19-Icky

"No, I have endured worse injuries. Such as one time when my mother whipped me because I would not speak to her about fishing with my father." Wu Yong hid his smirk with a grimace, clearly amused by their blindness to his antics. How could the keen master and his family not see who he really was? "Xue Liang- no -teacher, what are you doing?"

"Wiping yo-" Xue Liang paused to pull his apprentice's hand closer to his face, staring long and hard at the strange hand. After clearing the blood from pale hands, he expected to see swelling and redness from burns. He could not hide his shock and quickly waved his uncle back to them. "Uncle Xue, come here! Look, where did the burned skin go?"

"Incredible, this man heals faster than any of us!" The doctor rubbed and scratched Wu Yong's hands, amazed to see the burn marks had vanished. When he had just met the man, the burns were glaring at him. "There is no other explanation for this. Brother, I believe we have encountered another prodigy of our time. An invincible dark magic holder?"

"I am sure that you are overpraising me. I think I would die if I drive a sword into my heart or throat." Wu Yong attempted to laugh and distract the men from his healed hand. He did not know how to explain his ability, so he only laughed with them. Then, he saw a foreign look on their faces, they looked like they were entertaining his words. "I absolutely do not wish to try. Stop looking at me with those weird eyes!"

"I am just glad you are safe. Imagine if my student died on the first day! My reputation would be ruined and we would have lost a capable member." Xue Liang pressed his palms together and thanked the gods by sending a flare to the heavens. "If the gods see that I am worthy enough to be a teacher, I will do my best to help you grow. Whatever you are, I will accept and treat you like my son."

"Please, I do not want to be a grandfather to someone who could be my son's age. Su Yong, how old are you? I cannot believe we haven't asked you such an important question! Also, when is the date of your birth?" Xue Xian Tou, his brother, and his son leaned forward into the man's stunning face. The old master could not believe his sect scored such a handsome and formidable member. "Su Yong, we are like your family."

"I am twenty," Wu Yong gulped. He would be twenty in two years, but his brother is twenty-one. Somehow, the men all nodded and looked at each other. Wu Yong used two of his hands to push Xue Xian Tou and Xue Liang's face away from his thighs and he used one foot to step out between the two worried men looking up at him. "I do not like being idle, what shall I do to start my training?"

Xue Xian Tou helped his son rise from the floor and the doctor stared after the leaving man. They scratched their heads, wondering where he was trying to go. The old master called after the dark-haired man, "Su Yong, perhaps you can become familiar with Xue Liang's house! You are going to be living with him from today onward."

"Xue Liang, go help your student settle into your house. I will be back to check on you boys. Brother, come with me to confront Xue Weifeng," the older brother pulled his brother out of his son's house to leave the two young men alone. He could see Xue Qing Chu's dark scowl in the corner of his eyes. "Why are you glaring at me?"

"Brother, must I go with you to tame the evil tiger? She is your woman, not mine. Besides, I am a single man, what would I know about women?" Xue Qing Chu dragged his feet as he followed his brother past the archway flanked by maple trees. The doctor groaned as he was pulled along like a child's doll.

"My mother loathes anything associated with dark magic, but she dotes on me the most. I can get her to treat you kindly if I pull the right moves." Xue Liang smiled proudly, then he looked down at the cloth in his hands. He looked back up at his student, "Are you a god? Are you sure you are not in pain or demonized?"

"I am surely not a god," Wu Yong chuckled uneasily. He is not immortal, but he did steal someone's cultivated powers. Cultivators of the righteous path also take Blood Essence* from their opponent to prolong their life. Although they cheat, they would never accept a powerful Demon's powers, even if the result is tempting. "Have there been cultivators who were visited by immortals?"

"There have been a few from our generation, one of them is me. Seven days ago, I saw an ethereal beauty who spoke of a dark man coming into my home. She told me to guide you on the path of righteousness and I thought I was dreaming!" Xue Liang truly looked shocked as he recalled the immortal. He felt blessed and crazy that day. "When you walked through our doors, I thought I was still dreaming."

The son of the sect leader offered his father's handkerchief to the man. He could see his student was gripping Dark King Sword as if his life was in the blade. His eyes narrowed as strange demonic symbols glowed on the metal blade. The sword is not safe, but he believed the student could tame the weapon. The feeling in his gut frightened him, he felt the man standing in front of him would become very powerful.

"Come here, I have an amulet to protect you from evil. It is made from celestial jade* and I wore it until I reached Understanding Nature Stage. It was my adoption gift from Mother." Xue Liang had opened a small jewelry box sitting on a shelf above his bed. He held the mahogany container in his left hand, pulling out a piece of jade hanging from a red string. His finger grazed the lotus* shaped stone. "This will surely keep your soul pure."

"I cannot accept such a precious gift, I can find another way to protect myself from these evil spirits residing in the sword." Wu Yong put a palm over Xue Liang's outstretched hand and lowered it to decline the offered item. "If Xue Weifeng gave this to you, keep it with you. How many of Jirong's merchants sell magical items?"

"Unbelievably, only three, but why would you purchase something that may not work when you have this?" Xue Liang's hand escaped his student's hand to be on top. Very much unlike his old self, he smiled as he thrust the necklace into the man's chest. "We are now teacher and apprentice, I will share things that will be beneficial to you. Wear this around your neck or attach it to your belt, as long as it can protect you."

Wu Yong shuddered, uncomfortable with his brother's sudden kindness. All he could see when he looked at the familiar face was furious hands and feet. He could not understand that the evil man in Forbidden House was also the man standing before him. He did not know the young master was capable of smiling and caring.

Impatient with his hesitant student, Xue Liang slipped the amulet on him. He went even further by lifting long raven hair and carefully draping them behind the necklace. "Your hair is very silky for someone who was a wanderer. Also, your hair is dangerously long so when we train, I suggest you tie it up. Either way, you would look handsome."

"What?" Wu Yong leaned forward to keep the jade from touching his chest, not liking the feeling of Xue Weifeng's gift hanging from his neck. Whatever he was doing, Xue Liang must have been ignoring because the man moved to straighten him. Wu Yong shuddered again, attempting to hide his disgust.

"I think I understand that lunatic when he says he likes looking at handsome men. You are a good looking man, but I will never hold your hand as a lover would. Also, why do you call me teacher? It makes me feel old and we're only a year apart!" Xue Liang pulled his student into another room that was empty except for a bed and wardrobe.

Wu Yong looked around at the large room, gawking at the gold curtains hanging from the ceiling. The window was open and when a slight breeze entered the room, the curtains moved like golden waves. His eyes focused on a guqin resting on the window's ledge. The wooden instrument rocked back and forth, and Wu Yong rushed forward to catch the stringed instrument. "Why is a fragile instrument here?"

"Ah, I forgot Jian Wang* left his guqin a few days ago. I don't know if he would come back for it, but put it under the bed. This room used to be the room I practiced playing instruments although I rarely played. Now, this spacious room is yours." Xue Liang walked around, ducking under golden fabrics. He was inspecting every nook in the room.

"Uh, thank you for sharing your home with me. I will do my best to keep this room spotless." Wu Yong set Dark King Sword down and shoved Jian Wang's guqin under the luxurious bed. As his fingers brushed soft blankets, Wu Yong had to refrain from jumping into the bed. He was a student, he must start training. "Xue Liang, when do I start training?"

"We will discuss your path after tomorrow's banquet. Since you are using dark magic, your path will be more difficult to determine and we may need help from the Righteous Council. Mian Biaoqing's path is easy and safe for her because she was born a demon. You are a normal man who happened to attract dark energy, your case is trickier." Xue Liang shrugged as he threw open the wardrobe's doors to pull out new pillows.

Wu Yong stared at their shimmering cases, wondering which silks were used to cover those block pillows. His nose flared, his eyes blinded by a rich room. He had grown familiar with plain, old Forbidden House, this new place gave his eyes pain. "I prefer simple decorations, but these curtains look expensive. Look at those hanging lanterns- is that incense drifting out of them?"

"You were a traveler, of course, you would feel uncomfortable surrounded by wealth! I apologize, as the son of a famous sect, I receive many gifts and I enjoy many luxuries." Xue Liang unhooked the curtains from wooden beams, moving quickly and eagerly. He was showing too much care towards his student that he did not notice the man's odd glances. "Should I stuff them into the wardrobe?"

"Oh, do whatever you'd like. It is your house and these are your curtains, after all." Wu Yong had been pulled out of his thoughts and he was shocked to be asked for his opinion. He started to believe Xue Liang had injured his head during the short time they had been away from each other. This was the only logical explanation for his brother's scariest personality.

Xue Liang shrugged and closed the wardrobe, pausing to sigh on its wood. Slowly, he turned around on his heels to face his student who was staring at a gold bookshelf. "Although I am your teacher, that does not mean I can abuse you and disregard your opinions. Whenever you want to tell me anything, my ears are open."

The older man was acting too strange for the younger man to comprehend. Xue Liang had lived as the Xue's son, caring only for himself and his parents. Somehow, he had gained the heart to feel worried and care for other people? Especially another man he barely knew, yet would be his teacher? Surely, there was an understandable reason. A reason Wu Yong would never guess.

For a long moment, the two men stared at each other from opposite walls. Although they were sizing each other, one pair of eyes held hope and affection in contrast to the other harboring mystery and suspicion. Both sets of eyes were dark brown, yet one set was darker. Xue Liang and Wu Yong maintained the gaze until someone burst through the house's main entrance.

From the front of the house, a boy called for the young master. It was Jian Wang, the boy who misplaced his guqin. He faced an empty room, but he knew the owner was present because one door was left ajar, not Xue Liang's normal door. "Xue Liang, I remembered I left my instrument in your house. I'm coming in so come out with my guqin!"

"I stared too long, you must be uncomfortable." Xue Liang shrugged as he started to cross the room to exit. He paused at the threshold, throwing his head back to glance at his student. "You should come out too. Jian Wang is a nice boy, he is only twelve yet he is a good person. He would be happy to become acquainted with my disciple."

Disciple, what in the world was he talking about? Wu Yong scratched his neck to feign shyness, but he was really irked by his brother's odd words. He did not like being called his brother's student, but being called a disciple was much worse. Despite this, he willed his legs to move from one place to another. In a short moment, he was standing in front of a familiar boy.

Jian Wang is a precious boy who needed protection from his short memory. His older brother, Jian Rui De, had worked diligently to keep the curious boy away from the house's lunatic. The young boy accepted his instrument from Xue Liang, smiling at the man staring holes into his head. "Xue Liang, he keeps looking at me."

"He is Su Yong, my new student, and your new peer. He will be joining us on the training grounds after tomorrow's Demon King banquet. Do not worry about him, he only likes looking at pretty faces. I do not understand why he would look at yours, though." Xue Liang snickered as the younger boy lightly tapped his waist with the stringed instrument. "Talk to him, he won't bite you."

"Which magic does he use?" Jian Wang asked both the teacher and student, curious about the handsome and tall man outshining Xue Liang. He could not believe that such a man was a newcomer to cultivation.

"He uses dark magic." Xue Liang blurted out before Wu Yong could stop him. He smiled as the young boy started taking small steps away from the man. Xue Liang frowned. "He does not bite, he was a peaceful vagabond before settling in our sect. Even if you are afraid of him, you will have to interact with him as his senior."

Both Jian Wang and Wu Yong did not feel any happier with Xue Liang's words. The boy hurriedly thanked the young master and dashed out of the house with his possessions. He did not stop to say anything else to the dark magic student.

Xue Liang turned around with a puzzled expression painted on his face. He could not see why the boy would assume the worst and start running away as soon as he heard the man chose dark magic. "No cultivator would approve of dark magic, demonic people or evil arts. I will help you prove to the world that although you use diabolic items and powers, you are not demonic."

***

Blood Essence: "Lifeblood" or "life force". Powerful techniques sometimes require cultivators to use their Essence, shortening their lifespan as a result. For this novel, gaining Essence gives the opposite effect which is stretching a lifespan. Unfortunately, the person losing their Essence will either die or have an extremely short life. -immortalmountain.wordpress.com

Jade: A type of gemstone that was more valuable than gold in ancient China. It was even thought to have mystical powers/properties and to be associated with the soul and immortality. In cultivation novels, magical items are often made from jade. -immortalmountain.wordpress.com

Lotus: Symbolizes purity & enlightenment in Chinese culture. Lotus position refers to the sitting position during meditation/cultivation -immortalmountain.wordpress.com

Jian Wang: He was mentioned in chapter 11, but I forgot to introduce him. Jiànwàng (健忘), translates to 'forgetful.' His special ability to forget things is shown through his leaving the guqin at Xue Liang's house. -Google Translate (Chinese, Traditional)