Sticky

Xu Jiyu ultimately let Liu Jian travel with him. It just baffled him to think that the man could be so sticky to this extent. As far as he's concerned, he hasn't done anything particularly impressive enough for the handsome man to care about him. But since Liu Jian insisted on following him despite that, he couldn't refuse his company. After all, two is always better than one. Especially with his ankle still in this state…

Now, the two are on their way to find more news about the whereabouts of the King of Spirits. Xu Jiyu had said this was his goal, and Liu Jian nodded his head and agreed to accompany him.

"Say, Liu Jian… what kind of dream did you have? Why did it include me?" Xu Jiyu questions as the pair stroll along the dirt road, side by side.

"... I can't say." Liu Jian answers after a moment of thought.

"Huh? Why not?" The youth glances over at the man, a small pout upon his lips. "Since you dreamed of me, shouldn't I get to know what it was about?"

"I… forgot." This is the lame excuse Liu Jian uses, and it only makes Xu Jiyu pout even more.

His golden eyes now gleam like a small puppy's, saddened by its master's negligence. "But surely you couldn't have forgotten, since you remember that I was in it… won't you please tell me?" He juts out his bottom lip even further, pleading with Liu Jian to reveal his secret.

Liu Jian, unsure of how to deal with this absurdity, stares at Xu Jiyu for a moment before quickly turning his head away.

Xu Jiyu chuckles, about to tease Liu Jian further, before he's interrupted.

"You two there! Care to buy a few talismans?" An oddly familiar voice calls out to them in the distance. When Xu Jiyu spots the waving figure, he realizes who it is.

"...You're that merchant from before!" The youth exclaims, and the three meet halfway.

The merchant is bewildered for a moment, before sudden recognition dawns on him. He laughs, reaching over to pat Xu Jiyu on the shoulder, "Why, if it isn't the three-coin youngster! Who would have thought we'd meet again! Hahaha!"

Noticing that Xu Jiyu had an acquaintance, the merchant turns and notices the handsome man leering at him with a displeased expression. His gaze is almost enough to sear a hole through his hand, still resting on Xu Jiyu's shoulder.

Realization flashes through the merchant's eyes before he chuckles, deftly retracting his well-meant but ill-received gesture from Xu Jiyu's immediate proximity. Liu Jian's expression visibly relaxes, quickly returning to its normal, stoic mask.

So that's how it is! The merchant nods his head in amusement.

"Well, I didn't think I'd bump into you again either! May I ask this merchant's name?" Xu Jiyu asks, smiling as he didn't notice the other two's exchange.

"This merchant is called Wen Po. And the two of you are…?" He glances questioningly between Xu Jiyu and Liu Jian.

Xu Jiyu makes it his own responsibility to introduce himself and Liu Jian, as Liu Jian was looking elsewhere, clearly planning on ignoring Wen Po.

He cups his hands, "This one's name is Xu Jiyu! My acquaintance's name is Liu Jian. Many apologies on his behalf, he doesn't like socializing much!"

'...With anyone that isn't me, anyways!' The youth adds in his mind, not daring to speak his thoughts.

"Is that so…?" Wen Po muses with a smile, already knowing the real reason Liu Jian didn't 'like to socialize'. "Then, it's a pleasure to meet you both."

"Yes! Ah—I also want to thank you for your information from before. I managed to find Lang Jing and even became friends with him! It's a shame that we had to part so soon, though..."

"No need for thanks. I did earn a profit from it, after all," Wen Po says with a light chuckle. Then, he notices that Liu Jian was standing awfully close to Xu Jiyu despite their claiming to be 'acquaintances.' He continues with unmasked merriment, "For mere acquaintances, are you sure you two aren't lovers instead? Liu Jian seems quite fond of you to be standing so close."

Almost immediately, Xu Jiyu's cheeks flush red as he jumps back, his attention snapping to Liu Jian. When did he get so close?!

He stammers out, "N-No, we're really nothing like that! I've only known Liu Jian for two days, and two men can't be together like that…"

Despite his words, Liu Jian does a small hop and reattaches himself to Xu Jiyu's side in no time flat.

At this point, Xu Jiyu is completely embarrassed, but knowing Liu Jian's resolve, there was no way he'd be able to escape from the handsome man's vicinity.

So instead of moving away again, he sighs and gives Wen Po a small, nervous chuckle. "Ahaha… well, he's a bit sticky, though…"

"I can see that," Wen Po says as-a-matter-of-factly, "but who says men can't be in a relationship? Throughout my travels, I've seen a variety of relationships… yours is no different than theirs. There's no need to be shy. Hahaha!"

"I'm telling you, it's a big misunderstanding…" Xu Jiyu wails, but Wen Po didn't believe it at all.

Meanwhile, Liu Jian's mind was racing. 'What is fond? What's wrong with standing close? What is a relationship? What is a lover? Can I be Xu Jiyu's lover? What is—'

"Alright, whatever you say! If you ever need more information on evil spirits, let me know…" Just as he's taking his leave, Xu Jiyu calls out, "Wait!"

Wen Po pauses and looks back over his shoulder, "What is it?"

"I was actually going to ask you for some more information… would you be willing to trade again?" The youth asks, taking out three coins.

Wen Po grins. "It's a pleasure doing business with you, Xu Jiyu. What do you wish to know?" He asks, happily pocketing the money.

"I just want to know about any recent news of evil spirits… I'm actually just looking for the King of Spirits, but any evil spirit could be the King in disguise…" So Xu Jiyu says, but in reality, he knows he can't track down the King easily. Because he hasn't even reached the middle level of the Qi Condensation stage, even if the King was near, he wouldn't be able to know.

Liu Jian tenses up behind Xu Jiyu.

"Hm, is that so? Well, actually I—" Wen Po pauses mid-sentence when he unwittingly locks gazes with Liu Jian.

The handsome man glowers at Wen Po, his eyes brimming with bloodlust.

"... Don't know anything, but there's a lantern festival in the Wei Village nearby, why don't you try asking around there! There's a lot of people there! Hahaha..." He finishes hastily, guiltily looking away.

Since he already received his money, it was okay to just lie a bit, right? Besides, that Liu Jian looked too vicious!

"...Huh? Oh, alright," The youth answers, uncertain. Didn't Wen Po claim to know everything? Ah, well… let's hope he didn't get scammed just now.

Besides, if there's a festival, then there will be festival food! He definitely wouldn't pass up on that!

Xu Jiyu cups his hands and bows, "This one thanks merchant Wen Po for the information. I hope you have a safe trip, and that our paths will cross again the future."

"Good luck on your adventure," Wen Po answers, pointedly exerting effort to avoid Liu Jian's gaze. "Goodbye!"

And the merchant immediately retreats with urgency.

After Wen Po's silhouette vanishes, Xu Jiyu turns around to inform Liu Jian about their next destination, when—

"Ow!" The youth exclaims in surprise, stumbling back as he holds his forehead with a frown. He squints over at Liu Jian, who in turn was rubbing his chin with a puzzled expression.

"... Liu Jian, you were standing that close to me?"

"... En."

"Why?" Asks Xu Jiyu, the pain on his forehead throbbing from their accidental contact.

Liu Jian doesn't quite know the answer himself, and answers honestly: "I don't know… your presence feels warm to me."

"Of course I'm warm, it's proof that I'm alive! But everyone else is, too…" The youth only sighs, shaking his head. "Well, it's okay. Just warn me if you're standing that close next time, okay?"

Liu Jian nods his head. "En."

"Okay, well… it seems our next destination is Wei Village. We should be able to reach it by tomorrow night if my memory serves me well, so we'll have to find a place to rest for the night. Let's go, Liu Jian!"

Liu Jian, as always, answers with an: "En."

And so, the two set off to find a place to camp for the night.