The lid of the keg sealed together with a soft thump and Leon rocked back onto his feet and stood almost gracefully, satisfied with how the Serene Milk salts were forming. He was planning on using the salts, once they were complete, to make his Bath Salts, instead of using the salty spring water from the distant cave he originally found Jin Li in. He hoped that the Serene Milk Salts would be a viable subst.i.tute seeing as they were one of the ingredients in the much used Light Chi Elixir (What Cultivators often placed in their bath waters at present).Dusting off his plain hemp robes, he began to consider what else he could make today, when a familiar voice broke into his contemplation. "Leon!" She rushed inside, through the open door without qualms. Fortunately, because the inside of Leon"s hut was not large, she refrained from pouncing upon him in her usual, affectionate way.
"Hey, M-Maimai," he gave her a light smile before reaching for a spare cup from the shelf to make her a cup of tea. It was a bit dusty, so he decided to give it a quick rinse first. This cup wasn"t used too often, meant for guests as Jin Li had one that he considered his own, a rounded, black and grey China cup and Leon favoured a simple, brown one.
Steaming tea placed before her, she flopped upon the floor beside the table, ignoring all lady-like proprieties that she had been taught until wanting to scream, and took a sip. The flavour was much how she liked it, strong and sweet. Usually, the majority of the servants in the woman"s quarters of her father"s mansion served delicately flavoured teas as that was how the Madam and Merylin liked to drink it. Only her personal servants would serve her strong teas and then only while she did not have company. Therefore, she appreciated the freedom the school gave her more. Smacking her lips together happily, she waited until Leon sat opposite her before confessing something that had been weighing on her mind.
"I"m really, really sorry!" She apologised ahead of time.
"F-for What?" Leon asked, a bit confused.
"My sister, she has a bit of interest in Jin Li," Maimai admitted. Leon already knew this and thought this statement was understated. "I"ve warned her away, I mean, it is so clear that Jin Li has never had any time nor interest in her, but she..."
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Leon smiled, wryly. "Th-thinks otherwise?" Whether in this world or in Leon"s previous world, people who were in love could be very blinkered. He recalled how he had blindly accepted all of his old crush"s whims and received nothing in return for his troubles, but heartache. However, he did not believe Miss Merylin was the sort of girl to trail after her love like a lost puppy and watch him walk away in the end. He didn"t think her pride would allow it. Actually, as their paths had not crossed for a while, he rather thought she had stepped back and decided Jin Li was not worth her time. If Maimai was mentioning her now, clearly he had thought wrongly.
"En," Maimai agreed. "But she"s gone too far! She"s been trying to convince daddy to recruit Jin Li into the Sect and make him his succeeding disciple. As the eldest di-daughter, she would then marry him after a time." The cup in Leon"s hand trembled and he placed it upon the table carefully, less he spill the hot beverage upon himself.
"Wh-What d-did your father say t-to that?" Leon stuttered, heavily as he asked this. Jin Li was strong, well worth a good position in a good Sect, should he choose. Although, when they first met, Jin Li"s aspiration was to return home, to the Higher Realm, he hadn"t mentioned going back for sometime now. So could he be tempted by something like this?
Maimai"s brows raised and she shook her head with an inward sigh. Leon clearly had not been loved enough by his gong if he still thought another could turn Jin Li"s head. "Silly," she teased him. "As if Jin Li would chose my sister over you." She placed her empty tea cup down. "But that"s neither here nor there. As much as daddy likes to indulge us, he won"t allow us to affect his decisions when it comes to the Sect. There are already a few potential youths in the Sect he might pick to eventually succeed him, not to mention a few brothers. Granted they are shu-born, so the Madam might protest, but daddy will choose whom he chooses, not who Merylin chooses for him. He also would never force anyone to join the Sect. That does not make for loyal disciples."
Leon"s lips curved into a rea.s.sured smile, but it did not quite reach his eyes. Maimai wondered if she should have kept her mouth shut and not warned him at all, but she had wanted to arm him, in case Merylin tried something else to gain Jin Li"s attentions. However, before his best friend could form anymore words to make him feel better, an clicking noise of irritation interrupted them.
Speak of the devil...
Jin Li stood, arms crossed about his chest in the doorway of the small hut. Were it not for the light already becoming dim due to the thickening clouds in the sky, they would have noticed his shadow cast over the table and welcomed him sooner. The man glared at Maimai, coldly, only for the glare to be returned with a sly grin, before he was completely ignored. Narrowing his eyes, he stormed the three steps necessary to reach his small lover and gathered him into his arms in a way that was somehow possessive, but tender, causing Leon to blush profusely. Jin Li then indicated with a dismissive wave that Maimai"s presence was no longer appreciated.
The girl just rolled her eyes in a very obvious way, before rising to her feet and leaving. She glanced once over her shoulder to see the intense, fiery way the man gazed at her best friend, who met the stare with adoration. If her sister could see this, could see that there was no s.p.a.ce for her to squeeze herself in between them, would she finally give up?