Work Text:
Initially, it had been his Master, Zhou Zishu, that Zhang Chengling adored. Gratitude became loyalty, became admiration, and then became something that simultaneously made him bashful to meet his Master’s eyes and unwilling to ever leave his side.
But that man’s eyes were never meant to look at him in that way. More and more, Zhang Chengling began to come to terms with that. There was some sense of having lost out but he trusted his Uncle Wen with his Master’s happiness.
And his own gaze was beginning to turn elsewhere before he realized it.
Even an inexperienced whelp like Zhang Chengling could see how impressive this man was at first glance. His pause was brief enough to be taken for mere apprehension before he ran to his Master’s side without a word.
“Chengling, this is Ye Baiyi-- Senior Ye.” His Master was saying. “Senior, this is my disciple, Chengling.”
Ye Baiyi looked the teenager over with a derisive smirk, “Seems dumb. Each generation is worse than before.”
Zhang Chengling only shifted on his feet. This was someone his Master was speaking to with the utmost respect, what else could he do?
And though the smile in Ye Baiyi’s eyes was without a doubt a sarcastic one it had an unconventional charm to it. It reminded Zhang Chengling of the same way ‘Zhou Xu’ would roll his eyes and dismiss his requests to be his student, back before the persistence had won him over and he became ‘Shifu’.
Despite everything that had happened so recently and how overwhelmed he still felt, Zhang Chengling felt a tug on the corner of his lips... though he suppressed it.
Every time he was near the Sword Immortal from that day on, it was impossible to not let his gaze linger a little longer than it should.
If Zhang Chengling stirred awake at night he would glimpse Ye Baiyi sitting there alone keeping watch. He seemed to be impossibly distant during those times. Only briefly would he look back to the camp as if to make sure it was still there. And then, he was off in his own world again. His snowy robes would nearly glow under the clear moonlight, making him seem like a lonely ghost.
This was a man that had seen and been through more than Zhang Chengling could comprehend, and the teen often wondered if he was wandering through his old memories during these semi-trances.
When the wind blew, the lightest parts of his robes would flutter first, and would catch the most incandescent tones of the gossamer moonlight. Then the heavier parts would catch on and disrupt it as if to remind the world that, yes, he was still there.
He caught Zhang Chengling’s eyes on him a few times. Upon the first catch he just scoffed and ignored it. The second time he picked up a rock and held it up as if to throw it and the boy turned over with remarkable haste, bracing for the hit that never came.
Watching him in the slightest of winds, in the basest of movements had been enough-- even over the events that transpired.
The words that Zhang Chengling really couldn’t forget were:
“On top of Mount Changming, it was so cold and lonely.”
A typical mortal only had so long to amass regrets. The ones weighing on Ye Baiyi’s heart were so much heavier.
Zhang Chengling couldn’t put it into words, but he wanted to help ease that weight in any way that he possibly could.
-----
Both Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing were startled when Ye Baiyi came storming up to them, his body language tense and lips pursed tight.
The former stood, “Senior?”
The Immortal pointed back behind him to where Zhang Chengling was cleaning up some dishes and demanded to know:
“Has your disciple suffered some kind of massive head injury?”
Zhou Zishu glanced out at the boy, then back to the Immortal himself. “Senior, is something wrong?”
Wen Kexing, “Is he ill?”
“Worse than that. The dumb kid just admitted to trying to court me!”
The gazebo went silent. Even the gentle ‘flap, flap’ of the folding fan went still.
Ye Baiyi continued berating Zhou Zishu, “How audacious, how shameless! Are you not humiliated by having such an insolent disciple under your tutelage?”
“Surely your old ears just misheard him.” Wen Kexing’s tone remained unphased, yet he poured himself another cup of wine with haste.
“Hmph!” Ye Baiyi flicked his sleeves with indignation and pointed again, “Ask him yourself, then!”
The pair exchanged a look. Zhou Zishu made a silent signal for Wen Kexing to stay behind, downed the rest of his own cup, and took off to have a word with his disciple.
-----
“Chengling.”
His hands were too full for a proper bow but Zhang Chengling still managed to reply in turn. “Shifu.” It was a rather sheepish acknowledgment.
After all, he had heard every word of Ye Baiyi’s shouting.
“Is what Senior Ye told us true?”
Nodding, “Yes, Shifu.”
As his Master clicked his tongue and sighed Zhang Chengling lowered his head. He’d answered directly; there was nothing more to be said. A warm hand rested on his shoulders and began to lead him inside. No doubt his Master wanted to discuss it further and try to deter him.
Of all people, he should know that it wouldn’t work.
A single rejection was never going to deter Zhang Chengling. When it came to dogged persistence he had learned from the best.
“Chengling, you’re still very young,” His Master was carefully explaining on the way. “It would be unwise of you to tie yourself down so early in life, especially after you have come so far. At your age attachments like this come and go.”
Zhang Chengling kept his tone even as he set down the armful of dishes. “This disciple appreciates Shifu’s advice.”
“You may find yourself with regrets later in life if you rush into things.”
Rush into things… he could not help but take a quick glance over his shoulder at the man.
He knew his Master had the best intentions in mind, and his words came from experience, but the teenager stood his ground. “Shifu is wise.”
There was a long pause this time.
Zhou Zishu’s voice was firm now, no-nonsense. “Chengling. There is no chance he will agree.”
Oh, how Zhang Chengling wanted to argue back or at least disagree but he swallowed down the urge. He had been getting terribly good at bottling things up as of late. As reason came crawling back into his head it told him his Master was probably right, but his optimism kept fighting.
He turned to face his Master with determination. “I have to try.”
“Chengling…”
“I would not have had the privilege of having you as my Shifu if I had not kept trying.”
“Senior Ye and I are not the same. Nor is being married the same as being Master and disciple.”
Zhang Chengling fell to his knees before his Master, his fists tense at his sides, and declared: “Sorry, Shifu. I am not giving up on Ancestor Ye no matter what you say.”
“Why are you so set on this?” interrupted the sharp voice of Wen Kexing as the sound of his footfalls and soft wafting of his folding fan entered the room.
Zhou Zishu sighed but he didn’t bother with the matter of the eavesdropping for the moment. Zhang Chengling got back to his feet and made a quick respectful gesture, “Uncle Wen.”
“ Tch. Brat, what’s with this terrible taste you have?” Wen Kexing gave him a disapproving shake of the head. “If you must pursue someone at least choose someone worthwhile. You want to spend your life tending to an old monster like that?”
Swallowing down so many other words, the teenager answered. “Yes, Uncle Wen.”
The look on Wen Kexing’s face as he turned to his partner was a baffled one.
Gesturing to his disciple, Zhou Zishu pointed out, “You taught him to be like this.”
Wen Kexing folded up his fan, tapping it against the palm of his opposite hand in thought. “So what will you do, A-Xu? How determined are you to keep him away from that old monster? Enough to break his legs, keep him in confinement?” He leaned in a bit closer, “Or perhaps we could break the old man’s legs instead and just leave him in the wilderness somewhere? I prefer this plan.”
As usual, it was hard to tell if Uncle Wen was being serious or just trying to get a reaction out of them.
“No one’s legs are getting broken, Lao Wen.” His Master sounded exasperated and resigned. ”At this point I can’t do anything about it. My disciple can make his own decisions.”
As they left him to his tasks, Zhang Chengling heard Wen Kexing say in a low voice:
“A-Xu, now it’s your cabbage that’s being eaten by a pig.”