Drunken Talk
"Senior Brother! When will you practice today?" Early in the morning, Jiang Yun ran to Yujieyuan to find Yin Heng and Xiao Yuan.
Yin Heng was woken up by someone, and yawned with sleepy eyes.
"When did you become so active in cultivation?"
"What? I've always been very active in my practice, okay?"
Xiao Yuan had already woken up and was sitting in the yard. He took a sip of tea, put down the cup, and was about to get up.
"Since Jiang Yun said so, let's go now." So the three of them went to practice.
On the way, Jiang Yun asked as they walked, "By the way, Xiao Yuan, how long did it take you to form the elixir?"
"More than two years."
"Then you are indeed as gifted as my senior brother said. He said you only started practicing at the age of fourteen, and you formed a magic pill in less than three years. It took me a year longer than you. They all said I wasn't a good cultivator."
Yin Heng interrupted, looking at Xiao Yuan with interest. "When have I ever lied to you? Our Xiao Yuan is a genius."
Xiao Yuan glanced at Yin Heng and said, "Just praise him if you want to. What do you mean by 'our Xiao Yuan'?"
"Am I wrong? It originally belonged to our family, didn't it?" His eyes were full of smiles as he looked at him steadily.
Xiao Yuan didn't bother to pay attention to him and just kept walking, with his wide sleeves fluttering in the wind, looking like an immortal.
Arriving at Fengyu Terrace, Jiang Yun suggested a sword dance performance for them. The young man, dressed in a plain robe with a red border, his hair flying wildly, exuded the unruly spirit of youth. After the dance, Yin Heng and Jiang Yun played and joked, their intimacy intense. Xiao Yuan, watching from the side, felt somewhat bewildered, a pang of sadness etched in his heart.
What kind of emotion was this? Resentment? How could that be? Anger? Annoyed at them for ignoring him? Not really. He didn't know what was going on in his mind.
"Xiao Yuan, why are you standing there? Why don't you try it too?" Jiang Yun smiled, his eyebrows slightly raised.
"Junior brother, our Xiao Yuan is better at swordplay than you. I, your senior brother, taught him personally, so I'm the only one who can watch."
"Brother, you're such a stingy person. If you don't want to watch it, then don't watch it."
…
After the sun set, the three of them went to have dinner and found a place to sit down.
"Junior brother, please stay longer this time and spend more time with your parents. They haven't said anything for so many years, but I know they miss you very much."
Father and mother? ... Jiang Yun was abandoned by his parents when he was seriously ill. Yin Jingyi took pity on him at the foot of the mountain and picked him up. He has always treated him like his own child. To avoid any estrangement, they directly call each other father and mother. However, Yin Jingyi did not adopt Jiang Yun as his adopted son, so they could only be considered brothers in the same sect.
"Okay, okay, senior brother, I got it."
The two chatted idly while Xiao Yuan sat beside them, listening and eating silently. From their conversation, he learned that Jiang Yun already had a lover named "Ye Qingci", whom Jiang Yun had met after coming down the mountain. For some reason, Xiao Yuan's heart gradually relaxed and he became more calm.
…
A month later, on Xiao Yuan's coming-of-age day, everyone thought that the man would come early in the morning to celebrate for Xiao Yuan, but he didn't show up until noon.
Xiao Yuan sat alone in the room, thinking: "Didn't you say you would spend the whole time with me?... Never mind, it doesn't matter if I spend the whole time alone. I was alone all those years anyway..."
In fact, it was Yin Heng who was busy confessing his love to Xiao Yuan. One night a few days ago, he secretly called Jiang Yun into his room.
Yin Heng looked embarrassed and a little ashamed. After a long while, he stammered, "Junior brother, I have something to ask you..."
"What's the matter, senior brother? Why did you call me into the room so late at night?" Jiang Yun was feeling sleepy and impatient. He closed his eyes slightly and supported his chin without any interest.
"That is...how did you confess to Ye Qingci at that time..."
When Jiang Yun heard Yin Heng ask this, he immediately became excited and stood up.
"What?! Senior brother, you're asking me this?! Are you going to confess? Tell the truth quickly, which girl do you like~"
Yin Heng quickly covered his mouth, "Shh...be quiet, it's not my fault. I want to wait until Xiao Yuan reaches adulthood... and confess to him."
"Oh my god! Sure, Senior Brother, I told you that you must be interested in him."
"Stop talking nonsense and teach me how to confess to someone for the first time."
"Brother, the most important thing about confessing is sincerity. When I confessed my feelings to Ye Qingci, I even gave him a jade pendant. I carved it myself, and we each engraved the other's name on half. As for how to say it...that's up to you to figure out. After all, our situations are different."
They were both silent, and Jiang Yun added, "In short, Brother, as long as you are sincere and he likes you, you will definitely succeed. Believe me."
"Okay, I get it. It's getting late, so you should go back."
Yin Heng thought for a long time, thinking about the name he had promised to give him. After all, he had no parents and no one to choose a name for him. In addition, Yin Heng also prepared something else.
By the time everything was ready, the sun had already set. Yin Heng asked Jiang Yun to tell Xiao Yuan that he was waiting for him under the pear tree. Jiang Yun hurried to Yujie Courtyard and ran to Xiao Yuan's room and knocked on the door. Xiao Yuan opened the door and saw that it was Jiang Yun. Just as he was about to ask, Jiang Yun spoke before he could say anything.
"Xiao Yuan, Senior Brother said he's waiting for you under the pear tree, go quickly."
Xiao Yuan wondered why she was waiting for him under the pear tree, especially since it was already so late. However, he did not ask much. He just thanked her and went to find Yin Heng under the pear tree.
As soon as I arrived at Xiao Garden, I saw Yin Heng standing alone under a pear tree with pear blossoms in full bloom. The man was wearing a dark blue robe, which was rare, with his hair tied up high and his body standing straight.
"You're here." Yin Heng chuckled when he saw Xiao Yuan coming.
"why are you laughing?"
"I was laughing at you, wondering why you were still wearing cyan clothes. I remember I gave you clothes of other colors before, so why didn't you wear them? Don't you like them?"
Xiao Yuan remained silent. Only he knew that it was because Yin Heng had said that the color blue suited him well.
"Well, you've come of age today, so I'll do as you please. Oh, and I've picked a name for you. Do you want to hear it?"
"Tell me about it."
"Fishermen's songs sing at dusk, echoing along the shores of Pengli. Flocks of geese, startled by the cold, cry down to the shores of Hengyang. Since you were born in the cold winter, your name should be frightened of the cold."
"Jinghan..." Xiao Yuan murmured. "That's it, it sounds nice."
Yin Heng looked at him with bright eyes. Their color was jet black, with a hint of gray-brown visible from the side. Tenderness was evident in his eyes. He asked tentatively, "Then...from now on, I can call you Ah Han, is that okay?"
Xiao Yuan nodded slightly, and Yin Heng was delighted. Remembering he had forgotten to give him something, he pulled a bracelet from his brocade pouch. The bracelet was strung together with silver thread, its only ornament a magpie pendant dangling from the chain. Yin Heng asked someone to raise their hand and clasped it around the man's slender wrist, where it gleamed in the moonlight.
"Ahan, this bracelet is given to you. Although it is not as exquisite as the flute you gave me, I have infused it with spiritual power. It can protect you in times of crisis."
Indeed, as soon as Yin Heng put it on Xiao Yuan, he felt a powerful spiritual current coursing through him. This bracelet was actually much more exquisite than Yuan Liu's, but Yin Heng felt that the one Xiao Yuan gave him was the best, nothing else could compare. Xiao Yuan lowered his eyes to look at the bracelet on his wrist, seemingly calm, but in fact, the corner of his mouth was slightly raised, even he didn't notice it, but Yin Heng beside him saw it all.
Yin Heng broke the momentary silence, asking him to sit down. He then produced a bottle of pear blossom wine, brewed years ago by Yin Jingyi and Ye Yu, using pear blossoms from the same plant. Xiao Yuan couldn't drink, so Yin Heng had to uncork the wine and pour it into a cup. While the wine was sweet, it was also quite strong, so Yin Heng could only drink about three cups. After three cups, the alcohol took over, and Yin Heng's cheeks flushed slightly.
"Ahan, you've already reached the age of 18, do you want to try wearing a crown?"
Xiao Yuan shook his head, "No need, I'm not used to wearing a crown."
"Then... let me tie up your hair with a headband. I've never seen you tie up your hair in all these years."
Xiao Yuan didn't immediately agree, but he didn't refuse either. Yin Heng understood his tacit agreement and stood up, half-kneeling behind him. Yin Heng lifted the hair from the temples of the man in front of him and tied it up with a headband. The headband was the one Yin Heng had brought back from the mountain, and it had a pear blossom pattern on it. As he helped tie the man's hair, he muttered to himself, "This is my first time tying someone's hair..."
Xiao Yuan was happy inside but pretended to be calm on the outside, not realizing that a blush was spreading to the tips of his ears, so red that it seemed as if blood was dripping out. After the acupuncture, Yin Heng walked up to the crowd and looked at him.
"It looks good. Tie your hair up more often in the future."
After saying that, he walked over to Xiao Yuan and sat down. They looked up at the same starry sky together.
"Ahan, remember six years ago, we were sitting under this pear tree like this. In these six years, we have never been apart except for the two years when I went down the mountain." As he spoke, he secretly glanced at the man to see how he would react. Seeing that his expression did not change, he continued to speak nervously, his fingers trembling slightly.
"Ahan, I... like you." Yin Heng looked at Xiao Yuan, his pupils suddenly shrank, and their eyes met, looking embarrassed.
"Ever since you came to Lingcang Peak, I've been with you day in and day out, and I've gradually fallen in love with you. I know... this may be a bit presumptuous, but what I say comes from the heart. I'm attracted to you... I..."
Xiao Yuan suddenly stood up, interrupting him before he finished speaking. He looked down at him with a stern look in his eyes and said in a cold voice, "Yin Heng, there's no need to mention what you said today. I just think of it as your drunken nonsense. I won't take it to heart and I won't bear any grudge against you. Go back when you sober up."
After saying this, Xiao Yuan was about to leave when Yin Heng grabbed his wrist. His eyes reddened as he choked out a sob, "Then what kind of relationship do we have now?"
"...a close friend, and...a benefactor."
Yin Heng let go of Xiao Yuan's hand, and Xiao Yuan turned around and walked away.
Yin Heng felt a tearing pain in his heart. He laughed at himself and said, "Six years...six years, and all I got was the word 'confidant'..."
Could it be that...for all these years, you've only considered me your benefactor...could it be that you're only grateful to me? ...
Xiao Yuan staggered as he walked back to Yujieyuan. It would be a lie to say he wasn't nervous. His heart was like a flood, drowning him, and he gradually lost himself.
How could he like me? How could I make him like me? I'm just... an abandoned child without parents. How could I... be worthy of him... He's so good, who am I...
He didn't know how he got back to his room. As soon as he entered, he collapsed against the door and sat on the ground. His clothes were messy from the friction of the door, and he didn't have the energy to fix them. He closed his eyes and buried his face in his knees. The scalding tears threatened to burn him all over.
That night, Yin Heng sat alone under the pear tree all night, and Xiao Yuan sat on the edge of the couch, his temples throbbing, and he also did not sleep all night.
Small Theater
Yin Heng: Jiang Yun, didn’t you say you would definitely succeed?!
Jiang Yun: Brother, is there a possibility that Xiao Yuan doesn’t like you?
Yin Heng: Stop talking!
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