Poking the fire with a twig, Gu Changshou studied Xiao Han from across the flames, pondering his body’s affliction.

His blood could suppress Xiao Han’s yin qi for a day, but it wasn’t a long-term solution. As much as he was willing to help, he couldn’t stay in the mountains forever. Soon, his leg would be healed and he would be able to take simple steps. And a few weeks after that, when he could move around more and his meridians were in better shape, he would be able to leave.

If only he had a yin cultivating manual… But other cultivation techniques never interested him. His situation was too rare and there was a clear path for cultivating that he didn’t need to consider others.

“Have you always been like this?”

“This?” Xiao Han stopped the exercise with sticks and looked up.

“Up here, by yourself. Surrounded by yin qi.”

“…yes? …no.”

“Huh?”

“…Other… not good human… when smaller… taught little words and fire… gone now…” He tried to find words to describe what happened, taking care to make the correct sounds. It was so long ago that he almost forgot. “Yes no.”

“Not good human?” Gu Changshou’s gaze sharpened, his imagination blooming with various scenes of people wanting to harm Xiao Han.

After spending so much time together, he almost forgot he wasn’t the only one who could have stumbled upon Xiao Han. Guessing from his lack of knowledge, the things he collected and words he knew might be from someone teaching him, but it could just as easily be from watching and listening to visitors to the mountain.

“As in a bad person? What did they do?”

“…en. Bad person…” He scratched his scalp, wondering how to explain, before pulling open his robe and rubbing the jagged scar on his chest. “…bad human made.”

“Where are they now?”

“…gone…dead.” Xiao Han quickly amended as he fumbled to tidy up the folds of his robe.

There were so many things to remember from how to dress, how to eat, and most difficult of all, how to speak. Communicating was utterly foreign to him. Xiao Han was used to being alone with nothing but the trees and earth around him. Each sound took effort to make and felt weird coming out of his mouth, but he quickly realized the utility of being able to speak with the nice human.

“En.” Gu Changshou nodded, the rage in his eyes dulling. Unclenching his fist, he slowly released the tension in his arm. It was good that evildoer was dead. He didn’t want someone intruding on them when he was healing. Or for someone to see and want to hurt Xiao Han.

The long scar running from his right shoulder to left waist appalled him. Getting hurt was common in the cultivation world, but children were meant to be slowly nurtured and protected. Judging from the size, it was not a trivial injury either; it was a miracle that Xiao Han survived.

While Xiao Han was filled with yin qi, he wasn’t evil – quite the opposite in fact.

In some respects, he was like the little brother Gu Changshou never had, calling him brother and orbiting around him. But Xiao Han was infinitely more adorable than all his cousins who tagged after him.

In the span of weeks, his knowledge and vocabulary expanded greatly. He still stumbled on long sentences and spoke slowly, but he could hold basic conversation. There was no ill will in his actions, and the way Xiao Han acted whenever he caught himself doing something wrong made him want to smile.

It was just the yin qi, his sloppy appearance, and lack of knowledge that caused people to misunderstand. Even with the few changes of suppressing the yin aura suppressed, cutting off the tangled mess of his hair, and wearing albeit ill-fitting clothes, one could see the faint traces of who Xiao Han truly was: a lonely, quiet youth.

“Chang-ge… hungry?”

“Ah? Are you asking if I’m hungry?”

“En.”

“I’m still fine.”

“Oh.” Xiao Han dropped his head, not knowing what to do. Speaking was difficult. Making the sound was one thing, but knowing what to say next or how to say it was more challenging.

Typically he would spend his days exploring the mountain, searching for things to bring back, maybe observing humans or creatures, or finding things to eat. But he wanted to spend time with him…

“Are you hungry?”

Shaking his head, he stared back down at the ground. He was simply trying to interact more, and ‘act like a human’ as was taught. Frowning, he returned to moving the stick around on the ground, repeatedly tracing the words he had been taught before, and trying to burn them into his memory.

Being human was hard…

The crackling fire was the only sound between them as the two of them sat there, each trapped in his own thoughts.

 

Adjusting his waistband, Gu Changshou exhaled deeply as he stretched his limbs, a large grin on his face he was shook his legs out. His shinbone was finally mended. Running was not a good idea yet, but standing and walking were no problems. He had been stuck in the cave for over a month, unable to do anything except watch Xiao Han bustle about.

And the clothes he wore were gotten from who knows where, but at least the pants were his. He had never been in such poor conditions before. Relying on a younger person for everything from food to shelter, clothing to daily needs… It was a bit shameful to consider.

Turning his head, he flinched at the stale scent coming off him. The last time he bathed was in town, and he had been covered in sweat, blood, and grime since then. Xiao Han brought water to help wipe down and dress his wounds, but it wasn’t the same as a proper bath.

“Xiao Han!” He couldn’t resist waving at the approaching figure.

After his persistent teaching, Xiao Han finally walked upright instead of hunching, wore actual clothes, and tied his hair back to reveal his face. His features were still obscured by the purple lines carrying yin qi all over his skin, but it was already a major improvement. Silver hair was rare, but there were other cultivators, typically older ones or elders, with silver hair. As long as one accepted Xiao Han wasn’t good at speaking, and one disregarded the lines on his face, he was absolutely human.

“Chang-ge? You… out of cave.”

“En, my leg is a lot better now.” As if to demonstrate, he walked a few steps. “Do you know if there’s a river or pond nearby?”

“…river? Pond?”

“Yes, a place with lots of water, so I can bath.”

“Lots of water…? How much?”

There was that moving water near them that he used regularly. And also that giant body of water at the top of the mountain. Xiao Han didn’t go often since it was out of the way, but when he wanted a change of scenery, it was a nice place to visit. When it was too hot, he would sometimes go up there and splash in the water to cool down.

“As much as possible.”

“En, top of mountain.”

Gu Changshou wanted to slap himself stupid for forgetting what Qingshui mountain was named after. There would not be anything better than a large lake known for its crystalline waters.

“How far away is it? If you’re not busy, can you show me to it?” Along the way, he’d try to get Xiao Han to bathe as well.

“…not far. En… will take time.”

On the way up, Gu Changshou was amazed at the increasing number of medicinal ingredients and herbs growing on the mountainside. He wasn’t good at judging which ones were valuable or their uses, but the scents alone overwhelmed him, clearing his mind and rejuvenating him. It was a pity he didn’t have any knowledge on pill refining or arrays.

Making a mental note to harvest some before he left, he continued following Xiao Han up. After about a shichen, mostly because of his slow walking speed, they finally reached the top.

“How beautiful…”

Blinking, he let a deep breath out, admiring the sparkling clear water, almost like a mirror, reflecting the clouds drifting above. He was surprised to find the yin qi was thinner here, but pushed the matter to the back of his head.

Stripping off his robes, he was about to pull down his pants, when he caught Xiao Han staring. Gu Changshou had no problem with public baths, but Xiao Han’s look was a bit too intense. It made only one taking off his clothes. He felt like a maiden being watched by a beast… or a pervert.

Pausing awkwardly, he shook his head to wipe away his overactive mind and cleared his throat. “Th, that is… Xiao Han, why don’t you come wash as well?”

“Wash?”

“Well, washing means to clean. Just follow me and take off your clothes.”

Satisfied at the explanation – it was simpler to demonstrate – he followed through with his actions, taking his pants off and placing them with his robes in a pile before wading in the water. The cool waters lapped up to his chest as he waited for Xiao Han to do the same thing and follow him into the lake.

“…cold…”

“Ah, I forgot about that.” He apologized, forgetting about Xiao Han’s constitution and returned nearer to the shoreline where the water only reached their hips.

“Chang-ge… look different?” Xiao Han stared at his body for a long minute, and then looked back down at his own.

He knew he was covered in those dark lines everywhere, but what were the slightly protruding square things in the middle of around the stomach area. There was also the thing underneath, that looked… different?

Patting his stomach, he couldn’t see or feel anything – it was flat like usual. Maybe those squares were normal, and he was the weird one?

“Different?”

“En.”

“Where?” He held his arms wide open, staring at himself not understanding. Seeing a hand point at his stomach, Gu Changshou grinned, feeling a small bit of masculine pride. “You mean my muscles?”

“…muscles?”

“Yes.” Pulling Xiao Han’s hand over, he pressed them against his stomach, flexing them in the process to show off. “Here, feel. Muscles are the meat under the skin. When you exercise enough, they become hard and you can see them.”

It made sense if Xiao Han had never seen another person’s body before. He barely knew the different between male and female, let alone the names of different body parts. Gu Changshou shuddered to imagine how shameful the last few weeks would have been if either of them was a female…

“…en.”

Studying the difference between his stomach and Gu Changshou’s muscles, Xiao Han wondered what he needed to form them. It was yet another thing that was different between him and other humans. Taking time to press down with his fingers, he explored the firm flesh before moving downwards to touch that other thing that was different…

“Stop!”

Grabbing his hand and pulling it away from his lower half, Gu Changshou nearly spat blood. He didn’t think Xiao Han also meant that part!!!

“So-sorry…”

“No, it’s fine.” Absentmindedly stroking Xiao Han’s wrist, he found himself admiring how soft the texture was, before he abruptly realized what he was doing and let go.

“That… The thing is… I’m not really mad, just surprised.” Gu Changshou wondered how to explain such a delicate topic, sweating internally at what had almost happened. “Aside from to treat someone’s injuries, you should try to avoid touching people’s skin. And definitely not that part!”

Whoever Xiao Han’s future partner was, they would have a fun time explaining the intricacies of personal space, and what was acceptable in public versus in private. Frowning at the faint discomfort of someone else taking over his role, He wondered who Xiao Han would be in the future, feeling a faint discomfort over it. Whoever he was – Gu Changshou automatically categorized them as male, but excluded himself – would have to pass his test, as Xiao Han’s big brother, before he let them close to his Xiao Han!

“Ah… I know…”

“Good, now let’s wash up.”

Grabbing the rag he brought with them, he scrubbed the weeks of sweat and grime off before motioning to Xiao Han to do the same. It was a pity there was no soap, but it was good enough for being stranded on some mountain.

Gu Changshou’s heart thumped in anxiety when Xiao Han offered to wipe his back to reciprocate, but it was woefully uneventful. The small hands were cautious, gentle almost, with a tiny tremble at first, and with his encouragement slowly became braver and more firm in their actions. Squinting, he furrowed his brows, trying to calm the inexplicable tension in his body from those movements.

He would love to spend longer in the lake, and maybe swim around when his body was better, but Xiao Han couldn’t bear the cold water for long periods with his constitution. Frowning at the shivering, bedraggled look Xiao Han had when they left the lake, Gu Changshou created a warm breeze. It danced around them, whisking away the chill from the lake and warming their skin, before vanishing. His could channel some qi through his damaged meridians, but it wasn’t enough for self-protection, let alone fighting.

There was a burst of pride watching Xiao Han dress himself and tie his hair back. The movements were slightly clumsy, but it was a huge improvement compared with before.

At the same time, sorrow at Xiao Han’s fate swept through his heart. His features were delicate, his temperament was soft, and anyone would be lucky to have such a cute and obedient younger brother. But it was all ruined by the overbearing yin qi in his body.

“Good job. Xiao Han is very smart.” Helping him adjust the folds of his robes, Gu Changshou praised. He would do his best and give Xiao Han everything he had missed before – family, in the form of a big brother, a friend, and a teacher.

“…en.” Xiao Han nodded his head, not fully understanding what ‘smart’ meant. But Chang-ge smiled while saying it and patted his head, so it must have been a good thing.

“…back now?”

“Yes, let’s head back. Do you mind leading the way?”

While he had lived on the mountain for weeks, he barely recognized any landmarks or trails. It was just a bunch of rocks and dirt, scattered trees and plants, and ambient yin qi obscuring their path, which made navigating even more difficult.

Picking his feet over a fallen tree, Gu Changshou sighed. Lying on a soft bed after a bath would be a luxury in the mountains.

“Ah, I can’t wait to go back to the sect. I miss sleeping on a bed.”

As a child, he disliked living in the sect there with all the rules and guidelines to follow, but thinking back, they were for his own good. He could have easily become like his childhood neighbor, Lin Zijun, always wasting his time on unsavory pursuits, if it were not for him being at the sect.

“…back to sect?” He was leaving?

Xiao Han clenched the hem of his sleeves, lowering his head to hide the stinging in his eyes. Was he going to be by himself again…? Deep inside, he knew it would happen sooner or later, but hearing it out loud brought those negative feelings to the surface.

“Ah, I didn’t mean that.”

Gu Changshou hurriedly corrected himself upon seeing Xiao Han’s downcast expression. It was impossible for him to stay here forever, but he wasn’t on planning to leave just yet. There was something to be about this type of simple, natural living that he enjoyed. No worrying about rules or what other people thought. If there was something to complain about, it was the persistent yin qi around them which made it harder to see. But that wasn’t too bad.

Most of all, Xiao Han was easy to be around. It was fun watching his eyes light up when learning something new, the excited cries when he figured out something, or the shy, bashful smiles when praised. Xiao Han wasn’t like those fellow disciples buzzing around him like a group of flies, asking him for advice or praising him all the time. He was eager to learn, and a hard worker. Despite making great improvement in his language abilities, he still didn’t speak much. But knowing how to versus not knowing how made a world of different.

“Do you want to go visit a city?”

“Visit a city?”

“Yes. There’s a city near the foot of Qingshui mountain we can visit together.” He had never gone to Fujing city, but several of his peers had traded stories about the auctions, delicacies, and wonders there. Gu Changshou had planned to detour there previously, and see what was so exciting about the city.

“En, want… visit together.”

“Good, it’s a promise.”

Wait until his injuries were a little better, and he would bring Xiao Han with him. It would be his first time in a city, and would be good practice interacting and speaking with others. That way, if or rather, when he eventually left, Xiao Han would be okay.

Gu Changshou frowned for a moment, before ignoring the pang in his chest at the thought of Xiao Han being alone once more.