Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

[1]

You swept your floorboards and wiped the windowsills. You just dealt with the last client a few minutes ago and now you had the time to tidy your shop up before leaving. You arranged a few more bottles and jars on the shelves away from the edges of counter which they could fall then dusted your hands.

You finished your chores for the day, packing up the homemade lunch you made for your older brother you then headed out to the training grounds he'd stay whenever he's not out on patrol.

You took a stroll on the meadow and sat down, your usual spot was a  mountain cliff that was slightly taller than the walls of the grounds which gave you a clear view of what they were doing inside. Well, it was often just sparring or training so it wasn't much, yet it entertained you. Whenever you didn't have anything to do, you'd head on the cliff and watch as your brother trained with other fellow warriors. It was similar like watching a movie of some sort. Sometimes while waiting for him, you'd pick up some flowers to make into a bouquet, or you'd pick up some nearby fruits.

Your brother knew of you coming to watch whenever he's still busy and waves at you anytime he spots you. Some of the warriors noticed you, others haven't, some don't care.

Yuxuan. That was the name of your older brother by a couple years. He worked as a warrior under one of the emperor's favored men, (a.k.a Chief of War), and was currently turning thirty-four this year. He joined back when he was just twenty-three and ever since he had been working endlessly to be able to support the both of you ever since your parents both died. Since he would frequently injure himself, you took it upon yourself to become a herbalist. 

A few minutes passed and you started to lay on your chest, head resting on your palms, your feet swaying and your eyes glided over to the man who were in front of the soldiers, commanding and ordering them as he paced around watching then with a stern gaze in his eyes. His look often intimidated new recruits or passerby, it wasn't uncommon, he always had a composed and serious personality — often the talk of the town due to his success and fame of being one of the emperor's trusted men, often accompanying him side by side. He'd bring home victories from wars waging against other nations, his fighting prowess was no joke and led him to be called the Chief of War by the public.

You don't often show it but deep inside, you've come to admire the chief. 

It had been a few years since your brother got promoted and joined his army. Time to time as you would visit your brother you'd see this cold man ever so often. Your interactions with him were nothing but quick glances and small, small talk. Comparable to talking to a vendor for goods you frequent for but never getting close. He'd pay no attention to you of course mutually you too expected nothing from him. What would he get from some random background nobody who in the very least stays in his head for a maximum of five seconds before fading away? The man clearly had more important things going on. 

You had gotten lost in thought and hadn't noticed that break-time has already begun. You sheepishly brushed the train of thoughts and picked up the lunchbox from the ground and made your way down.

The training grounds were large consisting of multiple soldiers that could fit inside. You almost felt like an outsider, in which you are but that doesn't matter. 

The atmosphere gave off an aura of intimidation, prompting you to hastily look around to find your brother. Your presence didn't go unnoticed and a few soldiers spotted you. Having recognized you as Yuxuan's younger sibling, they came over and greeted you. "Y/N! You're here again." the soldier in the middle grinned, arms bent in the air behind him to support his head, "What do you have packed over there?" he came closer and inspected the box you were holding, albeit—a tad bit too close for comfort. His long-haired companion on the right whacked the top of his head, "Why don't you leave Y/N alone, Zixuan? They just arrived and you're already making them uncomfortable." he muttered sternly.

Zixuan rubbed the bruise on the top of his head, ''You're so mean, jeez! I was just curious, I haven't eaten yet y'know." he pouted. The other merely let out a scoff, "Please. You aren't fooling anyone, certainly not me. That is not how you're supposed to 'behave' as an esteemed warrior of the army." the long-haired man muttered. Zixuan scowled, "You calling me un-esteemed!?" the two continued to bicker before a third figure stepped up and laid out his arms to separate the two of them before anymore chaos could ensue. "Zixuan, Minghao, let's not act like children in front of guests." the third soldier calmly explained. He held a soft smile and his words meant not to insult, but to gently remind.

"Runchu, I'm glad to see you again." you smiled. You recognized him of course, with his stature and reputation, it was difficult not to. Runchu was one of the Chief's trusted men and your brother's closest friend. Not to mention, you knew each other since childhood—more specifically when you were nine and accidentally spilled boiling tea on him when he first came over. Now that was the primary factor why you could recognize him through footsteps alone. (mainly to make sure you don't embarrass yourself again)

Runchu focused his attention on you, "So am I." he replied. Out of the four of them, your brother included, he was the one who you haven't seen in a long time. It's been four years since your last interaction with him, time flew by so quick you hadn't realized how much his appearance had drastically changed. "So, what brings you here?" he asks. Zixuan taps his shoulder and responds, "Y/N comes over sometimes to give Yuxuan lunches. When they're feeling generous, they also pack some for us as well." he flashes a toothy grin. Runchu seems surprised, though you don't blame him. You didn't do this kind of stuff before. "Seems like Y/N's no longer the same kid tripping over and spilling tea anymore, hm?" he softly chuckled, "I take it you're looking for him." he exclaims. You nod and he swiftly informs you of your kin's location.

"Alright, thank you." you say. "Welcome." Runchu replies, "Say, do you mind packing me some of your meals too? I haven't tried your cooking in years. I'd like to catch up." as per his request, the ears of his two companions increase, all of a sudden they're by your side nudging you to make room for them as well. You end up folding and promise to make some next time. They became satisfied of your answer and bid you goodbye. Now it was time to look for him, Runchu mentioned he went somewhere near the north-east watchtower so you made your way over there. While making your way, you end up catching sight of the very person who's name makes everyone shiver in the camp.  

You ended up making eye contact with him and bowed to show respect. It was taking a while so you assumed he had already left, to check this you opened your left eye and snuck a peek. You've never been so wrong in your life. With the sun glowing behind him, it cast a blanket of shadow between him and you, his full profile and sunken eyes were fixed on you. Handsome, you thought. However, it didn't  take long. He faced to the side and let out a small 'Mm.' before walking away, his flowy blue cape following behind him.

Odd guy he is. You whisper in your head without realizing the faint red blush spreading across your cheeks.

Well, you suppose that's done with. You returned to your previous objective and found your brother sitting down on the ground near the weapon racks. 

“Yuxuan!” you cheered loudly, running towards him, your brother noticed your approach and waved at you joyfully while wiping the sweat from his forehead. “Oh, Y/N.” he said calmly smiling as he stood to meet your height. “Sorry I haven't been able to come home recently, you know how things get around here.” he apologized, scratching the back of his head.

You shook your head, “Goodness, don't you worry. I understand.” you said before showing him the lunch you prepared for him earlier this morning, “Also, I made you you a healthy meal this morning. Make sure to completely eat everything. I didn't suffer making this just for you to leave leftovers.” you teased and he chuckled. “Thank you, Y/N," he smiled, "what would I ever do without my most precious younger sibling?” he said being dramatic as he put a hand on the top of his forehead. You rolled your eyes and afterwards you both then decided to sit down on the grass right outside the training grounds. You observed as he began gobbling down what you made. You giggled at him, “Looks like somebody's hungry.”

He rolled his eyes, “Shut up, Y/N.” he said in a joking manner. You both continued to chat and hurl light-hearted insults towards each other. 

“Anyways, how's it been nowadays? I've been hearing from the folks that the demons around the outskirts of the kingdom are slowly turning active again.”

Yuxuan looked up and thought about what to say, “You're right about that. For some reason the demons are getting rowdy again, but we already fended them off months ago. They don't often get back up as quickly as before so we've been wondering what's causing the change in their behavior.” 

“Well?” you tilted your head.  He looked back down and sighed, “Still no clues. Due to how active they are, reports are turned in that they've started attacking nearby villages.” he looked at you with heavy eyes, “If it ever happens a demon attacks the village, you should run. Alright?” 

He knew that if ever comes a time something happens to the village, you'd prioritize the health of others than yourself. It's one of your most known traits and one of your downfalls. If you believe you can save them, you'd try to save them even if that means getting harmed. And that is what your brother worries about. “..Alright. Got it.” 

Yuxuan's gaze softened a little, “But it'd be unusual if that does occur. The village is situated near the outskirts of the kingdom, so if it does occur you can quickly inform a patrolling guard about it.” 

You nodded then pointed at his meal. 

“What..?” he looked at you confused. “All this demon talk and stuff but are you not gonna eat your chicken? It'll get cold soon.” you say. 

Your brother huffed, “Sigh. Have you never heard the term 'save the best things for last'?” you rolled your eyes at him, “Alright, yeah. What I care is that you eat that damn chicken, later on I'll see you handing it of to one of your friends.” you then heard Yuxuan let out a quiet 'Ugh.. Fine.' before he then considered to eat the chicken. Yuxuan took a bite of the chicken using his hand and instantly kept on digging in. “How is it?” you asked grinning. “You can't keep on getting away with cooking good food. I don't know how you manage to pull it off.” 

You shrugged, “I made a contract with the devil and sold my soul in exchange for otherworldly cooking skills.” 

“...” 

“...” You both stared at each other silently for awhile. 

“Do you seriously believe that? I just follow recipes. Damn.” you said, breaking the silence. 

“No it's not that, it's just out of all things you might have chosen, profound culinary ability is what you picked.” 

“Look here, money and power are overrated.” you explained, “Wait hold on, did you actually sell your soul?” he said, convinced. “Obviously not. Why would I choose otherworldly cooking skills in exchange for my life?”  

Alright, this conversation was starting to get weird. How'd you go from demon talk to contracts and cooking?

Whatever, at least you enjoyed the moment. Times like this with your brother is often rare as he's always out in the lines protecting. As you smiled warmly watching your brother eat, it also made you feel nostalgic back when you were both younger eating your mother's cooking back then. But suddenly, you notice something. You saw him put aside the cabbage you put in his meal. “Hey, hey, hey. I saw that!” you said, “You better eat your vegetables. You think just because mom isn't here you'd be able to escape it?” 

He whined, “Come on! I'm thirty goddamnit.” 

You shook your head, “No. I better see you consume that cabbage immediately.” 

And five minutes went by trying to persuade your brother into eating his greens. 

Unfortunately, break-time was not forever and your brother had to return to attend his duties. “Well, time sure does fly fast. I'd best be going now.” he said, putting on his uniform. “Already? Damn, I thought we had only spent ten minutes.” you said as you got up, “Anyways, I also have something to give you before you leave.” you told your brother. He turned his head and raised his brow, “What is it?” he asked.

You searched your pockets and bag twice and upon realising you left it at the cliff you were at earlier, “Shit! I packed you some medicine in case of rough situations but I happened to forget and left it somewhere..” you said frantically as you looked at him panicking, “Yuxuan stay here, I'll get it quickly.” you immediately dashed right away and your brother was left in an array of confusion.

You didn't expect that anyone would be taking the kit you left since it wasn't the most populated area, but your brother was about to head back and you didn't have much time left so you sprinted quickly and due to how quick you were moving you were unfortunate enough to not have seen that something was in front of you, only after did you realize after colliding with them and falling back to the ground on your backside, though the person you bumped into continued to stay on their feet, unbothered.

“Huh, what the?” you rubbed your eyes and looked up, “I—.. Who?” you were distraught as the man you'd often see commanding the other soldiers and whom was your brothers superior right before you in the forest. He was unfazed and composed, unlike you. He held his hand out, you reluctantly accepted it and got up with a confused impression. You dusted your clothes and turned to him, “I'm sorry for bumping into you, sir, I wasn't looking where I was going an—” you were stopped midway as he lent the box of medicine you were looking for earlier.

Goodness, what was with you continuously bumping into this poor man? Twice in less than three hours. He must think you're doing it in purpose or trying to get his attention.. Wait, what if he thinks you're one of those crazy fanatic fangirls trying to court him?

Your train of thoughts dispersed as you took your things back, “Ah, my things! You found them.” you took them happily and looked at the familiar stranger once again. You glanced at him once more, for some reason it felt as if you found him in a vulnerable moment than earlier. You think its because he hadn't bring his dao with him. Actually, it was the first time you've seen the general without it.

“You're Yuxuan's younger sibling, am I correct?” he said suddenly. This took you aback, you were honored that he somehow knew you despite the minimal interactions you both shared, counting earlier. You hesitated for a moment before answering, “Yes. You are correct, though, how did you know?” you asked. “I've seen you a few times. It's not hard to take note when he's been in service for a while.” he said. Well, that's no wonder he recognized you. For some odd reason you felt a tiny tinge of satisfaction knowing he remembered you.

I suppose it made sense.. 

“I have also felt your gaze upon me during training sessions many times since the beginning. It's odd how not much had noticed we had a strange presence watching me and my soldiers from afar.” he then added. 

Oh God, this is not how you wanted it to go. 

You never really thought one the first 'real' interactions you'd have with him was basically getting calleed out for something you never sort of intended to do. (Or did you?) 

You froze on the spot, you never really thought you'd ever have the chance to speak with him yet here you are. You wondered if he was gonna decapitate you for presenting yourself in this manner, you know how scary this guy could get, and now he thinks you're a stalker. A few moments of silence and you swallowed a huge lump in your throat, “I—..um, well.” you stuttered, “Listen, I never meant to make it look like I was spying on you, it was more of an 'observation'.. Well, sort of.” you explained, he looked as if he found your strange theatrics amusing. He spoke, “With all due respect, I couldn't care less to what you do," he crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes, "as long as you aren't planning or committing acts that endanger the kingdom.”. You held your arms to the level of your chest and aggressively waved them, "No! No! Nothing like that. I'm just humble run-off-the-mill apothecary. I am absolutely not planning any kind of treason, I swear on the great ancestors." you ramble and panic. With those eyes staring at you, you'd be dead ten times over. Fortunately, he simply mused. "Good." he says. Thus, ending your thoughts of wishing to melt into the ground. You took a sigh of relief.

“If you don't have anything else to say, I'll be leaving. I spent enough time here and I must return.” he continued.

“Hold on, wait. Could we.. go together perhaps? I have to give these to my brother.” you asked, he paused for a moment to think before giving in.

“.. Sure.” he swiftly replied.

Unsurprisingly turns out, the Chief wasn't much of a talker.

A few minutes in and you could already feel the dreadful silence sinking in accompanied by the lingering awkwardness. The dried leaves crushed underneath your slippers each step you took forward were louder than the noises between the two of you. Suppose it's better this way. Get underneath his radar, lay low, and start hoping you don't appear too strange in his eyes.

"You seem to be pretty close with your brother." he mentions out of the blue. His words threw you off, you weren't expecting the chief to be the first person to break the silent bubble. "Very much so. He's a rascal but I still care about him nonetheless. Only a few years older than I am so the mental gap between us isn't that drastic."

"Your brother is turns thirty-one this year, how old exactly are you?" he asks. "I'm actually twenty-five. Me and my brother share the same birth month and only a day away from each other so we practically turn at the same time. Pretty cool, right?" you add. It was true, you were both born on what was called 'the dew month'. "Actually, since our birthdays were so close to each other, our parents made us celebrate on the day between my birth and his so we didn't need to prepare for two individual celebrations since it was pretty costly." you continued. He agreed, "It's a wise decision in cutting back on spending. I assume you and Yuxuan must've found the arrangement amusing." he said.

"We did! We were known around the village for having an unusual birthday tradition." you smiled. "Our birthday gifts usually consisted of exotic herbal ingredients, when Pa had extra money, he'd bring home souvenirs from his travels. Though, mainly for my brother. Yuxuan was never a guy that thoruogly enjoyed the art of apothecary." you mused as you recall a memory of your brother's delighted expression for having received a wooden sword as his gift when he was ten.  "I assume it served as a foreshadowing of your future professions." he remarked, refencing your interest in herbals and Yuxuan's passion to devote his services. "Spot on, Chief." you commented. 

You got closer and nudged his elbow, not realizing the way his shoulders suddenly stiffen, "You know, he really looks up to you as his senior and as a talented general." you look at him and smile, "Take care of that troublemaker for me.". As sweet as it was, that was the moment you realized you were initiated physical contact with him. The chief was somebody known for his recluse and ascetic personality, someone that even the emperor himself is careful around due to his aversion of touch. And here you are, freely moving around as if you're close buddies all because of a single conversation. You move a bit further away from him, not wanting to appear disrespectful of his personal space. "Forgive me. I got carried away." you plead. The chief hides his gaze and turns his face the other way, "It's fine. Ireallydontmindatall." he responds to you sternly at first but by the end, it sounded like hasty gibberish mutters. You couldn't help ripping out a soft giggle that you desperately hoped he didn't manage to hear. Well, if he did, it appeared as if he didn't. The chief swiftly regained his composure and let out a cough.

"We're almost there, I suggest you check if your box still has its necessities intact. Who knows who could have had a hold on that kit before I did." the chief pointed out. A switch turned on in your brain and you opened the box to review everything from top, ensuring nothing had been stolen.

As you were preoccupied checking out the different kinds of medications you packed for Yuxuan, you hadn't realize the uneven pathway in front of you. As a result, you stumbled over a small hole on the ground, bringing your attention back from box to surroundings. But before you managed to trip and possibly wound yourself, the chief grabbed your arm and pulled you towards him. Thus, preventing you from slipping. This event was only processed in your mind after you opened your eyes and realized you were touching a hard and smooth material.

“You should be more careful.” he said. Upon realizing, you pulled yourself together—pushing him away as a reflex. You awkwardly chuckled, “I apologize again. I hadn't taken note of the rough terrain.” This is so humiliating. Did someone wish bad luck upon you? What is with you today?

“Please. Don't worry too much about it. What's better is that you're unharmed, come, we should be nearing the camp.” he said calmly, extending his hand. You took it out of courtesy and you both walked out of the forest. The camp was only a short distance away.

As you both walked on the grassy path, a thought came to you.

“Oh, right! I forgot to introduce myself. The whole time we've known each other we haven't had the chance to formally introduce ourselves.” you scratched your neck, “I'm Y/N L/N.” you told him. He mused, “Hm, a pleasure to meet you, Mx. L/N.”. Truth to be told, the chief already knew your name from your brother beforehand, but he supposed he could play along if it meant to spend a bit more time with you. It's not like he'd be able to admit it to your face.

You shook your head, “No need to refer to me by my surname. Just call me Y/N.” you smiled.

"Y/N.." he said softly, he enjoyed the manner in which the syllable/s of your name rolled off of his tongue. 

“Well then, since I introduced myself first, suppose it's your turn now.. If you don't mind.”

“I prefer my name to remain undisclosed. It's irrelevant” he answered, “Regardless, you may refer to me as Chief.” he responded. You shrugged, “Alright if that's what you want, I got nothing against it.” you smiled, deciding not to pry any further. 

In the end when you returned, you decided to make sure to spill everything that happened between him to your brother. (He ended up being very curious about it and asked buttload of questions. At some point he assumed you and his superior were secretly dating, to which you didn't even bother to entertain. What a ridiculous thought)

Chapter Text

[2]

It's been a few weeks ever since you seen him, since then you've been working and helping other people with their problems. It had been a busy week with people entering your shop for some medicine or even just to idly chat and catch up with you. But you had much more pressing matters to worry about. Yuxuan, your brother who hasn't been home for a few days now per usual, you found out through the spread news that he was stationed north of the empire in Dongjing to defend from hordes of active demons waking up. Following that, you haven't been able to get in touch with him. 

You look through your window and spotted the folks getting up and setting their own shops. You yawned as the sunlight caressed your face, you sat up and rubbed your eyes. You're exhausted. Yesterday was a tough and busy day, you're slowly running out of herbs and had to resort to creative combinations to be able to survive that day, not to talk about the problematic and rude customers, you shudder thinking about one of your interactions with them. They nearly drained most of your energy. 

You stretched on bed and pulled your covers aside to get up put on your signature outfit, it was dawn and the sun was starting to rise and the shop wasn't going to open by itself. You quickly folded your blanket and arranged your pillows.

While you had the time, you checked through your shelves and found out you were running low on ginseng, rhubarb, and a few other more. You sigh, “Oh dear, looks like I have to go out and retrieve some more..” you sighed. Whenever you were low on supplies, you had three different options to restock. Either you harvest them from your herb farm, buy them from nearby stores, or collect them naturally from the outskirts. Unfortunately, the herbal plants you need growing in your farm haven't matured long enough to collect so it leaves you down to two more options. 

While you were in the middle of your own world suddenly a loud knock from the door caught your attention and you turned your head towards the sound, you placed the empty jar you held earlier on a nearby surface and went to go check out what or who made that sound, “Coming!” you yell.

You rushed downstairs and opened the handle of the door to see a familiar face; it was Huan, your next door neighbour who always dropped by once in a while with fresh harvest from his farm as a token of gratitude for treating him everytime he gets under the weather or for a normal chitchat when he has the time.

“Ah, It's just you.” you muttered, relieved. You still aren't prepared to open the shop just yet while running low on ingredients, you're glad it was someone who you knew well. Huan chuckled, “Who do you think would it have been, the emperor?” he joked around, you nudged his elbow, “Oh, stop it you.” you replied, “Ahem, anyways. What're you here for? Gonna drop something off, chat a little? Which is it?” 

Huan scratched his head, “Scary how you know me a little too well.” he picked something from the side, an angle where you wouldn't notice something. “Well, winter is coming soon. Out of courtesy, I've decided to hand you some of the excess vegetables I grew in the field.” he smiled as he handed you the sack.

The sack was filled with potatoes, turnips, yams, and much, much more. 

You took the sack and carried it with care, “Goodness.. You seriously didn't have to do this Huan. How kind of you.” you responded with a soft smile. A slight blush could be seen forming on Huan's face but he shaked it off, “Don't worry about it. It's my gratitude for all the times you helped me.”

You loved the freebies they would give you. Privilege of being the village's herbalist you suppose.

“Vegetables will be hard to grow in the snow and surely the prices might go up. Wouldn't want you to starve in the middle of winter. Who's going to take care of the village if you're gone?” he played around, you nudged his elbow once more. “Anyways how's your brother? I heard you visited him a few weeks ago. Sorry I couldn't go with you, I had some other things to take care of.” Huan said.

You dismissed his worries, “Ah don't worry about it. My brother was fine, I managed to cook him up a homemade meal and he, as he should, enjoyed it.” you added. He chuckled, “Of course. Who wouldn't enjoy your food?” 

As you thought of more news to update him with a bright light bulb popped up in your head, “Ah! By the way, aside from my brother, I also spoke with the Chief.”

Huan tilted his head and put on a worried look, “You mean.. That chief you see whenever you visited Yuxuan?” he asked. You nodded, “Yeah, him. And in all honesty, he's not that bad actually. A little intimidating and rough around the corners but pretty decent.” you smiled slightly recalling your memory with him, a moment like that with someone as reclusive as him still feels a little unreal.

Your friend only looked at you with disbelief. “.. Did a Yaoguai somehow lead you astray?” he said jokingly before he chuckled. You stared at him in silence, meaning you were serious about what you were saying.

“Wait no. Are you actually serious?..” You nodded. Huan went and stared at you, “Genuinely didn't think you'd have the actual courage to speak to one of the scariest men in Lin'an.” he shrugged.

You gave him an unamused look and nearly closed the door on his face before he stopped you and started to ask question about your quote and quote 'near-death' experience with him. A few hundred questions later and a strange expression accompanied with judgement you finally shoo-ed him out of your place.

You decided it would be best to buy from the nearby shop, the quicker you got your supplies the quicker you get into business. That was until then you received the news that the box of newly supplied herbs was abruptly delayed.

“Delayed.. Delayed why?!” you said, moving closer to the seller. The man could only shrug and sigh, “My informant says it is due to an unexpected demonic attack that the crate was delayed. And this information isn't anything recent, it's already been a few days.” he shaked his head, “Nothing new has come up yet.”

Well, can't really do anything about that, just your luck. You thank the seller for his time and mentally cross out the buying option, you are left with the last one. To go out and gather your own. Now you don't normally have a problem with that, but with chances of being attacked increasing doesn't feel assuring. It is what it is you suppose, you quickly dropped by your shop to grab your basket and waved to a few neighbors along the way before making it to the forest near your village. Now, the forest itself isn't commonly festered with danger, a few snakes and wildlife here and there but nothing too major. It should be fine, you did this a couple hundred times and you never got seriously hurt.

An elderly man called out your name, you recall him being the grandfather of a sickly boy who often visits your shop. “Y/N, child. You shouldn't enter the forest alone.” he warned. “Nowadays it has been.. Unsafe.”

You understood his concerns, he is just simply worried for you. Nevertheless, you brushed it off. “Don't worry yeye, I will be cautious. I'll be back before you know it.” you gave him a soft smile.

He nodded and returned your smile albeit a concerned one. “I see then. Have a safe journey and return home well.”

You gripped the handle of your basket as you pull your leg up, foot entangled on a few vines from the ground. China's dense forests never fail to trouble you. You shouldn't be out for long, you think. It shouldn't be that hard to collect these plants, just take your usual route and you would be fine, you've already taken quite the collection from your journey so far — you decided it was time to wrap it up.

Observing the rays of the sun, its probably early afternoon now, your legs are beginning to feel like noodles.You could hear a soft grumbling sound from your stomach, now you started to regret not taking breakfast before heading out. You could make do with some stew after this.

You turn your head to look up at a mountain, you always hated the climbing part during gatherings. And spotted a mature looking Jiaogulan resting in a spot within the mountain. There was no way you were letting this pass, they were one of your more essential ingredients and took up a place in your mental 'make sure to retrieve' list.

You stepped inside the surroundings within the mountain, disregarding the ‘CAUTION: Do not step foot’ sign hoping things would go well.

You stretched your arm as far as you could go, the plant was right there in your reach and it only took one small push to take it. You were high off the ground and if you'd fall your sure to sustain some injuries and you couldn't afford to get that. And finally, after a few trial and errors you managed to retrieve it, at last.

Problem was to get down now. This is gonna be a hassle.

You went down slow and steadily, mumbling prayers under your breathe. Luckily, you made it a few steps down, just a few fifteen feet off of the ground before misplacing your foot on a rock that was unstable and it chipped off due to your weight. In a panic, your other hand tried to grab on anything you could but failed to find anything.

Your definitely gonna have to stay bedridden for a few days after this.

As you fell down, a loud thud was heard from the fall. You landed on your front with your forearms infront. The herb having fallen from your grasp.

“Ow fuuckk..” you muttered as your body started to ache. Atleast you didn't fall from the height you were previously in when getting the plant or else you'd have sustained greater consequences than this. But there's no time to waste now, you need to act quicker. You lifted your head up to find the Jiaogulan and pushed yourself up to crawl upon spotting it.

With just your luck, the thud you created earlier seemed to have echoed throughout the forest alerting a few monsters within the close vicinity of your presence. A spider demon sleeping inside the tree just a few steps behind you seemed to have woken up. The sudden commotion made you turn your head and see the creature slowly coming down to the trunk of the tree.

Weren't you the luckiest person in the world?

“Damnit damnit damnitdamnitdamnit.. get away from me!” you shrieked and scraped a bit of dirt and threw it at the spider to buy some time but was futile in the end. 

You tried crawling back with your forearms as the monster looked at you with hunger. The demon licked it's lips and gave a stance as it was about to pounce, only when it did. You didn't feel your body being torn apart by their teeth. In fact, you've heard the demons body being torn apart instead of yours.

You raised your arms to cover your face and closed your eyes to brace for the impact that never came, and when you opened it you saw infront of you the back of somebody. Was it your savior? A bandit? A soldier? You couldn't tell from the fear that overwhelmed your body.

You lowered your arms from your face and took a moment to calm yourself, placing your hand on your chest to stabilize your breathing. The demon's head rolling on the ground, it stopped for a moment before being pierced with a sword over and over again then stop.

The man rested his forehead on the pommel of the sword and his leg on the monsters head before pulling it out abruptly then kicking it away. You could hear his heavy breathing and for a moment you'd thought the stranger would go after you next. But instead, he turned his head to look at you. The dirty blood of the demon staining his cheek. It was him.

“The.. The chief!”

“But, what's he doing here?”

He sheathed his sword and wiped off the blood off his cheek using the back of his palm. You've noticed that he only ever used one hand to attack and wipe the blood off, as if he was holding something in his other.

“Y/N, are you alright?” he said in the most gentlest tone he could muster.

He remembered my name.

You weren't expecting him of all people to show up, supposed a bystander showing up had a higher chance of happening compared to the Chief. The atmosphere stayed silent for a few moments before you spoke up.

“Ah.. yes.” you said until your body ached to remind you that in reality you were not, “Actually no.” 

He scanned your body and without needing to tell him — could already make note the injuries you've gotten recognizing it wasn't from being attacked but from a fall. The Chief bent down to one of his knees and inside hiding in his cape was the basket you placed earlier leaning on the wall of the mountain, you nearly forgot about it amongst the midst of what happened.

“This is yours, yes?” he asked.

You nodded, “Yes it is. Thank you..” you placed the Jiaogulan inside and meant to grab the basket but stopped midway as your arm felt too weak. “You don't need to take it. I can hold the basket for you.” he said, noticing your struggle.

The Chief helped you get back on your feet but with some difficulty, you hung your arm over his shoulder and he held your waist to make sure you wouldn't stumble, the basket dangled on the elbow of the arm that held your waist. You blushed at his touch, you weren't expecting it to be so light. 

“The forest around these times aren't safe. You shouldn't have gone out alone.” he spoke as if scolding you. The forest near your village as decreed by the military was considered areas with high demonic presence in some parts, you thought if you'd avoided those parts you would have been fine. But fate thought otherwise. 

“Sorry.” you responded. 

He furrowed his brows, “If I didn't manage to get here in on time,” he paused with worry in his tone “No, if I didn't happen to be here. What would have happened to you?” 

You bit your lip, he was right. 

“Your brother could have lost you.” he added. I could have lost you remained on the tip of his tongue but he suppressed it, staying quiet nonetheless. 

“I won't do it again. I swear..” you told him, this wasn't that much of a lie after this first-demon-encountered experience no way you were going through that again. Hell no. 

It was silent, you looked at him for awhile then diverted your attention. No one really spoke, the tension felt awkward at most and the sound that filled that gap was the ambience of nature. Though, you did feel a lingering sensation that a certain pair of eyes would glance at your direction whenever it seemed like you didn't notice. You dare not assume it came from the Chief, he's not the type who would do something like that. 

“Your injuries. They'll take three to four weeks to heal.” he spoke. “If you need some assistance, I am willing to drop by and help.”

How considerate of him. Is he just being decent or have I become someone special to him? you thought before scratching that possibility out. It can't be, too far-fetched.

“But surely won't you be busy? I don't want to trouble you by making you travel distances.” you said.

He shaked his head, “The location of my patrolling schedule changes every few months depending on the area's status. I have been stationed to guard this village and it's neighboring areas.”

Wow. Military stuff.

“Ohh I see then. Is that how you managed to find me?” you questioned.

“Well, partially.” he responded vaguely.

What that even meant, you didn't know.

The Chief sighed, seeing your face full of unanswered questions “I managed to hear your echoing voice while I was on duty.” no matter how unbelievable it sounded that he managed to locate you with just the intuition of a voice, it made sense coming from someone like him. Weren't there rumours that state he alone whilst wounded overpowered a group of enemy soldiers bare handed once?

As you were walking, your foot stumbled on a rock and you suddenly fell off your balance until the Chief held on to you again. You don't know how long you'd be able to go on and the forest you seem to have grown up in felt endless. The stinging pain terrorizes you to no end and even your facade of masking it until you arrive home is starting to crumble.

To distract yourself, you continued speaking with the Chief no matter how small or vague his responses would be. If it weren't just the two of you, you'd have assumed he enjoyed the conversation compared to what the rumours would make out the man to be. A man of stoicism they say, a man who dislikes unnecessary talk they say. Well you've just seen this man give you a ghost of a smile twice. Twice! That's gotta be plenty enough.

“You need not worry about Yuxuan. He's a capable young man, he'll be able to handle himself in Dongjing.” he assures you.

You were previously inquiring questions about your brother's state up north so that sentence only lifted the weight of your shoulders, the Chief's words isn't something one should take lightly so you smile at that.

“If that's what you say then, I'll trust your w—” before you could finish that sentence you walked incorrectly on the foot with the sprained ankle, furthering the swelling and taking you aback. You jolted from the pain and clung onto the Chief with both arms as your leg was metaphorically withering away. Your jolt surprised the Chief, and he held onto you tightly. He stood still like a wall despite your weight against him.

The Chief started to doubt your ability to continue walking without discomfort so he offered to carry you.

“No, it's ow.. Fine. I can handle myself, the village shouldn't be that far off now, just a few more paces.” you said trying to brush off the other man's concern. You could already imagine the gossip that was about to brew if you entered the village in the humble arms of the Chief.

There was two features about the Chief that most people recognized; he prioritized what he uttermost considered 'the best for the people' than the people could understand, and he was stupid stubborn. Unsurprisingly, those two traits go hand in hand with each other quite well.

Knowing the man based off what the rumours say, he doesn't get swayed easily.

“No.” he uttered blatantly then took you off your feet, carrying you bridal style. It was astonishing how fast it even happened.

You yelped slightly as he wrapped his arms around your back and behind your knees, pulling you close to his chest. If someone passing by were to misunderstand the situation, they'd suppose it were two newlyweds in their honeymoon frolicking in the forest. A slight blush formed on his cheeks, highlighted by the rays of the sun. But if you were to misunderstand you'd say that he was looking forward to this moment all his life. Of course any normal warrior under him or person in the right mind would make up that the reason for his strange actions come from service and duty. The Chief belongs to the people, not to a person.

The journey back to the village was brief, with the Chief carrying you he made haste to return. The elder called the village physician to treat you before you could get back home.

After escorting you to your home, the Chief held onto the hilt of his sword and turned to look at your residence like a thirsty man in dire need of water whom indulged in his desires and struggled to let go.

He shouldn't have spoke to you in the first place, he could have stopped it there and there but no. 'Man of order and discipline' he laughs, yet with all his strength he couldn't resist pursuing you or the chance of you. Without even knowing it, you managed to crawl into his heart with minimal effort and it scared him. Your charisma affected everyone you knew and even for someone like him, he was no exception, he's watched you from afar for so long that he has grown tired of staying by a distance.

Your near death in the forest shouldn't have terrified him as it did when he heard your frightened voice echoing in the woods. Your life shouldn't matter as much as it did to him, you were just another person in the endless sea of time that would eventually fade, but you do.

He gripped the hilt more tightly and turned around to leave. These festering feelings of his need to be crushed and burned, there should have been no room for you in his heart and it ought to start changing.

As the Chief began to walk away, a villager called out to him, “Sir please, wait up!”

This caught his attention and he stopped to look at the villager calling out to him. “A letter,” the villager pulled out an envelope and showing it to the Chief. “From Y/N for you, a letter of gratitude.”

Don't, don't, dont, dontdontdontdontdontd-

Contrary to what his head told him he swiftly took the envelope and let out a quiet 'hm' before walking away once more as he tried to deny the forming smile on his face for having received your attention.