Vows of Immortals

Chapter Two

"Hey, Lan Zhan, don't you think Fu Yao is a bit strange?" Wei Ying asked Lan Zhan, after walking quite a far distance from the shed.

"Mn," Lan Zhan turned to face Wei Ying and nodded.

"His robes don't look like they're from any clan, and I've never heard of a cultivator named Fu Yao before — I haven't even seen him before."

"We can ask Shu Fu about it when we return to Gu Su."

"Mhm. Afterwards, we can go check out the forbidden archives, to see if there're any records of him."

"Greetings, esteemed cultivators, may I know what you're talking about?"

Wei Ying and Lan Zhan turned to face the young youth who had suddenly appeared before them. He was dressed in maple-red robes with his black hair tied in a loose braid lazily tossed over his shoulder. His bright auburn eyes were similarly decorated with red eyeliner around his tapered eyelids. His tone had a hint of playfulness, yet his footsteps felt heavy, much like of a man who's seen it all.

Interesting.

"Ahh, nothing this Gong Zi should concern himself with," Wei Ying replied nonchalantly, "How should we address this Gong Zi?"

"You can call this lowly one Xiao Hua," the youth in red replied, smirking, "How should this one address these two cultivators?"

"You can call me Wei Wu Xian, and this is my partner Lan Wang Ji," Wei Ying replied, almost on reflex. He turned to look at his said partner, who was also listening intently to their conversation.

"Hm, I wonder what these two esteemed cultivators are doing, wandering about in a stranded forest?" Xiao Hua paced his footsteps to walk along with Wei Ying and Lan Zhan, asking with a leisure tone.

"Just having a good walk," Wei Ying replied casually, "How about you, Young Master Hua? Why are you wandering around in a forest like this all alone?"

"My family got into an argument and kicked me out. I'm just wandering around to pass time," Xiao Hua replied easily, hands behind his head, still walking lazily.

"Oh," Wei Ying said, dumbfounded. He really hadn't much to say on the matter. He himself didn't have great family history either, and he felt sympathy for this teenager.

"Then, do you have any food to eat for today?" Wei Ying continued to ask out of concern. He thought he saw a contemplative glint in Xiao Hua's eyes, but they flashed so quickly and disappeared before he could be sure they were even there.

"No," Xiao Hua replied bluntly, "I don't. But it's fine. I'm used to it."

Wei Ying looked at Xiao Hua sympathetically, noticing the faraway look in Xiao Hua's eyes. He sighed, "How about a meat bun? We bought some earlier. You can have one."

Lan Zhan turned back to look at Wei Ying, understanding clearly what he meant. He stuck his hand into his sleeve rummaging for the meat bun from Fu Yao.

After finding it, he held it out to Xiao Hua, inviting him to take the meat bun. Xiao Hua glanced at it, eyes full of caution. Then, his eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly schooled his expression back to a nonchalant smile. He reached out to grab the meat bun, and after a moment, bit into it.

Xiao Hua's eyes lit up, and he smirked playfully, "These Gong Zis have brilliant taste," he continued munching on the meat bun, clearly savouring the taste. Despite what Xiao Hua just said, Wei Ying and Lan Zhan had never even tasted the meat bun before. All they knew was that it wasn't poisonous. Edible, to say the least.