"So, she's your sister." JinLing said while siping his green tea, that was just now served by Xiao LongShi's sister aka the beautiful maiden who was singing before.

LongShi replied, "Yes, she is my elder sister Xiao LongYan. She's one year older than me."

"I didn't asked for her biography." JinLing indifferently said.

The youth's face turned red out of embarrassment as he said with a muffled voice, "Y-yes Sect Leader."

Sizhui said, "Oh so that's why you wanted us to visit the woman who was singing?"

The little boy's face turned even redder. However, he managed to say, "yes"

Sizhui chuckled seeing his response and said, "No need to be embarrassed. Your sister has beautiful voice."

Suddenly, unintentionally or intentionally JinLing banged the empty cup on the table very loud. Turning everyone's attention to him.

He shouted, "What?!"

"Why's your temper so bad?" Jingyi said in a voice that wasn't very polite.

JinLing furiously turned towards him and said, "What did you say?!"

"Didn't you heard?"

"Okay okay calm down guys." interrupted the gentle voice trying to soothe the raged atmosphere that had generated out of nowhere.

JinLing hastily turned his eyes away for Jingyi and landed on Sizhui.

The furious phoenix eyes met with the gentle worried eyes.

He subconsciously gulped.

He turned away his gaze and said with cross arms, "Fine."

Jingyi frowned looking at the wooden floor as if he was thinking deeply of something. Suddenly his eyes widen as if realization hit him and wanted to say something, but he didn't.

He just quietly sat down trying his best to hide the smirk that was forming on his face for no particular reason, and sipping his green tea.

However, Zizhen seemed to notice his smirk. He quietly asked, "Why are you smiling?" Jingyi shook his head and whispered, "No reason."

After a few moments, a soft voice entered the living room where the youths were seated from the inner room, "Sorry for making the fellow cultivators wait. Rice is ready."

Xiao LongYan walked in holding a huge wooden tray and six bowls of rice were placed on it.

Sizhui said, "Many thanks. Let me help you." While saying this he got up.

"Ah there's no need for gongzi to do it." she hurriedly said.

Sizhui said with a brilliant smile, "Haha, how can I let a lady do the whole work alone."

The maiden's cheek flushed red for no particular reason. Sizhui reached out his hands to hold the tray and mistakenly the maiden's pale and soft skin of her hand touched with the man's jade white hand.

Crack.

Everybody was shocked by the sound. Sizhui retracted his hands which were gonna hold the tray. He turned around around to see what broke just now.

It was the cup. The glass cup. But now, it was decorated with bloody red. And the man holding the cup had the expression darker than the blood.

He looked like an injured tiger, ready to attack its prey and crave it to death.

Even Jingyi and Zizhen who were sitting beside him couldn't help but move backwards. Jin ShangLi, who didn't change his expression ever widened his eyes. And poor Xiao LongShi was scared, he cried, "Sect Leader!"

Sizhui at moment dashed to him and said, "JinLing what are you doing?!"

JinLing seemed to have snapped back to the ungrateful  reality. He said, his voice eight octaves low, "Nothing. I guess I was just thinking too hard."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Sizhui said reaching his hand to hold the injured hand of JinLing.

Though his righthand was drastically injured, he still got the energy to move away his hand as a reflex. And that energy particularly came out of nowhere.

"Don't touch me." he said.

"... Huh?"

"I said don't touch me." he repeated.

The maiden, holding the tray in her hand said, "Let me bring the medicine for you."

Her voice was soft and filled with worry. But for some reason, JinLing felt extremely irritated hearing this extremely lively voice. And he felt even more irritated for feeling irritated because of such childish reason. He felt ashamed. He was angry at himself.

His drastic mental state was interrupted by a gentle voice that didn't made him feel irritated. In fact he loved it. The voice said, "Hey JinLing you're hurt. Let me see your wound? Please."

"...huh"

JinLing didn't realize when Sizhui came this close. His face was literally right in front of him. But ofcourse there was a decent gap in between them.

He turned away his gaze and looked at his own creation- the broken bloodied cup. He was really such a mess.

And Sizhui was clean.

Suddenly a gentle hand held his injured hand. Those hands were soft but not in a fragile way, nobody would like to be choked by those hands.

But, this time JinLing didn't retract his injured hand. The gentle hand holding his bloodied hand was precious to him. He wanted to feel the warmth. He cherished it. Maybe just for a moment, but he would treasure it for life time.

Xiao LongYan brought warm water, clean towel, ointment and bandages, and kept it on the table and pushed it towards Sizhui who was examining the deep cuts and parted skin.

Sizhui showed an apologetic glance at her before picking the clean towel and dipping it into the warm water. He cleared JinLing's wounds.

Xiao LongYan called her brother to help her in the kitchen. Jin ShangLi went to veranda because he felt the atmosphere inside was too abrupt.

Jingyi rested his chin on his right palm and examined the scene in front of him. Suddenly he smiled and got up. He said, "Hey Zizhen, its too hot here. Lets go to the veranda."

Zizhen was confused, but nevertheless he agreed as he felt the situation was too weird.

Left in the living room alone were Lan Sizhui and Jin Ling.

Kitchen was next to next room. And veranda was ofcourse and the back yard and not in front.

No one's voice was heard. Only two hearts beating at the same pace- Thump! Thump! Thump!

Sizhui gently cleaned his wounds and JinLing didn't utter a single word yet neither did he groaned in pain.

Now was the time for ointment. The ointment had just touched his flesh for a fraction of second, when JinLing finally let out a noise, "AHH!" It was painful.

Sizhui stopped his pace. He moved his eyes up to see those phoenix eyes and said, "I'll be gentler. Tell me if it hurts."

JinLing couldn't utter a single word. After a long while he only nodded. Sizhui couldn't help but chuckle on his action.

"Don't laugh."

"Okay, I won't."

While putting the ointment, Sizhui suddenly asked, "Well what about the watch towers that Jin Clan had planned to build up?"

JinLing frowned and nonchalantly said, "Ofcourse its canceled. The world doesn't revolve around me. How can I plan such things now?!"

Sizhui finished putting the ointment and took the bandages and wrapped it around his hand. He said, "Well, but you know what?"

He moved his head up. This time the distance was abruptly too close. Seriously too close. He had already tied the bandage but was still holding JinLing's hand, as if it was very dear to him.

And poor JinLing. He was like a statue. He forgot to breathe. He only focused on those intoxicatingly gentle eyes, but as his gaze moved downwards it landed on the thin pink lips of the male in front of him.

Sizhui continued, "You always revolve around my mind."

A/N
Heyo guys! How's life?! Well tbh i'm updating this chapter litteraly at 1:30am. And tomorrow at morning i need to attend my online class. Seroisly wow. Tf

Btw many thanks for reading the story 💖