Who... Are You?

When the attackers see the flash of a spiritual sword being summoned, one man hurriedly speaks up.

"Boss, that guy can't be Lang Jing! He isn't a cultivator!" Says the bandit with a face who could only have been dropped as a child, one of the five lackeys currently surrounding the two.

"Idiot, I'm talking about the one standing next to him! Look at him, he's clearly not a cultivator!" Shouts a mustached man, clearly the leader of the group, before locking eyes with Liu Jian. He feels a shiver crawl up his spine because of the sheer intensity of the handsome man's glare, but he doesn't back down. "We're here to get rid of Lang Jing, step aside unless you want to get hurt!"

"A little pain never killed me," Liu Jian says coldly, stepping in front of Xu Jiyu to shield him from the bandits. "If you want to live, then I advise you leave now."

Xu Jiyu glances from Liu Jian to the bandits, then back to Liu Jian. He's never seen the latter have such a frightening expression before—but he disregards his thought for now and turns his attention towards the group of vagabonds.

"Wait," Xu Jiyu says, pulling the hem of Liu Jian's robe to stop him from attacking, "I'm not Lang Jing!"

In turn, Liu Jian understands and silently lowers the floating sword beside him using his spiritual power.

"Bullsh*t!" Shouts a long-faced bandit, "Who else would be crazy enough to walk into this forsaken forest? The only person the villagers sent here was Lang Jing! Although you still seem to have some sanity left, we won't let you off the hook, damned evil spirit!"

"But I'm really no—!" Xu Jiyu tries to reason with them, but they only cut him off.

"Silence, spirit!" The mustached leader yells, before meeting Liu Jian's threatening glare. Unafraid, he commands, "Attack both of them! Make sure Lang Jing dies, and if his accomplice gets in the way, then kill him!!"

Liu Jian's eyes narrow and mutters under his breath, "Don't say I didn't warn you, tsk, lowly commoners ruining my leisure time…"

The two larger mercenaries charge directly at the pair, bearing broad shields, pockmarked from previous use, as the remaining three attempt to flank them. Xu Jiyu, still suffering from his injured ankle, was immobile as the rugged swordsmen bore down on them with murderous intent.

"Ah, what the f*ck!" A surprised Xu Jiyu shouts as Liu Jian shoves him to the ground.

Xu Jiyu's shock is less indignant a moment later as a 'THUNK!' resounds from behind them. He realizes if Liu Jian hadn't shoved him, that a particular knife would be embedded in his forehead rather than a tree trunk.

Liu Jian engages the two shieldbearers with a soundless snarl, his spiritual sword clashing with the mercenaries' impending barrier and stopping them in their tracks. The other three lunge for Liu Jian's seemingly exposed sides, but hesitate in shock as Liu Jian kicks one of the shields, planting his foot and using it as a springboard to leap over them.

In an instant, he gracefully lands behind them, escaping the pincer attack, and cuts down both the larger men without a second thought. Spinning on his back foot, not even stopping for a breath, Liu Jian swings his arm like a whip. His wrist snaps forward as he lets go of his weapon, and suddenly one of the three remaining thugs finds himself impaled by his spirit sword.

Liu Jian now stands still, staring down his last two enemies from the corner of his eye. Standing straight, he raises a hand and motions with his index finger. The sword slowly pulls itself out of the chest of its most recent victim. Xu Jiyu watches with a mix of admiration and horror as the residual two men turn tail and attempt to run, but are mercilessly executed by Liu Jian's spirit sword. Liu Jian had controlled the sword from afar, directing it with a finger as if he were a maestro, and the blade had performed an orchestral piece of sanguine retribution.

After the grand finale, Xu Jiyu's mouth is agape, unsure of what to make of the scene before him. A few heartbeats pass before he's able to speak.

"... Liu Jian…"

"...Yes?"

"Who… are you?" A shell-shocked Xu Jiyu intones.

Liu Jian looks at the ground as if in deep thought, his brows furrowing. Abruptly, his head snaps up, and he glares intensely in a particular direction.

"Quiet," Liu Jian says, his voice's edge as sharp as the blood-stained spirit sword floating at his side. "The fight isn't over."

A silhouette makes its way out of the brush a dozen paces from the fallen shieldbearer's corpses.

"Well, that was certainly interesting to watch."

A young man, perhaps no older than Xu Jiyu, smirks at them. His eyes exhibit a malicious glow as he makes his way closer with each passing moment. He stops. Liu Jian tenses, bringing his sword up in preparation to lunge, however, he is a split second too slow.

Xu Jiyu blinks, and Liu Jian is already on his back, in the dust. The young man had rushed Liu Jian, throwing a savage punch with deadly focus. Liu Jian caught the strike with the flat of his spiritual sword, however, he was unprepared for the sheer force of the impact. Sent flying, Liu Jian lays winded ten paces away.

Turning, the mysterious youth's gaze locks onto Xu Jiyu's prone form, his position unchanged from when Liu Jian had shoved him to the ground earlier.

"Are you… Lang Jing?" Fear creeps into Xu Jiyu's voice as the threatening being saunters closer. Then, Xu Jiyu's focus shifts elsewhere, as he looks past the man.

"Not anymore." The man says, just before kicking at Xu Jiyu's stomach.

Xu Jiyu's eyes widen, and he shouts, "Liu Jian, don't!"

Lang Jing stops mid-kick, the toe of his sandal a hair's breadth from Xu Jiyu's robes. Slowly, he peers downward, as if to check whether he'd stepped in excrement. A ghostly white, keen edge hovers at his throat. Liu Jian hadn't gotten up, however, he'd once again sent his spirit sword to do his bidding with a wag of his finger.

"He's possessed, his actions aren't his fault, Liu Jian. We can't kill him, we must exorcise him immediately!" Xu Jiyu pleads, attempting to reason with him.

A dangerous light now shines in Liu Jian's platinum irises, intense fury shattering his usually calm, aloof mask.

"Fine." Liu Jian grunts, pulling himself to his feet. He shuffles over to the pair, both of whom are still frozen, watching him closely. Liu Jian holds his hand up once again, this time in front of Lang Jing's face. The young man's previously smug expression morphs into one of pure terror as he realizes his fate.

"No, Sire, ple—" The plea is cut short as Liu Jian flicks Lang Jing's forehead. Liu Jian's spiritual sword dissipates into formless white light and fades away as the youth's body crumples to the ground, unconscious, directly onto Xu Jiyu.

---

After about half an hour, Lang Jing wakes up with a groan. "Ugh…"

Seeing this, Xu Jiyu immediately brightens up and exclaims, "Lang Jing! How are you feeling?"

The person in question blearily blinks open his eyes and stares up at the worried face above him. What he sees is an attractive-looking youth. Confusion immediately overtakes his expression when he realizes that he's laying in Xu Jiyu's lap, as if to say, 'who is this person?'

Not too far away, he sees an extremely handsome man staring at him with a particularly displeased countenance. Lang Jing's face is full of black lines. It seems his situation isn't looking too great…

"Where am I?" Lang Jing asks, voice rigid, desperately trying to ignore the burning stare on him from afar.

"We're in the forest near the village! You were possessed by an evil spirit, but we managed to expel it from your body! Not that I know how, though… my partner did all of the work." Xu Jiyu answers, making a point to look over at Liu Jian.

The moment Xu Jiyu turns his head towards Liu Jian, the handsome man's face changes from one of anger to expressionless within a single second.

Lang Jing slowly sits up, finally removing himself from the youth's lap. Upon realizing what his previous position was, he feels embarrassment creeping up to his cheeks.

"This one sincerely apologizes for causing so much trouble!" Lang Jing exclaims with a red flush, "May I ask the names of the cultivators who saved my life?"

Lang Jing cups his hands and bows his head deeply to show his eternal gratitude to the pair. However, Xu Jiyu only brings a hand up, preventing him from bowing any further. "No need, it wasn't your intention. My name is Xu Jiyu, and my partner over there is named Liu Jian."

Liu Jian doesn't reply, and only sends a deathly glare at Lang Jing. The latter flinches back from the cold look on Liu Jian's face.

Xu Jiyu frowns upon watching this scene and reprimands him, "Liu Jian, you have to reply back, it's only polite!"

In turn, Liu Jian's eyes cast downwards and he makes a small pout, lips still sealed shut.

Xu Jiyu turns to face Lang Jing with a regretful look, "Many apologies, he still hasn't quite learned proper etiquette yet, despite his proper appearance."

Lang Jing gestures excitedly: "No, it's quite alright! I am just thankful that the both of you saved my life. Is there any way I can repay you?"

Xu Jiyu shakes his head: "There's really no need for any kind of repayment, I'm just relieved to see that you're alright."

Lang Jing: "Ah, no, please let me pay you back! If it weren't for you two, I would not be alive right now. I owe you a meal, at the very least!"

"No, that's quite alr—wait." The youth's eyes sparkle, "Do you have steamed buns, by any chance?"

Liu Jian turns rigid at this sentence. He sends another hateful glare towards Lang Jing, as if threatening him not to nod his head yes.

However, Lang Jing doesn't notice and bobs his head excitedly, "Yes, I know of a place in the village that sells excellent quality steamed buns! If that's what you desire, by all means, I'll buy you as many as my funds allow!"

Xu Jiyu cheers, "Then I'll gladly accept your offer!" He adds with a happy sigh, "I'm so glad I'm able to talk to someone normal after two days!"

By now, Liu Jian is exuding an aura of extreme killing intent.

The two are unaware of this however, and continue to animatedly converse.

Liu Jian is blatantly ignored, while the inside of Liu Jian's mind mutters: 'I should've killed that bastard when I had the chance...'