27 A difficult case

Yuan Xuelan was going to die.

Ok maybe he was being a little dramatic. But both his sleep and his appetite were being affected now and he could only assume it was a downward spiral from here on out. In fact, he was currently in the library at Wangyun Peak, with a stack of books personally curated to his hobbies and interests and yet when his eyes scanned over the words, not a single one seemed to make sense! What kind of sorcery was this!?

And at night he tossed and turned, restless and agitated. And in the morning he poked at his breakfast, annoyed and disgruntled and poked at his food without eating a bite. And now!

Was he perhaps cursed?

That seemed about right. But perhaps it was just bad karma, entangled with one Liu Sumeng. Yuan Xuelan squinted at the row of words in front of him, wondering what this book was even about.

The line he glazed over read: "The following herbs may provide minor enhancements to both length and hardness but take care of the quantity and do not apply more than the recommended amount, lest you risk itchiness and irritation."

…What? Yuan Xuelan frowned and then flipped back to the cover of the book. 'Cultivation through Swordplay: Rapturous Ecstasy Red Edition'.

…What even was this? Whoever thought Yuan Xuelan was going to fall for this dirty trap, they were utter fools. He closed the book and tossed it aside and chastised himself for even picking it up.

This was all his fault! That…that…

And he couldn't even bring himself to blame Liu Sumeng anymore!

That was the worst part!

A fist came down on the table and Yuan Xuelan jumped to his feet. It was about time he did something about this conundrum! Pride and face be damned!

Though in all honesty, Yuan Xuelan wasn't really a person that cared about shame in the first place. Apologizing and admitting his mistakes weren't the issue. But apologizing and admitting his mistakes to Liu Sumeng definitely was! And that was because… because…

Yuan Xuelan felt his face flush the more he thought about it. So he didn't, and instead focused on marching towards Liu Sumeng's room. It was probable that the Ivory Sword Saint wasn't there anymore, but it wouldn't hurt to check.

When he got to the room, he took and deep breath and then- Screw it! He knocked without thinking any farther!

To his surprise, there was movement on the other side, and Yuan Xuelan was about to open his mouth to call the Ivory Sword Saint out. But the voice that came from within the room was different, "Who is it?"

Yuan Xuelan froze.

The door slid open revealing Xu Hexian who looked up at him with a questioning gaze. Yuan Xuelan wasn't even sure what to say, "You- What? What were you doing in, in…!"

He received a snort in response, "Please Young Master Yuan, don't imagine anything strange. I only came here to get a few books, Meng-xiong doesn't mind when I borrow from him. Since he's away I helped myself."

Xu Hexian's words helped calm the wild thumping in his chest to a degree, easing the flush off his face, "What do you mean, he's away?"

"Oh, I suppose you wouldn't know since Meng-xiong kind of rushed off for some reason. He said he was going to a nearby town for some business but will be back in a few days. Did you need him for something?" The way Xu Hexian was looking at him was almost mischievous but at this point, Yuan Xuelan stopped caring about the person in front of him and was instead going through another bought of mental and emotional gymnastics in his mind.

"What!? But-!" What kind of timing was this!? Just when he was ready to apologize that Liu Sumeng went on a stupid trip? But why!? Why did he leave when his guests were still at Wangyun Peak!? Was that bastard running away from him? How dare he!

"Well, if you want to talk to him, he'll be back in a few days. He told me it wouldn't be a very long trip."

"I see…just, never mind," Yuan Xuelan grumbled and backed away from the sliding door, "It wasn't anything important anyway."

"Hmm, ok! If you say so." Yuan Xuelan wasn't really a fan of Xu Hexian's chirpy voice but he decided to ignore it, especially when he realized he could study and learn the sword under this guy without worrying about being caught by the Ivory Sword Saint.

"By the way, when are you free? I'd like to train some more."

Xu Hexian blinked and tilted his head, "Train? Ah you mean you wanted to learn more of those sword techniques. Ok, I don't mind teaching you but I'm a bit busy right now. How about later this evening?"

He eagerly agreed and made his way back to the library on happier tones. This wouldn't be so bad after all.

Actually, this also gave him a little bit more time to think about how he was going to approach Liu Sumeng. He tried to think about what was the easiest way to appease that person.

In the small library at Wangyun Peak, Yuan Xuelan had abandoned the books and instead was now lying on the wooden ground, basking in the sunlight and crept inside from the wide windows. There was a book opened on his chest but he'd long forgotten the contents and even used a few more titles as a pillow to prop up his head. It was a perfect position for napping but instead, he was awake, thinking about how he would approach Liu Sumeng and that dreaded apology he had to make.

The main problem was, he really had a hard time reading that man's glassy stoic face and it always made him feel a little off-kilter. Yuan Xuelan closed his eyes and imagined that visage, sharp piercing eyes and tall pointed nose, a stony expression that would make a lesser man tremble with chills. Dark, thick brows and delicate lashes- ugh. Yuan Xuelan opened his eyes again, feeling regret. He was annoyed with his own feelings, this uncalled-for change of heart that told him he didn't wish to upset Liu Sumeng more than necessary.

He wanted to at least make this apology to come across sincerely! Yuan Xuelan was really thinking hard about this. There were many who he couldn't even bring himself to care for in the slightest, but for those that he cherished, he would pour all his passion and feelings in for their sake.

On top of that, Liu Sumeng was just a very difficult case! Yuan Xuelan sighed and rolled over, knocking over a stack of books he'd placed there earlier. He needed a more sure-fire way to appease the Ivory Sword Saint. But it was a pity he didn't know the man that well… Maybe he should… he should…

A thought suddenly lit up in his head and Yuan Xuelan surged upwards into a seated position, "I know!" he exclaimed. He could simply get Liu Sumeng an apology gift! That way there would be no miscommunication in regards to his intentions, right!?

A triumphant smile stretched his lips while he patted himself on the back. Good job Yuan Xuelan, you're truly a genius!

Of course, that now begged the question of what he could he even get? Well, he didn't know Liu Sumeng that well but there were plenty of people that did, all of them scattered around this very manor. He jumped to his feet and decided to embark on this mission.

He came across a pair of male disciples in the halls and asked them first.

Male disciple A scratched at his chin, "Second Young Master Liu? Actually I've never really approached him before, he just seems kind of intimidating after all. Oh but I've heard from other people that he's actually a pretty nice guy."

Male disciple B nodded energetically, "Yeah that's right! He's in fact really nice, he took a whole afternoon out of his day once to help with a technique I just couldn't get right. He was pretty strict but also super patient and kind. What does he like? Well…"

The two disciples shared a look. "Cleanliness?" Male disciple A was unsure, "I've never seen him look disheveled except when Young Master Yuan and Young Miss Chen brought him back from Zu Village."

"I know, I know. He's in love with his sword, Mingshui. I mean, the Ivory Sword Saint is a pure person who is wholly dedicated to cultivating through the path of the sword," Male disciple B said excitedly.

Male Disciple A wasn't impressed, "That's true, but it doesn't take a genius to figure that out."

The two continued to chatter but the information was mostly superficial and not of use to Yuan Xuelan, so he moved on.

Next, he ran into a pair of female disciples.

The two of them shared a giggle. "Oh, Second Young Master Liu? He's rather mysterious, but you've come to the right people to ask," Female Disciple A grinned at him.

Female Disciple B lowered her voice into a whisper, "Actually, we like to watch Second Young Master Liu from afar. As you know, he's too difficult of a person to approach."

Female Disciple A nodded, "Right. He's so dreamy, there's too much of an unapproachable aura around him. Anyways as for things he likes…well we'll tell you a secret. Did you know he's a big fan of sour foods?"

"Yes, that's right! One time there was a batch of clementines that Xu Hexian got from the village, but complained that it was too sour, so he gave them all to Second Young Master Liu."

…How did these girls even know this? Yuan Xuelan decided not to ask about that part.

"He also likes sweets," The other female disciple continued, "But he won't eat anything that's too sweet. Baiyun Hall's Auntie makes these perfect custard buns, soft and just a little sweet. It's fragrant without having too strong of a taste. Whenever they're available, Second Young Master Liu would always take two. But he'd only eat one then hides the other one so people wouldn't know he had taken an extra."

The two women squealed and continued to gossip among themselves, causing Yuan Xuelan to sweat. Erm, he probably shouldn't associate with people like this any longer than he had to so he carefully backed away. At least this time he received more valuable information. So Liu Sumeng liked sweet and sour foods. Hm, but Yuan Xuelan didn't think that food was his best choice for an apology gift, especially when his mediocre cooking could not compare to Baiyun Hall Auntie's cooking.

So he moved onwards to collect more information about the enigmatic Liu Sumeng!