"Hello Mister!" Yuan Xuelan waved as he walked toward a lively table, "I have a bottle, but my sister here doesn't drink, so is it ok if I drink with you guys?"
The man's eyes brightened at the sight of alcohol and quickly pulled Yuan Xuelan and his beautiful female companion to the table, everyone was quick to make room for them and assault them with questions.
"Where are you from?"
"You two must be from a very rich family, right? There's just something different about the wealthy, ah so handsome and beautiful."
"Are you passing by? Where are you headed?"
"Are you two married? No? Oh I see!"
Yuan Xuelan laughed and endured their questions with a smile. He made sure to keep everyone's bowls full and even ordered several more bottles to the table. When they were red in the face and called him brother, he asked, "I see that everyone in this town is in such high spirits. Is there something joyful happening soon? A festival perhaps?"
The locals exchanged looks, their gleeful grins showed no signs of disappearing, "Oh is there a festival?" One of the older uncles stroked his chin.
"I don't think so," someone else responded.
"No, but shouldn't we have a festival?"
"Brother, when's the next festival?"
And thus the group bickered on in this manner, which was, unfortunately, no use to Yuan Xuelan, "Erm, how about…strange occurrences? Did anything like that happen lately?" Again the crowd looked at him with blank smiling faces, Yuan Xuelan was starting to think it was a bit disconcerting.
"Strange occurrences?" they asked.
"Yes, like untimely deaths, odd sightings or disappearances maybe…?" Chen Anyue tried to supply. The villagers looked at each other in thought.
"I don't think so."
"Yeah, there hasn't been any of that in Zu Village in ages."
"Strange! Let me tell you what's strange, is that ugly old Tu Fan getting a wife, that's what's odd!"
"Hey, don't say that about your cousin."
"If you're talking about disappearances well actually…my dog Baozi didn't come home last night. I'm terribly worried about him, so if you see him please let me know. He's small but very round with white fur. "
One of the older uncles shook his head, "Nothing much goes on here in Zu village, you see. Nothing bad. We're protected by the Lake."
Yuan Xuelan's interest instantly peaked, "The lake?" he asked, leaning in closer to the old uncle.
"Legend has it that in the mountain, a beautiful goddess met a handsome mortal that lived there. Under the guise of performing her divine duties, she would descend from the Heavens to meet her mortal lover by the mountain lake.
"She saw him frequently, perhaps even too frequently because it wasn't long until the Heavens found out and they were punished for their transgressions. Casted away from her divine powers and body, the goddess was forced to live a mortal's life but even more cruel, her lover was turned into a frog. But these two never asked for much and didn't even complain even under such circumstances, living peacefully on the mountainside together.
"However one day, a swarm of demons invaded the mountain, threatening to descend upon the village below. Once, she was a goddess that looked over this region, so she couldn't just ignore the threat. But at that point, she was only a normal mortal. After a brutal battle, her lover found her at the lake where they used to meet, fatally wounded with a fractured soul.
"When she died, he harvested all the little fragments of her soul that he could find before hiding it at the bottom of the lake, with his little frog body, he nurtured and cared for her broken soul. Slowly, over the passing of time, it would heal and regain its vibrancy until one day she could reincarnate again.
"It's believed that her soul is reaching completion. And her power, overflowing with good blessings, is now affecting Zu Village.
"…Anyways, that's what the Uncle told me," Yuan Xuelan finished relaying the entire tale.
"..."
"Don't you have anything to say?" Yuan Xuelan grumbled even as he accepted the glass that Liu Sumeng poured him.
After relaying the tale with grand gestures and a swaying voice, Yuan Xuelan's face was quite thoroughly red. Liu Sumeng might have forgotten that his alcohol tolerance wasn't quite the same as it would become later on in life.
Liu Sumeng put down the bottle, thinking that maybe he had done something wrong. More importantly, what exactly was he supposed to say anyway? Actions were easier than words though, so Liu Sumeng reached over the table and patted Yuan Xuelan on the head, "You did well."
A red washed over already flushed cheeks, Yuan Xuelan slammed on the table with his fists, "That wasn't what I meant!"
Liu Sumeng was at a loss.
"Now, now A-Zhang, please sit down ok?"
"Shijie…" he sank back down into his seat with her guidance.
Yuan Xuelan could be amusing when intoxicated but he could be quite a handful as well. In Liu Sumeng's memories of a bygone life, Yuan Xuelan used to cling onto him with an iron grip while laughing at nonsense in his ear. Good thing that currently, Liu Sumeng could easily toss this boy over his shoulder and carry him to bed if he so pleased.
"What do you think of the story, Second Young Master Liu?" Chen Anyue asked after her Shidi had settled down, "What should we do next?"
"...Let's not believe in things so easily. But it's a good start. We will ascend the mountain tomorrow." In front of him, Yuan Xuelan was swaying in his seat, about to fall over if it wasn't for Chen Anyue's pale hands holding him up.
He was grumbling about something that was too difficult to decipher so Liu Sumeng ignored him. "He should sleep."
Chen Anyue gave him a helpless smile, "I've troubled you, Second Young Master Liu. If it's too much, I don't mind taking him to my room instead."
Liu Sumeng shook his head and pushed himself out of his seat, "It is no trouble." He slipped an arm under Yuan Xuelan's shoulder to prop him up. On the opposite side of the poor intoxicated youth, Chen Anyue kept him upright. With a joint effort, they managed to haul the boy upstairs. Though it wasn't yet extremely late, the second floor was eerily quiet.
"You needn't worry," he reassured his future bride again at the door.
"I'm extremely grateful for your help," she bowed before he could close the door. Ah- when it was someone that Liu Sumeng once knew as intimately as his own wife, it did feel a little strange to have her speak to him so formally. Maybe he'll ask her to call him as she once did before.
Door squeaking behind him, Liu Sumeng plopped his intoxicated acquaintance down onto the tiny bed. He received a grumbling complaint.
Perhaps there was a time when Liu Sumeng would have just left him there like that but now, his heart was tender towards this man. Without much thought he sat by at the foot of the bed and began to tug off his shoes, repeating a familiar routine he once practiced back in the lonely golden palace. After the shoes came the belt and with it he removed the sword that hung around the boy's waist. And then it was his hair. Liu Sumeng had to gently prop up his head to undo his ponytail so he could sleep more comfortably.
When he was done going through the motions, he looked down upon Yuan Xuelan's countenance. A sharp feeling of longing pierced through him and Liu Sumeng didn't understand from where the emotion came.
Just what was he longing for? Here, Yuan Xuelan was still alive and his sanity intact, and there was nothing else Liu Sumeng wanted in the world. Absolutely nothing else, he told himself.
Long fingers brushed away loose strands of hair from Yuan Xuelan's face. And for a while Liu Sumeng could only gaze upon this younger visage, he opened his mouth but the words took a moment to come out, "I'm sorry." Quietly he vowed that in this life, he would protect Yuan Xuelan without failure.
Letting out a sigh, Liu Sumeng was about to get up and sit at the desk to get a few moments of rest. But just as he tried to stand, a rough tug pulled him back down. When he looked back behind him, Yuan Xuelan was staring at him with hazy eyes and furrowed brows. "You…"
"..." Liu Sumeng waited for him to continue.
"You…you are…" his voice faltered, lids blinking heavily.
"...?"
"You…are too…too…"
"...!?"
But it was no use, Yuan Xuelan fell back asleep.