Hopping off of the bed, Zhao Hui leaves his so-called "bed" only to trip over boots that rested on the bedside. He scoffs, remembering the amount of times he had fallen that day and snatches the boots, placing them over his bare feet. Zhao Hui gets up from the floor and looks at himself in front of a mirror located in the room, staring up and down his body. His face was the exact same as before, but why did his body look different?
Zhao Hui's waist was slimed by the Hanfu he was wearing and he held a sort of petite figure, however, he was tall, which surprised him. The Hanfu he was wearing held a green and beige scheme and although it was simple, it was very pleasant to look at. Attached to the side of his clothes was a pouch where something jangled, and he opened it, surprised to see so many colorful rocks. He walks around the room and exits it, after grabbing his sword of course, walking down a hallway and to the main door. He noted that throughout the entire house, there was absolutely nothing that matched the things he was used to in the original dimension he was from. Shifting his weight to his right leg, he stands, pondering deeply until he comes up with a conclusion from what he knew.
"I think I'm in Ancient China. That would explain the Hanfu, sword, and… the money! Their currency is in rocks! Good thing I have some, I wouldn't be able to survive without it… wait, how the fuck can I be in Ancient China, time travel doesn't even exist!" Zhao Hui says out loud, wrapping his hand carefully around the doorknob.
He opens the door to the house and suddenly hears the buzz from people walking around. Everyone, even men, had long hair and wore the same long Hanfu he was wearing. They had money pouches attached to their clothing and walked along the busy street where many shops were set up and selling all sorts of things. He was right, he was in Ancient China until suddenly, a familiar figure caught his eye. The man looked to be the same height as Zhao Hui, standing tall with a small grin on his face as he looked around at the shops. He wore a long Hanfu as well, except it looked much fancier. Sure, he looked like everyone else, but to Zhao Hui, he seemed familiar, a little bit too familiar.
"Young Master Guiying! Over here! We have lots of freshly cooked pork, worth your tasty appetite!" A man calls from a stall which makes Zhao Hui freeze. He was in the comic book. The one he received from his uncle. Which meant…
"No fuckiny wayyyyy! I'm in the comic book! This is Ancient China, but with cultivation! That means… I CAN STALK THEM! Not stalk, more like… watch for their safety, you know? Yeah, that sounds less predatory..." He exclaims, a pervy expression formed on his face before he runs outside the house, joining the large crowd, tailing behind Min Guiying.
Being cautious and aware he cannot explode himself, Zhao Hui quietly walks with the crowd, always glancing up to make sure that familiar bun was visible. Keeping the act up, Zhao Hui stops at a few stalls, sometimes stopping when he sees something that really catches his attention. Min Guiying, the person he was stalking, seemed to be speeding up, his steps speeding through the stalls, it would seem that he was running away from something. By now, taking sharp turns was something he took custom to, and what was beginning to tire Zhao Tai, who couldn't take the turns as gracefully as Min Guiying. They had also seemed to get farther and farther from the crowd and into an abandoned alley. Zhao Hui, who now has no air left, stops in the middle of the empty alley, bending down to catch his breath. When he looks up, he realizes he lost Min Guiying.
"Damn it! I had one job, ONE job…" He says taking deep breaths and smacking his head.
Zhao Hui however, couldn't finish his sentence because a sudden whoosh of air came from behind him, but when he attempted to turn, he found a dagger placed near his throat and someone holding him tightly from behind. One of the person's hands was on the dagger, the other was on his waist, locking his hands in place. Zhao Hui didn't move, afraid the attacker would slice his throat. He begins breathing out of his nose, scared of his throat touching the cold blade.
"Who are you and what do you want?" The voice sounded serious and deep. Zhao Hui answers snarkily, forgetting to be cautious.
"Actually, I would like to ask you the same thing…" He says struggling to breathe as the dagger comes closer and closer to his throat, "Who the fuck are you, and what the fuck do you want?!"
"You have no right to ask me who I am. Now tell me, who sent you to follow me?" The voice is still calm, but Zhao Hui can feel the dagger press lightly on his throat. He panics, realizing that there could only be one person that would ask him why they were being followed. It was Min Guiying. Zhao Hui somehow manages to turn his head slightly, and from behind Min Guiying, Zhao Hui catches sight of Liu Jia, the lead female of the comic book, who was at a stall buying some cooked pork, her smile vibrant and light.
If he kills me now, will I die? Like, actually die, even in real life?! Even if I survive, I don't think I'll make it home! And Liu Jia is right there, this where they were supposed to first meet! Everything that happened with them happened AFTER them meeting here! What have I done?!
"Uh, I'm just a villager, I don't work for anyone! Me following you was just a coincidence." He says quickly, hoping Min Guiying would believe his lie. His breaths betray him as they get heavier and his heartbeat quickens.
"I can tell you're lying." Zhao Hui can feel the smirk as Min Guiying speaks, "I'm bringing you back to the palace and you better pray for mercy." Min Guiying announces to him and jumps which sends the two men soaring into the air. Zhao Hui attempted to wiggle free, however, he realized the grip was too tight, and even if he did manage to get free, he would plummet to the ground.
It was instant death no matter what he did.
With the dagger still poised at Zhao Hui's neck, Min Guiying jumps from building to building, getting closer and closer to the palace, which appeared to be only a small light. Soon, the palace comes into sight, and the building is stunning. The entire palace was made from antique cherry colored wood, and candlelight escaped the open windows and doors. All the doors and windows were littered with different designs of leaves and small homes littered around the main palace. It belonged to the disciplines of the clan, while the rooms connected with the main building belonged to the prince, his brother, and his parents. Min Guiying lands on the floor in front of the main gate into the palace building with a small thud, but his balance doesn't waver, even as Zhao Hui falls viciously on the floor.
"Please, can't I have just ONE good day?!" Zhao Hui mentally weeps, picking himself up and rubbing his sore ass. He looks into the eyes of Min Guiying, who glares.
"Don't try leaving, I am perfectly capable of slitting your throat."
"Bold of you to assume I won't do that to myself first…" Zhao Hui laughs at his joke, but straightens his face as he sees the glare on Min Guiying's face get harsher.
Min Guiying grabs Zhao Hui's arm and lifts him off the ground, not bothering to be careful or gentle. Dragging him into the palace building, he slams open the door of the palace, entering with Zhao Hui walking to the side of him, looking like a prey entering a predator's den. Min Yi, the grandmaster of the Min Clan, was sitting on a huge throne, talking to another boy who shared his charming looks. This was Min Boquin, Min Guiying's younger brother. The Grandmaster quickly averts his attention to the origin of the sound, sighing as he eyes Zhao Hui. Min Boquin lets a smile crawl upon his face and looks at both men with interest. Min Guiying brings Zhao Hui in front of the throne and finally lets go of him, shoving hom forward in the process. Zhao Hui wipes his shoulders and fixes his hair.
"So, uh, who is this person you brought to father, brother?" Min Boquin smirks while lifting one of his eyebrows.
"We're not anything! Nope! No way! I don't even know him!" Zhao Hui says flustered and becomes a deep shade of red. He was a current member of the LGBTQ+ community, but nobody knew of this, nobody but his sister of course, and he didn't trust that he would be safe if anyone did find out. The rumours, gossip, and possible threat from haters, Zhao Hui didn't want his family to go through troubles for him.
"Min Boquin, I caught him following me while I was out at the stalls! I asked who he worked for, but he wouldn't tell me! I highly doubt he would be of any importance to me!" Min Guiying's ears seem to redden, but in anger.
"It's cause I DON'T work for anyone." Zhao Hui sighs, tired of still being misunderstood.
"Liar!" Min Guiying says loudly with a glare, moving closer to Zhao Hui, seeming ready to throw hands, which Zhao Hui couldn't help but think how hot it was and how much hotter he would look if-
"Both of you, stop!" The grandmaster bellows as he points two fingers at the men, which spark a golden light, separating the two a couple of feet. Min Boquin squeezes Min Guiying's shoulder as a message to calm down, and he follows it instantly standing beside him, his hands clenched in fists.
The Grandmaster gets up from his throne and fixes his clothes regally, walking down the steps that lead up to his throne and stopping in front of Zhao Hui. Zhao Hui stands taller, averting his eyes down, intimidated by the Grandmaster's presence. The Grandmaster speaks softly, his voice warm and comforting:
"You don't have to be afraid, you know. As long as you didn't do anything wrong."
"Grandmaster, really, I wasn't following him. It's all a misunderstanding…" Zhao Hui stops mid-sentence and bravely looks up at the Grandmaster.
"Go on, what is it you have to say?" He says in a soft voice and kind eyes, but Zhao Hui knew he couldn't be underestimated. His life was in this man's hand, and he needed to lie to keep it.
"My name is Zhao Tai, courtesy name Zhao Hui," Zhao Hui cups his hands, bowing respectfully, "I wasn't following Young Master Min, actually, there was someone else following him. I was searching for that person, they looked like they were going to kill M- I mean Young Master Min! I'm really good with the sword, so I was going to defeat the man until I lost him, and then Young Master Min misunderstood that it was me who followed him." Zhao Hui lies smoothly and by the look on the grandmaster's face, he only partly believed it.
"So you have sword skills, don't you Zhao Hui? How about you show them to me?" The Grandmaster asks, doubting him.
"I would be honored to show you." Zhao Hui says, thinking, I know how to fence, how hard can using a sword be? I bet you I just jinxed myself with that sentence...
The Grandmaster orders Min Boquin to fetch him a corpse dummy, who leaves and then appears back with a dummy that has a well built body with wide shoulders, but Zhao Hui was more worried about being able to actually weave his sword. He rests a hand on the butt of his sword, unsheathing it slowly and unsurely. The corpse dummy was what disciplines used to practice their sword and cultivating skills, however, in this case, it was going to test Zhao Hui on his "amazing" sword skills. For practice, Zhao Hui swings the sword a couple of times, getting used to both the weight and movement.
It should be good, it's a bit heavy but using the same movements in fencing will cause good damage to the corpse. I just need to be able to move fast with the extra weight. Zhao Hui analyzes in his head, furrowing his brows.
"It's not much, but we borrowed it from the discipline practice room so I better warn you it isn't that-" Min Boquin explains, but gets interrupted.
"Second Childe Min, anything is fine for me." Zhao Hui assures him.
I was going to say it isn't that easy to defeat, the corpse's from the discipline's practice room are very strong! This dumbass didn't even let me finish, he isn't going to get along with Guiying gege, I know that for sure, but their sex will be *chef's kiss* Min Boquin laughs mentally at his brother's semi misfortune.
"I'm going to revive the corpse now, are you ready?" The Grandmaster calls out after setting the corpse on the other side of the room and getting everyone to the side, including Min Guiying, whose ears and now face was red with anger. It seemed as if he were taking deep breaths to calm himself down, and it was kind of working.
"As ready as I can be." Zhao Hui says clutching the sword tightly and getting into position.
The Grandmaster possesses the corpse dummy, who roars to life, opening it's blood red eyes and widening its withering teeth that were draped with saliva. The corpse's skin was contorted, it seemed to be burnt and sliced, and it ran at inhumane speed towards Zhao Hui, who wasn't ready for the corpse to be this fast. Zhao Hui dodges the hit just on time, however, the dummy regains itself and attacks again, lunging his hand, hitting Zhao Hui on his right shoulder, leaving a burning sensation that caught Zhao Hui off guard.
"AH!" Zhao Hui clutches his shoulder and takes a swing with the sword with only one of his hands as he did so. The sword manages to cut off the corpse's arm and the corpse yells in agony.
If he were fencing, Zhao Hui would have caused so much more damage, but the weight of the sword was quite a lot. Regardless of that, this first hit makes Zhao Hui aware he needed more power in order to kill the corpse, so removing his hand from the burn, he dodges the corpse's advances, moving swiftly on his feet. At last, he lunges and attacks the corpse, who dodges his hit, as Zhao Hui had suspected, so he spun behind the corpse and stabbed it right through where the heart should be. The corpse yells in agony and falls to the floor, moving no more. Zhao Hui could feel the burning again, so he dropped the sword, pressing his hand on the burn to somewhat ease the pain. His breaths are heavy as he tries to pretend the pain isn't there (imagine getting hurt so many times that you can accurately describe how it feels and what you do to deal with it…). Min Boquin removes the corpse from the room while the Grandmaster walks towards Zhao Hui. Zhao Hui gets up, but doesn't remove his hand from his shoulder.
"I believe that you have great skill in sword fighting as that dummy was one of the strongest ones we hold. Due to the result of me receiving the information of your amazing sword skills, I have come up with a conclusion that benefits both you and Min Guiying."
"And what is that Grandmaster?"
"I hereby make you Min Guiying's bodyguard, it will help to pay off for following my son. You must promise to protect him as you would protect your own life, and if you fail to do so, you shall be the one dying." The Grandmaster says with a serious face since this was his son's life he was entrusting into a stranger.
"I promise to protect Min Guiying." Zhao Hui bows down, thankful for being pardoned for following and not dying.
"I trust you that will keep to that promise. Min Boquin, lead him to that empty room next to Min Guiying. Min Guiying, I would like a talk with you."
"Yes, father." Min Guiying says without taking his eyes off Zhao Hui's arm which is clutched on the burn. He leaves the room with the Grandmaster and Zhao Hui is left alone with Min Boquin.
"Let me lead you to your room." He says, walking outside and into a walkway which leads to a hidden place behind the palace where three rooms are located, "This is Guiying gege's room to the right. Yours is in the middle. Jia jie is staying in the one to the leftmost. My parents and my room are located quite far away since Guiying gege likes silence when he's practicing cultivation. Go on inside, there's a bed, clothes, and just about everything you'll need. I'll be back with some medicine. Don't be afraid of my brother, by the way, he just likes keeping to himself, but I swear, he's really fun to be around and anger." Min Boquin says with a soft smile that acts as a disease and makes one appear on Zhao Hui as well.
"Thank you so much for being so nice to me, Second Childe Min!" Zhao Hui bows down in appreciation at Min Boquin.
"My brother's life is now in your hands, so I wouldn't want to give you a reason to hurt me. You seem like a nice person too, so I don't think you'll do anything, but you can never know, I might see you with my brother in a w-'' He stops, laughing awkwardly as he had almost slipped, "Anyways, I'll see you tomorrow, have a nice rest." Min Boquin says smiling and then walks away elegantly.
Close call, I wouldn't want them to know I ship them! What would be a ship name though? Zhaoying! Perfect! I need to tell Jia jie!" Min Boquin thinks excitedly as he strides quickly, farther and farther from the three rooms.
Zhao Hui stands outside of the room's door, scared to open it. Taking a deep breath, he cautiously opens the door, then after making sure there were no traps, he enters completely. He concludes that the room was very spacious and he would have more than enough space for living here for only the night. Clothes are hung up on the side and a small table is located in the middle of the room. The windows had thick curtains and you couldn't see through the door which usual Ancient Chinese rooms would have. On the bed lays his sword which he had dropped on the floor of the palace and had forgotten to pick up.
"It must have been my "magical bond" to the sword. In the comic book, the swords were always bond to the owner and it would follow them anywhere. There's also a lot of spells I have to learn because now I need to protect that little cutie." He whispers to himself, giggling by the end of it.
The door bursts open, surprising Zhao Hui, causing him to instinctively find a place to hide. Hiding behind a curtain and holding his breath, Zhao Hui makes out a figure from the thin material of the curtain and the figure seems to be holding a small pouch, looking around for someone. Seeing the posture and the bun, Zhao Hui finally recognized the mysterious figure. It was Min Guiying. Leaving his hiding place, Zhao Hui walks slowly to Min Guiying.
"What are you doing here?" Zhao Hui says quietly and nicely, noticing the anger Min Guiying's expression was radiating.
"Take off your clothes." Min Guiying says in a sedate voice.
"Sur- WHAT?!" Zhao Hui yells in confusion, his eyes widening.
"Take them off." He says again, rolling his eyes and advancing towards Zhao Hui.
"Why?! What are you going to do to me?!" He yells jumping onto the bed and covering his chest laughing because he knew that Min Guiying only wanted to apply medicine, but it was so fun teasing him. Min Guiying didn't seem to find this funny.
"If you won't take them off, " He says, going over to the bed and blocking any exit route for Zhao Hui, "Then I will."
"Fine, fine…" Zhao Hui laughs as he takes off his top, but keeps on the pants. When he slides the shirt down, he finally sees the burn. It's red and the skin there looks baked. Disgusted by the appearance of the wound, Zhao Hui turns his head in the opposite direction. Min Guiying sits behind him and opens the pouch which pours out medicine. He grabs some herbs and gently puts it on top of the burn.
"Mph!" Zhao Hui cries as the medicine hits the scalded skin, grabbing onto the fabric of his pants harder. He struggles to keep his voice down as he doesn't want to attract any more attention, "It hurts!" He whispers.
"That's what you get for following me! Just so you know, me doing this does not mean I trust you." Min Guiying says in a voice that triggers Zhao Hui.
"I'm injured, please don't emotionally scar me! I have to protect you now you know…" He half whispers and half shouts.
"You don't have to." Min Guiying replies, however, Zhao Hui feels Yeang Guiying's hand putting the medicine on even more gently than before.
"What if I say I want to? What can you do then?"
"Avoid you at all costs, here is a gauze you need to wrap around the wound, I have other things to do." Min Guiying says handing Zhao Hui a gauze, signaling the end of the conversation.
Min Guiying finishes putting on the medicine and gets up from the bed with the pouch. Zhao Hui reaches for his shirt and folds it neatly, putting it under his pillow so he could wear it the next day. He takes the gauze and messily wraps it around with one hand, struggling, but manages to do it. He lays down on the bed and watches Min Guiying close the door to his room, engulfing the room with darkness. Slowly, his eyes begin to droop until he falls completely asleep.
Sometime in the middle of the night, Min Guiying sneaks back into the room. Closing the door silently behind him, he walks over to Zhao Hui's bed and stands in front of it. He looks at the sleeping Zhao Hui with a small smile shaped on his lips.
How he looks like a child, He thinks in his head, completely at peace. NO! I-I don't trust him, get a hold of yourself, you can't trust this kid! He was following you and he lied about it!
He walks over to the bed and recites a spell under his breath. His fingers radiate and a thin blue line of energy travels from his hand into Zhao Hui and disappears completely. A headband appears on the forehead of both Zhao Hui and Min Guiying. The fidelity spell had been completed. Even if Zhao Hui tried, he could never escape whatever he had gotten himself into.