If he was a painting his piece would undoubtedly be a painter's deepest pride.
Without much thought his gaze soon landed on his eyes, which seemed to have seen through many things and could not be moved, those perfect shades of brown, unmoving, cruel yet...kind.
The immortal was kind because he saved him
He wore robes that resembled the deep sea, a shade of blue that seemed so pure that it couldn't have suited him any better, it was as if the depths of the oceans itself were being used to wrap around him. But even so, despite being thick they didn't cover his elegance.
They only added to his grace.
On his waist there was a tassel hanging from his robe, a white jade carved into the shape of the moon, the carvings had formed cracks on its edges that were maybe from years of use.
The design… intricate and detailed like it was embroidered by the finest embroiderer
Xue Hua had never met someone like him, he was... unreachable. His appearance perfectly depicted an immortal that had long since cut himself off from the mundane matters and seemed to think of everything as trivial as his gaze showed no tremors of mortal gaze filled with worries and riddled with emotions good and bad.
His hair was kept down as his fingers moved smoothly through each action, his fingers seem to be more adept at calligraphy than sword fighting but right now it was being used to carry bloody fur, to wash it and to stitch.
Even the finest piece of art would have no choice but to admit their inferiority.
That was how Xue Hua saw the immortal.
Xue Hua had no recollection of any last events excluding the previous night when he first met this man.
His emotions still vivid, it was hope
Although he had no recollection of any past events or how he ended up here, what he did remember was being saved on the verge of death by this man before him, he had told him to follow him.
He obsessively kept those words even as he lost his vision and awareness, slipping into deep sleep from exhaustion, having fought it for so long.
The man before him was his benefactor, shouldn't he start thanking him now? After all he slept on his cloak so shamelessly while leaving him nothing
which he realised after waking up and finding himself alone in the small room.
He panicked at first and immediately jumped when his senses came to him, looking around the room, then on the cloak slipping from his body, revealing the mess he had been.
He should've been dead.
But that immortal extended his life.
He gave him life
His body didn't feel any ache other than from sleeping on the worn out carpet, he never pecked himself to be someone who kicked covers but here he was. Sleeping on top of his benefactor's cloak, which also covered his body keeping him warm and then kicking it so ungratefully, he grasped around his cheeks beside the corners of his mouth, then after making sure that he hadn't drooled did he breathe a sigh of relief.
He was unusually motivated to try and repay the immortal but when he looked at himself, filthy clothes and his hands bruised and cut, red from frost most of his wounds had healed, still his earlier condition could be guessed just from the look on his clothes dyed with his blood that had already dried, clinging to his rough and battered body,
Noticing this he became dejected.
With such a body what could he even do?
He didn't have anything on him, and he had also forgotten everything beside the encounter from last night so he was no different from a child ignorant of the world.
He did not know what he was doing in such a desolate place, why he was in such a situation but when he knew that no amount of questions would give him any answer he simply decided to just do whatever he was told.
So he folded.
Gathering the cloak with his small hands, he placed his hands on the corners.
But his hands weren't experienced, he folded the loose clothes on top of itself over and over, but it was still a mess, his hands clumsy as he accidentally ruined it more than thrice before he finally managed to make it look presentable after countless tries.
"Phew" he wiped his forehead which had broken out sweating from sheer focus, he didn't even dare go near it in fear of accidentally knocking it over. So he moved and sat a little far from it, creating a distance that gave him confidence that even if he fell asleep the folded cloak would still remain still.
Then he waited.
He couldn't tell the time, there wasn't anything to help him, except the light coming from the cracks that told him that the day had broken and it was no longer night. He was no longer alone.
He was saved.
He was alive.
He didn't die.
Waiting and waiting, he hugged his knees leaning onto his legs.
He had waited for a long time in this position so, when he suddenly felt the biting of the north, he was still dazed from the sudden change in the temperature, his body reacting before any thoughts came to his mind.
Since the place inside was very warm the sudden drop was surprising so he looked up, through the covers of his hair, towards where the wind came.
And so, he finally saw him.
The man who saved him.
His throat felt a lump preventing him from speaking as his palms became wet.
The first to break the silence was Yue Ran
"What is your name?"
He asked, looking at the child who looked as though he had been kicked over by someone while he was gone, the cover had been removed, showing just how much of a mess he was
Yue Ran could not continue referring to this kid as, 'child, it or him' anymore, he must have a name.
Just like any child.
It was a simple question, something that should be asked, so it was asked.
But when the child heard this question, he paused, and lowered his gaze. It seemed that he found the answer quite difficult. Yue Ran's gaze didn't waver as he stood only a little distance away from him.
The child as he lowered his head wore an expression that could make others think as if fate had done him wrong.
Yue ran, decided to speak, as words rose to his lips however they were quickly swallowed back with a breath as the child answered
"I...I don't remember"
"Ah"
So this is what it was? Having lived many centuries, yue ran was no stranger to such things, and it was not at all strange that the kid forgot his memories, after all his internal energy was so twisted that it took him a while to fix it.
And with energies at chaos and heavy injuries, it wasn't surprising, a temporary loss of memory wasn't rare when one's spiritual energy choked their body instead of fueling it.
When the man didn't respond after hearing the answer, the child grew quite nervous, as he pressed his thumb with his other hand.
Pressing, twisting and scratching.
Yue ran inhaled, as he pondered.
'if it was master, would he smile at this moment?'
Yue ran thought, glancing at the child's fingers
He almost smiled- but stopped, he wasn't him.
He couldn't imitate his warmth, he could of course give cheap smiles, but he would never be able to Exide kindness and warmth like his master did.
So, he will try his best, maybe in his own way.
Maybe this was how he would be able to best understand him.
How he has such warmth with every smile.
Yue Ran's lips, only faintly curved upward, so faint that it hardly made a difference.
However, the kid became still, the fingers he played with pausing as he stared.
Seeming almost dazed
Despite losing memories temporarily being a common case, it was still troublesome.
he still had to refer to the child as something but without a name what could he use?
He couldn't let the child he picked up remain nameless
So he thought, and thought...
Then after five minutes he firmly decided something as his eyebrows raised looking at the child.
He was going to name this child.
"Xue Hua"
Yue Ran kept recalling the snow whenever he saw him, falling down softly before the storm as they met for the first time, his body fallen down on the snow bed, cold yet soft, cruel yet…gentle.
He seemed one with the snow, his hair falling onto the ground like melting snow, seeming so fragile like a single snowflake.
The bed below had already been tainted brown yet even with his clothes covered in dirt and blood, even with his body full of cuts and bruises, he seemed no different than the untainted white falling from the sky.
So pure and so…inhuman.
Xue Hua blinked for a moment not knowing if he had understood him, did he mishear him? He asked himself.
"Y-yes?"
His pupils trembled as they tried to look at him, but not daring to, after gawking at him a while ago, he was now acting reserved.
Yue Ran seeing this only raised his brows for a moment.
"From now on, your name is Xue hua"
He repeated once more,
"Do you not like it?"
The kids eyes widened,
Xue hua.
My name is Xue Hua!
Slightly shocked, Yue Ran momentarily widened his eyes, but soon gained composure as he turned away.
Xue Hua's smile reached up to the corners of his eyes, as they crinkled with great delight.
Who would think that he was upset with the name?
Shaking his head while still smiling he turned to look at the immortal's face,
he wanted to say how much he liked the name-
But maybe it was not needed, as he felt a warm hand, on top of his head.
And this was how Yue Ran got himself a companion.
.
.
.
"What a bother" Yue Ran sighed,
He had not noticed that blood had gotten on his robes but this wasn't the thing that bothered him, it was having to clean the child's robe.
It was much too filthy to be cleaned by a spell and Xue Hua's blood seemed particularly stubborn.
The blue that was hidden under all that blood was finally starting to reveal itself after rigorous scrubbing, its colour reminded him of a clear summer sunny sky.
Which wasn't the case with the northern skies. Which made him recall the skies from the mountain in the past.
Yue Ran, still holding the robe, looked at it carefully, it had been a while since he last did laundry manually.
At first he just told the kid to wash his clothes when his eyes once again fell on the state of his clothes under the daylight.
But whilst trying to do that the kid almost drowned in the freezing river flapping his frail limbs. The most ridiculous thing? The depth wasn't even deep enough to drown him. If Xue Hua had just stood up the water would only reach to his shoulders.
He sighed, Maybe it was his own short sightedness, how could a child seeming to have everything done for him know how to clean his clothes?
At best maybe he could wash out the dirt but the clothes wouldn't have been clean.
Yue Ran drew up his sleeves, as he squeezed the water out.
After cooking the meat he had lit a fire to keep the child warm, who was bundled up in his cloak.
Fortunately he had already skinned the wolf without much mess and cleaned its fur, although not shaped yet for the child he gave it over because there was nothing he could wear underneath and having two layers in these sides were just the minimum to be kept from cold.
There was hardly any wood to burn,
He had to make use of his talismans to cook the entire meat.
And surprisingly the child devoured everything except bones.
300 breaths
That was the time Xue Hua took to finish the beast.
This made him think that maybe he was such an amazing cook that even without any salt he could cook something that would be fully devoured in a matter of breaths.
Yue Ran having lived for a long time had long ceased being surprised by many things and was hardly surprised by anything but this day alone he was caught off guard twice.
Firstly, by the kids' insane appetite.
Despite his small frame he was able to devour the entire wolf
Making him wonder where all that actually went.
Then the second...
Why was there flowing water?
With such a harsh climate and constant freezing weather in the north, everything should be frozen except the ocean.
The northerners usually boiled ice or snow for drinking
as there weren't any sources of freshwater like streams, lakes or rivers even if there were, unless the climate of the north suddenly changes it would remain frozen.
But there just happened to be one here.
He wondered as he spread the cloak spraying the water out in front of the flowing river which seems to come from the mountains
The water was clear and pure however there was no creature within.
Which wasn't a good sign.
Even spiritual streams, hardly any living things still had various creatures thriving in it.
Especially the knuckle crabs that could help someone soothe their mind while meditating.
.
Few days have passed since then,
Yue Ran tried to investigate it a while back out of sheer curiosity, since it seemed harmless.
Following the stream to see where it flowed.
But his investigation ended shortly.
It flowed down the cliff scattering all over the surrounding below forming a thick fog so dense that he couldn't see anything from the top.
After deciding to leave the village he walked with a Xue Hua following him from behind, he was having a hard time walking and catching up as his legs were devoured by the thick snow bed.
Making every step more labourous, being much taller Yue Ran of course did not have this trouble so he didn't bother with it.
He was deep in his thoughts walking at his own pace which was far too fast for anyone especially a kid who had just recently recovered.
Xue Hua was gasping trying to keep up,
But still had time for thoughts, since his head was full of them.
He had many questions about that immortal.
That was also when he had realised that he didn't know his name and didn't know what to call him.
Since he had hardly spoken in the past couple of days, and there was also hardly anything to do.
Yue Ran didn't stay idle so he could never find the right moment and bringing this up felt awkward since it has been so long since their first meeting.
At first he thought about calling him master, but this immortal never said that he had taken him as his disciple or that he was going to be his teacher,
'Follow me'
Those words still lingered on his mind from the moment it was said, it never failed to make his heart act out whenever he thought about it, but he still didn't know what Yue Ran meant.
For a while he kept opening then shutting his mouth, although the words would come up to the tip of his tongue waiting only to be spilled it never left and stayed stuck until he swallowed it back.
It made him even more curious about the immortal.
He saved me…
So he's kind, this was his conclusion, drawn from a single line of thought the immortal couldn't be anything other than kind.
He mumbled to himself trailing behind him.
He didn't even realise that his thoughts had left his mouth.
Yue ran at any other circumstances would've heard this but being occupied he didn't notice Xue Hua's soft mumbles.
But he suddenly stopped on his tracks, surprising Xue Hua as he unconsciously found his breath stuck on his throat.
"Don't fall behind."
His voice felt like a cool breeze on a summer day, pleasant it made him feel safe, safe enough to pour out his thoughts.
Despite his gaze never being so kind, his voice was the gentlest thing he had ever heard.
After living for a couple days in a village Xue Hua hua didn't know the name of, Xue Hua felt kind of longing, maybe he had gotten a little attached.
They were going to the city, that was what Yue Ran told him before they left.
Yue Ran wanted to buy new books, he had always read as much as he could, so he wanted to explore Shuangwei's capital city's library. Maybe his books had gotten too old so there were many things he didn't know about the affairs of the human realm and about the sects.
Yue Ran was still not used to it, a face so bright with a smile that it was almost hard to look at.
He had never been good with people who smiled so easily, so genuinely. He could never get used to it.
When smiling, he could not stop overlapping his master's and Xue Hua's face. It was a face like the first day of spring. Both their smiles carried a sense of warmth that one would feel as the seasons changed and the sun adored the earth.
That was how Yue Ran would describe those expressions.
The words gave him a shot of courage, as Xue Hua lightly tugged Yue Ran's sleeves
Pulling his attention back on him.
He took a deep breath as he stared on the ground
"C-can I call you gege?!"
He blurted out,
While asking the child stammered, he raised his voice much higher than he had expected, he wanted to dig a hole and bury himself.
Now that those words had been spoken, his entire face heated up from embarrassment.
His face was flushed, his hair had grown messy due to the wind, they were open as they fell on his small body swaying with each of his rough movements.
Unlike yue ran who wore his hair in a braid and had his hood covering his head, but the xue hua's cloak didn't have a hood.
Since he accidentally burnt some of it off while working it out
Yue Ran's gaze was fixed on his messy hair.
That almost looked like a messed up bundle of threads.
Xue Hua had his eyes tightly shut while keeping his head down low.
Despite hiding his face, his body was far too honest, trembling as he waited in silence.
Obvious signs of nervousness.
"Sure"
his palm settled on Xue Hua's head, almost naturally.
Patting the child gently.
soft, just like feathers.
.
.
.
They walked quite a while before deciding to rest.
Yue Ran's mind was still caught up by the river, it made him awfully curious of it but he couldn't quite understand why; he was not understanding something, no he was missing something, of that he was sure.
Before he discovered the river, Yue Ran had planned to leave the northern territories immediately using Mingmei, his soul-bound sword, which he barely used, even during combat.
He mostly used it for travel.
It was more of a mount for him than a weapon.
But that was before picking up a stray.
Xue Hua followed behind him, almost tripping more than five times, his focus was entirely on something else which Yue Ran didn't understand nor dig deeper into.
The scene looked like a chick following a cat after hatching not its mother, but a cat who found him and decided to keep him alive.
whether to keep as a toy or snack one couldn't be sure.
They seemed like the opposites of each other, from the tip of their hair down to their toes, like day and night, obvious to every eye. It would draw curious eyes however there had been many of such types so those curiosity wouldn't linger.
While walking, Xue Hua pointed at a fallen tree where they had decided to rest for a moment.
Settling on top of the fallen tree while Yue Ran was setting up something, he closed his eyes, facing his face to the sky as Xue Hua felt the warmth on his face.
It was the first sunny day he experienced after coming to, The cold felt a bit bearable as the sun finally greeted the place.
It was a warm hello.