Yin Long moved through the streets of Starfall city at a leisure pace, casting a few sweeping glances at his surroundings. The sun had already set during his short scuffle with Bai Mu, but the streets were still somewhat busy, the more adult-focused shops only now bringing out their wares. Yin Long stopped by one of the smaller shops, pointing at one of the items that the female shopkeep had put out.
"Gimme three of those."
The woman smiled pleasantly and stated the price of the items, three smaller waterskins filled with spicy wine that was heated until it was steaming. Yin Long picked up the three palm-sized waterskins and handed over the coins, weighing one of the waterskins as he continued walking.
"Now... this should be the most likely route back, no?"
Yin Long identified the route that most people would take back to the dojo and then moved in a slight arch around it while stretching out his senses. As he got closer to the dojo, he discovered what he was looking for, quietly waiting at the side of a fountain shaped like a rugged man pointing a saber at the sky.
He snuck around the fountain and then approached it from the back with stealthy steps. His approach was immediately noticed by the large cat lying in front of the fountain, but he didn't make a move to expose the approaching Yin Long. Thanks to this, Yin Long could tiptoe his way along the side of the fountain, plopping down casually at the side of the waiting girl while tossing a waterskin to her and one to the cat.
"It's pretty unlike you to just wait here so quietly, I expected you to practically assault me the moment she and I split up."
The girl, Lan Yun, was caught completely off-guard by Yin Long's sneaking, hurriedly scrambling to catch the waterskin after it bounced off of her body. She managed to catch it before it hit the ground, Jin Wang simply electing to open his mouth and swallow the waterskin whole. She unplugged the waterskin and placed it against her lips without even sniffing it first, taking a quick sip while looking at the casual Yin Long.
"I'm surprised you actually figured out that I would be waiting here. I was expecting me to be the one doing the surprising, not the other way around."
Yin Long glanced at Jin Wang, electing to not comment on the wasteful way he gobbled up the wine. He then uncorked his own waterskin and took a small sip, allowing the warm and spicy wine to roll over his tongue. It was a different flavour compared to what he was used to, it was certainly tasty but it fell short when he compared it to the wine of his sister. He corked up the waterskin again, shrugging his shoulders while leaning back slightly to peer up at the night sky.
"For better or worse, I've worked with you for over 6 years, you're among the people I know the best. So I figured that you'd probably be hanging around somewhere along the path that I was most likely to use for my return. After all, I am your flame."
A faint and even slightly bitter smile hung on Yin Long's lips as he spoke, taking another slow sip of wine. Lan Yun also raised her head to look at the star-filled sky, but her gaze continued to drift towards the corner of her eye, towards Yin Long's face.
"The moth to the flame... you didn't forget, huh?"
Yin Long simply smiled very faintly in the face of Lan Yun's question. She was a moth and he was the flame, she would chase him even if she would be scorched to ash upon contact. Such pure emotions, such a determined and committed statement, there was no way that Yin Long could ever forget it. A short silence descended over the two people and one cat, a silence that was broken by Lan Yun after some hesitation.
"She... Is she your flame? Will you chase her even if you know that she is only getting close to you for selfish reasons?"
Just asking that question took nearly all of Lan Yun's strength, her heart nearly dropping to the pit of her stomach. She stood by the words she said to Xue Qiuling, her getting close to Yin Long would only result in her getting scorched. Yin Long's emotions were surprisingly pure, approaching such a being without equal purity was tantamount to suicide as the previously good emotions could fall into the deepest and darkest abyss.
But even so, she was worried. She was worried that Yin Long would fall into the grasp of someone else even if only for a short moment. And above all, she was afraid of that purity getting tainted, afraid that the bright sun would become one radiating only darkness. But faced with her slight worry, Yin Long actually let out a short laughter.
"Selfish? Of course she's only getting close to me for selfish reasons, such is the very nature of love and desire. Aren't you the same? You want to get closer to me, you want to make me happier, all because you love me, all because doing these things will make you happier too. We get closer to others for both their happiness and our own, no matter how selfish that may be. But so what if it's selfish, so what if some people call it twisted? While we might wish to be part of it, we are still wishing for their happiness, fighting for it. It's selfish, but it's still a pure and lovely emotion, a selfishness that doesn't deserve to be denied."
Yin Long's pupils slid to the side and landed on a somewhat stunned Lan Yun as he spoke. He swallowed another shallow mouthful of wine, exhaling a short breath before he continued to talk.
"But no, she is not my fire. She's beautiful and respectable, I won't deny that, she's also a great teacher. But for now I only respect her, there's nothing like love involved. But should emotions like those ever sprout, then I will pursue them even if they aren't reciprocated, because I will love often and I will love deeply."
A soft smile crept up on Yin Long's face without him noticing it, but Lan Yun certainly noticed it. And upon noticing it, she felt a slight sting in her heart because she knew where that smile came from.
'Love often and love deeply, for love is the greatest blessing that has been bestowed on humanity.'
Those were the last words that Yin Long's father had told him, the final request of a father who just wanted his son to be free and live a happy life filled with love. Yin Long was free from the Lang clan now, he had gotten the freedom that his family desired for him, now he could love often and love deeply. And because she knew this, Lan Yun had to admit that she slightly feared not being part of that love, feared never getting to touch the flame she chased so desperately.
Neither of the two broke the silence that descended over the area, Yin Long simply enjoyed the peace and Lan Yun couldn't really say anything. She knew how it would end if love ever sprouted between Yin Long and Xue Qiuling, it would just result in pain for both of them. But as she was in the same position right now, anything she said would just be hypocritical.
She could only let out a somewhat drawn-out breath and calm herself. She knew Yin Long better than anyone so she knew that while he said that he would love often and deeply, actually falling in love was something else entirely. He had abandoned his first love while it was still budding and after that he had sealed off any such emotions, not allowing himself to feel something like that while serving as the darkness of the Lang clan. So it wasn't a lie to say that it was actually rather hard for him to fall in love, it would require something truly impactful to happen.
Time slowly passed as the two sat there, slowly sipping the warm wine while taking in the taste and spice of it. But the wine couldn't last forever, it ran out before long so the two got up and started returning to the dojo while chatting calmly, Jin Wang following leisurely at Yin Long's side. The two quickly reached the dojo again, Lan Yun leaving him with a reminder that she would come for him again within the next three days.
She returned to Eagle King Hall and he returned to Swan Queen Hall, Jin Wang following at his side this time rather than sticking around Lan Yun to keep an eye on her safety. But while Yin Long returned to Swan Queen Hall, he didn't actually head for his dorm to rest. He headed for the door that led to the pagoda that was the martial library of Swan Queen Hall, entering the room and casually making his way past the people that were training outside the pagoda.
The stronger a cultivator was, the longer they could go without sleep, resulting in there being people around and within the pagoda at all hours of the day. But the people training here rarely interacted with each other, unless they needed a sparring partner or arrived here in a group. As such, Yin Long wasn't disturbed as he entered the pagoda and ascended the floors, quickly arriving on the lower section of the third floor. But just when he thought he could spend some time reading over the manuals gathered here, a familiar voice called out to him.
"Oh, you're actually out and about so late? Come, join me for some wine."
Yin Long stopped in his tracks and turned his head, his gaze landing on the brown-haired and green-eyed Old Instructor Meiyu, who had was sitting at a circular table and enjoying a drink while writing something in a small book. He was waving him over so Yin Long headed over, Meiyu tossing out another chair and filling up a cup with wine for Yin Long. He allowed Yin Long to get a good taste of the lightly pink wine before he put away his book.
"Is it good?"
One of Meiyu's eyebrows was slightly raised as he asked, a slight tinge of pride barely discernable in his voice. Yin Long allowed the somewhat fruity and sweet flavour of the wine to linger in his mouth for a bit before he nodded his head, inspecting the wine with a slightly tilted head.
"Extremely good."
The wine was indeed extremely good, probably among the best he had ever gotten to taste. But looking at the liquid within the cup and savouring the lingering taste, he couldn't help but look a little nostalgic and forlorn, something Meiyu immediately noticed.
"You say that, but you don't look fully convinced."
Yin Long raised his gaze, blinking his eyes twice to return his expression to his usual carefreeness. He then took another sip of the wine, shrugging his shoulders before tilting the cup and allowing Jin Wang to finish the rest of the drink.
"I can't help it, comparing the taste to the wine I had in the past just makes it fall short, most wines do. But it's still delicious, just not as good as the wine from my memories. It's a bit annoying honestly, I always end up missing those wines from the past when I compare other wines to them."
Yin Long had yet to find any wines that compared to the ones that his sister made, every wine that got slightly close always just made him remember those past wines even more vividly. Meiyu seemed to have heard a little about Yin Long, nodding his head before looking at him with a slightly inquisitive and piercing gaze.
"Ah, the wine your sister made for you, Little Disciple Ling told me that your sister was a brewer. But tell me, when you miss those wines, is it the taste of the wine you miss or is it the taste of the times you miss?"
Meiyu's statement made it clear to Yin Long that Xue Qiuling and Meiyu had a somewhat close relationship, it was at least close enough for her to talk to Meiyu about him. But he didn't bother too much with it, the question catching him slightly off guard. Was it really the taste of the wines he missed, or did he miss the time he spent with his sisters? He didn't answer the question, instead turning it around and questioning Meiyu, who was filling up Yin Long's empty cup.
"Tell me, with so many disciples in the dojo, why did you settle on me, why choose to train me rather than some of the older disciples?"
This was a question that Yin Long had been somewhat curious about ever since Meiyu started to train him. Was it really just that he wanted a sharp blade to carve his existence into? Meiyu smiled faintly at Yin Long's blunt attempt to avoid answering the question, brushing away some of the errant strands of hair that had fallen in front of his face while he continued to look at Yin Long with a piercing gaze.
"I told you earlier, I can see that you are a child born for the blade, an existence cursed by the sword."
At first, Yin Long thought he would hear what he had been told several times in the past, but the end of Meiyu's sentence caught his interest. It was something he hadn't heard before, it could even be called the complete opposite.
"Cursed, huh? First time someone's said that I'm cursed by the sword rather than blessed by it."
His sister was blessed by fire and he was blessed by the sword, these were things he had heard countless times already over the past. One had cultivation talent eclipsing all others while the other was unable to cultivate but had sword skills marvellous enough to arouse envy, such were the news that circulated about him and his twin sister. But Meiyu clearly thought the opposite, his lips twisting somewhat mockingly.
"Blessed? What sort of blessing is it to be loved by the sword? A sword is a weapon for murder, to be loved by the sword is to be doomed to live a life of bloodshed and slaughter. As such, it is a curse, one that robs you of your own peace and tranquillity, only a psychopath would consider such a thing a blessing."
To be blessed by the elements was a joyous thing, they had a myriad of uses and could bring about great things. But to be blessed by a weapon was to be cursed, a weapon could only bring about blood and death, that was the very nature of weapons. Yin Long didn't argue with Meiyu about whether or not he was blessed or cursed by the blade, it didn't really matter to him, so he simply prodded Meiyu once more.
"So, why would you want to train such a cursed existence?"
Curses were vile things, cursed beings would usually be avoided by everyone in fear that they would bring bad luck or ruin. And yet, Meiyu, who openly admitted that he considered Yin Long to be cursed, was trying to get closer to Yin Long, trying to make him stronger. With Yin Long repeating his question, a very faint smile appeared on Meiyu's face, a somewhat bleak light surfacing in his eyes.
"Because you are as pure and sharp as a newly cast blade, you only need a handle to focus and control all that sharpness. I am dying, that is a fact I can no longer escape, I can already feel my life slipping, my fire will probably fade in just a little over a month. And while it might not happen straight away, within tens, hundreds, or thousands of years, my name and skills will vanish. My legacy will turn to ash and none will even remember my existence."
Just talking about this inevitability seemed to cause Meiyu's body to shrivel up somewhat, he suddenly gave off the impression that he had aged hundreds of years within a few seconds. But as he looked at Yin Long with his slightly piercing gaze, vigour seemed to return to his body, a fierce sharpness practically soaring up from within his bones.
"To be so utterly forgotten and erased, isn't that just a terrifying fate? I fear that fate, I break out into uncontrollable shivers just by thinking about it. So I'll impart my swordsmanship to you, I'll beat every skill I can think of into your mind to hone your blade, to strengthen the handle that will control your sharpness. That way, my legacy will at least live on in you. And even if you should eventually die, as you are an existence cursed by the sword, you will experience countless battles, your sword will overshadow countless others. And those who watched those battles will see your swordsmanship, and they will feel either awe or fear, and they will try to replicate it. Or you might even teach it to others, and like so, my legacy will move on and spread, even if my name vanishes into the ashes of time."
"That, that is why I picked you, to leave a small part of myself behind for the future. So you'd best prepare yourself, starting tomorrow I will no longer train your instincts and weaknesses, it will be time to properly train you in the way of the sword."
Taverius· May 1, 2020
FallenLord· Jul 29, 2020
