Then when the stranger looked up from the red-faced Andy, he saw a group of people coming over to where they were. He pointed in their direction and questioned Andy with a soft voice as if afraid of frightening the timid child, "I assume they're your friends?"
Andy looked and nodded his head furiously. He affirmed, "Yes!"
When Xing Liyun, Ying, and the trio reached Andy, Robby was the first one to jump out and grab Andy, asking him worriedly if he was hurt, to which Andy shook his head.
Robby finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Well I'm gonna go now. You kids be careful at night." The middle-aged man waved goodbye and said as he left.
"Good thing Andy's fine," Robby sighed. Then he looked up and into Andy's eyes who wanted to avert his gaze. "You. Just because of one night in..." he struggled a while for the right word then finally decided on, "comfort you get like this!---" He screeched. Wanting to scold him more, but he swallowed the rest of his words when he saw the evasive Andy.
He sighed, yet again, and shook his head, this image of him gave others the illusion of an old man (who had finally given up on disciplining his child), "Forget it. Just be careful next time." He sulked.
Poof!
All the lights went out at once.
"It's completely dark now! I want to sleep! I want to rest! I'm tiireedd!!" Suddenly, Owen's complaining voice cut in, disrupting the abrupt stillness.
While listening to Owen complaining, without a change in his expression, Ying pulled out a stick of torch and lit it up with a snap of his finger. The fire brightened up their surroundings, at least so that they could see each other albeit a bit dim. No one's attention was on him right now so even when he created a fire out of nowhere, as well as produced a torch, no one seemed to have noticed. All except one.
"Well, I guess we'll have to sleep out tonight, just like always," Robby shrugged, indifferent. After all, he and they were already used to spending night and day out on the streets with no roof over their head and no walls to keep in the warmth.
Even if they had money from 'taking' it from someone, no one in the town would welcome them into their home. No matter how large a town is, it isn't larger than a city. Everyone basically knows each other up to the third ancestor. So everyone knows what kind of things they do on the streets, and they are not welcomed.
"Urmm!" Owen groaned as he placed his arm on top of Evan's shoulder---the silent one of the four teens that hasn't spoken yet---and leaned on him.
Right at this moment in time, a familiar voice suddenly spoke out from the darkness, startling the four teens. It was dark and so it was hard to see anyone approaching them, thus they jumped out of their skin when someone not among them spoke.
"Excuse me, but I overheard that you children don't have a place to stay," the middle-aged man said with a friendly smile as he emerged into the light shone by the torch fire, he continued, "If you trust me enough although I'm a stranger to you all and you've just met me for the first time, would you all like to stay at my house?"
Their eyes widened, and then as if just realizing what the other party had said, they all jumped in excitement.
Joy came unexpectedly. Just when it seemed like they were going to have to spend the night out on the streets, a kind hand was extended out to them.
However, Robby was more calm, though he too was a little excited by the prospect, at least he had some sense in him, unlike his friends, to have a more rational mind. He maintained a somewhat calm mind, thinking it was a little too good to be true. They four have lived for 16 years by themselves without sufficient food or shelter and with no one caring about them. This sudden pleasant gift with only good sides was a bit suspicious to him. Even Cereus made him feel more comfortable.
Staying calm, calmer than Robby, were two other people. One, obviously, was Xing Liyun and the other, Ying.
While Xing Liyun and Ying stood beside them silently all this while, they saw when the middle-aged man turned around and came back, and how he seemed to have overheard their conversation as he was leaving.
Xing Liyun didn't sense any bad intentions from the man and nor did his instincts give him a foreboding feeling, so he simply kept quiet at the side. Acting as an observer.
On the other hand, Ying didn't speak out or get involved because he didn't feel the need for himself to bother with this matter. Speaking secretly on a deeper level, he knows that the middle-aged man before them is a genuine guy who is sincerely trying to help them.
"Really?" Andy asks with enthusiasm. He might've been the first one to get hooked by the other's line.
"Yes, of course."
"Wouldn't we be troubling you?"
"Oh, no trouble at all. My little son would love the company."
"Great---" Andy exclaimed but was cut off when Xing Liyun abruptly cut in.
"Would you still be willing to take all of us in when I'm an---" Xing Liyun looked up and into the eyes of the other seriously, "---Erebus?"
It was like time had come to an abrupt halt once that question left his lips.
Everyone waited with bated breathes for the middle-aged man's reaction. Although the teens couldn't understand why this person one year older than them, who had beaten them easily in seconds, and who is coincidentally one of those Erebus they admired, would out himself so easily like that and risk them the chance of staying in a place with an actual roof over their heads, they didn't dare openly question their idol's authority.
Although it's true that they admire Erebus and do not disdain them or see them with disgust, which makes them somewhat of an outlier, they also know and understand that the majority of the townspeople here, heck, the majority of the world are not like them and they reject the existence of the Erebus. However, they didn't speak up, thinking that their admired Erebus, once their 'tormentor,' definitely has his own thoughts and arrangements so they shouldn't interfere.
The reason why Xing Liyun exposed his identity to him so easily and readily instead of just deceiving the man is because he did not want to situation of them being driven out to repeat once the middle-aged man finds out that he's an Erebus. Might as well get it over and done with than to delay it and have the same situation repeat itself. Xing Liyun does not welcome that. Being driven out once was enough for him.
Unlike what they had expected to see on the face of the middle-aged man, however, there were no disgust or contempt or any other negative reactions, rather, it's more like his expression didn't change at all from the initial friendly smile still plastered on his face from when they first met. He seemed unaffected by Xing Liyun's supposedly-to-anyone 'appalling' reveal.
And his following words surprised the four teens even more.
"I know."
'I know'? 'I know'?" What does he know?! What did he mean? Did he already know that Cereus was an Erebus?!?
The jaws of the four teens dropped.
To be honest, it wasn't that shocking nor surprising that he knew. After all, there's not a lot of people in this world, let alone in this town, that has the same, or similar, appearance as the Erebus described in the rumors. Especially his pair of eyes, each one with a different color. No one in this world has such an unique pair of eyes so it was very easy to tell.
Besides, just because he did not live in this town does not mean that he can't access any of its news. In fact, thanks to his chatty friends in town, he is always up to date with the latest news, rumors, and gossips. Making it harder for him to be in the dark.
Actually, he was a little surprised as well when he heard the 17 year old Erebus admit to him that he was indeed an Erebus. This made him have a better impression already of the blue and white long haired young man with a pair of unique eyes.
"I do not judge people based on their occupation before meeting them personally. A lot of people also look down on farmers and the like although we grow the food they eat and buy." He continues, "I believe that every good deed will be rewarded." It was a bit cringey, but this man meant what he had said and he truly believed in it.
"That is why I do not care whether you are an Erebus or not. I am willing to accommodate you and your friends until you can find another place to live in," he offered generously yet genuinely. His answer was shocking and unexpected to say the least, and more than that, rare.
"The question now is whether you trust me enough to accept my offer," he repeats.
This middle-aged man was truly and surely one of the rare kind people in the world.
The four teens looked at each other. Seeing the anticipation in each other's eyes, they already knew each other's answer. The other side's sincerity moved them and caused them to believe in his words. They were definitely readily agreeing to this arrangement.
At this moment, someone suddenly spoke up. It was Ying, who had been silent and without a word this whole time.
"Oh yes, sorry sir, but we forgot to ask you your name?" Ying exclaimed and asked all of a sudden at this time when he realized they all forgot to inquire of their benefactor's name. It seemed like all of them had agreed to the middle-aged man's kind offer---even the now silent Xing Liyun.
The man smiled. "The name's Du Jinan."
☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️
It has been exactly a week, 7 days, since Xing Liyun and co. had come to live with Du Jinan's family and helped him with harvesting his produce along with his hired workers.
Long before the harvest was over, Xing Liyun had decided that they would go to the local Mercenary Guild's sub-branch to register to become a mercenary after the harvesting is completely finished.
Today was the day.
Early in the morning, Xing Liyun got up bright and early to set off to the Mercenary Guild's office in Anning Town. Along with five tails following him.