A Good Deed

Ling Mingyu looked at the boy with a deadpan expression, remaining quiet. As soon as the young man realized that he would not be getting an answer from the aloof disciple in front of him, fiery flames of anger ignited within his gaze. He narrowed his pitch black eyes.

"What are you loo-ugh!" before he could finish his sentence, an elbow had struck his back hard.

The pain on the center of his spine brought tears to the boy's eyes. He stumbled forward, losing his balance. The disciples erupted into mocking laughter once again and threw approving glances the one who had pushed their victim.

Without thinking, Mingyu had already taken a quick step towards the boy and caught him in his arms securely. The bullies quieted immediately. They looked at Mingyu, who was holding the disciple clad in blue within his embrace, completely dumbstruck. This development was unexpected to say the least!

The young man, who had already shut his eyes tightly and started bracing himself for the painful impact of his fall, opened them wide in astonishment. He was greeted with an enchanting but expressionless face. A pair of vivid, maroon eyes looked down on him. Suddenly, a soft pink blush tinted the seemingly aloof youth's beautiful features. This confused him immensely. Didn't that Ling gongzi's face show disdain and arrogance towards him only a mere three days ago?! And now he was letting him get close and wore this kind of face instead?!

He couldn't help but blurt out: "You... w-why are you blushing?!"

Mingyu lightly drew his brows together. He was blushing? He touched his cheek with one hand. It felt smooth and slightly cool, no different from how it usually did. The face of young man in front of him, however, was practically radiating heat. For Mingyu, it was indeed quite a strange experience to hold another person this close. The warmth that young man had emitted seemed foreign, and Mingyu had initially felt some resistance, but the sensation was also strangely intimate. What a peculiar feeling! He examined the other more closely.

"You are also blushing." he commented matter-of-factly before adding: "What's your name?"

The other disciples, who had been utterly ignored by both their leader and their victim, : "..."

The youth in blue robes could indeed feel his cheeks burning. He retreated a few steps before grumbling:

"You have already forgotten?! Well, it figures... My name is Yao Ru! Remember it from now on!"

Seeing that Ling gongzi had most likely decided not to use his lackeys to 'discipline him' in the near future, Yao Ru had gained some new confidentce. He might not have a chance going up against all of Ling Mingyu's henchmen -which had resulted in him being dragged here- but he would still never shy away from a one-on-one fight. Even if he considered his opponent to be stronger than him, he would never run away! How shameful would that be?!

"Are we going to fight, or what?"

He had meant for it to be agressive, but his voice simply couldn't hide his puzzlement. Young master Ling seemed so different today! It was as if the Ling Mingyu of the past and the one he met today were not the same person at all! The one from before always had a number of expressions. Arrogant, smug, sarcastic, content, annoyed, furious... but this one showed nothing. He was blank, like a piece of unblemished, white jade. If it hadn't been for the blush on his face a few moments ago, Yao Ru would have been convinced this person had no feelings at all! Besides that, the Ling Mingyu from before would never have touched him. Were they really the same person? But how could it be someone else? That was simply impossible.

"No." Mingyu said in a calm voice.

"Uh, uhm... what?" Yao Ru blinked at him in confusion. Did he just understand correctly?

"I won't engage in a duel with you today. I am...uh, busy. Oh, and I apologize for the rough treatment from before."

""Eh?!""

This time, Yao Ru wasn't the only one who was completely confounded. The surrounding disciples, who had stood by in hopes of watching a good show, couldn't hold back their shouts of surprise either. Naturally, they were just as shocked as their victim. As the young master had saved that brat from falling, they had thought that, maybe, he had prepared some kind of plan or scheme in order to embarras the kid even further. Why else would he be acting so strangely? However, this seemed to not be the case now. Had they misunderstood before? Didn't he instruct them to find an opportunity to get Yao Ru by himself, rough him up a bit, and then drag him here so Ling gongzi could finish him off?

Mingyu cleared his throat before saying:

"As some of you may know, I had an accident just yesterday. My memory of the past few days is somewhat... hazy. Moreover, my body has not yet fully recovered. It would be unwise for me to exert myself in such a meaningless fight. Especially if I don't even remember why I am doing so."

He cast a cold glance at the others, doing his best to mimic what he guessed the old version of this Ling Mingyu should have sounded like. If that person was unscrupulous enough to have his little friends drag Yao Ru here to bully him, he must have not been a good person at all.

The others showed enlightened expressions. What Mingyu told them sounded reasonable. Of course the proud young master Ling would never waste his time with people he did not deem as important!

Yao Ru didn't know whether he should be mad that he was deemed as 'not worth the other's time' or relieved that he did not have to fight against Ling Mingyu. After all, he was peak master Rong Zemin's most skilled disciple. Who didn't know that Ling Mingyu liked to coat the tip of his eccentric looking jian with all kinds of rare poisons? The second young master of the Ling clan was not only skilled in curing those who had been poisoned, but had also developed a fascination for all kinds of venoms and toxins. Some people even claimed that he could identify poison by smell. Naturally he would refrain from using lethal toxins in mock battles, but it still hurt like hell to be pierced by his weapon. Yao Ru shuddered at the thought of it.

Mingyu looked at the disciples in orange who had led him to this place.

"Don't bother Yao Ru again, understood?" he demanded, his tone holding authority.

The lackeyes nodded obediently. Seeing them acquiesce, he turned around and left.

As Mingyu started leasurly making his way back, he curiously took in the sight of the forest's greenery soaking up the sun's golden rays. From time to time, he could hear the rustling of small animals in the lush underwood. After a while, he came to a halt. He looked around sneakily, before pulling the plum blossom charm out from within his robes. The corners of his rose petal lips turned up into a small, satisfied smile as he inspected its surface. The artifact had sucessfully restored itself.