Siming x Gongyi Xiao

@Gongyi Xiao Liu Qingge narrowed his eyes at Gongyi Xiao's information, unsure of how much he believed this outsider's information credibility. "Well then," he continued after a moment of silence, "Good luck on your search, young man. I will be seeing you off until here." Liu Qingge very swiftly turned around and re-entered the gates of his peak for some much needed solitary cultivation. He was never one to be intrigued by gossip, and he knew better than to think that the maiden wanted anything more than just a martial arts practice scripture. When the time came - the maiden, man, monster, whatever they were - would come to seek out Liu Qingge themselves. And that was when he would get all his answers. Or so he thought.

@Liu Qingge Gongyi Xiao knew he had Liu Qingge's attention, despite his front of disinterest. "Not Master Qi, but her disciple," he corrected, hiding a smile when he remembered overhearing the gossip that flitted around Xian Shu Peak. They reached the gate. There was a glorious sun rising from the East, and Gongyi Xiao knew he had no more time to waste. He bowed again. "Thank you again, Master Liu. I will be taking my leave now."

@Gongyi Xiao With his arm swung regally behind his back and his chin held up high, Liu Qingge waited with an air of detatchment as he waited for Gongyi Xiao to take in the scenery before him. Where would a maiden be hiding on the empty battle grounds of the top martial arts peak? The corner of his eye twitched when Gongyi Xiao finally seemed to take the hint, and was ready to take his leave. "Well then," Liu Qingge answered, along with a breathy exhale, "Guess that's that. Better luck looking elsewhere, young man." Escorting Gongyi Xiao back to the entrance of the gate, Liu Qingge was about to say that he wouldn't be sending him any further when Gongyi Xiao shared a rather interesting piece of news for him. "Unless it's Qi Qingqi," Liu Qingge began, talking about the Xianshu Peak lord, who even then, could hardly be considered a 'maiden', "I do not know of any other maidens."

@Liu Qingge At first, Gongyi Xiao wondered if Bai Zhan Peak's disciples could... mask themselves or move so fast it was impossible to see them, but very soon the truth became plain and clear: Liu Qingge did not have disciples. Either that or they were all simultaneously away somewhere at the same time. Regardless, Gongyi Xiao's composure did not break. He took a calm glance around the peak before nodding. "I see. I do not think the maiden I seek is here. Regardless, thank you for your time, Master Liu." Gongyi Xiao bowed low. "I shall take my leave now." They walked back down to the main gate together, and, seeing how Liu Qingge played him, Gongyi Xiao couldn't let himself leave without getting back at the Peak Lord, daring as it may be. "There was a maiden asking about you as well, Master Liu," Gongyi Xiao began airily. "She seemed to have something important to tell you."

@Gongyi Xiao Liu Qingge listened with an air of disinterest about him as Gongyi Xiao pleaded his case, though it was slightly humorous that this Huanhua Palace disciple would come all the way here to his Baizhan Peak in search of a /maiden/ of all things. "Gladly," Liu Qingge answered the younger man, the slightest hint of a smile tugging at the right corner of his lip. "I can see you're looking hard. I will," he said, sighing as if this were a great favor he bestowed upon his guest, "Reluctantly open up my gates to let you search my disciples." Follow me. Turning on his heels and stalking inside the gates and stopped a few paces before the vast main training grounds that were for lack of better wording, barren. "There you are," he introduced to Gongyi Xiao, "All the disciples of the BaiZhan peak."

@Liu Qingge "Master Liu," Gongyi Xiao greeted when the lord of Bai Zhan Peak appeared, truly as intimidating and unwelcoming as the stories told. Still, he kept his composure and bowed respectfully. All of a sudden, before such an aggressive aura, Gongyi Xiao found his story rather stupid. However, it was be even worse if he left without saying anything after calling the peak lord out, so he explained himself as eloquently as he could. "Master Liu, I am looking for a maiden," he began cautiously. "We became acquainted at the Immortal Alliance Conference. I would like to return something she has lost, but I do not know which sect she is from. If Master Liu could allow me to ask the disciples of Bai Zhan Peak, I would be eternally grateful."

@Gongyi Xiao It was one of those days where training out in the vast training grounds of the peak was the most appropriate. Liu Qingge could concentrate his attention on mental cultivation for days, but then he also needed to practice his craft too. Bai Zhan peak was silent, void of any chatter except for the occasional irritating bird. The lack of swords clashing against each other would never have suggested that this was /the/ ground for Martial Arts. Though deeply focused on his practice, Liu Qingge knew when there was a visitor. Seeing the familiar jade green robes from the scholarly Qing Jing peak on a young woman approaching him, Liu Qingge figured Shen Qingqiu was up to his whims again. Straightening up, he followed the young disciple outside to receive this mysterious visitor, his brow cocked and his chin slightly upturned as he saw Gongyi Xiao's golden yellow robes.

@Liu Qingge There was only one peak left for Gongyi Xiao to search the next day. Bai Zhan Peak seemed especially withdrawn, though its placement was regular amongst the mountain, but the feeling of the place was... eerie. Gongyi Xiao approached the peak. Despite knowing the famed master of the peak would sense his approaching presence without any announcement, Gongyi Xiao accepted another peak disciple's aid to bringing him to the lonely peak. He waited outside the front gate as she fetched Liu Qingge, watching the clouds swirl at the base of the mountains, rather than try to take a peak into the elusive training grounds of Bai Zhan.

@Gongyi Xiao Gongyi Xiao's smile. Fan Siming recalled that the corners of his lips curved upwards too, like the first time she saw him. "Ah, right," she nodded, bowing in return. "Best of luck in your endeavors, Gongzi. It was a pleasure to meet you." Fan Siming said, her voice significantly higher pitched than usual when speaking to him. It was her nerves speaking for her, and for what? She smiled back at him, though by the time she looked up, she wasn't sure if she smiled at him, or his back.

@Fan Siming Gongyi Xiao dipped his head again when Fan Siming complimented him. Lost for words, and lost in his thoughts, Gonyi Xiao watched the sun dip beneath the horizon, falling as fast as a stone in water. "Fan guniang, thank you for your time," he said, bowing once more, deep and humble, "But I should get going. It's getting late, and my search continues tomorrow. Shifu has already granted me his blessing, I want to return as soon as possible." He smiled at her, warm and comforting. "May both our paths be smooth and prosperous. Then, I will take my leave now."

@Gongyi Xiao Ah, so that was all there was to the situation. Gongyi Xiao simply thought of her as a formidable ally. Fan Siming felt that she was quite foolish to think that there was anything more than that following such a simple encounter. She smiled again and nodded, saying as she averted locking gazes with the man before her, "I see. Gongzi, you are a kindhearted person. You are willing to dedicate much time to search for someone after a brief meeting." She folded her hands down in front of her, adding, "This diligence of yours - it must be how you rose to become a top-ranked disciple. I greatly admire that in you."

@Fan Siming Gongyi Xiao hesitated. Was he saying too much to a maiden he had just met? The thing was, she seemed interested, so it wouldn't hurt, right? Maybe it would move her so greatly that she would contact him again if she actually found the maiden Gongyi Xiao searched for. "Well," he began, "First of all, I want to return this veil to her. I'm sure she may have many, but what if this was special to her? Or held some meaning?" Now, saying it aloud, Gongyi Xiao thought that it sounded rather silly that he was saying all this. "I thought that we worked together well at the Conference. I want to thank her, and to make sure she is alright after... you know." Gongyi Xiao trailed off vaguely - everyone must know what happened at the Conference with Shen Qingqiu's disciple.

@Gongyi Xiao Since they were in conversation now, it made perfect sense for Fan Siming to ask about Gongyi Xiao's intentions without sounding like a busybody, right? She gave him a sympathetic nod of her head, seeing how crestfallen he looked after a day of luckless searching. "Gongzi, if I may ask, why are you looking for this maiden in particular? Is there something important you need to tell her? Or something that you need from her?" she asked, thinking back to their first encounter. She didn't recall exchanging anything with him that needed to be returned. As she gazed upwards to meet his dark orbs, Fan Siming's hearing faded in and out again, her breath hitching as she got another look at his handsome face.

@Fan Siming Gongyi Xiao actually /had/ met Xian Shu Peak's head disciple, and it wasn't a very pleasant meeting, anyway. At first, when Gongyi Xiao spotted her from afar, he saw her white-purple veil fluttering in the wind, which inevitably caused his hopes to climb higher than Cang Qiong Mountain. However, very quickly after he approached her and another disciple, he had only received sour looks and scowls. Even with the veil, it was quite obvious that Liu Mingyan was not the maiden he had met. "No, I already met her," he answered vaguely, embarrassed to admit that he had been utterly beat down with a stare from the disciples. "Then, forget that I asked. I should know myself that it would be hard to find her without a name or sect."

@Gongyi Xiao The corner of Fan Siming's lip twitched when Gongyi Xiao asked about her responsibilities. Did he possibly...think she was a maid? If he saw her Piaoyang Sword, maybe he'd reconsider such a thought, but of course Fan Siming had been so busy on trailing him around that she had left her sword in her room for ease of mobility. She gave a small sheepish smile and shrugged her shoulders, choosing to decline to answer for now. Turning so that she could face the open skies beyond the Peaks and Cangqiong Mountain itself, Fan Siming wondered why this young man was so intent on finding his veiled maiden. Would she be cruel if she told him she did know about that maiden? Taking a deep breath, she answered apologetically, "Unfortunately, I do not know of a maiden who weirs a veil." This was not a complete lie. Fan Siming indeed did not know of another, besides her, who dressed with a telltale veil. Unless of course- "Gongzi, are you talking about Liu Mingyan, by any chance?"

@Fan Siming "Fan guniang," Gongyi Xiao said, bowing in greeting again. He found it rather amusing how she preferred the trees rather than a comfortable bed - was her bed not comfortable enough? Did Xian Shu Peak not treat their maids properly? In the end, he couldn't help but smile, amused. "Avoiding your responsibilities up there, Fan guniang?" Gongyi Xiao teased, gesturing for her to take a seat beside him as they conversed anyway. Serving maid or not, Gongyi Xiao thought of every just human being as his equal. "Say, if you serve Xian Shu Peak, you must have attended the Conference at some point even if you didn't participate, or heard of it. Did you, by chance, hear of a maiden who travelled alone, mostly, and wore a veil the entire time?"

@Gongyi Xiao Guniang. It was what Gongyi Xiao had called her all this time. He did not know Fan Siming by any other name. If she had given him her name at the Conference, what would their meeting be like today? "Please Gongzi, call me Fan Siming," she introduced herself after another moment's hesitation. Fan Siming nodded her head again as he put the veil away, her heart fluttering once more as she saw how carefully he had tucked it away, so as to not damage it from the original state he discovered it in. "Ah, yes Gongzi," Fan Siming replied, looking up at the tree from where she dropped, "It is rather comfortable up there. I- I had fallen asleep when you first came." Her cheeks were tinged with pink, but she was eager to blame it on the chilly breeze swimming about the billowy trees.

@Fan Siming "Ah." It was hard to hide Gongyi Xiao's disappointment. He had put all of his hope into her, stupidly, but now that he looked closer, she did not seem to be a cultivator, anyway. He tried to console himself, telling himself silently that there was still all of Jianghu he had not searched yet. Cang Qiong Mountain was the first of many he would look through. "In that case, Guniang, I apologize as well." Although it was getting dark, it made little sense to just walk away once the maiden revealed that she did not even attend the Conference. It would make her feel unwanted. Instead, Gongyi Xiao continued to speak to her, folding the veil and tucking it away carefully again. "Then, are you alright here..." Gongyi Xiao paused, looking to the maiden, expectant for her to give him a surname at least. "In... the tree."

@Gongyi Xiao At his beckoning, Fan Siming rose from her position on the ground and held herself tall, like any proud disciple of Xianshu Peak would. For the first time, she came into contact with Gongyi Xiao face to face, nothing obstructing their views of each other. Would he recognize her? She tightened her lips to maintain a neutral expression on her face, her eyes flickering at every movement the other cultivator made in front of her, whether it be large or small. Fan Siming knew that Gongyi Xiao would procure her veil from his robes, so when she laid eyes on her iconic garment of clothing, she could mask any emotion towards it. Her heart raced though, and after a deep breath, she declined in a higher-pitched voice than her normal one, "I apologize again, Gongzi, but it will be no use to try that on me. I did not attend the Conference." Fan Siming had told a blatant lie. It may have been because of her nerves, but she was scared that the image Gongyi Xiao had so thoughtfully and painstakingly crafted of her in the Conference, would be shattered the moment he knew the truth.

@Fan Siming Gongyi Xiao relaxed his defensive posture when he realized that it was just another disciple of Xian Shu Peak. “No, my apologies,” Gongyi Xiao said, dipping his head in apology and greeting. “Guniang, please rise. I apologize for speaking so rudely. I didn’t realize you were there.” Come to think of it, Gongyi Xiao had not seen this one around yet. He was confident - he liked to think that he was well-versed with people and faces. “Guniang, I am Gongyi Xiao of Huanhua Palace. I come to… I seek a maiden I met at the cultivation conference. She left this behind without telling me her name nor her sect,” he explained, carefully pulling out the folded veil from his pocket to show her. “Do you mind if I hold this up to your face?” He asked awkwardly, knowing it was a horrible question. “Please, feel free to say no.”

@Gongyi Xiao Unbeknownst to Gongyi Xiao, Fan Siming's favorite place to hide was in the budding cherry blossom trees. She had followed him into the side garden, settling high above him and securing herself on a sturdy branch as she gazed down upon his sleek, braided hair. He looked majestic, in his light golden robes. It was a color that they rarely saw in the Twelve Peaks, so even if she wanted to avoid looking at him, it would be difficult. She was content with only watching though, her heart stuttering when she watched his hand closed around the veil that she thought had flown and disappeared with the fleeting wind. To her surprise, even the tiniest sound on her part caught his attention, and she froze in place as he called out. In this unprecedented situation, Fan Siming didn't know whether she should alight or pretend to be invisible. Would he recognize her? Did she want him to recognize her? Before she could ponder the best situation, her feet answered for her, and she lept off the branches, landing in front of Gongyi Xiao on one knee. Her head was bowed, as if she were a messenger reporting back, and she did not raise her head. "My apologies," Fan Siming spoke slowly, hiding the tremor in her voice by lowering it. "I had fallen asleep in the tree and was startled by this Gongzi's sudden appearance."

@Fan Siming Gongyi Xiao would be damned if he gave up so easily. He checked with every single maiden on the mountain /twice/, but none were as quick-witted, beautiful, nor graceful as the one he searched for. His final search took him to the gardens on Xian Shu Peak. It was serene and peaceful, meant to bring calmness to one, but how could Gongyi Xiao rest and enjoy this garden when he had such pressing matters? With a sigh, Gongyi Xiao took a seat on one of the benches, looking out to the pool at the edge of the mountain stream. The veil in his hand seemed almost too precious to even bring out now - it was his only connection left of the maiden. A rustle sounded in the trees behind him, and Gongyi Xiao whipped around, staring into the trees above. He could've sworn he caught movement. "Who's there?" he asked, standing warily, tucking the veil away into his robes. "Show yourself."

@Li Jiali Fan Siming was a sputtering mess as her face was forcefully cleaned, the clothe fibers feeling harsher against her skin than before. She frowned when Li Jiali finally pulled away and let her breathe, crossing her arms as she tried to shoo her Shijie out, "No no, I don't want to see him!" she confirmed, hiding the desperation of making contact with the handsome gongzi again in her voice. "I do take interest! I do! I'm uhm...uh, interested in you-!" Fan Siming uttered, then laughing because she couldn't keep a straight face. "Aiyo, don't worry about me Shijie. Right now I'm most interested in mastering the new manual Shifu gave me. I'm sure he knows who he's looking for. There's no point in making a fool out of myself and sticking my nose where it doesn't belong." With that, Fan Siming took the wet cloth from Li Jiali's hands, "Isn't it almost mealtime? We should get going Shijie. I'm hungry!" Letting the early evening pass them by, Fan Siming wondered if that was it for her short-lived fate with Gongyi Xiao.

@Fan Siming "If you didn't run, you wouldn't look so dirty!" Li Jiali snapped back, hurrying to the nearest wash basin to wring up a wet cloth. Rubbing Fan Siming's face like one would to a dirty animal, Li Jiali kept an ear for Gongyi Xiao, making sure he had not decided to move on yet. After giving Fan Siming's face a scrub down, she headed to the window to peer out of it, peeking at the grove. "He's coming this way," she announced after a moment. "Don't you think he's handsome? I mean, for you. You never take interest in anyone. You don't even come with me when I want to see Liu shishu! But when I told you there was a cultivator from Huan Hua, you came running. You're interested, aren't you? Get out there before he leaves!"

@Li Jiali In their shared room, Fan Siming kicked off her boots and all but crashed face first onto her bed. When she heard Li Jiali's voice coming from behind her, she squeezed her eyes shut and kicked her feet a few times against the side of her bed. "Ahhh Shijie!!!" she huffed when she saw the look Li Jiali was giving her, "Why did you do that!!" The hairs at her head had flown astray, completely frizzy from the little tantrum she was throwing in front of the older female, "I- I panicked! Do you even see this? What is this?" Fan Siming rambled as she stood up and made a 'look at me' gesture by opening her arms out and peering down at her outfit, "He'll be disgusted if anything!"

@Fan Siming Whilst Gongyi Xiao strolled the garden, perhaps a little apprehensively, since it seemed to be completely empty, Li Jiali sprinted for the resting quarters when she saw her shimei slip past the young master. Although Li Jiali was spoken for (in her own mind), this was the perfect opportunity to find someone to take care of her shimei. Gongyi Xiao was good looking, polite, and hailed from a respectable sect as head disciple. Even if Fan Siming would be stealing the coveted position away from some other poor maiden, Li Jiali looked out for her own first. She found Fan Siming in their room, and speared her hands on her hips. "You saw me direct him to you and you ran!" she accused with a fierce expression. "What are you doing! Don't you know where that gongzi is from? When he sees you, he'll forget all about whoever he's looking for, and you can catch a man earlier, too. Don't you know how much harder prospects get in a couple of years?"

@Gongyi Xiao The chatter that Fan Siming heard suddenly disappeared, and a long ringing sound filled her ears instead. Was it her own mind setting off alarms? A clenched fist flew to her chest as she watched the Gongzi going around, earnestly looking for /someone/. Her eyes scanned the crowd, and she saw that a few of the disciples had actually dressed in a white, fitted outfit - one reminiscent of the one Fan Siming had worn to the conference! Would he find any of them similar? Perhaps he wouldn’t even be able to recognize her, since she had refused to even let him see her face. Fan Siming wasn’t sure if she regretted her decisions or not, as she suddenly realized that in a sea of young women, she was simply too plain. Beyond that, she was not from here. Hailing from the mountainous villages on the outskirts of the realm, her facial features were rounder and softer than a lot of these sharp-looking beauties like her Shijie Li Jiali.

/”LI JIALI!”/ Fan Siming screamed in her head, clasping a hand to when she saw that her Shijie was talking to the Gongzi. Not only was she refusing to be compared, but her finger was inadvertently pointing in the direction Fan Siming was hiding in. As he made his way through the crowd, a few more disciples stepped in his path, giving Fan Siming just enough time to make a decision on the spot and flee back into the resting quarters, where outsiders would not be allowed inside. She didn’t want to be seen like this - all frazzled and sweaty (and probably smelly) from a long day of training.

@Fan Siming It was a little shameful, walking around with a piece of veil and holding it up to each willing maiden's face. Some refused, and Gongyi Xiao dipped his head and moved on respectfully. The maiden he had met would want to see him again. The chemistry the two of them had, it was nothing like Gongyi Xiao had felt, and he was sure the maiden had felt it, too. Peak by peak, he worked his way through. Xian Shu Peak was, arguably, the most difficult. Half of the disciples leered, and the other half flitted over on their own accord. When Gongyi Xiao stopped before a girl who glared at him with her hands folded over her chests, he didn't dare hold the veil up to her face. His maiden had much more delicate features, and would not scowl at him like that. Wordlessly, she pointed toward the grove some ways down the path. Thanking her, Gongyi Xiao followed the dirt path up to the obscured grove. "Is there anyone here?" he called out, stepping hesitantly into the clearing. That disciple wouldn't have sent him here for nothing, would she?

@Li Jiali With her trusty Piaoyang sword in hand, Fan Siming was practicing the lastest chapter of the martial arts manual that her Shifu had assigned to her. She was supposedly on an advanced track, but until she mastered the physical moves, mind cultivation would do her little help. Just as she the sword out in front of her and swung it up as if she were warding off an opponent, Li Jiali's ringing voice made her lose her footing, and she dropped her stature, straightening up as her Shijie came bounding up to her all too giddily.

"Siming! A cultivator from Huan Hua Palace! Looking for a maiden he'd met before! Come on, let's go see. I heard that he is making his arounds across all the peaks, and Sect Leader has given him permission to do so already."

"What...?" Fan Siming asked, not immediately understanding why the situation was so urgent. "Why would the Sect Leader let just anyone come looking in our peaks? What's so special about him?" she asked, skeptical about the mysterious visitor's true intentions. What if he was trying to steal secret manuals and knowledge to bring back to Huan Hua Palace? Or what if he had some more darker ulterior motives? She sheathed her sword and took a few steps in Li JIali's direction, intending to follow her to keep a close eye on that male until she realized where something was amiss.

Huan Hua Palace? A cultivator? Looking for a maiden? Her heart raced as she hurried after Li Jiali wordlessly. It couldn't be him, the young master she had met the other day right? She swallowed hard and thought to herself as she kept up with her Shijie, eventually the two of them arriving to the front entrance of Xian Shu Peak, where most of the other female cultivators in their Peak had gathered. Fan Siming didn't follow Li Jiali any further to the front though, keeping herself hidden behind some tall trees in the nearby grove as she peered onwards to find that it was none other than Gongyi Xiao, the handsome Gongzi who had saved her life.

@Fan Siming Ever the gossip, Li Jiali was one of the first of Cang Qiong Mountain to catch wind of the cultivator who'd arrived at the base of their sect. She had been watching Liu Qingge, who in turn was watching the borders and interrogated the visitor, which /then/ in turn attracted the attention of all the disciples who happened to be around them. It was just exciting, exciting enough that it sent Li Jiali running back to Xian Shu Peak with all the information she'd gathered (even if Liu Qingge was still at the scene). "There's a cultivator from Huan Hua Palace!" she shrilled at any of her sisters she passed by, pointing wildly in the direction she'd come from. "And he's looking for a maiden!" Bursting into their training grounds, Li Jiali repeated her announcement. Zeroing in on her quiet shimei, she ran up to Fan Siming. "Siming! A cultivator from Huan Hua Palace! Looking for a maiden he'd met before! Come on, let's go see. I heard that he is making his arounds across all the peaks, and Sect Leader has given him permission to do so already." Without waiting for Fan Siming to catch up, Li Jiali was sprinting back toward the commotion again, eager to be the first to know everything and anything.







--L2--