Ash and Honey [BL]

After endless begging from the children, Fu Ran secured a room on the 13th floor—the highest available. It cost extra, but Tian Han insistently covered half.

"Now, please behave," Fu Ran began before he even opened the door. He breathed a heavy sigh and took an obstinate stance. "You can't exactly treat this place like it's your home." As a good teacher does, he gave a final lecture before stepping inside.

A blast of near-intoxicating incense filled the air as soon as Fu Ran entered, and his eyes widened. The children ran to the windows, but he remained stunned at the entrance. The view was breathtaking.

In the center of the room were two lavish beds, large enough to fit three or four people, covered in the highest-quality red silks. Even the bedposts shimmered gold. The wardrobe looked refined, richer in palette than his own. The paintings on the walls looked as though they were out of a dream. Even the rug seemed like it belonged in an emperor's palace.

Jinan truly was a world apart: Untouched by restraint and draped in excess.

Meng Xiao had already thrown open the sliding doors to the balcony and pressed himself dangerously over the edge, looking down at the sheer drop. "Hey, look! This is a way better view than the mountain sect."

"Well, below the sect, it's nothing but trees! You can't compare the two!" Lin An puffed up her cheeks and drew her hands into little fists.

"Does it suit you, Shizun?" Tian Han murmured, his fingers resting lightly on Fu Ran's shoulder. A cold sweat broke out over Fu Ran's back beneath the spot where his fingertips touched.

With haste, Fu Ran stepped away, but Tian Han chased him and asked again, "This is important. I need to know. Shizun, do you like it?" Now his face was only inches away, his expression twinkling like a student waiting for praise.

"It's fine... I mean," Fu Ran paused and looked again at the window. Out of Tian Han's calloused grip, he walked to his disciples, joining them at the balcony's edge.

Fine was an understatement. From so high up, nearly every building hung far below, and the lights shimmered like a river filled with lantern boats. The people were barely visible at this distance, blending into the movement like flowing water. Even if a giant fish leaped over the floating bridge, Fu Ran wouldn't have found it strange.

"If I were to be honest, it's beautiful." Nothing else described it better. Beautiful fit, whether for a woman or a sight outside the realm of dreams. By no means was this view poor when he was younger, but perhaps years of isolation had opened his mind to life's true treasures. In terms of views, was so much better than the comforts of his teahouse pavilion.

Fu Ran clutched the railing and gritted his teeth.

"I want to..." Lin An began. "I want to show it to Wan Yu. Can we… keep looking for him?"

All eyes on the balcony turned to the little girl. Lin An's lips trembled, her fingers curling into the fabric of her sleeves. Unlike her usual crybaby outbursts, she simply looked… empty.

Wan Yu… Fu Ran wasn't doing enough right now. His own disciple could be suffering, and here he was, enjoying a beautiful sight.

"You're absolutely right, Lin An," Tian Han said. Yet again, he spoke like he was unbothered, happily turning to lean his back against the railing. "But tonight, I'm taking your Shizun to a place where kids won't be allowed."

"What?" Fu Ran jolted and squinted.

Meng Xiao crossed his arms. "Got it. So… you two get to go off and have 'adult fun,' and we're just supposed to sit here and wait for you to find the baby?"

Of course, the boy would be upset. He'd been looking like he wanted to fight something all day. Though that was understandable, considering the harsh loss he had faced previously.

"Sorry," Tian Han mocked with a sneer. "It is what it is. You need just a few more years."

The more he spoke, the more nervous Fu Ran became. It only got worse when Tian Han began walking inside. They locked eyes for only a moment.

"Go get dressed," he said.

Fu Ran was stunned.

Not only did he get no warning, but he also got no explanation. The Tyrant Emperor had a way of getting under his skin, and just when Fu Ran started to feel anything other than dismay for the man, he did something to run that compassion into the ground.

Go get dressed, he says, with no explanation. Fu Ran mentally chastised himself, and yet he found his feet following after.

To the side of the room, there was an extra door, presumably a washroom. Fu Ran ignored the undressing Tian Han and quickly hid inside.

Regardless of the surprise destination, Fu Ran was still covered in dirt from his previous gravesite diggings and was in no condition to go outside. This was especially true when mingling shoulder to shoulder with the rich and fancy of the Faceless City.

He wiped his face, removed any excess makeup, and looked over his own features in the mirror. Upset, he twisted at his bangs. By the gods, do I really look this bad? he thought. His skin was pale—not quite sickly, but clearly that of a man who did not often touch grass.

The sound of the door creaking pulled his eyes away from his own face and toward Tian Han in the mirror.

He had dressed quickly.

The sight held him in place. The well-toned man with handsome features had changed out of cultivation attire and was now languidly wearing a sleek, thin black robe. It hung off his body in long curves, but the collar clung like it didn't want to release the muscles.

Fu Ran swallowed.

A sliver of elegance, some gold, peeked from beneath his sleeves. When he saw the Tyrant Emperor's face shift to amusement, Fu Ran quickly blinked his gaze away. However, when he went in for a second peek, Tian Han crossed his legs, revealing a subtle hint of pale white skin.

He walked closer to the mirror, pulling his hair into a high ponytail. And suddenly, Tian Han looked more put together than ever. Infuriatingly, it was an undeniably attractive appearance.

"You should change your clothes," Tian Han said. Despite his eyes stealing glances in the mirror, there wasn't a hint of mockery in his tone. "Where we're going, they're not too fond of cultivators."

"How do you know so much?" Fu Ran averted his gaze and decided to work on his own appearance instead.

Throughout the day, many strands of his hair had come undone. His usual sleek low bun had become a mess. He made a small noise of annoyance when his fingertips touched his hairpin. "Then I can't wear this either," he mumbled.

It bore the symbol of a tree, the mark of An Xian Yun Peak.

The palm of Tian Han's hand touched his own, causing his fingers to twitch. And now the Tyrant Emperor stood over his shoulder, carefully inspecting the small hairpin.

"May I?" Tian Han asked.

Fu Ran wanted to say no, to immediately deny his freedom to do as he pleased. But somehow, those weren't the words that came out. Instead, Fu Ran said:

"Fine."

Tian Han wielded an almost practiced skill, and the silver tree hairpin was quickly plucked away. With a single motion, a waterfall of inky black hair tumbled down Fu Ran's back and shoulders.

Never in his life had he cut his hair, and so it reached past his knees. Tian Han held a lock in his hand like it was expensive thread. He inspected it like it was more than just hair, as if it was something that could be ruined.

"It's likely that I see Jinan like you see An Xian Yun Peak," Tian Han explained.

Fu Ran blinked and cocked his head, but it was only allowed a moment before Tian Han straightened him back up again. "So it is… like your home?"

"An obligation," Tian Han answered. His fingers brushed through sections of hair at a time and nimbly started braiding them together. Like he was crafting an art piece, he put together a beautiful and perfectly shaped bun in one hand.

"Oh," Fu Ran said. That made sense. Because it was the place that raised him, he did feel obligation. But it wasn't necessarily a home. The people of An Xian Yun Peak had a habit of making him feel unwelcome with their words and actions.

This confirmed one thing.

"I thought you spoke like you knew the place. You were raised here?"

Tian Han didn't answer immediately. As if the question had stirred something beneath his composed exterior, he stilled. His face was scrunched up in focus as he pulled a few strands out of the bun to add some definition. A stray finger tucked a flyaway behind Fu Ran's ear.

Finally, when he looked a little more content with the shape, he plucked a gold hairpin from his sash. It was elegantly decorated with carved flowers and vines, and at the very end, it dangled with a single red gem.

Fu Ran's breath caught as Tian Han held out the golden hairpin. It was exquisitely detailed, far superior to his own. "Whoa, whoa, I—" He shook his head quickly. "I can't take that!"

However, the hold on his hair tightened just a bit, holding his head steady in place. It didn't hurt at all. The movements were careful, ensuring no strain.

"Nonsense. It suits you," Tian Han said, sliding it gently into place.

"But it's clearly more expensive than mine."

"I don't see this as a problem. You want to blend in with the city, right? I understand it's not the thought of a modest cultivator," Tian Han chuckled softly, "but affluent displays of wealth are a positive where we're going. Please keep it."

He seemed content as soon as Fu Ran stopped resisting. Stepping back to admire his handiwork, Tian Han nodded to himself. His eyes curled up into that familiar crescent moon shape.

"Shizun is correct. I grew up here."