Thump.
Thump, thump.
Thumpthumpthumpthumpthump.
The two of them stopped in their tracks, just as the sound grew closer and closer, increasing in volume. Then it stopped, and BOMPH!
A man emerged from the stairwell with one last, enthusiastic jump, landing firmly on the stone ground. Dust flew out in all directions, and both his robe and black straight hair fluttered outward.
While Tao Hua stared, shocked, Shan Si groaned. His shoulder deflated, and judging from the look on his face, Tao Hua immediately understood who it was that graced them with his presence.
"You call that a reunion?" asked Wan Mie, casually approaching. "A week—our dear Lord Sisi has been gone for a week and that's all this esteemed master receives? Demands? I call abuse."
Holding out his hands, palms facing upward, Wan Mie playfully sighed. Now that the sun wasn't blocking out his features, Tao Hua could finally get a good look at the man.
In comparison to Shan Si—his supposed nephew and disciple—he wasn't nearly as tall nor as young. In fact, for someone dubbed "a fucking old man," he looked middle-aged. Perhaps city-slickers simply had a different mindset, making their standards of beauty higher.
But despite this, the two certainly did hold similarities.
The first most glaring similarity, which Tao Hua noticed the moment Wan Mie slowly opened his eyes, was in the colour. Ghostly pale with a touch of crystal gleam; it was absolutely and eerily identical to Shan Si's. The difference was in the shape. Wan Mie had a sort of whimsy flip to his eyes—playful, and paired with a lone spectacle.
Tao Hua wasn't sure if it complemented him or just made the man look like a quack. He'd soon find out.
"There isn't anything for us to discuss," answered Shan Si, matter-of-factly. Though his actions had betrayed him, he didn't look at all like a man ready to vacate the scene. Rather, he began to mess around with his sleeves, refusing to look his master in the eyes. "Not right now, at least."
Wan Mie raised an eyebrow, and from Shan Si his eyes travelled casually until landing on Tao Hua. "No?"
Awkwardly, Tao Hua tried to open his mouth to say something, but all he could do was breathe a small "Hi," before inching closer to Shan Si. He couldn't retort, realistically, not when it was him who was barging in on their way of living.
Against his will!
"Nope," answered Shan Si, lowering his hands to his sides and simply staring off into space. "Fuck off."
"Well! You really are testy today, My Lord. Fine, fine. Maybe you're right. What's there to discuss when the answer is quite literally right there. My lord, always thinking two steps ahead." Wan Mie tilted his head with a hum. He slowly opened his eyes, squinting at Tao Hua, but Tao Hua refused to look his way and was the least charitable with his glances.
Shan Si, on the other hand? His eyes darted toward Wan Mie, returning the squint with twice the force.
"Are you looking to die today, old man?"
"Aren't we all? Death at this age is a blessing. Though I should remind you how that threat typically ends," said Wan Mie, earning another threatening glare from Shan Si. He didn't care and only continued speaking his mind. "Choose wisely."
Clasping his hands behind his back, Wan Mie slowly made his way toward Tao Hua. Sweat accumulated on his forehead, and the closer the sound grew, the more Tao Hua's chest rapidly increased.
Was this good or bad? He wasn't sure; all he could do was count the cracks in the stone below.
"What kind of threat is that?" asked Shan Si, watching Wan Mie closely. After a moment more of Wan Mie's movements, Shan Si extended his arm, blocking the path toward Tao Hua. "Since when did you care?"
Tao Hua glanced up at the arm, and then Shan Si.
"Oh—oh my." Wan Mie halted and looked down at Shan Si's arm. The three of them stood there as he dove deeper into his thoughts, and when it appeared like he was about to speak, Wan Mie would lift a finger, part his lips, only to thinly seal them shut. He wasn't sure about what he wanted to say, and it appeared he was actually giving it some thought.
Regardless of how much time this gatekeeper wasted, Shan Si's arm wouldn't budge. It was as if he was ready to keep it there for the rest of the day.
That only made Tao Hua's heart race faster. How odd it was, this thing they called a vital organ.
Finally, Wan Mie whined, "After a few days of gruelling worry, wondering if the very man who stationed me at the gate—against my will—would return, I finally get to see that beautiful face once again! But alas, he brings in dangerous merchandise, and past MY gates! The audacity. As your Gatekeeper-Uncle-Master, I think it's my duty to conduct a thorough inspection of the foreign goods. What would the people say? I've got a serious reputation to uphold, My Dear Lord."
"Bullshit. Your reputation is ass and we don't have any people to impress." Shan Si scowled, the corner of his lip raising. "Cut to the chase and stop wasting my time. What are you actually trying to say?"
"Huh," Wan Mie hummed, staring down at Shan Si's arm. The conman's act faded, revealing a look of indifference. "Gold and jade. You protect it more than you do your dear uncle, yet less than your sword. It's not often you bring back treats. Where'd you find him? Lemme see."
As if a child teased with a new toy, Wan Mie playfully grabbed Shan Si's arm and began lifting it. It was astonishing, to say the least! Compared to Tao Hua, the two practically tied in strength, only with Wan Mie besting him by a fraction.
But Tao Hua wasn't nearly as focused on that. What caught his interest was the fact that Wan Mie treated him like an anomaly. Not often he bring back treats…?
Tao Hua looked up at Shan Si, just as the two sparred—Shan Si was poorly losing against his master.
Then why me…? Tao Hua glanced down at his sleeve and frowned. It's not about me—why do I keep thinking it?
Absentmindedly, he traced along each ornate pattern on that sleeve until his eyes immediately sharpened, and he lifted it up.
What kind of kidnapper was Shan Si?! The worst! Or the best? It hadn't completely crossed his tired mind that his book was handed to him on a silver platter, and Tao Hua wasn't certain if this was accidental or intentional.
It was getting harder and harder for him not to think Shan Si wasn't doing any of this for him. So, he just lowered his arm and decided not to think about it, lest he risk heartache once more.
Back to the bickering pair, Tao Hua's eyes travelled, watching as Shan Si was seconds close to committing murder.
But Wan Mie? To Tao Hua's utter dismay, he had his eyes locked on him, with Shan Si's arm effortlessly held above him, and successfully avoiding the murderous nephew. That was fine! Wan Mie didn't care! His eyes remained on Tao Hua, and they widened the longer the two stared at each other.
It was utterly awkward, and Tao Hua couldn't quite tell if Wan Mie was ready to throw him out or take him to his private quarters.
How awkward.
"Now, this is something! I expected him spectacular, but this is more than that. You didn't answer, where'd you find him?" said Wan Mie. "He looks familiar."
Shan Si ripped his arm back, brushing off whatever remained of Wan Mie's presence with absolute disgust. "Lord Tao's son."
"Lord Tao…" Wan Mie mumbled, before it finally hit him."HAH! Ha HA…HA! Ransom? What the hell are you doing with Lord Tao's son?"
"Does it matter?"
"Depends." Wan Mie shook his head, amused. "Do you understand what cage you just unlocked? Oh my, this will be quite entertaining. Your first hostage, and it happens to be the worst possible scenario. Am I proud, or disappointed? I guess I'll find out!"
Wan Mie approached Tao Hua, leaning inward to get a closer look. Breath hitched, Tao Hua successfully evaded every attempt at meeting his eyes, while Shan Si kept a closer watch on this supposed, slender predator.
Already caught onto Shan Si's reaction, Wan Mie smirked. "You really like this one—enough that you dressed him up in your colours, too! What a shame he's related to formidable Tao Ci."
"Enough," Shan Si said. "Is that all?"
"No, it's not, actually. Since when did Lord Tao have a son?"
Did everyone except Tao Hua know about his father? Face twisted, Tao Hua stared down, trying to make sense of how something so big could slip under his radar—slip under most of Siyue Town's radar. Then again, it was an isolated place with uneducated people who knew nothing about the world outside of it.
Like an epiphany, Tao Hua thought, Is that by design?
But why?
"I don't have the answer you're looking for, Uncle Mie. I was just as shocked as you were when I found out," said Shan Si. "Nothing could be found about his origins other than Lord Tao, and he hasn't met his mother."
Tao Hua hadn't really explained that much to Shan Si, but given the man casually flipped through that book of his…it made sense.
"I don't get it." Wan Mie crossed his arms, blew a few strands of his hair out of his face, and asked, "Is there a reason he'd hide having a son? Last I checked, that was a blessing."
Mumbling, almost to a whisper, Wan Mie hovered his hand over his mouth. "Who'd be stupid enough to marry that man?"
Tao Hua's chest seized. This was the part he hated the most, and under his conditions, he was already prepared for the answer. Grabbing onto his robe, he gripped it so tightly that his arms stiffened amid his turmoil.
The few seconds of silence were the worst, just as he intently stared at the ground. But Shan Si's answer completely caught him off guard.
"That's what I'm wondering. There has to be a reason—I still can't wrap my head around it."
Eyes flattened, Wan Mie jumped between Shan Si and Tao Hua, before resting entirely on the ladder.
"You," he said, causing Tao Hua to hold his breath. He seemed aware of this and only played into more. "Any siblings? Adopted is fine. Gods forbid Lord Tao tell the truth for once. Oh, relatives as well."
Tao Hua looked at Wan Mie, then Shan Si, as if waiting for Shan Si's approval. Thus, it was granted with a nod, though an unhappy one at that.
"Um…no. I'm an only child and I don't really have any relatives. Um, well, no living relatives."
"Who?"
"…my grandfather."
"Understandable, but I need his name. Too many men named grandfather, y'know? I've lost track." Wan Mie joked.
Tao Hua struggled, sifting through the memories. Now, it wasn't that he didn't know his grandfather's name; it was that he really didn't want to be thinking about it. So, in the smallest voice possible, he said, "Zhuan Ren."
This caught both Wan Mie's and Shan Si's attention. They looked at each other, Wan Mie's eyebrows raised, with Shan Si's completely opposite; he was concerned.
Then, slowly, Wan Mie repeated, "Zhuan?"
Chapter end.
SKETCH OF WAN MIE.