CHAPTER FOUR

The fire wood crackled releasing a few embers in the air, Zixi sighed looking at Jian Ji, what happened earlier on made him feel guilty.

"I'm sorry" he says quietly. Jian Ji sighed and threw a twig in the fire.

The two were currently outside Yingxiong city and were outside an abandoned house, they had lit up a fire to keep warm.

"You've apologized thirteen times already, it's okay"

Zixin looked at him, the light from the fire revealed Jian Ji's swollen eye that the snake had bitten, if it was a another time, Zixin would have laughed his butt off but he didnt, and he doesn't know why.

"I know....at least the snake isn't venomous" he says trying to see the brighter side of the situation. Again, Jian Ji sighed.

He feels idiotic about the whole thing, how could he not manage to duck such a slow snake, it still amazed him.

"Yeah yeah....I'm hungry now, what should we eat?" He says looking up at the stars.

"I smell water, maybe we can catch late night fish?" Zixin says with hope.

Jian Ji blushed in embarrassment, he has never went fishing a day in his life, would Zixin think less of him if he confessed? Probably and by some reason, he doesn't want that.

"Let's do it, come"

Zixin happily skipped behind Jian Ji as they head towards the dark small lake.

"It's so calm here" Zixin whispered.

"Why are you whispering?" The former asks making Zixin shrug.

"I don't want to scare the fish away"

Jian Ji sighed, it seems he would be sighing a lot tonight.

Zixin took off his outer part of his robe revealing the dark red thin material, he pulled it to his knees and kicked off his shoes before going inside the cold water.

"It's so cold" he giggled. Jian Ji rolled his eyes before taking off his robes revealing his well toned body.

With the help of the moon, Zixin could see Jian Ji's porcelain skin gleam and shimmer in the moonlight, he swallowed thickly, how can a man be this handsome? He quickly turned the other direction, his main focus was to find food at the moment.

The water was dark and gloomy making it hard for them to see any fish.

"Aha!" Jian Ji declared in victory making Zixin turn to face him.

"You caught one?"

"Yes, we will share it's too cold to stand here"

"Okay"

The hoots of the night owls taunted them as they walked back to the abandoned house.

"This city is like deadman land" Zixin says making Jian Ji hum in agreement.

"Mn, it seems the only people here were the inn owners"

"Odd....we have to investigate first thing in the morning"

"Huh? I have somewhere to be"

Zixin sat down with a pout.

"Please? It won't take long and we will just go separate ways"

Jian Ji sighed, seems reasonable enough.

"Okay fine"

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He used the fishbone to pick the remains off his teeth, Jian Ji watched in disgust as Zixin patted his small round belly.

"You seem satisfied" he taunted making Zixin agree, oblivious to the attempt of the insult.

"I am, for a person with one good eye, you sure know how to roast a fish"

Jian Ji smiled.

"Thanks, my mother taught me this dish, she said if ever find myself with no food then a basic roasted fish will keep me alive for a day"

Zixin smiled.

"My mother liked doing this dish for me....too bad we won't see each other again"

"Oh? What happened?"

Zixin chuckled and laid down on the ground, the iluminous lighting making his eyes sparkle like the stars.

"Back where i am from, people like me are shunned....it's rare to find a person like me so it's not normal to them, so i got kicked out"

"When you mean someone like you....what do you mean?" Jian Ji asks, what he was replied with however made him sigh in disappointment, Zixin's snores.

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The following morning Jian Ji woke up to find no sight of Wei Zixin, he got up and walked around the compound to find red robes hung over a tree to let them air dry, he chuckled.

"This person is really an idiot, I'll teach him a lesson"

Using his sheathed sword, he pulled them down and hid them inside a rice basket that was inside the abandoned house. He sat at the front to hear the boy's panicked screams.

Zixin got out of the lake with his wet hair covering what was needed to be covered, as he approached the tree he left his clothes on, he froze.

They were gone!

"What the....Hey cultivator boy did you take my clothes!" He called out.

Jian Ji bit his tongue to avoid laughing, this was too precious. He cleared his throat

"No, why would i take them"

Zixin sighed, so this is how he wants to play huh? The snake wrapped itself around his slim waist

"Play a prank on him" it suggested.

"Do you have an idea?"

"Follow my lead"

Hearing no more questions, Jian Ji decided to end the boy's misery, he went to the back holding the clothes to return them when he froze at what he saw.

A naked Zixin coming towards him slowly, the wind blowing his now dry hair revealing everything for the world to see.

The lump on Jian Ji's throat refused to go down, all he could do was watch in silence. Zixin stopped in front of him with a smug smirk.

"Thanks for finding my clothes"

"Uh huh"

He received a wink and it all ended like it never happened, in his mind, the image was embedded, Zixin bending over to put on his shoes.

"May the heavens have mercy on me"

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"What is your name? I told you mine" Zixin says tossing his sword in the air like a stick.

"Jian Qian, or Jian Ji"

He nodded

"What about Ji Ji?"

"What? Why would you want to call me that?"

Zixin shrugged, it seemed like a cute nickname to him.

"Sounds more ear pleasing"

Jian Ji sighed, he looked at the lump in Zixin's robe.

"What about your pet?"

Zixin looked at the snake, it's white scales were now turning red.

"I haven't named it yet"

The two males arrived at Yingxiong city and stiffened seeing the inn back open like it didn't go ablaze the night before.

"What is this place?"

Jian Ji had had enough, he flicked the sleeve of his robe to the air and a Zheng emerged. Zixin frowned.

"A Zheng?"

"Yes, why?"

"You look like a guqin guy to me"

Their eyes locked and Zixin shrugged making Jian Ji sigh.

The large instrument released a high pitch note that sent vibrations throughout the small city.

Before their eyes, what they have just been looking at disappeared revealing a dark abandoned city, what caught their attention however was the the piles of skulls on the ground reaching for the skies.

"What the fuck is this place?"