Chapter 21 - 21: Men of Action

"Ow, damn brat. You got stronger again didn't you?" Grandpa Lao asked in indignation. Biting his lips in pain as Xun Er help patch him up with his medical ointment, that he made, on his face.

"And you didn't have to target my face Yan-er."

"I so do. That's revenge for spending my money without my permission." Xiao Yan turned towards his grandpa with a twitching eyebrow.

"As well for the past injustice you did to me and the wounds you inflicted me just now old man–OWW! Xun Er? Why?!" He then turned towards his friend who also helped patch him up.

The girl in question had a small angry pout on her face as she bandage the b.a.r.e upper body of Xiao Yan.

Funnily enough after seeing him in his birthday suit once has made her kinda immune at seeing his b.a.r.e n.a.k.e.d skin.

Though that doesn't mean she didn't get fl.u.s.tered. Showing the slight pink on her cheeks. She's a growing girl after all, they start being curious at this age.

"Don't fight. You two are family so no fighting." Xun Er simply said. Slapping medical ointment on his back.

Xiao Yan's body jerked for a moment and tears started to formed in his eyes. He gritted his teeth to bite back the hiss that was about to come out of his mouth.

The brawl between the old and young was both funny and pathetic. They punched and kicked each other's bodies for an entire half an hour and what would have at first been the young one that would come out with small injuries, the old one was one who prevailed.

In short, old grandpa Lao had come out in top with almost to no injuries and Xiao Yan was beaten to black and blue.

Xiao Yan and grandpa Lao looked at each other in the corner of their eye and had immediately burst out laughing.

So much so that Xiao Yan was rolling around in the floor and grandpa Lao was now roughly coughing and laughing.

Xun Er's expression turned red in embarrassment as well as utter confusion as she stared agape at the duo.

"Your wrong Xun Er." Xiao Yan stopped still on the floor and turned his head to Xun Er with a rueful smile.

"W-What?" She stuttered. Confusion still plastered on her lightly embarrassed face. She still couldn't understand of what was going on. And the tugging inside her c.h.e.s.t didn't help her case when she looked at the smiling Xiao Yan.

"Your wrong little girl." Grandpa Lao stopped coughing/laughing and also turned to stare at Xun Er, momentarily glancing at Xiao Yan and back at her, a soft gentle smile was set on his face. An air of wisdom and old age seem to give off his body, making Xun Er slightly understand why he was Xiao Yan's grandfather. Truly, don't judge a book by it's cover...

"For other families in our situation, or people in general who had lost their loved ones and found out that their alive, they expressed their relief and joy in words and a whole lot of drama. For us, however, we expressed our emotions through actions." Grandpa Lao's back straighten, and with that same smile on his face, despite looking as a forty year old man, he looked as if a wise old man giving out life advice. The respect and awe Xun Er has for him has elevated to that of true elders.

Grandpa Lao stared at Xun Er for a moment before going at Xiao Yan, who smiled back at him and nodded, and went back to Xun Er.

"That is how I have lived my entire life, and how I raised Xiao Yan. We may have great minds, bravery, way of words, great amounts of talent–"

'....Oh god, so that's how he got his shamelessness from...' Xun Er's eyes turned blank as she stared at the smiling, somewhat young, old man and the nodding boy who now sat at her side.

All the respect and awe she had for him had immediately faded away.

Xiao Yan continued on where his grandpa left out.

"But we are men of action. When the enemy is talking about their great plans, we immediately go for the kill. Of course when there's a way for peace we go for that option but if that doesn't work? Well, better go run and hide, cause we're coming." His eyes and smile turned a little to Xun Er's eyes. Causing her body to tensed.

'W-What's going on? His eyes.... Their not normal! It's almost as if they hunger...' Suddenly, she felt a small shiver down her spine.

Turning to his grandpa Xun Er almost let out an 'epp!' at the similar sight of grandpa Lao's expression.

'T-That's... I-I think I finally understand why Xiao Yan wanted to fight against me that time at the forest. It was because he was raised by this psycho!' Realization was on Xun Er's eyes. She couldn't help but feel pity for Xiao Yan. Poor guy. Being raised by someone like that... And at such a young age to be corrupted...

Suddenly, though, Xun Er felt that this situation was kinda familiar to her for some reason.

<Scene Break>

"Achoo!" A black dragon suddenly sneezed. Waking itself up from it supposed long and deep sleep.

Looking around him in vigilance he was confused for a moment before, to what seems to be, shrugging it's shoulders and fell back to the cool and rejuvenating lake.

<Scene Break>

Shrugging, she took a quick glance at Xiao Yan before looking away.

A tick mark appeared on top of Xiao Yan's right eyebrow as he stared blankly at the now frowning Xun Er, pity in her eyes, as she stared at him for a moment before turning away.

He felt his other eyebrow producing another tick mark. Just as was about opened his mouth, a sudden noise of door opening was sounded from their side.

The trio was inside the room of grandpa Lao, said grandpa was now holding onto a tea cup and was just moments away from drinking from it, when the door of the room suddenly opened forward with great force, almost breaking itself apart.

There, at the front of the now opened door, was a little girl with light purple hair colour and green eyes, she's also the same age as Xiao Yan.

The girl was wearing a pale white dress. She was not extremely beautiful but could be called an uncommon beauty. Her lightly smiling face emitted a fresh aura that was unique and greatly increased her charm.

But the puffy and bloodshot eyes and weakly looking appearance seemed to show a weakly sick person.

Xiao Yan however ignored all this, and with his right arm raised, he called out to the unknown girl.

"Xiao Xi Yian! Hey how you been?" Xiao Yan asked with a smile.

Xiao Xi Yian. Xiao Yan's childhood friend and also first friend when they were six years old. Although their surname may look and sound alike, truthfully, they are not. For the Xiao in Xiao Xi Yian is the meaning of "little", the Xiao in Xiao Yan however, is "within".

They had met during the awakening ceremony in the only Spirit Hall in the city. Because the both of them were adopted by two sole pharmacists in the city, this small common thing about themselves, had caused the spark of curiosity to appear in them.

When they had both awakened uncommon, but definitely not powerful, spirit essences and small amount of spirit power, the sparkle of curiosity continued until, before they knew it, they became friends.

While Xiao Yan had awakened the Heavy Xuan Ruler, Xiao Xi Yian had awakened an unknown spirit essence capable of controlling poison.

Because of how crude and fearsome his spirit essence is, Xiao Yan wasn't able to make friends, but it was mostly because he didn't want to make friends with side characters and arrogant young masters. Xiao Xi Yian was the same boat as him. Which quickly firmed their friendship into best friends.

Even though they both choose different professions in the future, Xiao Yan wanted to be a tool spirit master and Xiao Xi Yian wanted to be a doctor, their relationship stayed the same. They supported each other with everything that they can do without asking the other for compensation. They were as close as siblings at this point or perhaps...

Which makes the following the scene understandable.

Xiao Xi Yian's raised left arm slowly lowered as her eyes landed on the person that had called her name.

"Oh, sorry for not dropping by at the moment. I was just meeting up with my old man here and–" He didn't get to finish saying what he wanted to say as a pair of small and thin arms wrapped themselves around his waist. A fragrance of numerous unknown medical herbs assaulted his sense of smell.

Xiao Yan froze at the sudden intimate act before blinking his eyes and narrowed his face in confusion. Looking down he saw the trembling figure of Xiao Xi Yian hugging his waist and almost called out "Huh, déjà vu?" but stopped himself.

As he felt the clothing on his c.h.e.s.t area being damped.

"Y-Yan... *sniff and sobbing sound* Yan... *sniff and sobbing sound* I'm so... glad that your back... *sniff and sobbing sound* Please... don't leave Xi Yian again..." Whispered muffled words traveled across the room as everyone in the room is a spirit master, and although they weren't near her like Xiao Yan was, they still clearly heard her.

Xun Er closed her eyes and took a sip in the tea cup she was offered with by grandpa Lao. Both ignoring the scene near them.

Xiao Yan's expression turned soft and pained at the same time. As his eyes watered and were on the verge of letting out a dam. Slowly, he pulled the girl to him, further in a tight but comforting embrace, and with a slightly hoarse voice he softly whispered to her ears.

"I'm back..."