Chapter three: Lan Guozhi

He walks around the street, observing each person and product there was. To the fresh snacks, affordable jewelry, and expensive clothing. The main street was crowded as usual. Just full of swindlers, merchants, and petty rich people from Gui. But hey, they make most people here live comfortably.

"Xiaotang! What are you up to this time?" The butcher merchant yelled at the young adult. Xiaotang turned around with his cheerful smile upon his face. His charisma shone through once again. "Yes, mister?"

"Don't 'mister' me, you cow head! I know you're up to something! Everytime you come here you're reckless! The council should throw you out!" The merchant yelled with such anger in his words. The bright male winked as he wrapped his arms around him before humming a bit.

"You know what I like about you, Mr. Lei? You know me so well than others! If you wasn't so old, I would--"

Before Xiaotang could finish, a hard slap on the back of his head stopped him. "Ow!"

"Don't you compliment me! If I catch you stealing or starting mess, I'll report you myself!" Mr. Lei shoved away from Xiaotang and went back to his mini shop. Xiaotang pouted childishly while dusting off his sky blue hanfu.

"He never spare me once, huh?" He mumbled, "I just got here, geez." His smile faded but his eyes didn't. It was full of an mysterious light that no one could describe. Child-like yet deep within meaning.

"Xiaotang, would you help me with something?" Xiayu, his current crush and fiancee, called him over to her booth which is filled with accessories and makeup. The sound of her honeydew voice drew him easily. He leaned in, rest his elbow on the table booth, and put his chin on the palm of his hands. His eyes were all over hers.

"Yes, my darling?"

Xiayu slightly smiled before coughing a bit. "Can you grab a few bamboo sticks for my grandpa? He's sick right now so--"

"My grandpa is sick?!" He stood straight up when hearing his step-grandfather in a fragile state. Xiayu jumped a bit by his sudden outburst before nodding. "Y-yes...He accidently ate something bad when traveling to get bamboo the other day."

"If I get some, would I get accepted as your wife?!" Xiaotang yelled out happily, unintentionally slapping his hands on the table. The beautiful Xiayu looked slightly bothered by that question. "Sure. You can probably be my 'wife'." She added the air quotes to add the sarcasm in her voice. He didn't caught it though.

"Great!" He sneakily grabbed a red apple from the nearest booth and skipped away. "I'll definitely will take your hand!" His voice was so loud that the whole street could hear his voice clearly. Her eyes slightly softened then hardened when seeing him out of sight.

"Is he gone?" A male voice came from behind the shadows from the corner of the street.

"Yeah, he's gone." She snorted out, throwing away that honeydew voice. Her face slightly wrinkled due to annoyance of her ''lover'". Another male with long light brown hair and deep brown eyes came out, much more older than Xiaotang. His broad arms wrapped around her waist.

"You should tell him before he notices. You can't always use him forever." Her soft palms gently touched his hand. "If he really loves me, he would accept you and still help me."

Their smile was both cunning and sly. If the heavens didn't already know, they were made for each other. In the dirt.

"I still don't understand why step-gramps would travel so much for pieces of plants." Xiaotang grumbled while going up the hill. There was many hills of nature in the land of Gouzhi. It's the most vast kingdom in terms of area and population. Nature's richest plants, soil, necessities are mostly from this commoner country. While going up the steep hill, he'd encountered with many animals. Wolves, rabbits, day owls, etc. was all over the daylit area.

Pulling up his long blue sleeves, he tied it with a red tie, and started to crack his knuckles. He stopped in front of a pile of bamboo with a jubilated smile. It was two times taller than him but he felt like the bigger one in this situation. One crack of the neck, he proudly said "time for you to come with me!"

He unsheathed out his simple long sword and directly pointed at his opponent. His walnut eyes narrowed down at the bamboo sticks in full focus. The wind slowly hushed by with light breathing.

As swift as the blowing wind itself, he spins once and cut down three bamboos with ease. The perfectly aligned trio all fell down to his clean cuts, slowly dying away from the earth. His bright smile illuminated while he easily picked them up on one shoulder. "Xiayu, here I come!"

"Is Xiayu your girlfriend?" A random, feminine, soft voice came out of nowhere, making the male startled. He jumped back, still holding his sword in his dominant left hand. His eyes first went to the nearest tree to see a female.

The female looked around his age. Her eyes were chocolate brown and so was her extremely long hair. Her hanfu is a soft pink and white color with some golden lining on her collar. However, one of her shoes wasn't on her feet. Face so small and kind that any guy would mistake her as an angel.

"Well, since you won't answer me, I guess she isn't." Her remark snapped him back to reality as he gave her a nasty look.

"She is my fiancé! And it's none of your business!" With a ever-so dramatic huff, he sheathed his sword and walked away. The female suddenly looked at the walking man, startled.

"W-wait! I need help getting down!"

"You can get up, you can get down."

"I really can't! My guardian left me here! I don't know where I am," Her panicking voice made him pause and look at the woman. Xiaotang crossed his arms. "I don't have any money or house for you to live in."

"I just need help, okay?!"

His eyes were now embracing her with a blank state. He really wanted to go back to his true love and eat Mr. Lei's stew, but even he knows that leaving a person in need is truthfully wrong. Grumbling, he threw down the bamboo sticks and went up to the tree where the damsel was. His hands were now sticking outward. "Jump."

Her face described it all. "There's no way I'm jumping just like that! I'm way up here and you way down there! What happens if I miscalculated myself and fall to my death?! If you put your hands down when I jump? O-or--"

"Ugh, just jump already!! Every second counts and you are wasting it!"

The lady slowly turned her seating position towards him and looked at the height from below. In her eyes, it seemed like a trap if she touch the unknown ground. "O-okay. I'm going to jump." Inch by inch she scooted off the tree. Looking straight at him, took in all her courage to jump.

Xiaotang watched her jump off the tree. It looked like she was courageous yet terrified. He caught the woman with ease as he put her gently onto the ground.

Her eyes looked scared for a moment then surprised. Her hands fiddle with the wild grass and flowers. She then sniffed them with awe. Picking up a white, little flower, she caressed it with her finger then put the flower up to her ears.

Is she from the Gui kingdom or held captive? Maybe I should report this to the council, Xiaotang thought. His worries greatly increased when seeing a young lady being excited about small nature.

Definitely.