~~~
Liu Jin allows himself a small smile as he looks at the town below.
He is sitting on the highest roof of the branch Sect’s compound. After many days of living in this place, Liu Jin has found the rooftops to be the best place to get away from all the nosy servants and disciples.
If this were Eastern Port City, the horizon would stretch out for miles and miles before him. In New Moon Town, the multitude of trees belonging to the Whispering Woods put a stop to that. However, that's not to say the view is bad. Not at all.
Liu Jin hums. In its own way, it is quite lovely.
A cool breeze caresses his face. The sun and the wind are just right today. If at all possible, Liu Jin would like to lay here for hours just enjoying the peace and quiet.
“Boss!”
Liu Jin's eyebrow twitches. He does not need to turn around to know Xiao Heng is making his way up to the roof. Still, he does look back just in case Xiao Heng slips and falls. He is still in the Foundational Realm after all. A fall from this height would not kill Xiao Heng, but it would hurt.
“I brought you tea, Boss,” Xiao Heng says, proudly holding up a tray with a tea kettle and a cup on it. “It is your favorite.”
“You did not have to do that.”
“Nonsense! If there is anything I can do to make Boss’ time here more pleasant, I will do so.” Xiao Heng literally prostrates himself before Liu Jin, offering the tray to him.
“Xiao Heng, raise your head,” Liu Jin says, fighting the urge to sigh.
“Yes, Boss!” Xiao Heng immediately does as he asks.
“Put the tray down,” Liu Jin orders, patting the spot next to him.
“Yes, Boss.”
“Good, now sit.”
“Yes, Boss.”
Liu Jin fights the urge to facepalm as Xiao Heng starts serving him a cup of tea. No matter how much he tried to make the older boy understand that he did not need him to be at his beck and call, Xiao Heng would not budge. Liu Jin’s words just go right through his ears, never once managing to land on his brain.
“Boss is Boss,” the teen had once said. “Boss gave me my life back, so this life belongs to him.”
In truth, Liu Jin does not consider what he did to be all that special. Certainly, it was by his hands that Xiao Heng was healed. However, curing him was not particularly hard. Anyone who had been able to recognize his condition and prepare the cure could have done it. His father could have healed Xiao Heng even though he cannot use Qi. His master could have healed Xiao Heng without even touching him. Of those two things, Liu Jin is certain.
Xiao Heng offers him a cup of tea, and Liu Jin accepts it. The scene has happened so many times by now that Liu Jin doesn’t bother fighting it.
As he brings the tea to his lips, Liu Jin starts thinking about the object he extracted from Xiao Heng’s body.
Xiao Heng was born with a rare obstruction in his left lung that altered his breathing just enough to interfere with the flow of his Qi. Had Xiao Heng been in a higher realm of cultivation, such a small thing would have done nothing to him. He might even have been able to expel it on his own. However, at just the Foundational level, the link between a person’s organs and a person’s meridians is still quite strong.
In that, his analysis had been correct. What Liu Jin had failed to discern was the nature of the obstruction.
“Xiao Heng, have you told anyone of your improved health?” Liu Jin asks. To his surprise, Xiao Heng shakes his head.
“No, Boss. I figure it is best if I wait until after the wedding. If I reveal it now, I might take the spotlight away from my brother's wedding, and that could cause trouble,” Xiao Heng explains.
“I see,” Liu Jin says while thinking it might be better this way. While Xiao Heng has gone up a level after being treated, that is something easily hidden. This way, Liu Jin will not have to endure questions as to the exact nature of Xiao Heng’s ailment.
The obstruction was not what Liu Jin expected. He had expected an ugly misshapen tumor or something to that effect. However, the black mass inside Xiao Heng held a curious surprise for him.
The black mass pulsed with Qi. Slowly. Weakly. Undeniably.
Originally, Liu Jin planned to throw it out or burn it. However, the moment he felt that faint trace of Qi, Liu Jin decided to keep it in order to study it. Even now, the black thing is still hidden in his room. Liu Jin has it stored in a jar with a Temporal Seal slapped on it. The method is not as elegant as his master's spatial pouch, but it will have to do for now.
Liu Jin shakes his head to banish those thoughts. Attempting to study the black mass has proven useless so far. He will have to wait until returning to Eastern Port City to ask his master. It won't be long now. The wedding will happen in a couple of days, and after that, it would only take a few more for them to return to Eastern Port City.
Liu Jin is fine with waiting that much. While he cannot say he has disliked his time in New Moon Town, Liu Jin is looking forward to returning home.
“Brother Liu, I have been looking for you.”
Liu Jin goes very still when he hears that voice. Besides him, Xiao Heng does the same and with good reason. Liu Jin has no problems recognizing that voice, and he is sure the same goes for Xiao Heng. Sure enough, the moment he turns around, Liu Jin finds exactly who he expects to find.
Xiao Dong.
“Senior Brother Xiao Dong,” Liu Jin says, cocking his head to the side. He nods in greeting. “It has been some time.”
Liu Jin has only interacted with Xiao Dong twice during his stay in New Moon Town. The first time was the unfortunate fight during his first night with the branch sect. The second one was when Hu Meili came to visit. The latter barely counted as Xiao Dong had been too busy with his fiancée to even look in his direction.
Beyond that, the two have not interacted even once. While Liu Jin would be the first to admit he has not been the most sociable of persons, that is not the only reason for their lack of contact. He heard some servants whispering the other day. Apparently, Xiao Dong has been doing closed doors training lately. If Xiao Dong has deliberately sought him out, Liu Jin cannot imagine it is for anything good.
Has he perhaps come to even the score between them?
That would be annoying.
“You are right. We have not seen each other as often as we should have. It seems I have been a poor host,” Xiao Dong says. “It looks like my little brother has stepped up in my absence.”
“Xiao Heng has been good company during these past few days,” Liu Jin agrees. He takes another sip from his tea. “I appreciate his company.”
Liu Jin feels Xiao Heng brighten up beside to him. There is no way he is going to get him to tone down after this. Still, he needed to express at least that level of appreciation for Xiao Heng. It will not do if Xiao Dong comes out of this thinking he can take his anger out on Xiao Heng.
“I am glad to hear that,” Xiao Dong replies. He goes silent for a moment. He looks not angry but rather hesitant, which confuses Liu Jin.
“Brother Liu,” he says at last. “Would you care to exchange pointers with me?”
Liu Jin blinks.
~~~
A clenched fist meets nothing but air. An instant later, a strike to the back of the knee has Xiao Dong kneeling on the ground.
“Senior Brother Dong overcommits too much in his attacks,” Liu Jin says as he takes a few steps back. The two are sparring behind closed doors with Xiao Heng as their only witness. Xiao Dong suggested doing it in the courtyard, but Liu Jin declined. The entire local branch would be their audience if they did. Even now, Liu Jin does not doubt that there are people trying to peek. “Lighter attacks might offer you better recovery time.”
Xiao Dong doesn’t get angry at the suggestion. Instead, he frowns in thought. “I thought the point of our style is to overwhelm with power.”
“It is,” Liu Jin nods. “However, there is a difference between using all your power in one go and using just enough power to break through your foe’s defense.”
Or so had Xiao Nan told him one time.
“I see.” Xiao Dong actually looks like he is considering his words. He stands up and assumes a stance once more. “Please, allow me to try again.”
Liu Jin nods as he takes his own stance.
“Come at me.”
The spar begins once more. Xiao Dong is stronger and faster than Liu Jin. The difference between the First Level of the Inner Realm and the Third Level of the Inner Realm is not that between Heaven and Earth. However, it is still something that can be felt clearly in a fight. In spite of that, Liu Jin is the one who keeps winning.
There are several factors at play in Liu Jin’s superiority.
The first one is control. Liu Jin is someone who has been dealing with Nine-Headed Snake God’s poison flowing through his body for over a year. By now, the act of expelling the poison from his body has become second nature to him. However, during those first months, Liu Jin became tortuously aware of how every movement of his body affected his condition. During those months, he rid himself of all useless motions lest they drive him closer to death. The difference between Xiao Dong and Liu Jin when it comes to the control they have over their respective bodies is enormous.
The second difference lies in technique. Liu Jin is someone who has studied in the main sect while Xiao Dong is someone who grew up in a mere branch sect in the middle of nowhere. It is only natural for Liu Jin to have a higher level of skill. As far as Liu Jin can tell, Xiao Dong does not even seem to know any of the special techniques belonging to the Xiao Sect.
The third difference lies in Xiao Dong’s bad habits. This is something Liu Jin only noticed after repeated spars with him. Xiao Dong is far too used to always being the stronger one. It made sense considering the level of the other cultivators his age in New Moon Town. Regardless, Xiao Dong has gotten too used to overwhelming his foes with force. Meanwhile, Liu Jin has never been in a position where he could develop those bad habits.
The fourth and final difference, although Liu Jin does not like thinking about it too much, are those little moments where Liu Jin’s body seems to flow like water. It has been happening more and more lately, and Liu Jin really does not like it.
Even if it does allow him to pull off a particularly daring maneuver against Xiao Dong.
Xiao Dong grunts as he hits the floor once more. In the sidelines, Xiao Heng looks like he wants to clap but also does not want to anger his brother. To Liu Jin’s surprise, Xiao Dong laughs.
“I guess Brother Liu is really amazing, huh?” He says.
Xiao Dong chuckles again. Liu Jin cannot help but feel a little weirded out. He thought for sure Xiao Dong held a grudge against him for how their first spar ended, but that doesn't seem to be the case. If anything, the Xiao Dong in front of him looks much calmer and less cocky than the Xiao Dong of that first night.
“Brother Liu is wondering why I do not hold a grudge, am I right?” Xiao Dong asks, accurately guessing his thoughts.
“Something like that did cross my mind,” Liu Jin admits. Xiao Dong grins.
“I won’t deny I felt humiliated when I lost to Brother Liu. However, the more I stewed on it, the more I realized it was my own fault for wanting to show off in front of the main sect.” Xiao Dong rises from the floor and runs a hand through his hair. “Living here, I have gotten used to always getting my way. I was used to being stronger than anyone my age. Being defeated by Brother Liu… No, being defeated by Senior Brother Liu-”
“There is no need for you to call me that,” Liu Jin says flatly, already sure this brother is not going to be any better at listening to him.
“-showed me my faults. Had I not been defeated by Senior Brother Liu, I would have become complacent and arrogant in the future. Instead of being angry, I want to use the opportunity to learn all I can from Senior Brother Liu.”
Liu Jin closes his eyes and sighs. He hears clapping. It is probably Xiao Heng. Seriously, what is it with these brothers?
Still, who would have thought?
It looks like Xiao Dong isn’t such a bad guy after all.
“You think too highly of me,” Liu Jin. When it looks like Xiao Dong is going to protest, he adds. “However, if you wish for me to help you, I am willing to do so for what remains of my time here.”
It is not like he has much to do.
“Thank you, Senior Brother Liu!” To Liu Jin’s embarrassment, Xiao Dong actually bows his head to him. “Actually, there is something I would wish to ask of you.”
“What is it?”
“There is a special tradition in New Moon Town. When a man is about to marry, he must go to the Forest of Deceitful Whispers-”
“Forest of Deceitful Whispers?” Liu Jin asks.
“It is the local name for the Whispering Woods,” Xiao Dong explains. “As I am sure you know, the Forest of Deceitful Whispers is full of Steel-Skinned Trees. However, sometimes, a Gold-Skinned Tree will grow there. It is a tradition for the groom to go out into the forest and bring the branch of a Gold-Skinned Tree to his bride. It is said good fortune will fall on the marriage of those who do so. I was wondering if Senior Brother Liu would like to accompany me tomorrow?”
Liu Jin considers it for a moment. He looks at Xiao Dong’s face for any signs of deception, but there is none there. All he finds is a guy who wants to impress his bride. Then he looks at Xiao Heng and finds no worries on his face. His gaze moves back to Xiao Dong.
“Very well,” he says.
Xiao Dong’s face lights up with a smile.
“Thank you! You will not regret it, Senior Brother Liu!”
~~~