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Ji Chong never thought he would leave Yang Kingdom with a stone and a broken heart, but there was always a lesson in every journey, and from his encounter with Ma Zhaixing, he learned that nobody was perfect. Even the most enchanting lady he had ever met had one fatal flaw... and that was her weird taste in men.
Still, who was he to judge them? As long as they were content with each other, there was nothing to worry about. The wild wolf from the mountain miraculously became a prince and married the princess of his dream. All was fair in love (but not in war).
The bounty he gained was able to sustain the widows for probably another year, and he already took quite a fair sum for himself, so he wasn’t in a rush to involve himself in another trouble. Now, he just had to keep a low profile and stay away from Yang Kingdom and Jin Kingdom because another war was brewing there.
That left him with no choice, but to seek refuge in somewhere isolated. He heard there was a fortress built for war refugees far south in the Shu Mountains. It might be a good place to settle down for a while.
He had been walking around the forest for some time, when he suddenly heard the melody of a flute accompanied by the rippling sound of water. He immediately scurried over to the direction of the sound, itching to quench his thirst and have someone to talk to. Surprisingly, when he arrived at the river side, he found out that the flute player was in fact, someone he had not met in years.
“Anzhi?” Ji Chong called out just to make sure.
It had been a long time since Xie Yun heard someone called him with his courtesy name. He turned around abruptly, ready to run in case someone from the past found and forced him to lead the army again.
Fortunately, it wasn’t.
Still an old friend nonetheless.
“He’s dead,” Xie Yun answered, looking like he was grinning, but actually gritting his teeth to stop them from clattering.
He met Li Juyao a few times in his life.
The first time was when the latter paid a visit to Jiankang as a child. Xie Yun immediately found that the little prince was different from anyone he had ever met before. Beside the boy’s prominent talent in martial arts, Xie Yun watched how he was able to win over everyone in the palace with his free-spirited behavior. He would treat the servants casually like friends, generously buying them gifts to gain their favor, just so they would let him and Xie Yun get away with all their mischief. Now that he thought about it, perhaps it was the beginning of his own naughtiness.
Xie Yun looked up to the little prince like a cool older brother, and followed him around the whole time he was there. However, his stay was only temporary and they eventually had to say goodbye to each other. They had a dramatic childlike promise to meet again in the future, but toddler Xie Yun clearly wasn't able to foresee the rebellion that had been brewing underground. Had he known he couldn't keep it, he wouldn't make any promises in the first place.
Everything he called his own was gone once the rebellion happened and the rest was history.
The next time they met was seven years ago, and things were already different back then. Li Juyao was fighting as a marshal for his kingdom, while Xie Yun had given up his own war. The young marshal didn’t recognize him at first, but with that clever brain of his, he was able to put two and two together, and eventually figured out Xie Yun's real identity.
However, they couldn’t stay together for too long, because soon enough, Li Juyao’s troops were in a pinch, and being the brave warrior that he was, he headed to the very front row to defend his comrades without blinking.
Xie Yun watched him with pride. At least one of them still had his life in tact.
Or not.
“Li Juyao is also dead,” Ji Chong smirked. He walked up and sat himself down beside Xie Yun.
Xie Yun raised his chin slowly as he stared at Ji Chong in amusement. “Really? Then who is this?”
“Ji-” Ji Chong answered, writing each character in the air with his index finger, “-Chong. How about you? Qian Suiyou? Xie Yun?”
“Xie Meimei,” Xie Yun answered casually, laying himself back on the grass, arms wrapped around himself. Closing his eyes from the blazing sunlight, he continued, “Also known as Optimistic Guy.”
Ji Chong huffed out a small laugh, “Interesting name.”
After all of the horrible things that happened to his trusted subordinates, Ji Chong remembered his short encounter with Xie Yun at the forest near his army camp, where Ji Chong discovered that Xie Yun's dynasty was over and he no longer lived in the palace nor used his title.
The idea of wandering around the land using one's own ability inspired Ji Chong to become who he was today, and sometimes he wondered if by chance, he could see Xie Yun again in one of his journeys.
Seven years had passed, and it finally happened.
But something wasn't right.
Ji Chong knew that Xie Yun was poisoned with bone-chilling then, but he looked healthy back when he met him in the army camp, so he speculated that Xie Yun had somehow survived from it. However, he noticed that Xie Yun was currently showing symptoms of being poisoned; pale and shivering under the scorching southern sun.
It didn’t make sense.
Aware that the other man was staring at him, Xie Yun opened his eyes. When he realized the sun was still too bright, he squinted. “Like what you see?”
“Very much,” Ji Chong answered honestly. He took off his coat and draped it over Xie Yun’s body, “But it will be better if Xie Meimei has a little more color on his face.”
Xie Yun sighed exasperatedly and sat up for awhile to adjust the coat. Once he had it wrapped around his body properly, he laid back down on the grass. “Then I suggest you give up now. It’s not gonna happen soon. Maybe forever.”
Hearing that, Ji Chong’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He touched Xie Yun’s forehead out of curiosity to check his temperature.
It was frozen cold.
“Are you okay?”
“No,” Xie Yun answered, “Met a nice girl. But got kicked out of her house by her mother.”
Ji Chong retracted his hand and grinned. “Where does she live? I’d like to send a gift.”
Xie Yun stared at Ji Chong and shook his head in disbelief. “Has stealing become your hobby now?”
Ji Chong literally just did the opposite of that, so he laughed at the irony of it. “Who says I’m going to send it to her?” he continued, “I want to send it to her mother.”
Understanding where this was going, Xie Yun couldn't hold back his smirk. He snuggled closer into Ji Chong’s coat. "What’s the difference? Her mother is also her father’s wife.”
Ji Chong slightly wrinkled his nose in disappointment as he laid his body beside him. “You’re so obtuse,” he teased, “I want to thank her mother for kicking you out. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have met you here.”
“You think I don’t get that?” Xie Yun teased back, scooting closer to Ji Chong for some warmth.
Ji Chong was about to answer, but Xie Yun's icy body distracted him, so he deliberately sneaked an arm under Xie Yun's back and pulled him close. “You’ve been alive for a long time after that. You must've taken the antidote. Why are you like this now?”
Xie Yun sighed, “Don’t ask. Just hug me,” he answered, laying his head comfortably on Ji Chong’s shoulder.
Ji Chong understood that the matter was probably too personal for Xie Yun to talk about with an old acquaintance he just met, so he didn’t say anything else. Instead, he silently turned his body sideway to be able to wrap his other arm around the other man. “Where are you staying?”
Xie Yun also turned his body so he could look at Ji Chong's face. "Nowhere."
“Me too," Ji Chong smiled, "Come with me, Xie Meimei."
The name itself was already ridiculous, but the fact that Ji Chong just called him with it like Zhou Fei did, made Xie Yun burst out into a shaky laughter. "The first name is Yun."
"Well, whoever you are, don't die alone in the corner," Ji Chong answered, hugging the man tighter.
"Honestly, I don’t mind if I die now," Xie Yun answered lightly, "I will consider it a comfortable death."
Ji Chong reached for Xie Yun's ponytail with one hand and pulled on it lightly to scold him. "Does my arm look like a death bed to you?" he nagged, "If you don't get up now and follow me, I'll start charging gold for every hour you spend in my arms."
Xie Yun gasped, dramatically patting his front as if looking for something in his pockets. After a while, he stopped and pouted exaggeratedly. "I can't afford that, Your Highness. I've spent all my money buying blades and dresses for the girl."
Ji Chong took this chance to show off. "With me, you don't have to worry about money, Your Highness," he jerked his body, intentionally jingling the coins in his pockets as proof, "I have a lot. And it doesn't come from people's tax."
Xie Yun wanted to laugh, but he was suddenly taken aback by the cold when the wind blew past them. He bursted in a fit of cough, "Then...use it to pay…for my rent."
Ji Chong frowned sympathetically at, patting Xie Yun's back to soothe him, "Depends."
Xie Yun cleared his throat first to calm his lungs, then he struggled to free himself from Ji Chong's hug. "Aiyah, too many conditions! I'll just die on the grass."
Ji Chong’s eyes widened in reflex. His grip around Xie Yun tightened out of fear that the man would die right there for real. "Anzhi, I'm serious," he told him sincerely, "It's not good to wander alone in your condition."
Xie Yun sighed once again, questioning his luck. Why did he always end up with the most stubborn people?
He had intended to go to Lingling for Demon-Extinguishing Conference after hearing about the ripple mark, but the Route Gang had been chasing him like crazy, thus he was cornered to stay inside the forest. He didn’t know who sent them in the first place, but this couldn’t go on forever. He didn’t want to spend the time he had left hiding in a secluded place.
He wanted to draw, wanted to write, wanted to drink as much plum wine as he could and ate a lot of nice food. He had saved Fortress of 48, and delivered Zhou Fei home safely. It cost him a lot, but it was worth it. Unlike him, she was better off alive. She had the ability to make the world a better place.
Now he just wanted to rest, but could this trouble-maker give him that?
“The youngest prince of Jin Kingdom is known as a young hero,” Xie Yun suddenly asked, “Why are you out here?”
Ji Chong scoffed, "There’s nothing heroic about killing people I don’t know, and making a lot of women widowed,” he continued, “I’m sick of having to think that it’s okay for other people to die for me, just because I am a noble birth.”
Xie Yun could relate a lot to that. “No one cares who sits on the throne as long as they’re not starved,” Xie Yun added, “The nobles are the only ones busy about that. Yet other people have to suffer for them.”
Ji Chong grinned widely, “Couldn’t expect less from Xie Meimei.”
“Of course,” Xie Yun answered confidently, “Wise and knowledgeable, Xiao Chuan left the palace to become a walking encyclopedia.”
“Then do you know there is a man who is raised by a wolf?” Ji Chong asked as he rubbed on Xie Yun’s cold arms.
Xie Yun raised one of his eyebrows, staring at Ji Chong like he was a lunatic. “....I do write fantasy stories too.”
“No, it’s true! The Third Prince of Yang Kingdom used to be raised by a wolf. His wife calls him Wolf Boy. They met on the mountain and fell in love when they were young, but they were separated. When they meet again years later, the Wolf Boy has become a prince and they got married,” Ji Chong told him enthusiastically, “Fascinating, right? You can find these kinds of things if you come with me.”
“Interesting,” Xie Yun replied, smiling as he pointed his index finger to Ji Chong's chest. “But where is Ji Chong in this story?”
Ji Chong let out a defeated sigh, “The one ended up with a broken heart.”
Xie Yun laughed at him mockingly. “Poor, Ji Chong. The Wolf Boy is a married man.”
“I like his wife, you moron,” Ji Chong spat. Imagining Chu Youwen's face triggered his nausea, “He’s not pretty like you. There is nothing in that man except violence,” he added, “And you don’t have the right to laugh at me. You’re also miserable.”
“We are absolutely in a different class!” Xie Yun defended himself, “A-Fei likes me back. It’s just unfortunate that I’m going to die and her mother didn’t like me.”
“.....”
“.....”
“...You’re really going to die, aren’t you?” Ji Chong asked, his forehead frowned in concern.
“Aren’t you?” Xie Yun asked back defiantly. “You think you’ll live forever? Don’t be arrogant just because you survived those battles.”
“Allow me to be upset,” Ji Chong said dejectedly. “We get along well, but we never have the chance to spend time together. Moreover, you don’t want to go with me now. If you’re going to die soon, perhaps it is our last meeting.”
"....."
Xie Yun bit his lower lip silently, considering the idea of following Ji Chong and traveling around the land. Ji Chong was rather adventurous, but he was also good at fighting and hiding. That could definitely save him from a lot of trouble. Moreover, there was also this strange connection between them - being a runaway prince and all.
After awhile of pondering, Xie Yun eventually shrugged the man’s arms off and sat up. “Depends on what?”
Ji Chong also sat up, looking at Xie Yun in confusion. “What?”
Xie Yun still managed to click his tongue in annoyance with his cold trembling lips. "Your memory lasts like a goldfish,” he averted his gaze to Ji Chong’s arm, “The rent. You said it depends. Depends on what?"
Ji Chong ignored the insult and smiled brightly in response. "Depends on how long you are going to rent my arms. I only accept a minimum of one year."
"Fine. That's probably the rest of my life anyway," Xie Yun answered, defeated, “Where should we go now?”
"Let’s start with Penglai,” Ji Chong smiled cheekily, bumping his shoulder to Xie Yun’s, “You know the way.”
Xie Yun crossed his arms in front of his chest, looking at Ji Chong in amusement as he tilted his head to the side. “Taking advantage of me already?”
“People pay two sacks of coins, silvers, and blocks of gold for Ji Chong’s service. You have basically rented him for free. At least be his navigator,” Ji Chong complained playfully.
Xie Yun sighed, “Southwest.”
“Mn?”
“Go southwest.”
Ji Chong grinned from ear to ear.
“Okay.”