The night passed without a hitch. When morning came again, the two groups seemed rather reluctant to say their farewells. Still, with a bit of expectation in their hearts, the youths said their wishes to see each other again.
Before leaving, Xiu Lan stopped by Wu Lingtian and Fan Yi. Her gaze shifted between the two men before finally landing on Fan Yi. “Sect Leader Fan.”
Fan Yi smiled in his usual gentlemanly way. “Miss Xiu.”
“Take care of my shishu,” Xiu Lan said with a frown that was similar to Zhou Ying’an’s. “Don’t make him sad again.”
Wu Lingtian raised a brow. He patted Xiu Lan’s head. “Why would Sect Leader be in charge of my happiness? You think too much.”
Xiu Lan glanced at her martial uncle and lowered her gaze for a moment. She clasped her hands together and departed with the rest of the group.
As for the disciples of Screeching Sparrow Sect, there was an obvious reluctance to depart from their sect leader and the Fourth Pillar. But what had to be done was done eventually. Soon, it was just Fan Yi and Wu Lingtian again.
Wu Lingtian turned to Fan Yi with his usual wooden expression. “Where are we going next?”
“I need to go to Xinghai and then Liuying Mountain Range,” Fan Yi said.
Wu Lingtian frowned. “Those are both in Xianping.”
“That’s why I said you shouldn’t come with me,” Fan Yi said with a teasing smile. “What, do you regret it now?”
“No. I’ll still go with you. I’ll just disguise myself.”
“How?” Fan Yi raised a brow.
“Do you have a preference?” Wu Lingtian touched his face.
Fan Yi shook his head. “I like this face the most.”
Wu Lingtian thought for a moment before he pulled out his Qiankun pouch again. After shuffling around for a bit, he finally managed to pull out a mask. It wasn’t very ornate and was a simple silver mask that covered most of Wu Lingtian’s face, save for his mouth. After another moment of contemplation, Wu Lingtian also decided to wear a set of simpler navy blue robes like the ones the servants at Screeching Sparrow Sect wore. His long hair, which was normally worn in a ponytail was neatly pulled back into a bun.
With a plain looking sword by his side, looked like Fan Yi’s silent guard.
When he finished disguising himself, he looked at Fan Yi. “Is this good?”
Fan Yi frowned and looked Wu Lingtian up and down. “It’s definitely harder to recognize you.”
“But?”
“But…you’re still attractive,” Fan Yi said.
Wu Lingtian froze. “Then, what should I do?”
“There’s nothing you can do,” Fan Yi let out an emotional sigh and patted Wu Lingtian’s shoulder. “You were just born like this. I suppose we can only accept your fate.”
“But can you tell that I’m Wu Lingtian?” he took a step back and spread out his arms.
Fan Yi nodded. “I can.”
“…If you were someone who didn’t know I was, would you be able to tell.”
“Now, I can’t guarantee that, can I?” Fan Yi raised a brow.
“Sect Leader, stop teasing me.”
“Fine, fine, I’ll stop teasing,” Fan Yi smiled. He looked Wu Lingtian up and down again before nodding. “I think if it’s like this, it’ll be hard to tell that you’re Wu Lingtian. As for me…”
Wu Lingtian went into his Qiankun pouch again and pulled out a veiled straw hat. It had sheer black cloth, making it more difficult to discern the face. He held it out to Fan Yi. “Then, we can tie your hair into a ponytail and you can change the style of your robes.”
Fan Yi looked at the hat and then back to Wu Lingtian. “A-Tian, why do you have so much of this stuff on you?”
Wu Lingtian lowered his gaze for a moment. “It seems that I was often in disguise.”
“It seems, huh?” Fan Yi echoed. He accepted the hat and turned it in his hands. “Even though few people know what you look like?”
“I was doing things that shouldn’t be linked back to Drifting Clouds Mountain Sect,” Wu Lingtian said. He met Fan Yi’s gaze and raised a brow as a helpless expression took over his face. “Even if you look at me, I can’t tell you what I was doing.”
“Ah, that’s true. You’re an amnesiac,” Fan Yi hummed. “In any case, I should go change first.”
“Do you want my robes?” Wu Lingtian asked.
“No need,” Fan Yi looked Wu Lingtian up and down. As he walked away, Wu Lingtian heard Fan Yi mutter, “Who told you to grow so tall?”
Wu Lingtian scratched his neck. He was only a few centimeters taller, so there wouldn’t be that much of a difference.
When Fan Yi returned, he was dressed in a set of yellow robes with silver detailing. His hair was tied back in a ponytail and he wore the black veiled hat, which helped to obscure his face. The way he walked lost the normal rhythm and became petulant and sporadic. He hopped over to Wu Lingtian and tilted his head.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Shixiong, are you ready to go?”
“…I’m your shixiong?” Wu Lingtian raised a brow.
“Don’t want to be? You could call me shixiong,” Fan Yi shrugged. He paused for a moment. “No, we should get our story straight first. Who are we, where are we from, and what are our names? What’s our relationship to each other?”
“Shixiong and shidi seems appropriate,” Wu Lingtian said. “We can just say we’re rogue cultivators. There are many masters who prefer to stay on mountains in seclusion that the world doesn’t know about, particularly closer to the Fengya region and near Heixue Town. As for names…”
“Tbe mjc mjii wf Tlrtjc.”
“Tlrtjc?”
“Zc! Tlrtjc,” Mjc Tl rwlifv.
“Vegcjwf?”
“…Me,” Mjc Tl’r nblmf rffwfv ab ilcufg bc atf kbgv obg j ilaaif ibcufg atjc ereji. “Me…Tlrtjc.”
“Mù Tìrtàc (傅义善),” Qe Olcualjc gfqfjafv, jr lo tf kfgf agslcu ab mbwwla ab wfwbgs. “Ktfc—”
“Tbe mjc yf Qjcu Wlcmtfcu.”
“Wang Xincheng?” Wu Lingtian’s brows furrowed with a hint of amusement. “How did you come up with that name so fast?”
“Lao Wang told me that he wanted to either name you Xincheng or Lingtian,” Fan Yi said. “Wang Xincheng isn’t too bad of a name.”
Wu Lingtian’s eyes widened a fraction. “…Which characters were they?”
“’Xīn’ (心) as in human nature (人心; rénxīn), ‘Chéng’ (诚) in sincerity (诚意; chéngyì),” Fan Yi recited. “He wanted you to be someone who understood human nature, but was still able to treat everyone with sincerity.”
He glanced at Wu Lingtian. “But he couldn’t decide between the two. Should you be someone who could stand on par with the skies or should you be someone who treated others with sincerity? You might not remember since you were so young, but he decided that your courtesy name would be ‘Lingtian’ and your given name was ‘Xincheng’. However…”
Fan Yi’s voice trailed off. He let out a short scoff. “Rong Meihua abandoned that. So, you just became Wu Lingtian.”
“So, I did have a given name,” Wu Lingtian mumbled. His gaze grew distant. “I thought…Uncle Wang didn’t bother giving me another name.”
“How could that be?” Fan Yi raised a brow. “When he took you in, he already treated you as half his son. If he hadn’t…then he might have actually adopted you.”
Wu Lingtian chuckled.
If he had been able to grow up as Wang Xincheng instead of Xiao Wu and Wu Lingtian, how much different would the world be?
“Then, what about your name, Sect Leader?”
“Me?”
“Mn. Yishan,” Wu Lingtian said.
Fan Yi stiffened slightly before he let out a soft laugh. “Just something I made up. Does it sound good?”
“Quite good,” Wu Lingtian nodded. He thought for a moment before asking, “But what characters are they made of?”
“You also want to know this?” Fan Yi laughed. “There’s no need.”
He readjusted his hat and patted Wu Lingtian’s chest. “Come on, let’s go.”
Wu Lingtian frowned but silently followed after Fan Yi anyway. He glanced at Fan Yi’s profile and lowered his gaze. “Then, Yishan, are we going by sword?”
Fan Yi took a moment to respond. “For now, let’s travel by foot—at least until we cross the border. However, we’ll be taking the long route.”
“The long route?” Wu Lingtian glanced at Fan Yi.
“Mn. We’ll have to go through Xing City again. If we directly go into Xianping Province, I’m afraid we’ll run into some trouble. If we pass through Xing City, we’ll be able to bypass a lot of the customs,” Fan Yi explained.
Wu Lingtian nodded. “Then, before then, we don’t have to wear our disguises, right?”
“How could that be? If the world knew Wu Lingtian and the sect leader of Screeching Sparrow Sect abandoned their posts to do goodness knows what, do you know the pandemonium that would fall?” Fan Yi shook his head. “We can’t do that. Even if Yizhou and Xiewen are strong enough to hold on their own, we don’t need to needlessly allow people to stir up drama.”
“I see. I apologize for my near sightedness,” Wu Lingtian bowed his head.
Fan Yi waved his head. “Forget about that,” he turned to look at Wu Lingtian seriously. “So, from here on out, I’m your shidi, you’re my shixiong.”
“…How about I’m your shidi and you’re my shixiong,” Wu Lingtian suggested.
“Why?”
“…I’m not sure if I can properly act as Yishan’s shixiong,” Wu Lingtian raised a brow.
“It’s fine,” Fan Yi patted Wu Lingtian’s shoulder. “I believe that you can.”
“Then, how about we just remain travel companions,” Wu Lingtian suggested.
“You just want to be travel companions?” Fan Yi glanced at Wu Lingtian.
Wu Lingtian lowered his voice, despite there not being a soul around them, “Sect Leader, this subordinate truly does not dare step over the line.”
Fan Yi looked Wu Lingtian up and down. “Nonsense. Who’s a sect leader? From here on out, you’re Wang Xincheng and I’m Fu Yishan. And the two of us—fine. The two of us are traveling companions. We’ve known each other since we are young and we’re very close friends. How’s that?”
Wu Lingtian could begrudgingly accept this change. At least, then, Wu Lingtian didn’t have to act as the superior to his superior.
“Now, Xincheng,” Fan Yi smiled. “I heard you have a very wide wallet.”
Wu Lingtian glanced at Fan Yi. “What do you need, Yishan?”
“Buy us two horses,” Fan Yi said. “The faster the better.”
When Wu Lingtian returned from the nearest town, he rode on top of a white horse while leading a black one. Fan Yi raised a brow at the choice of color and accepted the rein held out to him.
“These were the fastest,” Wu Lingtian explained as he fixed his mask.
“Well, it’s not like I’m opposed to these colors,” Fan Yi hopped onto the black horse and the two men began their journey towards Xianping. “Should we take our time to take in the sights?”
“I thought Se—Yishan was in a hurry,” Wu Lingtian said.
“I’m in a bit of a hurry, but it’s nothing I can’t handle,” Fan Yi said with a small smile. He pulled his horse closer and leaned over. “What’s wrong? You don’t want to spend time with me?”
Wu Lingtian looked into Fan Yi’s eyes. “You know more than anything that’s not true.”
Fan Yi laughed. “Sweet talker.”
“I’m not sweet talking,” Wu Lingtian protested.
“Mn, you’re not sweet talking,” Fan Yi pulled away again. “Every single word you say is the truth.”
Wu Lingtian looked a bit wronged. He pouted slightly and grumbled, “Yishan, you’re just teasing me. You already know how I feel about you.”
“Do I?” Fan Yi raised a brow.
Wu Lingtian ignored his provocation and decided to concentrate on riding instead. At least, in that way, his heart wouldn’t be attacked again.
Seeing that Wu Lingtian had stopped responding, Fan Yi decided to mess with him. “A-Tian?”
“I thought we weren’t using those names, Sect Leader,” Wu Lingtian glanced at Fan Yi.
“I can call you A-Tian, but you can’t call me ‘sect leader’.”
“…”
“So many people in this world have the character ‘tian’ in their name! How many sect leaders are there in this world? You tell me.”
“…My apologies…Yishan.”
Wu Lingtian observed Fan Yi’s reaction this time.
Since the first time he uttered the name, he noted that Fan Yi seemed out of sorts upon hearing it. Now, after a few times, it seemed like he had grown comfortable with it, but there was still something that Wu Lingtian couldn’t place. When he met Fan Yi’s gaze, he could even find a few points of gentleness hidden within.
His gaze lowered for a moment before he pulled the horse towards Fan Yi. “Yishan.”
“Hm?”
“Yishan,” Wu Lingtian repeated.
Fan Yi looked over to Wu Lingtian. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing. I just feel that I should get used to calling this name, since we’ll be traveling with each other like this for a few months,” Wu Lingtian replied. His face was the picture of innocence without a hint of mischief in his eyes.
Even if Fan Yi wanted to tell him off, he couldn’t find an excuse. “Then, you continue practicing.”
“I will, Yishan,” Wu Lingtian said.
Several beats of silence passed before Wu Lingtian sighed.
Fan Yi glanced at him and waited for him to talk.
“Nothing,” Wu Lingtian shook his head. “I just realized I could have shared one horse with you.”
Fan Yi initially thought Wu Lingtian was mourning the extra room in his wallet, but the little wolf cub actually continued.
“What a wasted opportunity.”
“…Wu Lingtian, you—”
“Yishan, my name is Xincheng,” Wu Lingtian looked at Fan Yi perplexedly. “Or A-Tian. Not Wu Lingtian.”
“You really can’t let go of any grudges, can you?” Fan Yi laughed. Though, whether it was out of pure frustration or amusement, only he knew.
“I’m petty, but you already knew that,” Wu Lingtian said. He looked down at his horse in silence.
“Now what are you thinking?”
“I’m wondering if I set this horse free, will it be a waste of money?” Wu Lingtian mumbled.
“If you set that horse free, you’re walking the rest of the way,” Fan Yi pulled away from Wu Lingtian. “You’re not going to ride with me.”
Wu Lingtian turned to look at Fan Yi pitifully. “You would really just abandon me on the roadside like that?”
Fan Yi smiled. “What do you think?”
“You wouldn’t.”
The certainty in Wu Lingtian’s voice made Fan Yi falter. He stared blankly at Wu Lingtian’s serious expression before finally laughing.
“You’re right, I wouldn’t. Well, it’s more like I couldn’t,” Fan Yi said as he pulled forward.
Wu Lingtian followed his pace. “What do you mean, Yishan?”
Fan Yi glanced at Wu Lingtian. He really was replacing his frequent usage of “Sect Leader” with “Yishan”. While it was pleasant to hear, it still made Fan Yi feel slightly uncomfortable.
“Do you think I could bear to leave you?” Fan Yi raised a brow.
Wu Lingtian steadily stared at Fan Yi. Eventually, he looked away. A small, satisfied smile graced his handsome face. In the soft glow of the morning sun, it was near impossible to look away.
“Happy?”
Wu Lingtian chuckled. He lowered his head and laughed a bit more. He released part of the reins and raised a hand to hold his head.
“I must be crazy,” Wu Lingtian mumbled.
A gentle smile unconsciously emerged on Fan YI’s face. He silently watched Wu Lingtian stew in his own happiness.
“Right? How could you be so happy after hearing such simple words?”
“That’s because I,” Wu Lingtian looked at Fan Yi.
The words Wu Lingtian wanted to stay lingered in the air and eventually evaporated. Wu Lingtian didn’t finish his sentence but gazed upon Fan Yi gently, as one would their most precious treasure.
Fan Yi felt his heart jump to his throat. He looked away again. “It’s not a good habit to say half a sentence and leave the other half unspoken.”
“I fear that if I finish my sentences, Yishan will run off,” Wu Lingtian said.
“That’s true,” Fan Yi said. “Yishan is a cowardly person.”
Wu Lingtian’s brows furrowed. “That’s not true.”
“Do you know Yishan?” Fan Yi looked over at Wu Lingtian with a teasing smile.
“I know you,” Wu Lingtian said. “And I know that’s not true.”
Fan Yi chuckled. “That’s true, you know me.”
In the silence, the horse’s hooves crunched the gravel. The two men rode on in silence, both with their own thoughts and both unwilling to let the other hear.
“Sect Leader.”
“…Hm?”
“Whether your name is Fu Yishan or Fan Yi, whether you think yourself to be cowardly or strong, to me, none of that matters. If you’re cowardly, then I can protect you. If you’re anxious enough to run away, I’ll just chase after you,” Wu Lingtian said. “That’s all there is to it.”
Fan Yi glanced at Wu Lingtian’s side profile. After a long time, he finally laughed. “Sweet talker.”
“I told you, I’m not sweet talking,” Wu Lingtian sighed.
A/N: I am tentatively….uploading two chapters a week. The school year is slowly ending, so let’s hope this continues ;-;
Fan Yi pretending he doesn’t know how Wu Lingtian feels, early in this chapter, kind of feels like he’s fishing for another kiss!
our man knows how to play his cards right 😌 (jk lmao–)