Ayden had leapt to his feet, nearly spilling the food, and in two or three wide strides, he was beside the cultivator, his eyes round: the man was walking around with an open wound in his side as if nothing had happened! The white robe had absorbed the blood, staining the fabric roughly. Ayden had only noticed the injury when the other had turned to leave.

      “Sit down and stay still. What’s the matter with you, wandering around like this? Are you looking for death? Your Grand Master Zhongyou left me some care. I’m coming back. And take off your clothes.”

      The unknown man frowned slightly.

      But Ayden had already gone back to his pavilion to fetch the needed items as soon as he had spoken to the other man, and in no time, he was back. The other had barely undressed, and Ayden saw the Jade-like skin gradually uncovering itself before his eyes. And he was dumbfounded. It wasn’t just the flank, but blue-purple rosettes that made up the other’s back, as if he had been beaten.

       Ayden’s eyes darkened.

      Silently, Ayden entered the pavilion and pulled the door shut behind his back before grabbing the candle to bring it closer to them. Then, without a word, he knelt behind the other and pulled at the partly undone clothes to reveal the man’s waist. The latter did not even flinch, as if everything was absolutely normal, and the redhead frowned before cleaning the wounds so he could then apply the balm. And the pale skin under his fingers seemed almost cool compared to his own.

~*~

      Only the rustling of cloth broke the silence in the pavilion. The cultivator never let a single sound pass his lips as Ayden had spent the last few minutes rubbing the balm and then bandaging it. When the jar was closed again, the slight tinkling sounded like the end of this strange moment.

      Ayden stepped back as the other pulled his robes over his shoulders. He turned to Ayden after closing his clothes and joined his hand in his palm to bow. Well, he wished he could, but Ayden had grabbed his arm to pull him upright and stop him from continuing. And Ayden noticed.

      He had thought they were black, but they were not. Instead, the irises were black brown with gold in the centre, flattering the pupils with their light.

      “It’s okay. There’s no need.”

      This time he saw the other’s eyebrow twitch, and Ayden couldn’t stop a smile from stretching his lips: the cultivator was finally reacting. And it was only because of a code of conduct thing? What a man!

      “I’ll leave the stuff here for you,” said the redhead, straightening up. “Don’t forget to change the bandages.”

      As he was about to leave, the other man’s voice rang out. “Thank you. For your help.”

      If Ayden had a warm, deep, and singsong voice, his was clear, smooth and harmonious, like a soft breeze. The redhead turned to face him, and after a heartbeat detailing him, smiled at him.

      “I almost thought you were mute.”

      The other seemed to frown a little more. Even that, the cultivator did it with grace.

      The warrior’s smile became bigger. “Ayden. My name.”

      This time, the redhead didn’t stop him from bowing.

      “Guan Yi, courtesy name Lu Yuntu,” the cultivator finally introduced himself.

      “What does that mean?” Ayden asked, sitting back down.

      Lu Yuntu frowned slightly, but the redhead continued, unshamed and familiar even though he had only just met the cultivator. “A-Hui explained to me that your first names always have a meaning. His is written with the characters for ‘Virtuous’ and ‘Splendour’, isn’t it? What about yours?”

      Again, Lu Yuntu seemed to hesitate a little before straightening up. He went to his writing table, and when Ayden saw him sitting there, he followed him to face him. Lu Yuntu took out a parchment, chose a brush and wet the tip with ink before writing. This was the first time he had seen someone write calligraphy in front of him, and Ayden followed his movements with attention as the paper became blackened with characters. He was not a connoisseur, but he was sure he could tell that the cultivator had beautiful calligraphy. Lu Yuntu turned the paper towards him as he finished and carefully put the brush down.

      “The character ‘Cloud’,” he said, showing the first set. “And the character ‘Paint’.”

      Ayden raised an eyebrow, looked charmed, and took the paper to observe the intricate characters forming the cultivator’s first name. Both the calligraphy and the interpretation were beautiful, and Ayden could not help but smile. He put the parchment down after a moment and looked up at Lu Yuntu.

      “And how would you write ‘Ayden’?”

      The question seemed complex, and Lu Yuntu thought for a moment before picking up his brush again. Ayden saw him hesitate, the point a hair’s breadth from the paper. Then he drew the first line. And one by one, Ayden saw his name appear before his eyes in a language he understood but never knew why. When Lu Yuntu finished, he took the sheet of paper from himself without waiting to look at it, feeling like a child impatiently waiting for his fruit paste.

      He whistled, impressed. “It’s beautiful. Really.”

      He didn’t know what ideogram the cultivator used, but he liked the result and didn’t need more. Carefully folding the parchment, Ayden looked up at the other and offered him a discreet but sincere smile.

      “Thank you. I’ll keep this as payment for the help,” Ayden said, showing the paper before straightening up. “Don’t forget to change your bandages. If you need help, you know where to find me.”

      Lu Yuntu didn’t even have time to react when the redhead had already left with a “Good night” in a smiling voice before the door closed with a slam that made them shake. The cultivator remained there, sitting in front of his writing table, completely stunned after the scarlet tornado’s passage. Ayden had left as turbulently as he had arrived. Clan leader Lu Lisong was right: the redhead was definitely a strange character.

      Everything was suddenly silent.

- Lu Yuntu's name is written: "綠雲圖" in traditional Chinese, "绿云图" in simplified Chinese / Guan Yi is written "關毅" or "关毅" in simplified

The first name "Yi" means "Firm/Resolute".

- Lu Yuntu wrote Ayden's name with "艾登" and it means "Green/Palish green/Chinese mugwort/etc" and "To go up/To climb/To succeed the imperial examination/etc"