With his pockets full of a small fortune, Xiao Xiangyi walked with an even springier step. After carefully tucking the banknotes away against his chest, he re-counted every single silver coin and copper cash in his pouch. In total, he now had one hundred and five taels, six miao, and thirty-six wen. Tomorrow, aside from the Crane and Pine Tower, which was out of bounds, he could treat Sesshomaru to any street food he wanted. He just needed to save up a bit more for clothes, so he could manage to get Sesshomaru a proper New Year's gift...
The next day, Xiao Xiangyi firmly turned down Qi Yun's offer to accompany him, telling him to go meet his friends and not worry about him, as he wanted to stroll around alone today. The moment Qi Yun walked off, constantly looking back over his shoulder, Xiao Xiangyi excitedly tugged on Sesshomaru's sleeve and pulled him out of the Qi residence.
Sesshomaru looked thoroughly reluctant, yet half-willingly allowed himself to be led by the human's strength all the way to the marketplace. Once there, the Great Yokai was utterly stunned by the sight before him. Though his face bore its usual haughty and cold expression, a closer look revealed pupils filled with astonishment.
The streets were bustling with crowds. Every single one of these humans was neatly dressed, their clothing far from thin; their faces wore peaceful and happy smiles, completely devoid of sorrow. There were rows upon rows of two- and three-story buildings with carved eaves and painted rafters; heartfelt, hearty calls of peddlers and lively chatter rose one after another; the air was thick with the aroma of food.
Even though Sesshomaru was born the heir to the Western Country and had lived a life of luxury for four hundred years, never experiencing the slightest touch of poverty, he could not help being startled by the many things here that he had never even heard of. The capitals of human warlords and nobles he had seen in the past were far from this prosperous and exquisite. And yet this place—this was merely a small town in this realm!
Sesshomaru had walked through countless human towns and witnessed the rise and fall of countless nations. He had never seen such a prosperous and stable scene in his homeland. In his memory—whether it was the ordinary yokai under his own rule or the common peasants in powerful human realms—there were plenty of ragged, half-naked yokai and humans. In a world where yokai and humans coexisted, the faces of the weak were filled with panic and terror most of the time, because they never knew when death might claim them.
Seeing Sesshomaru standing there in a daze for some reason, Xiao Xiangyi tugged on his sleeve. Sesshomaru snapped back to his senses, resuming his habitual arrogance, though the corner of his eye kept darting toward the surrounding crowd, unable to shake the shock within his heart...
And so, the four-hundred-year-old country bumpkin* of the Western Country, Lord Sesshomaru, obediently stood waiting in line at every single food stall, led by a human child. *(Author's note: four hundred years of age)
From that day on, the noble Young Lord Sesshomaru tasted egg-yolk zongzi, red-bean zongzi, fermented rice balls, braised duck, osmanthus-flavored taro puree, pan-fried buns, xiaolongbao, twin-flavored glutinous rice balls, dried bean curd, and roast chicken for the first time in four hundred years...
For the first time, the noble Lord Sesshomaru experienced a sense of fullness from eating human food. Freed from the cruel era where the strong preyed upon the weak, he temporarily forgot how to strive to become stronger, how to stand at the very pinnacle of the peaks, and simply sat quietly, savoring the taste of the food...
Sesshomaru's golden eyes softened considerably, carrying a lightness and joy he hadn't even noticed, along with an indescribable, mysterious sense of smugness deep in his heart...
Hmph, that hanyo had probably never eaten such a lavish meal in his life. The strange food that human woman gave him to eat now seemed utterly devoid of anything worth mentioning!
Seeing Sesshomaru's ears twitching involuntarily and his scarf fluttering in the wind, the young boy's lips curved into a pleased smile...
For the next half month, Xiao Xiangyi spent his mornings practicing martial arts and sparring, and his afternoons occasionally following Qi Yun to meet his friends and tour the scenic spots of Jiangnan. Yet whenever Xiao Xiangyi visited somewhere fun or picturesque, the next day he would find an excuse to go out alone so he could drag Sesshomaru along with him...
Sesshomaru also grew increasingly accustomed to being around Li Xiangyi. Whenever he caught sight of Li Xiangyi, a gentle smile he was completely unaware of would always hang on his face. Meanwhile, Xiao Xiangyi noticed that the Great Yokai no longer called him "human" or "the one who feeds me," and had grown used to calling him by his name...
On the twentieth day of the twelfth lunar month, Qi Mushan took Xiao Xiangyi back to Yunyin Mountain. The moment the two arrived at the foot of the mountain, before even putting down his luggage, Xiao Xiangyi rushed off like a wisp of smoke toward his master's wife's peak, carrying the gift he had chosen for her.
Qi Mushan let out a "heh," stroked the warm jade tucked inside his robe, and thinking of how long he had been away this time, lifted his feet and followed after him...
As soon as Sesshomaru reached Yunyin Mountain, he caught the stench of human scum—a smell woven from resentment, jealousy, and slaughter. He frowned slightly. Realizing that the source of this stench was the very place Li Xiangyi had run off to, he broke from his usual habit of returning to the Cloudy Lake and instead flew up to follow them...
When Xiao Xiangyi arrived at Yunju Pavilion, where his master's wife resided, before he even stepped through the door, his bright and cheerful voice rang out to the two people chatting inside: "Master's wife, Xiangyi is back! Master's wife, I brought you a gift!"
Inside Yunju Pavilion, Qin Po stopped her conversation with Shan Gudao, smiled warmly, and walked out into the courtyard. Left behind, Shan Gudao's eyes flashed with anger and malice for a fraction of a second, but he instantly forced it down and regained his calm. Donting a magnanimous and affectionate smile, he followed her out into the yard.
As soon as Xiao Xiangyi entered the courtyard, he saw his master's wife already standing there. Hurrying forward, he eagerly presented the tea, tea set, silk round fan, specialty braised duck, and pastries he had brought for her, chattering away and gesturing animatedly as he told her about his travels.
Qin Po listened with an amused smile to his tales of the journey. Just as he was speaking, Xiao Xiangyi caught sight of the young man walking out from the house. His face instantly lit up with joy, and he called out happily, "Senior brother, you're back!"
Shan Gudao wore a gentle smile, his voice full of warmth and affection: "That's right, junior brother. I only just returned not long ago and was just talking with master's wife when I heard you had come back too."
After hiding his wine gourd, Qi Mushan walked into the courtyard. Seeing Shan Gudao, he nodded. "Gudao, you're back too!"
Shan Gudao straightened up and bowed. "Master!"
Qi Mushan nodded, then looked over at Qin Po, who was watching him. He let out a chuckle. "Qinniang, I brought you a gift too~" With that, he handed the warm jade from his robes to his wife...
Qin Po shot him a sidelong glance and turned toward the kitchen. Qi Mushan gave an awkward laugh and stepped after her. Seeing how distant his master was toward him and how he didn't ask a single extra question, Shan Gudao clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white, a flash of humiliation and hatred crossing his eyes as he watched them walk away. But the instant he turned back around, he put on an affectionate smile once more, taking the initiative to pull Li Xiangyi aside and question him with concern...
Concealing his presence, Sesshomaru remained hidden atop the courtyard wall, missing none of the human's expressions. His golden eyes narrowed slightly. As expected... a piece of human scum...
Sesshomaru's right claws faintly materialized, but seeing the joy on Li Xiangyi's face as he conversed with this scum, and feeling the human's strength, which was as feeble as an ant's, Young Lord Sesshomaru let out a cold snort and vanished into thin air the moment Li Xiangyi looked his way...
Xiao Xiangyi rubbed the side of his nose, wondering what on earth had upset the Great Yokai. But when his senior brother dragged him off for a sparring match, he temporarily cast this puzzlement to the back of his mind, planning to go look for him later...
The spar with his senior brother took even less time than before. Ever since his master had told him that the essence of martial arts lay in sincerity of heart, and his senior brother had also asked him not to look down upon him, Xiao Xiangyi no longer held back when sparring with Shan Gudao. Flickering his wooden sword to send Shan Gudao's weapon flying, he held his sword behind his back and said calmly, "Senior brother, I won..."
Shan Gudao's fingernails dug deep into his palms, yet his face burst into a hearty laugh. "Junior brother, your martial arts improve day by day! Did you learn some new sword forms?"
Seeing that his senior brother showed no sign of displeasure, Xiao Xiangyi felt a slight weight lift from his heart and said happily, "Senior brother, this is a sword form I created myself. It's not yet polished or complete..."
Hearing this, a look of suspicion flashed across Shan Gudao's eyes, but he quickly returned to normal the moment his junior brother looked over. "Is that so? Junior brother, you truly are blessed with extraordinary talent. It seems you're bound to make a name for yourself across the world one day!"
Li Xiangyi lifted his chin proudly. "Senior brother, in the future, I will make the whole world know the name of Li Xiangyi of Yunyin Mountain! I want to make a name for myself and bring glory to our sect!"
Shan Gudao gave a dry laugh. Hearing the wooden sword clatter to the ground and listening to these arrogant words, the resentment and fury in his heart grew even deeper...
After eating the midday meal, Xiao Xiangyi sat with his master's wife and senior brother for a little while before taking a box of lotus pastries to go look for Sesshomaru. When he arrived, Sesshomaru was sitting on a tree branch, cultivating his demonic power...
With a light touch of his toes, Xiao Xiangyi leaped up to join Sesshomaru. He squatted on the branch, holding up a lotus pastry with a bright smile on his face.
Using his demonic power, Sesshomaru drew up a stream of lake water to wash his hands. Then, catching the human's expression, he wore a cold face as he split off a stream of water for him in response to his blinking, expectant gaze. After the two of them—one big, one small—washed their hands, human and yokai sat together on the branch to enjoy their afternoon snacks...
Once the pastries were gone, Xiao Xiangyi watched Sesshomaru. Seeing that he didn't seem angry anymore, he finally relaxed, jumped down to hunt in the woods, and prepared to roast a chicken for Sesshomaru that afternoon...
Watching Li Xiangyi's retreating figure and recalling the sparring match he had just witnessed, Sesshomaru let out a sneer. The human scum's resentment was clearly incapable of amounting to anything. Besides, this Li Xiangyi had him to protect him...
In the blink of an eye, New Year's Eve arrived. Xiao Xiangyi had long since taken the opportunity of a trip down the mountain with his senior brother to buy New Year goods, secretly ordering a set of clothes at a tailor's shop, intending to give them to Sesshomaru as a New Year's gift...
On New Year's Eve, the four members of Yunyin Mountain gathered to see out the old year. Everyone exchanged blessings, and the master and his wife were full of warmth and harmony. Stroking the warm jade at her neck, Qin Po for once didn't nag Qi Mushan about drinking wine, merely smiling benevolently as she placed food in both of her disciples' bowls.
After finishing the New Year's Eve dinner, Xiao Xiangyi chatted and joked with his senior brother, master, and master's wife for a while. After setting off firecrackers and fireworks in the courtyard, seeing that his master and master's wife were chatting in the yard, and that his senior brother had returned to his room to write letters, Xiao Xiangyi realized everyone was busy with their own things. Quietly, he slipped into the kitchen and took a portion of food that had been specially set aside and kept warm on the stove—in keeping with the New Year custom of having more than enough year after year, his master and master's wife always prepared plenty of extra dishes for New Year's Eve. Tucking away the extra fireworks and firecrackers he had bought, along with some of the small crispy pork strips and rice cakes his master's wife had fried, strapping the parcel containing Sesshomaru's New Year's gift to his back, and swiping a jug of fine wine from his master's stash, Xiao Xiangyi used his lightness skill to dash off toward Cloudy Lake.
Sesshomaru sat upon the tree canopy, gazing at the moon. Today was an important festival for the humans here; surely this Li Xiangyi wouldn't come...
The moonlight in the sky was cold and clear. Looking at the fireworks blooming in the sky near Yunju Pavilion, the Great Yokai suddenly felt a trace of loneliness...
Yet this mood lasted merely a fraction of a second before Sesshomaru's ears twitched, and he was surprised to hear the sound of that human running toward him.
Beneath the moonlight, cold and noble, his silver hair flying, the Great Yokai lowered his golden eyes. Through the layers of branches, he watched the boy running toward his spot below. A brilliant smile bloomed across the boy's face, a smile that seemed capable of chasing away all gloom.
In Sesshomaru's eyes lay a surprise he himself had not noticed. This was the first time the Great Yokai truly looked forward to and awaited the arrival of a human...
When Xiao Xiangyi ran to the spot where Sesshomaru usually stayed, he didn't see the familiar figure. He placed the items from his arms by the tree, spread a coarse cloth on the ground, untied the bundle from his back and laid it neatly on the cloth, and then tilted his head back to look up at the sky. Sure enough, he spotted Sesshomaru up in the tree canopy.
Xiao Xiangyi flashed a huge, beaming smile and shouted up at the top of the tree, "Brother Sha, hurry down! I brought you something delicious!"
No matter how many times he heard that nickname, Sesshomaru couldn't help a twitch of his lips. Ever since they were in Jiangnan and the human found out how his name was written, he had simply taken to using this moniker of his own accord.
As a Great Yokai, Sesshomaru's pride and aloofness made it impossible for him to bicker over a nickname. And since winter was far too cold for a human constitution, he had no desire to toss this increasingly brazen human into the water. Thus, the noble pure-blood Great Yokai could only stare expressionlessly whenever the human addressed him this way, attempting to make him understand that a Great Yokai's dignity did not permit such a title to exist!
Yet this human's boldness grew greater by the day; under his very gaze, the boy would invariably go about his own business while continuing to use the exact same name.
After a month of hearing it, the noble Lord Sesshomaru had no other choice but to accept the nickname with a stiff face...
Hearing that the human had everything ready and was still calling him "Brother Sha" tirelessly from the ground, Lord Sesshomaru—with a cold face (and joy in his heart)—reluctantly made his way down to Xiao Xiangyi's side to make the human shut up...
Seeing Sesshomaru descend, Xiao Xiangyi smilingly grabbed his sleeve and pulled him down to sit. Sesshomaru then watched as the human produced a steamed chicken, a plate of braised fish, a dish of rice cakes, a dish of crispy pork strips, and a serving of baby bok choy from the food box. Following months of Xiao Xiangyi's relentless feeding, Young Lord Sesshomaru could now recognize these human dishes...
The dishes must have been kept warm by the human using that inner energy they cultivated; when taken out, they were still steaming hot...
Xiao Xiangyi arranged the food on the coarse cloth, then brought out bowls of rice and mantou. The winter air was bitter; though there was no snow today, the wind cut like a knife, and within moments much of the heat had dissipated. Xiao Xiangyi hurriedly channeled his inner energy outward to keep the chill at bay.
Seeing this, Sesshomaru flickered his fingers, and six clusters of green demonic fire instantly appeared, circling around the two of them. The ambient temperature rose sharply in an instant...
Looking at the eerie green flames orbiting them, Xiao Xiangyi couldn't help a twitch of his lips. Turning his head to catch the Great Yokai's expression of "Human, there is no need to thank me," the boy firmly swallowed back the retort on the tip of his tongue...
Forget it, forget it... As long as it works!