Lu Yan had mentioned yesterday that he would go over to Yao Wu's place to do some odd jobs, and he actually arrived right on time today. That little girl in Yao Wu's house probably couldn't wake up this early, and Yao Wu himself was a lazy fellow. As a result, Lu Yan found himself locked outside again first thing in the morning.
“Bang, bang, bang—” Lu Yan knocked on the door, but there was no response. He knocked again, but still, no one answered. That bastard, how is he sleeping so soundly? Veins throbbed on Lu Yan's temples as he began pounding heavily on the door.
“We're not open in the morning! Go away!” Yao Wu's voice drifted down from upstairs, hoarse and dripping with the irritation of someone who had just been jolted awake. “Coming to an apothecary first thing in the morning and pounding on the door like this, did someone in your family die?” Clearly, this guy had a terrible case of morning crankiness.
But for every rule, there was a workaround, and Lu Yan was hardly a patient man himself. The corner of his mouth twitched, and he chose to walk straight through the wall.
“Ow—! Why are you here? Ah! Stop hitting me, I didn't know it was you! Ah—!”
After a round of punching and kicking—scratch that, a friendly exchange—a thoroughly refreshed Lu Yan sat down to start his shift.
Yao Wu was wearing nothing but a pair of oversized boxers, not even bothering with a shirt. Being of a botanical nature, he loved sunlight, fresh air, and dew; throwing a layer of clothing over himself blocked out all those sensations. He would only reluctantly throw on an outer robe when he had to go out and see people. Rubbing his shoulder where Lu Yan had just clobbered him, he sat down behind the counter and propped his bare legs up on the desk.
“Let's get this straight first. I'll cover your food and lodging, and at most, I can help you pay for your little girlfriend's room. Other than that, you're not getting a single extra penny out of me.” Yao Wu listed the terms one by one, his tone sounding as solemn as if he were writing his will.
Lu Yan was over by the wall sorting herbs, categorizing the dried branches and leaves before stuffing them into their respective cubbyholes. He didn't stop his work upon hearing this, his lips merely twitching slightly. “That's plenty.”
Yao Wu blinked in surprise. He took his legs off the desk, leaned over the counter, and tilted his head to look at Lu Yan. “What did you say? Thank you? For what?”
Lu Yan stuffed a bundle of dried Chinese thorowax into the top cubbyhole and clapped the dust off his hands. “That pot of yours is some kind of sacred healing relic, isn't it? You just gave it to her like that?”
Yao Wu puckered his lips and swung his legs back onto the desk. He leaned back, tilting the front legs of his chair off the floor as he rocked back and forth. “Who said I gave it to her? I'm just letting you two borrow it. Give it back to me the moment she recovers.” He spoke with his face tilted toward the ceiling, avoiding Lu Yan's gaze.
Lu Yan stuffed the final bundle of herbs inside, turned around to lean against the medicine cabinet, and crossed his arms as he watched Yao Wu. He knew Yao Wu was lying through his teeth. Yao Wu usually never let anyone touch that pot. The last time Lu Yan had wanted to borrow it to water a pot of dying grass, Yao Wu had chased him down the street, cursing him for three blocks: “You absolute spendthrift! Is that pot meant for watering common spiritual grass? It's meant for watering my first love!” Yet now, the pot was sitting quietly on Jiang Ci's nightstand, and Yao Wu hadn't asked for it back, let alone set a deadline.
Yao Wu waited a moment, and when Lu Yan didn't say anything, he grew a little self-conscious. “What are you staring at? Is there a flower on my face?” He touched his cheek. “Well, even if there is, it's only natural. I was born gorgeous.”
Lu Yan let out a soft chuckle, choosing not to call him out. He rolled up his sleeves and began tidying the bottles and jars on the counter. “What's for lunch?”
“Your treat?” Yao Wu's eyes lit up.
“My treat, your wallet,” Lu Yan replied without looking up.
“Then what's the point of you treating?”
“I'm treating you to absolute air.”
The two of them bantered back and forth like a comedy duo. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the window lattices, casting a warm glow over Yao Wu's bare shoulders, Lu Yan's forearms with their rolled-up sleeves, and the neatly organized herb cubbyholes. A faint scent of herbal medicine drifted through the shop, mingled with the smell of wood and dust. It wasn't particularly pleasant, but after a while, the scent faded into the background.
“Let's go, let's go, time to eat! I'm starving to death.” Yao Wu dragged Lu Yan toward the door, his eyes already darting among the street-side food stalls. “What are we having today? That mutton soup place over there is pretty good. I'm close with the owner, so we can get a discount.”
Lu Yan let himself be dragged along, his tongue as sharp as ever. “So you're paying?”
“Fine, I'll pay, you stingy bastard.”
Lu Yan was satisfied.
Yao Wu kept rambling about how easygoing the mutton soup owner was, how he had given him two extra chunks of meat last time, and even thrown in a free side dish the time before that.
The two hadn't gone very far, having just crossed an intersection, when the sky suddenly changed.
It wasn't the kind of change where dark clouds pressed down from above, but rather—something had just flown past high in the sky. Lu Yan felt it first. A wave of intense heat swept overhead, carrying a scorching aura, as if someone had set the heavens ablaze. Before he could even react, Yao Wu abruptly stopped in his tracks. The hand resting on Lu Yan's shoulder tightened violently, knuckles turning white, digging in so hard it hurt.
“Holy shit...” Yao Wu's voice didn't sound like an angry curse, but rather like he had been choked by something.
Lu Yan raised his head. Although he couldn't see, he recognized that aura. Or rather, he guessed it. In this world, those who possessed this level of fire spirit aura could be counted on one hand. And the only one who would appear in the Northern Border at a time like this...
“Su Li,” he muttered under his breath.
Before his voice could even fade, a massive boom echoed from behind them. It wasn't thunder, nor was it an explosion; it was the sound of wood being torn apart, bricks and stones being overturned, and the earth being ripped open. It came from the direction of the apothecary. Yao Wu let go of his shoulder, and both of them stood frozen. The fiery shadow streaked overhead, crashed down right where the apothecary stood, and then exploded. It didn't slowly catch fire; it detonated. Like a flower made of flame, it surged upward from the roof, burning through the beams, burning through the second-floor floorboards, swallowing up all the herbs he had just organized on the shelves, the bottles and jars on the counter that hadn't been put away yet, and the chair Yao Wu had just been lounging in shirtless.
Lu Yan heard the snapping of wood, the clatter of roof tiles smashing onto the ground, and the crackle of flames licking the walls. Yao Wu said nothing. He simply stared at his apothecary burning in the fire, his face devoid of expression. The firelight cast a bright glow over his bare shoulders, stretching his shadow long and dark across the ground.
“Lao Wu—” Lu Yan began.
Yao Wu's eyes nearly split from rage.
“Nannan!”
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