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Lanterns illuminated the streets with a golden glow as festival goers of all ages milled about the streets, an excited chatter in the air. Men, women, and children alike flitted from stall to stall to sample food, drink, and other items offered in celebration, lending a childlike wonder to the overall atmosphere.
Luo Binghe himself felt that same kind of wonder as he let himself be pulled through the crowds by Shen Yuan. It had been a privilege to descend the mountain to enjoy the festival in one of the nearby towns, and the handful of disciples who managed to secure a spot and earn their shizuns’ permission were more than ready to cut loose and enjoy their time.
In addition to his usual duties on An Ding, Luo Binghe allocated his extra time to his cultivation in hopes Shizun would see his dedication and give him permission to attend the festival. Just to be on the safe side, Luo Binghe even took over the job of managing the laundry cycles for An Ding, successfully relieving Chang Shijie who hated the job, and renovated the task to be faster.
To say Luo Binghe was delighted when Shang Qinghua granted him permission with a bright smile, a few words of praise, and a pat on the head was an understatement.
But that was beside the point.
The point was that Shen Yuan gained permission from Yue Shibo to attend the festival as well, and had been insistent on spending the entire time with Luo Binghe.
Now, as they wove their way through the streets with delicious scents filling the air with their sweet and savory aromas, Luo Binghe couldn’t help but bask in the attention his shixiong gave him.
“Luo Shidi, look!” Shen Yuan said brightly as he pointed to a stall selling fans. “What do you think?”
Luo Binghe smiled and watched with a careful eye as Shen Yuan explained how to discern a quality fan from a lesser one. In truth Luo Binghe had no interest in the items whatsoever, but he loved listening to his shixiong speak with as much passion and excitement over mundane things.
“Shen Shixiong knows much about fans.” Luo Binghe commented as they wandered away from the stall, ignoring the look the stall owner shot them for discussing such things around his wares.
A smile overtook Shen Yuan’s face and he rolled his eyes as he said, “Shizun sometimes lets me accompany him in purchasing gifts for Shen Shishu.”
Ah. Shen Qingqiu. Luo Binghe had respect for the man who was his martial uncle, but couldn’t understand why Yue Qingyuan was so intent on earning his favor. From what Luo Binghe understood, Shen Qingqiu almost claimed Shen Yuan for Qing Jing during the disciple selection, but was prevented by Yue Shibo who took the boy for his own peak.
There had been rumors for a time that Shen Yuan was Shen Qingqiu’s illegitimate son, but Yue Qingyuan wasted no time in quashing them.
As they looked around at other trinkets and knick knacks, Luo Binghe found a lovely assortment of hair accessories, all of which would look stunning on Shen Yuan. The older boy never did anything special or fancy to secure his hair beyond a simple ribbon or a wooden hair stick to hold the dark locks away from his face, but Luo Binghe wanted to spoil his shixiong.
More than that, he wanted to do the spoiling himself. Despite his desire to listen to everything Shen Yuan’s explanation about the different types of jade the best ways to determine one’s translucency, he found his mind beginning to wander.
With the ambient noise from the festival around him and his shixiong’s steady cadence, it was all too easy for Luo Binghe to stare unabashedly at Shen Yuan and imagine. Nothing too scandalous—those thoughts were best saved for late nights by himself—but thoughts of running his hands over Shen Yuan’s back and shoulders, carding his fingers through the older boy’s hair and twisting the silky straight tresses into place to secure with an ornament of Luo Binghe’s choosing.
Shen Yuan made to so easy to have thoughts like that, and when he turned to share a bright smile, he made it that much harder to suppress Luo Binghe’s growing desire.
He snapped out of his trance when Shen Yuan playfully pushed his shoulder.
“How about a snack?” Shen Yuan asked, standing on his toes to peer above the crowd for something to munch. “We’ll start with sweets and move onto savory later.”
“Shixiong?”
Shen Yuan grinned and rested a hand on top of Luo Binghe’s head, his fingers nestling into the fluffy curls that escaped his ponytail. “It’s a special occasion. I think we can handle dessert first! Wait here!”
Luo Binghe watched Shen Yuan vanish into the crowd to procure some kind of treat and waited until he was out of sight to turn back to the stall of accessories. For all Shen Yuan said about picking the right jade or the proper wood, Luo Binghe only had eyes for one piece. It was a lovely piece that Shen Yuan would never choose for himself, but Luo Binghe knew he’d appreciate and wear it if it were a gift. The owner of the stall was far too easy to haggle with. Then again, after trying to haggle and barter with Shizun who was stingier than anyone else in the sect, Luo Binghe had a good grasp on how to get what he wanted for a good price.
Of course, the night couldn’t go perfectly. There had to be at least one hiccup, and it came in the form of Ming Fan, the newly appointed head disciple of Qing Jing peak.
For whatever reason, Ming Fan seemed to hold a grudge against Luo Binghe and would try to bully him whenever the chance presented itself. Shizun was always quick to put a stop to any altercations that took place on An Ding—how none of the other lords knew how fiercely protective and scary Shang Qinghua could be was beyond Luo Binghe—but that didn’t mean there weren’t other opportunities to pick a fight.
“What do you have there, little beast?” Ming fan demanded, his arms crossed over his chest as he and his lackeys loomed over Luo Binghe, using their height to their advantage.
Shizun kept saying he’d have a growth spurt soon, but Luo Binghe had been tracking his height and there had been no sign of it. He really could’ve used the extra inches to see over the crowd to find Shen Yuan in case they got separated.
“A gift for Shen Shixiong,” Luo Binghe answered. He had no reason to lie, and Ming Fan was a decent enough fellow not to break or steal something that was intended for others, even if Luo Binghe was the one giving it. “I bought it.”
“Of course you bought it,” Ming Fan sneered. “How bad would it look if a disciple of Cang Qiong was caught stealing? Your shizun would punish you for certain!”
Just the accusation of stealing made something hot and angry bubble up in Luo Binghe’s chest, but he kept himself steady while Ming Fan continued to ridicule and lecture him. It was only when Ming Fan made an offhanded remark about “bad breeding” that Luo Binghe felt his self control snap, and before he could even think he was lunging at Ming Fan with his fist raised to strike—
“Ah! Luo Shidi! There you are!”
In an instant Luo Binghe found himself gently but firmly restrained by Shen Yuan who had not only pulled him back from attacking Ming Fan, but arranged the entire ordeal to look like he was the one who stumbled into Luo Binghe and knocked him forward.
Luo Binghe felt his face flush with shame as Shen Yuan squeezed his wrist in a silent warning—the same hand he tried to hit Ming Fan with—and bit the inside of his lip. In Shen Yuan’s other hand were two sticks of tanghulu, and a sick guilt grew in Luo Binghe’s stomach at the sight. While Shen Yuan went to get them a treat to share, he tried to start a fight that would no doubt result in all the boys getting in trouble.
“Hello Ming Shidi.” Shen Yuan said as he released Luo Binghe. “I hope I didn’t cause you too much trouble. It’s so busy I didn’t see Luo Shidi!”
Luo Binghe seethed at how easily Shen Yuan took the blame for something that wasn’t his fault, and to save face in front of Ming Fan of all people!
“I heard about your recent promotion to head disciple.” Shen Yuan said brightly, passing one of the tanghulu sticks to Luo Binghe. With a smile Shen Yuan said proudly, “Congratulations! That’s a wonderful accomplishment. You’ve worked very hard to earn such a responsibility.”
Ming Fan flushed at the compliment and said, “Thank you. Shizun was pleased to name me his successor.”
Luo Binghe grumpily bit a candied fruit off his stick. Even though he didn’t like it, Luo Binghe couldn’t even blame Ming Fan for gravitating toward Shen Yuan. Everyone liked him, and so many went out of their way to be on their best behavior in Shen Yuan’s presence. Lots of disciples on Cang Qiong had crushes on Shen Yuan, but Luo Binghe took pride in the fact that he was the one who got to spend time at the festival with him.
Shen Yuan nodded and said, “I’m sure head disciple Ming Fan would like to celebrate the rest of the festival with his friends.”
Chest puffed up in pride at his new title, Ming Fan declared, “Yue Shibo is certain to choose you to be his head disciple soon Shen Shixiong! I’ll be honored to follow your lead!”
A bright laugh escaped Shen Yuan’s mouth and he said, “Ming Shidi you’re so bold declaring that before Shizun has even mentioned a desire for a head disciple! I’m flattered but you should be this enthusiastic no matter who leads the sect. Now go have fun!”
With that he tugged Luo Binghe along, leaving Ming Fan and his friends behind in favor of delving into the crowd. Luo Binghe’s heart fluttered at how swiftly Shen Yuan maneuvered the situation with Ming Fan, and clutched his tanghulu stick tighter.
Shen Yuan led them to a section of food stalls where a few other disciples from various peaks were eating and drinking, all while pointing out the various activities they should try later. The two stayed put for a while, chatting aimlessly and snacking on various things, all while Luo Binghe made mental notes as to what foods Shen Yuan liked best so he could recreate them back in the sect.
It was during this time that Luo Binghe took the time to observe his shixiong. He had long since committed Shen Yuan’s features to memory, but it always thrilled him to see just how stunning he was in person.
Shen Yuan was soft in his looks, with a gentle sloping nose, an easy smile, and kind eyes. However those same eyes could turn sharp and calculating in an instant, and his smile could swiftly morph into a smirk that made many of the younger disciples go weak in the knees from both fright and attraction.
Right now any of those sharp looks and fierce expressions were lost to a face of delight.
Unwilling to ignore the other parts of the festival, Luo Binghe prodded Shen Yuan into joining him at a few games, shopped for a couple interesting books, and watched the dancers. At one point Luo Binghe was almost separated by a throng of people pushing through to get a better view of the dancers, but was caught by his wrist.
Luo Binghe’s heart sang when Shen Yuan slid their hands together and said cheerfully, “Hold tight! This way we won’t get separated!”
Luo Binghe nodded and voiced agreement as he allowed himself to be led through to different brightly lit areas. The light seemed to dance around Shen Yuan, illuminating his face and highlighting the green of his eyes.
It was only when they stopped to play a few more games that Luo Binghe noticed just how much attention they were garnering from the other attendees.
The presence of multiple Cang Qiong sect disciples never went unnoticed, especially in towns and cities farther away from the sect, but tonight was different because disciples from all twelve peaks were running around in a flurry of different colors.
The eligible girls flocked to any available disciple with the clear goal of flirting, which was made difficult depending on who they approached. One could only pity the poor girls who tried to flirt with the Zui Xian boys who heartily partook in the liquor and wine and were beginning to feel their effects. The kids from Ku Xing were no better with how they supervised their drunken friends with vigilance and refused to let anyone with sultry intentions near. Luo Binghe could only pity the poor boys who thought they had a chance with any of the Xian Shu ladies, because while they enjoyed flirting they never let it go any further and were quick to shut down any unwanted advancements by using forceful means if necessary.
From the corner of his eye Luo Binghe noticed a pair of giggling girls approach and a hot flash of jealously ignited in his chest. Obviously they saw Shen Yuan as a catch and were trying to make a move on him!
Tugging on Shen Yuan’s hand like a child, Luo Binghe said, “Shixiong! This shidi wants to find a good spot to watch the fireworks!”
“Alright.” Shen Yuan agreed, allowing Luo Binghe to take the lead.
Successfully losing the girls in the crowd, Luo Binghe congratulated himself on securing Shen Yuan’s sole attention yet again! Even though Shen Yuan favored him anytime Luo Binghe sought him out, it was difficult to truly have a moment alone with him. And what with the rumors that Yue Shibo would name Shen Yuan as his head disciple...it made his presence all the more popular with the rest of the sect.
“Shidi,” Shen Yuan said in a chiding tone. “Not so quickly! No one’s chasing us, we can take our time.”
“But Shixiong!” Luo Binghe whined, drawing out the last syllable. “I don’t want to miss it!”
Shen Yuan rolled his eyes fondly and said, “In that case…”
With firm careful hands Shen Yuan scooped Luo Binghe into his arms and leapt onto one of the nearby roofs. It was a tall building, sturdy, and no doubt its occupants wouldn’t be pleased to find there were two kids hanging out on its roof, but Luo Binghe couldn’t care less because Shen Yuan was holding him so warmly.
Once atop the building—a large inn with beautifully crafted architecture—Shen Yuan released Luo Binghe, but kept their hands joined.
“There.” Shen Yuan smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Now we have the best view in the house.”
The fireworks hadn’t started yet, but Luo Binghe felt like they were going off in his heart. Surrounded by light from the festival below and the stars above, Shen Yuan looked sublimely beautiful and unattainable. Except he was right there and Luo Binghe could still feel the heat from his body, and without thinking—or perhaps he thought about it for a long time and knew in his soul that this was the right moment—surged forward to capture Shen Yuan’s lips in a kiss.
It was soft, sweet, and all too brief despite how long it lasted.
When Luo Binghe drew back he was met with a stunned expression from Shen Yuan who asked, “Luo Binghe? Why—”
Luo Binghe knew his shixiong had a knack for misinterpreting things, and quickly supplied, “Shixiong! This shidi wants to experience all his firsts with you! You’re…” He trails off, unable to think of a word that could describe what Shen Yuan meant to him. “You’re the one I want to be with for everything.”
Shen Yuan blinked and his surprised features relaxed into a gentle knowing smile. “Alright Luo Binghe.” He said, resting a hand in Luo Binghe’s hair. “I’ll be with you to experience everything you want.”
The hairpin he purchased as a gift weighed heavily where Luo Binghe stored it, but he brushed it aside. One day he’d find the right time to give it to Shen Yuan, to present it with the best intentions and promises to stay together, but Luo Binghe could wait. His heart thudded against the inside of his chest, and Luo Binghe wanted nothing more than to kiss Shen Yuan again, but was interrupted by the shriek, boom, and crackle of the fireworks starting.
Shen Yuan gasped and watched the fireworks in awe, each burst of sparks bringing more and more joy to his face while Luo Binghe committed the sight to memory. He was too focused on his shixiong’s utter delight. The fireworks were probably gorgeous, but Shen Yuan was the one to ignite a fire in Luo Binghe like no other.