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“Why must I accompany you to escort Baiheng? I could be sparring with the other Cloud Knights right now!” Jing Yuan groans as he drags his little feet behind Jingliu, the two on their way to the dock where Baiheng said they’d meet.
“I’m your master, Jing Yuan. Wherever I go, you go as well. You already know this.”
“Hmph, with the way you make eyes at Baiheng, you wouldn’t even notice if I left,” he mutters. Soon after the statement he collides into Jingliu’s back, the other glancing at her student unimpressed as he scrambles to her side.
“Cheeky brat. Baiheng needs support for this delegation, you know how Master Huaiyan is.”
Jing Yuan knows for a fact that Baiheng doesn’t need their support. Wrinkling his nose, he says, “Yeah, right. Baiheng can do just fine without us, you just want an excuse to see her again.” He narrowly misses a swing from his master, and Jing Yuan smartly decides to change the subject.
While they walk, he says, “General Huiyan’s always been a stinky old geezer.” Jing Yuan puffs out his chest. “When I’m the general of my own Xianzhou ship, I’ll give my troops everything they need!”
Jingliu doesn’t offer a response. When Jing Yuan glances up, he sees her looking around at the starskiffs that are starting to appear before them. Pilots of all different species can be seen milling about, but Jing Yuan knows she’s looking for a certain foxian and joins in the search.
“Jingliu! Jing Yuan! Over here!”
Sure enough, the two spot Baiheng running over with a wide grin on her face. Jingliu’s posture straightens, a more open expression on her face and her arms raised to accept the tight hug and kiss that Baiheng gives her. They stay like that for a little longer than necessary, and Jingliu resolutely ignores the disgusted sounds that Jing Yuan is making.
Baiheng turns to the young Cloud Knight, cooing at how big he’s gotten since the last time she saw him. That was about 2 years ago, right before Baiheng went on a campaign to another planet.
Jing Yuan had been as tall as her hip then. Now, he proudly notes that he now stands at about her waist. With a hand ruffling his hair, she gestures to a small pagoda near the docking ships.
“Come, we can sit right over there. Oh, I’m so glad you two are here! You know, when I first heard about this delegation, I was a little miffed, but then I realized I'll be the first of the public to see the old man’s new apprentice!” Baiheng’s gestures are big, her tail wagging.
The three take a seat once they arrive at the pagoda, Baiheng on one end and the two warriors on the other.
Continuing her talk, Baiheng says, “And then I thought, why not invite Jingliu and Jing Yuan? I’m sure they’d love to meet him too! By the way, we’re a little early so he won’t be here until later.”
Leaning forward, she asks, “Have you heard about him? Rumor says he’s very talented.”
Jing Yuan has heard about Huaiyan’s apprentice in passing (the Cloud Knights like to gossip in between spars). In fact, he couldn’t escape it. All they keep saying is that no one knows his age, or where he’s from, but he’s exceptionally good. Jing Yuan is tired of hearing it all the time, quite frankly, so he decides to say nothing about it and turns to his master instead.
Jing Yuan watches Jingliu consider for a moment before speaking. “Yes, I heard they found him inside a merchant ship. The Artisanship Commission has been bragging about the many accolades he’s earned during his short time there.”
Jing Yuan perks up. They said he was good, but they didn’t say he was that good. “What, already?”
How come he doesn’t have any accolades yet? He turns towards Jingliu, an indignant expression on his face. Before he could speak, however, Jingliu interrupts.
“No. You’re a Cloud Knight, you won’t get accolades until you’re actually in battle.”
Jing Yuan deflates back into his seat. “Whatever,” he says, resting his face on his hands, “who even needs accolades.”
Baiheng hums. “I heard he’s pretty young. Maybe you two could be friends, Jing Yuan.”
There’s no way an apprentice of General Huaiyan will be any fun, Jing Yuan thinks.
Raising an eyebrow, he says, “If he’s Master Huaiyan’s apprentice, then I bet he’s as stuck up as the old man. And young can mean anything in Xianzhou standards, especially if he’s a short-lived species — young can mean as old as Jingliu!”
There’s a soft smack to the back of his head. Rubbing it, he squints at Jingliu, who responds with a deadpan stare.
“Hey! I’m just saying.”
“Well, stop it. I’m not that old.”
“Sure, you’re only 90.”
Baiheng snickers. “Don’t be mean to your master, Jing Yuan. I guess you’re right though, he’s probably around the same age as most other apprentices, unlike you — you’re a special case, you little baby.”
She pinches his cheeks, laughing when he bats her hand away.
As they wait, the conversation turns to Jing Yuan’s training, then to day-to-day activities and what each party had missed since the last time they saw each other. It wasn’t until they heard a small noise — something almost like a squeak — at the entrance of the pagoda did the three take notice of the boy in front of them.
The boy, Jing Yuan noticed, was quite small, more so than himself. If they were to stand side by side, Jing Yuan thinks the boy would only measure up to his shoulder. He thinks he must be a student then, seeing how young the boy looks.
Tiny hands clutched at his uniform, a signifier of the Artisanship Commission. His eyes and hair are so dark they’re basically blue; it’s a shade Jing Yuan has never seen before on the Xianzhou, but it reminds him of something, and he can’t seem to stop looking.
From the corner of his eye, he sees Jing Liu look at him, expression unreadable.
“Hello,” the boy says, meekly.
“By the Arbiter! Hi!” squeals Baiheng. “Did you need anything? Oh, I bet you saw our lovely Sword Champion over here and wanted an autograph, huh? Don’t worry, she’s nicer than she looks!”
The boy looks up at them, eyes wide and raising his hands up in front of him. His hands, despite their size, are covered in calluses. Jing Yuan’s own sword-worn hands twitch.
A starskiff pilot’s uniform? The sky? He really can’t put a finger on the colour.
“Oh, no,” he says, “that’s not it. You’re Ms. Baiheng, right? I’m supposed to bring you to my master. I didn’t expect two others, though…”
Master? There have been no new apprentices that the trio doesn’t know of as of late. The most recent one was…
Jing Yuan’s jaw drops. This is Master Huaiyan’s apprentice? But he seems so…lovely.
Thump.
Suddenly, Jing Yuan is acutely aware of his increasingly fast heartbeat.
Baiheng shoots up from her seat to greet him while Jing Yuan is left with his mouth gaping at the newcomer. Silently, Jingliu shuts it, but it doesn’t seem to be enough to bring him out of his daze.
“Wow! So you’re the old man’s — ah, I mean Master Huaiyan’s apprentice! It’s so nice to finally meet you! Come, come, have a seat here — you’re such a precious little thing. What’s your name, little one?” Baiheng places the young boy beside Jing Yuan, whose eyes haven’t left the boy even once.
“My name is Yingxing, an apprentice of Master Huaiyan. It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Baiheng.” His head is bowed and his voice is small, and at first glance one might think of the boy to be weak.
But although his head is bowed, he looks each one of them in the eye; there’s a quiet determination in his voice too, as if he’s daring anyone to question him. Jing Yuan recognizes the same determination in himself, and he knows the others notice it too.
Oh, Jing Yuan thinks, suddenly coming to a realization. That’s it. He reminds Jing Yuan of the universe outside the Xianzhou, the dark blue of deep space twinkling with millions of stars and planets. He used to so desperately want to explore it, when he dreamt of becoming a Space Ranger. He still does.
Baiheng beams. “Little Yingxing! There’s no need for the honorifics, you can just call me Baiheng.”
She makes a vague gesture towards Jing Yuan and Jingliu. “You most certainly know the Sword Champion by now. This one here’s her apprentice, Jing Yuan. Jing Yuan, introduce yourself to Little Yingxing!”
Jing Yuan blinks, finally breaking out of his trance. His cheeks feel warm, which can only mean that they have acquired a pink hue to them that he knows definitely weren’t there before. From the corner of his eye, he sees Jingliu lean her face against her hand.
There’s an amused smirk on her face, and a grim thought passes his mind that she’s gonna make fun of him for this later.
“Um, hi,” he says blankly. Nice going, Jing Yuan. “My name’s Jing Yuan. Are you really Master Huaiyan’s apprentice?”
Baiheng looks at Jing Yuan, incredulous, before turning to Jingliu, who simply shrugs in return.
Yingxing pouts, eyebrows furrowed. “What — of course I am. Why? You don’t believe me?” His hands are balled up in fists on the table, and his eyes are shiny with angry tears. The sight is rather pitiful. For a young Jing Yuan, it makes him backpedal instantly.
“No, no!” He says. He holds his hands out towards Yingxing in a placating gesture.
“That’s not it. I just didn’t think that his apprentice would be so…so…” Jing Yuan looks away, cheeks aflame as he mutters something unintelligible.
Confused, Yingxing leans towards him, consequently causing Jing Yuan to lean backwards.
“Wait — I didn’t hear, say it again!” It seems that after his short outburst, Yingxing’s shyness was momentarily forgotten. Normally, it could be considered a good thing, but it’s unfortunate for Jing Yuan, who Yingxing’s attention is now entirely focussed on.
Jing Yuan shakes his head violently, lips pursed. “I don’t wanna!”
This back and forth continues, with Baiheng and Jingliu overseeing from the sidelines.
“Looks like my student’s met his match,” Jingliu exhales in amusement. “It’s no wonder the boy could handle General Huaiyan; his pride gets him far.”
“Do you think we should stop them?” Baiheng asks, hesitant.
Jingliu watches the two children for a moment more before answering. “No,” she says with a quirk of her lips, “I think Jing Yuan’s going to lose soon, actually.”
The student in question, whose eyes had closed at some point to try and protect himself from Yingxing’s onslaught, made the mistake of peeking when the other had gone silent.
Now, many have praised the young Cloud Knight for his sharp mental fortitude. But really, who would blame him for crumbling under those puppy eyes?
Jing Yuan groans. “Ugh, fine. I didn’t think you’d be so cute, ok? There, I said it!” The blush, originally only on his cheeks, has now spread to his entire face.
Baiheng covers her mouth, while Jingliu’s eyebrows rise up in surprise. Neither have seen Jing Yuan this flustered. Jing Yuan has never felt this flustered. He has the sudden urge to run as far away as he can.
Yingxing, meanwhile, seems to have a hard time processing Jing Yuan’s last statement. His eyes are somehow even bigger, the residual tears making them sparkle like a clear night sky. Jing Yuan, in the back of his mind, thinks it’s very pretty.
For a moment, neither children say a word. The women on either side of them look at each other before Baiheng clears her throat and startles them out of their stupor.
“Oh, would you look at the time! Looks like we should be on our way to Master Huaiyan. We wouldn’t want to keep him waiting!” She gives Yingxing an inquisitive look.
“Well, Yingxing?”
“Yes!” He stammers out. Looking at the three, he says, “Um, the starskiff that’s supposed to bring you there can only hold three people, including the pilot, though…”
Baiheng waves a hand dismissively. “That’s no problem, we’ll just take mine then. C’mon, it’s just over this way.”
The journey takes longer than any of them had thought. Because as the quartet make their way to Baiheng’s starskiff, they’re stopped along the way by several members of the Artisanship Commission at several different timepoints.
“Oh, Yingxing! Can you bring these to your master?”
“Yingxing, I need you to give this to Master Huaiyan.”
“Is that you, Yingxing? Could you do a small favour for me…?”
Before long, Yingxing’s arms are filled with scrolls of various blueprints, funding requests, and other documents awaiting approval. Jing Yuan slows down to walk alongside the boy, watching as he juggles the various paperwork. A slight frown forms on Jing Yuan’s face.
“Does this happen every time you go out?”
Yingxing peeks over the scrolls. “Not all the time, but…often.” He huffs as he tries to keep up with the women in front of them. “My master is a busy man, so he only requests for the most important scrolls.”
The frown on Jing Yuan’s face deepens. “So they try to go through you instead? That’s horrible! Why don’t you say no?”
“Well, some of them are important, they just get lost. And besides,” he shifts his grip on the scrolls before continuing, a small, mischievous smile on his face, “Master says they make good fuel for the furnace.”
Jing Yuan blinks, astonished. Huh, he thinks, maybe the geezer’s not so bad after all, if he can make Yingxing smile like that.
A stray scroll falls out of Yingxing’s arms. Before it could fall to the ground, though, Jing Yuan catches it and holds it out of range when Yingxing grabs for it.
“Hey! Give it back—“
“Give me some,” he urges.
“What?”
“I want to help, give me some scrolls.”
Yingxing hesitates before nodding, handing over half of his pile to Jing Yuan.
Jing Yuan grunts.“Woah, this is heavier than I thought.”
“Are they too heavy? I can carry some…” Yingxing reaches out again, and again Jing Yuan pulls away.
“No way,” he says. “Friends are supposed to help each other. Besides, I’m a future general. I’m strong enough to carry even more of them, just watch!”
True to his word, Jing Yuan grabs more from Yingxing’s pile. He almost tilts over, but instead remains steady.
“See?” he says. Yingxing giggles, nodding, and if anyone asks Jing Yuan will blame his red cheeks on exertion.
“Now let’s go, or those hags might leave without us.”
The smaller boy gasps. “Ms. Baiheng wouldn’t do that to us!” Nonetheless, the two start picking up their pace.
“You’re right, Baiheng wouldn’t.” Jing Yuan nods, resolute.
“But Jingliu will.”
A chill goes up their spines, and the children quickly hurry towards the starskiff where Baiheng and Jingliu are waiting for them.
-
It’s in the starskiff where Yingxing confronts Jing Yuan.
“Jing Yuan,” he says. When the other turns to him, he asks, with big curious eyes, “Earlier, you said that we were friends. Do you really mean that?”
Jing Yuan swallows. His mouth suddenly feels a lot drier than it usually does.
“Yeah, I meant it.” Scratching the back of his neck, he says, “Well, I mean, unless you don’t want to be, which is totally understandable—”
Yingxing grabs his hands. “No! I want to! You’ll be my first friend here. We can do so many things like play chess and…” There’s a big grin on his face. Yingxing is still talking, but all Jing Yuan can think about is that he wants to keep making the boy smile like that for as long as possible.
“…I can’t wait to tell Master Huaiyan!”
He snaps back to reality. Jing Yuan winces, remembering past confrontations with the elder general.
Well, as long as it makes Yingxing happy, Jing Yuan thinks he’d do anything.