Chapter 9: nine
Qiao Li stared at Ran Xin. The first thing that confused him about his disciple was the new name. Would he really have to get used to that?!
The second thing was that Ran Xin was sulking. Why? Because that damn Ran MiQian was gone with Liang Shao in some hotel! Gone!!!
„So… you like Ran MiQian…?"
„… I don't know."
Qiao Li wanted to scream. This was so frustrating, how could you not know if you liked someone or not?!
He stared into the sky. The clouds were golden and bright red, like they were bleeding out. It looked extremely beautiful.
„Shifu, how do you know if you like someone?"
„Huh? Well… If you like to make them smile, want to tease them but if anyone hurts them, you feel like you won't be able to control yourself…"
Ran Xin stared at his feet that hung down from the roof of the tower. He still didn't understand why he felt sad when the small, talkative human was gone. And it really irritated him.
Qiao Li also couldn't help him. He wanted to visit Fei Mo, but Liang Shao was kind of in the way, because that idiot believed that people of the same gender couldn't fall in love with each other.
Ran Xin remembered when he couldn't kill MiQian and told Qiao Li in detail about it.
„So he moved and all, but his eyes were white?"
„Yes."
„And you couldn't do anything to him? Like being pacified?"
„Yes."
„Hm… He certainly isn't normal. But it happened when he was asleep, so he might not be aware of it. Let's observe for now."
Ran Xin sighed.
Ran Xin sighed?! Qiao Li was going to lose his head if this strange behavior continued!! The tiger was probably really love sick…
Qiao Li chewed on his nails again. He was so annoyed…!
They moved closer to the hotel to see if anybody left and waited for three days. On the fourth day and the peak of the festival, four people left the hotel.
Fei Mo spotted Qiao Li and smiled at him before disappearing alone into the crowd. Qiao Lis body reacted by instinct and he jumped into an alley way.
The two masters stared at each other.
„Want to enjoy this together?" Smiled Fei Mo.
„Sure."
Ran Xin on the other hand watched as Liang Shao, Huang Hua and MiQian wandered around the market place and looked at the stalls.
Liang Shao was soon surrounded by women trying in a „subtle" way to get closer to him, and Huang Hua and MiQian ended up alone. They didn't mind though.
Ran Xin changed his clothes into those with the ornaments, bound his hair to a high ponytail with two strands hanging out covering his temples, hid his sword and his presence and adjusted his face. He didn't want to be recognized when he wandered the streets.
He jumped down and the people made a bit room for him. Normally, he looked a bit grumpy, but now he tried his best to look indifferent. Luckily, he succeeded. He looked like a noble cultivator from an important sect.
„Ran Xin?"
„Ran Qi."
To keep his image, he just bowed his head, then took a good look at MiQian. MiQian still wore his light yellow robe, but on the fabric on level of his thighs was the emblem of the Ran: a lotus, embodied with bright yellow string.
Ran Xin thought that it looked like the sunlight was trying to embrace MiQian. It looked very pretty.
„Shizun, who is that…?"
„Someone I met a while ago, Ran Xin. Ah, this is Huang Hua. You could call her my disciple."
Ran Xin bowed his head again and Huang Hua mirrored the gesture.
MiQian understood Ran Xins train of thought and found it… interesting. Nobody got that the tiger was a demon and he even acted differently. The ultimate test would be if Liang Shao recognized him…
Because of Ran Xin, they could comfortably stroll along the stalls and look around. Every time MiQian felt like he would disappear in the crowd Ran Xin would be there and „rescue" him. It was a strange feeling of reassurance.
When MiQian saw a stall with gemstones he stopped to take a closer look.
„What are those?" Asked Huang Hua. „Stones??"
„Pretty stones." MiQian corrected her. „They are made from different chemicals which make the color, form and way they break."
„Oh…!"
„Is there one you particularly like?"
MiQian looked at Ran Xin, a bit surprised. „I really like amber… But I guess it's pretty rare here."
„Amber?"
„Hardened tree resin. It takes at least one thousand years to become amber, and it often conserves insects and plants. It's most of the time yellow like honey and transparent, also really shiny. But it can also be intransparent with no shimmer, really light and warm. If I remember correctly, they can also float on water and burn…"
Even the seller stared at him in amazement.
MiQian didn't find amber, but two very beautiful sunstones. They were orange, glittering like a lake in the sunshine (aventurescence) and each was a pendant on a black silk string. When put together, they formed the symbol of yin and yang.
Unfortunately, MiQian didn't have enough money for this set of necklaces.
Someone noticed his desiring look, and a thought formed in their had. Quietly, they bought it, and acted like nothing had happened.
„Ah, Shizun, I almost forgot…"
Huang Hua gave MiQian his fan back.
„Oh, thank you. I thought it was gone forever."
When the evening came, Huang Hua got tired, transformed into a yellow bird and hid in the landscape on MiQians fan. Convenient!
Now it was like MiQian and Ran Xin were alone. They could finally talk.
„Why did you go with them?"
„If I didn't, they would've found out that you're here and knowing your temperament, you would've fought with Liang Shao. It's probably better if you… play the indifferent cultivator a little longer."
„Why."
„Since you're still asking, I'll be honest: I don't want you to get hurt."
MiQian clenched his fists and teeth.
Ran Xin was dumbfounded. He knew that MiQian didn't mind him, but he actually looked out for him. He really didn't know what to say, so he looked at the tips of his black boots. He almost looked shy.
MiQian grinned. „If you're not angry all the time, you're actually quite cute."
„Says the guy with the very pretty face."
„Ah, the comebacks are back. Great, this'll be fun!"
A tiny smile hushed over Ran Xins face.
As the sun was setting, the shopkeepers lit up lanterns. Ran Xin bought one and they went to a big grass field near the town.
Some other people were also there, waiting with their lanterns for the stars to come out.
This festival was great for couples, so one would've expected that Ran Xin and MiQian stood out, but most would think that MiQian was a girl in boys clothing, not a very pretty guy.
„Did you have fun today?" Asked Ran Xin after a few moments of hesitation.
„Yes." MiQian smiled. „I haven't done something like this for pure enjoyment in a long time."
„I… also had fun…"
„That's good."
Ran Xin bit his lip before pulling something out of his clothes. He stared at it for a bit before gingerly taking MiQians hand and putting it into it.
MiQian looked at his hand. It was one of the sunstone pendants. Ran Xin was holding the other one in his hand.
„Oh…"
He held the gemstone up towards the sun and looked at it with lightly narrowed eyes.
Ran Xin held his part against MiQians, completing the other half.
Unexpectedly, MiQian went completely quiet. He just looked at the pendant with a gentle smile, his face being caressed by the last sunlight.
Ran Xin didn't look away for even a second. He was totally captivated by MiQian.
„… You like it?"
He nodded and looked at Ran Xin with a warm smile. „Thank you. It's beautiful."
The tiger blushed and looked away. „I'll help you put it on…"
He took the necklace and tied it for MiQian, who also helped him with his own.
„Now we match."
„Mhm."
„A-also, with that necklace on, I'll be able to find you, no matter where you are, so I won't have to worry when you disappear again…"
„Okay."
Ran Xin scratched his cheek. „And… uhm…"
His heart was beating like a drum. He felt like he couldn't hear his thoughts anymore.
„Take your time."
He took in a deep breath. „I guess, using your words, it would be… uhm… When I'm with you, I feel like I can put my past to rest. I feel less… angry at everything."
MiQian was happy, but also felt quite bad. The original Ran MiQian had been a total douchebag, didn't help anyone and so on. The current MiQian was… very different. Apparently, it wasn't out of character, but it still worried him.
He pushed away the bad feelings and patted Ran Xins head. He really hoped that this tiger would be fine. That aggressive cat could be so bashful and shy, if that character broke, it would be very sad.
They sat in the grass and watched as the sky got darker.
„What can you say about the stars?"
„You know the first star you can see in the evening? That is a planet called Venus." With the help of spiritual energy he formed a simple model of the solar system. „The one in the middle is the sun, that one is Venus. We are… here. Everything circles around the sun. The Venus has a smaller orbit than our planet, so in the evening, it „follows" the sun, appearing as the first star in the evening. Because of this smaller orbit, it also appears as the last star in the morning, „leading" the sun."
„Oh…! I didn't know that!"
MiQian wanted to laugh. If anyone knew that already in this society, he would be very surprised. The greeks thought that the morning and evening star were two different stars, not one planet. Though he didn't know how far the Chinese got in astronomy…
„Also, if you look very closely, you can see that the stars have different colors. Cooler ones are red, warmer ones orange through yellow and white. The hottest stars shine blue. But the color can also indicate the age of the star, but I don't know that much about that… But the stars are made out of different minerals and chemicals, so depending on this, they can also have different colors. It's a little more complicated than the orbits of planets…"
Ran Xin looked at the stars, trying to see the different colors.
„To me, they all seem white…"
„Honestly, to me too. I wonder if we could get a telescope…? Well, anyways, there are many different stars, and someone got the idea to name them. I guess the stars are also heavenly beings, but I'm not so sure…"
„You know so much…! Do you really have amnesia?"
„Huh? Well, I don't remember having lived in this world, so I guess? It might also be amnesia made by myself, you know, when you don't want to remember things…? It can be caused by traumatic events."
„If you don't remember who you are… wouldn't you panic?"
„If you don't remember who you are, who you know, where you are, would you really care? I would just worry if I'm safe and if I could survive. Take a good look at your situation before you decide if you panic or not."
„Hm… Would it also be possible… that you summoned a soul?"
MiQian felt his curiosity tingle. „What do you mean by that?"
„Well, there are rituals with which you can summon beings, but also souls. You offer your body to that soul, and it takes over. Normally, the original owner of the body would leave a message or something… It's something humans did a long time ago."
„Ah… Then how do you know about it?"
„Shifu told me about it."
MiQian nodded. „Rituals… don't you need blood for them?"
„Not necessarily… Shifu told me that there are also artifacts that can be used, but they are somewhat limited. Like, can only be used when the soul is leaving or something like that."
„So, if I had such an item and were dying, I could summon another soul and… revive?"
„Yes."
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