Paths intertwined

- Xinran -

She woke up with a start, gasping for air as her body convulsed in pain from a sudden surge of activity. She hissed and tears welled up in her eyes, but she bit her lower lip and resolved herself to not weep. Fuck it hurt so bad. She couldn't bother minding her language, her mind was the only place she could have some peace and be herself. Growing up how she had, had been tough. She hated every part of it except the precious few minutes she got to spend with her brother every day.

Shaking her head, Xinran sighed and tried to get back up but was stopped as a hand wrapped around her and brought her back onto the bed. She winced, her eyes twitched wide and she licked her dry lips before her eyes met that of a breathtaking woman.

"W-Who are you?" her Gu flaring, she was about to lash at the woman who could very well be an assassin out for her head. She was used to dealing with assassins like them. Beautiful yet out for her head. A moment of distraction and she'd find herself dead.

However, with a simple wave of the woman's hand, her Gu was sealed off within her Eclipse Heart and so were her senses that'd spread outwards. Xinran cried out but the woman's sigh and next words made her reconsider her behavior in this situation.

"Calm down, girl. I'm not going to hurt you." The voice was melodic, and she liked the tone of it. It sounded so nice like the calming and soothing sounds her mother used to make when she was alive. A pang of sadness washed over her but then it got pushed aside by her memories that came rushing in just now.

"That man," she began, licking her dry lips. "That man, is he—"

"Yes, yes, he's alright. He brought you here in the town and into my establishment. I'm a healer and I will be tending to you for the coming few days until you're back to health. This isn't that bad of a situation so consider yourself lucky."

"I see," Xinran muttered. She was, of course, not as calm as she'd like to be, but it was comforting knowing that she was likely in good hands. A healer in the demonic lands was rare and given how a greenish color appeared on the woman's hand—quite literally—Xinran knew that she was no joke. The color spread inside her veins and appeared to be quite beautiful at a glance as she stared at it for a bit longer than she'd like to admit.

"Why, staring so much? Mind telling me how you got this gash?"

The healer's voice brought her out of her reverie and Xinran blinked, again and again before blushing, "Pardon, I—."

The woman chuckled, "It's alright."

"As for how this happened… Well," a complicated expression dawned on Xinran's face, and she bit her lower lip.

"You can omit anything too personal or anything you don't wish to share, I only want to know the story behind this ugly gash," she said, hand on the wound on Xinran. She winced a bit at the blood-soaked cloth on the side before sighing.

"Well… It was from an enemy." An assassin, but she refrained from divulging that information as that was quite irrelevant.

"A halfling snake bastard," Xinran couldn't help but hiss angrily.

"Ah…. A Lytharian, that explains it."

"Yes, a Lytharian, that bastard."

The woman brought her hand up to her lips and half covered them, "Fufufu, I must say, seeing a lady curse is quite an amusing sight." Xinran blushed.

"Anyway—"

Suddenly, commotion from outside caught her attention and she raised an eyebrow at the woman. The healer sighed and stood up, "It appears some idiots from the Cloudy Peaks Sect are causing trouble, I must go stop them lest they incur the wrath of someone they can't afford to."

Xinran drifted off to her thoughts as the healer went outside. She sighed yet again and wondered what to do next, she planned to roam the world when she left home, but it had also changed quite a bit due to circumstances. Now, she had a goal in mind, and that was the reason she was going to the capital.

The healer came back and tended to her. As it turned out the wound wasn't as bad as she'd suspected it to be, and the healer would be able to heal her in a day or two at most. Xinran wasn't about to wait that long, so the moment she got a chance to leave, she sat up and bid farewell to the healer. She was alright now, and to top it off, she was a cultivator, she'd heal herself in the journey to the capital.

"Hm, I'd advise you to stay, but well it's your choice in the end." the healer said with a resigned sigh. The first thing Xinran did was promise to repay the healer's kindness. But she denied it.

"I wish to heal as many people as I can, you see. And I do not charge for it." Her smile was beautiful, and Xinran spent some time staring at her before bowing. She got out and wandered to the inn where she was supposed to find her savior. She would thank him and repay however she could.

***

- Wu Ryujin -

I was happy to see that Xinran came and decided to do just what I wanted. She bent over and bowed, "This Xinran is willing to repay however savior desires!"

I chuckled, "However?"

She tensed visibly, realizing how her words could be interpreted. "Relax. I don't wish for anything." I said with a benevolent smile.

"But—"

"No buts," I raised my hand. "I will be going toward my destination now that I've made sure you're alright," I said, laying the bait.

"Oh, um, if this Xinran is allowed to ask, where are you going, savior?" she asked, and I turned my attention from my current task to her face. This was the first time I'd gotten a proper look at her, and sure enough, she was a beauty.

Fuck cultivation, why's every chick so goddamn hot? I shook my head at my thoughts and spoke up, "I'm going to the capital—"

"Great!" her eyes lit up, "This Xinran is going to the capital as well! May she accompany the savior?" She asked.

I wondered why every character following this trope was so keen on offering themselves the fuck over to their fucking savior. Which, in this case, if I hadn't been the one to trigger her plot or whatever, one of the "main characters" would have had. She'd have followed behind the schmuck just to "repay" him and then, somehow, due to the big dick energy Mr. Protagonist exuded; the confidence and kindness, she'd be ready to spread her legs open sooner or later.

From there, oh, I will give my life for you!

Fucking tropes.

I sighed yet again, once more wondering if I was being too harsh on people of this world by fitting them in tropes when they really couldn't fit in there. However, this Xinran chick's situation was a bit too ideal, no?

"Alright. You may accompany me."

She brightened up before recomposing herself. Such an innocent girl in the demonic lands… how the expectations of the word demonic have turned. Shaking my head, I spoke up, "So, Xinran, huh?"

"Yes," she hesitated before nodding. Hmmm. Not gonna reveal the family name? Definitely some chick from some prestigious sect or clan. I can see that her name is Yue Xinran. I wonder why Ryujin has no memories of this clan or sect.

Why is she going to the capital again? I was about to ask that but refrained myself. I also wondered why she hadn't recognized me, this further confirmed my suspicions that she was not from the demonic land… but she used Gu, no one outside of the demonic land lets a Gu user roam freely as it's considered "vile" and "evil" by the justice boner cunts. Never mind that, I stood up and then grabbed my stuff, "We leave now then."

I would have already started moving but I'd decided to wait for her to wake up and come running to me to offer to "repay". I knew she would, I knew it the moment she didn't outright kill me and asked for my well-being instead, when she'd killed that worm.

The sun had begun its descent, casting a warm golden hue over the landscape as Xinran and I left the town together. The road stretched ahead, winding through lush greenery and occasional rock formations. I had refrained from getting a mount again, walking seemed way better and since she was a cultivator, I could simply ride her to the capital—

That came out wrong. I mean, I could ride her sword when she's recovered enough.

I shook my head, "So, Xinran, tell me a bit about yourself," I said, making small talk since I was bored as fuck.

She looked at me, her eyes filled with curiosity. "There's not much to say. I come from a small village far from here. My family trained me in the ways of Gu, and I've been wandering since I left home." There didn't seem to be any false information in what she said, but of course, she was underplaying everything quite a lot from what I could gather.

I nodded, trying to piece together the fragments of her story. "And what makes you wanna go to the capital?"

Her expression turned thoughtful. "I have a goal, a purpose. Something I must accomplish in a few years, otherwise…" She quieted with a sigh; shoulders slumped.

"You're quite determined," I remarked. "It's not easy to find purpose in a world like this." Was this my failing attempt to appear wise? Yes, was I failing? Didn't matter. My job was already done, she was open.

Her lips curled into a soft smile. "And what about you? What's your story?"

I chuckled, ruffling my hair with a hand. "I'm just a wanderer, much like you. Traveling has always felt like a calling to me. The capital is just the next stop on my journey." Why destroy the mystery in her head? Let her cook.

As we walked side by side, the conversation flowed more freely.

"So, savior, do you have a name?" Xinran asked, her tone playful.

I smirked, giving her a sideways glance. "Call me Ryujin."

"Ryujin," she repeated, testing the name on her lips. "It's a strong name for sure."

I shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "Just a name."

Suddenly, we were interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps. I turned to see a group of individuals, led by a young man with an air of arrogance about him. His clothing and demeanor marked him as someone of importance.

He was, of course, someone I'd been waiting for since I left