13 Chapter 12

Reality was cruel. The person Kai Xia had been hoping to see was not there but the person he had not wanted to see was there. The male silhouette he had seen through the window was not Qiang Feng but rather it was his brother, Kai Shu. (side note, is this name weird? man I'm terrible at making names up) This specific brother of his was a carbon copy of himself just that rather than being a martial artist, he was a mage. They were twins but they had never really gotten along well. There was no specific reason why, they just simply repelled each other.

Kai Xia was repulsed at the sight of his twin but this was the first time Kai Shu had ever came down from the family home to his hut. There must be a reason why the other had come. "I know you wouldn't come here for no go reason so spit it out and go. I don't fancy seeing you around here in my personal space," Kai Xia spat, not bothering to mask the hatred in his expression and tone. Kai Shu rolled his eyes and replied flatly, "I honestly did not want to come here either to this little shit hole you call home but your Jie who was supposed to tell you this did not and was adamant about not going back down so here I am. Ye Ye (Father's dad) wants everyone to be gathered at the family home because he has something to important to say so we have to go now without delay."

If it was not Ye Ye who had wanted them to come, he would have long told Kai Shu to screw himself and fuck off but this time Kai Xia had to suck it up and go back. All he wanted to do was lay on his bed and lament about his heart break but instead he has to reluctantly climb the mountain further to listen to whatever his grandfather had to say. The whole way up, Kai Xia was grumbling about Kai Shu under his breath as the other ignored his childish twin.

Qiang Feng could have been running for 5 minutes or maybe an hour, his sense of time had left him. His eyes were red and puffy from all the crying he had done while running. He finally started to observe his surroundings. Qiang Feng had no idea where he was but he was sure he was far away from the Kai Xia's hut. Darkness had already started to set in but he wasn't prepared for it in the slightest so he did the only rational thing he could think up of- climb the tree. At least this way, it would be harder to find him. Just as Qiang feng was about to doze off on the tall branch he was sitting on, a loud roar awoke him.

He was startled out of his daze. "That's right. I mustn't fall asleep in case something sneaks up at me" Qiang Feng thought. With that, he vigilantly stared into the darkness below him. It wasn't long before his eyes started to shut again. All that running and emotional turmoil had taken a good chunk of his energy. He was so so tired. The fight between consciousness and sleepiness was ongoing with consciousness beginning to lose. His eyes once again shut and he fell into a deep sleep.

The cool morning breeze was sweeping across his face, tousling his already messy hair. The sunlight was softly shining on him, leaving a slight and comfortable warmth. The sleep he had gotten was so so good. Qiang Feng lazily opened his eyes. When he finally did, it was the shock of his life. There was another man sitting at the edge of the branch he was lying down on. This man stared intensely at him. Qiang Feng shrieked and fell off the branch. He landed with a dull thud onto the grassy floor of the forest. (Manu: lmao he keeps meeting his men immediately after he wakes up. Xiao Feng: You could have made it such that we met in normal circumstances??? If you bully me more, I will reach out of this damn book and choke you. Manu: *sweats and continues to make Qiang Feng end up in awkward situations*)

Unlike Qiang Feng's slapstick comedy, the other man gracefully jumped off the tree and landed next to Qiang Feng who was groaning in pain. "You know, if you're a traveler, you should really know better than to sleep by yourself in such a dangerous forest? You're lucky that I, Song Zhi Gang, was travelling through this area and spotted you. It's not like I wanted to help you but you indeed looked too exhausted so I, being the kind person that I am, decided to lend a hand," Zhi Gang announced with an over the top proud smile. "damn this guy is obnoxious," Qiang feng muttered under his breath. Unfortunately for Qiang Feng, this guy had sharp ears and heard him. He raised an eyebrow at Qiang Feng who timely turned red. "Erm, thanks for helping me I guess? I'm Qiang Feng," Qiang Feng introduced himself and quickly stood up.

After standing up, he realized that this Zhi Gang was shorter than him! This greatly amused Qiang Feng who in his past life usually had to look up to talk to others. As if sensing his ridicule and amusement, Zhi Gang stood up straighter and glared at Qiang Feng who was literally looking down on him. Seeing the other's animosity towards him, Qiang Feng wiped off all the traces of humor from his face. Happy that Qiang Feng took his look seriously, Zhi Gang returned to being an arrogant young master. Honestly, that look would have been the most annoying thing in the world but Zhi Gang's good looks made up for his pride.

Zhi Gang had sword eyebrows, a smooth angular face and a prominent jawline. His skin was very fair as well. His eyes were shaped perfectly to suit his face. All in all, he was yet another wondrous beauty. After that episode, Qiang Feng decided to ask if Zhi Gang knew where the closest city was. Qiang Feng was not prepared to go back to Kai Xia's hut so he made up his mind to go to the closest city and probably get a job or something along those lines.

"Hmm, if I tell you, what would I get in return?" Zhi Gang teased.

"I don't have any treasures or money to my name but if you could direct me to the closest city, I will get a job and present you with a gift to repay your generosity," Qiang Feng replied.

"How about this? Since you seem to be jobless, you can come with me and work together. I'll take your first month's pay as repayment? How about it?" Zhi Gang asked.

This was the first time Zhi Gang had offered such a thing to anyone. He did not know why but he felt obligated to at least do that much for Qiang Feng, the man he barely knew. He seemed like a genuine man and Zhi Gang trusted his instincts a lot. As a successful businessman, he most definitely was very good at judging another's character. What business does he run you may ask. Zhi Gang was a mage, a very good one at that. He was a successful man who was able to create high level pills to sell at very high prices. Why would a mage need a worker? Well, he'll make something up along the way.