“Senior brother, what are you doing today?”

Blinking, Gu Changshou looked at the group of Tianmen Sect disciples who came with Hu Lanfeng. A small corner of his heart was relieved Xiao Han was still in the room. Hu Lanfeng was talkative, but fairly tactful, which was why he was chosen for the current assignment. But he didn’t know anything about the other faces.

“I was planning to go to the auction with Xiao Han, but he’s not feeling well.” He thought Xiao Han was tired and let him rest early, but since this morning he had been curled up in bed, refusing to eat or drink. He even refused to drink his blood, if not for it being forced on him.

“Is it serious?” Hu Lanfeng saw him shake his head and heaved a breath in relief. “Maybe he’s just tired from running around yesterday?”

“Maybe…”

“Well then, let’s go together? We were waiting for you in case you wanted to go together.”

“That…” He started, torn between wanting to go and not. The auction was indeed a rare opportunity, and there were some things he was interested in. But was it a good idea to leave Xiao Han here?

“We can ask the innkeeper to keep an eye out. I’ll also ask Zheng Ping to stay here as well.” Hu Lanfeng gestured at junior disciple who went to take of things with the innkeeper. “Don’t worry, there’s no need to guard him so tightly.”

There was a good reason for his caution, but he didn’t explain further. Gu Changshou took a moment to reconsider, and finally nodded. “Let me tell Xiao Han, and then we can leave.”

“Sure, we’ll wait for you.”

Despite the variety of precious weapons and materials, Gu Changshou couldn’t pay much attention to the things being auctioned without Xiao Han there. All he could think about was about Xiao Han. What was he doing now? Was he feeling better? Would he be afraid being alone in the inn?

Even his fellow disciples’ commentary couldn’t dilute those questions buzzing around in his brain. His original goal for coming was to find something to buy it as a gift for Xiao Han. But the entire trip was pointless without him there.

“Senior brother Gu?” Hu Lanfeng’s question interrupted his thoughts as they left the auction hall.

“Yes?”

“We’re planning to check some medicinal halls. Do you want to come with us?”

“No, I have some things to do.”

“Okay then, take care.”

A chorus of farewells from his fellow disciples chimed in succession before the finally left.

Ambling aimlessly on the street, Gu Changshou wondered what to do. He thought of going back, but it didn’t feel right to go back empty handed. At the very least, he could try to cheer Xiao Han up with a few gifts.

“Changshou-ge!”

Hearing his name called out, Gu Changshou raised his head to see a female cultivator clad all in white and waving at him. Flipping through his memories, he finally put a name to the face. “…Tan Ling?”

“Changshou-ge, it’s been a long time. How have you been? I heard you reached the nascent soul stage? Congratulations.”

“…en, thank you.” He nodded, not really hearing the words she said.

It only bothered him a bit when acquaintances addressed him so intimately before. His fellow sect members were fine. Even Lin Zijun was bearable since they grew up together. Hearing Xiao Han say ‘Chang-ge’ made him want to smile, but hearing Tan Ling call him ‘Changshou-ge’ so intimately grated. Since when was he close to her?

“Did you just come out of the auction?”

Taking the opportunity, Tan Ling slid right beside him, earning a few jealous looks from their closeness in the process. Her smile became even brighter from the small victory. See, this was the normal reaction when people saw a heavenly-matched pair like Gu Changshou and her.

Peeking discreetly at his face, she hid the excitement at seeing him again. Gu Changshou wasn’t burly or overly muscled, but one could see he was well-built, standing upright and tall. His angular jaw and sword eyebrows were made more pronounced by his severe countenance. One could easily see he was a valiant, righteous male.

When she first saw him a decade ago, smiling and showing her around his sect, she knew they were perfect together. She, as a yin maiden, and he with his yang qi. His striking appearance, noble temperament, and heroic demeanor only made sense with someone as graceful and charming as herself.

She still couldn’t believe Gu Changshou walked around yesterday holding hands with that thing…

“En.”

“Did you buy anything?”

“No.”

“That’s a pity. I saw a hair crown that would suit Changshou-ge perfectly.”

“Oh,” he replied dully.

The smell of flowers drifted his way and he wrinkled his nose in irritation. He had promised Xiao Han to be back by lunchtime, so they could eat together. Gu Changshou still wanted to buy some things before he returned, but there was only a quarter of a shichen left.

“Were you looking for me for anything?”

“Ah, not really…” Biting her inner lip, Tan Ling was frustrated at his perfunctory remarks. The auction was a perfectly good topic to discuss, but Gu Changshou shot it down so stupidly like that.

“Then, I’ll leave first. I still have some things to do.”

“Ah, wait! I did have something to ask.”

“Then ask.”

“Then…” She opened her mouth hesitantly, “can I ask who you were walking with yesterday?”

If it weren’t for her being a yin maiden and being attuned to yin qi, coupled with the rumors Piaoyue Sect investigated previously about a creature with yin qi markings and silver hair, Tan Ling would never have guessed such a thing would be wandering about town. And holding hands with Gu Changshou too.

Her Changshou-ge would never do such as thing. He was the most noble and upright cultivator she knew. But her eyes weren’t wrong… Tan Ling silently followed them for half a day yesterday, watching as they frolicked around the streets, acting so intimate. That thing must have seduced Gu Changshou!

Silently shaking her head, she pasted a bright smile on. Gu Changshou must not have known about that thing’s dirty origins. After all, it was rare for yin qi to physically manifest so strongly. There were only a handful of cases in the last hundred years, and the only way it could happen was for someone to be at the core of a special yin qi gathering array, specific to her Piaoyue Sect, when they were very young.

Connecting the dots, there was only one yin qi gathering array and one person who could have done it. A disgrace that had been kicked out of the sect for seducing men. That thing must have learned from its mother and seduced Gu Changshou for his yang qi.

“Are you referring to Xiao Han?” The corner of his mouth tilted up at the memory of Xiao Han tugging onto his robes yesterday.

“…his name his Xiao Han?”

“Ah, I mean Gu Hanqing. His small name is Xiao Han.”

She sneered internally hearing those words. That male vixen dared share Gu Changshou’s last name, and even asked him to call him using such a coquettish name? Like mother, like son…

“What about Xiao Han?”

Gu Changshou frowned internally, not wanting to make something out of nothing. He knew a large portion of Piaoyue Sect, being female, focused on yin qi cultivation. Gu Changshou hadn’t heard of anyone on the lookout for yin-related creatures lately, but who knew what went on internally. Were they thinking of doing something to Xiao Han?

“Don’t you know his origins?”

“Origins?” Sharpening his gaze, he glanced around to find a more secluded spot to talk. “Wait, let’s find some place to talk first.”

He didn’t want any unsavory rumors floating around from their conversation. What did this woman know that he didn’t? How did she even know about Xiao Han?

“Let’s talk over here.” Stopping, he turned to face Tan Ling with a scowl on his face. “Now, speak.”

“Gu Changshou, why are you spending so much time with him?”

“Why? Who are you to care?” He sneered at the sudden change in her tone. Tan Ling wasn’t here to talk about Xiao Han’s origins, but to slander him.

“Like mother, like son. That male vixen must have seduced you with his body?”

“Preposterous!”

Xiao Han was the furthest thing away from a male vixen, let alone knowing anything about seduction. If there was an animal that could describe him, it would be a little chick newly hatched in the world, cutely naïve, innocent, and adorable, always nodding obediently and following his words.

“You have no right to say those things about him.”

“No right?” Tan Ling sneered. That beast was the same as his mother. Dirty, pretending to be innocent, and openly seducing men left and right. Who knew how he lured in Gu Changshou? Or how many others he slept with?

“Gu Changshou, you don’t even know what his mother did!”

“…his mother?”

Unless he was lied to, Xiao Han had never met his mother. But Xiao Han would never lie to him. Besides, what kind of mother left their child alone in the mountain?

“Yes! She was the one who created the yin qi gathering array and made Qingshui mountain like this. A place surrounded by yin qi and uninhabitable.” Tan Ling smiled triumphantly. Who would want to be with someone whose parents were evil cultivators? “Ever heard of the name Jiang Mei? She’s his mother.”

But Gu Changshou’s reaction exceeded her expectations.

“Jiang Mei? That was over thirty years ago.” He knew little of her, only that she was a cultivator who was madly in love with a local sect leader, through others gossiping about the tragedy that cost dozens of lives. How Tan Ling found out about such a thing didn’t matter, Jiang Mei died long ago.

“Even if she is Xiao Han’s mother, she left him here. He had to survive by himself for over thirty years.”

His heart throbbed in pain at the thought of Xiao Han spending so much time by himself. At first he simply wanted to teach him how to speak and dress for saving him, because there wasn’t much else to do and it was uncomfortable interacting with someone more beast than man. But then, seeing Xiao Han quietly tottering after him, clutching his robes and relying on him, made something in his heart shift.

Gu Changshou had not had time to explore his feelings in depth, but she had touched his bottom line. Xiao Han should be protected from the likes of Tan Ling and all the dirty things in the world.

He should have taken his senior brother’s task to investigate the yin qi around Qingshui mountain back then. That way, he could have found Xiao Han sooner and brought him back to the sect to control his yin qi, where he could be protected and cared for.

Gu Changshou’s heart warmed as he imagined a small version of Xiao Han chasing after him, calling Chang-gege, and pulling on his robes with watery eyes. Not that the current him wasn’t adorable, but the years of loneliness and caution had hidden it deep inside.

“Survive? In order to survive, he’s killed people before. His hands aren’t clean.”

The small warmth froze as he considering how Xiao Han was forced to learn how to survive by himself without anyone helping him. No one to take care of him if he was ill, teach him good from bad, or even to celebrate special occasions. It was a miracle Xiao Han survived so long without fully being consumed by yin qi.

“So? No one in the cultivation world has completely clean hands.”

Tan Ling twisted the sleeve in her hands, unwilling to believe that dirty monster had blinded her precious Gu Changshou to such an extent. “What will everyone else say when they hear you spending time with a dirty yin monster?”

“Shut up,” Gu Changshou stated coldly, losing his patience.

Sweeping his arm out, a blade of wind flew over, leaving a red scratch on her face.

“AH! What did you do?!”

“Don’t you ever say Xiao Han is dirty or a yin monster.” He snorted, silently calculating whether to create a matching scar on the other side of her face.

He wasn’t afraid of some insignificant Tan Ling. She might be the Piaoyue Sect Master’s disciple, but she was too young to pick a fight with him. He entertained her before because she was a fellow cultivator and guest of their Tianmen Sect, but that was it. She was nothing special.

“That was just a warning. Now scram.”

He turned and left without looking back, mentally checking what he needed to do. The rage at Tan Ling’s slander abated as he pondered whether to tell Xiao Han or not.

The streets were noticeably busier as people began preparing for the annual lantern festival. Children running about staring at the various animals drawn on paper, young women visiting shops to look at new designs, and stalls selling seasonal wares.

Hearing a familiar tone hawking ‘tanghulu’, Gu Changshou looked up to see the stand from the previous day. The corners of his lips perked up as he recalled Xiao Han’s expression from trying the roadside snack.

Hearing the seller recognize and call out to him, Gu Changshou quickly came to a decision.

Xiao Han was Xiao Han; he had nothing to do with his mother. Maybe a few years later they could talk about it, but knowing an incomplete history now could only hurt him. Jiang Mei was dead, and being associated with her would only make people more cautious of Xiao Han.

 

“Xiao Han?” Gu Changshou pushed in the room door, holding another stick of tanghulu and a few other parcels. “Are you feeling better?”

“…Chang-ge?”

A soft hesitant voice called out from the inner room, followed by the caller.

“En. Chang-gege is back.”

Gu Changshou couldn’t help feel distressed for leaving him in the inn. He should have stayed with and waited for Xiao Han to get better, instead of going to the auction with his fellow disciples. The trip had been useless anyways. Worse, running out to play and leaving Xiao Han by himself for a half a day was no better than what his mother had done.

“What are you looking at? Am I handsome?” He smiled, half-jokingly when he saw Xiao Han staring at him.

“…”

“It’s fine. I was just joking. Here, look what at what Chang-gege bought for you.” He put the items on the table one at a time, introducing them as he went along. “…this is from the lantern festival happening tonight. We can go if you’re feeling better later.”

“En. Thank you, Chang-ge.”

“No need to thank me.” He waved it off, studying Xiao Han. Gu Changshou was amazed at the changes in Xiao Han over the last few months. When they first met, he resembled more beast than man. And now, apart from his odd complexion, it was difficult to see he was different from those youths on the street.

“Are you feeling better? Did you think of me while I was gone?”

“…en.”

Heart softening at the tiny chick-like head bob, he took a step forward and pulled the slender youth into his arms. Smoothing his palm down the silky tresses, he rested his chin against Xiao Han’s head, smelling the unique fragrance of earth and herbs that Xiao Han carried everywhere.

“…Chang-ge? …what are you doing?”

Xiao Han was stunned, not sure what to do with the arms hanging by his side. It was his first time being enveloped in such warmth.

It was different than any of their previous actions. Gu Changshou occasionally patted his head or held his hand, often to gesture or to demonstrate something, but this was different.

It was warm, safe, and made him feel protected.

“Hugging you. Does it feel nice?”

“…en. Warm.”

The worries pressing down on him vanished as Xiao Han hesitantly wrapped his arms around, imitating the actions as he snuggled deeper into the embrace. He wanted to be held like this for a long time…

Feeling Xiao Han’s arms reach around him, the itchy yearning in Gu Changshou’s chest returned as he held Xiao Han closer.