Wu Lingtian let out a soft sigh behind Fan Yi, drawing Fan Yi’s attention toward him.

Wu Lingtian met Fan Yi’s gaze and tilted his chin towards a particularly old tree. “Let’s rest.”

Fan Yi bit back a smile as he watched Wu Lingtian fly up to a tree branch. Fan Yi followed him to one near Wu Lingtian’s and looked down at the younger man. “Tired?”

“Mn,” Wu Lingtian took his straw hat off and snuggled into the trunk of the tree. His eyes closed and his long eyelashes cast a light shadow again his cheek in the light of the rising sun. “Injured. So, I should rest more.”

Fan Yi hummed and leaned back against the tree trunk. “Rest then. We still have time before people in the town wake up anyway.”

Wu Lingtian hummed and quickly fell asleep.

Fan Yi watched Wu Lingtian in silence as his breathing slowed. He watched his chest rise and fall in an even rhythm and he watched the way the sunlight warmed Wu Lingtian’s normally cold features, like the spring sun, melting winter frost.

There was a certain type of impression that belonged only to Wu Lingtian that Fan Yi had appreciated since the moment they met. Strong and silent, but ever present. It was in the way he presented himself, as well as in the way he spoke and his general appearance. Before, when Wu Lingtian had worn red, this temperament had been somewhat obscured. Wu Lingtian’s coldness became a sharp knife—wicked and threatening. But now that his robes had become a simple white, matched with silver and periwinkle, the coldness softened around him and he seemed to become more approachable.

Compared to the Yu Lan Sword Immortal that everyone had praised, Fan Yi much preferred the Wu Lingtian he got to know a little more recently.

“Now, if only you’d just be a little less stubborn,” Fan Yi murmured. “You’d be so much cuter.”

A little less stubborn to find help. A little less stubborn to admit that you’re hurt.

Though, Fan Yi knew that if Wu Lingtian was awake to hear himself be called cute, he’d probably stab Fan Yi with his sword.

 When Wu Lingtian woke again, it was a little later in the morning. The scent of fresh pork buns filled Wu Lingtian’s senses and he turned to find Fan Yi holding the bag out to him while already eating one himself.

Without questioning, Wu Lingtian took the bag and began eating.

“Were you starved back at the sect?” Fan Yi chuckled.

Wu Lingtian didn’t answer, but he had paused almost imperceptibly.

Fan Yi’s normally teasing gaze darkened.

Once the pair had finished their breakfast, they began to head to Hua Town. Since they weren’t quite familiar with the directions, they had to travel on foot and ask people they passed as they went.

“This is nice.”

Wu Lingtian glanced at Fan Yi, who’s eyes were quite bright. “What is?”

“Walking.”

“…”

“What? Don’t look at me like that! It’s been a long time since I’ve gone out like this. The only places I go are other sects or poor villages.”

“Poor villages?”

“Often times, the smaller, poorer villages don’t have a doctor, and there are a lot of those around Screeching Sparrow Sect, so I pop in sometimes to make sure there isn’t anyone in need of a doctor,” Fan Yi said.

Wu Lingtian held Fan Yi’s gaze for a moment before looking away.

“Hm? What is it? In love?”

“No.”

“…You don’t like playing along, do you?”

“I do not want you to be delusional.”

Fan Yi chuckled lightly behind his hand. “Aren’t you the sweetest, Tiántián?”

Wu Lingtian glanced at Fan Yi.

Fan Yi lightly cleared his throat. “Young Master Wu.”

“Is it hard to treat me formally?”

Fan Yi looked a little wronged. “You’ve already entered my sect. To me, you’re already family. It’s hard to treat family formally, don’t you think?”

Wu Lingtian watched Fan Yi steadily. “I would not know. I have never had a family.”

“Ah,” Fan Yi hummed. “Right, you’re an orphan. It was your master that took you in.”

“Mn.”

“That’s fine,” Fan Yi grinned as they stepped out from the shade of the forest. “From now on, we’ll be your family. My Screeching Sparrow Sect can be your home.”

“I am fine without one.”

“How can a person be fine without a family? If you are a living, breathing person, it is always nice to have someone else to lean on and depend on.”

“I have been fine without one for more than thirty years of my life,” Wu Lingtian said. “I am sure I will be just as fine for the remainder of it.”

“You’ve only lived thirty years,” Fan Yi said. “There’s still so much life to live. Why are you making it sound like you’re going to pass away soon?”

Wu Lingtian didn’t bother responding as the pair neared the large sign that read “Hua Town”.

Fan Yi also stopped pestering him.

Hua Town was relatively small, but it could be seen with just one look that it was extremely lively. The rivers that crossed through the town was filled with entertainment boats and the restaurants and hotels seemed full and teeming. It could be said that this place was where people from neighboring towns would come to relax and avoid the responsibilities of life. Although it was lively, the people who were dressed to the tens were few and most seemed to be of the common people.

Soon, the pair of them arrived at the brothel that Yun Yingying had named.

Fan Yi followed behind and stared up at the elegant structure before glanced at Wu Lingtian.

He seemed very out of place.

“Young Masters,” a coquettish voice called out from the entrance, drawing Fan Yi and Wu Lingtian’s attention towards them.

Several girls, dressed somewhat scantily, danced out and immediately latched onto them. Fan Yi awkwardly pulled his arm away from the girls that insisted on pressing their breasts up against his arms.

Wu Lingtian, however, remained completely still as the girls began messing with his veil and rubbing against him.

“Young Masters, Cheng’er has never seen your faces before. You both must be new here,” one of the girls attempted to grab Fan Yi’s hand. “How about you come in and we’ll show you a good time? I promise, your money will not be wasted.”

“Actually, we—”

“Alright.”

Fan Yi turned to Wu Lingtian, who actually allowed the girls to pull him in. With a dazed expression, Fan Yi allowed the other girls to pull him along as well.

Inside the brothel, there was a stage where there were girls playing instruments. Those with less money sat at the tables near the stages with girls attending to their food and drinks. Others had their hands against a woman’s waist as they ate whatever was fed to them. Some had their attention only on the performers, never once moving to look at any of the other girls.

Those with more money were in private rooms. Just by walking past, you could hear the giggles from the courtesans and the sleezy talk from their customers. Certain rooms had more…graphic sounds.

The girls were just leading Wu Lingtian to the main floor, when he stopped.

“Take us to a private room on the highest floor,” Wu Lingtian said.

The girls’ eyes widened, but they soon recovered. With a shy giggle, they pulled Wu Lingtian and Fan Yi away.

Only once they were in the private room, did Wu Lingtian pull his straw hat off to reveal his face.

Fan Yi could hear the girls’ sharp inhales. They were basically drooling.

“Does this Young Master desire food or drink?”

“May I please trouble you to bring us some tea?” Wu Lingtian asked.

The girl he addressed bowed her head to hide the blush and quickly left to fulfil the order.

As courtesans, they had seen all types of people. From the poorest of the poor to the richest of the rich. Their looks ranged from downright ugly to so handsome you wouldn’t believe they could need to come to a brothel to satisfy themselves. But Wu Lingtian was something completely different. He must be a god that had descended on the mortal realm to experience human emotions.  

The courtesans felt that someone like Wu Lingtian couldn’t possibly be here to satisfy his desires, so they treated him with courtesy.

“Young Master, could it be that you are looking for someone?”

Wu Lingtian held out the cup for a girl to pour him some tea. He took a light sip and set the cup back down. “I am searching for someone.”

The girls’ eyes widened with interest. Was this a hero that had come to save a maiden? Would they see a tragic love story unfold before their eyes?

Fan Yi, who did not lose in terms of looks but lost in terms of temperament, silently sat off to the side as a spectator and watched the eager girls.

“Do you ladies know of someone named Yun Yingying?”

The expressions that had been so eager moments before slowly fell. Sadness filled their eyes and one even became teary, very quickly.

“Young Master, you are looking for Yingying? Apologies, Young Master, but Yingying passed away two years ago…”

Wu Lingtian let out a soft sigh. “I am aware of this fact. I came to ask how she passed.”

At this question, the girls’ expression became indignant.

A few had to leave to tend to other customers, but the one that stayed was Yun Yingying’s closest friend, Li Chao.

“Dare I ask, Young Master, why you want to know about our Yingying?”

“We are cultivators,” Wu Lingtian said truthfully. “When I was tending to another case, Maiden Yun extended a helping hand and protected me from danger. As payment, I would like to allow her to finally rest peacefully, but to do that, I need to know how she died and what exactly happened to her beloved.”

Li Chao’s lips pursed and the rims of her eyes began to turn red. She cleared her throat and nodded. “If I can help Yingying pass from this life, then of course, I will tell Lord Immortal their tragic story…”

As for how much the pair of star-crossed lovers loved each other, the entire brothel knew and even the owner had given her tacit agreement. On the night they had planned to leave, however, Han Suming was stalled by a woman that had insisted on marrying him.

Han Suming did not come from a gentle background and he was no scholar. He was a cultivator, like Wu Lingtian and Fan Yi, but he was not well known. He came from a small sect and had even decided to leave the world of Rivers and Mountains just so he could live a regular life with Yun Yingying. But he had a junior martial sister that loved him dearly. Just that would be fine, but behind her gentle, sweet face, was a rotten heart.

When she heard that Han Suming had already departed from the sect, she went after him and cried and begged for his return.

Han Suming had his fair share of enemies and it just so happened that this dear junior martial sister had sent them to find Yun Yingying. While she worked to distract Han Suming, not only was Yun Yingying taken advantage of, she was also brutally murdered. After finding what happened and the culprit behind it, Han Suming had gone on a killing spree and, in the end, gave himself up to his master.

His master had looked upon him with pity and hadn’t wanted to use his life to repay for the lives of those that he took, but Han Suming had been resolute.

If his beloved no longer existed in this world, then he would go to the next to find her.

“…But you’re telling me now that Yingying is still trapped here,” Li Chao let out a shaky sigh. “…It is as if they were never meant to be.”

Fan Yi handed Li Chao his handkerchief and glanced at Wu Lingtian, who had gone completely silent. He turned back to Li Chao.

“Maiden Li, do you know, perhaps, where Han Suming is buried?”

Li Chao dabbed just below her eyes and sniffled slightly. She nodded. “I do know. He is buried beside Yingying, per her request…”

“Could we trouble Maiden Li to bring us over to their graves?” Fan Yi asked.

“Of course. It would be no trouble at all,” Li Chao nodded.

Li Chao stood first and waited outside for Fan Yi and Wu Lingtian.

Fan Yi glanced at Wu Lingtian before standing and nudging. “Young Master Wu, we’re leaving.”

“I am aware,” Wu Lingtian stood and placed his hat on his head. He readjusted it and allowed the veil to fall about him before following Fan Yi out.

The gravesite wasn’t too far from town. It was tucked away in the woods. Just below a tree that looked very much like the one that Yun Yingying had been killed under. The two headstones were kept clean. It could be seen by strangers just how much the two people were cared for in life.

“Thank you…we’ll be sure to tell Maiden Yun,” Fan Yi said.

Li Chao hesitated a moment and pressed her lips together. “When you see Yingying again could you…could you tell her something for me?”

“Of course.”

Li Chao clenched her jaw and blinked back her tears as her nose soured. “Young Master Han, he…he really loved her. I’m sure she knows, but I just want to make sure she doesn’t think he ever abandoned her. He…oh, he missed her so…so much…”

Fan Yi patted Li Chao’s shoulder. “Please don’t let your sadness burden your health.”

Li Chao lightly shook her head. She wiped the tears from her face and smiled. “I won’t. I know Yingying…that would be the last thing Yingying would want from me…could you also tell her that we all miss her very much and…and in the next life, I hope we could be friends again.”

Fan Yi nodded.

Li Chao’s smile only grew. Her eyes traveled towards Wu Lingtian, who was quietly standing in the corner and bowed. “Thank you, two Immortals. I will be taking my leave now.”

“Safe travels.”

“To you as well.”

Fan Yi’s gaze trailed back over to the two headstones. “Young Master Wu.”

“We’ll go find Maiden Yun,” Wu Lingtian said. “Sect Leader, please.”

Fan Yi pulled out his sword and the pair flew back over to the back forests of the Yi Mansion.

“You found out what happened to him?” Yun Yingying asked as soon as she saw the pair.

Fan Yi bowed his head. “Mn, he…he has already passed away.”

Yun Yingying’s smile froze and slowly slid from her face. Her battered visage scrunched horribly, but no tears fell. Her fingers curled into the sides of her worn out robes.

“You are buried beside him,” Fan Yi said.

“…Oh…”

“…If you don’t mind coming into this pouch, we could bring you to him,” Fan Yi produced a lightly colored blue pouch from thin air and held it tightly closed.

Yun Yingying stared at the pouch for a moment before quickly nodding. “I’ll go. I…I’ll go.”

Fan Yi opened the pouch the slightest amount and allowed Yun Yingying to be absorbed in. He turned to Wu Lingtian and pulled him onto the sword again.

By the time they had arrived at Yun Yingying and Han Suming’s headstones again, the sun had turned a reddish orange. The clouds above had begun to gather, obscuring the setting sun and their long shadows that spread out against the headstones.

Fan Yi landed smoothly and barely even felt Wu Lingtian release his waist and stand off to the side. He pulled the pouch from his belt and released Yun Yingying’s spirit.

She appeared slowly and seemed to be in a daze as she turned her head towards the two headstones. Her expression pinched again as she slowly hobbled forward and collapsed to the ground. Her chest ached and her throat felt as if someone had grabbed it once more and was tightening their grip. Her dirtied fingers brushed against Han Suming’s name that was etched neatly into the piece of wood by his master. And then she turned to her own headstone.

Her name was written shakily, as if the person had been crying, but she still recognized the handwriting. She would recognize it even if centuries had passed by, much less half a decade.

Yun Yingying let out a wretched cry as she bowed her head to the ground below Han Suming’s headstone. Her fingers dug into the earth. She curled a little closer, as if seeking the warmth that no longer existed.

“He…” Fan Yi glanced at Wu Lingtian, but the latter’s expression was obscured. He turned back to Yun Yingying. “Maiden Li said that…after he found out you had passed, he punished those that tormented you and even killed his junior martial sister. He had asked his master for punishment, but his master was soft-hearted and only wanted to lock him away. Young Master Han thought the sentencing was too light and…he wanted to join you, so he took his own life.”

“How could he be so silly?” Yun Yingying asked with a broken voice. “…Just because I died, he had to go after me? What kind of logic…Suming…I…I would have much rather you lived a happy…fulfilling life…why did you…Suming…”

Fan Yi pursed his lips and bowed his head.

The two cultivators stood behind the ghost as she cried invisible tears and cursed the Heavens that had bestowed such a wretched fate upon her and her beloved.

At some point, the clouds grew closer and a light snow began to fall about them, blanketing the ground with patches of white. The coldness that permeated the air was nothing compared to the coldness in Yun Yingying’s heart, nor could it compare to the coldness in the Underworld.

“I…should go find him…”

Fan Yi brought his eyes up to look at Yun Yingying’s desolate figure.

“The Underworld is cold…he must have been waiting for me for so long,” Yun Yingying stood slowly. “I…I should go now.”

Fan Yi nodded. “…Maiden Yun?”

“Yes?”

“…Maiden Li said…in the next life, she hopes that you and her can be friends again.”

Yun Yingying’s eyes widened. She bowed her head and pressed her lips thinly before she nodded. “I…as well…I also hope so…”

Yun Yingying turned to Wu Lingtian and stepped forward. She bowed deeply. “Lord Immortal, thank you so much for allowing me to unties the knot of my heart.”

“…Mn.”

Yun Yingying pulled on a pained smile. “I wish you a happy…fulfilling life.”

“…In the next life,” Wu Lingtian spoke slowly. “I hope you will live a happy, fulfilling life as well.”

“Thank you.”

Yun Yingying turned to Fan Yi and bowed too.

She took a slow, deep inhale and just as the snow drifted to the ground, her spirit slowly began to glow and she, as well, drifted away with the wind.

Fan Yi stood silently by the headstones and watched as the snow slowly covered it, one layer at a time. He turned to look at Wu Lingtian, who had stepped to his side.

“Are you okay? You’ve been awfully quiet.”

“…Is a life like that…nice?”

Fan Yi watched the barely visible face behind the white veil.

Wu Lingtian reached out his hand and allowed his fingers to rest upon the “Yun” character.

“A life where…without another person, you cannot envision continuing on. How must that feel like? Is it worth living?”

“…Young Master Wu must not know,” Fan Yi smiled. He faced the two headstones again. “When you fall in love with someone, your entire life changes. It is as if your soul and theirs is now tied together by a red string. If they cry, you’ll cry. If they feel pain, you’ll wish it was yourself feeling that pain. If they smile, then obviously you will as well. It is rare to find someone you love this deeply, but when you do, you’ll want to be together with them for the rest of your life. If they die…if they pass and you continue on, no matter how many years have passed, you will…still…”

“Does Sect Leader have this type of experience?”

“Not with romantic love,” Fan Yi said. “But I believe losing another kind of loved one will produce a similar feeling. Isn’t Maiden Li like that? When you care about someone with all your heart, you’ll naturally have this reaction when you lose them.”

“I see.”

There was a pause.

“It does not sound pleasant.”

Fan Yi chuckled.

Wu Lingtian’s eyes trailed to the two headstones where one had died because of another’s jealousy while the other had died due to heartbreak.

“…I just think…’love’…this sort of emotion…is probably the cruelest one, no?”