Chapter Text
When they arrived in the mortal realm, at the edge of a forest, half a li from a small rural farming village in the south, the sun was already setting, casting the village in warm tones of yellow and orange. After spending four days in Black Water Manor, where everything was black—almost depressing—Shi Qingxuan welcomed the change of scenery with open arms.
“Isn’t this nice?“ Shi Qingxuan asked, smiling softly with his eyes closed, letting the last rays of the sun dance on his face.
“What? The first time seeing the sun?“ He Xuan scoffed as he tore his gaze from the other, a weirdly fluttering sensation settling in his stomach.
He had to buy a cure tonight. He didn’t even mind asking Crimson Rain if today’s search would turn into nothing again.
Shi Qingxuan ignored him, not wanting to drag down his mood again. “What do you want to do?“ he asked instead, opening his eyes.
“You wanted to come here. Why are you asking me?“
“God, I forgot how hard it was to have a civil conversation with him,“ Shi Qingxuan muttered under his breath.
“What was that?“
“Nothing, let’s just go into the village first,“ he said, walking ahead, He Xuan following him, lips tightly pressed together.
Shi Qingxuan would not let his happiness depend on the Supreme. He merely asked him to come with him because he still had not figured out how to use a teleportation array. If the other wanted to be grumpy and mope around, okay, be his guest. Shi Qingxuan was set on enjoying today, preferably with some wine. Thinking about it made him realize it had been ages since he last drank. If his past self knew that he could go this long without alcohol, he would laugh.
He made a mental note of his goal for tonight. Get drunk. Maybe that would take his mind off, for a second, from a specific black-haired nuisance.
In less than five minutes they had already arrived at what he guessed was the village entrance. A wooden arch adorned with wheat stalks and tiny white flowers. To the left and right of the arch were lanterns, glowing honey-orange. Past the arch they could spot various stalls lined up along both sides of the main street, with people bustling around in a rush, vendors hollering to attract customers, and children playing around a small fountain in the center of the main square.
Was there some kind of festival today or what?
Glancing to his side, where He Xuan had also come to a stop, he figured the other was as clueless as he was.
“Let’s hope this isn’t a lure to get some human sacrifices,“ Shi Qingxuan joked, attempting to laugh, but when he saw not even the trace of a smile on He Xuan’s face, he stopped at the slight lift of the corner of his mouth.
God, he kept forgetting not to talk when it wasn’t necessary.
This time it was He Xuan leading the way into the village. But he didn’t stay long in front of him. The enthusiasm of the villagers drew Shi Qingxuan in like a magnet, and before He Xuan could open his mouth, the other was already gone—to the first stall whose vendor frantically waved the naive ghost over.
“Like a goddamn child,“ He Xuan mumbled, but followed.
If it were up to him, he would’ve left the moment he could hear those loud voices ringing from the distance. There were too many people, and it was too goddamn loud. But he couldn’t leave him here, because—
Why not?
He Xuan came to a halt. Why did he agree to come to the mortal realm in the first place? He couldn’t really expect to find a cure for ghosts here if not even Ghost City had something.
He took a step back before turning to walk away. He didn’t need to stay. He had no reason to stay.
“He Xuan, come on, look what they have!“ a voice dripping with excitement made him stop mid-step.
Was it maybe not a sickness but a curse?
The thought crossed his mind as he turned back to follow the voice.
“Hurry,“ Shi Qingxuan exclaimed, meeting him halfway and pulling him by the arm to a small stall decorated with banners showing the characters for “water“ and “generous.“
A sense of foreboding twisted something long forgotten in his stomach.
“Look, they’re selling mooncakes,“ Shi Qingxuan said, making him tear his gaze away from the banners to the various-shaped mooncakes displayed on a wooden tray.
The vendor, an old lady, beamed at the excitement in Shi Qingxuan’s voice, happy to have found a customer. “My dear, do you like mooncakes?“
At the question, Shi Qingxuan’s eyes seemed to sparkle even more than before, and He Xuan suddenly felt a wave of warmth rush through every cell in his body.
“I love them,“ Shi Qingxuan answered, nodding. “They were mine and my bro— They were my favorite sweets.“
His and his brother’s.
At his answer, the old lady clapped her hands in excitement. “Well, then it’s your lucky day today, my dear. I have the freshest batch in the south. I’ll pack them right away for you.“
Shi Qingxuan shook his head quickly. “No, it’s fine—“
“I won’t take no for an answer. Mooncakes are a must today,“ the lady said, cutting Shi Qingxuan off.
“Is that how you treat customers? Forcing them to buy your things?“ He Xuan scoffed.
The lady seemed startled by the rudeness. However, before she could say anything, Shi Qingxuan frantically shook his head.
“I’m sorry,“ Shi Qingxuan apologized, placing himself between He Xuan and the stall. “He didn’t mean it like that. He’s just a little… hotheaded?“
Shi Qingxuan didn’t need to turn around to know that He Xuan was annoyed, but he couldn’t really focus on that. There was something the lady had just said that caught his interest.
“Can I ask why mooncakes are a must today? Aren’t most people only eating them during the Mid-Autumn Festival?“
Which was still months away.
“Oh, you didn’t know?“ the lady asked, surprised. “Didn’t you come to this town to celebrate the generous Elemental Master of Water?“
“What?“
Shi Qingxuan felt the blood drain from his face. The happiness he had a minute ago disappeared in an instant.
They were celebrating the Elemental Master of Water. The Water Master. His brother.The one whom the man behind him had killed. The man whom He Xuan hated the most (him being the second).
Out of all the towns in the south, they had to go to the one town that apparently had something to celebrate his brother for. His luck was truly starting to rival His Highness's.
“Oh, you really didn’t know,“ the lady said as if he had not known her birthday. “Today, a couple of years ago, our chief’s sick son had to take on a straining journey across the South Sea to visit his daughter, who was lying on her deathbed. However, as you can see, our village is not especially wealthy,“ she pointed with her finger to parts of the village.
Only now did Shi Qingxuan notice how run-down it looked. He had been completely engrossed in the decorations around the village and hadn’t noticed it earlier. The houses were all barely standing. Parts of the foundations were held together with ropes, and some houses didn’t even have doors. The only things that promised somehow a little privacy were curtains made out of reeds. But against the cold? They were as useless as a swordsman without his sword.It was a truly pitiful image of a village. Even for a farming village.
“Therefore, he himself didn’t have a single copper coin to spare to pray for a safe crossing of the South Sea,“ she continued once Shi Qingxuan had his attention back on her. He Xuan hadn’t moved a single muscle in his face after the mention of Shi Wudu.
“Many feared for his life, him included, after hearing how the Water Master would sink ships that didn’t pray in his name for safe passage. But he still went. How could he not? It would be the last time he would see his daughter.“
Shi Qingxuan swallowed hard. He had never understood why his brother would go to such lengths as sinking ships in his own domain just because they didn’t pray to him. Was he so obsessed with power that he couldn’t spare some mercy? Though there was a reason he always ranked first with the lanterns in his name at the Mid-Autumn Festival before His Highness's third ascension.
“So the day came when he boarded a ship with a brave boatman, who took pity on the man and promised him to do his best to bring him safe and sound to his daughter. Weeks passed, and many thought the man had died during the passage—never being able to pay his daughter his last respects. Our village chief was about to hold a funeral when the man walked through the village gates alive and healthy.“
Shi Qingxuan felt his chest lighten. He didn’t know how he could have faced the lady after learning that his brother was the reason for the death of one of her fellow villagers.
“Many questions were asked about how he had survived without a prayer, but he never answered them, only telling us that we had to hold a festival every year on the day he returned safely. His only request for the festival was that there had to be mooncakes at at least one of the stalls. Since that day, besides the Mid-Autumn Festival, mooncakes have also been sold on this very day,“ the lady ended her story with a reminiscent smile covering her face.
“I see,“ Shi Qingxuan said, a smile covering his face that didn’t quite reach his eyes, as he was well aware of the presence behind him that still hadn’t said anything or moved a muscle.
“So would you be ready to buy some to pay our savior your respect, my dear?“
“I’m afraid I’ll have to pass today,“ he gave the lady an apologetic smile.
It didn’t matter how good those mooncakes looked or that it had been ages since he had last eaten one. How could he buy one in front of He Xuan after knowing it was a tribute to the man who had changed his fate? Besides, he didn’t even have any money. All his merits had been seized when he was banished, and there had been no time for him to work before his sickness had rendered him unable to move.
“Oh, it’s okay, my dear,“ the lady grabbed both of his hands, squeezing them reassuringly once. “I’m sure you don’t mean any ill by it.“
“Thank you,“ he whispered before turning back. “Let’s leave,“ he said to He Xuan, not daring to look him in the eyes.
Shi Qingxuan started walking, hoping the other would follow him. He surely would. There was no way he would stay a minute longer in this village after hearing whom the village paid their respects to. He walked for a moment, almost reaching the wooden arch at the entrance, when he realized there were no footsteps behind him.
Could he not stand to stay a couple more minutes in the village until they could use the teleportation array outside, where no mortals could see them? But he wouldn’t be that reckless, right? Or was he too—
“Where are you going?“ He Xuan’s cold voice made him turn around, startled.
“We can’t use the teleportation array here. The mortals could—“
“Do you want to leave?“ He Xuan cut him off, eyes narrowing.
“Me? What? No,“ Shi Qingxuan replied, confused.
“Then we’re staying,“ He Xuan turned back in the direction of the stalls.
“Huh?“ Shi Qingxuan’s eyes widened. “But—I know you don’t want to stay. We can go somewhere else or back,“ he dropped his gaze to the ground. “I don’t mind.“
“You don’t know anything,“ He Xuan instantly turned around, voice harsh. “I told you once already to stop putting things in my mouth.“
“That—That means you want to stay?“ Shi Qingxuan couldn’t keep the hope out of his voice.
“We’re already here. Might as well look around a little,“ He Xuan hated how defensive his voice sounded.
He had nothing to justify. He was staying because he wanted to. Not because the other looked dejected at the thought of leaving.
“Besides, here,“ He Xuan shoved a small bag into Shi Qingxuan’s chest.
“What’s that?“ Shi Qingxuan asked, surprised. He had failed to notice He Xuan was holding a bag since the other had startled him earlier.
“Just open it, for god’s sake.“
Shi Qingxuan did, and that bird of hope fluttering in the place where his heart should’ve been arose anew.
“You—you bought me mooncakes?“ Shi Qingxuan lifted his head, eyes suspiciously wet.
“Don’t make a big deal out of it. I’m just not in the mood to see you frown around,“ He Xuan spun back. “Let’s go. There was something I wanted to see.“
He quickly walked ahead, ignoring the soft thank you.
This was the second time since becoming a Ghost King that he had spent money on someone besides himself.First the buyao—which he refused to acknowledge looked better when Shi Qingxuan wore it—and now those mooncakes, which made his eyes look like—
Why was he thinking about those eyes?
Again.
“What do you want to see?“ Shi Qingxuan asked once he had caught up to the unusually fast-walking Supreme.
“What?“ He Xuan asked back, still half lost in thoughts about a pair of stupid sky-colored eyes.
“You said there was something you wanted to see.“
What? When had he—
Shit.
He had said that earlier just to get some distance between them. He had not thought about anything, nor had he seen something that he wanted to see.
“Right,“ He Xuan quickly scanned their surroundings before deciding to go to the next best stall nearby. “There,“ he said, walking toward the stall, Shi Qingxuan following him.
He had not even had time to process that there was no seller at the stall when Shi Qingxuan already dashed past him.
“Oh my god, these are beautiful,“ he whispered in admiration once he set his eyes on the goods.
Before He Xuan realized it, he had taken a few copper coins out of the sleeve of his robes, his hand hovering over the counter to pay.
...
He closed his fist before the coins could drop onto the counter.What was he doing? Shi Qingxuan hadn’t even said he wanted to buy them. And even if he did, why was He Xuan willing to buy them?
Fuck, was he dying again?
He Xuan quickly glanced at the longevity pendant peeking out from Shi Qingxuan’s robes. It looked alright, so what were these weird thoughts about?
He put the coins back into his robes before shifting his attention to the goods on the small wooden counter that had piqued Shi Qingxuan’s interest. Apparently, He Xuan had chosen a stall that specialized in selling jewelry. There were all sorts of pieces displayed. It went without saying that jewelry sold by a street stall in a poor farming village was not worth a single copper coin. Most of the pieces had rust on them, or parts of a set were missing. One necklace that looked like it was made of pearls seemed to be missing a few of them, replaced by a stone-like material painted white.
He Xuan had no idea what could have piqued Shi Qingxuan’s interest. He reluctantly lifted his eyes to follow Shi Qingxuan’s gaze, ignoring the warmth spreading through his body when he saw those dazzling eyes. His own gaze stopped at a pair of rings. They seemed to be a matching set, one showcasing a thin crescent moon and the other a star. The star was placed near the edge of the ring, so that if someone wore them and walked beside each other, it would appear as though the star drifted toward the moon.
Something told him what those rings were even before the seller did. Right as he thought that, the seller—a young woman in her thirties—came rushing over from a small house behind the stall.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,“ the woman said as she hurriedly took her place behind the counter. “It’s rare for outsiders to come to our village, and no one here has enough money to buy excessive things like jewelry when they don’t even have enough for their next meal, so I rarely get customers.“
“No worries,“ Shi Qingxuan said, waving gently with his hand. “We were just looking,“ his gaze returned to the rings.
“Oh, were you looking at the rings?“ she asked, following Shi Qingxuan’s gaze.
“Mhm,“ he hummed.
It was unusual to see two such fine rings among all those rough-looking pieces of jewelry. He wondered what the story behind them was. Had some girl sold them after never finding her other half? It was obvious they were a matching set for couples. Or had something happened to those two destined souls for them to be torn apart from the one thing connecting them?
“I see,“ she said, a knowing smile covering her face. “I assume the rings are for you two?“ she asked, nodding toward He Xuan, who had stepped behind him when he saw the woman rushing over.
Shi Qingxuan guessed it was because He Xuan didn’t want people to associate the two of them together, like they always did, so he didn’t waste much time thinking about it. But hearing the woman make that assumption—that those rings were for them both, that those couple rings were for them—gave him the impression that He Xuan had already figured out where this was heading. Of course, he couldn’t even stand the possibility of someone seeing them as something this intimate, for them to have been looking at couple rings together.
Once again, his mood dropped, and he was reminded of what he could never have.
Though before he could say anything, He Xuan stepped forward, body rigid and hand curled into a fist.
“Nonsense,“ his gaze was so cold that the woman quickly stepped back, her hands coming up in an apologetic wave.
“I’m sorry, I just thought—“
“Since when is it your job to think? Your only job is to sell your goods, and looking at the fully stocked stall, you’re doing a terrible job at it. Maybe you should assume less and find a better way to sell your goods instead.“
“He Xuan,“ Shi Qingxuan tried to pull him away from the stall, but stopped mid-motion, his hand hovering uselessly in the air. He didn’t want to make him even more furious by touching him.
If He Xuan had heard him call his name, he ignored him, and with one last glare at the poor frightened woman, he turned back. His eyes stopped on Shi Qingxuan’s hand hanging in the air for a moment before he walked away.
“Where are you going?“ he asked, wanting to follow him, but the woman stopped him.
“Wait, I’m sorry for assuming things,“ her eyes dropped to the ground, lips quivering. “I just thought— I’m sorry.“
Shi Qingxuan glanced back worriedly one last time, just in time to see He Xuan enter an inn they had seen at the entrance of the village, before turning his attention back to the seller.
“There is no need to apologize,“ he said, his attention still on the way He Xuan’s jaw was clenched—a habit he only had when there was something he really hated. Apparently, being mistaken for his boyfriend was one of those things. “I’m the one who should apologize for his behavior. Assuming may not have been the right thing to do, but reacting that rudely wasn’t right either.“
“I was the one who was wrong first, so his reaction was justified in a way. I just thought, while observing you two, there was something in the way he was looking at you.“
Shi Qingxuan furrowed his eyebrows, confused. “But you only came out just now?“
For the time she had been here, He Xuan was behind him and she couldn’t have gotten a clear look at his face. Even if he was four or five centimeters smaller than He Xuan, his hair did the job of covering him from her eyes.
“Yeah, about that, I should apologize for that too,“ she grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck. “I could see you both since you two came to my stall from my house,“ she pointed back to where she had come from, where he could see a small window facing directly toward the stall. “I usually wait there because it’s too cold for me once the sun has set. Once I see someone stay long enough that there’s a possibility they might buy something, I come over.“
Shi Qingxuan needed a minute to process what that meant, but after he did, there was a feeling he was all too familiar with.
Hope.
“What— what did you see?“ His voice came out as an uneven whisper.
“Something conflicted,“ she said, smiling. “I don’t have much experience in those things, but to me it looked like a part of him wanted to hold on to whatever made his gaze soften whenever his eyes drifted to you, but at the same time there was something trying to diminish the cause of that.“
“Oh.“
That was all he said because what should he say to that?
That she was imagining things? That what they had was nothing that could make He Xuan feel like that? To make his eyes—those eyes that looked like they might even freeze over hell—soften? She was just trying to make him feel better. So he decided to change the topic to get his earlier question answered.
“How come you have something so pretty when all the other things look a little… eh?“ he stopped, flustered, rubbing the back of his neck.
The last thing he wanted to do was rub it in how poor they were by pointing out that most of the displayed jewelry looked more than a little roughed up.
The woman only laughed, taking no offense at what Shi Qingxuan was implying. She had realized what Shi Qingxuan was doing and decided anything more was not her place to meddle in. If he didn’t believe what she said was true, saying anything more wouldn’t change that. All she could do was agree to that silent change of conversation and hope there might be a day when he would believe.
“We get that often,“ she said, still smiling. “Truth is, I’m not sure how those two rings,“ she gestured to the pair, “got into our hands. It was my grandmother’s mother who apparently got those two rings from a wandering cultivator who had to pawn them off for some reason. He promised to come back for them once he found who he was searching for,“ the woman’s smile slowly turned wistful.
“The cultivator never came back,“ Shi Qingxuan stated what the woman was unable to.
She nodded, having wondered many times what had happened to that cultivator and whether he had ever found the other person with whom he shared those rings. Seeing how the man in front of her looked the same way she had the first time she heard the story from her grandmother, she decided those rings deserved a new story.
“You know what,“ she said, grabbing the two rings before holding them out to Shi Qingxuan. “This village is too far south. Hardly anyone passes through here, and those rings deserve a place where they can be appreciated. You two were the first outsiders in weeks.“
Shi Qingxuan’s eyes widened in surprise. “You want them to be in my hands?“
“Yeah,“ she nodded, smiling, her hand still outstretched. “I have a gut feeling you’ll get to use them pretty soon, and trust me, my gut is usually right.“
As much as Shi Qingxuan adored those rings, he couldn’t accept them. The first reason was that he didn’t even have a single copper coin to spare, and the second was that he would have no use for them. No matter what the woman said. Such pretty rings would be better off with someone who had found their other half and had been accepted as theirs in return.
“You’re very kind…“
“Lin Yue.“
“You’re very kind, Lin Yue,“ Shi Qingxuan smiled softly, gently closing her palm around the rings. “But I can’t take them. I’m afraid I won’t have the required amount of coins for such pretty rings.“
“I don’t want money.“
“What?“
“It’s a gift. Just see it as an apology for assuming things and making things weirder between you two.“
“But I can—“
“Please, just take them,“ Lin Yue grabbed hold of Shi Qingxuan’s hand before placing the two rings in his palm and closing his fist, just as he had done moments ago. “I would love to know those rings got a new, maybe a little less tragic story.“
Shi Qingxuan couldn’t promise that, and he knew she was aware of that too, but she was still willing to give them to him—something that had been in her family’s possession for nearly three generations—based only on a gut feeling.
Maybe it was that kind of faith that, in the end, made him wordlessly slip the two rings into his sleeve.
“Thank you,“ he said, taking her hands in his own and squeezing them once. “I’ll try to give them a better story.“
“I know you will,“ she smiled softly, squeezing his hands back. “Now go on. Alone, you won’t be able to do that,“ she let go of his hands before pointing toward the inn He Xuan had entered ten minutes ago.
With a quick muttered thank you, he dashed off.
༄〰༄
He Xuan wasn’t really sure what had led him to sit in a crowded inn full of villagers who seemed to celebrate Shi Wudu for something trivial that should be basic courtesy—to not kill their own believers just because of a lack of prayers—with five bottles of wine in front of him, one already nearly empty.
It could’ve been because of the sickness or, what was more likely, a curse that made his chest feel so incredibly warm whenever Shi Qingxuan would smile, whenever his eyes would light up in excitement, or whenever—
Why was he thinking of him again?
Didn’t he decide to get drunk for the first time to make his thoughts stop returning to him?
No. He decided to get drunk because the woman’s implication from earlier—that they might be something, for them to be looking at matching rings together—didn’t bother him as much as it should have.
His anger was rather directed at his lack of repulsion toward that image than at her words.
Shit.
He could only vaguely make out the villagers laughing obnoxiously loudly in the background or how bitter the wine had slowly started to taste when he was about to contact Crimson Rain for help against the curse, with his fingers already at his temple, when the door to the inn opened and Shi Qingxuan entered.
In a second, he had found him, and in even less time, he was already sitting in front of him.
“Oh, good, you already bought the wine,” Shi Qingxuan said, grabbing a full bottle before taking a big chug. “That’s exactly what I needed right now.” He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, smiling stupidly.
He Xuan opened his mouth before closing it only seconds later, then copied Shi Qingxuan’s action, finishing his already-open bottle before opening a new one.He didn’t trust his mouth, especially now after drinking this much. He wasn’t exactly a lightweight, but he also wasn’t one to drink often. Glancing at Shi Qingxuan, he also didn’t plan to say anything else, seeing how the other had dropped his head onto the table, hands placed on his head.
He Xuan had stopped counting how many people had left and entered the inn after Shi Qingxuan had arrived when his voice broke the silence between them after what seemed like an eternity.
“Do you wanna talk about it?” Shi Qingxuan asked, lifting his head and propping it up on his palms.
“Does it look like that?”
Shi Qingxuan rolled his eyes, opening his second bottle of wine before drinking at least half of it in one chug.
“Me neither.”
“I didn't ask?”
“No, but that’s how a conversation usually works,” Shi Qingxuan said, slightly pouting. “You would know that if you for once paid attention to anything besides food.”
“Or shutting me out,” he whispered to himself.
The alcohol had started to melt down his restraint, leaving him to say things he would normally just think about saying. Which was really unusual because he hadn’t drunk that much compared to when he was still a god.Did becoming a ghost meddle with his alcohol tolerance?Luckily, it seemed that He Xuan had decided to ignore him.
The laughing continued in the background. Mugs clinked together, and people were playing cards made out of leaves.But neither of them tried for another conversation, both too occupied with what they were feeling and with what they shouldn’t be feeling.However, before the silence between them could turn into something awkward, the door to the inn opened and a small boy entered in a rush.
“Everyone, hurry! The lanterns are being released!”
The moment the boy had said the sentence, he had already dashed out of the inn, with many people around them moving to follow, the same excitement evident on their faces.
“It’s already that time of the year, what?” an old man said reminiscingly as he passed them both.
“Come on, Mom, we have to hurry or we’ll miss the floating stars!” a small girl said, frantically pulling on her mother’s hand to get her to move faster.
“Not so fast, A-Shu, you’ll get hurt,” the mother scolded, though with a fond smile as she followed her daughter out of the inn.
Shi Qingxuan, curious as he was, grabbed the arm of a man passing by who looked about his age (the age of his appearance), making him stop and turn around with a glare.
“May I ask what this is all about?” Shi Qingxuan asked, standing up and quickly letting go of the man’s arm.
“Oh, you are surely a traveler,” the glare turned into a dazzling smile once he saw Shi Qingxuan. “Otherwise, I would surely remember such an enthralling face.”
“Oh, eh, thank you?” Shi Qingxuan took a step back, ears burning.
It was obviously not the first time someone had tried to flirt with him, but it was his first time after being banished and the first time in the presence of He Xuan. If he were to glance at where He Xuan was still sitting behind him, he would surely find him unbothered. That bothered him, and for one second—only for one second—the thought crossed his mind to flirt back just to see if he was really as uninterested as he pretended to be.But this was not the time for that.
“No need to thank me, pretty,” the man took a step forward, his eyes roaming over Shi Qingxuan’s body.
From behind him came the sound of a wine bottle being placed on the table with more force than necessary, but Shi Qingxuan didn’t really have much time to process that.This was definitely not the time, nor the right person, to flirt back.
“I’m sorry, but do you know what the fuss about the lanterns is?” Shi Qingxuan asked, trying to ignore the eyes on him and instead focusing on the people who were still rushing to leave the inn.
“I could, but what’s in it for me?”
“A thank you?” Shi Qingxuan suggested.
He wasn’t stupid. He knew that wasn’t what the man was implying, but did he really think he would give him what he wanted? There were enough other people around to ask. Shi Qingxuan had already moved to ask someone else when a hand came to grab his wrist painfully.
“Not so fast, pretty,” the man said, a look of lasciviousness in his eyes as he pulled Shi Qingxuan back.
“Get your hands off me.”
Shi Qingxuan tried to pull away, which caused him to stumble back a few steps into a chest, with the other man’s hand still firmly secured around his wrist. A hand came to rest on his lower back, and Shi Qingxuan was sure he would be able to hear his heart in his ears if he were still alive.
“If you don’t take your hands off him in the next second, you won’t have a hand left to try this again.”
He Xuan had stepped behind Shi Qingxuan the moment he realized this was not a trivial attempt at getting attention from someone, from a man who looked like it was his first time talking to another person.It seemed that only after He Xuan had stood up did the man realize that Shi Qingxuan was not alone, and he immediately let go of Shi Qingxuan’s wrist.
“I’m sorry. I thought he was alone.”
He didn’t look even a little sorry. Only sorry that he couldn’t go through with his sick plan.
This-
He Xuan moved, though before he could remove his hand from where it was still subconsciously placed on Shi Qingxuan’s lower back, Shi Qingxuan took a step back, leaning into He Xuan’s hand, and whatever thought had just formed in He Xuan’s brain vanished.
“The lanterns. What is the reason for them?” Shi Qingxuan asked once again.
The man looked like he was about to bolt.
“Answer him.” He Xuan had still not moved his hand away.
In the end, the man decided his life was worth more than his pride.
“Fine,” he scoffed. “Lighting lanterns now is something similar to the ones at the Mid-Autumn Festival. It’s another way to honor the Water Master for his deeds.”
“Oh,” Shi Qingxuan said, his eyes turning wistful at the mention of his brother.
Seeing that his answer was enough, the man bolted out of the inn.
The last few people had left the inn, and the once-noisy place fell into a somber silence.Shi Qingxuan cleared his throat before reluctantly stepping away from He Xuan’s touch. He was well aware that he had only done it for the sake of making the man leave. Definitely not because he wanted to. That was just—
“Are you okay?” He Xuan’s surprisingly not-cold but also not-soft voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
“Me? What? Yeah, I’m fine,” he answered, his eyes not meeting He Xuan’s.
He Xuan wanted to say that he could see the other was lying, but he stopped himself before he could. It was not his business whether Shi Qingxuan was fine or not.
“Then let’s go.”
He Xuan was already at the door when Shi Qingxuan realized what he had said.
“What? Where?” he asked, following He Xuan out of the inn.
“You want to see the lanterns, right?”
Shi Qingxuan walked a little faster to catch up with him before settling into his pace.
“I mean, yeah, but—are we going to watch the lanterns?” Shi Qingxuan couldn’t stop his eyes from lighting up in excitement, and He Xuan knew that too, keeping his gaze stubbornly on the ground instead.
Harder to achieve than he thought.
He Xuan didn’t say anything, but he followed the villagers, each carrying a lantern in their hands.
༄〰༄