"How long are you going to keep sulking, Ah-Ran?" Walking beside his brother out of the main hall, Chi Cheng sighed hopelessly.
"Why do I have to be paired with that mongrel?!" Chi Weiran grumbled, blowing a loose strand of hair that fell over his face. "I can't even stand being in the same space as him."
"The feeling's mutual, Mr 'I need my brother to prepare my meal for me' at this age," Feng Yuxian scoffed, walking a few feet behind them.
Chi Weiran turned around furiously, but Feng Yuxian raised his hands, shrugging with a clear smug expression.
"You brought this upon yourself, Ah-Ran." Chi Cheng touched his younger brother's back, prompting the younger male to face forward. "Just prove that you both can work together and I'm sure Grandmaster Han will allow you to work separately afterwards."
"I'd prefer to be paired with Senior Brother Chi Cheng instead," Feng Yuxian stated spitefully, folding his arms behind his head. "Having someone attractive to work with is much easier, especially in be-"
"I'm not interested in your paring knife," Chi Cheng half-turned, confronting the Feng disciple with a bright smile. "I prefer long swords that can thrust well." He made the gesture of brazenly dragging a finger upwards along his torso.
Feng Yuxian's face flushed a light red, heat rushing to his ears from Chi Cheng's bold move. The other disciples accompanying them laughed at the scene, sliding in one or two mocking remarks to the Feng disciple in Chi Cheng's favour.
Feng Yuxian made a wise decision to remain silent for the duration of their walk and Chi Cheng resumed forward.
"Brother, what did you mean by that?" Chi Weiran quirked an eyebrow curiously. "Paring knives and swords have different uses, don't they? And what was that Feng brat going to say?"
'You have a hot temper but your mind is still so innocent.' Chi Cheng resisted the urge to laugh at that thought.
"Pay it no mind, Ah-Ran." Chi Cheng brushed him off. "Come, we've arrived at the training courtyard."
The training courtyard was a large expanse of snow-covered ground that spanned the area outside the training hall and barracks. It was barren except for the boundary wall that ran along the exterior of it, shielding it from the rest of the Han clan's estate.
"Oh we're the first to arrive," Chi Cheng noticed that the Grandmaster and his aide were nowhere in sight, the other disciples following after them. "I suppose we should just wait here then."
"Brother," Chi Weiran started, plopping himself down on the soft snow. "How are you always so composed? We're only a few years apart, but it seems like you're a lifetime ahead of me."
Chi Cheng smiled at the irony in his younger brother's words. They couldn't be more truer and only if he'd known.
'I was given a second chance at life.' Chi Cheng recalled the scene in his dream that morning. 'I have lived life to its fullest and beyond and I chose to bury that with my past self. Now I only live to see you succeed and achieve your goals. And I promised I wouldn't let the shadows of my unsightly self from the past surface again.'
"Responsibility and duty," Chi Cheng said, patting his younger brother's head. "You will come to learn it eventually, Ah-Ran. Succumbing to one's temper will only pose obstacles and not just in your cultivation endeavours but in your own judgement and understanding as well."
"Hah! You sound like you're older than father." Chi Weiran laughed heartily. "I'll try to do better so you won't be disappointed, brother."
Chi Cheng parted his lips to reply, but he was stopped by an abrupt touch of a hand on his shoulder. He turned around, his face paling with shock and fear when Han Yijun stared directly at him.
"Come with me." With a face twisted in displeasure, Han Yijun said demandingly. "Now."
"Who-" Chi Weiran speedily woke up from the ground but his older brother made a hand gesture to stop him.
"Wait here, Ah-Ran," Chi Cheng's expression grew pensive, shaking his head. "Don't argue, I'll be back soon."
Chi Weiran lifted a hand to reach for his brother as Chi Cheng was whisked away by Han Yijun, but all he could do was press his lips together with worry.
He didn't dare to do anything that would make his older brother upset.
"Slow down, Han Yijun." Chi Cheng noticed the awkward movements in his ex-lover's walk. "You're hurt." He stated, feeling his left wrist throb from where Han Yijun held it tightly and dragged him along towards the back of the training hall.
Han Yijun slammed him against the outer wall of the training hall and Chi Cheng grimaced, feeling his barely recovered wounds ache from the force.
"What do you care if I'm hurt?!" Han Yijun banged a fist beside the shorter male's head, but Chi Cheng didn't flinch this time. Instead, he stared directly into his ex-lover's eyes. "You didn't think twice before burning my eyes."
He had no right to be afraid after all.
"You're right," Chi Cheng agreed with him. "I was impulsive and intentionally hurt you."
"That's all you have to say?" Han Yijun snorted, leaning closer to Chi Cheng as he cornered him in between both his arms. "I was whipped ten times on my back and ten times on my legs. My uncle didn't even feel an ounce of mercy for me and yet you were able to get away unscathed!"
'What about the marks and wounds you left on me…' Chi Cheng was tempted to retort, but his guilt of feeling responsible for Han Yijun's punishment was more than his self-pity.
"You must be spreading your legs for all the other disciples," Han Yijun remarked, brushing a hand through his short hair. "You like them younger, don't you? Is that why you decided to get rid of me last night? Did you tell my uncle beforehand? Did you forget to tell him why you came to my room? Answer me!"
'You were the one with a woman… how can you so easily think of yourself as the victim in this… ' Chi Cheng voiced internally, turning his head to the side to avoid Han Yijun's gaze. 'Don't make me bring my old self to the surface Han Yijun… I plead with you… please walk away.'
"Hah! You can't even look at me or speak to me!" Han Yijun jeered, his eyes flaring with mock and loathe.
'Just leave it be, Han Yijun!' Chi Cheng was reaching the limits of his patience.
"I won't appear before you ever again after the apprenticeship course," Chi Cheng promised. "I will stay away from you and if it's a fair punishment you want then I will confess to Grandmaster Han and receive it."
"You thought I would let you off that easily?" Han Yijun rested an arm against the wall beside Chi Cheng, bringing the other to rest on his hip. "I'll tell you what, Chi Cheng. I'll forget all about this and pretend it never happened if you let me have a taste of you in bed."
Chi Cheng's eyes widened at the provocative suggestion. All the suffocating guilt that consumed his heart and plagued his mind since the morning had suddenly vanished. His concern for Han Yijun's injuries, his constant thoughts at the back of his mind that focused on whether his ex-lover's sight was unharmed or not had run free from Chi Cheng.
"You rejected me and threw me away, yet you still desire my body?" Chi Cheng released a cynical laugh. It was so pitiful and hilarious.
He deemed himself a fool for even thinking so considerately of Han Yijun.
"You have the nerve to laugh in this situation!" Han Yijun raised his arm, preparing to strike the shorter male.
"You're not making this any easier," Chi Cheng's tone became deep, the usual cheeriness and soft nature of his voice changing into something akin to a snarling predator. His emerald green eyes began to flicker like glowing orbs as he raised a hand. "You should have sto-"
Chi Cheng was interrupted by the appearance of Han Xuelian who caught his nephew's arm before it struck the shorter male. The Grandmaster's expression twisted with clear disdain as he gazed down shamefully at Han Yijun.
The flickering hue in Chi Cheng's eyes immediately dulled and Han Yijun paled by his uncle's arrival.
"I should have had you whipped fifty times more," the Grandmaster hissed, pulling Han Yijun aside. "I warned you to not cause any trouble today but you're so very determined to lose all your rights in ascending to my position in the future."
"Come," Han Yongrui appeared, taking his brother by the arm. "You still need to participate in today's training activities." He dragged him away.
Something switched inside Chi Cheng when he noticed the Grandmaster's actions that were in favour of him. He resisted the urge to grin and sneer, realising that he had more at his disposal than he was aware of.
But his thoughts were interrupted when Han Xuelian slipped an arm around his shoulders, bringing him away from the wall his back was pressed against.
"You're getting yourself in quite a lot of trouble since you've arrived, Chi Cheng." The Grandmaster sighed, looking at him pitifully. "What am I going to do with you?"
"Forgive me," Chi Cheng apologised. "I'll avoid Han Yijun so that we won't have any encounters like this again."
"I hope you'll learn to defend yourself better." Han Xuelian guided Chi Cheng to walk with him. "Come, we will begin the apprenticeship course."