The first of allies (1)

Due to lack of a better alternative, the trio decided to visit the sparring ground.

A vast expense of grass dotted with occasional boulders marked the area designated for combat. Splashes of flickering cerulean, deep royal purple and jade patterns mixed together within the audience, along with the distinctive fiery crimson robes of Blazing Hawthorn Sect, most of whom were to the side and separated from the other sects. The pure color of those from White Rain was sparse and overridden by the surrounding bright hues, which reinforced his impression of this mysterious sect as reserved and unassuming.

Centered within the boulders were two cultivators around sixteen fighting against each other. One of them wore the typical light green of Harmony Sect, while the other, with a fierce expression and performing an assault wild to the point of madness, was an outer disciple of Blazing Hawthorn Sect. Evidently, his relentless attacks had flustered his opponent greatly, and even though the Harmony disciple still stood his ground, he had lost the composure associated with his sect's fluid and elegant style.

Upon surveying the group of people, Jiang Shiqin realized that they mostly consisted of outer disciples, and Harmony Sect's leaf-shaped emerald earrings that spoke of one's identity as an inner disciple were noticeably absent. After asking Su Dai, he received the explanation that they were probably holding an informal music contest somewhere else.

"Is it among themselves only?" Jiang Shiqin was quite surprised at the degree to which the sect appreciated art.

The remaining two suddenly laughed, and the twinkle in Su Dai's amethyst irises almost made his heart skip a beat.

"Rather than a contest, it's more like a showcase of their abilities and an opportunity for disciples from other sects to heap praises on them. Other people won't embarrass themselves by pitting against them, and the few people who had superior talent won't care about this kind of thing."

Su Wei grinned and whispered, "The four other sects have a nickname for Harmony disciples - singing peacocks."

Su Dai admonished her junior martial brother, who reacted with an utterly innocent face, and turned to Jiang Shiqin with a smile.

"They're considered the most distinguished musicians in the land, actually. It's just that Harmony Sect is rather proud..."

"Arrogant," Su Wei corrected.

"...so some people," she glared at Su Wei, "make fun of them."

"I'm merely providing a concise yet accurate description," the teenager blinked.

Jiang Shiqin was overtaken by amusement. "It seems rather interesting. Would it be possible for me to listen to the breathtaking melodies created by such geniuses?"

The Su martial siblings glanced at the pair of outer disciples crossing blades, who had indisputably not reached Xiantian realm yet, and swiftly agreed to his request. Their eagerness begged a serious question: was Thousand Blooming Lotus Sect devoid of entertainment to the extent that their disciples, most notably Su Wei, were akin to a pack of wolves leaping at any potential form of drama?

As they made their way to the alleged music contest in one of the flower gardens within the forest, Su Wei turned to Jiang Shiqin and crunched his brows for a long time before squeezing out his long-desired inquiry. "Brother Qin, are your words so... naturally sarcastic?"

These words wiped away the perpetual undisturbed expression that Jiang Shiqin donned on his face, giving rise to a rare flair of anxiety. "...Sarcastic?"

The boy flicked his hands in dismissal. "Of course not, my sincere apologies. Your genuine praises and admiration for beauty are a rare existence within these lands. After all, how can such a refined man like yourself engage in such a negative method of interaction?"

Inwardly, Su Wei thought that an expression such as 'breathtaking melodies', when targeted at Harmony Sect, dripped of ridicule, but did not say it out loud for the sake of politeness.

...Right now, Su Wei, your sarcasm level is a hundred times higher, thought Jiang Shiqin with a mixture of relief and dejection. For a brief moment, he had come to the conclusion that there had been a crack in his mask stemming from his relaxation around the younger-brother-like figure of the teenager.

Along the path, once in a while, Su Wei would make a snide comment about the Distant Lands cultivation scene, and the supposedly responsible daughter of the Sect master would scold him to no avail. Their casual interaction revealed their closeness, a sibling-like intimacy built from childhood that surpassed the common bond between inner disciples. Jiang Shiqin stayed quiet most of the time, watching Su Wei make numerous comments that might have caused the traditional elders to suffer from heart attacks and Su Dai giving her best to maintain her fake-serious persona. Under the willowy branches adorned with emerald leaves sheltering them from afternoon sunlight, the trio continued forward in a jovial mood.

The occasional breeze imbued with the revitalizing whiff of fresh soil and olden wood led the myriad of leaves into a jingling dance.

Jiang Shiqin caught a tiny stipule falling from above. Half-yellowed and slightly withered, it was whirling downwards and carried with it a faint musky-sweet scent. His eyelashes slightly flickered, and he released the stipule between his fingers.

He suddenly halted and called his companions, saying that he wished to do something and persuading him to go ahead without him. The purple-eyed girl threw him a dubious look, but since they were already near their destination - he could hear a zither melody flowing with the breath of the air - Su Wei and Su Dai separated from him to give him privacy. When the thumping sound of footsteps against soil had faded away, Jiang Shiqin turned to one of the trees, its branches spreading out in a complex swirl of various hues of green, and cupped his palms together.

"Snow Serpent, it's an honor to meet you," greeted Jiang Shiqin with a calm expression.

A shadow descended from the thick branches. It was a young man with almost feminine features and striking dark eyes that seemed to contain a coiling vortex. He was fairly short, yet such a feature did not affect his dangerous presence at all.

"Jiang Shiqin, the scholar from the capital." the man replied in a lazy voice while leaning the tree trunk. "Or should I say - a surviver of the traitorous Jiang family?"