Chapter 303 - One Hundred and Three - His Yin to His Yang

The matter that the Headmaster felt was troublesome and the Teachers had become somewhat fl.u.s.tered over, did not effect the students much at this time.  The idle would gossip, so the Teachers would ensure that they were not idle whether it be with practice of their skills and arts, filled to the brim with words of lectures or earning their way into obtaining resources to improve themselves further.

And then there were those who weren't interested anyway, as they didn't feel that it would effect them.

Leon swept cobwebs and lingering, dried out leaves into a pile to one side of his courtyard before scooping the mess up and tossing it outside of the gate.  Tomorrow, he wanted to place out many of the large and small pots he'd collected to fill with the edible and alchemical herbs he'd sprouted in the glass side room.  Some of these were not common, but not overly fussy herbs, the seeds of which he'd been gifted from his elder brother Stygar in return for some of the much more challenging seeds he'd obtained in the shattered isles.  Both young men were eager to see the results of their initial attempts at growing the herbs.

Jin Li stepped out of the Coeurl's den, followed by the snapping sounds of bones.  The two gluttons were feasting on a wild mountain fowl that was common in the Ascending Mountains.  These birds were not an enlightened species and were considered unusual when it came to the care of their eggs; they laid them in warmer locations, such as near to hot springs and in sheltered basin areas, shoved them in mountainous cracks and then left them to hatch alone.  The little grey chicks had no voice in which to call their absentee parents, could only fend for themselves and hope to survive.  There wasn't much meat on their tiny structures and the wild mountain fowl's bones and beak were almost as hard as rocks, hence they were mostly ignored by predators that preyed on similar species' young ones.  Until they grew to a.d.u.l.t size, that was.  Then, as they were fattest of all birds in winter as they ate many things, including things that might be considered poisonous with no ill effects, they became a favourite of most predators during this more difficult season.

The one they had captured had just laid its eggs, so hadn't lost the delicious layer of fat that had been protecting the unborn offspring in its belly yet, plus the bones were softest around this time to make for easier laying as those eggs had been developing most of the winter, another strange feature of the bird.  As for the eggs, they were left in the crevice.  Wild mountain fowl's eggs were disgusting, no creature with half a brain would touch them.

Adjusting his eyes to the warm light of the descending sun, Jin Li blinked and caught the happy smile on his lover's face and was instantly filled with thoughts as he stared like a man enraptured.  "C-c-come in for d-dinner," Leon invited him, though his brain translated those words to mean something entirely different.

Unaware of the other's thoughts, Leon washed his hands in a bowl of water in his small kitchen and moved towards the stove.  Arms wrapped around his waist and warmth spread across his back.  He subconsciously leaned against the source, regretting it a moment later as his ear lobe was subjected to a teasing lick followed by a gentle bite.  He felt fingers fiddling with the sash of his robes and knew what would soon follow if he allowed it. 

There was some temptation, he would privately admit, to succ.u.mb to Jin Li's advances, but he also knew that he might not be able to stand up let alone eat tonight should he do so.  That wouldn't mean Jin Li would go hungry, though, as the dinner left in the pot would 'mysteriously vanish' while he slept.  The excuse that 'it wouldn't have been edible if left any longer' would spill from the suspected culprit's tongue as well as 'this Lord did not wake you, allowing you to rest and yet you still complain!'  Jin Li had many selfish traits, especially when it came to food, but in some ways it also made him easier to handle.

Leon quickly lifted the lid off of the pot and a spicy aroma spread instantly in the surroundings.  The movement at his waist halted as did the suckling sensation upon his ear.  This was a sort of curry rice that Leon had come up with using ideas from his previous life and some knowledge of his current one.  There was an edible herb he used to collect in the forest that had a bite to it when added to food.  It was quite a popular thing to pick and dry it for winter when it could heat the body and stave away the cold.  There were also winter berries, one of which had a sweet tang that went well with the herb and roots that added creaminess and warmth.  It had taken him a few attempts to create this one pot 'curry' rice, but time was something he did not lack in the evenings when Jin Li was obediently attending school and letting him alone. 

The smell of the concoction was pungent and roused appetite.  Sure enough, Jin Li placed a final kiss on Leon's lobe and reached for the bowls on the shelf as well as spoons and chopsticks.

*****

Chopsticks were placed on empty bowls and a refreshing tea reduced the spice lingering upon the tongue. Jin Li licked his lips and decided it was time for desert.

Unfortunately, he had only begun to tug the unsuspecting target of his d.e.s.i.r.es into his l.a.p when there was a knock upon the door. It then swung open.

"Beloved Grandson and Grandson-in-law!"

Leon's face immediately flushed red and he scrambled to return to his cushion upon the floor, unable to meet Jian Juren's amused stare. Jin Li clicked his tongue before pouring himself a second cup of tea, as if being caught in that moment of ambiguity hadn't occurred. He watched with regretful eyes as Leon gathered up the empty bowls and used chopsticks to place in the bowl of water in the kitchen.

The scents of the meal had not yet faded and Jian Juren sniffed appreciatively. "Oh, had you just eaten?" He didn't wait for a response before continuing; "I'm intrigued. What kind of thing did my Grandson-in-law cook? It smells delicious."

"Does it matter?" Jin Li retorted, rudely. "There's none for you." Leon discreetly placed the lid over the leftover's that he suspected would become Jin Li's midnight snack.

"Grandson, you are so stingy when it comes to your things!" His grandfather teased. "No wonder you seldom got along with your elder brothers!"

"Oh?" Jin Li raised a brow in question. He didn't recall having any issues with his elder brothers. The pair were that much older than him, Jin She was already twenty when he was born, Jin Sha some ten years older still. It would have been quite petty for them to try steal his childhood things like his numerous cousins had attempted to do here and there. And as for later, he was too busy training and cultivating to socialise with them, plus Jin Sha had his businesses, Jin She his own studies. They were brothers by blood, but that really all that connected them.

"D-does G-Grandfather w-want tea?" Leon asked the older man, who beamed as he glanced at Jin Li with some small gloating.

"Alas, Grandson-in-law," Jian Juren replied, a bit dramatically, "I shouldn't, I'm lacking the time... ah, pour the tea! One drink won't make a difference!"

"Old man," Jin Li sneered as his small alchemist poured his tea into a spare cup. "Is there a reason that you have descended upon us."

Jian Juren lazily sipped the slightly cooled tea with a sigh. "I'm going back," he advised them abruptly. Jin Li froze, hesitant.

"Oh?" He responded after a few moments.

"I've been away from the Higher Realm for too long," Jian Juren lamented, "memories are short if left to forget. People will begin to have ideas."

"If those people haven't learned by now," Jin Li muttered, thinking of Jian Juren's supposed treasure filled tower with all its tricks and traps, "they really do deserve death." Later, he would explain this to Leon, he would also be asked if there was actually some rare treasure inside, only to advise his lover that there was not. This was all a game devised by Jian Juren for his own amus.e.m.e.nt. Most of a certain age were aware, would even use it as a way to temper stubborn brats, though not really let them come to harm. However there was always one idiot every month or so that thought he could breach the tower and take its things.

"Do you have any messages for your parents?" Jian Juren asked him.

Jin Li lifted the lid of the tea pot, only to find it was nearly empty inside. "Not really," he replied. "You may inform my father that I continue to train well and my mother..." he glanced at his small lover who began to redden beneath his gaze. "Tell mother that I have found the yin to my yang. That is all."

Jian Juren smiled, his eyes twinkling. But what would his daughter say when she discovered that this yin was actually all yang?