A boar charged at his face, only for flames to explode outward from behind him, wrapping him in a protective fortress before flinging the animal away.

The flames died as fast as they had appeared.

In place of a boar, nothing but ash.

Xue Huayu let off a relieved gasp beside him, collapsing into the dirt, and he too crumpled on his legs.

•••

It became a rather common occurrence to run into Yin Liming on hunts, and truth be told, Qing Xiashu was loving this fact.

"Are you guys gonna keep flirting?" Xue Huayu asked, crossing her arms to put on an impressive pout.

"Huh? I- don't-!" But the expression of doubt the little palace mistress gave was enough to make Qing Xiashu rethink his objective. "I will refrain..."

They were again off to greet the hero at another commission point. Though they were as usual hired under different tasks.

"Isn't one of the rules Da-ge has you and the disciples run off of no lying?" Xue Huayu hummed, crunching up her little nose.

"Alright, alright, I will attempt to refrain."

"No you won't."

"I won't." Qing Xiashu confirmed with a smile.

"You both are atrocious. Bumbling little children." With that tone the little palace mistress sounded very much like her big brother and his haughty aura.

"You say that--"

Before Qing Xiashu could finish his sentence, a scene exploded through the woods ahead of them, scaring both riders, horses, as well as poor Hefeng, who yiped as if injured.

A young man was being thrown across their path by a massive boar that could be nothing but a monster. A sword was in-between the boar's eyes, yet the beast wasn't put down.

Qing Xiashu and Xue Huayu exchanged a wide eyed look.

"Let's go then." Xue Huayu directed, leaping off her horse and after the path the boar left, drawing Kaihua before she even landed. Qing Xiashu mimicked the action and stayed just to her left. Hefeng, who'd recently found her teeth, charged ahead to cut the boar off.

The dog maneuvered the beast into a full turn with sharp nips to its hindquarters and opened up its front legs to attack. Touming split a path through one of the foreleg joints and sent the boar hurdling to the ground.

Flung from the moving obstacle, the young man slipped from his hold on his sword and was launched into a tree. Xue Huayu thrust Kaihua through the boar's rib cage and directly into the beast's heart with a soft sneer at the man haphazardly detangling himself from plant life.

"Hefeng, get the others." Qing Xiashu instructed as he slid Touming back into its scabbard. Hefeng bolted back the way they'd all come while her master walked ahead to pull the sword from the boar's skull.

"Not much brain in there huh?" Xue Huayu scoffed when her brother pried the blade free from the bone.

"It or him?" Qing Xiashu asked, turning a teasing eye on the owner of the sword who was only just now starting to pick himself up off his bed of broken twigs.

Cream, yellow, and orange robes were tattered and covered in mud.

"Liming Yingxiong." Xue Huayu sighed with an air of drama.

"Ah, Beifang Gongzhu and her little lap dog-" Yin Liming muttered as he brushed off as much dirt from his robes as he could.

"Lap dog?" Qing Xiashu questioned incredulously.

"Couldn't handle a little boar all on your own?" Xue Huayu asked with a heavy eye roll.

Yin Liming scoffed. "That wasn't the only one, there's a lot of them in the area, and a bigger one."

"Like a hive of bees." Xue Huayu acknowledged with a nod. "Did you try talking first?"

"Obviously. I learned. Now can I have Jiao Jin back?" Yin Liming finally asked, holding a hand out towards Qing Xiashu.

"Why should I?" Qing Xiashu purred, lips curling into a playful smirk.

The hero huffed and just jutted his hand back out at.

Ah well, he could deal with the deja vu later.

Qing Xiashu caved, tossing the blade to its rightful keeper. But not without some protest from their beloved little palace mistress of course.

"Er-ge you're too soft!"

"If I wasn't so soft I wouldn't put up with you either, Xue Xiaojie."

Xue Huayu of course looked appropriately scandalized but off to the side. Yin Liming snorted as he sheathed Jiao Jin. Xue Huayu spun on him with a snarl and startled him into sprinting off with a laugh.

At least they didn't seem to take each other too seriously anymore.

Less than a few moments later they heard Hefeng's excited barks and the whinnying of anxious horses, their little troop had followed the spirit beast towards her charges.

"Qing Shixiong, Beifang Gongzhu!" The Pian boy called as they came into view. "What happened?"

Xue Huayu waved off concern. "We'll take it back for the villagers, its meat is still viable for eating." This was one of the best ways to remain in the good graces of the villagers, even when their disciples inevitably interfered with festivities to keep everyone safe.

At least they could start well enough this way.

After they dropped off the boar at the town center they were able to make their way swiftly to the inn. Hefeng sat dutifully at Qing Xiashu's side while he checked their little caravan of people into the inn, taking up a good portion of it.

As he made his way up to his room he had an easy smile on his lips. His life truly was good nowadays. Problems began and were solved as if they were episodic.

It was quite relaxing.

Qing Xiashu opened the door and let Hefeng stride in like she owned the room, hopping up onto the bed before sprawling out. "Satisfactory your highness?" He asked her, watching as she rolled back and forth.

"Er-ge, we should canvas before the festivities begin, there will be too many people preoccupied if we wait." Xue Huayu said, peering into the room.

"Mm, you're probably right." Qing Xiashu stretched his arms slowly. "Hefeng let's go, work isn't done yet."

But the young dog only lifted her head, howling pitifully as if making her complaint.

"Hefeng could always stay here I suppose." Xue Huayu said with a shrug. "In bed instead of on a walk..."

This got Hefeng to do little more than again softly awoo. "Suit yourself." Qing Xiashu shrugged in amusement, turning on his heels as he shut the door.

"She clearly takes after you, that's for sure." Xue Huayu said as she moved, walking with Qing Xiashu towards the stairs and then the door.

"Says you, when was the last time you asked for your own room again? Oh right. Your first yaoguai hunt and it was once, and only because Xue Shixiong forced you to. You wouldn't survive without me." Qing Xiashu cooed as they left the inn, largely unconcerned about Hefeng not following.

If she or they had an issue she would find them.

Xue Huayu scoffed, hands landing on her hips. "I'm very competent, thank you very much! I can hunt my own demons and make my own tea. Besides, you trained her into this! Always leaving her in the inns as a pup."

"Can't boil an egg though... ow!" Xue Huayu had struck Qing Xiashu's arm hard enough that it made a loud sound. "So this is how you treat your servants, how cruel!"

"Oh shush, since when are you a servant, Er-ge?" The princess turned her nose up as they entered the busy street.

They were just North of the border, settled in nearly the middle of the borderlands. Here cultures blended and wove together so comfortably, blues and blacks mixed into a green and yellow sea.

"Beifang Gongzhu and her little knight again." A voice huffed in mock irritation.

"Knight this time?" Qing Xiashu laughed as he turned his attention to the hero that had appeared behind him. "Liming Yingxiong, you could at least pretend to be nice to me."

"Who's not being nice?" The hero asked, handing Qing Xiashu a stick of oranges covered in sugar. "Southern oranges." He clarified at the head disciple's furrowed brows.

"Thank you!" Qing Xiashu chirped as he took the small fruit skewer.

"Where's mine!?" Xue Huayu butted in, tossing an arm in mock offense.

"You can get your own, don't ruin this for me!" Qing Xiashu hissed, protecting the candied fruit from the princess and dashing around the boy beside him for shelter. "Go eat your carrots!"

"Fine! I'll go find some tanghulu and carrots, and I'll actually do the case work unlike you!" She shouted over her shoulder as she rushed down the street, dodging around people.

"Take Hefeng!" Qing Xiashu yelled after her.

"Fine!"

Qing Xiashu shook his head before turning his eyes on the hero again.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

The man had an amused smile, watching Xue Huayu vanish into the crowd. His demeanor shifted slightly when she disappeared from view, softening. "Are you out and about to collect information?" Liming Yingxiong questioned, turning with the other to continue walking the path the head disciple and princess had been on earlier.

"Mm, we figured it would be better to collect information before the festival really started. I still can't figure out why they think they're safe to hold a festival with all this going on in their woods."

"From what I hear that's exactly why they're holding it. It's culturally relevant to the surrounding woods, we aren't too far from Yang Xin City so they always seem to have some kind of infestation issue."

"Is it a spiritual festival?"

"Mhm, it's supposed to cleanse the air, they worship the Wind and Sea God here, they say the wind always brings them good things when they pray for good fortune. But for about a decade now it hasn't been helping much."

Qing Xiashu hummed quietly in acknowledgement. Their festival wasn't exactly helpful but it had been described as quite beautiful in the history books he'd read in the library.

"You always seem unphased by whatever I say, do you already know what's going on here again?" Yin Liming turned a suspicious eye towards Qing Xiashu.

The head disciple only returned a slow glance back. "I do."

"Care to share? Seems you haven't told your precious princess, as usual."

"No need to spread unfounded speculation unprompted..." Qing Xiashu took an unconcerned bite of his tanghulu. "That said... Feng Xianshen has abandoned these people, or never cared. I'm not sure why, and I'm not sure why they had her favor in the first place. Whatever the reason, it isn't important. What is important is that more prayers aren't going to help. The god simply isn't listening to them. The infestation isn't going to budge with prayers, only action."

Yin Liming squinted, but smiled. "Are you some immortal hiding in the mortal world?"

The head disciple snickered. "Nah, I just read a lot of gossip."

"Gossip." Yin Liming mockingly echoed with an eye roll.

"What? You don't believe me?"

"I believe you know more than you're letting on and I believe I should be at least a little afraid of what you know about me too."

Qing Xiashu just snickered and took another bite of his tanghulu, neglecting to comment. He knew full well it made him very suspicious but he was enjoying the amused squint that the hero gave.

"Do you know where we should go to handle the whole hive of mutated boar problem or are you going to dodge that question too?" Yin Liming questioned.

"No, I'm not entirely sure on that but my guess is that the queen will be on the northwest edge or southeast edge."

"Well that's a start at least, and since Mr. Know-It-All doesn't need to do any investigation. Does he want to enjoy the festivities with me or is he simply too busy being mysterious?" The hero asked, giving a dramatic little bow before holding a hand out to the head disciple.

Qing Xiashu blinked before hesitantly taking his hand.

If he was offering...

"I would be thrilled to spend the day with the famous Liming Yingxiong." He laughed. "Have you had lunch yet?"

"No, I haven't, have you?"

Qing Xiashu shook his head with an amused smile. "Then I believe we have discovered our first order of business. Let's find a restaurant."

"I ate somewhere quite nice earlier today." Yin Liming suggested, gently swinging Qing Xiashu's hand. "Would you like to go there?"

"Do they have soups?" The head disciple asked as he took another bite of tanghulu.

"Mn, noodles too."

"Oo, perfect, noodles would be lovely today!"

"It is a bit cold today, I'm sure you hardly mind."

"I enjoy this temperature." Qing Xiashu chuckled. "My inedia isn't amazing but my temperature resistance is pretty good if you ask me. During the day anyway."

"I'd be shocked if it wasn't." The hero chuckled.

"Say, Liming Yingxiong, we should spar when we finish eating, I'm dying to see more of those pretty orange sword glares of yours."

Or the sword... Something about Jin Jiao struck him with that faint feeling that he'd seen it before.

Liming Yingxiong crinkled his freckled nose and raised a brow at Qing Xiashu. "You want to see my sword glares more?"

"Mm, warm colored sword glares are so rare up north, I think one of my Shimei's will be red when she gets old enough to make them but otherwise the best you get is yellow or light pink. Come on Liming Yingxiong, won't you satisfy my lust for warmth?"

The hero snorted, rubbing the side of his nose as his face warmed a bit. "You really shouldn't say it like that."

"Why not? I think I'm hilarious."

"Shamelessness isn't. Also you can call me Yin Liming more often, it's less of a mouth full."

Call him by a fake name?

Oh very well...

"Ah yes yes, Ming-er it is then." He teased.

"You really are shameless!"

"Perhaps." Qing Xiashu laughed, suddenly feeling the need to release the hero's hand as they entered the restaurant. Even though Yin Liming had offered. "But Ming-er, isn't this better? Familiarity is healthy!"

"Uhg, you sound like my aunt." Yin Liming grumbled as they were seated in the corner of the room, giving their requests to the server that greeted them.

Qing Xiashu wasn't even done snickering at Yin Liming when he was assured he would be given his noodles within the hour, apparently the frost embroidery on his outer robe made him look important.

How ironic.

"You and Beifang Gongzhu got a formal request this time? Or did you just happen upon this one again?"

"We did get a formal request, but not to hunt, they requested someone to guard their festival." Qing Xiashu explained with a sigh and a head shake. "I'm not sure why they thought that was the best use of our expertise but Xue Shixiong asked us to accompany the caravan, so here we are."

Yin Liming snorted. "Wow, I'm here on commission. They're paying pretty well for it."

"Well I'm glad they're giving you decent work at least." Qing Xiashu said with a wistful sigh as tea was placed out before them.

"You say like you two won't bud in on my hunt anyway, you even took my kill earlier!"

"You were stuck to its head!"

"No excuses, thief." The hero huffed, crossing his arms stubbornly.

"You're hopeless." Qing Xiashu announced before taking a sip of his tea. It really was a lovely day for sitting in and staying warm. His core appreciated the rest in the warm environment. "But I like you anyway."

"I might be hopeless but you're still shameless."

"Maybe so, is enjoying your company so wrong of me, A-Ming. Don't you enjoy mine?"

The hero deadpanned. "You asked me to fulfill your lust for warmth."

"Can you blame me? I live in a frigid waste land!" Qing Xiashu feigned innocence rather valiantly, only getting the hero to squint at him as a result. "Besides, you beat me to a pulp every time we spar, if I didn't have something to look forward to we would never do it."

"I suppose I can be thankful for that..." Yin Liming grumbled, un-crossing his arms with a sigh. "You are quite a handy punching bag. Even if you complain every time."

Qing Xiashu scoffed, a hand over his heart. "Liming Yingxiong! Are you saying you only like me for my body?"

Yin Liming laughed before shaking his head. "You're far too much trouble for only a punching bag. I like you for other things too."

"Oh really? What?" Qing Xiashu asked eagerly, leaning forward over the table on his elbows.

"Conversation, eye candy, frien-- oh wait, I shouldn't tell you all that, you'll float away if your head gets any bigger."

This was certainly effective in flustering Qing Xiashu.

Thankfully he was saved by the server placing down their food, both were too polite to speak while eating in a restaurant so the duration of their meal passed rather quietly.

Qing Xiashu was just happy to get some good noodles.

Xue Feiyi did his best but... The king's cooking left a bit to be desired.

Not that Qing Xiashu would ever complain about that to the man's face. But it was rare to eat good noodles he didn't have to make himself.

"Shall we find somewhere to spar Qing Xiashu?" The hero finally asked, seemingly almost sighing halfheartedly when he set his bowl aside.

"Alright, why are you pouting?" Qing Xiashu asked with a suspicious squint, watching the way he moved, it seemed a little hesitant.

"I'm not." The hero insisted with a big huff.

"If you don't want to spar today you can say so, but then it's your job to find something better to do."

He'd file the sword down with the name to solve later then...

"Fine." Yin Liming said as they left the restaurant, walking back down the main road. "You know... I heard part of this festival is painting lanterns, instead of beating the life out of each other we could make some to set off..."

Qing Xiashu raised a brow with a smug little smile. "Are they wishing lanterns?"

"I believe so."

"Hm, very well, though we'll likely be busy when they go off, especially since they're most likely going to agitate the boar."

And they definitely would.

"We can send them off later."

"You really want to make them don't you." Qing Xiashu chuckled, hands clasped behind his back as he skipped along beside the taller man.

Yin Liming shrugged but kept his face turned pointedly away from the head disciple, as if hiding his myriad of possible intentions.

"Alright." Qing Xiashu finally caved, clapping his hands together as the decision was made. "I'll see your pretty glares later then, have you already decided where to get the lanterns?"

The hero turned to face him finally with a happy grin. "Of course." He said, suddenly grabbing the back of Qing Xiashu's arm and quickly dragging him along down the crowded center street.

The head disciple couldn't help but smile and chuckle at the other's excitement. As much as Qing Xiashu was itching to have some more physical activity, he could set it aside for a while to do something more peacefully artistic. Especially if it got him treated to a happy Yin Liming.

"Here, this place sells them every time they hold the festival." He said as they came to a stop before a small shop, slowing before entering. Yin Liming released Qing Xiashu's arm and let him move freely in the shop.

The shop was full of small boxes and covered in a scattering of display lanterns, sheets of parchment were tied to each box, likely construction instructions.

"I didn't realize they used colored lanterns." Qing Xiashu mentioned as he turned in a circle to take a quick inventory of the entire shop.

"Mn, they told me the colors are for what god you want your wish to go to. Just white is for any god or no god at all."

"Huh." Qing Xiashu nodded slowly as he browsed over the lanterns, before eventually picking one of the many colorless lanterns. "I'm not particularly religious." He explained.

As prevalent as talk of the gods was, and how they seemed to simply be taken as a fact of the world struck Qing Xiashu's sensibilities a little awry.

It rubbed him the wrong way.

Even those who didn't make a point to pray to any gods didn't seem to doubt their existence.

But to Qing Xiashu, seeing is believing in a way. Perhaps not literally.

Of course the Wind God had abandoned these people.

For her favor was not an obtainable goal.

The Wind God's favor was the coincidence of good luck.

"I think I'll use a blank one too." Yin Liming mentioned, though the man continued to scan through the different colors, reading who each was dedicated to. "No Linghun Xianshen, that's weird."

"God of Blood and Souls? His color is probably red. It's probably too hard to get enough dye. Not to mention that most people around here wouldn't have the money to buy something with that kind of price tag." Qing Xiashu responded as he followed the man around the store until he eventually also collected a white lantern box. "Can I see?" He asked, holding his hand out to Yin Liming's box, despite it being the same as his own.

Yin Liming handed over the box with an unconcerned smile before Qing Xiashu took it up to the vendor, paying for both without being caught until it was handed back. "I already have paints, let's find somewhere quiet." Qing Xiashu said, herding Yin Liming out the door as he complained.

"I can pay for myself..." The hero grumbled.

"Suck it up~!"

The courtyard of the inn Qing Xiashu was staying at fit their purposes. There was a stone table where they could sit and stretch out the thin paper lantern lining. "What will you paint?" Yin Liming asked as he watched Qing Xiashu set out all the necessary paints.

"I'm not sure, maybe dogs." Qing Xiashu hummed as he picked up one of the brushes and set his chin on the back of his knuckles.

"Dogs?" The hero asked, head tipping. "Hm... I think I'll do birds."

Qing Xiashu could be bothered to do little more than smile. "Birds are pretty."

Yin Liming hummed his affirmation before picking up the brush and happily going to work delicately painting with bright oranges and yellows. Quickly he worked together recognizable images. Large feathered phoenixes and tall looming trees.

Qing Xiashu only smiled as he observed the prince's work, pleased to watch the colorful design take shapes before beginning himself. He wasn't as skilled at weaving together so many colors and shapes, so he stuck to what he found familiar.

Simple lines and simple black ink.

His calligraphy was neat but the images he painted were arguably blandly minimalist.

The head disciple didn't mind.

But arguably he was more intrigued by Yin Liming's colorful imagery.

Instead of continuing to fiddle with the simple painting he'd already completed, he gazed at the other's hands with a deep fascination. Yin Liming was utilizing color blocking in a way. It didn't have the thin but deep black lining that was common even in colored images.

The black lining that Qing Xiashu wholeheartedly relied on.

That's what tripped the fascination so intensely for the head disciple. Yin Liming painted together jointed shapes to bring together something much larger, spun together from abstract forms.

"Are you done already?" Yin Liming asked when he finally looked up from his work.

"Mhm, I'm just watching."

The hero chuckled anxiously but smiled. "Fair enough. I'll be done in a moment." He mentioned, adding a few touches of blue and green to the feather light paper. Yin Liming let the head disciple gaze at his work, even as the last few strokes of color were added into the mountainous background of the painting.

"Hey, Qing Xiashu?" Yin Liming said after a few moments, slowly as though he were nervous.

"Yes, A-Ming?" Qing Xiashu hummed as he moved, placing the paints back in his bags for safekeeping before looking up.

"Do you want to switch... so you send off mine and I send off yours?"

Qing Xiashu raised a brow at this idea.

Wasn't this a little bold?

"Never mind." Yin Liming quickly moved to withdraw the offer but Qing Xiashu caught his arm too fast for him to stand and pack away the painting.

"I like yours better anyway." The head disciple stated, swapping the placement of the two paintings before Yin Liming could properly back down.

"Oh... Thank you..." Yin Liming carefully picked up the delicate paper painted with black dogs and bamboo. "I prefer yours."

"Thank you too."

•●•