145 Let's not make a habit of i

They had a pleasant meal with the old couple. The fisherman's wife explained to them that since all their children had left the nest it felt rather lonely along this span of marshland. She was more than happy to have them join her and brought out a wide array of food. There were steam-buns and yam and fish that only Yuan Xuelan ate. It was by far a fancy or complicated dinner but it was nice and homely.

The Ivory Sword Saint didn't say much but nodded at their words, eating with dainty neat bites. Next to him, Yuan Xuelan chatted up a storm, leaning toward the old couple to both listen and ask questions. He asked about each of the couple's eight children and what they were out in the world doing.

He also asked about an old boat tied to the little dock and asked if they could borrow it.

The fisherman was hesitant at first but Liu Sumeng offered to pay up a sizable boon for their trouble, enough to buy themselves a new boat and more.

The fisherman's wife paled at the amount of money offered and hesitated at first, insisting that it wasn't proper.

But the Ivory Sword Saint did not relent, "If there's anything that happens to us or the boat, this will ensure your livelihood. It is only suitable for the trouble."

To both the Ivory Sword Saint and Yuan Xuelan, this little bit of money was nothing.

"Thank you Master Ivory Sword Saint and Master Phoenix Craftsman!" The fisherman exclaimed and took the coins from Liu Sumeng's hand, which earned a disapproving glare from his wife.

The moniker caused Yuan Xuelan to cringe and Liu Sumeng to raise a brow.

After they helped the old couple clean up the dishes and put things away, the two cultivators bid their farewells.

Yuan Xuelan stretched as he eyed the boat calmly sitting atop the quiet marshes and grinned. "Let's not think or talk about all those complicated things back at the manor! It's pretty fun running away from time to time."

"Let's not make a habit of it." Liu Sumeng said sternly but couldn't completely wipe the smile off his face as he followed Xuelan to the boat. He'd be lying if he said this little excavation was only born out of escapism. He couldn't just ignore all the things that awaited him, whether it be Chen Anyue, Chen Leike or whatever other reports that found their way to him; from Peng Zhugen's pointless letters and his own brother's reports of the strange developments that have unwound up north. "I still have something to talk to you about."

Yuan Xuelan huffed cutely when he untied the boat from the pier and stepped inside. He held out a hand to offer Sumeng the help he definitely didn't need. The Ivory Sword Saint was still charmed enough to take the outstretched hand. "If there's something I want to talk about then it's about how much I like you. All other topics are off-limits." He took out a long pole to steer the little boat in the rippling waters.

Liu Sumeng allowed the younger to take the fore since he was more familiar with the area than himself.

"Don't be a child," the Ivory Sword Saint chided as he looked out the long expanse of wetlands. Grass swayed lightly to the wind.

The sky was gray with clouds, specs of sunlight and blue poked through. Despite the colors washed out of the sky, Liu Sumeng didn't particularly feel too bogged down by the dreary weather. The wind was subtle with it's gusting whispers; calm and cool against the skin. Frogs croaked in greeting and little flickers of movement could be caught from fleeing fish.

The old woman had told them of ghosts that danced around the marshlands. When Yuan Xuelan had asked why they didn't go to the Ascending Dawn Sect to request exorcism, she told them that they kept the old couple company.

"One day, my husband and I will be joining them, buried in the marshlands. Might as well get acquainted with them in advance."

Liu Sumeng tried to gently remind that there was no reason to linger in the material world after death and that reincarnation would surely be waiting for them. They only smiled at him. The Ivory Sword Saint wondered if they might find those ghosts hidden beneath the tall grass and murky waters.

He basked in the tranquility and Yuan Xuelan's voice, "I mean, since your work has been tiring of late, don't you think we should stay away from tiring topics of conversation? We can talk about other things instead."

Liu Sumeng laughed at the easy and relaxed approach, thinking that Yuan Xuelan had a point. "Like what? If you just want to sing me praise then forget it."

"What's wrong with that? Sumeng is--"

"Stop."

"The most beautiful--"

"Don't be absurd."

"He is the most elegant, the best swordsman--"

"What a lie!"

And Liu Sumeng had devolved into a fit of laughter, unable to take any more of the ridiculousness that came out of Yuan Xuelan's mouth. Was this the effect of wooing? He wasn't sure, because it sounded extremely silly to his ears.

"Why are you laughing?" Yuan Xuelan huffed.

A part of him was happy that Liu Sumeng was able to unwind, able to smile and laugh. He was even more gorgeous like this, with his lips curved upward and eyes glassy with tears of merriment. But why was he laughing? It wasn't like Xuelan had said anything funny, he only said the truth. He huffed and placed the pole down, taking a seat opposite of Liu Sumeng.

"How could I not laugh?" answered Liu Sumeng. "You're ridiculous."

Yuan Xuelan narrowed his eyes and huffed. He took Liu Sumeng's hands in his own and waited for the Ivory Sword Saint to stop trembling from laughter. The Ivory Sword Saint was a little startled at the intensity of Xuelan's eyes that stared back at him.

"Sumeng," Xuelan's voice was soft, the sky around them seemed to darken despite nightfall still being far off. Glows light came to life around them, subtly playing off the angles of Yuan Xuelan's face. He was a very handsome youngster, Liu Sumeng thought to himself. "I don't care if you laugh at me. I don't even care if you laugh at others. But you can't laugh at yourself. Everything I say is true, why wouldn't you believe me?"

Liu Sumeng would have continued laughing if it wasn't for the sharp glint of Yuan Xuelan's eyes, captivating him and entrancing him. His cheeks and flushed a dark shade of red.

"Xuelan," he said stiffly, heart hammering against his chest. "I'm not…beautiful." No, instead he was stiff and cold. "I'm not elegant." He was awkward. "I'm not the best swordsman either." As much as the last one hurt to admit he knew it to be true.

Yuan Xuelan's hands tightened around his hands, "Even if you can't believe it, at least understand that's how I feel about you. I'm not lying or whatever, okay? I would never lie to Sumeng. Not ever again."

His heart was caught in his throat. Liu Sumeng's mind was in a hazy muddle. Even if there were ghosts curiously peering at the two cultivators that have wandered into their territory, they did not riot nor complain and only watched silently.

"I…" But it was too embarrassing to admit any of those things might hold any truth, even if they were only in a single person's perspective.

Especially not from Yuan Xuelan.

Liu Sumeng was momentarily frozen. He was caught up in memories from a time that seemed to be losing more and more relevance as the days went by. That Xuelan would only call him beautiful when he was down and beaten; he would only sing him compliments like a cruel carrot on the stick. Words that Liu Sumeng never dared to take to heart.

Yuan Xuelan realized that making Sumeng realize and acknowledge the depth of his words was going to be a more difficult task than just spewing out his thoughts a few times. It might take time, effort and a whole lot of convincing. But Yuan Xuelan was undaunted by the task. He only sighed a little and put on a smile.

Encouraging, he said, "Just try to believe me okay? One day you'll realize that you're amazing."

"..." Who even taught Yuan Xuelan to say such embarrassing things!? Liu Sumeng felt uncomfortable with the heat that unwound in the pit of his stomach. He took in a breath but did not dodge when Yuan Xuelan leaned in for a kiss.

The boat rocked to their eagerness. There had to be at least three ghosts that relinquished their lingering regrets after witnessing such a passionate and pure love between two young men and finally decided that it was about time to move on.

By the time they returned to the lonely little fisherman's residence, the world was dark. Clouds had cleared from the sky, allowing the constellations to glow above their heads.

Yuan Xuelan had already lost count of the number of kisses they'd shared between the two of them. Privately he wanted the moment to last forever. Liu Sumeng's head rested on the curve of his shoulder and his arm was around his back...did they really have to go back?

"Hmm, we do." Liu Sumeng said, making Xuelan aware of saying his thoughts out loud. Reling twinkled in the distance, alive with light even as night came upon the earth. He wasn't keen on returning either but the sense of responsibility was sharp. And though the idea of running away was enticing when drunk on the euphoria of love. Which reminded him. He separated himself from Yuan Xuelan and hummed, "What did Xiang'er want?"

Oh right, there was that wasn't there? Yuan Xuelan shrugged casually, "Oh nothing really, I think she caught a few stray rumors about that God Slaying Weapon."

Wait a second. "What?"

"About the Temple of Mirage that appeared around Mount Tianwei. I didn't think it was super impor--" But he was cut off with Liu Sumeng's hand coming up to grip his upper arm in alarm.

"We must go there at once!"