After arriving here, undisturbed by others and with no prying eyes constantly watching him, Li Jian enjoyed a rare, sound sleep and did not wake up until the sun was high in the sky.
True to its reputation as a secluded haven far from the hustle and bustle of the city, nestled against the mountains and facing the water, the surroundings were completely tranquil. Aside from the occasional birdsong echoing through the woods, no other noises disturbed his slumber.
It had been a long time since Li Jian last slept until he woke naturally. He stretched lazily and strolled leisurely out of the house.
Today, he had changed into a lake-blue long robe retrieved from the original owner’s cosmos sack, wearing a light-colored jade pendant at his waist that matched the jade hair crown he held in his hand.
His wide sleeves fluttered gracefully in the wind as he walked with a light, fluid gait. Had his ink-black hair not been tied up in a chaotic mess, he truly would have resembled some pampered young gentleman descending from parts unknown.
Beyond this set of clothing, Li Jian had discovered quite a few good items inside the cosmos sack, such as the paper talismans used to set up the array in the Qi estate, which had been fished right out of it. There were also several sword-practice manuals, glowing gems, and various spiritual artifacts he didn’t yet quite know how to use—truly everything one could possibly need.
Being able to carry so many treasures around demonstrated that the original owner’s identity was far from ordinary.
What attracted Li Jian the most, however, was a seven-stringed ancient zither placed right in the center. Its entire body was ink-black with translucent strings, and the characters “Xichi” were prominently carved into the wood of the zither body at a single glance, it was evidently an ancient instrument brimming with spiritual energy.
What a coincidence.
From childhood onward, while Li Jian lacked talent in most things and was top-tier solely at slacking off and waiting to die, he possessed an exceptionally high level of proficiency in the ancient zither.
Whether it was an innate skill or not, back when his family members took him to learn musical instruments as a child, his eyes had locked onto the ancient zither instantly, and he learned it with extraordinary speed. As he grew up, he discarded all the skills acquired in his youth, yet this single zither remained with him.
It seemed that selecting him for this mission was not without reason.
When Li Jian stepped out of the house, Xuan Lang was busy cooking in the small kitchen. Today, the youth had also changed into an ink-black robe. Beneath the vermilion eaves, his tall, slender figure bustling about the small kitchen gave off an inexplicable sense of out-of-placeness.
The boy should only be around seventeen years old, yet his stature was taller than Li Jian’s by more than half a head. Li Jian had never considered himself short at least not compared to others so he could only conclude that this fellow had simply grown rather tall.
What worried Li Jian most was that Xuan Lang might carelessly raise his head and bump it against the ceiling beam, which would certainly look quite comical.
Seemingly hearing Li Jian’s footsteps, Xuan Lang turned around, taking in Li Jian’s disheveled hair, and said, “The Immortal Elder should take a seat for a moment; dinner will be ready right away.”
“All right,” Li Jian replied softly, the familiarity feeling as natural as if they had lived together for a long time.
Yet it seemed strange: logically speaking, it should have been him serving the immortal lord, as that was his assigned task. Li Jian had already prepared himself to accept a tragic fate, but after arriving here, he had ended up hogging the immortal lord’s bed and making the immortal lord cook for him instead.
“Your culinary skills are truly exceptional.”
Xuan Lang served the meal still simple vegetarian dishes, likely plucked straight from the patch just behind the courtyard. Such rustic simplicity contrasted rather sharply with his stunning appearance.
Though harboring a mild sense of guilt for ordering the immortal lord around, Li Jian picked up his chopsticks and popped a bite into his mouth.
He chewed thoughtfully it was genuinely delicious. Who knew where Xuan Lang had practiced such culinary skills? Unfortunately, he was destined to be an immortal lord cultivating the ruthless path; otherwise, there was no telling who he might end up benefiting in the future.
Xuan Lang pulled up a seat and sat down, his lips curving with youthful shyness. “Just casual cooking. If the Immortal Elder likes it, please eat more.”
Li Jian nodded eagerly. “Mh, I like it.”
Who wouldn’t be satisfied with free food and lodging? What more could he possibly want?
The two of them quickly finished their meal. Noticing that Li Jian’s hair was still a tangled mess, Xuan Lang picked up a comb, walked up behind him, and reached out to gather those silky, glossy strands of long hair.
“Let me do it,” he said.
Li Jian let go of his hair without hesitation, naturally handing over this “heavy responsibility” without a second thought.
On occasions like this, he was always exceptionally quick-witted about knowing when to tactfully retreat. He recognized that he had no particular talent in this area and truly couldn’t manage it well, but personal appearance still mattered, so professional tasks ought to be left to the professionals.
Articulate, well-defined fingertips wove through the hair strands, delicately gathering up the dark locks little by little before skillfully tying them into a neat updo and securing them with the jade crown.
Xuan Lang executed the task with utmost care, treating the hair as if it were a rare treasure.
Unable to see his movements, Li Jian could only perceive a hazy silhouette cast by the daylight, yet he could distinctly feel the extraordinary gentleness and patience in the boy’s hands, as though he were terrified of profaning a deity.
As Li Jian idly toyed with the wooden comb Xuan Lang had set down—a delicate piece carved with enchanting peony flowers and fine, intricate grain that looked like a maiden’s personal item, carrying a faint, subtle fragrance of unknown origin—he turned it over in his palm and suddenly asked, “You haven’t asked about my identity or the purpose of my coming here, yet you brought me straight home just like that. Aren’t you afraid I might be a liar?”
Xuan Lang answered, “How could the Immortal Elder be a liar? The Immortal Elder is so formidable.”
While Xuan Lang’s remark pleased Li Jian and made him feel a bit flattered, he was indeed a liar—he had come here specifically to act as a thief of hearts!
Tilting his head, Li Jian waggled a finger at him. “That’s not necessarily true. What if I’m eyeing something in particular? You’d better watch out.”
Lowering his gaze to fixate on Li Jian’s translucent jade hair crown, Xuan Lang asked, “Then what business brings the Immortal Elder to Xunyang City?”
Li Jian’s fingertips grazed across the wooden teeth of the comb, producing a soft clicking sound as he said, “I came to… look for someone.”
“Who?”
Xuan Lang inquired, “I can be considered to have grown up in Xunyang City. If it’s someone from the city, I surely ought to know them. Perhaps I can assist the Immortal Elder.”
Instead of answering directly, Li Jian simply replied, “Of course you can help.”
Because the person I am looking for is none other than you.
With his hair tied up, the morning was still young. Li Jian basked in the sunlight within the courtyard; it was not yet noon, and the rays remained gentle and warm, bathing his body in a lazy glow.
Having worked overtime and endured early mornings and late nights for so long stepping out before dawn and returning after dark, Li Jian hadn’t seen such pleasant sunshine in ages.
Xuan Lang quietly slipped indoors and remained inside for quite some time without emerging. Raising his eyes, Li Jian looked through the open window at the front of the house, where a slender figure was cast against the plain, light-colored lattice paper, busy tidying up the room with swift, efficient movements.
Li Jian stood up, walked inside, and stopped right behind him to ask, “Do you have any wine here?”
“What kind of wine?” Xuan Lang paused in folding a quilt and turned around to look at him.
“Crimson Blossom Wine,” Li Jian replied.
He had no idea why that specific name had suddenly popped into his head, prompting him to blurt it out. It was likely a faint, residual memory of the original owner that had suddenly surfaced.
Xuan Lang thought for a moment. “I don’t have any here. If you want some, I’m afraid we’ll have to buy it from a shop in the city.”
So the wine really did exist; he hadn’t just made it up on the spot.
Li Jian was pondering whether it would be inappropriate to find an opportunity to get Xuan Lang slightly drunk and make him take responsibility though he quickly dismissed the thought when Xuan Lang finished packing up his things and announced his intention to accompany him into the city to purchase wine.
“Coincidentally, I should accompany the Immortal Elder to procure some supplies. If you plan to stay for a few days, it’s best to have everything prepared for convenience.”
Seeing that Li Jian remained stationary, Xuan Lang turned back to ask, “Are we going?”
Li Jian touched the ends of his hair, his gaze drifting evasively, not daring to meet Xuan Lang’s clear eyes. In truth, he had only mentioned it in passing and didn’t actually care that much.
“Let’s go.” It would be foolish not to go.
Since the system claimed this person possessed a maxed-out approachability/conquest coefficient and cultivated the ruthless path, regular romantic tactics might fail, leaving him no choice but to resort to physical persuasion.
Under such circumstances, how could he possibly get by without pulling a few tricks? He had better prepare some just in case he needed to use it one day.