29 Little Bird

Xu Jiyu is in the process of changing when he hears a light knock on the door.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Hello, Xu Jiyu?" A loud voice calls out, followed up by a hoarse, "Ouch! What was that for?"

Xu Jiyu raises an eyebrow, tightening the sash on his robe. He had just gotten out of the bath, his cheeks and body flushed an agonizingly beautiful peach color. Just as he's about to answer, interest piqued, the conversation outside continues.

"You're supposed to call him 'elder brother'! Don't be impolite to our guests, dummy Chen Li!" Another voice chastises, obviously the more obedient of the two.

Chen Li replies indignantly, "How was I supposed to know that he was older than us? He looks around our age, ah! Su Min, you really didn't have to hit m—ouch!!"

"That's for being stupid. Now hurry up and call out to him politely! Sect Leader Qin Jin won't tolerate us anymore if we can't even bring the guest to him!" Su Min firmly orders, voice distraught.

Xu Jiyu can't help but smile a bit, chuckling to himself. So this was what the Yun Sect was really like? It wasn't what he had expected at all. Compared to his own Song Sect, he would've preferred to be in such a lively sect such as this one…

"Ah, fine!! Elder brother, we've come to escort you to our Sect Leader. He wishes to have an audience with you." The one who Xu Jiyu assumes to be Chen Li calls out, though his tone is still clearly annoyed.

Xu Jiyu doesn't mind it at all. In fact, he's feeling quite amused as he walks to the door, "Ah, alright. Then please take me to him."

When the door opens, two young men stand in front of him. They are around the same height and most likely the same age, considering their previous banter. Both look very adorable, as expected of newly recruited disciples.

The boy on the left, with softer facial features and a neat ponytail, immediately apologizes as he cups his hands together: "Many apologies for Chen Li's rudeness earlier, elder brother. He's a bit stubborn at times, you see…"

Xu Jiyu immediately recognizes his voice to be Su Min. Indeed, the boy's words match his appearance, very cute and obedient, ah.

Xu Jiyu shakes his head, waving a hand, "No need to apologize, ah. I'm not that much older than you two, so I don't mind it at all."

The boy on the right, who is currently rubbing the back of his head with an irritated expression on his face, has sharper facial features. With his hair in a messy bun, he looks more like a delinquent of some sort rather than a disciple. He speaks with a haughty edge to his voice, "See! I told you, Su Min! He doesn't care, so it's fine!"

Su Min's presses his lips together in a thin line, then closes his eyes. He breathes in and out deeply, obviously suppressing the urge to resort to violence in front of Xu Jiyu. He only did it earlier because the guest couldn't see through the doors....

Once Su Min calms down, he flutters his eyes open and smiles warmly at Xu Jiyu. "Well, let's just ignore my partner for now. Let's go to the Sect Leader, shall we?"

Chen Li, who was just blatantly ignored, quickly makes a face of displeasure. "Hey! Don't ignore me, Su Min!"

Xu Jiyu watches their interaction with a flicker of merriment within his golden hues. He can tell that Chen Li is quite attached to Su Min, although he doesn't realize it himself yet. Ah, how great it is to be a teenager in love.

A smile tugs at the corner of his lips, and he replies: "Yes, please take me to your Sect Leader."

Su Min continues to ignore his infuriated partner as if he were an annoying fly buzzing about. "Alright, please follow me, elder brother."

And so, even with Chen Li constantly poking, prodding, and complaining all the way to Qin Jin's chambers, Su Min refused to give him any face whatsoever. This caused Chen Li to be extremely bitter, looking like a kicked puppy on the side of the road when they stop in front of their destination.

Xu Jiyu sends a silent prayer to the Heavens for Chen Li: 'May your love be realized one day.'

"We've arrived. Our Sect Leader should be inside waiting for you!" Su Min says with a polite nod.

"Thank you for escorting me. I'll go inside, then." Xu Jiyu replies, sending a smile towards Su Min.

Su Min doesn't hesitate to send a warm smile back in return. "Alright, then we will be on our way. It was nice to meet you, elder brother Xu Jiyu."

"En, it was nice to meet you, Su Min. May we meet again one day." A very pleasant atmosphere surrounds them during this time.

In the background, Chen Li's reddened eyes immediately turn dark upon seeing this scene, which go unnoticed by the two engaged in an enjoyable exchange. Chen Li doesn't understand why he dislikes seeing Su Min talk with someone else with such familiarity, but it causes a strange feeling to churn in his chest. It's an extremely unpleasant emotion. But since Su Min is currently ignoring him, he can't do anything but helplessly watch.

In the future, he'll make sure to be more obedient and listen to Su Min, so he won't ignore him anymore…..

---

When Xu Jiyu enters the chambers, what greets him is Qin Jin and a strangely familiar man sitting down at a small table, sharing drinks.

"It's been so long, I can't believe you've grown up to be so big, hahaha! Did your little bird get bigger too, or is it the same size, ah?" Qin Jin laughs, picking up the small glass cup and downing all of its contents in one go.

The good-looking man across from him laughs along with him, "Of course it's gotten bigger down there, old bastard, hahaha! I could really use a f*ck soon, ah! It's been too long, I always travel around so I never have any time to sleep around!"

Xu Jiyu's face immediately fills with black lines.

Isn't that the Sect Leader, Qin Jin—with the merchant, Wen Po, ah?

What in Heaven's name is going on here? Why did they casually speak about… about… that!!

Xu Jiyu's face turns scarlet, and he hesitantly takes a step forward. He clears his throat, notifying his arrival. "Sect Leader, you called me…?"

"Ah, yes, yes! Xu Jiyu, come here and drink some wine, too, ah!" Qin Jin grins, patting at the seat next to him. "I wonder if I get you drunk enough, will you finally call me 'gege'?"

Xu Jiyu suddenly doesn't want to be here anymore…

With that being said, Xu Jiyu automatically turns around, opens the door, and slams it shut behind him.

Qin Jin: "......"

Wen Po: "......."

A crow in the distance is abruptly cut off before it could caw.

Wen Po: "You're too old to be called 'gege'."

Qin Jin: "I'll have you know, I'm only 1048 years old and I still look this young and handsome, ah!!"