COURTED BY THE BANDIT...

CHAPTER 16 - I'M NOT A DOG AH!

  JiaoLong turned in circles like a dog trying to catch his tail watching his hair flow in circles. It must've grown as if he were in this world the whole time. He soon stopped circling from dizziness and found himself to be out of breath. He sighed and thought that this body really was deteriorating. He didn't have much time left and so he set off in a random direction to begin his search of A'Zhe. 

  From far away one could see a slender man treading through the high canopies, it almost looked serene, and with his long hair that flowed behind him he could be mistaken for a forest fairy. Sunlight drizzled through the leaves like honey whilst cicadas sang their summer songs. JiaoLong was in quite a pleasant mood as he finally stumbled into civilisation. 

  But he had stumbled into something bigger than expected, great walls expanded in front  of him into the unforeseeable distance. Carriages pulled by man and beast alike rushed in and out through the arch leading into the city, hums of chatter travelled to his ears and the peaceful forest atmosphere had been completely shattered. This is a buzzing city.

  JiaoLong gathered his hair, with difficulty, and found a suitable twig to use as a hairpin before securing it into a bun. He then set off in the direction of the entrance. Hair in an up do and white gowns flowing behind him, he looked like a saint visiting the human realms, his features indeed had matured since the last time but with the dismissal of the childish features, what came was not a a fierce manly look but a face that could be called beautiful despite being a man. Slim eyebrows, defined jaw line, light coloured eyes, a straight nose and slightly plum lips. Unbeknown to JiaoLong was the fact that many passerby's spared him a second, no, third glance before moving by. However JiaoLong was about as thick as the mattress at home and being oblivious to all the glances he casually strode on. 

  This resulted in the fast spread of a rumour through the city.

  "Have you heard? A beauty has entered the city!"

  "There's a saint in the city!"

  "A man beauty is in the city today!"

  "A man? how can a man be beautiful?"

  "You should have seen him, so serene and calm whilst people outright stared at him."

  "That one will have many pursuers in this city, poor lad should be cautious."

  "We don't lack beauties in this city, and for it to be a man, what makes him so special?"

  "Aiya, are your ears blocked? This beauty's most unusual trait is his hair, his hair! Although he has it up in a bun, the size of the bun means it's extremely long, not only that but the colour is very peculiar, it's auburn! reddish brownish! I saw it with my own eyes, matched with his pale skin he really does look like a saint!"

  As the city's people carried on gossiping to no end, sat on a table outside a wine shop was a man of tall stature. wide shoulders from the back and from the front a strip of chiselled chest could be seen through the open kimono style short overcoat. With a farmers hat shadowing most of his face he had a mysterious aura around him causing the girls from the next shop over to squeal and throw glances at him non-stop. When the word auburn hair and pale complexion reached his ears, the small cup on its way to his lips paused before they were shattered into a million shards. His hand bled but he felt nothing and he let the blood drip on to the floor as he stood and grabbed the colour of the last man he heard speaking.

  "Where?" He asked in a menacing voice.

  "w-w-w-what!?"

  He tightened his grip on the man's collar and bared his teeth as he said, "The auburn haired 'saint'"