BW Extra 8

Ning Xingyuan × Yan Lanpei

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Ning Xingyuan was born with a companion vine.

He and his companion vine were naturally connected through their seas of consciousness, their fates intertwined, intimately bound together.

When he was young and naive, he only felt that Little Green was his best friend.

He occasionally heard his grandfather say that it was rare for people in the Seventeen States to be born with companion spirit creatures. Those who had them were probably entangled for several lifetimes without escaping their karmic bonds, their obsessions too deep, their entanglements too complex, so they were simply bound together directly in this lifetime.

However, excessive obsession was never a good thing, so their ending would probably still be tragic.

He was too young then to understand properly. Later, as he grew older, though he understood, he didn’t really believe it.

He was naturally resistant to so-called destiny and fate. He believed yet didn’t believe, always carrying a stubborn defiance in his heart.

On the surface, however, he remained very composed and sensible.

It wasn’t that he was unfilial, but his parents were truly foolish. They had done many ridiculous and troublesome things, so from childhood he was raised by his grandfather’s side. Among the clan brothers there was much scheming and rivalry. He was the legitimate eldest son, highly gifted, and the family head’s chosen heir, so his childhood wasn’t particularly lively.

Most of his memories consisted of him sitting behind a low table copying books, with a slender green vine wrapped around his wrist, quietly keeping him company.

“Xingyuan, play with me.” The green vine was naturally playful and always wanted to steal away the brush from his hand.

So he would reach out and gently stroke the vine’s tender leaves. “Wait until I finish this page.”

“I don’t want to wait. I want you to play with me. Xingyuan, Ning Xingyuan, Ah Yuan!” The green vine rolled around on the paper, knocking over the inkstone beside it and getting covered in ink.

Ning Xingyuan had no choice but to take it to the water basin for a bath.

Perhaps due to his grandfather’s teachings from an early age, Ning Xingyuan’s temperament was gloomy and rigid. The small child crouched by the water basin, carefully helping his companion vine wash its leaves.

“Ning Xingyuan, let’s sneak out to play, okay? I want to see the lanterns.” The green vine, not caring that its tendrils were dripping wet, climbed onto his sleeve and wrapped around his neck, tickling his ear. “Let’s go, let’s go.”

“No, I need to complete the assignments grandfather gave me.” Ning Xingyuan firmly refused.

The green vine tugged at him, trying to pull him outside, but misjudged its strength and nearly strangled Ning Xingyuan by the water basin.

Upon learning of this incident, his grandfather flew into a rage. He sealed the sea of consciousness connecting Ning Xingyuan and the green vine, and locked the green vine in the dungeon, forbidding anyone to visit.

The green vine cried pitifully as it was locked within layers of magical formations. Without water and without Ning Xingyuan, the entire vine became somewhat withered, curling up into a small bundle in grievance, murmuring Ning Xingyuan’s name.

No one knew how much time passed before the small child broke through the layers of formations and reached out to pick up the thin little vine from the ground.

“Little Green?” Ning Xingyuan gently touched its somewhat wilted leaves and sent it much pure spiritual energy.

“Ning Xingyuan, wuu wuu wuu.”

Little Green cried heartbrokenly. Since their seas of consciousness were connected, Ning Xingyuan was infected by its emotions and his eyes also reddened. He carefully held it in his arms and whispered, “I’m sorry. I know you didn’t mean to. I couldn’t convince grandfather. I’m useless and could only sneak here to find you.”

“This place is so dark and cold. I’ll never go out to play again, never wrap around your neck again.” The green vine curled up on his shoulder, crying until its leaves trembled.

Ning Xingyuan held it and sat down in a corner, letting it into his clothes to warm it with his body heat. “Don’t be afraid, I’m here with you.”

The green vine used its leaves to poke his small hands that had turned red and swollen. “Did grandfather hit your palms?”

Ning Xingyuan pressed his lips together and said nothing, only held it tighter. “Little Green, I will become very capable.”

Little Green nodded. “You definitely will become very capable. Everyone says you’re a genius.”

Ning Xingyuan said in a muffled voice, “I just want to be able to play with you.”

Little Green sighed, “You don’t even know how to play.”

Ning Xingyuan thought for a moment. “I’ll watch you play.”

“Alright, when we grow up then.” the green vine said.

The small person and the slender vine sat in the dark corner of the dungeon and fell into a deep sleep.

****

But in reality, growing up wasn’t as easy as they had imagined.

Ning Xingyuan had less and less free time. Classes, sword practice, formation creation, following grandfather to handle family affairs, dealing with the social obligations of various great families and sects… Only during evening meditation could he catch his breath.

Since their seas of consciousness were connected, although the green vine hadn’t yet taken human form in reality, it could roughly transform into human shape within the sea of consciousness. However, at first it was too crude—just a chubby human form wrapped in vines.

Ning Xingyuan mercilessly mocked it, then threw himself into its embrace and held it, sighing with relief.

“In another two years I’ll definitely be able to form a proper human shape in the sea of consciousness.” The green vine held the youth and spoke with certainty.

Since it wasn’t skilled at transformation initially, it was now four or five times larger than Ning Xingyuan. When Ning Xingyuan threw himself into its embrace, it was like diving into a ball of cotton.

The noble and serious young master only relaxed and let loose within his own sea of consciousness.

“Then you must hurry with your cultivation.” Ning Xingyuan closed his eyes drowsily. “I bought you a mountain where spiritual energy is abundant. Once you grow roots you can plant yourself on the mountaintop. I’ve also saved many pills for you…”

The usually silent and reticent Young Master Xingyuan was actually not so aloof in private and liked to chatter about this and that.

“Good, but I still want to keep a section with you.” The green vine tried to make its “human form” much smaller, its tender leaves touching Ning Xingyuan’s neck. “Ning Xingyuan, I want to wrap around your neck.”

“No.” Ning Xingyuan refused. “If grandfather sees, he’ll lock you up again. Have you forgotten how you nearly cried yourself to death in the dungeon as a child?”

“But I want to wrap around… I’ll wrap around where grandfather and others can’t see.” The green vine used its leaves to poke his Adam’s apple. “Ning Xingyuan, Xingyuan, Ah Yuan.”

Ning Xingyuan’s Adam’s apple moved slightly. He thought for a moment and said, “Then only in the sea of consciousness and when we’re alone together.”

“Good!” The green vine happily shook its leaves, then a vine tendril carefully wound around his pale neck along his shoulder, sighing with satisfaction.

“Why do you insist on wrapping around my neck?” It wrapped a bit tightly, and Ning Xingyuan helplessly tugged at its leaves.

The green vine pondered for a long while, then said quietly, “Maybe it’s because grandfather forbids it, so I particularly want to.”

The thoughts of young people were wild and boundless, and the thoughts of young vines were equally difficult to fathom.

But regardless, they remained intimate companions who shared everything, holding nothing back from each other, having only each other.

Unfortunately, the solid friendship between the person and vine soon faced a serious test.

****

Ning Xingyuan made new friends at Wanxuan Academy.

Chu Linyuan was the personal disciple of the Wushi Sect’s sect leader, the future young sect master beloved by all, living freely and boldly. Ming Sang was the highly respected little martial uncle of the Jiting Sect, who at sixteen had comprehended Buddhist teachings and discussed scriptures with great masters. Sang Yun was the treasured little saint of Canghai Pavilion, lively and lovable.

Perhaps due to the magical attraction between prodigies, Ning Xingyuan, who usually disliked socializing, soon became close with them.

Although there was still some difference between being highly gifted and being truly talented, it was rare to find people he could really talk to. Naturally Ning Xingyuan was happy. The few of them were like-minded, gathering together whether for classes or sword practice.

“…That formation is indeed as Linyuan said, it needs to be modified this way.” Ning Xingyuan told the green vine in his sea of consciousness. “Ming Sang’s Sanskrit dharma form was the first I’d ever seen. Sang Yun can actually understand all things—she’s the little saint of Canghai Pavilion…”

Although Young Master Xingyuan was famous despite his young age, from childhood he had only had the green vine for company. After all, friends were different. The youth who had made new friends couldn’t hide his joy even before his companion vine, trying to share his happiness with it.

The green vine naturally sensed his joy, yet for some reason felt awkward. It hid in a corner of the sea of consciousness, pulling a cloud of condensed spiritual energy over itself with its leaves.

Ning Xingyuan, who was halfway through speaking, noticed the green vine’s dejected mood and stopped talking. However, he couldn’t understand why the green vine was unhappy. He walked to the spiritual cloud and crouched down, reaching out to poke the green vine’s leaves.

“Little Green, why are you unhappy?” Ning Xingyuan asked.

“I don’t know.” The green vine’s muffled voice came from within the cloud.

The relationship between new friends and old friends was difficult to manage, especially since the green vine was his companion spirit creature. Simply defining it as a friend wasn’t actually accurate.

They shared one life, connected in life and death, their intimacy impossible to define precisely.

The green vine had long been able to take human form in the sea of consciousness, but lacking a reference, it could only model itself after Ning Xingyuan’s appearance and transform into a vine-person. Ning Xingyuan reached out and gently pulled it from the cloud, holding it in his embrace.

“Don’t be unhappy. I’ll let you wrap around my neck.” The youth clumsily comforted his little companion.

The green vine curled itself into a ball and asked glumly, “Now that you have new friends, will you not want me, your old friend?”

“No.” Ning Xingyuan promised. “You will always be my best friend. We will never be separated.”

The youth easily spoke of forever, and his little vine believed him with unwavering faith.

Death and disaster seemed very far away from them. They still had hundreds and thousands of years to figure out how to define their relationship and feelings for each other.

“I will work hard to take human form.” Having received assurance, the green vine magnanimously stopped being difficult and happily wound around Ning Xingyuan’s neck and wrists, declaring its ownership. “I’ll become human-shaped like you, then you can introduce me to grandfather and your friends: ‘This is my best friend, Little Green. I like him the most.'”

Ning Xingyuan let it wrap around him and nodded with a smile. “Alright.”

“I want to pick a good day to take human form. Ning Xingyuan, help me think—what would be the best day to transform?” The green vine, which hadn’t even grown roots yet, eagerly urged him, accidentally slipping from his neck in the process.

Ning Xingyuan quickly caught it and held it in his palm, thinking seriously:

“The spring equinox.”

“Good.”