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Xie Lian loved life. He loved living. There was nothing he couldn’t put up with as long as it didn’t kill him. He could be stabbed, he could be hit by an ox driven cart, whatever. Xie Lian had seen it all before. He maneuvered through life with an optimistic attitude and a smile on his face.
Xie Lian squinted, holding a hand up to keep the rain from getting in his eyes. Oh, did he say rain? He meant blood. Because it was raining blood.
Rain Master? Rain Master are you there? Did something happen? Why did he wake up completely covered in blood? It wasn’t particularly bad or anything in terms of life threatening situations, but… why? He only had one set of clothes, and they had become more red than wedding robes. His hair clung to him like a crying child seeking comfort from their mother. Xie Lian was going to stink for years. Usually, rain was cool, if not cold, or freezing. This blood rain was warm. It was warm and sticky, just like… well, blood. He couldn't think of how to describe it otherwise, as he was preoccupied by wondering why it was raining blood in the first place. In all eight hundred years of living, he had never seen this before. Maybe he had seen this much blood on a battlefield, but it had never come from the skies. It was awful. The tree he was sleeping under shed red leaves as though it were fall. The grass actively wilted beneath him. A patch of flowers that Xie Lian remembered to be delicate and beautiful were beyond saving. The whole forest cried out in indignation at this crime against nature. Xie Lian sighed and put on his bamboo hat. Even though it meant a lot to him and he usually tried to protect it from the harsher elements, he wasn’t going to get anywhere if he kept getting blood in his eyes, and even the worn and holey bamboo hat was better than nothing.
As he walked, soil soaked in blood squelching under his feet, Xie Lian got used to the experience of being caught in a blood rain. The smell stopped being so awful, the feeling of sticky blood all over him became more like sweat on his skin… so on and so forth. It was kind of like how he would get used to pain. He simply had to be exposed to it for long enough that it melded in as a background. The only sound was that of the blood splatting against its next poor target; all the animals had fled in search of cleaner ground. It was just Xie Lian and Ruoye, who had wrapped around his waist where there were the most layers of clothing to protect it. Ruoye would have to be washed regardless, but they had been through other nasty situations before, and Xie Lian had managed to keep Ruoye relatively clean. He wondered if its spiritual nature prevented it from staining too badly somehow.
He wandered for maybe an hour or two, unsure of what direction he was going in. It was hard to tell the time or direction by sun or stars when one looked up and could only see blood. This definitely didn’t make it to Xie Lian’s top ten life endangering moments, but it was getting up there on his most inconveniencing situations list. Physically, he could keep walking. Mentally, it was exhausting. He was trying to sleep before all of this, after all. Maybe it was the middle of the night and he should’ve been knocked out by now. He was weighing the pros and cons of climbing a tree to see if he could spot any landmarks (cons was winning thanks to the image of slipping on the slick bark and impaling himself on a tree branch), when something slipped through a hole in his hat and down his forehead. Before his hand could reach up and wipe it away, it easily glided down his skin, right into his eyes.
“Ohh no,” Xie Lian muttered. “Oh no no no.” Alas, it was too late! Blood! In his eyes! And everywhere else, but now there was so much blood, and it was in his eyes, and he was blind. If he rubbed at his eyes, it was sure to only worsen, because there was blood on his hands as well. Not just in the metaphorical sense. “Ruoye? Ruoye, help,” Xie Lian called, his voice ringing pathetically in his ears. Ruoye shuffled meagerly inside his clothes, but made no move to come out and lead him. Why was his life like this? Oh, right, because he let Jun Wu take away all his luck. Maybe he should’ve asked for him to leave just a little behind.
If he had spent only two hours or so walking before, Xie Lian must’ve spent another eight hundred years shuffling around in the forest of blood, hands waving around in front of him to hopefully prevent a collision. Needless to say, he ended up running into a few trees anyway. With every passing second, Xie Lian considered lying down and trying to go back to sleep more and more. What was the worst that could happen? Drowning in a puddle of blood? Xie Lian couldn’t die anyway.
He was exhausted. Rain Master, are you out there? Can you stop this?
Rain Master? She had helped before, long ago.
She probably realized doing so was a mistake.
Jun Wu, maybe? Help.
Anyone?
...Feng Xin?
…...Mu Qing?
Xie Lian laughed tiredly. What was he thinking? His luck was that if he wished for something very hard, he would get the exact opposite. If Xie Lian wanted a god, a demon would come instead. He reached up without a thought to rub at his eyes, and smeared more blood in his eyes. Wonderful. Tears slid down his face because the blood stung his eyes. Really. He hadn’t cried out of frustration in hundreds of years.
Something flashed before his limited vision. It managed to glitter brightly through all the blood. Xie Lian stumbled forward, reaching out for it like a moth to a flame. It floated before him before lightly landing on his outstretched hand. Bringing it close to his face, Xie Lian finally made out the shape of a butterfly. Despite the downpour, it had been flying around with ease, but now seemed like a weary traveller that had finally found their destination after years of searching. It’s shimmering wings flapped slowly, and its casual nature brought a soft smile onto Xie Lian’s face.
“It’s good to know someone is doing well in this rain,” he said to it. It flapped its wings once in what Xie Lian hoped was butterfly joy. Suddenly, there was a noise like rain pattering on a surface behind him. Turning around, Xie Lian saw a silhouette of a person standing there. The sound was presumably the rain against an open umbrella. Xie Lian smiled, and raised a hand in greeting.
“Lovely blood rain we’re having,” he said blithely. Briefly, he noticed the butterfly had left his hand. His smile grew a little wider as he imagined what he looked like to this stranger, smiling calmly and conversing as though he weren’t covered in blood. The shadow quietly approached Xie Lian, and he suddenly realized there wasn’t any proof this person wasn’t hostile.
“Are you alright?” the person asked, and held out their umbrella over Xie Lian’s head. The respite from the rain was immediately welcome, and Xie Lian let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Trying to look at this stranger, Xie Lian found the umbrella had cast a shadow over their face. In the already dark woods and coupled with Xie Lian’s blood induced blindness, it was nearly impossible to make out any identifying features.
“Yes, I… well, thank you,” he said at last.
“It looks like there’s blood in your eyes,” the person gently commented. “Can you see?” Xie Lian blinked forcefully a few times.
“Not very well,” he admitted.
“Please, let me assist you out of this rain. It’s letting up just to the west of here.” Xie Lian paused, resisting the urge to rub at his eyes. It would be very nice to get out of the rain. If this person was trying to trick or harm him, Xie Lian could probably still defeat him despite the environment. He had won harder fights in worse situations. He tried to smile as warmly as he could despite all the blood everywhere that most likely made him look like a murderer.
“That would be very much appreciated. Thank you.”
“Would it be okay if I led you by your arm?” Xie Lian thought of how bloody his clothes must’ve been, but this person had much more vision than Xie Lian currently did. They had most likely noticed, and offered regardless. Xie Lian was touched.
“Of course.” The person gently took Xie Lian’s forearm, staying close to his side to make sure the umbrella covered his head. They walked as quickly as possible without slipping to reach drier ground. The person was a very sturdy guide, and they supported Xie Lian very well. It felt like every step was calculated for his sake.
As they moved, the blood came down less and less until they were in a fairly dry area. Xie Lian stepped out from underneath the umbrella, and when he held out his hand, no blood dripped onto it. The air wasn’t completely fresh, but it was very crisp to Xie Lian’s nose that had gotten used to the previous environment. He took a deep breath in. There was the noise of the person closing their umbrella.
“There’s a stream nearby,” they said. “You can wash your eyes out there. Don’t worry,” they quickly added. “There isn’t any blood in the water.” Xie Lian nodded. When they had led Xie Lian over, they gently helped him kneel down. Xie Lian thoroughly washed his eyes, taking the time to rub all the blood off his face. Blinking a few times, he confirmed that his vision was clear, before turning around to face the person behind him. Meeting his eyes, they smiled at him.
“Better now?” It was a young man, standing with his arms casually crossed. His clothes seemed to be naturally red, rather than dyed with blood, as the collar of his inner robes was still white. He looked well off; maybe he was some young master who had come out to play. But would any young master come play around in a blood rain like this? Xie Lian stood up and bowed.
“Yes. Thank you very much for helping me. Forgive me for being rude and not introducing myself earlier. My family name is Xie, name is Lian.”
“...I’m the third in my family, so everyone calls me San Lang.” San Lang had reached out as though he was going to stop Xie Lian from bowing, but stopped just short of actually touching him. “I…” He glanced to the side. “I’m sorry.” Xie Lian blinked in surprise.
“...For what?”
“I... I wish I had been quicker to find you.” If Xie Lian’s clothes were heavy with blood, then San Lang’s voice was just as heavy with regret. His tone almost sounded like he was implying he was the reason Xie Lian had been caught in the rain. Xie Lian waved a hand dismissively.
“Meetings happen by chance.” As he spoke, he wrung his sleeves, and blood dripped from them into the ground. He did the same to his hair, and found out that the sensation of handfuls of blood slicked hair was very displeasing. Just in case he got caught in another blood rain, tying all his hair into a bun would probably help, he mused. “They happen when they happen,” he continued saying, “and there is no point in wishing it could’ve been different. We cannot change the past, so there’s only the present to focus on.” The man stared at him as he silently listened, and Xie Lian suddenly felt embarrassed. Was he lecturing? He was lecturing like an old man to this young master who just wanted to help him out of the rain. Great.
“You’re right,” San Lang said, “but I still feel guilty for not being to help you earlier.” He gestured further in the direction they were headed. “I actually live over this way. If it would please you, you could stop by and clean up. As it’s getting late, I would be more than happy to provide a place to stay for the night.” Xie Lian paused.
“You’ve already helped me so much. I couldn’t possibly impose,” he said. San Lang shook his head.
“Nonsense. You can think of it as appeasing my guilt, or keeping a lonely youngster company, if it would help,” San Lang said. He gestured to himself. “Don’t I look weak? Perhaps you could help protect me if there’s danger.” Xie Lian laughed at his joking tone.
“Maybe I could scare any hostile entities off with how I look right now,” Xie Lian said, looking down at his clothes and determining how much worse they had gotten. In all honesty, he was actually considering going with San Lang. He didn’t really know anything about him, but having a blood-free place to stay at for some time and being able to take a bath would be very, very nice. Maybe he would even have warm water. Ruoye wriggled around him at the idea of being clean. “I will take you up on your offer, then. Many thanks.” As they leisurely strolled in the direction of San Lang’s house, Xie Lian noticed San Lang had some bright white flowers tucked into his robes, the petals just peeking out at the collar. “Those are beautiful flowers you have,” Xie Lian commented.
“Hm? Ah, yes, I didn’t want them to get caught in the rain, so I picked them. They’re delicate things, and I felt like it was a waste for them to get caught in such heavy rain.” It was very thoughtful and sentimental, and Xie Lian felt like he gained insight into San Lang’s character. Every few seconds, he glanced over Xie Lian worriedly. Xie Lian could only smile. Was it concern for his wellbeing, or mild disgust at the state he was in? Either way, it made him happy.
...Had he really spent so much time alone that this mere interaction made his heart swell?
“Do you go around saving poor flowers from blood rains often, San Lang?”
“Only when I get the chance,” he casually quipped, and Xie Lian laughed. As his luck would have it, it was then he would slip on completely dry grass. Before he could faceplant, San Lang’s arm quickly shot out and caught him. “Are you alright?” he asked. Xie Lian began to laugh.
“Yes, thank you, I just…” Xie Lian stifled his laughter. “Forgive me, my luck is just too much sometimes. But, see? Even if you think you were late in helping me out of the rain, you were here to help me now, so I am very grateful to have met you, San Lang.”
“...Thank you,” San Lang said, and when he smiled, Xie Lian felt it was more delicate than any flower.