wasn’t to fix the shelf, but instead pack it with so many books that they held each other in place.
And Xie Lian, it seemed, had just removed the load-bearing book.
He had a single moment to watch the books start to slide off the shelf, and thought, oh no. The next, he was jumping up futilely, hoping to catch as many of the books as he could before they hit the floor. Ruoye twitched against his forearm, but he could tell it hadn’t been paying attention and was startled by its master’s sudden urgency; while it sprang out with gusto to help, Xie Lian knew from the moment it twitched that it wouldn’t be able to catch all the books either.
So Xie Lian caught what he could on his body, haphazardly pinning them against his chest, under his arms, even one balanced on his raised thigh. But it was only about half the shelf.
And yet... As Xie Lian stood there, precariously balancing, he realized he hadn’t heard any thumps behind him. Had Ruoye managed to catch the rest?
Carefully, he lowered himself to the floor and let all the books trapped to his body slide free. Then he turned, and was greeted by someone kneeling beside him. A young man. A youth, in a maple-red robe, and long black boots, dark hair tied up in a messy ponytail. His clothing was fine and sophisticated, but his hair gave him a bit of a wild, reckless air. In his arms were a number of books, which he set onto the floor as Xie Lian watched. Though the youth didn’t say a word, his eyes were wide and his mouth, slightly parted, carried lines of concern.
Are you alright?
“Ah-” Xie Lian started, then immediately slapped a hand over his mouth. He ducked his head and glanced back and forth down the aisle, half expecting the short-tempered librarian to burst from one end or another and kick him out for his forgetfulness, if not the current state of the aisle... But when no one emerged, he turned back to the young man before him, waving one hand with an embarrassed smile.
I’m fine, I’m fine.
‘Thank you,’ he mouthed, because he figured that much could be understood. The youth’s eyes curved, and he shook his head slightly.
(Ruoye, thoroughly forgotten at this point, sulkily set the books it had caught on the floor before slithering back up Xie Lian’s sleeve.)
Disaster averted, Xie Lian squatted down to find some order in the mess he’d made. He was surprised to be joined by the red-robed young man. He’d expected the youth to walk off now that the danger was past, but he instead picked up a few books! He rose right back up to slide them carefully back onto their shelf, pulling a slight face at the way the books tried to slide right back down when he pulled his hand from them.
You don’t have to do that! Xie Lian thought in dismay, reaching out before he remembered his hands were full of books. The young man glanced at him, then at his hands. With an easy smile, he snatched the books from Xie Lian and put them back as well. Watching him, Xie Lian realized there was no point in trying to stop him. For one, the young man could actually reach the shelf without rising onto his tiptoes. Instead, his whole body elongated as he slid one book after another back into place, moving methodically and checking after each one that the book would stay put. Such a pose, especially from Xie Lian’s perspective, only emphasized the long, slender lines of his body.
When the young man turned to crouch and grab more books, he found Xie Lian still kneeling beside him, already holding out a few more books for him to take. The youth blinked in surprise, pausing for a moment. Something complicated flickered across his face. But he ultimately took the books with a nod, and he didn’t hesitate to take any of the rest of the books Xie Lian handed him.
Including the one Xie Lian had gotten into this whole mess for. Focused as he was on just handing the youth more books, Xie Lian nearly handed it over before realizing what he was doing. Face a touch warm, he rose to his feet. Unable to speak his gratitude, he folded into a sincere bow. If left alone, nevermind put them all back, he wouldn’t have been able to catch all the books in the first place! Knowing his luck the noise would have drawn the librarian’s scorn and seen him kicked from the establishment.
But once he bent over, he got a strange feeling. It was like something or someone was right in his space, on the verge of touching him. Most people probably wouldn’t have noticed a thing, but Xie Lian was a skilled cultivator, whose skills and senses had been honed over many years. When there was nothing for his ears to pick up, it was only logical his other senses were heightened. Lo, when he glanced up, he saw that the youth had his hands halfway extended between them, an expression of surprise and displeasure splashed across his face.
Now that Xie Lian was looking, the red-robed young man quickly urged him up with firm, unmistakable movements. It was only once Xie Lian had straightened up that he relaxed and, pulling on half a smile, waved one hand lackadaisically between the two of them. Though he didn’t say a word, Xie Lian understood.
No thanks necessary.
Well, Xie Lian didn’t agree with that, but he wasn’t going to start an argument over it either. He just smiled and bobbed his head. The youth sighed but kept smiling, himself.
Now that the mess had been cleaned up, Xie Lian glanced around, wondering where he should break open his prize. He hadn’t seen any tables in his walk through the building, so in the end he decided to just sit back down where he was, unceremoniously dropping to the ground. He gave the red-robed youth and his slightly widened eyes one more smile and a wave before finally cracking open his prize.
It really was ‘On Changes’. Amazing!
Xie Lian was so excited it took him a moment or two to realize the helpful young man was squatting at his shoulder. He blinked and glanced awkwardly at the youth from the corner of his eye- the young man was right at his shoulder, and had he turned his head, their faces would have been far too close together!
And his eyes would cross. Which was what he had meant by ‘far too close in the first place’, of course! Right?
Suddenly struck by some shy feeling, Xie Lian ignored any heat on his face and the boy beside him both. At least, he tried to. He set his attention on the book before him, but the moment he felt successful, he realized he had gone right back to looking at the young man.
Seriously?! And why was this young man so close, anyway?? Xie Lian’s only saving grace was that the youth wasn’t looking at him. He was instead studying his book with a curious, thoughtful expression.
Finally, after what felt like an eon, the young man hummed. His voice was surprisingly deep and completely unexpected; it would have been startling anywhere, but in the midst of a library where Xie Lian had already become accustomed to the silence, it rang through Xie Lian like his soul was a string on a pipa. Goosebumps erupted across his skin in a wave, radiating from the ear that was far, far too close to that young man and his fine voice. When the young man’s next move was to rise to his feet, Xie Lian watched with wide eyes.
The youth glanced about, running his eyes over the many books lining the shelves. What he was looking for, Xie Lian couldn’t tell- and he wouldn’t know, either. After taking his fill of the options, the red-robed youth met his gaze with a smile, and without any further ado, walked away.
Xie Lian blinked dumbly at his retreating figure. Huh?
Wait, come back, he nearly said, surprised by the strength of his desire. Something about watching that young man leave without a word felt wrong. But that was silly. Life was full of meetings and partings, and it wasn’t like either of them could say goodbye. Or that Xie Lian needed one. They were just strangers. It was just that people as nonchalantly kind as that young man were few and far between in Xie Lian’s life, and he liked to show gratitude whenever he had the good fortune to meet them.
Xie Lian sighed. Oh, there was no use lingering on it. It would be a better use of his time to focus on the matter at hand. He knew next to nothing about divination and fortune telling, and this was a novel chance to learn! Perhaps if he picked up enough, he could start offering palm readings on the streets. That would be a nice way to earn some coin!
Cheered by the thought, Xie Lian found it easier to put aside his strange feelings of disappointment.
And the book was a bit interesting. Dry, certainly, but novel enough to hold his attention. In fact, it did such a good job that Xie Lian didn’t even notice he had company again until a finger tapped on his shoulder. It was only by virtue of his roll-with-the-punches attitude that he didn’t shout or otherwise cry out. Instead, he whipped around, one arm raised to strike or defend, whatever might be needed. But the moment he saw who was beside him, his arm and guard both dropped.
It was that red-robed youth again! His expression was a bit sheepish, and he mouthed what Xie Lian knew had to be an apology. In his free hand, he held a slim, black book, which he presented to Xie Lian as if in explanation.
Xie Lian looked at the book, then back at the young man. What was this?
The red-robed youth seemed to recognize his confusion. He quickly dropped to a seat beside Xie Lian and opened the book, quickly rifling through it before settling on a page and presenting it to him.
It took Xie Lian a couple moments to register the page. He was a bit distracted by the youth’s sudden proximity- having taken a seat, there were now only a few inches between them, and for some reason Xie Lian didn’t know whether to lean away or in closer. This guy... He definitely ran hot! Xie Lian felt warm just sitting next to him!
In front of his eyes, a long, fine finger gently tapped a passage on the page. Xie Lian blinked and resisted the urge to cough or slap his face. He could focus! And he did. Quickly, he skimmed the passage the young man had pointed out- then paused. Read it again, a second time, more slowly.
Wasn’t this... a contradiction of what he’d already read? The state preceptor’s old book said that sort of result meant... but this one was saying- practically the opposite! Xie Lian looked up at the young man with a furrow in his brow. What had he meant by bringing Xie Lian this book?
Obviously, the youth didn’t answer. He raised his brow and tilted his head, giving Xie Lian an open, curious look.
“...” Xie Lian lightly grabbed the corner of the book, a question in his eyes. The young man surrendered it without hesitation. Xie Lian flipped through the book, skimming the meat of it before turning to its very first few pages.
Oh. How interesting. This book had been written about one hundred years after the one his old teacher had favored... Was it meant to be a refutation?
Xie Lian set both books open in front of him and studied them closely. Finally, he looked at the young man still sitting patiently at his side and gestured at them both.
What do you think?
The youth smiled. He then reached into his robes and pulled out a third book. It was so unexpected Xie Lian couldn’t help but give a silent laugh. But when he presented Xie Lian with the book’s central essay, the cultivator thought he could understand what he was getting at. How interesting... Xie Lian read it through and sat for a minute, processing the claims. His finger tapped his knee thoughtfully. Finally, he turned back to the original book that had started all of this and flipped somewhere closer to the front. Finding what he was looking for, he held out the book and pointed.
The young man stared at the page for a moment, looking a little surprised, before his eyes rose to meet Xie Lian’s and he smiled, pleased and true.
And that set off what had to be one of the strangest conversations he’d ever had in all his years- one where not a single word was spoken, nor even written, but held solely through the pre-written text of philosophers and cultivators long dead. By all accounts, it shouldn’t have worked at all, and yet Xie Lian felt a connection to this young man, fresh but solid. It was like whatever Xie Lian thought about a topic, the youth was able to understand it at just a glance. Not only that, but Xie Lian was discovering he wasn’t half-bad at predicting the young man’s thought process himself! The youth was a composed young man, cool and collected, but his expressions still told Xie Lian everything he needed to know- or so it felt.
At some point, though he didn’t notice, Xie Lian’s cheeks grew stiff from smiling.
How novel. Really. How novel... He didn’t even know this young man’s name, and yet he already felt like he knew everything he needed to.
Throughout this ‘conversation’ of theirs, the youth had gotten up a number of times to find more books to add to their dialogue. At some point they’d gotten distracted and moved from divination to spiritual tools to spiritual weapons, and youth was now focused on retrieving book after book discussing one legendary weapon or another. Xie Lian had to wonder if the young man was one of the library’s staff, because it seemed like he knew its catalogue like the back of his hand. He was quick to disappear if he thought another book might add to their conversation.
It was during one of these absences that Xie Lian’s luck ran out. The red-robed youth had been gone for only a couple of minutes. But he was never gone long, so when Xie Lian heard footsteps approach his aisle, he looked up with a smile, ready to welcome-
The librarian spirit stared at him and the dozens of books scattered randomly around him with complete affront.
Oh no.
The librarian advanced on him, expression dark and murderous. Xie Lian sighed woefully, shoulders slumping. Well, it had been nice while it lasted.
He did stand when the spirit pulled out a dagger, though. Please, I really don’t want to fight, he tried to say with his eyes and open hands. Speaking would do him no favors. Yet all he felt was the rising tide of resentment once more, as the ghost’s den and the wards she’d built into the place began to press down upon him, building to a crushing-
The spirit stopped. The resentful energy seemed to stutter, then begin to fade away. Xie Lian raised his brows. Had she changed her mind...? No, she didn’t look calm. In fact, she looked ghastly pale, frozen staring over Xie Lian’s shoulder at-
That red-robed youth? He stood at the other end of the aisle. So helpful and welcoming before, he now wore an expression of such dark displeasure that Xie Lian’s heart quivered. It wasn’t until the youth began to walk forward that he realized he wasn’t the target of the stare. Indeed, he halted at Xie Lian’s shoulder, eyes fixed upon the librarian spirit. His eyes flicked down to the dagger the woman held, and he sneered faintly.
Xie Lian placed a hand on the young man’s shoulder. He immediately broke off staring at the spirit to look at Xie Lian, eyes wide with surprise. Xie Lian had picked up on his aversion to touch throughout the course of their ‘dialogue’, and so didn’t linger. All he’d wanted was the young man’s attention.
He smiled. It’s fine.
The young man furrowed his brows, but Xie Lian turned back to the librarian spirit and bowed once in apology. The woman was still frozen, but she didn’t look like she was about to rush them, so Xie Lian knelt and gathered up a few of the books he and the red-robed youth had helped themselves to.
The young man had brought most of them from parts unknown, but a couple had come from the shelves around them, and Xie Lian took care to put them back exactly where he’d found them- all but for that purple-bound book, ‘On Changes’, that had started this whole thing. He didn’t trust his ability to put that one back without causing another bookslide. He was just about to prompt Ruoye to try putting it back for him when there was a quiet sigh and a pale hand plucked the book from his own.
The red-robed youth carefully slid the book back in place, then crouched and began sorting through the remaining books himself. A few he set aside, but Xie Lian was surprised to realize most he was fitting inside his sleeves. The young man tapped his own chest when he saw Xie Lian’s confusion. Did he mean to say these were... his own books?
Not for the first time, Xie Lian wondered just who this young man was. He’d only been courteous to Xie Lian, but the librarian had cowered under a single look. Initially, he’d thought the young man to be employed by the spirit, but now...
How curious...
The red-robed youth fit one last book in his sleeve and picked up the remaining few. When he rose to his feet, Xie Lian followed. It was only then that he realized the librarian was gone, having disappeared at some point in their clean-up.
Xie Lian followed the young man through the many aisles of the library, all the way to the foyer. The young man unceremoniously dropped the books he’d been carrying onto the librarian’s empty desk, then held open the door for Xie Lian.
Stepping out of that musty, windowless building, Xie Lian blinked under the glare of the setting sun. He raised one hand to shade his eyes. The sky was orange with pink hues, dusk perhaps only an hour out. It had been about midday when he’d arrived. Had they really spent so long in a conversation without a single articulated word?
He looked at his companion, the red-robed youth. Rather than meet Xie Lian’s gaze, he was studying the road with a faint frown, idly tugging his ponytail with one hand. In the fading sunlight, he looked a little smaller, a little stiffer- a touch hesitant, perhaps.
Looking at him, there was really only one thing Xie Lian could think of. Delicately, he cleared his throat. The young man swiveled his head towards Xie Lian, immediately at attention.
“My friend,” Xie Lian said warmly, “do you have anywhere to be? I’d love to talk a while longer, if you have the time.”
The young man blinked in surprise. He smiled, opened his mouth, and said-
I have eternity for you, Your Highness. The only place I wish to be is by your side.