Unlike the north, this place was full of life,
It was evident from how servants passed back and forth by him, busy in their daily routine.
However, far from how one would expect they all seemed content and rather happy
Although not every person he had seen that was under someone was unhappy, but it was rather rare still.
They all seemed without fear or any restraints which stood out in a city as many lords or rather high status people here would mistreat their people as though it was second nature, it was so common now that people didn't even bat an eye anymore.
Common folks were a dime a dozen so perhaps, their deaths hardly fazed anyone.
Since, as soon as others died, someone else would swiftly take their place.
Seeing such cheerful expressions on the servants here, it felt like a breath of fresh air
Being around a person with life after all was much better than those who walked on eggshells like empty vessels that would crack with a single snap
Even if they were merely there to serve them, it was nice if they weren't all too nervous and tensed
But perhaps the lords of such servers enjoyed feeling feared, maybe they got off on the feeling of authority. It was such a strange phenomenon, to want to feel strong by mistreating vulnerable people.
People, whether for good or for worse truly represent their environment, so, in a way servants were a mirror to their lords
And this wasn't valid just for lord and servant dynamics, it was the case in every dynamic that came with power imbalance
Like guardians and their kids, disciples and masters...
So perhaps,
He wondered
Did he resemble his master even just a little?
In any way?
Softly exhaling, he pushed those thoughts aside,
He had seen many incidents through his fairly long life where servants discontent with their master more often than not tried to take their life, which succeeded at times, but failed even more.
In other manor servants would die everyday almost like leaves that fell during autumn,
But no one truly seemed to care.
At least not the people who were in position to determine their life or death.
It was bizarre to him, to see them go about righteousness in podiums and high places but lack it in their very homes.
His master often told him that the cultivation world was filled with hypocrites, however seeing it was something quite different than hearing or reading about it.
His long life had turned him into a passive observer of sorts, as he often recalled and noticed details that people often forsake he watched people, their interactions and expressions but it was all
... foreign to him.
It made him feel a distance from people, a wall that had always stood before him and everybody else.
As he continued slowly, through the corner of his eyes he caught sight of two figures, attempting to hide themselves behind a bush, it was a poorly executed attempt
As those two girls grabbed each other and began whispering about,
Gossip?
As his attention landed on them, he couldn't help but overhear them, he didn't mean to eavesdrop but those girls were rather careless so it wasn't anything important certainly
Hearing them rage on with enthusiasm about silly and mundane things, he couldn't help but chuckle,
People truly resembled who they served
What was the reason behind this? He wondered while leaving,
Perhaps someone like him would never know
And, for the first time in a long while, he found his thoughts wandering here and there, from the manor to Chen Fang then
To the kid called Xue Hua, who stood with his winter hair and sunlit smile.
A recent conversation,
"Anyway what's with that kid you picked up?"
The previous conversation he had with Chen Fang echoed in his wandering mind
Yue Ran had thought that perhaps Chen Fang had forgotten about it as he didn't egg him about this through their walk but it seems that was a just a silly thought, after all
It would be strange if he did, since for as long as his memory served, Chen Fang was known for his persistence and stubborn nature.
"He's named Xue Hua, if that's what you're wondering"
Yue Ran had introduced them earlier as a courtesy but he mentioned his name again just in case,
But this of course was not what that old fox was getting at,
Yue Ran knew but since he himself didn't know much about Xue Hua there wasn't much he could tell him
Chen Fang waited a moment longer in case Yue Ran added something more but he didn't.
An expression that shows he had expected this rested on his face,
Even so there was a hint of disappointment in his eyes that betrayed him
" you know, that's not what I'm asking you"
The servants soon placed the steaming tea before them
Then with a swift knowing smile he turned to them, and in a moment they all nodded and left, leaving the two alone in the room.
Then Chen Fang's smile dropped, "seriously--"
He pushed his hair back,
"From where did you even manage to pick that up?"
His fingers tapped the table surface multiple times showing impatience as he waited for the answer,
His patience was quite commendable, it seems he had grown a lot since their years together in the mountains.
If it was back then, he probably would've attempted to grab his throat by now.
Although he never succeeded, it was amusing to see him try despite that.
And, he still wasn't too good at hiding his expressions,
"Why? Is something wrong with him?"
Chen Fang scoffed at those words,
"As if you of all people don't know what I'm talking about"
He was far too impatient now, and Yue Ran definitely wasn't helping at all, but even as he said that,
he still rephrased his words perhaps in an attempt to seem more mature by recollecting his composure,
"what I mean is what exactly is he? That Xue Hua"
However,
This was a peculiar question for Yue Ran,
Chen Fang himself being a spiritual beast had no way of not recognising one of his own or the race of different species even, but for him to ask him that, it meant that Xue Hua's identity wasn't as easy as he had thought or hoped for.
Yue Ran had just suspected Xue Hua to have been some kind of a spiritual being, a beast of some sort despite not getting a clear feel of his energy, half the reason he had thought of Chen Fang before coming here was for this too, To get a better understanding of the kid
Still, this wasn't exactly what he had in mind
And as he thought,
"You have no idea?", these words escaped his mouth,
Yue Ran had just thought he couldn't determine Xue Hua because he still lacked knowledge, but seeing that he too, couldn't give an answer to that... He glanced at Chen Fang-
Chen Fang shook his head after meeting that gaze
It was surprising to say the least
Although it wasn't very noticeable but Yue Ran was taken aback by it, could he have been wrong?
If that child wasn't a spiritual beast...
He thought there weren't many choices left for his identity.
He surely wasn't human, he definitely wasn't.
Yue Ran took a breath as he closed his eyes,
It would be a lie if he told himself that the case of Xue Hua's identity didn't matter, after all he currently was basically under his "care" for a momentary period.
So of course if anyone should be bothered by it, except the child himself was of course-
Yue Ran.
But, it wasn't anything he needed to be alarmed about,
After all his cultivation wasn't for show, as much of a variable Xue Hua was, the other person was Yue Ran.
Chen Fang knew that too, perhaps that was why he didn't dig deeper at Xue Hua after Yue Ran told him about their encounter and how they ended up together despite how odd their encounter was, and how strange his sudden appearance in the north was with no other trace
But for Chen Fang, this wouldn't have been the case if the other person was anyone else other than Yue Ran, however, since as far as he knew, Yue Ran wasn't one to lie not because he was a very righteous person, but rather because he didn't see any purpose behind it, so Chen Fang took all of Yue Ran's words at face value and believed them.
After they both came to an empty conclusion about Xue Hua's background,
They remained silent until Chen Fang broke it off with a strained groan,
Chen Fang picked up the cup and gulped down the steaming tea,
"This is killing me" he scratched the back of his neck,
Chen Fang wasn't the best at keeping his curiosities to himself, the phrase "curiosity kills a cat" was probably made for people like them who would dive blind into everything for the mere reason called "curiosity" acting like they had 9 lives,
Well, foxes do probably have nine lives so maybe Chen Fang's recklessness wasn't unfounded, but who knew how many of it he had already blown off.
He could probably be living off only one now for anyone's knowledge.
While Yue Ran calmly sipped tea, Chen Fang was lost in a world of his own,
Earlier in the carriage, he had already tried to gauge Xue Hua's background, he hadn't told Yue Ran, he had a secret technique of his, which he often used to get a read on people, he did not tell
Yue Ran about this technique but he wouldn't be surprised if he knew
It had never failed him, not once.
Yet... This time it did.
No matter how he went about it, he couldn't get to a single conclusive reason for this
Not one logical comprehension came to mind, not one reason, not one possible hint.
However, the harder he tried to forcefully read him, the more it strained him.
His stomach quivered as he felt pricks on his skin, the longer the time went on the stronger those sensations felt.
The only thing he learned, if it could even amount to anything, was the fact that Xue Hua neither had the scent of other spiritual beasts nor the foul stench of demons in his essence.
He barely gave off any spiritual energy,
However, if he was certain of anything, it was the fact that Xue Hua
definitely wasn't human.
Though that probably wasn't anything new,
Yet, there was something, something that threw him off
It was a sense of familiarity
Which he felt when he lifted him up,
But maybe that might've just been his illusion as the feeling never once reappeared again throughout their interactions.
It was strange yet...intriguing.
But, what piqued his interest the most was how that kid reacted towards him throughout his interaction with Yue Ran.
It looked as though he had taken his mother away from him,
As good as he was amazing at hiding his identity, that was the complete opposite with his emotions
As every thought, every emotion drew itself on his face.
It was even entertaining to watch how his expression could drastically change according to what was happening in front of him or rather anything related to Yue Ran.
It seems his friend had gotten himself caught up with an imprinting little beast-
or whatever it was.
It was sure to develop into a fun dynamic in the future,
He was looking forward to how Yue Ran would react when everything finally dawned on him.
The curiosity grew into impatience as Yue Ran refused to give a clear answer despite his nudging, and now here they were-
Staring into the now empty glass, Yue Ran could hear the sounds of life beyond the room, the servants were still close by, they hadn't really left earlier it seems,
Maybe they weren't aware of the fact that their movements and voices could still be heard despite theirs being inaudible to them.
Sounds of their shoes scraping the floor lightly, the occasional clinking of porcelain, and the muffled mumbles,
It reminded him of a rather anxious and shy child, who was, Xue Hua when they were still in Shuangwei,
Their not so brief but not so long stay in the wilderness of the north.
The slow creeping behind him, the awkward smiles, the stubborn stares, the kid who probably had nothing of worth on his mind behind those buttercup eyes.
It was so strange, seeing the resemblance of his master in someone that resembled him so much to the point of confusion while also being the complete opposite.
At first, it was only the hair.
Yue Ran told himself,
The colour was not common however it couldn't be said that it was rare either.
He even wondered at some point if Xue Hua and his master were related in any way.
But those thoughts slipped away like snow flakes in spring with the passing moments
When Chen Fang explained his findings or thoughts from when they were in the carriage, Yue Ran caught a glimpse of Xue Hua's silhouette in the back of his mind.
Just before he left with Chen Fang, the boy had his expression downcast
Yue Ran wondered why, but that was the extent of it.
With his back turned to the child, the scent of persimmon carried by the wind settled on the tip of his nose,
Xue Hua watched him leave, as the juice dripped from his hands along with the crushed pulp, the sticky feeling on his hands akin to the lump stuck on his throat,
It felt sticky and unpleasant.
"So where did you say you found him again?"
The question was brought up once more,
Under the annoying persistence of this man he begrudgingly called his friend,
He eventually gave in to that persistence, as he often did in the past, lacking such persistence himself, he found it quite respectable as much as he found it annoying.
Yue Ran's fingers trailed the edge of the table as he started,
"I found him while traveling in the north"
He could still feel the biting wind on his face as he thought about it
He mentioned, the fatal wound he saw on that child at that moment,
It was no ordinary wound, the child was in a tricky situation if he could say anything.
The images still vivid, he recalled
Under that dying body which could have been considered a corpse in only a moment, the snow turned crimson, even slightly brown- having drunk from those gaping wounds that still leaked fresh blood however, like a drying stream
The white snow turned crimson bloomed like red poppies beneath him
Chen Fang crossed his arms, "so?"
"Why did you save him?"
At that question, Yue Ran repeated within himself
'why did I save him?'
The answer of course was obvious,
"His hair"
He confessed without hesitation, the hair,
The only resemblance he ever found on anyone that made him pause.
It was the purest white like the first fall of snow, it fell over his body like streams of scattered water, reminding him of a distant memory where he watched those same white strands sway and move like a river as he stared at the distant clouds,
Yue Ran still wondered what his master was thinking while staring at those clouds, but he never asked, he also couldn't understand why that unimportant memory still stuck to him so vividly till now.
"it reminded me of master"
'So I decided to try saving him'
Yue Ran didn't say it, the words stayed on the tip of his tongue.
Chen Fang after thinking for a moment nodded knowingly,
"That does sound like you"
He thought, searching through his memory for Xue Hua's appearance, it would've been far weirder if Yue Ran hadn't saved that creature or whatever it was.
Then he continued, with a shrug
"For a moment I thought you had developed a peculiar hobby or interest in playing a father"
However those words were merely ignored, like always, but this time Chen Fang didn't grumble.
Talking nonsense for him looked to come as easily as breathing to others.
Well...
It was quite intriguing in its own way I suppose.
Maybe it came from him being a fox, but he hadn't met many foxes in his time, especially ones that had cultivated long and hard enough to form a human form. After all, they were cautious and very careful so it wasn't surprising, and he didn't go actively looking either.
Yue Ran's mind trailed back to the child
The wounds of that day still vivid in his mind.
How did he get it?
If he was indeed a spiritual beast, it wouldn't be surprising if he was being pursued for material, however,
If he was being hunted, why didn't he find a single trace of other cultivators while he was traveling near that place? He should've.
He closed his eyes, with this he had decided to turn a blind eye to this topic.
Whether he would regret this decision in the future or not, he didn't know but even when he was picked up by his master, he didn't follow that man knowing what the future held,
And now, being in the same situation so many years later, he wondered if what he was feeling now was nostalgia or a sense of familiarity with the entire situation.
Just for a while,
He wanted to study Xue Hua just for a while longer
It was a new found desire, which he justified, saying it was because he hadn't found someone who reminded him so much of his master, not just appearance wise but by just existing
Nobody asked him about it, nobody told him to justify himself, still he did.
If only in front of himself.
He did.
Before he descended that nameless mountain,
He thought that finding one like his master would be like walking into an apple garden looking for apples in their season.
But who'd have known that his master was actually an apple that grew atop freezing lands where none like him could stand?
A soil where many fell to corruption and evil, he alone stood with blazing warmth that seemed so effortless that it took
Yue Ran so long to reason just how odd he actually truly was.
But now, he had found someone who had their roots in that same rotting soil, thriving unlike the fallen trees around him.
Was it just the innocence of youth? Would this continue? Or would he crumble under the rot?
Returning back to the moment, his mind usually occupied by his master was now whirling with thoughts of that snow kissed boy
This was weird, he wasn't accustomed to it.
The streets beyond the manor were busy with laughter, he could hear them from beyond the walls,
As a merchant, it seems that he had chosen a rather busy place even for his home, It was unsurprising
Soon, his walk came to a slow pause,
In the long hallways besides the garden,
He saw a boy, sitting with a gaze that seemed to have him in a realm beyond one's comprehension
Yue Ran unconsciously followed his line of sight, but only met the plain walls around the manor.
However, as if by instinct,
Life returned to those gaze once more, with a new found focus
As he turned his head.
Meeting Yue Ran's gaze with his buttercups touched eyes
Then almost, like a muscle memory, the edges of his lips curved softly, then turned into a bright smile
An expression that was the complete opposite of the one he wore just a second ago.
Seriously,
Yue Ran's brows furrowed in front of that smile, as he asked himself,
Can't I crack his head open just once to see what's inside?
On the other hand...
Chen Fang sat in silence, still unable to shake off this strange feeling,
The uncomfortable tingling sensation on his skin.
Getting up from the chair, his fingers trailed on the wooden surface as his eyes wandered unfocused,
"Maybe it's time I visit that old man again"
He mumbled with a sigh