Learning To Live As A Cultivator

With his earnings nearly spent, Leon carefully considered what else he should purchase before they left town. He chose to look at dry goods, such as dried peas, fruits and large edible seeds. Purchasing a pound of dried peas, black tea and moonflower seeds, he was down to just a 10 brass. They could not afford an inn for the night, but as it happened, Mino was planning to let them stay at his folks home for the night… though they would have to share a bed.

Leon had spent the last two nights on the floor and was unwilling to spend a third night on it, but he had always assumed that he would only ever share a bed with his future lover. Perhaps if Jin Li was a girl or perhaps if Leon was not a homosexual, he might have felt less strongly about this matter, but...

Jin Li was not about to lower himself to sleeping anywhere other than a bed. However, he was also unwilling to share. He had never shared a bed with anyone in his life! Not with his elder brothers nor with his parents! The idea was absurd!

Stuck in a small room with a single bed, the two men stared at each other, unwilling to compromise. However, it was Leon, in the end who caved first. "Th-th-there is only one b-blanket," he mentioned.

"This did not bother you the past two nights," Jin Li pointed out.

"I-I c-cultivated," Leon replied.

"Hmm, your rank is low, you should continue," Jin Li shook his head in false pity. "I will sleep while you do so."

"I-I need sl-sleep too!" Leon cried. Cultivating did refresh his mind, but his body was really weary after this long day. He didn't feel like he could concentrate in this state.

"And you will," Jin Li agreed. "The wagon is large enough to lie in." Infuriated, Leon hit his chest with his fist. It was like hitting an iron wall rather than flesh.

"Ow!" Leon complained bitterly and nursed his hand and flopped to the floor, defeated.

"See, if you increase your cultivation level," Jin Lin delightedly advised him, "you would not be so weak. You might even be able to mark me!" Feeling as if he had won the argument, he proceeded to remove his boots and lie down on the bed. He soon began to snore softly.

After a moment, Leon looked over Jin Li's prone form. He had not quite spread over the entire bed as he normally did. There was a slither of space against the wall. Leon looked down over his own skinny body. Perhaps… For almost an hour, he debated whether he should just try to sleep on the floor, definitely unable to cultivate. He removed his glasses, resigned. However, despite the house appearing to be better made and larger than his small hut, there was an unpleasant draft that wrapped around his body and teased his exposed skin. Stubbornly, he tried to find a warmer spot, but to no avail.

Hoping Jin Li had not moved since falling asleep, Leon eventually crept carefully over him, his face beginning to heat as the man's scent drifted over his senses. It was a mix of masculinity with just a hint of soap sand and fresh lake water. Swallowing hard, Leon slipped into the small space with a soft sigh. It was infinitely warmer here without the draft and with the heat emanating off of Jin Li's body. Within moments, Leon had been lulled into sleep.