Chapter 202: Don't fool around during practice

Perhaps against his better judgement, Xi Zirui agrees to Han Yu's offer, who looks as elated as if someone told him he's next in line to the throne.

"Then, if gege wants, we can start practicing now."

"No," Xi Zirui says, and gets up to his feet.

He's having second thoughts already, and has no interest to subject himself to more of Han Yu's sticky presence so soon.

Han Yu is clearly dispirited by this turn of events but he doesn't say anything, only nodding once.

Xi Zirui cleans up his writing materials and leaves the library, heading straight to his quarters next to Su Xueyi's private pavilion in one of the more distant floating platforms.

Su Xueyi isn't around when he arrives, which allows Xi Zirui to ignore his duties as a disciple to go and see if his shizun needs anything from him and to go straight to his room.

His quarters are simple and tidy; a bamboo straw mat over a platform, a few well-kept chests with his disciple robes and cloaks for travelling that he hasn't had the opportunity to use in the few months he has been in Heavenly Dragon. 

And at the bottom of the second chest, he has the ledger where he writes down all the movements of every Heavenly Dragon master, their weaknesses, and strengths, as well as strategies he can adopt to exploit them.

Mostly he focuses on Han Yu's father, Han Chang, and how suspicious his movements are.

Every month or so, he leaves sect grounds with a few disciples he trusts to go on 'missions' he doesn't disclose to anyone else.

Xi Zirui has tried to get the information out of Han Yu, but even he doesn't know what kind of important business requires so much secrecy.

Xi Zirui's next order of business is to find himself in that inner circle of trusted disciples Han Chang takes with him. Not all of them are his personal disciples, which bodes will for Xi Zirui.

Maybe, these ill-advised lessons with Han Yu can even prove useful.

---

The next time Xi Zirui runs into Han Yu, it's because he's deliberately seeking him out.

He finds him practicing archery, of all things, with his fellow disciples in one of the floating courtyards overlooking the lake's margins.

"Gege, did you come find me?" he asks, as soon as he spots Xi Zirui approaching him.

His excitement attracts the curiosity of all other disciples who start discussing Xi Zirui's presence among themselves.

"I was thinking we could have our lesson now." He spares a sideways look at several disciples who are now actively ignoring their archery practice to eavesdrop on their conversation. "But I see that you're busy. We can leave it for another time."

As expected, Han Yu tries to stop him. "No, gege, wai-"

"Han Yu, what is going on?" A cold voice asks, the words drifting in from behind them as if carried by an ominous wind.

Xi Zirui turns around and finds Han Chang standing on the steps of the pavilion adjacent to the courtyard, his hands severely clasped behind his back, and his head held high.

Just the person Xi Zirui was counting on running into.

He bows politely to Han Chang and says. "I apologize for interrupting Master Han's disciple's training. Han Yu offered to assist with my subpar calligraphy and as I have some free time now I came looking for him. I'll take my leave now."

He has taken several steps out of the practice grounds when Han Chang's cold voice sounds again. 

"Wait." He waits until Xi Zirui returns to his side before continuing, "A good disciple should always be ready to help others. It's good that Han Yu has volunteered. I can dismiss him earlier so the two of you can practice."

Han Yu bows deeply to his father, his arms held in a circle in front of his chest. "Thank you father."

Han Chang tilts his head towards the pavilion he just came out of. "Feel free to use the pavilion of Restful Mind, I'll do my best not to disturb your studies."

Xi Zirui follows after Han Chang with a secret, pleased smirk.

---

Han Yu is much less subdued now that he is in his father's presence.

Han Chang isn't hovering, by any means. He's sitting behind his own low desk at the other end of the room, reviewing documents, and it's unlikely he can even hear them, with how quietly Han Yu is talking.

"I can write a few common scripts, you watch closely and then just replicate them," Han Yu says, spreading out a few thin sheets of paper in front of him.

He holds back his draping sleeve with his left hand, and while holding the brush perfectly vertical with his right, dips it into the inkstone, coating the bristles evenly.

His brush moves gracefully over the paper, barely caressing it. For a moment, Xi Zirui is nearly mesmerized by the fluidity of his movements. 

"There," Han Yu says, once he finishes writing the characters that make up the script for a protection talisman. "Now you try it."

Xi Zirui was so focused on Han Yu's graceful movements, that he forgot to pay any attention to the stroke order, or his brushwork, as he drew the characters.

He takes the brush, still warm from Han Yu's fingers, with much trepidation.

Hoping for the best, he sets brush to paper and tries to mimic some of Han Yu's movements.

It ends up looking clumsy and messy, and no better than Xi Zirui's all other attempts.

Han Yu smiles at him encouragingly, while ignoring the ink splattered mess Xi Zirui presents him with. "Maybe we should try it character by character."

Yes, maybe they should.

---

Xi Zirui should have known that Han Yu's good behaviour wouldn't last long.

It takes him only a few minutes of serious studying, for him to find a way of bypassing his father's imposing presence.

Xi Zirui is practicing the single character Han Yu just wrote, when Han Yu dips another brush into the inkstone and starts writing on the empty corner of Xi Zirui's paper sheet.

He ignores him at first, but curiosity wins out in the end.

'Gege is beautiful'

Xi Zirui raises one eyebrow at the juvenile confession, and goes back to his calligraphy.

Han Yu isn't done writing.

'Gege should smile more often'

Reading that only makes Xi Zirui's scowl deepen.

All the scowling in the world isn't enough to deter Han Yu when he gets something on his mind.

'Gege should pay attention to me'

Xi Zirui pulls his sheet away from Han Yu and folds one arm over the corner of his work, trying to prevent Han Yu from having enough space to write.

Unfortunately, Han Yu seems to take that as a challenge.

He leans across the table to try and reach any free space on the paper sheet he can find, grinning widely, brush in hand.

Soon it turns into a struggle where Xi Zirui tries to dodge from Han Yu's attempts to reach him, and Han Yu tries to anticipate his movements.

"What has gotten the two of you so amused?"

It's only when hearing Han Chang's voice overhead makes his smile drop, that Xi Zirui even realizes he was smiling in the first place.

Han Yu goes stone still. "Father," he stammers, "It's nothing, we're just messing around."

He tries to cover his writing on Xi Zirui's practice sheets, but that only makes it more conspicuous.

Han Chang stanches the papers from between Han Yu's fingers, his eyes flying across its contents.

"Han Yu, leave us," he says evenly, lowering the papers back onto the table.

Han Yu tries to protest but whatever he sees in his father's eyes convinces him of the importance of doing as he's told.

Xi Zirui remains seated on the floor behind the low desk, Han Chang towering over him imposingly.

The door closes with a soft thud behind Han Yu and Han Chang finally says, "I must apologize for my son, he can be very frivolous on occasion."

"No need to apologize, I'm grateful for Han Yu's assistance. He was jut trying to get a reaction out of me."

Of course, Xi Zirui doesn't think Han Chang held him back here alone to apologize for his son's conduct, so that opening line is probably just an excuse to get at what's really bothering him.

He arrives there faster than Xi Zirui expected. "And did he succeed?"

"I don't quite follow," Xi Zirui says, meeting Han Chang's cold eyes.

Han Chang smiles pleasantly, while looking down at Xi Zirui as if he is a creature far beneath his notice.

"Allow me to elaborate. My son's frivolity is the result of his young age, and while I won't begrudge him some youthful fancies, he has a duty as my son, and future sect heir." His smile widens. "An appropriate spouse has already been found for Han Yu, of equally upstanding breeding. So I would advise young Master's Su's disciple not to get too attached."

Xi Zirui returns Han Chang's warm smile, although his gaze is just as cold. "Sect leader needn't worry; I'm not."