Journey to the Beautiful Ending

C9 - Birthday gift

"What's that for?" Jingyi asked Sizhui the moment he entered the Chunshi. The latter got startled as he immediately rolled the painting. Luckily, Sizhui was checking the painting on his bed which was hindered by a piece of thin fabric so Jingyi wasn't able to see it.

"A birthday gift." Sizhui answered with now a calm voice after a hard breathe.

"For Jin Ling?" Jingyi guessed as he was scheduled for a trip to Lanling. Jin Ling will turn 16 in the next five days and the invitations for a birthday banquet was already received two days ago.

"Mm." Sizhui didn't even denied it. Jingyi was about to teased but rolled his eyes with what Sizhui have added. "He sent me one last time, I should return the favor."

"Tch." He clicked his tounge. "What's inside?"

"A painting." Sizhui pulled the blue ribbon and tied the scroll.

Jingyi, "Of what?"

Sizhui, "Hm, a beautiful person."

Pfft! Jingyi laughed. "You're gifting a young mistress of a beautiful woman? That's hilarious!"

"I said person, not woman. How could you assume that it is a woman?"

"Why? He is a man. Isn't it right to draw him a woman?"

Sizhui averted his gaze. "I don't know." Without Jingyi's knowledge, Sizhui was furious inside. He would never draw a woman just to make himself jealous.

Sizhui never have thought that the feeling of jealousy will develop inside him. He didn't even want to think that Jin Ling will be handled by some filthy hands. He should be his but...he doesn't have the right.

"Don't tell me that you really draw a man?"

"Guess." Sizhui uttered.

"You really want me to guess it? Hmm," Jingyi thought for a second. "Beautiful person, huh? Is it his mother or a beautiful female cultivator of our clan?"

Sizhui frowned. "Do I look like someone who will disturb a female cultivator to paint her?"

"Fine. Fine. I'll find it out anyway once Jin Ling open it. Are you really not going?"

"No." As much as he want, the year will soon end and he had to help the sect leader about sect matters. "You know how busy I am now than before."

"Yeah. Must be hard to become a childe."

"Aren't you a childe too?"

"Of my family, yes. But we don't belong to the main family. I'd like to stay this way. I don't want to live with pressure like you, future sect leader."

Sizhui glared at him. "I don't see myself inheriting the position. I dreamt of wandering the world."

"With?" Jingyi curiously asked.

"With what?"

"With your cultivation partner like HanguangJun and Senior Wei?"

"Must be good to have someone at my side." Sizhui openly said. He smiled remembering Jin Ling. If its just possible, he would want to wander the world with him but he immediately withdraw that thinking since he knew it won't happen.

"Don't worry." Jingyi patted his friend's shoulder. "Will work hard on it."

"No need. I can find my own." Sizhui handed him the scroll.

Jingyi took the scroll and put inside his pouch. "Come on, Sizhui. I'd really like to see who you will be marrying. I'd like to be the first person to meet her or..." With a wicked smile, he added, "...him."

Sizhui twitched his brows. "Him? Why did you think that it can be a him?"

Jingyi shrugged his shoulders. "We don't know what's waiting for us in the future. Look at HanguangJun, who knows he'd end up with Senior Wei. No one knew he likes men."

With stern voice, Sizhui scolded him. "Jingyi, watch your words."

The wind's blow was getting colder, Jingyi sighed satisfyingly after getting some warmth inside the hall of Koi Tower. He went to find Jin Ling who was currently talking to one his disciple. He approached Jin sect leader and saluted but the boys seems to be expecting someone else as his  eyes was checking the people behind him.

"The person you're looking for didn't come with me." Jingyi told him.

"I'm not looking for Sizhui."

Pfft! Jingyi tried to suppressed his laugh. Some Jin Sect Elders are looking at their direction. He didn't dare lose face. "Did I even mention a name? You're so obvious." He teased.

Jin Ling pursed his lips. This is the second time he was caught off-guard. How many times does he have to be caught because of Sizhui? Should he just accept it and leave it like that? He sighed. He wants to see him but he didn't come.

"By the way," Jingyi pulled out his qiankun pouch and let out a rolled scroll tied with blue ribbon. "Since he can't come, he asked me to hand this to you." He stepped forward and whispered to his ears. "He said it was a beautiful person."

Jaw tensed, Jin Ling does not have the courage to open the painting to see what Sizhui have painted for him. If its a beautiful person then it must be a woman.

"Do you know what's inside the painting?" Jin Ling asked. Jingyi is always with Sizhui so he must have known what he had painted.

Jingyi pouted. "Unfortunately no. I didn't even know that Sizhui painted something without my knowledge. It must have been done secretly. Open it so we can see."

"I don't want to. Beautiful person. Huh!" He huffed. "What does he take me for?"

Jingyi smiled naughtily. "Chill. You should see it first before you complain. Don't you know that Sect Leader Nie always wanted a piece of his painting aside from Sect Leader Lan. You're getting it without asking for it."

"Fine. Fine." He agreed. "But I will not open it now. I'll do it later."

"Okay." He approached and whispered, "Share me what's inside, okay?"

Jin Ling rolled his eyes and lazily answered, "Fine."

At night, Jin Ling doesn't know what to do. He's been staring at the scroll for two hours already. He wanted to know what's inside but at the same time, the words of Jingyi was running on his mind. 'Beautiful person. Hmp!'

"Sizhui, how dare you draw a woman for me? Don't you know how I feel for you?" He said but he somehow ate his words. "Yeah. You actually don't know." He sighed heavily before he grabbed the scroll and untied the ribbon. He laid the scroll on the table and closed his eyes, letting the painting unscroll itself.

He slowly open his eyes but his eyes grew wider. His heart was beating loudly. 'Beautiful person'. Did Jingyi just made up those words? Did Sizhui really told him that? But he knew Jingyi will never lie. He always speak his mind. Sizhui will never dare to lie too.

The painting was realistic , anyone who will see it will consider it a masterpiece. It was really have painted by a talented person. No wonder the sect leader QingheNie, Nie Huasiang adored his paintings.

Beautiful person. Sizhui described him that way. He smiled and stared at the painting so proudly. "You deserved to be here. In my room." He said to himself as he hang his portrait near his bed. He stared at it with a smile plastered on his face. His mind wandered. Imagining the person painting his portrait. "Sizhui." In his dream, the man he called turned to him, smiling, "I like you."