Learning To Live As A Cultivator 111 Chapter One Hundred And Eleven - I meet a perver

Why did Jin Li kiss him? Why did Jin Li kiss him then tell him not to forget about it? And why did Jin Li kiss him on the lips in revenge for a drunken kiss upon the cheek? These sorts of questions swirled about in Leon's mind all night to the point where he got nothing but a headache. As dawn broke the pitch of night, Leon's heavy eyelids fell over his eyes and he finally slept for a couple of hours, before the noise of the awakened streets spilled into the bedroom denying him any more rest.

Jin Li had returned to their room at some point to lie stiffly upon the other side of the bed, unmoving. And when Leon rose drowsily from the bed, Jin Li followed suit, moving quickly as if it was his plan first for them to descend for breakfast. They ate in silence, Leon surreptitiously glanced at Jin Li in between bites of food, while Jin Li ignored him completely. Seeing as Jin Li really was not going to explain what happened the evening before, Leon decided to let it alone as well and try bury the memory. It sort of... kind of... hurt knowing that the man he had feelings for would prank him like this, but Leon could not explain his actions any other way.

"You are returning to the alchemist school?" Jin Li finally ended his silence as they stepped out of the inn late morning.

"N-no, n-n-not yet," Leon replied, softly. "Selling p-p-Pills."

"Did you not sell pills to pharmacist Clawse yesterday?" Jin Li questioned, startling Leon. Had Jin Li been looking for him yesterday? Was it not coincidence then, their meeting? So that kiss...? No, no, don't question it Leon!

He shook his head to stop himself, then said aloud; "N-new b-buyer. M-mister Clawse said t-to m-m-meet him t-today."

Jin Li raised a lone eyebrow. "Lead the way." As it happened, that was unnecessary as the meeting was to take place at the pharmacy anyway. Mr Clawse greeted them with a slightly chiding sentence;

"I expected you a little earlier, Leon." To which the young alchemist could only stutter an apology as they followed Mr Clawse up to the stairs and into his receiving room.

The man that Mr Clawse wished to introduce was named Ursam, he did not use the suffix of Mister and had no other title per-say.  He was a 'retired' Cultivator; that was to say, that he did not practice cultivation anymore, although, in the past, he had until reaching Senary and two stars stage cultivation level.  If it wasn't for meeting the ordinary woman who became his wife, he would likely have reached the peak of Senary or even have half step into Septenary stage by now.

Regardless, Ursam was a round face, jovial man with long, midnight hair that reached midspine, tied by a leather string at the nape of his neck.  He grinned brightly upon seeing the two young men and his eyes twinkled as Leon produced his clear spiritual pills.

"So," he said, his voice quite musical to listen to, resonating deep but as Leon soon found out, it would reach high frequencies with ease.  "You discovered the secret of the Purple Spirit Grass!"  He said this as if speaking to a co-conspirator then laughed merrily as Leon froze for a moment in surprise.  Mr Clawse simply rolled his eyes heavenward as if he was used to this odd behaviour.

"Sorry, Sorry!" Ursam sang, but did not sound the least bit so.  "I do not mean to tease you! Many alchemists have discovered that using purple spirit grass grown in certain locations can decreased the impurities in the resultant pill!  You are probably the youngest I have encountered though.  I, myself, did not learn of it in my alchemist years, but rather when I began selling pills as a middleman."

"Oh?" Jin Li questioned, looking over the man's physique with a trained eye.  "I would have said that you, sir, were a martial artist." As ever, Jin Li treated with respect for those that had strength.

"I am.. I mean I was," Ursam replied, without his grin faltering in the slightest.  "But before that, I was an alchemist, just not a great one.  I chose to change my fate and pursue the great arts of the warrior instead.  Actually, it was for a girl, but don't tell my wife!  That girl ended up becoming Dao Companions with my senior martial brother anyway."

"D-dao c-companion?" Leon blurted out the question without thought.

Ursam looked a little startled as he glanced at a rather innocent expression on the glasses youth's face, before a touch of wickedness altered his curved smile into more of a smirk.  "Long term cultivation partner... you know the old saying; 'birds of a feather, cultivate together...' although really there is only one bird and one nest, if you catch my meaning!"

Leon flushed, his skin turning a brilliant red, causing the old Cultivator to burst into even louder stomach felt laughter.

Mr Clawse rolled his eyes once more and chided; "Stop teasing the boy."

"What?!" Ursam questioned as if he was being unfairly admonished.  "They are young, healthy youths!  What boy of their age hasn't wondered over the mysteries of the female body? Right?" He glanced over at the pair, with a slightly sly glance before adding; "unless, their interest is one requiring two birds and a very small..."

"Ursam!"  Mr Clawse crossed his arms about his thin chest.

"Such a prude," Ursam complained.  "The path of a Cultivator is thick with Yang, throw a stone and it is hard pressed to find Yin.  It's only natural for comfort to be sought where comfort is sought."  Leon couldn't help his wandering eyes from peeking at Jin Li's expressions, giving Ursam more joyful insight than he meant to.  Jin Li remained completely impossible to read however, his face stoic.

Mr Clawse sighed and suggested; "Let's get back to the subject of pills, shall we?"

Chapter end