What a Pain

With that answer from Juanbei, Yijin nodded and turned to walk off, though he didn't know where he was to go elsewhere and stopped himself at the doorway of Juanbei's office. He stood and pondered for a moment.

"Forgetting something, Yijin?"

"Probably, yes. You know me well enough already."

"Eviction..." Juanbei quietly murmured to Yijin to bring the major problem back to the ancient warrior's mind.

"Right." Yijin sighed and hung his head in disappointment and embarrassment. Juanbei sighed upon seeing Yijin's expression and spoke with his hand over his eyes as he rubbed them annoyedly.

"We have a mini-fridge in the back of the office from where you can make your meals from here on out, and there is a microwave up on the cabinets here so that you can cook cleanly. I would suggest that you purchase microwavable food whenever you go out shopping."

"Right..." Yijin's face showed the blank stare that rushed across his visage. "So I have to buy the stuff with my own money, right?"

"Obviously, Yijin. I thought that much was clear." Juanbei said, clearly annoyed by Yijin's feigned cluelessness. Yijin was only trying to get on Juanbei's nerves a little bit and apparently succeeded. He grinned in satisfaction as he watched Juanbei exit the building.

"Alright, Yijin. I'll go purchase some stuff and come right back. Don't starve while I'm gone, you manipulator." Yijin listened as Juanbei retorted the manipulator line and laughed aloud to a clearly annoyed Juanbei who walked out the door. Yijin laid himself back and looked up at the interior ceiling. The lights were on and flickered from time to time, but still it was better than the ancient times. Yijin wondered why so many people wished they were sent back in time to Yijin's period. There was much more suffering than there is now, but many people seem not to realize that.

Better to take this time to meditate than waste his time doing nothing and staring at the ceiling. He quickly placed hand over hand and closed his eyes as he sat down on the floor and crossed his legs. Inhaling deeply, he sank into a state of deep relaxation. The void that was Yijin's consciousness came into view and once more the voice of Xiangliu struck loudly. "You dare return here after such a short time? I can't event grace you with my presence due to my need for recovery. Gods above, what a pain is this man is."

Yijin sighed and continued onwards. He was walking deeper into his own consciousness and soon the world returned to the ancient Murim in which Huanzhi had formerly existed. The world shifted around him and he appeared before the ancient Tangzhou Pavilion. He couldn't control his body as he walked into the pavilion. He remembered the exact day. It was the exact day that would mark a month since their first meeting.

He entered through the door and greeted the by now familiar faces of the sentries, who sent him straight upstairs to Meiying's room. He approached the door, but where Meiying's room stood were two guards. A scream was heard from inside as a loud thud resounded. Huanzhi's eyes widened as he walked up to the guards. "What the hell is going on?"

"Our master is enjoying a pleasurable time with The Beauty of Tangzhou, Meiying."

"And who is your master, I pray that you may tell me?" Huanzhi growled.

"Why none other than The Severed Dragon Head, Yao Zhontao!" Exclaimed the guard on the left with a proud expression on his face.

Meiying shouted once more from inside as a voice could be heard. "Come here, dearest. Why do you run from me so? Am I not as good-looking as your lover, The Unknown Swordsman?" Said Yao Zhontao.

"Get away from me, you disgusting prude!" Shouted Meiying. The fact that not even Meiying could combat this man's advances must have meant that he was stronger than her ability to poison him and her martial arts. Huanzhi sighed.

"Dao-bei is going to be so mad with me for spilling blood on his carpets today."

Huanzhi pulled his blade in the blink of an eye and ran it across both guards' throats. Their throats spurted with blood as they dropped to the ground with loud thuds. Zhontao's voice shouted in fury. "What the hell is going on out there! Can't you two sit still and wait for me to incapacitate her before barging in?!"

Huanzhi kicked the door open and stepped inside. "How dare you sully the honor of this fair maiden, you bastard?! How dare you attempt to force yourself on her!?" He watched as Zhontao stood over Meiying, who squirmed under his grasp. His hand was on his robe's tie and he stood menacingly. He was of about thirty-seven to nine years old and wore his hair loose. His facial features were left uncared for as his beard was scraggly and uncut for about several days. It wasn't long, nor was it stubble only.

The Severed Dragon Head stared at Huanzhi. "The Unknown Swordsman? Ah! I knew the rumors were true. So you did give yourself up to this man. Interesting. I was wondering if anyone would capture your heart."

"Step away from Meiying or you shall regret it. I don't care if the Severed Dragon Head Sect is the ally of Guanzi Sect. I am no longer tied down by sect rules. Prepare to die if you do not cease your harassment of my beloved."

Meiying blushed, she had never heard Huanzhi so heated about her before. Nor had she heard that he considered her his beloved. The month they had spent together had proven to be quite productive in terms of their relationship. Huanzhi kept a menacing eye on Meiying as his eye color brightened and dimmed like a flickering candle. It switched from his original to Xiangliu's red as he stared furiously at Yao.

"Who the f*** are you to tell me what to do, you son of a bitch?" Yao shouted as he untied his robe and sent a shadow slash in Huanzhi's direction. His lower body was completely exposed as he pushed himself towards Meiying.

Huanzhi growled and screamed a battle cry as he slammed Resolute Thunder into the shadow slash, dissipating it into pieces of unruly Qi that scattered throughout the room. Huanzhi charged forward and a gust of wind ran by Yao. Huanzhi appeared to the right of Yao with his blade in front, glistening with a drop of blood sliding down his blade. It dripped to the ground as suddenly, Yao's perverted grin changed to a face of utter agony as he looked downwards towards his exposed lower body.

Blood poured from his frontal lower body as he fell to his knees, writhing in pain.

"You deserve a fate far worse than castration, Yao Zhontao. You don't deserve to live for what you have done to my beloved, Meiying. Bastard!" Huanzhi lifted his blade overhead in a reverse grip and slammed it down on Yao's pelvis. Directly onto his dantian. Yao shrieked in agony as Huanzhi twisted the blade several times in a circular manner and retracted the blade with part of Yao's abdominal muscles attached to it.

Huanzhi sighed. "Damn, this is going to take a while to clean. What is this, the fourth bastard that tried something this month? Severed Dragon Head, my ass. He doesn't even deserve to be a severed bull's testicle." Huanzhi pulled Yao's muscles off of his blade and wiped the blood on the man's robe. Huanzhi then turned to Meiying.

"Meiying? Are you alright, my love?" Huanzhi turned with a concerned expression on his face. Meiying looked up at him, crimsoning in embarrassment as her gown was ripped by Yao's blade and hands. She covered herself in shame as Huanzhi sat down next to her. He lifted her upright as she averted her eyes from him.

"Meiying, do not be ashamed. I am not perturbed by what these bastards do. I will protect you for the rest of my life, if necessary." Huanzhi turned her face towards him. Tears streamed down her face as she looked into his eyes. The glistening, salty liquid dripped from her eyes and landed on the ground around Yao's blood. Yao stared upwards in pain, still writhing as his hands could no longer clench to grab his blade. His eyes dimmed as he exhaled a final shaky breath.

Huanzhi leaned in to Meiying and placed his thumb on her lips to hush her shaky breathing. He sighed and the two embraced. Their lips entwined with one another as Huanzhi placed his hands on the back of her shoulders. The two detached from one another and Huanzhi stood up. He placed his straw hat on his head. He looked at Meiying with soft, loving eyes. It was at this point when Meiying stood from the ground and grasped his sleeve.

"Zhi."

"Yes, my love."

"Do you truly care for me this much?"

"Yes, dearest."

Meiying's eyes flooded with tears as she pulled him back towards him. She grasped him by the collar and stared him in the eyes. "Good."

"Meiying-"

She kissed him passionately and his widened eyes closed as he allowed himself to go free to her. She let him go as he turned and walked off. A voice was suddenly heard.

"Do you remember that day, Huanzhi?"

"Yes I do, Xiangliu. I remember that was the first day that I held you back."

"Yes, but it was also the day in which you piqued my interest. It was when I first understood my interest in you was further than what I had previously anticipated. It became an obsession, one that overtook me completely. I had to control you."

"Not yet."

Xiangliu'er charged forward, his blades made contact with Resolute Thunder as Huanzhi sighed. "This again, Xiangliu?"

"Yes, I have changed my mind about you. You deserve something different, something that changes your future indefinitely. You deserve my full power."

Xiangliu suddenly transformed into a basilisk, the half-man half-serpent form that Xiangliu so often took. He charged forward and slammed his blades into Huanzhi's. Huanzhi shouted as Xiangliu lunged his head forward with his fangs attempting to sink into his throat. Huanzhi dodged and slammed a kick at Xiangliu. His shoe dissolved from the acidic scales that covered Xiangliu and Xiangliu twisted his body beneath Huanzhi's blade.

"Huanzhi! We've known each other too long. I know your every move. As do you. You are no match for me."

"We'll see about that, Xiangliu."

The two dodged each other's blows one by one. There came a time where Huanzhi's patience wore thin and he charged forward recklessly. Xiangliu grinned and slammed his fangs into Huanzhi's thigh. Huanzhi fell backwards to the ground. His eyes began to dim from the poison.

"Again, I lose. My damnable impatience always leads to my loss."

"It's true, isn't it. Huanzhi. You'll never overcome me."

Huanzhi felt the light enter him once more. His eyes opened and he looked up to a feminine face standing over him. He held out his hand. "Meiying?"

His hand was clasped tightly by a softer, delicate hand that caressed his. She pulled back from his hand and blushed deeply. "Wait! You're awake!? I thought that was just unconscious rambling!"

"Junxia? What are you doing here?"

"You had me right, just then." Junxia said and blushed.

"What did you do to me?... Wait a moment, what did you say?"

Junxia turned towards him and sighed. "You always were a dense bastard at the start, Huanzhi."

"Meiying! It's you! How did you get here?"

"Did you really believe I was the Scribe of the Heavens? I'm not that good of a writer nor am I such an inherently just person. I never sided with the light. They just wanted to torment you further. Dear Huanzhi, I missed you."

"Meiying... I have no words to say. I only wanted one thing in my life and that was you. I now have you. Why should I keep going with my mission?"

"Because the Gods will kill you if you do not follow through on your promise."

"Of course they will." Huanzhi sighed and placed a hand on his face. "Also, what the hell were you doing until now? I knew I felt something soft rub on my conscious lips as I fought Xiangliu."

"What did you expect from your beloved? I gave you a kiss, believing you to be unconscious completely. Usually those in meditation never bother themselves to come out of the state until they are done with the training."

"A lover knows stuff occurring, especially when he knows that his beloved is not alive and with him and is afraid that someone else is trying something on him."

"Am I not here now?"

"In a different body, yes."

Huanzhi looked at Meiying and embraced her tightly. "I won't let you go ever again, my dearest. I won't." He held her head to his chest as the two reincarnated lovers sighed.

"It feels right again to be with you."

Huanzhi kissed her forehead softly as the two remained in the same embrace as before.

"I missed your touch, dear Meiying."