Chapter 3
The third time he had run into Lin Shuo was not like the other two times, this time he was right in the middle of chaos, his bad luck at work as he was being hauled around by a small group of ruffians that decided to try to rob him. Truly it wouldn’t be that much of a problem for him to fight back and subdue them but... He never liked to hurt people and if he could talk them down from their aggressive ways, then all the better.
They had thrown a few hits at him, his lip bloody and eye feeling a bit swollen as they looked through his pile of scraps in his basket, them getting all the angrier at his lack of things as he tried to talk to them calmly.
“This really isn’t necessary, I don’t have anything to take-”
“For the last time shut up you stupid priest! You have to have something on you, everyone carries something on them!”
The man had lifted Xie Lian up by the lapels of his robe, his feet not fully on the ground anymore. The bandit was raising a fist to strike him once more when footsteps were heard approaching.
A figure in gray approached their footsteps calm and steady. Gaze looking up at the sky distractedly, calm and serene and Xie Lian felt some tension uncoil at the familiar face, the sun hitting their hair and lashes making them seem almost otherworldly, the dark brown of their hair lighting up like warm mahogany and the reddish undertones standing out stronger in the light.
He came back to himself as he realized the situation, worry choking at his throat even if it was a bit unreasonable. Lin Shuo was a cultivator and had to be stronger than the average person but he couldn't help but worry about what these bandits might do to him.
The young master seemed to slow and blink once, their movements and motions very deliberate, down to the steady sound of their footsteps and breaths, everything calm and measured as there was no way they were not aware of the commotion they were walking into.
Their eyes finally glanced over everyone, eyes singling out Xie Lian and narrowed briefly, the serene expression icing a bit to a more placid tone, a tightness to them that Xie Lian had never witnessed before. Lin Shuo gave a vapid smile to the ruffians and spoke, “What have we here? Why don’t you put the priest down and we can talk.”
One of the men chuckled and the one gripping Xie Lian bit out, “Why don’t you empty your pockets and we won't beat you bloody!”
The young Cultivator tipped their head to the side, smile never changing but their eyes took on a sharper glint, “ If you put the man down we will talk.”
“Who the fuck are you to make demands! We’re in charge here, we’re gonna beat you bloody if you don’t start listening!” Two of the ruffians started prowling towards the smaller man, one cracking their knuckles and the other sneering at him.
“That was a wrong answer.” Shuo’s voice was calm and steady, a steel underneath that Xie Lian never heard before, then again all the other times he met his friend they were all friendly and never in a dangerous situation, it was a bit mind-boggling to see his kind and thoughtful friend acting in such a manner. Expression controlled, voice measured, eyes glinting with calculation, almost like they were about to lash out like a snake.
It was a stark difference from the easy-going, kind companion that would listen intently to the babble of young children or his ramblings of past history or treatments of common ailments.
“Oh yeah?! Well, I’m ab-”
It was just a flash, one moment Lin Shuo was between the two men, then the two were on the ground, then the other two, and finally the one holding Xie Lian dropped him and crumpled to the ground. The elder had followed the quick precise movements of his young friend, they struck out with confidence and speed, tapping the men on pressure points and leaving them unconscious heaps on the ground.
In his shock he had tumbled to the ground as well, legs splayed out in front of him and staring at the worried brown eyes crouched down infront of him, Lin Shuo looking him over and frowning deeper with an endearing worry line between their brow.
“A-An, are you okay, are you hurt badly? Did they break something?” Their hands fluttered before him like they wanted to grasp him but were unsure. He smiled behind his bloody lip and clasped their one hand in a grip, letting his thumb run over their fingers in reassurance.
“Don’t worry! It’s just a couple of bruises! I’m fine! I don’t even feel it!”
That didn’t seem to be the right thing to say as his friend’s frown grew and the worry in their eyes became more pronounced, “No, no you’re not fine, of course, you're not, they roughed you up good. Can you walk? Or do I need to carry you?”
Their connected hands lowered, Xie Lian enjoying the contact, rubbing his friend’s hand in a small circular motion to calm them, Lin Shuo’s hand a warm comforting presence that despite the situation, was pleasant. When was the last time he was able to have a friendly touch? Hand shake? Hug? Someone to sit close to and enjoy their presence?
“I’m fine! I can walk! It’s good to see Lin Shuo again! I hope you’ve been doing well!”
They blinked at him and the worry lessened a little, a small smile breaking out on their face at his warm greeting as they helped him stand, “It is good to see A-An as well, things have been going as well as they could for a wayward wanderer, though it seems things could be better for A-An…”
They trailed off, going about gathering his scattered belongings and stuffing his scraps back into his basket, shuffling the bag onto their back against his protests, and then started to guide him back into the town he had just left.
It was later he found himself in a shared room at the local Inn and staring into the concentrated and screwed up expression on his friend's face as they healed his bruises and a broken rib (admittedly relishing in the wooshing sensation of qi and warmth and safety provided by his friend), having been cleaned up and had a warm bath that the Inn workers had brought in, a wooden tub that was filled one by one by hot water that his friend had paid extra for.
He was warm, clean, and dressed in the spare robes of his friend for the night as his clothes were being cleaned, the clothes not fitting quite right, Lin Shuo being a bit smaller than him by a couple of inches and smaller in build but he found himself not caring anyway.
Clean, clothed, fed, and now healed they bedded down on separate mats, and in the quiet of the cozy room he turned away from the ceiling to stare at the sleeping face of his friend. It might have started out as a bad day but if this was how it ended then he would say it was worth it.