A Touch Of Irony

As the sun dips into the horizon, the eerie woodland that was previously asleep comes to life. Will-o-wisps shimmer as they glide among the branches. Day turns to night and they illuminate the entire forest, creating a scene similar to that of fireflies flitting through the air.

Evil spirits begin to wake from their slumber, and their spiritual energy begins to slowly seep into the forest.

"Ugh…." Xu Jiyu feels goosebumps rise on his skin, sensing the dangers lurking around them. Even with his low spiritual power, he's able to sense the evil energy that's enveloping them, as if attempting to swallow them whole.

He brings his hands up to rub his arms, feeling uncomfortable with the constant flow of dark energy threatening to take over his dantian. Then he sneaks a glance at his companion, Liu Jian.

He was not able to truly examine the man up close before, but now he's able to observe his attire and facial features.

Liu Jian is dressed in a white and silver robe with tints of black. He does not have an inner robe, and his muscular c.h.e.s.t is revealed for all to see with the not-so-subtle opening in the middle. He has long, waist-length black hair that is being clipped back with a few pins on one side of his head, while the other side is loosely falling upon his shoulders. A white folding fan hangs from his waist. With platinum eyes, a handsome face, and fair skin—there's no woman in the world that would pass up on this man.

...Once again, Xu Jiyu's insecurities begin to rise. How are some people born blessed with good looks? He's not too bad-looking himself, but comparing himself with Liu Jian, he's close to nothing!

"Are you unaffected by the dark spiritual energy?" Xu Jiyu asks, striking up a conversation. He feels that he shouldn't dwell too much on his looks before he loses all confidence in himself.

"En," Liu Jian answers calmly, without an ounce of doubt within his expression.

"Then your level of cultivation must be quite high!" Jiyu exclaims, "What level are you at? Foundation Building? Or maybe even Core Formation?"

"...No comment."

Xu Jiyu protests, "You're going to keep it a secret even though we're partners?"

"We are only partners for superficial purposes."

I'm seriously trying hard here, ahhh! Why are most attractive people arrogant?!

Xu Jiyu almost wants to rip his hair out due to frustration, but manages to control himself.

Instead, he puts on his usual façade and smiles, "I see, that's quite alright! We did just meet a few hours ago. I got ahead of myself, forgive this one for assuming otherwise."

"En."

And the conversation abruptly ends, just like that. Silence falls between the two of them once more as they continue to trek through the woods.

Talk about a buzzkill…

Even though he did want a traveling companion, does it have to be one that doesn't start conversations, or even bother to continue them? Well… at least it's still better than no one at all.

Contrary to his apparent dissatisfaction, he still is grateful that he's able to bicker and banter with someone, even if it's just for a little bit.

The pair travels upon the rocky grounds, with Liu Jian's long strides taking the lead. Despite the effort Xu Jiyu puts forth to catch up to Liu Jian, he's never able to match his pace.

"Ha…. Liu Jian, can't you walk slower?" Jiyu finally pants, pausing to catching his breath with his hands on his knees.

"Why do I need to walk slower? If you cannot catch up, that only shows how inferior you are to me with how weak you are." Liu Jian replies, not once looking back as he continues forward.

This guy…!!

He did have a point, but still!! Can't he word it in a nicer way? Saying that is basically the equivalent to 'if you can't catch up, then you're not worthy to be my partner, weakling'!!

With a fire of determination burning within him, Xu Jiyu stands up tall and shouts, "Just you wait, I'll walk so fast, I'll even pass you!"

In the end, Xu Jiyu exerted all of his energy into walking and eventually ran out of breath.

He never managed to catch up to Liu Jian.

---

Strangely enough, the two travel through the forest without getting attacked by evil spirits. Xu Jiyu briefly wonders if the rumors of the forest being dangerous were false, but then discards the thought. Perhaps he was just one lucky fellow! After all, that explains how he managed to survive on his own until now despite being weak in the cultivation world.

That surely must be it!

As he thanks the Heavens for his extremely good luck, they eventually stop in front of a small cave.

Xu Jiyu, eager to finally rest, rushes to the entrance and searches for any indication of danger. Once he deems it unoccupied, he calls over his shoulder to Liu Jian, who waits outside. "This looks like a good place to sleep for the night! What do you think, Liu Jian?"

"...You really believe this is a 'good' place to rest?" Liu Jian answers, eyeing the dark and musty cave in disdain. "You have extremely poor taste."

Well, excuse me for being thankful to have a stable shelter to cover and protect us! Just how prickly can a person be, ah?!

He forces out a smile, "I prefer sleeping somewhere relatively secluded, rather than out in the open, dear brother. Surely it's better than sleeping on a log?"

Liu Jian only clicks his tongue once more, and enters the cave along with Xu Jiyu. Using a handkerchief to thoroughly wipe down a spot, he then sits down in a lotus position. "Then we will rest here for a few minutes."

Xu Jiyu exclaims, "A few minutes—? Liu Jian, do you intend to keep going when the sun has already disappeared?"

"...Is that not normal?" Liu Jian deadpans, completely serious.

Xu Jiyu suppresses a groan. "Look, unless you're immortal, everyone needs rest. Perhaps you have more stamina than me, but I am tired and I just want to sleep. Please just let me sleep for a few hours—no, until morning, because I am about to drop dead from exhaustion."

Liu Jian falls silent, and Xu Jiyu doesn't make an effort to continue. Instead, he steps out of the cave and says, "I'll go gather firewood, I'll be back soon."

"Wait," Liu Jian says, causing Xu Jiyu to pause in his steps.

He calmly looks back, with a feigned grin. "What is it?"

There's another long pause, and Liu Jian slowly shakes his head after a moment of hesitation. "...Nevermind. You may go."

Not that I need your permission to go, you annoying man!!

"Then I'll be off."

Xu Jiyu can feel a burning stare on his back as he retreats further away, and sighs while shaking his head from side to side.

---

"What's with Liu Jian? It's like conversing with a stone!" The youth openly complains when he's out of earshot, irritation rising. With his 'nice' mask off, he can now freely vent until all of his pent-up anger is gone. "He's handsome, sure, but would any woman be able to put up with his dreadful personality? Not to mention he didn't even bother to wait for me, always strolling ahead! So annoying! This bastard!"

He kicks a rock, infuriated, and watches it skip away before he picks up a stick, adding it to the collection in his arms.

"But I guess it's nice to have someone to talk to, even if he's an inconsiderate bastard. When it comes to interactions, he's like a child who has yet to learn the basic etiquette of the world. That's probably the only time he acts like a normal human being," Xu Jiyu continues, "I even gave him half of my delicious steamed bun… ahh…"

His stomach rumbles.

"...Great, now I'm hungry."

Suddenly, an idea comes to his mind.

Xu Jiyu harrumphs, "I'm pretty sure that guy won't care if I'm gone for a little bit longer… so it won't hurt if I grab dinner. He'll thank me later when he sees it!"

Thus, Xu Jiyu begins to masterfully execute his plan.

---

Inside the cave, a blue fire is already burning with a tall figure sitting beside it in a perfect lotus position.

Liu Jian had long lost Xu Jiyu's figure, and is patiently waiting for his return.

A small will-o-wisp floats over to Liu Jian before morphing into a spiritual form of a young man. He says in a hushed voice, "Master!! Why don't you hurry up and kill him? He has little to no spiritual power; his spiritual roots are just a joke! Surely with a flick of a finger, he'd be dead in an instant!"

Liu Jian raises a hand, an indication for the spirit to cease his bickering. The spirit dutifully obeys, and shuts up.

"I am just waiting for the right moment. After all of the killing I've done the past five years, it's gotten as boring as sitting in the Spirit Realm for all eternity. I crave excitement, things that make it entertaining for me. When I heard this young man say he wanted to vanquish me, I felt like I could indulge in his wish for a bit before crushing his dreams. Surely it will be fun?" The handsome man chuckles lowly, amus.e.m.e.nt flickering within his glimmering eyes.

"But, Master, this human hasn't done anything except disrespect you! He naively believes that he can be equals with you—even when he's just a lowly commoner!" The spirit objects, indignant to see his Master being treated in such a way.

"It does not matter. Let him believe what he wants to believe. As long as he doesn't find out about the truth, then it's fine. This is the most fun I've had in ages," he grins. "I never knew that food could taste so delicious. Fang Lei, have you ever tried tasting a 'steamed bun' before?"

"No, Master… spirits can't consume human food. We don't have a physical form…" Fang Lei replies with uncertainty, wondering if his master had been hit on his head in his new physical body.

"Ah, that's right," Liu Jian laughs melodiously. "I forgot about that. Even though I've been living in multiple physical forms for five years, I never needed to eat because of my spiritual power permanently retaining the body at its best form. Never did it once occur to me to try indulging in human food."

Fang Lei doesn't think his Master, who never cared for humans, would enjoy leisurely passing time with one—much less eating lowly human food! He doesn't want this to go on any longer and complains, "A powerful being like you doesn't need to consume human food, Master! It's a waste of time to consume such bland-looking things! Please hurry and kill that useless human, there's nothing special about... him..."

He trails off upon seeing his Master's piercing gaze on him. "N-Nevermind, please continue what you're doing… this servant has stepped out of line, please forgive me…" Fang Lei bows his head down in shame.

"If you understand your faults, then go and fetch me more steamed buns," Liu Jian replies nonchalantly.

"...But Master—!"

"Go now, and don't return until you have at least three steamed buns, or else you'll know what'll happen to you..." Liu Jian interjects, effectively cutting him off.

Feeling as though his Master has suddenly become much more ruthless, Fang Lei hurriedly nods his head and immediately transforms into an azure flame before flying outside.

Seeing this, Liu Jian nods in satisfaction, crossing his arms. Then he peers into the fireplace that is blue, where a mirage of Xu Jiyu appears. He had embedded the fire with his spiritual power earlier to spy on the youth, in case something tries to harm him. Not that Liu Jian particularly cares for Xu Jiyu's life, but it will leave a bad taste in his mouth if something kills his prey before he could.

From within the image, Xu Jiyu is currently removing his robe, revealing soft, smooth skin and a delicate, thin waist.

Liu Jian nearly spits out blood.