"Him?" Chen Fang let out a short chuckle at Yue Ran's question, tapping his finger on the table before waving it at the servants
Who swiftly walked out the room receiving the gesture
Then, bringing his fingers to his face, he tapped his cheeks as he thought for a moment, well he acted like he thought for a moment
Then, his gaze flickered for a moment before a sly smile graced his face, remaining there for a half a second, but it was stopped as caught himself, coughing as he tried suppressing his expression
Then, composing himself, he let out a dramatic sigh with a dash of weariness
Softening his posture, he got his body leaning forward, where he placed his arms on the table, supporting his head with his hand, as he let out a sigh once more
"What about me?"
He pointed at himself pitifully,
"Whenever we meet you always ask about him first no matter how many decades we've been apart-"
Yue Ran had the urge to pinch his temple as he wondered where exactly he was taking the conversation
"He is always at the front and center of your mind, shouldn't you try asking about me sometimes? Have a little heart you know? Worry about my well being too since I'm in front of you anyway"
He feigned a tear wipe, "aren't I your only friend?"
Although he was voicing his grievances his pretense was given away by the suppressed tugs around the corner of his lips, which were trying to curve up as he continued talking
Despite knowing that his pretense was falling, he kept up the "neglected friend" pretense for a while longer
After all, seeing Yue Ran glare at him through the corner of his eyes and the occasional quivers and twitches around his eyebrows seeing him trying to remain indifferent was one of his dearest sources of joy and entertainment throughout their many years together
However, Yue Ran thought his acting to be very amateur and poor, which Chen Fang probably knew- but kept doing it with added flair and drama each time
Which Yue Ran found quite pathetic and gross, after all the one acting in such a childish way to get his attention was a fully grown man who had lived for hundreds of years alongside him and his master
A Grown. Healthy. Cultivator.
Yue Ran remained still, with folded arms and a barely hidden annoyance shimmering within him.
As graceful as ever he sat across that man, who was whining about nothing as per his peculiar habit that for some reason became a routine, and unfortunately... A tradition.
Between them
Seeing that his act failed to catch his attention, Chen Fang continued a more ridiculous act, which, describing would just be too absurd, far more than words could convey
Nevertheless, nobody had infinite stamina or patience but between the two Yue Ran's patience remained victorious, it was five victories in total now
Chen Fang having wasted his breath, with a defeated laugh leaned on the chair then gulped down the tea in front of him.
"Cold as ever I see"
"Are you done now?"
Chen Fang shrugged,
Yue Ran softly inhaled as he spoke once more,
"Just answer the question"
Chen Fang continued to smile until Yue Ran finally let out a resigned sigh,
" I've already endured your chatters while sharing the carriage till now"
"I've had enough"
Yue Ran had three definitions for information the first one being information regarding cultivation which he considered important, the second one being information regarding all the things he lacked and was curious about, basically all knowledge on topics he was or is interested in, his master was in here and this category he considered "valuable" according to data regarding them, and finally, everything else outside of that?
Mere chatters.
But, for Chen Fang they were his ways of reconnecting or catching up with someone,
Which was done through sharing mundane everyday stories of ordinary people living their life and some gossips regarding the cultivation world, he liked those despite the uncouth nature they had
He found them endlessly entertaining, but for sure, Yue Ran had another impression on such conversations, that Chen Fang knew.
How his passionate expression of all the juiciest gossips fell on deaf ears
But even so, he didn't find it exhausting, he'd always look forward to this whenever they reunited again, that was just how Chen Fang was
And seeing how he still silently endured him (mostly) was very entertaining
After all, even now Yue Ran rarely concerned himself with matters other than those relating to his master,
That was why, when he saw a child with the familiar white eyes beside him after being contacted by a rare person
His heart dropped for a moment
He thought up all sorts of assumptions and even came to a conclusion,
Which was, thinking that, that old man after finally burying his past had gone and gotten himself a child,
Who, Yue Ran ended up babysitting, which-
Honestly wouldn't be that surprising considering how obedient he was to his master
But for better or for worse it turned out to be quite the opposite
Tapping the wooden surface of the table, Chen Fang glanced at Yue Ran then exhaled,
"Truly the same as ever"
Then he shrugged with a smile,
"I knew you'd ask about him anyway and I'm beyond getting upset over this at this point after all, I probably know you better than he does"
Then resigned to his fate as a messenger,
"He's doing fine," Chen Fang finally answered
"he picked up calligraphy as a hobby recently" he continued,
Then opening his arms, he spoke in an exasperated manner
"his place was a complete mess.
With papers, inks and scrolls all sprawled on the floor"
Just remembering the scene could annoy him once more,
How he had to wipe, sweep and organise the entire room despite being a visitor.
While that man stood helplessly and awkwardly trying to help, but getting kicked out when he just made the place even more messy
Hard to think of him as a great immortal with him being like that
Chen Fang could only wonder why he was that helpless,
Well,
His gaze lingered on Yue Ran's face,
"It's not surprising that he's hopeless with chores with how you did everything back there" he shook his head,
"But besides that, it's all the same the winds in that mountain are as fresh as ever,
I left him some freshly picked tea--
as that was my original intention before being delayed by his room, and about now...
I guess he's probably enjoying that tea"
Saying so, his fingers caressed the corners of the porcelain cup,
"What about you?
What do you think?"
He tapped the cup twice
"..."
Lowering his gaze, his sight landed on the already cold cup of tea,
The fragrance was almost all gone,
His master enjoyed tea
That was one of the first things he learned about him
His master would often collect various brews, and types of tea
And whenever he brewed them,
Both him and Chen Fang had to accompany him
Which was rather often in the past
But now...
Yue Ran wondered, if he drank tea alone, or went downtown to search for some company from fellow tea enthusiasts
Which were often old men or women.
Yue Ran gently picked up the cup, the coolness of the porcelain sticking to his fingers,
He had taken a taste a while ago, but now it was completely gone from the tip of his tongue, forgotten just as its warmth was lost to time.
Closing his eyes as the glass touched his lips, he sipped softly, the liquid pouring into his mouth, despite it having gone cold, its fragrance bloomed on his tongue traveling to his nose before settling softly within
The initial taste was slightly bitter
But as it lingered on the tongue, the taste blended into a lighter and slightly sweeter note
leaving a pleasant after-taste
It seems that the freshness of the leaves--
as he said,
Indeed gave it a better taste
Just as Chen Fang had said, his master was surely enjoying this very tea at the moment, maybe sharing it with others too,
He recalled, his master, despite claiming to be a tea connoisseur who loved all kinds of tea equally, secretly preferred a lighter taste on them.
Yue Ran's gaze softened as it lingered on the glass, he mumbled
"It's pleasant"
Chen Fang watched Yue Ran's expression closely,
When hearing those words a smug appeared on his face as he rubbed his chin as if pleased with himself,
"I really have a great eye for quality huh" he praised himself while acting like an old man from those great sects.
But who could blame him? After all, it was tougher to get Yue Ran's approval on anything than it was to find a needle in a hay stack
However, he stopped himself from getting too caught up in the moment, clearing his throat,
Then again, he coughed loudly to catch Yue Ran's attention,
Who, placing the cup down stared at him with an expression that seemed to say,
'what is it now?'
"Well..." He scratched his head briefly,
"He was asking about you"
He looked awkward, well of course, he didn't know why Yue Ran was out wondering and wasn't sure if he could tell him to return, after all, the old man seemed okay with his decisions.
Yue Ran was always free to do as he pleased,to leave when he wanted to and to return when he needed, after all, that nameless peak was to forever be his home since the day he stepped foot there
It was a home to both him and his master, Chen Fang tho? He considered it a temporary place rather than a home, but he was glad that he was welcome there
Yue Ran blinked, then opened his mouth,
"What did he say?"
He asked, a beat too fast
"Not much"
He waved his hand,
"He was just wondering how you've been doing, and what you were up to, not much"
Chen Fang hesitated briefly, not knowing whether to bring it up or not,
After a moment of thought, he let out an exhale and asked, bringing it up in a casual manner
"Oh, he told me that you haven't gone back to the mountain for the past couple of decades, what exactly are you up to?"
He watched Yue Ran's face for answers, as he waited for a voice to follow, but he got his answer with silence
"Haah"
"He went on and on about you, and I had to sit there and listen to an old man ramble on about his unfilial son"
"We're not related by blood" Yue Ran cut him off,
Turning his gaze away
Silence, as Chen Fang narrowed his eyes for a moment, as it seems Yue Ran wouldn't allow him to ease up the awkward air with a joke
Truly, how was he the exact same yet the opposite of his master?
Chen Fang could only wonder
Then with a frustrated exhale Chen Fang rubbed his temple
"My god, you should seriously try having a lighter attitude"
"Adopt some sense of humor from me, why don't you?"
He nagged, pointing at himself as if he was some awe inspiring model for humour and jokes.
Yue Ran let out a scoff, and picked up a single piece of cake from the table and shoved it in Chen Fang's mouth to keep it busy
He coughed, choking as he forcefully gulped it down and downed a glass of water passing the food down his throat,
"Fine, fine! I won't joke around anymore!"
He pat his chest as he said that,
"The point is, he only talked about you the entire time alright?" He said in resignation,
"Like master like disciple, neither asked of my well being, both of you don't care about me at all" he moped around with a sympathetic look coughing again, as though the food was still stuck on his throat
Yue Ran thought him dramatic, thinking
'it wasn't even a bone piece' as he shrugged that guy off
Actually,
Yue Ran was just at a loss of word seeing how this stupid fox still had the energy to put up all that act after choking just a while back,
he should've been a performer rather than a merchant with all that energy
But there probably wasn't much difference with him as a merchant either, since he did often "mislead" his customers although, not so obviously, it could be said that he had a tongue as smooth as oil, and sweet as honey
However for Yue Ran he stank foul of that honey and stuck on someone as persistent and stubbornly as goosegrass
Which was just Yue Ran's personal impression,
if Chen Fang knew, he'd cry because he firmly believes himself to be a moral, law abiding businessman, using one's god given charms to attract people
It was just him making use of his talents so that they wouldn't go to waste
As the silence lingered longer this time, Yue Ran's fingers that had been busy throughout the entire conversation paused for a moment,
He hadn't realised that his fingers had gotten so chafed as he brought it under his attention, frowning he softly clicked his tongue
The rough edges of the jade pendant had yet again ruined the tips of his fingers to cuts and scratches
It had happened many times before
Yet he never learned not to do it again, perhaps his fingers had grown familiar to the pain making his fingers feel restless without those cuts, but no matter how many times his fingers were cut or split, it would always heal before he could realise it
However... These days, his fingers had been getting used to brushing against soft hair, the morning routine that formed with neither being aware of it until they had already been doing for far too long to be brushed off,
It started with mere annoyance but now...
He wasn't too sure
'He misses you'
his thoughts were cut off
As those words escaped Chen Fang's mouth, his voice lacking the usual unseriousness,
"You should go see that old man once or twice within a couple years"
Yue Ran simply stared deeply at the now empty cup, the answer was clear, he didn't even need to ponder too deeply on it
"I can't"
Nevertheless, no matter how easy this refusal came, hearing the word 'miss' gave him a strange feeling, one he couldn't quite explain, who would have believed that there would come a day when someone would 'miss' him?
His initial impression on it was that missing others was something created by people who had lovers or mistresses and those who threw the here and there to remain in good graces of their partner, he was confident in his description too, since those were the majority of the cases he had seen,
In books, in gossip, in confessions and in all sorts of ways.
But, it's definition began to change somewhere along the way, but it wasn't quite taking form yet
So he could only wonder, and ask himself despite knowing that he wouldn't receive an answer
...what was it like? To 'miss' someone?
He didn't know, he'd never know
He closed his eyes, turning his gaze away
"you should stop calling him an old man just because he's lived a couple of centuries earlier than us"
He pressed his fingers on the pendant, once more, the sharp edges scraping the wounds, it stung
'Just some centuries earlier than us'
He repeated in his mind,
he knew that his master had eaten way more rice bowls than he could ever imagine, much much more than him, yet, he just told himself, that his master simply walked the earth some years before him for some reason, he didn't really want to acknowledge the huge gap in their experience,
He was curious about all his experience, yet he didn't quite know why, and he didn't really ask or seek to know more about it either
He opened his mouth,
"It doesn't feel too polite to call someone who still looks to be young an old man"
He said that, but his mind was elsewhere
It wasn't that he didn't wanna visit him or was avoiding him willingly,
He just didn't feel quite right going back without finding an answer
It left a truly unpleasant sensation in his stomach
Getting up from the chair, he fixed his sleeves and spoke,
"Well,"
"Seems like he's doing well with what you said,
that's good to know "
Although he knew that Chen Fang despite his looks and demeanor wasn't one to lie, he just couldn't quite believe it,
"He misses you"
The word echoed in his head,
Missing someone was something he had never learned till now, so how could he believe something he had never once felt?
It was akin to reading a fairytale and believing the very thing to happen to you as well.
Chen Fang remained seated as he watched Yue Ran leave,
Yue Ran remembered a distant memory, his master visiting villages with a smile, working on the fields despite being an immortal, looking happier than he could ever be anywhere else
He thought once more, his master was someone who often visited nearby villages and towns to help the folks and play with the children. He was fond of them, and the children loved him too.
He was the friendliest, the most selfless and kind person he had met, so of course he was loved everywhere he went, and with so many people who loved him, why would he miss him?
Missing someone meant feeling lonely right?
But how could a person so loved by people ever be lonely?
Why, no how Could a person like this ever miss someone? Especially someone like Yue Ran?
Even if, his master was truly 'missing' him
He didn't trust it.
After wandering for so long,
Most of his ideas or knowledge about emotions evolved over time, but the idea of being missed and missing still remained quite foreign,
The emotion of missing a person, Yue Ran believed, came from loneliness.
That was the only other explanation he could give himself, the only reasonable one
He firmly refused to believe that his lack of presence in that mountain would pose such a thing as loneliness to his master
After all, as he had said, they weren't related by blood,
Despite being taken in young by him, they were just master and disciple
Yue Ran told himself
.
.
.
.
"I give up"
A voice echoed in a now empty room, as Chen Fang groaned
"I give up on both of you"
He repeated,
"I should've done it long ago anyway"
Both of them were just as hopeless as each other,
Blinded by their own beliefs and "truths"
However one was still starting out while the other was on the verge
His gaze darted around the room first, before returning to himself, before soon landing on the pendant hanging by his waist,
Similar to the one Yue Ran wore
It was more or less a testament to them growing up in the same place together,
A gift from that old man
Despite never being taken as a disciple nor accepting that man as his master he was raised by him beside Yue Ran, and even now, he knew, despite his complaints and comments, he was truly grateful to those two who gave him a home
And even now as he had left the nameless peak,
That old man continued to still let him know just how wide the door continuously remains open for him
Breathing out softly, the silhouette of a straight back of a man flowing with warmth came to his mind, the man who always wore a smile, the one who took care of him along with his disciple
Despite Chen Fang being an outsider, an intruder, he never felt more at home that he did at that mountain
Chen Fang closed his eyes, then straightened his back, stretching his arms, as he smiled shaking his head,
"seriously, like master like disciple"