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Cultivation had always been easy for Xiao Xingchen. It took him no time to catch up to the older disciples in his sect and eventually he would always defeat them. It was something deeply ingrained in his bones. The feeling of a sword in his hands, the practiced steps his feet took, the forms that came from somewhere deep in his heart. Nothing brought him more joy than being able to spend the whole day meditating and training.
His parents had died long before he was able to remember them, all he knew was that they had somehow known his current sect's leader, who had taken him in when he was a child. And Xiao Xingchen was grateful, he truly was, the woman was kind and a strict leader and never left Xiao Xingchen feeling like he was alone in the world. Xiao Xingchen loved her and all of his martial siblings, to be in the middle of a loud and numerous group filled him with contentment.
But he was also restless.
Everyone encouraged him to stay in the sect, and become a teacher to pass his skills to the next generation. And while that was in its own a lovely idea, Xiao Xingchen couldn’t quite commit himself to the possibility. He would’ve loved to teach young cultivators and see them grow up with his guidance, but he wouldn’t be able to put all of his efforts into the task and that would feel like a betrayal to his possible students.
He was restless.
There was sizzling under his skin, encouraging him to travel, to leave. It was like something was missing, something that he wouldn’t ever be able to find here. At times a deep sorrow seemed to sink its claws into him, without any clear reason. The roads outside were calling for him to pack as little as possible and leave. To where, he wasn’t sure.
He would be able to meet so many new people, help them as much as he could, see so many different places, gain so many different experiences, fail and succeed. He just hoped that when the time came for him to leave, his family would be alright with it.
And one evening that time did indeed come. He knew he had to leave. It didn’t feel like a call anymore, but a demand. Maybe his family had sensed the restlessness in him as well, because they weren’t surprised at all when he told them where he was going. That didn’t mean they weren’t worried and many of them warned him to be careful, some suggested accompanying him, but Xiao Xingchen politely declined. He spent the last night with his dearest people, saying goodbyes and reassuring them that he would come to visit them if he traveled close.
Then he packed Shuanghua - the name of his sword had also come from the same strange place as everything else - a little money and food to survive for a few days and then he left. Walked out of the gates and onto the road. Picking a direction felt like following a current in the river, something seemed to pull him into a direction and he followed it without questioning.
–
Xiao Xingchen met the boy after traveling for a few weeks. He had gained somewhat of a reputation for himself, helping people and never saying no, no matter how small and insignificant or difficult and dangerous the task was. All of those he survived without much trouble and the people promised to speak about his skills to everyone they knew and while Xiao Xingchen felt it to be embarrassing and unnecessary, there was little he could do to stop them.
After those few months he met the boy.
He had set a camp in the forest like he usually did and was enjoying tea in the quiet when suddenly he heard noises nearby. Shuanghua was near him and he hadn’t heard of anything unusual happening nearby, so it most likely wasn’t anything dangerous, but he kept his sword at hand, just in case.
Soon the steps came closer and reached the light of his fire. It was a young boy, about Xiao Xingchen’s height, around Xiao Xingchen’s age, maybe a little younger. Except for his eyes, they revealed years of loneliness and fatigue. Bluntly said the boy looked tired and pale. Lifeless. Like he had been traveling around for a long time. He was dressed in simple black robes that reached around his knees and his hair was tied up in a high ponytail. But the most noticeable part of him was the arm, or the lack of it exactly. He was missing his whole left arm, cut from the shoulder. The left sleeve of his robe was tucked into his sash, to be kept from getting in the way.
When the boy locked eyes with Xiao Xingchen his expression changed like it was hit by lightning. His eyes widened under the messy bangs and it was like life returned to them. Now that he was closer Xiao Xingchen could see his features more clearly, which were actually kind of pleasant to look at. He had full lips that turned into a smile, like he had just walked home after a harsh day. He had prominent canines that were revealed in the smile, a high nose bridge, and those eyes. Dark, big and so deep. Xiao Xingchen felt like he was getting lost staring at them.
“Sorry if I’m bothering daozhang. I saw the light from your fire and came to see who it was,” the boy said and smiled at him. He had a pleasing voice as well, young and bright. Something about it grazed the deepest parts in Xiao Xingchen, like he had heard it a million times before. He wasn’t sure if this feeling inside of him was intrigue, or fear. Or some strange mix of both.
“It’s alright, you aren’t bothering me. What are you doing here alone?” Xiao Xingchen responded and smiled gently back at him. At the same time he got the distinct feeling that he might not be completely safe with him, but the thought of this boy turning around and leaving, never to be seen again, made him feel even more frightened.
The boy’s face lightened up like he had received a precious gift, “I don’t have anywhere else to go. I have just been wandering around, looking for something to eat.”
“Oh, I have food if you want,” Xiao Xingchen said, the strange wariness quickly being replaced by sympathy and worry.
The boy slowly walked closer to him and sat down next to the fire, his eyes never leaving Xiao Xingchen. One could think he was scared that Xiao Xingchen would try to attack him, but his expression made it seem like he wasn’t able to stop looking at Xiao Xingchen, even if he tried. He was still smiling softly, “Daozhang is too kind.”
“It’s nothing, here,” Xiao Xingchen said and gave the boy a bun and a peach. He accepted them with the same grateful look as he had accepted Xiao Xingchen’s smile. Like he had been gifted priceless jewelries and treasure.
“Thank you, daozhang,” the boy said, nodding his head, “I’ll surely find a way to repay you somehow.”
“There’s no need,” Xiao Xingchen waved his hand, “I offered after all. And you can call me Xiao Xingchen. What’s your name?”
Again the smile, like the boy was seeing something much greater than just a normal taoist cultivator. Maybe he was truly that hungry, “Xiao Xingchen-daozhang can call this one A-Yang,”
“A-Yang, it’s nice to meet you,” Xiao Xingchen smiled.
–
Xiao Xingchen had at first thought that the boy would leave when he had eaten, but then the boy asked if he could spend the night by Xiao Xingchen’s side, claiming that he was scared to be alone in the forest at night. Xiao Xingchen had of course allowed it. Then he had thought the boy would leave when morning came, but he didn’t. Instead the boy shyly asked if he could accompany Xiao Xingchen for a few days. Xiao Xingchen still felt strangely about him, but realized it was a huge relief to know that he wouldn’t have to say goodbye to the boy yet. And so days and weeks passed and A-Yang was still here.
He was very different from the people Xiao Xingchen had gotten used to in his life. Nothing seemed to bring worry to the boy and he treated everything with a hint of humor and amusement. He was teasing, many times crossing the boundaries of propriety, and Xiao Xingchen wasn’t sure if the boy was genuinely flirting with him, or was it just the way he spoke to people. Still, too often he found himself blushing at the boy's words.
A-Yang also made jokes that would make the elders in his sect pale, but unused to this type of humor, Xiao Xingchen didn’t seem to be able to stop laughing in his presence. The boy was loud, rude at times and liked to spend time spouting nonsense, but for some reason Xiao Xingchen found all of this adorable in its own way. The road that had been so demanding and at times lonely, now had a new spark to it.
Now that Xiao Xingchen was fairly certain the boy had nowhere to go and wasn’t going to leave anytime soon, he decided to bring up a topic he had come to realize a few days after their meeting. He hadn’t wanted to ask right away, in case he would scare the boy away with his curiosity, but now he felt certain enough that he could bring up the question.
When evening came, and they sat camp in the forest again, Xiao Xingchen made tea for them.
“You are a ghost, aren’t you?”
The boy looked up quickly, with surprise on his face, but soon it melted into an amused smile, “Daozhang is so observant.”
“I figured it out some time ago, but it wasn’t really my business, so I didn’t dare to bring it up. But we have traveled for some time now, I didn’t want you to think that you would have to hide it from me,” there had been small signs of it ever since the beginning. A-Yang was cold, pale, resentful energy sometimes emitted from him, and from time to time, Xiao Xingchen was certain that the boy was missing a heartbeat.
“Daozhang is so calm about it. Shouldn't you be wary of me?” the boy asked, still smiling. Despite Xiao Xingchen giving his name, the boy stuck to ‘daozhang’ more often than not.
Xiao Xingchen knew that this ghost was a powerful one and he alone might not be able to fight against it, but that already made the decision for him. If this ghost was out here to harm him, Xiao Xingchen couldn’t do much to stop him, so why not allow him to stay? What difference did it make?
“You haven’t tried to harm me so no, I’m not wary. After these weeks, I would consider you my friend. It doesn’t matter to me if you’re a ghost or not,” Xiao Xingchen said and when he looked up, he was startled by the vulnerable expression on the boy's face. From time to time the boy got this look, like he was seeing something otherworldly in Xiao Xingchen’s place, a mix of awe and possessiveness in his eyes. But he was a ghost, and Xiao Xingchen didn’t know how long he had been this way, maybe the boy hadn’t had anyone to talk to in a long time.
“If it isn’t too rude of me to ask; what keeps you here?” Xiao Xingchen asked carefully, he was curious, so curious, but he didn’t want to pry.
“...It’s sort of complicated. I have been like this for a long time already. But for now if it’s alright with daozhang, I would like to stay with him a little while longer,” the boy said after keeping quiet for a moment. Complicated meant that Xiao Xingchen wouldn’t ask for more, until the boy was ready to speak.
“Of course A-Yang, stay as long as you like. I enjoy having company while traveling,” Xiao Xingchen smiled at him.
“Daozhang enjoys my company?” A-Yang said, and his smile was teasing.
“Of course, it’s nice talking with you and you make me laugh,” Xiao Xingchen answered, blushing lightly.
–
Soon after that day A-Yang said that Xiao Xingchen wouldn’t have to spare him food anymore, since he didn’t actually need to eat.
“But don’t you still enjoy eating sometimes?” Xiao Xingchen asked, he usually had enough money from night hunts to get food for both of them.
“I guess, sometimes,” the boy said and stared into the distance for a while, “I do still have a huge sweet tooth, candy is something I’ll always try to get for myself.”
“Alright,” Xiao Xingchen let out a small laugh, “I’ll try to remember that.”
Now Xiao Xingchen was at the market getting food and medicine. A-Yang had stayed back in the forest, he didn’t seem to be a fan of big crowds of people. Remembering their speech from before, Xiao Xingchen did get some candy for his companion. It was probably lonely and hard being dead for so long, so small pleasures like these would hopefully cheer him up.
When he got back to their camp, A-Yang was already preparing the fire. He was so helpful, even when there was no need. It was a little unexpected for a ghost this powerful to stick with a simple cultivator like Xiao Xingchen, sleep in forests and eat simple food. But if it was what he wanted, then who was to say his behavior was strange. Xiao Xingchen could almost hear his family in his ear telling him not to trust people so easily and could just imagine what they would have to say about his current situation, but A-Yang had shown no signs that Xiao Xingchen would be in danger from him and Xiao Xingchen didn’t like speculating.
“Thank you A-Yang,” he said when he reached the fire and sat down.
A-Yang smiled again with that bright smile of his, “I was bored anyway, so it was something to do.”
“You’ve been very helpful, I got you something,” Xiao Xingchen said and reached into his sleeve and took out the candy, “Here, you said you liked it.”
A-Yang eyes brightened and again it was as if he was offered something holy from the gods themselves, “Daozhang remembered, I do like them! I’ll cherish them in my dead heart.”
“Silly, it’s just candy. I can always get you more,” Xiao Xingchen chuckled and shaked his head. The boy could be so cheeky at times. He then looked when the boy easily unwrapped the candy with only the one hand he had and placed it into his mouth, seeming to savor it like it was of quality that the emperors ate.
“It’s sweet, sweeter than the ones I’ve been able to find,” the boy said, his whole face in a smile.
“You’re welcome,” Xiao Xingchen nodded, “...You don’t have to answer, if you don’t want to, but how did you lose your arm?”
The boy looked at him with a curious expression, which suddenly turned annoyed, not annoyed at Xiao Xingchen though, but for something in his past.
“It was taken from me, when they took everything from me. But that’s alright, I don’t need my arm and everything else, I’m slowly getting back,” the boy eventually said, it was not a clear answer, but he rarely ever did give those, so Xiao Xingchen only nodded.
“You are a very skilled fighter with only your right arm.”
A-Yang beamed at him.
–
Xiao Xingchen had been away for most of the day, helping a family in their fields, it was not the type of job he usually did but he hadn’t seen any reason to say no. The family had given him food and money for the trouble too, and after a hard day of work he felt content. When he returned to the camp where A-Yang was, he saw the boy talking with some smaller ghosts. A-Yang had accompanied him for the morning, but had left later, saying there was something he needed to do, never specifying what it was.
The boy looked tense and irritated while listening to the ghosts and soon he shooed them away with his hand. He then turned around and saw Xiao Xingchen returning, all the irritation on his face was immediately wiped away and replaced by joy.
“You’re back!”
Xiao Xingchen smiled too, “Yes, they gave me some money, so I visited the market as well.”
“Good, though they never give you as much as you’d deserve.”
Xiao Xingchen only shaked his head fondly, they had had this conversation a couple of times already, “Were you talking with other ghosts?”
A-Yang rolled his eyes, “Yeah, they’re helping me keep a track of someone. I don’t care too much about bossing others around, but they want to suck up to me since I’m stronger, so I might just put them to good use.”
“Oh, are you looking for someone?” Xiao Xingchen asked surprised, the boy hadn’t mentioned something like this before.
“Not looking, avoiding. I want to know where he is and go the other way. He isn’t exactly looking for me, but I don’t want to accidentally come across him,” A-Yang said, looking tense again.
“Does he want to harm you?” Xiao Xingchen asked, now a little bit worried. Though surely there weren’t many creatures strong enough to challenge this boy.
“He can’t harm me even if he wants to. But I can’t harm him either, he’s dead too, a fierce corpse, so running into him might put you at risk, and I don’t want that,” A-Yang smiled at him gently.
“Then you can tell me if we should avoid certain directions,” Xiao Xingchen said, and felt touched by the concern. Why should he be wary of this boy, when he was so clearly worried for Xiao Xingchen’s safety? “Who is he, if you don’t mind telling me?”
“Just… someone from my past. We had disagreements, and he was partly responsible for my death,” A-Yang said, and it was more honest than Xiao Xingchen expected of him.
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Do you want to talk about it?”
“It’s alright, it doesn’t bother me. I just want to avoid him as much as I can. Guess it was understandable of him, but still,” A-Yang said, and again that irritated look came back on his face and clear killing intent surrounded him, but it was over as quickly as it had come.
“Well just avoiding bad memories is understandable, hopefully those ghosts will keep track of him,” Xiao Xingchen smiled and caressed the boy's arm. Cold as always.
–
A-Yang was also a very helpful fighter, sometimes the demons and spirits Xiao Xingchen came across were harder to defeat and in those times A-Yang’s help was really appreciated. From time to time he used a sword, but ripping the creatures apart with his hand seemed to work fine too. It seemed like after meeting the ghost, Xiao Xingchen had stopped getting even those small injuries he got from time to time.
Sometimes a few smaller ghosts would help him, but A-Yang seemed to be serious about the fact that he highly disliked having people - or ghosts - assisting him, so those cases were not often and the boy would quickly shoo the other ghosts away.
“Your sword is very pretty, does it have a name?” Xiao Xingchen asked one day after a fight. The blade looked demonic and was emitting resentful energy, but he thought that to be a suitable weapon for a ghost like A-Yang.
“Jiangzai, I’ve had it since I was alive. It has always worked well for me,” A-Yang said and spinned the sword around.
“‘To bring disaster’, how ominous,” Xiao Xingchen laughed.
A-Yang smiled back teasingly, his unusually prominent canines showing, “Well it’s what I do, bring disasters. I just like daozhang a lot, so you don’t have to worry about that.”
“Do you bring disasters often then?”
“Not anymore, I mostly just stay hidden and waste time on insignificant things. So if you want scary stories of me as a ghost , I hate to disappoint the lack of them to daozhang.”
“But you aren’t hiding anymore?” Xiao Xingchen asked teasingly back, like he sometimes tried to do. But he was actually curious, because based on what he had learned from the boy, it seemed like he had been dead for at least a couple hundred years, and ghosts needed to have a purpose for being here. A person like A-Yang would most likely hold grudges, so what was he avoiding and hiding from? Did it have something to do with the man he was keeping a track of? Or was it that he was waiting for something?
“Not so much anymore. I was lonely, and bored, but daozhang ended up being so kind and interesting. I couldn’t bring myself to go back into the shadows anymore,” A-Yang said and leaned a little closer. It seemed that Xiao Xingchen couldn’t quite beat him in his cheeky words.
“Well, thank you for it. It’s nice that I haven’t had to travel alone. And if there's ever something you need to do, or want to visit, I’d be happy to accompany you. It seems you’re usually just helping me.”
“I like helping daozhang, it’s not a big problem for me. And there really isn’t anything for me to do, so helping you will keep me from getting bored and when I get bored, that’s when the disasters happen. So daozhang is doing a good deed by keeping this one occupied.”
“Alright, I hope you won't get bored of me then,” Xiao Xingchen laughed and started the walk back to where they had set up for the night.
“I could never,” A-Yang said, his tone more sincere than ever.
–
Once they ran across another cultivator, Tian Ruoxuan, who was after the same spirit that they were and ended up helping each other out. The man seemed to be a little older than Xiao Xingchen and was very grateful for their assistance.
“I was a little too arrogant and thought I could handle it, you’re very skilled with your sword,” Ruoxuan said to him.
“You as well, and we were around so it was no trouble,” Xiao Xingchen nodded. A-Yang was quiet, quieter than usual but he never did seem to want to be around other people, other than Xiao Xingchen.
“Where are you traveling to Xiao-daozhang?” Ruoxuan asked, he seemed to be excited about meeting new people.
“Nowhere really. I have just been wandering around with my companion, but there isn’t a clear destination for us.”
“Oh, if you don’t mind then, would it be alright of me to join you for a few days?” Ruoxuan asked, his smile getting bigger.
“Of course, A-Yang?” Xiao Xingchen asked his still unusually silent friend.
A-Yang seemed to be tense, but he smiled politely and nodded, “It’s alright.”
They set camp in the forest and talked late into the night, A-Yang continued to be silent and a few times Xiao Xingchen was sure he caught the boy staring at Ruoxuan with a scowl on his face. Maybe he should talk with the boy tomorrow, if he was actually okay with someone else joining them, even if it was for a few days.
He said goodnight to both of them and slept a dreamless sleep. When he woke up in the morning, Ruoxuan was gone.
“He had some talisman on him that alerted him, apparently it was his family that was in trouble. I didn’t need to sleep, so he told me to say sorry to you and thank you for your short company,” A-Yang explained, he sounded to be saddened about it, but luckily he was in a better mood than what he had been yesterday.
“He should’ve woken me, I could’ve helped,” Xiao Xingchen said, disappointed that he wasn’t able to say goodbye.
“I think it was about something rather personal, maybe we’ll run into him again,” A-Yang said and smiled encouragingly at him. Something strangely made Xiao Xingchen feel like A-Yang wasn’t being as honest as he usually was. But what could the boy possibly be lying about?
“I hope so too. I was going to ask if you were actually alright with him joining us anyway, you seemed tense,” Xiao Xingchen said carefully. He didn’t want to sound accusing.
“If it was for a few days then I would’ve been fine with it. I just don’t get along easily with most people,” A-Yang said, and it was hard to determine his tone. He was quiet but there was a teasing smile on his lips, “...And I like having daozhang all to myself.”
“That’s alright,” Xiao Xingchen chuckled and wasn’t able to keep the smile from his face. Maybe there was something a little childish about the fact that this ghost - that was who knows how old - was jealous of Xiao Xingchen’s attention, but he couldn’t deny that A-Yangs words made him feel happy, that he was one of those few people he enjoyed spending his time with, “Your company is more than enough for me.”
–
After the brief encounter with Ruoxuan, A-Yang seemed to get closer to him. Literally. It was a rare moment that Xiao Xingchen didn’t feel the boy's presence at his side, or his hand on him, in his hair, fidgeting with his sleeves. For some reason the absence of A-Yang’s left arm wasn’t noticeable, the careful touch of only the right hand was so very familiar. And Xiao Xingchen wasn’t complaining, as shallow as it sounded to his own ears, he enjoyed the attention. The longer he spent time with A-Yang, the more worried he was about losing the boy. The more Xiao Xingchen grew to care about him, the more the fears of him leaving seemed to rise. But this helped, the closeness, it was proof that the boy still wanted to be here.
One night when Xiao Xingchen had already retired to bed, became yet another development. A-Yang usually either stayed up, layed next to Xiao Xingchen on his own mattress, or went on a walk nearby when Xiao Xingchen was sleeping, but tonight the boy suddenly came to lay down next to him. And not on another mattress, but on Xiao Xingchen’s mattress.
“A-Yang?”
“Daozhang, the forest is so dark and big tonight, I’m scared,” the boy whined, and Xiao Xingchen held back the urge to chuckle at his words. Surely with the level of ghost the boy already was, he was the strongest and scariest thing in this forest. So to complain so childishly about being scared was a little amusing.
“Oh, I promise I’ll protect you if something attacks us. How can I help you feel safer?” Xiao Xingchen smiled and caressed the side of A-Yang’s face with his thumb. The boy easily leaned into the touch.
“I want to sleep with daozhang tonight,” A-Yang continued to whine and even pouted his lips like he was still a little kid.
Xiao Xingchen blushed at the boy's choice of words, even though surely it wasn’t what he had meant, “You mean next to me?”
“Of course, what else could I have meant?” the boy asked, the face of innocence but his voice was teasing. He knew what he had said.
“Alright then, I can’t let you be scared. Come here,” Xiao Xingchen shaked his head, but lifted his blanket and allowed A-Yang to slip under it too. Soon the ghost plastered himself against Xiao Xingchen’s body, wrapped his arm around him, pressed his face into Xiao Xingchen’s chest and even seemed to twist their legs together.
Xiao Xingchen was startled at first by the sudden closeness, but melted into it soon, and wrapped his own arms around the ghost, and pressed his face into the messy hair. The boy’s body was pleasantly cold, so the closeness didn’t even feel uncomfortably warm like it could have with the summer weather.
“Is this alright?” the boy asked quietly.
“It is,” Xiao Xingchen reassured him and caressed his hair softly. A-Yang let out a happy hum and tightened his hold. Xiao Xingchen wasn’t sure if he imagined a cold kiss being pressed against the bare skin of his neck. He slept through the whole night without waking up, comfortable in the embrace.
–
Time passed without much happening, they continued traveling, night hunting and getting to know each other. It was after two years of this blissful life when suddenly another cultivator came to visit Xiao Xingchen. They had again set camp in the forest with A-Yang, enjoying the privacy and quiet of it more than the inns in the towns. Xiao Xingchen was in the process of making tea when suddenly A-Yang’s relaxed posture against him turned tense and he jumped to his feet.
“ He’s here,” he hissed out and then suddenly disappeared. Xiao Xingchen was left behind with a confused expression.
Soon someone walked towards him from the forest, “Good evening daozhang.”
It was a man, his age hard to tell, but he looked young, his hair was up in a high ponytail, tied with a bright red ribbon that matched the red accents in his black robes.
Xiao Xingchen felt a little startled, but nodded to the man all the same, “Good evening gongzi.”
“Do you mind if I join you for tea?” the man asked and smiled friendly at him. Xiao Xingchen wanted to go look for his friend, but based on the reaction and quick words, A-Yang seemed to know this man. Was this the man he had been keeping a track of? Just in case, Xiao Xingchen thought that he shouldn't let it be known that he was travelling with company.
“Of course not, I have some extra cups here,” Xiao Xingchen smiled back at the man and showed the empty space next to him to let the other come to sit.
“I was just around the area and noticed that someone was here,” the man said when Xiao Xingchen gave him a cup filled with warm tea.
“I have been wandering around for a few years now, forests are a peaceful place to sleep,” Xiao Xingchen said, trying to get his body to relax and stop worrying about where A-Yang had gone.
“They are,” the man agreed, “But I also came to ask; is daozhang aware that he’s traveling with a ghost?”
Xiao Xingchen stared at the man, unsure where he was trying to lead with that question, “... I’m traveling with a friend.”
“Yeah, I thought so. It’s just that he is someone I’ve been trying to keep track of once in a while. He’s not one of my favorite ghosts you see, I ought to warn daozhang that he shouldn’t be trusted so easily, ” the man said and smiled apologetically. A-Yang must’ve still been close because the air around them thickened with killing intent.
“He isn’t malicious towards me, I don’t think there’s anything I need to worry about. Did you have some personal grievances with him?” Xiao Xingchen asked carefully.
“Not really, he has been surprisingly behaving as a ghost, but his actions when he was alive have left me cautious,” the man grimaced.
“Well, he’s dead, isn’t that the ultimate payment for one's crimes? And I would rather know about his life from him, and not from a stranger. I appreciate your concern, but I know him. I’m not in danger,” Xiao Xingchen insisted. He had known A-Yang already for two whole years and the ghost had been nothing but kind and helpful towards him.
The man wore a complicated expression, but in the end finished his tea and sighed deeply, “I’m sorry then for intruding like this. It’s good to know he hasn’t done anything to hurt you. And should he suddenly turn malicious ,” the man said, more towards the forest than to Xiao Xingchen, “here’s a talisman to call for my help. Thank you for the tea daozhang, I hope to meet with you again.”
Xiao Xingchen accepted the talisman, still feeling a little confused by this man's sudden appearance, “You’re welcome.”
Soon the man had disappeared back into the forest and it didn’t take long before A-Yang returned to his side, his face twisted into a deep scowl.
“Did you know him? Is he the one you’re avoiding?” Xiao Xingchen asked the boy.
“No, he isn’t that man. But this guy has a problem with me, and I don’t want to go testing my powers against him too recklessly. The outcome would be too unsure,” A-Yang said, his voice unusually venomous. He often spoke with distaste about other people, but this time his tone was full of old resentment. He took the talisman from Xiao Xingchen’s hands and stared at it annoyed before crushing it into small pieces, “It isn’t safe to keep this. He could try to use it to track us for all I know. He’s shady. Daozhang shouldn’t trust him. He looks like a normal cultivator, but truly he is even older than me.”
Xiao Xingchen wasn’t sure if this was again A-Yang’s cynicism towards people, or was this person actually someone to be worried about, but he let it be. He knew his A-Yang, he knew who he could trust.
“If you say so A-Yang. Are you alright?”
The boy's scowl slowly melted and he turned to Xiao Xingchen with his radiant smile again, “With daozhang being so concerned for me, how could I not?”
Xiao Xingchen chuckled and shaked his head, but met the boy halfway when he leaned in to press a deep kiss onto his lips. A development that had happened somewhere between the two years they had traveled. One evening A-Yang had carefully leaned in to press a soft kiss on his lips and when Xiao Xingchen had responded to the kiss, he had found himself lying on the ground and his face was getting plastered with quick kisses that told of longing and love. Eventually they retired to bed, continuing to exchange soft sweet kisses before Xiao Xingchen fell asleep.
–
Xue Yang carefully swiped small strands of hair away from Xiao Xingchen’s sleeping face. He looked as ethereally perfect as he had in his last life. The only difference was the eyes. Sometimes having to look into the warmth of them overwhelmed him. Xiao Xingchen looked at him with such care, and Xue Yang would do anything in his powers to make sure the look in them never changed, Xiao Xingchen would never need to find out about their past, it would only make him angry, and sad. Unnecessary emotions he didn't need to feel.
Xue Yang leaned in to press a soft kiss against the smooth skin of his daozhang’s cheek. All the waiting had been worth it, he had been keeping eyes on Song Lan for some time now, and when he found out the useless corpse had finally freed Xiao Xingchen’s soul he had tracked through the whole country in search of his daozhang’s new reincarnation. And now after all those years, he was here. Being next to Xiao Xingchen brought a sensation of peace and calmness that he hadn’t felt even once in the last two hundred years. It felt like everything was finally alright.
‘Xiao Xingchen, Xiao Xingchen. You’re still way too trusting. But this time, I won’t let you leave me like that. I’ll fight whoever I need to ensure it. Even if that Yiling Laozu bastard comes back snooping, even if Song fucking Lan finds us. I’ll get rid of them, like I did with Tian Ruoxuan. And even if Song Lan were to find us, what could he do? He isn't your friend in this life, I am. So you have no reason to believe him, and you wouldn't let that stranger hurt your dear friend right? All of them are useless, they don’t know what's good for you, you don’t know what's good for you, your last life was a proof of that. But I do, and I’ll take care of you, I promise. And you’ll be mine forever.’