Qiu Yunru already had a few mountains in mind.
Even though he wasn't the type to have lots of motivation to work out hard, it was true that he enjoyed doing a little research. Thus, he had a list of places.
First, there was Yin He Mountain, thirty miles south of Li Hua mountain.
As its name suggested, Yin He Mountain was known for the silvery rivers and brooks that flowed all down the mountainside, creating a glittering structure that looked like a mountain of silver mineral itself from afar. Because of these many rivers and streams, the mountain was difficult to climb safely, and was devoid of villages and sects. Cities clustered around the mountain's base to take advantage of the water source, but no one dared climb it. After all, a wet mountain is a slippery mountain!
Qiu Yunru thought this was a so-so option. It would be quite solitary, with few visitors, and would certainly be a pretty location to live at. He did enjoy sitting by running water, and the cities clustered at the base of the mountain could provide good fun every once in a while for festival visits and good food.
However, there was a big downside.
All of the running water on Yin He Mountain came from melting snows. Indeed, the mountain was so tall that it grew dense and snowy at the top, even during the summer. This was a certain downside; Qiu Yunru didn't enjoy being in the cold all the time, and if he wanted to live high-up enough on the mountain to avoid those few adventurous hikers who tried to trek the slippery slopes every one in a while, he might end up living in a snow-covered cave!
So really, this visit was just to check if there were any caves high enough up that weren't freezing cold. If something like that existed, it could work.
It took about thirty minutes to fly there by sword. When they reached the mountain, Li Chenyuan called out,
"Should we land, Qiu-ge?"
Qiu Yunru rubbed his chin, studying the mountain and floating in the air. From Li Chenyuan's point of view, he looked deep in thought. He must really be considering something important!
"Let's go a little higher," Qiu Yunru said. And then, to add an excuse, he coughed: "I want...to breathe some thinner air."
Up higher, the air grew cold, and hints of snow peppered the mountain. Qiu Yunru's breaths began to rise in crystalline clouds, and he shivered.
"Should we land now?" Li Chenyuan called out again.
Qiu Yunru should his head, rubbing him arms. His teeth were already chattering in his skull! "No, no--let's go a little lower."
"I thought you wanted thinner air...?"
"Too thin."
So, they ended up at the border of where the mountain greenery ended. Touching down in a grove, Qiu Yunru began to walk off into the underbrush, searching for a suitable cave.
"Are you looking for something...?" Li Chenyuan mumbled, bewildered. Hadn't his shige said that he was just going out for some air? Why was he acting so purposeful, then?
Qiu Yunru coughed again, continuing to wade through the leaves. "I enjoy walking on mountainsides. Don't fall too far behind."
Eventually, they came across a cave. Qiu Yunru considered the outside of it for a long time, sizing it up and analyzing the entrance. In the end, he sighed and shook his head.
"This won't work," He muttered, scratching something off on a piece of bamboo paper. "The rock here is a common habitat for rock-dwelling moles..."
"Rock-dwelling moles...?" Li Chenyuan mumbled again. His head was beginning to hurt. He had wanted to come along to cling closely to his shige and try and get him to open up, but now he really wasn't sure what was going on. Had his shige gone insane...?
Li Chenyuan considered this genuinely for a moment. If his shige had gone insane, maybe he would be more open to getting together!
Qiu Yunru nodded absently, considering the cave again and shaking his head in disappointment. "It's unfortunate. This temperature is all right, but since many moles must live in this mountain, it won't be convenient."
"What won't be convenient...?"
Qiu Yunru coughed once more, folding up his paper and unsheathing his sword with an apologetic smile. "...Resting! Resting won't be convenient. I want to find a good place to rest for a little. Let's go, Li-shidi--I have another location in mind."
And so the day went on like this. From the afternoon till long past sunset, they hopped from mountain to mountain. Lan Hua Mountain, Fen Shu Peak, Hei Yan Ridge...One after another without a break. Qiu Yunru appraised each cave and dwelling thoughtfully, while Li Chenyuan followed him around, growing more and more puzzled.
When the stars came out Li Chenyuan was beginning to get a little frustrated. He had decided that his shige had not, in fact, gone insane. If he was insane, then how were his actions so consistent? No--it seemed that, instead, he was hiding something!
As they touched down on the last mountain--Bai Shi Peak--Li Chenyuan reached out and grabbed Qiu Yunru's sleeve with a disgruntled look on his face. His elegant, dark eyebrows were downturned in displeasure.
Realizing that he couldn't move forward, Qiu Yunru looked back to see his shidi gripping his sleeve and looking very unhappy. He had been trying to hurry up the mountain-shopping, seeing as Li Chenyuan refused to leave his side and return to the sect to rest; was it really his fault if this kid was grumpy about how late they were staying out?
"Li-shidi..." He said consolingly. "This is the last one. I'll just take a look around, and then we can go back. Li Hua Mountain isn't far from here."
Li Chenyuan, however, would not let go of his sleeve. In fact, his grip only seemed to tighten, and his expression grew darker. Such a terrifying expression on such a pretty face!
"Qiu-ge," He said sullenly. "What are you hiding from me?"
"What?" Qiu Yunru laughed awkwardly. "Hiding from you...? What do you mean...?"
Li Chenyuan gritted his teeth. "You've been hiding so many things from me!"
"What...?"
Li Chenyuan's voice raised as he released Qiu Yunru's sleeve, clenching his fists tightly. "What have we been doing all day? You said you needed some air, but you're clearly looking for something! Why can't you tell me?"
Qiu Yunru gaped awkwardly.
What could he say?
It was inevitable that Li Chenyuan would get suspicious--after all, Qiu Yunru was horrible at acting, and they had been running around all day, so it clearly wasn't just for relaxation. But he really hadn't expected him to interrogate him so bluntly...!
He could tell the truth--that he was mountain-shopping--but if he did, then he really shouldn't go and live on any of these mountains in the future. If this kid did become a murderous psycho and developed any sort of resentment towards him, then he'd know exactly where to find him!
"Ah...I'm sorry, shidi. I'm looking for ingredients..." He said weakly, not looking Li Chenyuan in the eyes. He had always been terrible at lying, in this life and the past. If anyone ever looked into his eyes when he lied, they'd know right away!
Li Chenyuan seemed to be a step above that. He grabbed Qiu Yunru's wrist suddenly with a viselike grip, his expression bitter. "You're lying."
"..." Qiu Yunru pursed his lips. "..."
Seeing that he wasn't going to speak, Li Chenyuan grabbed Qiu Yunru's other wrist as well, his eyes growing wet with anger and desperation.
"Qiu-ge!" He shouted. His voice was uncharacteristically raw. Qiu Yunru jumped a little; he had never heard him sound like this. "What did I do? You've been giving me the cold shoulder for months, and now you're lying to me! What did I do wrong?" His voice cracked as his hands tightened on Qiu Yunru's wrists painfully.
Li Chenyuan saw Qiu Yunru's face cycle through a carousel of colors: white, red, green, then white again. This only made him angrier.
"You clearly know what I'm talking about!" He snapped, pulling Qiu Yunru closer without thinking.
Li Chenyuan was taller than Qiu Yunru, and just as strong. With the force of that pull, Qiu Yunru stumble forward into his shidi's chest.